Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 122: Hey, You Half-Ripe Brats

“Something seems to have changed again in just a few days, Brother.”

It was Audin, a master of devilish wit hidden behind his plain smile.
He would tell you to stop training and take a rest, only to mercilessly pounce on you if you actually did.

No, even rats wouldn’t be caught the way he did.

Of course, Encrid found this quite satisfying.

Where did his greed extend to?

To learning, to taking steps forward.

So any teaching like this was always welcome.

Beside the hulking Audin, who was pushing through the morning fog, Encrid slowly squatted and stood back up, straining his thigh muscles while keeping his stance shoulder-width apart.

Suddenly, Audin reached out a hand toward him.

Encrid reflexively blocked that hand. Tap-tap, wrestling or grappling techniques, which could be called martial arts in Valaf Style.

Audin’s hand, once deflected, bent back in quick succession, aiming at Encrid’s body.

When Encrid pushed and twisted the hand trying to grab his shoulder and blocked it with his own, a foot came in next.

Deflecting that too, he suddenly found a large palm pressing down on him as if to crush his entire body.

Audin, still firmly locked in close range, opened his mouth.

“You’ve improved a lot.”

It was something he had heard even back at the rear camp.

Thanks to Finn, who taught him Aile Carraz-style martial arts, his technique had improved, but he still couldn’t beat Audin.

From the start, their height, bone structure, and muscle density were completely different.

Audin was far superior in physical strength and, despite his large size, surprisingly quick and agile.

At some point, Audin’s hand came at an unseen angle and grabbed Encrid’s nape.

Audin pulled him with sheer force, and there was no way to resist.

In close quarters, they said size itself could be a weapon when grappling or wrestling.

If their builds differ, don’t get close.

It was something Audin repeated countless times while teaching wrestling.

Encrid had once asked how to overcome such a difference in physique.

“If your techniques differ, then you can win. So what must you do?”

What else? Train yourself to death.

It was something he had learned after being pinned and beaten countless times on his bed.

Audin, who had somehow subdued Encrid again, began singing something in his deep voice.

“The Lord said: Snap those joints like twigs.”

No, there’s no way God actually said that.

Of course, it was a joke. Audin didn’t apply any more pressure while holding down Encrid’s nape and shoulder.

But even as it was, it was torment enough.

‘I felt it… but I reacted too slowly.’

There were many reasons for that.

Injuries were one of them.

Pain naturally slowed down reactions.

“If we enter battle, you’ll fight again, won’t you, Brother Squad Leader?”

Was that even a question?

Of course, he would. Though his right wrist was bothersome, it wasn’t entirely unusable.

Besides, the reason he had been called here was because of people like them.

If a battle broke out, he would naturally head to the battlefield and fight again.

“You’re pushing yourself too far with that body, Brother.”

Audin said while still holding him down.

His right shoulder had been slashed, his left forearm stabbed. His right wrist was still splinted, and his entire body was bruised.

Jaxson’s ointment had run out long ago, leaving them to rely on crushed herbs instead.

He had been injured so often that they simply couldn’t keep up with supplies.

Not that they’d had much to begin with.

“How long do you plan to keep this up?”

What was this about now?

After subduing someone, Audin always reviewed the sparring process.

He was supposed to let go and start that review now.

Yet, Audin’s grip remained firm.

“Brother Squad Leader.”

He addressed Encrid while still holding him down. Half-forced, Encrid, who was bent forward, replied.

“What?”

The morning fog was so thick that visibility was poor.

You had to step within a few paces to even see someone’s face.

There was a sentry nearby who had initially glanced over curiously but now paid no attention to them.

Having grasped the situation, Audin made a decision and acted.

‘“Boo-sseuh.”’

Encrid heard a sound he had never heard in his life.

It wasn’t something he heard with his ears—it was like it struck directly into his body.

Soon, warmth—something you wouldn’t usually feel on the misty riverbank before dawn—seeped into him.

It felt like the afternoon sun, perfect for relaxing with a book or taking a nap.

How could one describe this?

Comfort?

In any case, something spread throughout his entire body.

In addition to comfort, warmth, and ease, a faint tingling sensation emerged from his injuries.

The moment passed quickly.

Audin finally released Encrid’s neck.

Encrid raised his head to look at him.

Once, people had called Audin “the squad’s religious nut.”

He looked as devout as any priest.

Priests who believed in God sometimes displayed miracles.

People called those miracles ‘divine power’.

“This…”

“No. Brother, you will say nothing. And you will tell no one. Swear it upon the Lord.”

Encrid looked into Audin’s eyes. Light lingered in his faint yellowish pupils.

It wasn’t just light—it seemed like radiance, or something like glory. To Encrid’s eyes, that’s what it looked like.

“Swear it to me.”

“…Fine.”

Audin said no more and turned away.

“The river fog is also a blessing of the Lord.”

Stepping aside, Audin knelt and began his morning prayer.

Seriously?

Encrid scratched his head a few times.

‘What do they even see in me?’

Sometimes he wondered why his squad members went so far for him.

Did he just look that pitiful?

Did they feel sentimental when they saw him struggling so desperately?

He didn’t know. The curiosity quickly faded.

Because what did it matter?

Audin Flamrey—no one knew that he wielded divine power. Perhaps using it was tied to some law or doctrine.

What was certain, though, was that Audin had taken a risk.

—

“Lord, forgive me.”

Hearing how the prayer began, it seemed right after all.

‘But there was no need to go this far.’

Still, there was no way to refuse what had already been given.

Encrid unwrapped the bandage on his wrist.

He flexed his right wrist a few times.

Based on his experience from countless injuries and recoveries:

‘A day or two.’

The wrist would be usable soon enough.

The other injuries hidden beneath the bandages also seemed to have healed significantly.

The lingering pain had lessened quite a bit.

“Thanks.”

He spoke to the large squad member who was still deep in prayer, but Audin didn’t reply, completely absorbed in his devotions.

‘Lord.’

The sharp smell of death, so typical of the battlefield, mixed with the damp scent of wet earth.

For Audin, it was unbearable to just watch his squad leader.

‘Lord, because you are always present there…’

Audin silently questioned his master, who offered no answers.

Was what he had just done truly the right thing?

If it were discovered that he had used divine power, the inquisitors would come.

He had left the church with numerous restrictions upon himself.

Though not a sworn oath, he had placed constraints on his body at a level close to a vow.

The backlash from enduring the restriction and using divine power brought a sharp, drilling pain to his skull.

Still…

‘I simply couldn’t stand by and watch, Lord.’

The man who burned his body in the flames of effort was finally being rewarded.

Audin couldn’t let those flames be extinguished here.

Call it whimsy, but Audin simply ‘wanted’ to do it. So, he did.

Meeting Encrid had led him to believe that the Lord’s words resided within him.

‘So I will follow my heart.’

Audin ended his prayer.

By then, the morning sun had begun to pierce through, and the fog was clearing.

Even though he had used divine power to aid in healing, it hadn’t completely closed all of Encrid’s wounds.

Doing so might allow someone sensitive to detect the divine power, and the restrictions made it impossible to use any more than he already had.

Still, looking at the squad leader now, he seemed far better off than before.

“Phew.”

Encrid let out a breath and stretched, his movements much lighter.

God and man, blessing and curse.

The dilemma was still unresolved.

But watching such a squad leader made Audin’s heart feel at ease.

Though the lingering pain made him frown slightly, Audin knew he would not regret what he had done today.

It was a premonition, an instinct, and a certainty.

—

After finishing the morning training, Encrid needed to rebandage his wounds.

“Big Eyes.”

He called out to Krys.

At that moment, the tent flap fluttered open.

“Is this the place?”

A small figure with green eyes entered.

Small in stature yet unmatched in skill—his superior.

Put another way, the one who had helped create this squad of lunatics.

The elf who had formed the independent squad and brought them to the battlefield without Encrid.

“I heard you were injured?”

“Yes.”

The commander immediately addressed Encrid upon entering and tossed something at him.

Encrid caught it midair.

It was a small, round wooden container, similar in size to the ointment Jaxson had given him.

The lid was engraved with a leaf pattern, suggesting it was crafted by someone highly skilled.

“Commander?”

“Apply it. Elven medicine is worth more than gold. Consider it an engagement gift.”

Encrid still couldn’t get used to the elf’s jokes.

What’s more, the timing caught him completely off guard, leaving him momentarily dumbfounded.

To suddenly come in, toss ointment, and call it an engagement gift?

“That expression is good. You look pleased.”

With only that remark, the commander turned and left.

Had he really come just to deliver ointment?

“I’m genuinely curious now. Squad Leader, what’s your secret?”

Krys asked as he watched from the side.

Encrid, still baffled, opened his mouth.

“I’d like to know that myself.”

Why had the commander suddenly thrown him ointment and left?

As the elf had said, their people excelled at handling medicine.

Given how the commander had identified poisons during the medical tent assassination incident, he was probably quite knowledgeable in medicine as well.

“This one’s probably better than mine. That ‘demonic charm’ is useful at times like these.”

Jaxson muttered from behind, idly polishing and inspecting his equipment without even turning around. He might not have looked, but he always noticed everything around him.

That’s why he was the most attuned to battlefield conditions and sensitive to the atmosphere.

“I doubt that’s the reason.”

Encrid shook his head.

The mere fact that jokes were being made proved it wasn’t anything serious.

Beside him, Rem started snickering.

“Just have three kids.”

The bastard’s insane.

“Squad Leader, forget the army. Come out with me and let’s open a ‘salon’.”

Krys chimed in, taking it even further.

He spouted nonsense about how talents like Encrid’s weren’t easy to come by, claiming that instead of honing his late-blooming swordsmanship, he should embrace his natural ‘charm’.

Even if he had nothing else to do, Encrid had no desire to spend his days living off noblewomen.

To shut him up, he said quietly:

“Stop spouting nonsense and unwrap the bandages.”

Ragna, who had been quietly observing until now, spoke up.

“So, does this mean you can spar?”

Lately, Ragna seemed more enthusiastic than Encrid about sparring.

“You crazy slacker, do you think a bit of ointment will magically heal the wound?”

Rem scolded him.

“Hmph.”

Ragna didn’t argue, but his eyes showed disappointment.

Well, ointment wouldn’t fix everything in an instant.

The issue wasn’t the ointment anyway. Encrid had already experienced a miracle no high noble could dream of.

As Krys removed the bandages, Encrid carefully turned his shoulder to hide the wound and applied the ointment himself.

“I’ll do it for you.”

Krys offered, but Encrid shook his head.

“No need.”

“Tch, what, is it a gift from your lover?”

‘Thud.’

Encrid, perched on his bed, extended his foot and lightly kicked Krys in the thigh before carefully applying the ointment to his shoulder.

He repeated the process for his left forearm, feeling a cooling sensation spread across his wounds.

‘This seems like good medicine.’

It felt even cooler than the ointment Jaxson had given him.

Encrid rebandaged himself.

By then, he felt he could move well enough again.

It wasn’t bad. Should he swing his sword a few times?

There didn’t seem to be an immediate battle.

The enemy forces were merely holding their position, staring across the field.

At worst, things might escalate at any moment.

‘Bwooo.’

Suddenly, the horn sounded outside.

For sneak attacks, they used whistles.

On the battlefield, Naurilia’s tradition was to sound the war horn.

“The enemy is coming! Everyone assemble! Assemble by units!”

The sound of a messenger running and shouting reached them.

“Here they come again, those crazy bastards.”

Rem clicked his lips and grumbled.

“You know what? Those guys must be really bored, Squad Leader ‘of demonic charm’.”

“Leave off the last nickname, will you?”

What was going on now?

As Encrid hurriedly put on his gear to head out:

“Even if there’s a fight, don’t rush in. Take care of yourself first.”

Rem chimed in.

“I agree. You should focus on recovering until you’re fit to spar.”

Ragna added.

Audin simply smiled. Seeing that massive frame smile so serenely made the word ‘benevolence’ come to mind.

“You were planning to fight? Are you insane? In your condition?”

Jaxson scolded him.

Were they treating him like a child by the river now?

Of course, his squad didn’t actually treat him that way.

Rather, they wouldn’t let him get hurt in front of them again.

Audin, and the rest, were all the same.

These were his squad members.

The battalion commander’s decision to send him here seemed wise after all.

At the very least, they ‘did’ follow him.

‘Though I don’t know if this qualifies as control.’

Encrid still didn’t feel confident about managing his squad.

Nor did he want to.

“Assembly, Squad Leader!”

Andrew’s voice rang out from outside the tent. Mack and Enri, who were on watch with him, were probably together.

Apparently, the soldiers coordinating the shifts had deliberately paired the three together to spare them from Rem’s harassment.

Just how bad had it been for this kind of favor to come through?

“Let’s go.”

Encrid said as he stood.

His leather armor was still sturdy despite the cuts around the shoulders.

Over that, the gambeson and twin swords on his waist felt reassuring.

It was time to see what the enemy was up to.

Were they going to challenge them to duels again?

The other night’s reports said they kept demanding one-on-one fights.

“What a bore. If we’re going to fight, let’s smash each other’s skulls in properly.”

Rem had grumbled after hearing last night’s situation.

The squad stepped onto the battlefield.

“Hey, you half-ripe brats!”

A voice from the enemy side rang out.