Chapter 301

Waaaaaaaah!

As soon as they entered the Border Guards, the roar of the crowd pounded their ears.

His whole body tingled. Everyone—without exception—rushed out and screamed, so of course it did.

“My eardrums are going to burst.”

Between the exhausted soldiers and the falling snowflakes, people cried out in joy.

The Black Blade Bandits had threatened them, and the Cult of the Demon Realm had swarmed in.

Officially, they were the Tarnin viscount’s forces, but it was like dressing up ghouls in human clothes.

It was a transparent ploy. Everyone who needed to know, already knew. Even the innkeeper knew.

Azpen was still left, but even so, there are moments that cannot be overlooked.

When is life at its most precious?

When you’ve overcome a threat. When you’ve escaped danger. When you truly feel alive.

That’s what the people of the Border Guards felt now.

They had all escaped danger and overcome the threat.

Some had fled in the middle of the night, unable to endure it.

Others ran away early, unable to bear the fear.

And then, there were those who stayed.

They didn’t hold back their voices. They screamed as if their hearts would burst.

“You! For you, I’ll give what I’ve kept for twenty years!”

The innkeeper Vanessa shouted.

After losing her first husband at twenty-five and never dating another man, she had kept herself pure.

Whenever someone made a move, she’d swing her iron pot.

“Who would want that!”

A burly mercenary next to her shouted. His face was wrapped in bandages from his left eye down to his jaw, red from the wound.

Seemingly unfazed by the pain, the mercenary shouted and laughed heartily. His wound was clearly going to reopen.

“Wasn’t talking to you!”

“Get a grip, innkeeper!”

Everyone laughed.

The mercenary kept shouting with vigor.

“You fight like a beast!”

“Disgustingly well!”

The mercenary’s lead sparked a wave of rough voices.

In between, there were scream-like cheers from the women too. Everyone was intoxicated with the joy of victory.

“Geez, did they forget Azpen’s still left? Is now really the time?”

Krys grumbled.

Seeing this, Rem patted Krys on the back of the head.

Smack!

His eagerness to pat him made his hand a bit too fast when it landed.

Krys rubbed the back of his head and tilted his head in irritation, and Rem chuckled.

“You gotta enjoy when it’s time to enjoy, you brat.”

“Even before dying?”

“Look at you, you’re enjoying yourself too. I’m about to split your head into six pieces with my axe.”

“Stop.”

Encrid intervened. If left alone, even if Krys didn’t get his head split, he was definitely going to take a few more hits.

“Bullying the weak just because you’re stronger isn’t a good habit.”

Ragna said after seeing that.

Somehow, Encrid had ended up with the wounded on his left and the uninjured on his right.

So on the left were Rem, Audin, and Teresa.

On the right: Ragna, Jaxson, and Dunbakel.

“Huh? What was that? Can’t hear the nonsense from someone who always gets lost.”

Rem cupped a hand behind his ear and said, and this time Jaxson answered.

“Bullying the weak. Not a good habit. Don’t do it.”

Jaxson added hand gestures to his words. A gesture of sweeping to the sides. The way one might explain something to a trained animal.

Whether people cheered or not, whether they called him the Undying Rem or not—

Rem pulled out his axe.

“Come say that to my face.”

“Nope, wait. Tsk, nope.”

Jaxson crossed his arms and kept gesturing.

Yeah, this was going to blow up if left alone.

Seeing that, Ragna added more words.

It was like pouring dozens of barrels of oil on an already burning fire.

“A guy who broke his arm because of a mutt or a traitor who barely crawled back.”

Ragna’s tone held no real provocation.

This was Ragna’s strength and weakness.

Speaking sincerely was a strength. Not bothering to hide it was a weakness.

And right now, it was a weakness.

“Hoho, brother. Would you like to rest in peace?”

Audin didn’t flare up. He simply moved quietly.

Ragna genuinely saw them as weaklings.

Encrid had heard all of this.

If left alone, it felt like someone was going to get hurt while entering the city to cheers.

Everyone was quietly raising their energy.

It had been a while.

Thinking back, they’d all gotten along surprisingly well.

In a way, it was a huge improvement.

At least this time, they weren’t split into factions fighting each other.

Rem and Audin on one side, Ragna and Jaxson on the other.

Actually, looking at it that way made it seem more like a mess.

“Aren’t you going to stop them?”

Sensing the tension, Krys nervously nudged Encrid in the ribs.

Encrid was now an expert at stopping them. One word was enough.

“I think I’m faster than you now, Rem.”

The rising tension deflated. What did that mean? Rem asked back.

“What did you just say?”

“Check later.”

The murderous atmosphere faded.

Encrid’s gaze shifted to the horse walking in front.

The panther who had gone ahead first didn’t seem injured but looked tired.

The wild horse with mismatched eyes walked confidently without reins, scanning the area. Despite the crowd, it remained calm.

Horses tend to be skittish, but this one had endured the blood of a beast. That fortitude made its demeanor understandable.

It was the composure of one confident in their ability to escape when needed.

Judging from how it ran and fought on the battlefield, it seemed trustworthy.

‘This one’s a comrade too.’

Encrid acknowledged it inwardly.

Leaving the cheers behind, they entered the city, and Rem stood in front of Encrid.

“Dun dun, dun dun, time to verify. Let’s see what’s faster.”

“You holding up okay?”

Encrid asked with genuine concern. It wasn’t a provocation.

“Shiiit.”

Rem responded, stretching his lips sideways in a grotesque facial expression that clearly showed his annoyance. It was an art.

It was a creepy expression.

But it was a peaceful and warm conversation.

“Let’s see. If you’re slower than me, that’ll be boring.”

Ah, what a fun bastard.

Encrid took his stance.

In front of the barracks, with everyone watching, he repeated the process of awakening.

He still couldn’t launch in a single burst. Imbuing intent was still unpolished.

But once imbued, he was faster than Lykanos.

It resembled the [Will] of Refusal.

Though the technique was rough, its activation was overwhelming.

Relax, contract, explode.

He repeated the same process as before and thrust his sword.

The straight thrust folded space and ripped through the air.

Clang!

Rem tried to deflect the sword with his axe but failed.

He had no choice but to block it with the flat of the axe.

The result was a metallic screech.

“Nice block.”

Encrid commented with quiet admiration.

He hadn’t aimed to kill, but the speed wasn’t easy to block either.

“……What did you do while I was gone?”

Rem couldn’t hide his surprise.

And it wasn’t just Rem.

“Hmm.”

Ragna cleared his throat.

Jaxson widened his half-closed eyes.

Audin, who had been smiling, froze mid-expression.

He looked like a finely crafted statue.

Ragna, having seen it once, remained relatively calm.

But seeing it once didn’t mean being used to it.

Rather, it proved killing Lykanos wasn’t a fluke.

His surprise was no different from the others.

Two words flashed through Ragna’s mind.

‘He’s fast.’

Even now, he was fast. Speed is relative. So then—how many could block that thrust right now?

Maybe the barbarian, the bear-brained priest, and the stray cat.

The beastkin or Teresa would struggle.

Ah, Teresa might manage if she deliberately used her shield.

The beastkin couldn’t. Not due to a difference in skill, but because of a different fighting style.

Other weaknesses were also apparent.

‘But the recovery time after one thrust is way too long.’

His burst acceleration was more impressive than ever, but—

“Wanna try getting in tight again? Hm?”

That bastard Rem was right. He hadn’t fully merged the motion with his body.

His arms trembled, posture broke slightly, balance wavered.

Of course, that didn’t mean the thrust should be belittled.

‘A [Will] focused on speed.’

In other words, Encrid’s thrust was at a level worthy of a [Junior Knight].

Without awakening fragments of [Will], such transcendent techniques wouldn’t have been possible.

‘Rejection and thrusting.’

Two fragments of [Will].

Strange, yet not impossible. Still, he was certainly the first human Ragna had seen like this.

If he were an ordinary man, Ragna wouldn’t have stayed at his side this long.

“Let’s go again.”

Encrid replied calmly.

Amid the falling snow, everyone fell into their own world.

Everyone here felt the same. Watching Encrid, a merciless surge of motivation overwhelmed them.

“Father.”

Audin voiced it as a prayer, and Dunbakel’s eyes blazed.

Teresa forgot her injuries, itching to fight.

And Krys, who had been observing all this—

“Are you serious? You’re sparring now?”

“Then what, you wanna shovel snow instead?”

Rem shot back.

Krys let out a sigh instead of a groan and turned his gaze to Encrid.

“Boss, let me ask one last thing.”

“Ask.”

“Bite him!”

Dunbakel blurted nonsense beside him, and Rem kicked her in the butt.

“You haven’t had enough yet, huh?”

“Why’s it always me?”

“Gee, I wonder.”

Leaving those two behind, Krys continued.

“You’re going to keep fighting, right?”

That question carried a lot.

They could still flee. Abandoning Green Pearl would make defending the Border Guards easy.

They’d passed one hurdle, and the Martai troops could now move.

The Cult of the Demon Realm’s disruptions had previously tied their hands, but now they were likely on the move. They’d probably arrive by tomorrow.

Even so—would they go on to fight?

“What if we don’t?”

Encrid asked back.

“Phew, I feel like you already know, but if we don’t, we won’t be able to defend this city.”

Krys had come to that conclusion.

Naurilia was in turmoil. Otherwise, reinforcements should’ve arrived by now.

Count Molsen couldn’t just turn a blind eye like this.

‘The central government’s influence doesn’t reach this far.’

And yet, Commander Markus had slipped away.

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t a good sign.

The conclusion was the same.

If they wanted to survive and protect—

They had to strike first. They had the terrain and timing advantage now—only by attacking could they gain anything.

“What do you think those Azpen bastards are up to?”

Encrid sheathed his sword, glanced up at the falling snow, and asked.

The snowfall had gotten heavier.

Left alone, the area would become a white wasteland.

Unfortunate for the soldiers, but they’d have to clear the snow before anything else.

Otherwise, the drains would freeze, and the weight of accumulating snow would collapse the roofs of crudely built wooden structures.

The barracks were stone, so they’d be fine. But if the fences broke, repairs would be a hassle.

It was better to clear the snow in advance.

While thinking of the snow’s damage, Krys also pondered why Azpen was stalling, what they were after.

The conclusion was anticlimactic.

“I don’t know. If they wanted Green Pearl, they should’ve attacked already. I think we need to wait and see a bit more.”

He had some ominous guesses, but the likelihood of any being true was slim.

“When the snow stops, we need to go out.”

Krys finished.

Encrid nodded. What else was there to do after that?

Rest.

* * *

He ate and slept. But as the snow kept falling into the evening, the soldiers began to grumble.

“Let’s drink and enjoy ourselves, damn this snow!”

Krys said it was a spoiled complaint.

Thanks to the snow, they could rest like this.

Meanwhile, those who wanted to drink and relax were already doing so.

Encrid, instead of drinking, reflected on what he’d gained. He replayed the battle. He reviewed everything that happened.

Had he missed anything? Was there anything to learn?

Reflection always reveals something new to learn.

After a day of thinking, he began moving his body slowly the next day.

“Apply this.”

Sinar came by and threw him ointment made by the elves.

He didn’t know what was in it, but it was good stuff.

After applying it, small wounds healed quickly. It was especially good for the burn on his back.

“I’ll apply it for you.”

The platoon commander personally spread the ointment across his back.

The stinging pain and cool sensation washed over him simultaneously.

Thanks to activating his natural healing with the [Isolation Technique], his recovery was fast.

The so-called divine regeneration—a body that healed quickly even from broken bones.

“Can I get a few more? There are a lot of injured people.”

At Encrid’s request, Sinar looked around and replied.

“With those injuries? Spit on it, it’ll heal.”

And with that, the commander walked off.

Clearly, Rem was more injured.

“This is discrimination. Why’s the boss getting special treatment?”

“You already know, don’t you?”

Dunbakel replied dead seriously.

“I don’t. I don’t know. So let’s train. Beastkin, hey Beastkin, let’s play a little.”

Rem growled, and Dunbakel bolted out of the barracks. Her movement was exceptional.

With a ‘thud’, she kicked off the ground and dashed out like a white blur. Her skill had clearly improved.

Outside the barracks, in the falling snow, Dunbakel stuck out her tongue.

“What a weirdo.”

Though Rem heard her voice, he didn’t chase her out.

His thermal leather had worn down, so he’d patched it into a vest. Wearing it, Rem pondered.

It was snowing and cold. Should he go out and slit that beastkin’s throat?

Chasing a tongue-wagging beastkin was easy.

If she got infected from her wounds, so be it.

“Restrain yourself, brother.”

Audin gently intervened, and Rem huffed and lay down. She’ll come back eventually. When she does, then he’d beat her.

Seeing her unharmed meant she was still pulling her punches. That needed fixing.

It was the duty of a trainer. Rem swore internally.

He would beat her, no matter what.

With one arm broken, Audin checked the cut on Encrid’s shin.

“It’ll heal soon.”

Though the speaker’s own arm didn’t look like it would.

Even now, he didn’t use his [Divine Power]. There must’ve been a reason. Encrid didn’t bother asking.

He simply nodded and stepped outside.

He wanted to warm up his body a bit.

He’d also heard there were some mercenaries who fought for the city—he figured he might as well greet them.

The snow had lessened.

A few soldiers spotted Encrid and stiffened, standing at attention.

Given what he showed on the battlefield, their reaction was understandable.

Even if it was just in the battlefield context, he had certainly stood out.

As he stepped outside the barracks and looked around, he saw a woman at the entrance to the barracks, her nose red from the cold.

When Encrid approached, she looked up.

“Ah.”

She seemed to recognize him.

She stepped forward, knelt, and bowed her head.

“No matter how lowly I am, I was taught never to forget grace.”

The woman said. She looked to be over forty.

“Thank you for saving my son.”

She thanked him through tears.

Everyone had told her to give up. But her son was saved. Her son.

To her, Encrid was a god. A savior. A blessing. Everything.

A child worth exchanging her own life for.

Encrid felt a strange elation. His heart trembled. It was as if someone whispered in his ear.

“You were not wrong.”

It sounded like the voice of the dead Ger and Pete.

“I support your dream, mister.”

The child’s voice overlapped too.

He wanted to end the war on the continent.

Encrid wanted to be a knight and put an end to it with his own hands.

To ensure no more mothers lost their children to war—that was why he wanted to be a knight.

He helped the woman up and quietly sent her on her way.

His fight, his dream was only just beginning.

If it were a journey, he had only just reached the starting point.

No, he hadn’t even arrived at the starting line yet.

He wanted to become a knight.

A dream once faded and torn now gleamed, patched back together, and stood before his eyes.