Vagrant or Paladin
***
Elbridge spoke haltingly.
"O Goddess. I must be lacking, for I have not properly understood your words. There is no way that the Goddess's order, the Order of the Rusted Shield, could have vanished..."
The Goddess's voice that returned was strangely lacking in confidence.
- Strictly speaking, it has greatly declined, but it has not vanished. For you are still here...
There was a subtle difference between being ruined and having vanished.
And the Goddess's statement, 'you are still here, so it has not yet vanished,' implied a great many facts.
To put it another way, did it not mean that if Elbridge were not here, the order would have vanished?
Elbridge, flustered, asked the Goddess again.
"O Goddess, forgive my impertinence, but may I ask how many seats the Goddess currently holds in the celestial council?"
The Goddess did not answer Elbridge's question.
However, what that silence meant was clear; it was certain that the Rusted Shield Goddess did not hold a single seat in the celestial council.
'To think that in the span of two hundred years, the Rusted Shield Goddess would be pushed out of the council...'
Elbridge swallowed a groan and spoke again.
"O Goddess. How did the situation come to this? Just two hundred years ago, did the Goddess not hold more than twenty seats in the celestial council? You were expanding your influence every year, steadily increasing your seats..."
A very long time ago.
The ancient world, a time so long ago that Elbridge could hardly imagine it, was said to have been chaotic beyond all measure.
That chaos stemmed not from demons, but from the gods.
Gods possessing immense power would arbitrarily intervene in the affairs of the mortal world, so it was commonplace for the long-held aspirations passed down through generations by the intelligent beings of the world to turn to nothing in an instant.
To put it a bit coldly, there was no meaning in the lives of the intelligent beings living on the earth. What meaning could there be in a life where anything could happen at the whim of a god?
The supreme god, who could be called the god of gods, took pity on the intelligent beings of the world.
Therefore, the supreme god limited the total amount of power that the celestial gods could exercise upon the world.
Thanks to this, the tragedy of the world's intelligent beings becoming the playthings of the gods was greatly reduced. Instead, a new problem arose. The gods came into conflict over which god would exercise how much power.
At this, the supreme god fell into contemplation once again, and finally, after observing other dimensions, presented an exquisite solution.
It was decided that the gods would form a celestial council, and seats would be allocated to each god through the faith of their followers.
The reasoning was that a god who had secured many followers would need much power to look after those many followers, while a god with few followers could look after their followers with relatively little power.
The Rusted Shield Goddess whom Elbridge served was, just two hundred years ago, a god who could be called a respectable heavyweight, holding a staggering twenty-two seats out of the three hundred in the celestial council.
Two hundred years had passed since then, but for the Rusted Shield Goddess to not hold a single seat in the celestial council? It was a matter that was difficult for Elbridge to comprehend.
The Goddess hesitated slightly before answering.
- It is difficult to explain now. Just remember that you are the child I cherish most. In any case, come to the Holy City and we can talk more...
The voice of the Rusted Shield Goddess grew smaller and smaller before cutting off. The Goddess's power had reached its limit.
"Ah..."
It was not simply a matter of being pushed out of the council; with only Elbridge left as a follower, even conversing with a follower must be a taxing affair for the Goddess.
At this rate, among the many gods pushed out of the celestial council, her situation was likely on the poor side.
'What should I do?'
After a short period of deliberation, Elbridge reached a conclusion.
'As the Goddess said, I must first go to the Holy City and find out what happened.'
Elbridge got up from his spot and headed out of the forest.
***
The scenery of the world had changed so much that Elbridge could not find his way at all.
Therefore, Elbridge walked wherever his feet took him. If he walked in one direction, a village was bound to appear eventually.
Even though he was walking without knowing the way, and even though he had heard the shocking news that his order was ruined, Elbridge's mood was quite good.
Was this not a situation where he had been freed after being sealed for a whole two hundred years? Elbridge earnestly hoped that this current situation was not a dream.
On the second day of walking aimlessly like that.
Elbridge reached a rather large village, or a small city.
The city was surrounded by a wall that was not particularly high, and its gates were wide open, allowing people to come and go freely.
There were guards, but they did not seem to have any intention of stopping people.
'I don't think there was a city around here before... In any case, this is good. There must be someone who knows the way to the Holy City, Solenion.'
The Holy City Solenion was one of the largest cities in the eastern part of the continent.
It had a large population and a developed commercial sector, and above all, it was famous for being the city with the most temples of the gods in the eastern continent.
The temple of the Rusted Shield Goddess was no different. Although temples of the Order of the Rusted Shield were scattered throughout the continent, the main temple was in Solenion.
'That must be why the Goddess commanded me to come to the Holy City as well.'
As Elbridge approached the city gate, a guard scanned him with a rather displeased expression. And he also let out a strangely disdainful cough.
"Keuh-heum."
However, the guard did not stop Elbridge. Elbridge lightly passed the guard and entered the city.
Beyond the city gate was a small open space, where several groups of people were gathered.
It seemed that those intending to leave the city had formed groups, but naturally, there were no faces that Elbridge recognized.
Elbridge perked up his ears and loitered around the open space, until he heard a voice mentioning the Holy City Solenion.
'Are they people heading to the Holy City?'
Elbridge looked in the direction from which the voice had come.
Several large carts and glossy carriages were prepared, and there were close to twenty workers organizing the luggage.
A person in charge, plump and dressed in shiny clothes, could be seen giving various instructions to the workers, and around the carts, five or six men who looked like they'd earned their keep with a sword were loitering about. It was the typical appearance of a merchant caravan.
As Elbridge tried to approach the person in charge of the caravan, a man with a knife scar etched across the bridge of his nose blocked his way. He looked, in all likelihood, to be a mercenary guarding the caravan.
"What are you?"
Instead of introducing himself, Elbridge asked the mercenary a question.
"Where is this party headed?"
The mercenary with the scar on the bridge of his nose raised one eyebrow and asked back.
"...Headed?"
It was an unfamiliar reaction. However, Elbridge paid it no mind and stated his business.
"I am looking for a traveling companion to the Holy City Solenion."
"It's true we're going to Solenion. The important thing is, what kind of guy are you?"
"A paladin."
The scarred mercenary snorted.
"Aha, so you're a paladin. Which god do you serve?"
"The Rusted Shield Goddess."
"Shield or whatever, why don't you get lost?"
Elbridge's eyes widened at the unexpected reaction.
In the past, when Elbridge revealed his identity, most people would reflexively show respect.
This was even more so because he was a paladin of a famous order, and Elbridge was a knight with skills that ranked among the top within the order.
Since becoming a paladin, not a single person had treated Elbridge this way.
Moreover, the scarred mercenary's words did not end there.
"I swear, the name of a god I've never even heard of in my life... And a paladin? If you're a paladin, then I'm a paladin's grandfather, you son of a bitch."
Elbridge immediately realized why the man was reacting that way.
'It seems my head got stiff from being stuck in the seal.'
First, the prestige of the Order of the Rusted Shield had fallen to a terrible degree.
Did that man not seem as if he had never even heard the name of the Rusted Shield Goddess? It was common for a follower of a little-known order to receive treatment worse than if they had not revealed the god they served.
Second, Elbridge's appearance was the problem.
Right now, Elbridge had no shiny armor, let alone a shining sword or shield. This was because they had all rusted and decayed over the course of two hundred years.
Furthermore, although Elbridge had not aged in the seal, his body was gaunt and his appearance was pitiful to look at. To anyone, he looked more like a vagrant than a paladin.
Elbridge belatedly understood why the guard's gaze had not been favorable.
'He must have thought, another vagrant is joining the town.'
Whether it was how he interpreted Elbridge's hesitation, the scarred mercenary smirked.
"You punk. I'm being generous and turning a blind eye just this once. Be careful, if you go around spouting nonsense about being a paladin, your head might fly..."
The mercenary finally spat on the ground and turned away.
Unlike his thuggish attitude and rough way of speaking, it was more or less true that he was generous. Impersonating a paladin was often punished more severely than impersonating a noble.
If that mercenary had been hard-hearted, Elbridge would certainly have been in a very difficult situation.
Of course, Elbridge was not impersonating a paladin, but he had no way to prove that he was a paladin right now.
Just then, the plump person in charge of the caravan shouted.
"We're departing!"
The caravan's carts and carriages moved, and the mercenaries and porters followed behind them.
Elbridge watched the departing carts and thought.
'Even if I can't join the party, if I follow the wheel tracks of those carts, won't I be able to get to the Holy City Solenion?'
Elbridge was not the only one who thought so.
"Hey there, young man. Are you trying to get to the Holy City Solenion?"
When he turned his head, there was an elderly man.
Was he a little over sixty? His back was slightly stooped, but he looked to be a person in reasonably good health.
"Ah, yes. That's right."
"I'm Rick. If you're going to Solenion, how about going with us?"
"Us?"
Elbridge looked behind Rick.
More than forty people were gathered there.
Unlike the merchant caravan that had just departed, there were no carriages and only a single cart, but in terms of headcount, they were actually more numerous than the caravan.
However, among the more than forty people, there were no able-bodied adult men to be seen. Only women, the elderly, and children.
'Are they people trying to get to Solenion by following the caravan that just left?'
However, there was one point that was questionable.
Right now, Elbridge's appearance was not much different from that of a vagrant. What reason could Rick have for asking such an Elbridge to accompany them?
Rick answered Elbridge's question.
"I've traveled between this town and the Holy City at least thirty times. There are no bandits on the road from here to the Holy City, but sometimes a pack of wolves appears. A pack is just six or seven at most, though..."
Rick's explanation was that, in order to not be attacked by wolves, he planned to gather enough people so that a wolf pack would not dare to attack, and then depart.
However, that was not the end of Rick's business.
"You there. Got any money?"
"...I do not."
"How are you going to manage for food?"
"By hunting some small animals, or eating tree nuts or something..."
"If that's the case, how about working as a porter?"
"A porter?"
Rick pointed to the single cart among the people.
"That there, that's my cart."
Elbridge glanced at the items loaded onto the cart. In one corner, there was a bundle that looked like trade goods, but the remaining space was piled high with things that could be preserved for a long time, like dried fruits or jerky.
Elbridge gave a small nod.
"So the old gentleman is a merchant as well."
"That's right."
"Instead of hiring mercenaries with money, you gather people to fend off wolves, and on the side, you sell food and daily necessities to the people traveling with you... Not bad. It's quite efficient."
A peculiar light entered Rick's eyes as he listened to Elbridge's words.
"...To figure that out right away. Were you a merchant too? You're unusually sharp."
"I am not a merchant."
"That's a relief. One person doing business like me in this area is enough... It's better not to have competitors."
"In any case, are you saying I should pull that cart all the way to the Holy City?"
"In return, I'll provide food and lend you a blanket. Don't like it?"
Elbridge stared intently at Rick before answering.
"You didn't intend for me to pull the cart by myself from the beginning, did you? The old gentleman can pull it in the morning, and I can pull it in the afternoon."
Rick made a slightly dumbfounded expression, then burst into laughter.
"This fellow, how did you read my mind?"
Elbridge glanced at the people behind Rick.
"The reason there are only women, the elderly, and children in the old gentleman's party is... because young men can at least work as porters for wages on the way to the Holy City. The reason you approached me must be because there are no young men trying to get to the Holy City."
"That's not what I asked. How did you figure out that I didn't intend for you to pull the cart by yourself?"
"You saw my gaunt appearance, there's no way you'd make me pull the cart by myself all day. If you thought that way, you wouldn't be wicked, but foolish."
Rick chuckled.
"That's accurate. But providing food and a blanket while also taking turns pulling the cart half and half is out of the question. I'll pull the cart for a little while before lunchtime."
"I don't know about that. Let's just take turns pulling the cart half and half."
Rick crossed his arms.
"That's not a matter for you to decide. You can only decide whether to accept my terms or not."
Then, this time, Elbridge let out a smirk.
"I doubt that. The decision rests with me."
"Why do you think so?"
"I told you earlier, didn't I? I must be the only adult male trying to get to Solenion. If I don't accept the offer now, won't the old gentleman be stuck in this town until the next caravan departing for the Holy City Solenion appears?"
Why had Rick waited until another caravan departed? Was it because he, like Elbridge, did not know the way to the Holy City?
No. It was likely because he intended to trail behind the caravan ahead, hoping that the caravan's mercenaries would resolve any unexpected situations that might arise.
A person so cautious would not delay his schedule indefinitely just because he did not want to pull a cart a little more. After all, aren't merchants people who earn as much as they move?
"..."
Rick was at a loss for words.
In the end, Rick stared intently at Elbridge before asking.
"You there. What's your name?"
"Please call me El."
"Alright, El. Are you interested in learning the trade under me?"
"I'll pass."
"Hmm..."
Rick gestured towards the people who were waiting.
Soon, Rick and the people began to move, following the wheel tracks of the caravan that had left earlier.
Clatter-clatter.
Only the sound of the cart moving and the small whispers of the people could be heard.
How long had they walked like that?
Rick, who had been walking in silence, casually called out to Elbridge.
"El."
"Yes."
"If you're not interested in learning under me, how about a partnership?"
"...I'm not interested."
Elbridge flatly refused Rick's offer.
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