The Innkeeper

Lovis did not immediately answer the question, but instead scrutinized Leo. Leo was much too used to being the one who was requested for favors so it felt a little unusual being on the other side. That did not mean that he flinched, or shied away.

Leo maintained eye contact while Lovis studied him, though he did so with a polite smile.

"None of this is really much of a secret," Lovis finally said. "Even so, I hope you don't mind me asking. For what reason do you pursue this knowledge? The Paladins stand for justice, fighting against tyranny and helping those in need. Many try to oppose us, and are keen to discover our weaknesses."

"If you fight against tyranny and evil, then our intentions are aligned," Leo said with a smile. "I cannot reveal the specific details, but I don't mind sharing my purpose with you. I don't know if you have encountered them, but there are demonic forces out there that specifically target humans, and convert us into demons as well. I, too, was once afflicted by such a curse, but I was cured using Botlam Dew, which is especially effective against demons.

"Now, I am trying to understand why Botlam Dew is effective against demons. The energy contained within, as far as I can gather, is similar to the Holy aura used by Angels. From what I recall, that is very similar to what the Paladins use. If what you use is effective against the demonification process, then it may alter the very fight against demons and devils that the human race fights."

Lovis' expression hardened upon listening to Leo's words, and for a moment he seemed distracted. When he finally turned to look back at Leo, he seemed like he had made an important decision, though all Leo had done was ask a little about the Paladins' history.

"The fight against demons… You may not know it, but the origins of the Paladins, the very core of who we are is entrenched in the fight against demons. Follow me."

Lovis got up from his chair, revealing his body which was much larger, not only in height but also width, than a regular human. Lex suspected that their cultivation method, whatever it was, slowly grew their bodies larger as they progressed.

Hefting his sword and shield, which were bigger than the ones used by other soldiers to remain large in proportion to Lovis, the man led the way out of the office and to the center of the village where a particularly prominent statue was placed.

"This is David Paladin, the founder of our order, and the man who started it all with nothing more than the strength of his arm and the will to change the world. He was born a mortal in a world where cultivation was out of reach of most. If things had not gone askew, he would have lived out his life as a simple scholar, working in the local mayor's office.

"But just like you said, humanity is plagued by demons. One day, a portal opened up on his world leading to the underworld, and a horde of demons came spewing out, wreaking havoc across the lands.

"Empires collapsed, countries fell to ruin, and humanity was brought to the brink of extinction. As circumstances would have it, David became part of a small settlement with no hope for survival if the demons attacked. With his wife and child behind him David took an oath, the First Oath, and put his faith in his own hard work and ability.

"Every day, even when no demons attacked, he trained until he was on the very verge of death. Every day, he endured hardship, never shying away, never breaking from his oath. Such stalwart was his faith in himself that when the demons finally came, he faced them, a mortal man, with no equipment or gear.

"In the face of death and destruction, with his back to his family, he demonstrated the core principles that form a Paladin, and ushered forth the holy light of our order! A wooden door, ripped from its hinges, became his shield. A stone pillar, left without a roof to support, became his sword. A lone man, he himself became the boundary wall that prevented mankind's extinctions.

"Your purpose is just, and so the halls of the Paladins will be opened to you. You may learn freely of our creed, of our history. You will find that the path of the Paladins is the simplest in existence, and yet the hardest to walk.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"Should you ever visit the homeworld of the Paladins, you will receive an open welcome to the Halls of Arachadis, where the swords and spirit of our heroes rest, until such a day that they are needed."

Lovis led Leo to a library within the village where he was allowed to freely study the Paladins path. To his immense surprise, just as Lovis said, cultivating as a Paladin was extremely easy. It required only an oath, and one's own faith in that oath, tested through real trial and tribulation.

Yet despite its simplicity, to attain such faith in one's own self to give birth to the Holy light… it seemed impossible. Lex was mesmerized as he read about a unique cultivation path, one that used faith to empower oneself rather than a foreign deity!

This was some kind of offshoot from the path of becoming a deity, where only the faith of the person himself mattered. It gave birth to a power that was similar, but not exactly like divine energy. It had traits of the Angel's Holy power, and yet it was entirely unique.

Leo's eyes widened as he read on, getting a feeling deep in his that there was a lot more to this cultivation path than even the Paladins themselves realized. After all, it seemed to have many of the benefits of the path of a Deity, without having any of the drawbacks.

"I have a question," Leo asked a nearby librarian, though his eyes never left the book he was reading. "What ever happened to David Paladin? It is not mentioned in the books I've seen."

"It is a mystery even we do not know," the librarian confessed. "Much of the history of the early days is distorted. But while what happened to David is a mystery, his family line endures still, bringing honor to his name…"

Leo stopped listening at that point. He had another gut feeling, this one particularly strong, the kind he learned to not ignore, that finding out what happened to David would be critically important to him personally.

Within his own apartment, Lex summoned yet another clone. This one focused all its attention solely on studying the Paladins cultivation path, and figuring out a way it could be used to combat demonification.