"No! Sir! Lady Dietlinde instructed us not to see anyone today!" Despite having only two employees responsible for guarding the inn, they were working hard to block the staircase, refusing to let Aik go up.
"My friend's injuries are critical, please do me this favor, thank you!" Aik was evidently anxious, forcibly trying to rush upstairs.
The Paladins in the hall, the travelers, and Laine were all dumbfounded, wondering what kind of situation this was.
A bit spectacular huh~ Laine still wanted to watch the show, but seeing Aik unable to get upstairs no matter what, he suddenly drew his longsword: "Then I must apologize!"
The response was the sound of drawing swords from a group of people.
The situation didn't develop as Aik had hoped; the result of attempting to intimidate with force was that all the Paladins sitting in the hall drew their swords. The justice-minded Paladins would never just sit there watching a Wandering Knight misuse force.
As soon as the Paladins drew their swords, the innkeeper panicked, quickly giving his employee a glance. The employee understood, quietly sneaking out the inn door, and then the boss ran out from behind the bar, pleading desperately with the Paladins to put away their weapons: "Please sheath your weapons! Please sheath your weapons! All you Paladins! Please do not resort to violence in my inn, okay? I'm begging you!"
"But he drew his sword first; we're helping you!" A young Paladin stood up, somewhat exasperated: "Why aren't you stopping him and instead stopping us?"
"I just want to stop you, you self-righteous bunch!" The innkeeper was also agitated, speaking bluntly: "If you start fighting, my inn will be destroyed! Enough! If you still want to fight, I won't accept you Paladins staying here, alright? Go find another inn!"
"I &%@#!" The Paladin cursed a few words under his breath, neither sheathing his sword nor stepping forward to intervene, stuck there unsure what to do. Most of the Paladins felt they were being good-natured in trying to help but were instead being seen as villains, feeling very aggrieved.
Laine looked over and smirked, thinking to himself that order indeed makes one foolish. Don't these Paladins know where they are? If they really start fighting, will the innkeeper's inn still be able to operate? Can it still operate?
It's no wonder merchants and shopkeepers dislike Paladins, especially young ones. These guys, instilled daily with the "punish evil and promote good" education, are most likely to have their blood boil. After fighting with abandon, they feel justice has been upheld and just leave, leaving behind a mess and the shopkeeper with a face full of tears.
The ones who like Paladins most are the poor, especially tenants and workers for merchants. Whenever Paladins appear, justice will be upheld. Shopkeepers or the Nobility generally, to avoid provoking Paladins, treat them slightly better. This is an unspoken understanding; the Justice Church and Lord Nobility agreed never to intervene in the affairs of Nobles or taxation matters. In response, the Lord Nobility also make sure there's no "trouble" about taxes or military service causing uprisings that leave Paladins in a difficult spot.
During the Great Calamity, the Justice Church was still a small church. If it hadn't hitched its destiny with the rising Charlemagne, it would never have developed into the Continent's foremost church as it is now. The Empire and the Justice Church mutually support each other, with duties clearly defined and inseparable. This is also the only church that allows the Emperor to directly command its Paladin Legion and Knight Corps. It's said that if it weren't for the relentless negotiations of Church Archbishop Vokma Bekman, Emperor Karl Franz Friedrich might have lost to his uncle Joseph Friedrich in the election.
"No, you can't go up!" The guards in the inn also drew their weapons; one used a sword, the other a spear, both tall and burly, not easy to deal with. The innkeeper came up, first bowing to show he meant no harm, then spoke in a negotiable tone: "Lady Dietlinde said not to disturb her, unless..." Follow current novels on NoveI~Fire.net
"Unless what, hurry and tell me!" Aik saw a group of Paladins in the hall and knew forcibly charging in was no longer possible, so he hurriedly said.
"Unless this White Wolf Knight is willing to lead people upstairs." The owner pointed to Laine who was sitting at the side watching the show.
"??!!" Laine thought, how did this mess circle back to me?
Aik then realized Laine was also sitting in the hall, quickly coming in front of Laine despite the threatening looks from the Paladins: "Mr. Laine!"
"What needs to come always comes regardless of avoidance." Laine quipped, opposite him Alfred laughed out loud, the White Wolf Knight voluntarily took over the conversation: "What exactly happened, please explain in detail, okay?"
Then, Laine nodded to Temple Knight Floyd leading the group. Floyd issued the command, so the Paladins put away their longswords and sat down. The innkeeper finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Laine, do you remember when we fought side by side? That night battle with the Beastmen?" Aik was still anxious.
"Of course, your performance was memorable." Laine remembered Aik indeed performed well, fought desperately, and annihilated several Horned Beasts.
"The Wandering Knight who fought alongside us that day, named Goodson, do you remember?" Aik was anxious, feeling as if there was fire on the chair, unable to sit still: "He's injured, severely injured, starting feeling dizzy last night, body fever, whole body convulsions non-stop..."