Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 26: With a Bow

‘Should have dodged there.’

Encrid pondered over today’s repeat of yesterday that only he experienced.

‘No, dodging wasn’t the issue. I was too fixated on landing a single blow.’

Dodge when needed, strike when necessary.

Hadn’t he heard repeatedly about the importance of split-second decisions?

From countless swordsmanship instructors and even from Rem.

“What’s the point of having the Heart of the Beast if you pick the wrong option? You’ll just end up dead.”

It felt as if Rem was standing next to him, sneering and mocking him.

That’s exactly what Rem would say if he knew.

Encrid kept ruminating over the moment.

‘Today, I’ll take a different route.’

Changing paths daily was the privilege of one who repeated today over and over.

“We’re going to take out the enemy scouts beyond this grassy area. How about it?”

Once again, the scouting squad leader was leading everyone to their doom.

Encrid had no intention of stopping him.

He knew changing the scouting route was pointless.

No matter which path they took, it was the same.

‘This entire area is filled with enemy troops lying in ambush.’

The tall grass was crawling with enemies.

If he wanted to survive, he should return to where he was when he first opened his eyes.

‘But that’s not possible.’

Doing so would be disobeying orders.

Disobeying orders could lead to summary execution in severe cases.

Was he supposed to desert these nine and flee alone?

Was that what he needed to do to survive?

‘Did I learn the sword for that?’

Knight, general, hero.

Even now, he wielded his sword dreaming of such things.

But was abandoning them, knowing they’d be slaughtered, the answer?

Was that truly the best option?

‘No.’

Everyone has something they cannot concede.

Encrid knew he wasn’t a good person, nor a saint.

But this was one thing he couldn’t yield on.

Some might call it conviction.

Others might call it stubbornness.

And Encrid didn’t care what others thought.

‘This is my decision.’

If he had lived by someone else’s standards, he would have already given up on everything and settled as a lazy member of a village militia.

He dismissed the option of fleeing.

His goal was to find a way out of today.

Fight again. Spill blood and kill enemies. This time, his sword broke while using it as a shield.

A spear hit his head.

The world spun.

And death followed.

He couldn’t tell if it was because the spear pierced his chest or because his head was shattered by the spear shaft.

It was another repeat.

Die and die again.

By repeatedly experiencing life-and-death battles, he digested what he learned in training.

He reflected on what he already knew.

Throughout all this time, Encrid had only two things in mind.

How could he fight better?

How could he escape today?

Reaching tomorrow.

Encrid knew he needed relentless effort for that moment.

He had spent two days like this.

But this time, things were a bit different.

‘There’s no path.’

Everywhere he went, enemies were abundant.

He didn’t know what was so appealing about this humid, squelchy land filled with tall grass, grasshoppers, and other insects that so many troops were hiding there.

‘Persistent bastards.’

Moreover, they were all properly trained soldiers.

Not just some ragtag mercenaries fighting for money.

Nor conscripts dragged out reluctantly.

They were all salaried soldiers.

Some even considered these soldiers elite.

In large-scale battles, “elite” had a different meaning.

But in this kind of battlefield, professional soldiers were indeed elite.

If soldiers who practice fighting and wielding spears while feeding themselves weren’t elite, then who could be called elite?

‘Troublesome.’

If he ambushed them, he could take down three or four.

But more than that was impossible.

Especially fighting while fleeing with a group of crossbowmen on his tail.

‘A power to kill them all.’

Could he achieve that by repeating today over and over?

No, he couldn’t.

He knew because he had tried.

What was it that made him move past the spearman on his first repeated today, aiming for tomorrow?

‘There’s a limit to what you can learn in stagnant time.’

Encrid knew himself well. To improve and feel the joy of growth, he needed good teachers and opportunities.

But that didn’t mean he was wasting the repeated today.

Training his hearing, swordsmanship, and battle reviews.

He repeated and repeated again.

His growth was gradual but continuous.

“I’m confident in archery, but my hands shake in the heat of battle,”

Enri said beside him. He had heard it a few times.

Though he had a small liver, he claimed to have quite decent archery skills.

“Can you hit an apple placed on someone’s head from a hundred paces?”

Encrid joked to lighten the mood.

“A hundred paces is too much, but within thirty paces, I can try. Place an apple on the scouting squad leader’s head, and I’ll aim for it.”

“Too bad, no apple.”

“Indeed, it is.”

Enri enjoyed a good joke.

“But I am confident within thirty paces. Maybe not an apple, but hitting a head.”

Enri added, looking quite serious.

“If you could take out a few with arrows, we could eliminate about ten enemies.”

Encrid glanced at Enri’s quiver.

He had about ten arrows in the flat leather quiver strapped to his waist.

The leather straps tied around his thighs and waist held it steady, making it easy to draw the arrows when needed.

True to his background as a plains hunter, Enri seemed skilled with the bow and adept at handling arrows.

“What are you giggling about? We’re on a scouting mission. Seriously, tsk.”

The scouting squad leader, walking ahead, glared at them, clicking his tongue.

Naturally, Encrid ignored him.

It wasn’t the first time that kid had butted in during this repeated today.

‘Starting with a few arrows would make the ambush easier.’

The rough-looking soldier walking behind the squad leader signaled Encrid with his eyes.

He seemed to be asking Encrid to stay silent.

It was the same as before.

No need to make a scene.

‘That would make ambushing from this side easier.’

A virtual battle continued in Encrid’s mind. The information gathered from repeated todays allowed him to simulate a fairly accurate battle in his head.

In the end, he would die. Most likely.

Even with a clear skill difference, the numbers were too overwhelming.

Unless they were better armed.

‘But they aren’t.’

What would Rem do?

There was no need to think. He would charge in with his two axes and swing them fiercely.

With Rem’s skill, even if he couldn’t kill all hundred, he could kill enough and escape.

He was fast and had exceptional skills.

‘It’s absurd that such a guy is just a soldier.’

Though Rem didn’t seem to have any complaints.

Maybe he was the only one with ambition in this troublemaking squad.

There was no point in thinking about a squad member who wasn’t here.

Encrid redirected his thoughts.

A small snake slithered through the short grass.

The grass at his feet grew taller, indicating they were approaching the tall grass area.

‘I am not Rem.’

Encrid imagined another virtual battle in his mind, and a thought struck him.

‘What’s the squad leader’s skill level?’

He hadn’t been able to properly assess it so far due to the chaos.

He just knew it wasn’t bad.

The scouting squad leader, the rough-looking soldier, and Enri.

And the rest of the scouting squad.

Thoughts connected and led to a conclusion.

“I don’t have to protect them.”

“Huh?”

Enri, next to him, asked, puzzled by his muttering.

“Nothing.”

He had been foolish. Until now, Encrid had tried to break through this alone.

He had fought with the concept of protecting everyone and responded passively when encountering the enemy.

So far, he thought he had tried every method, but there was one left.

A method to completely change the game.

Crack, crack.

Encrid cracked his neck.

They still had some time before reaching the tall grass.

Striding forward, Encrid grabbed the rough-looking soldier by the shoulder and pulled.

“Huh?”

The soldier reflexively tensed his body.

“What’s up?”

“You gave me a dirty look earlier, didn’t you?”

He knew. It wasn’t a dirty look but a glance seeking consent.

But a face like his was as good as a glare.

“Hey, wait. That’s not it.”

“Why is your tongue so long?”

Wham!

Encrid swung his fist. The rough-looking soldier dodged by tilting his head back.

“…Are you crazy?”

The scouting squad leader looked bewildered.

“Come on.”

Ignoring him, Encrid kicked at the soldier’s ankle. The soldier dodged again, frowning.

“I thought you had some sense.”

“If I had any sense, I wouldn’t have read your dirty look.”

Rem had acknowledged it.

That Encrid might be the best in the continent at getting under someone’s skin with words.

“Come on, you cow-faced bastard.”

And it worked.

The seasoned soldier’s face turned red from just a few words.

“Alright, let’s settle this. You.”

Encrid fought him.

He didn’t draw his sword but used his fists and feet as weapons.

They exchanged blows fairly evenly.

No, to be honest, Encrid was a bit behind.

‘He fights well.’

By the kingdom’s standards, he was at least an upper mid-level soldier.

“Aren’t you a lowest-level soldier?”

The soldier, whose face looked like he’d never succeed in mating, spat blood from his split lip and asked.

“Yeah. Lowest-level.”

“They say you get paid for promotions, so why aren’t you moving up?”

Encrid knew he wasn’t a lowest-level soldier.

He wasn’t from the moment he joined the military.

He just didn’t feel the need to move up.

He knew his skills and limits clearly.

There was no need to attach a higher rank to himself.

Of course, things were a bit different now.

He would take the promotion if the opportunity arose.

But it wasn’t his top priority.

Whether distinguishing third-rate, second-rate, or first-rate mercenaries, or categorizing soldiers’ ranks here, it wasn’t important.

“You fight well.”

Encrid was honestly impressed. Yes, this was good.

The soldier was better than expected.

He would probably fight even better in real combat.

If given a proper chance to fight.

“What are you doing?”

The scouting squad leader’s face turned red as he watched them fight. He glared and spoke, looking like he might pounce on Encrid any moment.

Encrid spoke first.

“It’s a spar. Good for warming up.”

His response was shamelessly confident, causing the scouting squad leader to pause, unable to find words.

“Just let it go. There’s no bad blood.”

The rough-looking soldier intervened.

Encrid shrugged.

“Watch your mouth. Trouble-making squad leader. One day, your tongue will get you into trouble.”

“That’s my problem.”

Encrid replied and returned to his spot.

Next to him, Enri stuck close, examining his swollen cheekbone.

“Aren’t you a lowest-level soldier?”

“Yeah.”

Was that really so surprising?

Several scouting squad members glanced at Encrid.

“You fought too well.”

“I’ve been training hard.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Hadn’t he been working tirelessly through these repeated todays?

Despite the commotion, the scouting squad leader led them into the tall grass.

There must be something valuable hidden in there, or maybe a lover.

Rustle! Crunch.

Hearing the same sound again, Encrid knew the enemy was approaching. A new today began. This was the start.

“Enemies.”

Encrid spoke through his split lip and nudged Enri.

“Shoot over there.”

He wanted to see Enri’s archery skills. Enri didn’t respond immediately.

“Huh?”

He seemed to freeze at the mention of enemies.

Encrid never saw him shoot properly. Perhaps his liver really was small, for he fumbled when the battle began.

Even so, his quick shots looked decent enough.

‘I can’t do this as a squad member.’

The others needed to react to his commands, but he hadn’t established such relationships.

Encrid considered his position.

‘I’ll set this aside for now.’

In the end, he repeated similar scenarios.

Desperate struggles followed by death.

Encrid repeated several more todays.

During that time, he assessed the squad leader’s skills.

They weren’t bad.

He had a trained air from learning proper swordsmanship.

“I’ll accept your challenge anytime.”

In several repeated todays, he had teased and humored the squad leader a bit, boosting his spirits.

Encrid familiarized himself with the squad leader’s habits and patterns.

‘He lacks real combat experience.’

That’s why the rough-looking soldier stuck to him like a nanny.

So, what was their relationship?

When he subtly inquired,

“A son of someone I respected long ago.”

The rough-looking soldier replied bluntly.

This guy was overflowing with loyalty.

Everything he did was for that kid.

He really was a nanny.

“A noble?”

“Don’t you know fallen nobles aren’t treated as nobles?”

The scouting squad leader was a fallen noble.

“I see.”

The rest of the conversation was trivial. Encrid looked up at the sun.

It was noon.

The wind was pleasantly cool.

Neither too hot nor too cold.

The scouts were all lightly armored.

It was necessary for quick movements.

Simple armor and light protection.

That was the basic setup. Encrid took stock of their armament and skills.

He had to be aware of everything else too. Encrid absorbed all the information about the current situation.

Weather, wind, location, situation, allies, and enemies.

If he could move all these elements actively, he might see a way out with a bow.