Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 15: Just One Word
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‘Did I get killed in my sleep?’
Encrid was so baffled that he couldn’t even laugh.
‘Was I that dull?’
Dying without knowing it, even if I was stabbed in my sleep?
That couldn’t be.
If I were that dull, I wouldn’t have survived this long.
It was hard to guess how he died.
Encrid tried to recall the moments before he fell asleep.
Nothing seemed off.
He hadn’t felt any signs of danger.
He fell asleep.
And didn’t wake up. Had he heard any insect noises in his sleep? Had he slept fitfully?
No.
He slept soundly.
He only had one day left until his return. He slept without a second thought.
He thought of it as his last rest.
And then?
It felt like he had been haunted by a ghost.
But he didn’t let his bewilderment turn into panic.
If he let himself be flustered, he’d lose his focus and die.
A new today had just begun.
Having gone through it once, Encrid knew what to do and what to ponder.
There were two things to consider.
One was ‘how.’
How did someone kill him without him feeling any pain?
The other was ‘why.’
‘Why me?’
He didn’t even know the moment of his death.
It wasn’t amateur work.
If the enemy was an assassin, they were top-notch or better.
If they were an enemy soldier…
‘They’d be someone even better than a top-notch assassin.’
The medical tent was in the rear.
If someone could sneak in and slit his throat undetected,
They’d be an assassin capable of slapping a knight and walking away unscathed.
The answer to why was more or less clear.
In the tent, apart from himself, there were only Krang and Benzence.
‘No one would come after Benzence.’
So, the answer was Krang.
A clueless soldier who claimed he had forgotten his unit.
Such a person couldn’t just be an ordinary soldier.
He had the answer to ‘why.’
He didn’t need to worry about the ‘how’ tonight.
If it happened again, he’d find out.
It was strange.
He had thought the excruciating pain of dying repeatedly from the thrusting maniac was the worst.
He had thought the worst part was seeing that bastard’s eyes.
‘This is worse.’
It felt horrible.
Dying without knowing how or why.
It was the worst feeling.
Even stepping in shit and rolling in it wouldn’t feel this bad.
‘This feeling is really…’
Awful?
But nothing would change from feeling bad.
Encrid shook off his emotions.
Instead, he focused on what to do and organized his thoughts.
‘I’ll find out how tonight. And I’ll assume they’re after Krang.’
One more question came to mind.
Beyond ‘how’ and ‘why,’ there was ‘who.’
Who was the assassin?
Assuming they weren’t an enemy soldier,
Someone who knew the location of the medical tent, could hide their presence, and was skilled in assassination.
Someone who had already confirmed their target and had easy access to the area.
One person came to mind.
‘The company commander?’
It was a reasonable suspicion.
Elves moved silently, their movements were subtle and swift.
Perfect for assassination.
Moreover, she had a reason to come here, as he was in the tent.
Her visit a few days ago, full of pointless talk, made sense if she was after him.
Everything fit perfectly.
“What are you doing?”
Benzence asked from beside him. Encrid replied reflexively.
“Thinking.”
“Thinking? That’s a short answer. Are you crazy? You bastard?”
Benzence, whose thigh injury seemed to have improved, stood up with a limp.
“Oh, I thought you were Krang. My mistake, Platoon Leader.”
“Is that it? A mistake?”
“Sorry.”
“Is that all?”
He had him cornered.
“I’ll get some food.”
Encrid ignored Benzence, acting as usual, and stepped out of the tent.
Amidst Benzence’s yelling,
“I’m not hungry!”
Krang shouted, having woken up late.
He wasn’t mad at Krang for getting him killed.
It felt awful and his anger was rising,
But it wasn’t Krang’s fault he died.
In the end, it was his own lack of skill or just terrible luck.
Encrid thought so.
‘If you know, you won’t get caught.’
If an assassin was sneaking around, just causing a commotion would draw the nearby soldiers.
Catching a cat that slipped in at night wouldn’t be difficult for them.
He wouldn’t need to catch it himself.
Before long, the soldier in charge of the medical tent appeared, rubbing his eyes.
He dragged his feet, looking incredibly annoyed.
This guy was always the same.
“Because you were late, one of the platoon leaders is furious.”
“Because I was late? That’s because you keep teasing him.”
Officially, this soldier was also at the squad leader level.
So, they were equals in rank.
“You’re pretty gutsy for the lowest-ranking soldier.”
As they walked back together, the lazy soldier asked.
It was a blunt question, but easy to understand.
Why do you keep provoking him without fear?
“Benzence?”
“He’s a mid-level soldier.”
The Cypress Division, like the entire Naurilia Kingdom army, classified soldiers by grade.
It was a kind of reward system to boost morale.
Prove your skill, and you’d get a grade reflecting that.
Prove your ability.
Get a rank.
As your grade went up, you’d also receive bonuses.
Encrid thought it was a useful system in many ways.
Lowest, low, mid, high, highest.
Five grades that motivated soldiers to train hard.
Naurilia valued martial prowess, so most commanders were at least high-level in terms of skill.
And knights were excluded from these grades.
A knight was simply a knight.
They transcended human limits.
They couldn’t be bound by such a system.
So, platoon leaders were usually mid-level soldiers or higher.
Squad leaders were typically low or mid-level.
No matter how skilled, they wouldn’t promote someone who’d disrupt the command structure.
Platoon leaders and above were carefully chosen.
But there were always exceptions.
Encrid was a lowest-grade soldier but a squad leader.
His squad members were at least mid-level.
“You’re quite an unusual person.”
The soldier spoke thoughtlessly.
But Encrid felt something.
‘Me?’
He had always been told he was ordinary.
Or that he lacked talent.
“Two servings of food should be enough.”
Encrid said.
The soldier looked at him and muttered, “See, he is a bit strange,” as he prepared only two servings.
Back at the tent, he placated Benzence a little and had breakfast.
Krang didn’t eat and had left.
So, it was just Encrid and Benzence eating.
“Krang told you he was leaving?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
The soldier in charge of the medical tent nodded nonchalantly at Encrid’s question.
He had suspected the elf company commander,
But this soldier was also a possibility.
‘This guy can come and go as he pleases.’
There were sentries guarding the tent, but they wouldn’t stop the soldier in charge.
‘Let’s not jump to conclusions.’
Even if things fit perfectly, deciding too quickly could cloud his mind.
It was better to keep options open.
Krang returned after lunch.
The day was the same as before.
But Encrid moved differently.
“Busy?”
Encrid asked as Krang returned, tilting his head.
Krang smiled and approached.
“You know something?”
What was he talking about?
“What?”
“It’s the first time you’ve spoken to me first.”
‘Is it?’
Now that he mentioned it, it seemed so.
He hadn’t really thought about it.
“Is that so?”
Why was that a big deal?
Krang laughed softly and sat next to Encrid.
Encrid wasn’t particularly curious about Krang’s identity. At least, he hadn’t been.
But now, because of this mysterious soldier, today was repeating. He was curious.
What kind of person attracted assassins?
He could try to coax him into revealing his identity.
But this was also someone who had listened earnestly to his dream.
Sometimes, it’s better to convey sincerity directly than to ask indirectly.
Encrid chose that approach.
He sat next to Krang, looked him in the eye, and asked,
“What’s your real identity?”
Benzence, who had been dozing off, woke up and tried to intervene but stopped.
He had heard Encrid’s question too.
He was curious as well.
Encrid waited calmly for an answer.
Krang smiled.
But it wasn’t his usual carefree smile.
He looked into Encrid’s eyes for a long time without saying a word.
‘Is this a staring contest?’
Encrid waited leisurely for him to speak.
Just as Benzence was about to say something,
“Hmm, I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“It wouldn’t be fun if I did. Plus, I have some promises to keep.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Encrid nodded at his refusal to reveal more.
Benzence, watching from the back, had heard the entire conversation.
And he thought,
What kind of conversation was this?
He asked and then just accepted it?
If he had something to hide, he must have a reason.
An enemy? A spy?
Benzence’s thoughts concluded, and he spoke.
“Are you a spy?”
“I’m the Fourth Squad Leader.”
“Not you.”
“Me? No.”
Krang shook his head.
He denied it immediately, then hummed briefly before standing.
Encrid watched him quietly.
Krang walked to the center of the tent.
The soldier guarding the tent, who had been dozing, opened his eyes halfway and looked at him.
“I can’t reveal my identity, but I can tell you one thing.”
It felt strange.
His steps, his demeanor, his gestures, his smile, his gaze, his breath.
Everything fit together perfectly.
Like an actor on a prepared stage.
His presence naturally drew everyone’s attention.
Encrid unconsciously focused on Krang’s lips.
If you know how to listen earnestly,
Perhaps you can also speak in a way that captivates the listener.
“I cannot betray this kingdom.”
A statement neither fast nor slow.
Just one sentence.
Sometimes it’s a lie.
Sometimes it’s meaningless.
Sometimes it’s used to whisper fleeting love.
Just a simple statement.
Yet, it changes drastically depending on who says it.
Krang’s words felt like an undeniable truth.
Like flowers blooming in spring, leaves turning in autumn, and falling in winter.
An unassailable fact.
Encrid saw a vision.
The tent seemed to expand.
And Krang stood at the center.
It was vast. Like the endless plains he had seen while wandering Naurilia’s farmlands.
Even in that wide-open space, Krang stood out clearly.
His presence seemed to encompass the wilderness.
‘Not an ordinary person.’
An unclassifiable type.
‘A knight?’
No, could a knight of this caliber hide his true skills so well?
It was intuition.
He wasn’t a knight.
“Well, if you don’t believe me, that’s fine.”
Krang’s casual words made the vast plains and wilderness disappear.
The clear vision of Krang returned to normal.
“I’d appreciate it if you believed me.”
“I feel like I should.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Because you said so.”
Encrid couldn’t guess his true identity.
‘It doesn’t really matter.’
He just needed to stop the assassin.
His curiosity was secondary.
It would be nice if Krang revealed it, but it wasn’t a problem if he didn’t.
“Hah.”
Benzence, who had been holding his breath, let out a big sigh.
He looked like he was about to say something to Encrid and Krang.
“Damn it.”
Then he turned away.
Krang’s identity seemed suspicious, but Benzence didn’t press further.
Krang laughed heartily.
“Don’t worry, Platoon Leader. I’m just Krang for now.”
“…Who said anything?”
Benzence was visibly flustered.
Encrid found Benzence almost endearing.
Despite this, he kept provoking him.
He kept quiet around Rem and didn’t pick fights with other squad members.
‘Why does he keep targeting me?’
Encrid glanced at Benzence as he waited out the time.
Another identical day passed.
“Good night, Encrid.”
“You too.”
“Hmm.”
Platoon Leader Benzence seemed too cautious about future troubles to skip his usual goodnight greeting.
How oddly unsettling.
Soon, the assigned sentry took their post outside the tent.
Encrid didn’t sleep.
He could sleep easily if he wanted, but he could also stay up all night if needed.
His endurance and quick thinking had saved him more often than his sword skills as a mercenary.
Time passed.
Night deepened.
The sentries changed twice.
Benzence snored beside him.
Encrid stayed awake, lost in thought.
‘If I keep lying here, I might doze off.’
He thought about getting up to relieve himself.
Then he felt a prick on his neck.
Was it an insect bite? He reached up to scratch his neck.
Something was stuck.
‘A needle? Poison needle?’
He carefully pulled out a thin wooden needle with his fingers.
‘This was unexpected.’
He had planned to shout if anyone showed up.
But his neck and body started to feel numb, then he lost all sensation.
It felt like his neck and body had been cut off.
He could still feel his body, but it was like his neck down didn’t exist.
‘What is this?’
A dizzy spell made his head spin.
‘A poison needle.’
He was caught.
This was the answer to ‘how.’
No matter how dull a person, no matter how deeply asleep,
How could someone not notice their throat being cut or their heart being pierced?
The answer was here.
A potent paralytic poison.
Encrid tried to keep his eyes open until the end.
He couldn’t let this today be wasted.
He saw a blurry shadow.
It was small.
Unless it was someone with a unique body type, it wasn’t an adult male.
It looked like a woman or a child.
The shadow approached and swung an arm, and that was the last thing he saw.
“Cypress! Cypress!”
The Cypress hymn played.
A new today began.
It was the third today.
“Damn it, why isn’t breakfast here?”
The same complaint from Platoon Leader Benzence.
There was no need to drag things out.
“I’ll go out.”
He stepped outside without needing to respond.
First, he’d bring the soldier.
And start anew.
He honestly had no idea where the poison needle came from.
So, what should he do?
He wouldn’t lie down and wait.
He needed a good excuse to stay awake and alert.
This was the rear, but still a battlefield.
There were plenty of excuses to stay awake.
‘Let’s try again, assassin.’
Encrid began his preparations.
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