Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 16: Lack of Skill

Third today.

Grip strength training and combat reviews remained the same.

Encrid didn’t waste any time.

It was the same day, and nothing happened during the day.

At least, it seemed that way on the surface.

‘It’s just that I didn’t notice before.’

Today was different from usual.

Krang skipped breakfast and only returned after lunch.

The medic, who should have been at his post, was gone for a long time.

This soldier was usually always guarding the infirmary.

Everything else was the same.

There were a few patients in the surrounding infirmaries, just like before.

Encrid sat in front of the infirmary, observing the soldiers passing by.

Since this area was behind the front lines, there were fewer combat troops compared to the front.

One of the wheels of a cart pulled by people broke, causing the cart to tip over.

Groans of pain could be heard from the sick soldiers here and there.

Thanks to the strong wind, there were also soldiers complaining.

Considering everything, the level of alertness was not particularly high.

‘But it’s not low enough to miss a few assassins either.’

The objective remained the same.

Facing the assassins and causing a commotion would be the end. He steeled his mind.

The rest of the day passed as usual.

“Isn’t it boring?”

Krang’s routine question.

“When I get back, just wait and see, you bastards.”

Benzence’s meaningless muttering.

The night deepened.

Encrid lay down but then sat up, perching on the edge of the bed.

Sitting there, he reviewed the information he knew.

The assassins’ arrival time.

‘After the third night watch changes shifts.’

Their weapons are poison darts and blades.

They have a physique resembling a woman or a child.

The suspected target is the newly assigned company commander.

The likely target is probably Krang.

That’s all he knew.

It was enough.

He wasn’t the target; he just needed to cause a commotion.

Encrid stood up as he watched the night watch change shifts.

“Yawn, going for a pee?”

The soldier on watch yawned and asked.

“No, I just can’t sleep.”

“Tomorrow you’re rejoining the main unit, right?”

The watch soldier smiled slightly. He had freckles, droopy eyes, and a gentle demeanor.

Encrid, being a squad leader, outranked the regular soldiers.

“Yes.”

“Are you too nervous to sleep?”

“No, the moon is too bright.”

At Encrid’s words, the freckled soldier looked up.

It was a dark night.

The clouds covered the moonlight perfectly.

Though there were some bright stars twinkling far away, it was so dark you couldn’t see a step ahead without a torch.

“The moon?”

“I was joking.”

As he spoke, Encrid glanced at the night watchman in the neighboring tent.

No matter how disciplined, soldiers like that always existed.

A night watchman leaning against a tent pole was dozing off.

“Ha ha.”

The freckled soldier laughed stiffly.

“Actually, the torchlight is too bright for me to sleep.”

“You’re sensitive.”

“I’ve been like that since I was young.”

It wasn’t just a lie.

Encrid was more sensitive than most people.

He could hear better, smell better, and distinguish tastes better.

His senses were sharp.

‘And yet, I didn’t notice it twice already.’

His opponent was quite skilled in stealth.

Well, an assassin who isn’t good at stealth and infiltration wouldn’t be much of an assassin.

It was dark. As he looked at the stars and the burning torch, Encrid made some more small talk.

Where was his hometown, and why did he join the army?

The freckled soldier shared his stories without hesitation.

Encrid didn’t listen closely.

He was speaking while keeping his senses alert to his surroundings.

He kept touching his neck with his hand.

‘Because I was hit in the neck, the poison took effect immediately.’

If he had been hit in the arm instead, he would have had enough time to respond.

He had to be prepared.

If he was awake, he would have enough time to scream…

“Laura said she’d wait for me…”

The freckled soldier was in the middle of talking about his girlfriend back home.

Suddenly, there was a ‘poof,’ and something pierced the soldier’s neck.

‘A blade!’

A blade as long as a finger protruded from his neck.

Blood didn’t gush out.

Until the blade was pulled out, it acted as a plug to stop the bleeding.

The freckled soldier staggered to the side, and his mouth was silently covered as he collapsed.

Ping—something flew toward Encrid.

All these actions happened in one breath.

Encrid reacted. Instinctively, he covered his neck with his hand. A poisoned dart stuck into the back of his hand.

It was time to scream.

There’s an assassin here!

It’s an ambush!

Or at the very least…

Aaahhh!

Even a meaningless scream would be enough.

But then.

Something muffled his mouth.

No sound, no warning.

Encrid felt someone grab his neck and twist.

Crack.

He then felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck as a blade plunged in.

Having been stabbed so many times, he could now roughly gauge the depth and severity of the wound.

He wouldn’t last long with this one.

Encrid fell to the ground, stabbed.

Warm blood flowed from his neck, soaking his chest.

His attacker didn’t finish him off.

Encrid didn’t have the strength to check the situation around him.

‘Krang? Lieutenant Benzence?’

As he coughed up blood, Encrid checked the two bodies lying in front of him.

One was the freckled soldier.

His neck was pierced, and blood was pooling on the tent floor.

‘What was that guy’s name?’

He didn’t listen closely to any of their conversations.

Inside the tent entrance, he saw Lieutenant Benzence too.

He seemed to have been strangled, eyes wide open, lying sprawled out.

But Krang was nowhere to be seen.

Encrid used his last strength to raise his head and look inside the tent.

Moving caused the embedded blade to shift, bringing excruciating pain.

“Kghh.”

A groan escaped despite himself. Still, he stubbornly lifted himself to look.

He saw a slender woman.

Through the slit in the tent, there was an elven woman blocking the way.

‘It’s you after all.’

The new company commander.

No matter how poor his eyesight, he couldn’t have missed this.

“Already, you…”

Another’s voice mixed in.

That was the end of his memory.

“Cypress! Cypress!”

Today started again.

‘Damn it.’

A hollow laugh escaped him.

The opponent was an assassin.

Regardless of the Heart of the Beast or Valen-Style Swordsmanship, there was nothing he could do.

He had to confront them and fight back.

But without a word, they immediately stabbed his neck and shot poisoned darts.

As he kicked off the blanket and got out of bed.

“Have you gone crazy this early in the morning?”

Lieutenant Benzence, half-covered with the thrown blanket, asked.

“Ah, no.”

That wasn’t important.

“Alright, let’s see if you survive. Is this insubordination?”

Ignoring the limping Benzence, Encrid went outside.

“Hey! Are you running away? You bastard! You’ll be dead when I catch you!”

Behind Benzence’s shout.

“Why is it so noisy this early?”

Krang’s voice was heard as he got up.

It was the same day again.

‘Let’s see how you handle this, assassin.’

Encrid prepared for the fourth night.

This time, he brought several daggers with him.

He also coaxed the freckled soldier to stay inside the tent.

“Isn’t everyone you need to guard here?”

Persuading him was easy. This naive country boy fell for Encrid’s words right away.

He brought one of the torches inside and set it up.

The tent lit up brightly.

‘Alright, assassins. Can you still operate in such bright conditions?’

They could.

He had no idea when they snuck in.

He didn’t know how they got close.

An assassin dropped silently from the tent ceiling.

The shadowy figure stuck poison darts into both Encrid and the freckled soldier’s necks.

Just before he died, Encrid saw the tent slit open.

A white blade.

A black silhouette beyond.

The torch he had brought in illuminated the assassin’s face.

It was the new company commander.

“Cypress! Cypress!”

The fifth day began.

“Alright.”

He got hit again, knowing full well. That was the fourth time.

It made him stubborn.

He tried a similar approach but this time, focused every nerve.

The result wasn’t much different.

The bed in the tent was raised off the ground.

A black shadow emerged from underneath, throwing a short arrow.

It was a throwing type of arrow.

The arrowhead was coated with poison.

It was deadly.

The pain was on a different level than being stabbed.

It felt like ants were biting his heart.

He couldn’t breathe.

So he died without being able to do anything.

The sixth day was similar.

There were occasional variations.

Just before he died, he heard the assassins talking.

“You, ho…”

“You…”

“This is…”

“Fair…”

Of course, nothing changed just because he heard that.

He couldn’t understand it.

All he heard was a few words.

Even when he tried to piece it together, he couldn’t make sense of it.

With stubbornness, Encrid tried all sorts of things.

Not giving up was a strength, but in this situation, it could also be a weakness.

They say that stupidity leads to suffering, and this is an eternal truth.

Endless challenges weren’t always the solution.

Fortunately, Encrid wasn’t stupid.

After twenty failed attempts, he concluded:

‘Shouting is useless.’

The assassins were just too skilled.

Once, he tried shouting “Ambush!” before they even made a move.

The soldiers from the neighboring tents rushed over to where Encrid was.

He even saw Krang rubbing his eyes as he got up.

The timing was right—after the third night watch changed shifts. It could be called a preemptive strike.

“Ambush? Where?”

As a result, he only got kicked in the shin by the neighboring platoon leader.

Shouting first didn’t change anything.

So would this day just pass without incident?

If that were the case, getting kicked in the shin wouldn’t be a big deal.

After the commotion died down and Encrid made an excuse about having a bad dream…

“How did you know?”

For the first time, Encrid heard the assassin’s voice.

A voice with a metallic ring, belonging to a man.

Then he died.

A blade was thrust into his neck.

There were other attempts.

“Lieutenant Benzence, are you perhaps angry with me?”

“What the fuck?”

“It’s not because of me but because of Krang, right? Krang keeps talking nonsense, doesn’t he?”

Encrid used light conversation to distract and warn them.

“Assassins will come tonight.”

“…Go insane quietly, you lunatic.”

Benzence didn’t believe him.

“Do you have a secret birthright? Why would an assassin come after you?”

Krang didn’t believe him either.

They were untrusting individuals.

It was a failure.

He tried various things, but the reason for failure was the same.

‘Lack of skill.’

It all boiled down to one reason.

The assassins were just too skilled.

He needed to find a solution.

The Heart of the Beast and Valen-Style Swordsmanship weren’t helpful right now.

‘Should I bring Rem at night?’

That could be an option.

If it were Rem or another squad member, they wouldn’t be taken down easily.

‘As long as it’s not Big Eyes.’

They wouldn’t get taken down.

But how to bring them?

There was no way.

He was just a squad leader, and they were just soldiers.

Regardless of skill, the ranks were different.

Would the platoon leader responsible for the infirmary listen?

‘Fat chance.’

What excuse would he give?

There were things that could be done and things that couldn’t.

Bringing squad members was impossible.

So what other options were there?

There was one.

Repeating the same day.

Encrid knew the times and places to find Big Eyes.

‘Should I seek his advice?’

All his squad members were exceptionally talented.

‘Even if I can’t bring them here.’

He could at least get their opinions.

It was better than stubbornly enduring.

Encrid got up to find Big Eyes.

“Where are you going?”

Lieutenant Benzence asked from behind.

Krang had already left early in the morning.

Seeing Encrid leave too, Benzence seemed curious.

Encrid, inwardly tilting his head, responded with a question.

“Are you feeling lonely?”

“What the fuck?”

“Never mind.”

“Hey, you little shit.”

Ignoring him, Encrid walked out.

“If I get better, you just wait!”

Lieutenant Benzence shouted from the tent. Encrid rubbed his ears.

It wasn’t difficult to find Big Eyes.

His expression was unpleasant.

But Big Eyes’ expression didn’t matter.

Encrid had been reliving the same day twenty times, dying without even seeing his opponent’s face.

“Big Eyes.”

Big Eyes, who had been walking briskly, turned his head at the call.

He frowned, then saw Encrid and relaxed a bit.

“Squad Leader? You’re okay now?”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Ah, I’m a bit busy. If you need someone to talk to, Jaxon is over there.”

Big Eyes seemed genuinely busy, pointing his thumb behind him before quickly walking away.

There was no chance to stop him. Anyway, Encrid’s goal was to have him bring another squad member.

Encrid headed to the tent Big Eyes pointed out.

It wasn’t a large tent but a small one.

It was an unused maintenance tent among the supply tents. A tent where broken supplies were stored, rarely visited.

Between those maintenance tents was a small tent.

It looked like it would just fit two people.

“Squad Leader?”

There was Jaxon.

With auburn hair and reddish-brown eyes.

A squad member with a typical smile.

According to Rem, he was:

The one with the shadiest backstory.

The guy who enjoyed poking at others’ weaknesses rather than confronting them directly.

Encrid scratched his head with his finger and asked.

He seemed to have come at a troublesome time.

“Do you have time?”

Jaxon nodded nonchalantly.

Behind him, a curly blonde woman peeked out from the tent and then quickly disappeared.

“I’ve finished my business.”

Jaxon got up, draping a shirt with all the buttons undone over his shoulders.