Chapter Seventy-Two: Tolerance! First Update
2015-10-05
Author: Floating Tower
A gentle evening breeze blew towards him.
In the slums near the harbour of Arendelle, a group of young children were gathered together. The sound of sailors’ horns could be heard from the seaside, but the children paid no attention. They formed a circle and focused intently on the front; occasionally, someone would stand on the other side and mimic a stance that resembled Sword Intent [Horizontal Slash].
They were secretly learning combat skills.
For these children living at the bottom of society, they had few ideals. Their parents encouraged them to come here more in hopes that they could pick up some skills to prevent being bullied while working at the docks in the future.
Knowing a few moves is always good.
On the other side of the slum was a cheap inn, with a mule stable beside it. The air was a bit murky, and although the outside roads were not muddy due to Arendelle’s prosperity, rain would still cause water to accumulate. This was the poorest area of Arendelle, but the people living here were not emaciated; at most, they wore somewhat tattered clothing.
The paladins were temporarily residing here.
As representatives of the Lawful Good faction, many of them refused indulgence and firmly believed in their tenets.
Thus, the paladins declined the accommodations arranged by the Arendelle court and chose the cheap inn instead, as though they wielded great power, they were not a wealthy group.
A young paladin was teaching a young child.
There were other paladins watching him; his name no longer mattered. Since leaving the City of Wealth, his beliefs had already endured too much trial.
Now, he was a wielder of the Holy Avenger.
The paladins referred to him as the ‘Hand of Justice.’ Though he had not yet fully stepped into the Legendary Domain to possess his own title, he was very close to that step now.
In a very short time, he had surpassed many of his peers through faith and will.
The warden also lived in this somewhat rundown inn. In front of the innkeeper’s fearful expression, he always tried to show a hint of a smile on his dignified face.
Compassion.
Tolerance.
Integrity.
The attitude of the paladins towards the noble class and the commoners was completely different from others—they were, in fact, the exact opposite. Common people fawned over the nobles while looking down on the lower class. However, the paladins treated nobles most of the time without showing any regard, while they were very kind and calm towards the lower commoners. Because in the paladins’ view, most of the noble class were Lawful Evil individuals, and their rule often led to difficulties for ordinary people’s lives.
“Alright.”
“Let them practice by themselves. You come with me to the Royal Palace of Arendelle later; we must see the princess again.”
The warden slightly nodded at the young paladin. He had witnessed this young man grow and saw him find his own path. The young paladin did not fall into fanatical obsession. He held a personal understanding of the justice he believed in, hence he ultimately chose [Justice], believing it would make the world a better place.
Training halted.
The young paladin reached out and touched the apprentice’s head, smiled, and gave a few instructions before turning and entering the inn.
When he was trained as a paladin, he was just as young as this child.
Now, years later, he had almost reached the door of legend. Though he had vowed not to marry and have children, he couldn’t help but feel a fatherly affection toward this disciple.
He was still very young.
But his experiences had already left traces of hardship on his face. More so, a kind of steadfastness had settled within him, and he began to understand those older paladins from back in the day.
A group of paladins headed towards the royal palace.
Occasionally, passersby noticed them. Ordinary people would nod slightly, merchants looked somewhat surprised, and even those living in the gray areas would just become worried and hide upon seeing them.
This was not the City of Wealth.
This was Arendelle, the best, richest, and most prosperous country in the northern part of the continent, ruled by the princess.
Arendelle also had its gray areas.
However, the common people here would not choose to seek help from the paladins. Although their lives were poor, they had not reached an unbearable point.
More often than not, they chose to trust the laws of Arendelle.
The princess’s governance maintained clarity in Arendelle’s laws. Overly evil acts would naturally be punished by the law, and ordinary people hardly needed the help of paladins. They also knew too well that the cost of such help was too heavy.
A city.
A country.
The simplest way to judge the level of their civilization is to see whether they can accommodate the existence of paladins.
The City of Wealth could not.
However, Arendelle could, and another place that could do this was Modo City. Although the residents often watched them with indifferent eyes, they still tolerated the appearance of paladins.
Law.
The most similar point between Modo City and Arendelle was that both had strict laws.
Common folks in Arendelle maintained respect for the paladins, while nobles kept courtesy towards them. The former did not view them as a beacon of hope, and the latter did not see them as a threat. Under the princess’s rule, the nobles strictly adhered to their powers and obligations; they did not believe that paladins needed to judge them, as they were only doing what nobles should do. Therefore, they did not fear the paladins in their hearts, nor did they harbor much hostility.
Outside the royal palace.
It was undeniable that the warden returned once again empty-handed.
The princess held an absolute exalted position in Arendelle. If she did not want to see these paladins, then they could not see her, no matter what.
The warden did not want to give up so easily.
He knew his request was a bit excessive and could severely deplete the princess’s power, but he also knew the princess was one of the few people in the Material Plane who could repair the Holy Avenger, so he would never give up easily.
Continuous rejections.
Younger paladins were a bit dissatisfied, believing that repairing the Holy Avenger was a just and sacred thing, and that the princess absolutely should not refuse such matters.
If it weren’t for witnessing Arendelle’s prosperity and peace, they would think that the princess did not understand what a just cause was!
Paladins could easily fall into obsession.
Especially when justice filled their minds, fanaticism made them perceive many things as unjust.
The warden needed to guide them and show these young people the way.
If the princess was willing to help them repair the Holy Avenger, that was a matter of kindness; if she was unwilling, that was a matter of duty.
One should not use morality to bind others; otherwise, one would also be bound by morality.
Paladins needed guidance.
They were not the inflexible group from the Church of the Lord of Radiance; the warden had always looked down on their educational methods. Young paladins often joined them filled with fervor, but only after experiencing various setbacks could they grow into true paladins. He had successfully guided one ‘Hand of Justice,’ and the warden hoped that there would be more young people like this in the future.
Because he sensed a coming upheaval.
Outside the royal palace.
A convoy of carriages gradually approached, followed by a tall, handsome man with golden hair. He was the Second Prince of the Hawk Kingdom, who recently wished to visit the royal palace of Arendelle frequently. The warden had seen him at the gate three times already, hoping to visit the princess. As before, the Second Prince of the Hawk Kingdom looked slightly apprehensive upon seeing them, then pretended to pass by casually.
This guy didn’t even dare to walk past the warden directly; there was no doubt he felt quite insecure in the presence of the paladins.
Once again returning empty-handed.
The warden couldn’t help but feel a sense of fatigue—the princess asked almost nothing from the paladins, and naturally, the paladins could not offer anything in return.
Power?
With the princess’s strength, there were almost none in the Material Plane who could defeat her!
Wealth?
Whether or not the paladins had money aside, looking at the entire Material Plane, there were truly not many who could match the princess in wealth; perhaps only the ruler of Modo City could compare.
If the paladins could provide nothing to the princess, naturally they could not make any demands.
………………(To Be Continued ~^~)
