Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 33: Objective

After hearing the lieutenant’s report, the captain’s emerald-green eyes filled with curiosity.

“With just ten men?”

Everything that happened to the other squads during the reconnaissance mission was relatively ordinary. The only notable event was encountering Azpen’s infantry reconnaissance team on the plains. They had parted ways without engaging in combat.

Of course, it wasn’t unusual for Azpen to deploy reconnaissance teams, so running into them on the plains wasn’t rare.

If anything, it was odd that they only encountered them once.

But what Encrid’s squad had done was on a different level.

They had discovered the enemy’s ambush in the tall grass and deduced that the enemy was plotting something.

That much was understandable.

But then, with just ten soldiers, they infiltrated the enemy’s camp and set it on fire.

‘Who the hell is this guy?’

At the center of it all was Encrid.

There had been that previous assassination incident too.

It seemed like wherever things got tangled, this squad leader, Encrid, was always involved.

Could it be just bad luck?

But for bad luck, he was surprisingly resilient.

Not just resilient—he had an uncanny knack for coming out on top in these situations.

His skills were nothing special, yet the outcomes of these events were always beyond expectations.

During the assassination incident, it was thanks to that squad leader’s endurance that they were able to protect their target.

And what he had accomplished this time was even more remarkable.

Infiltrating the enemy camp and gathering intelligence alone would have earned him accolades a hundred times over.

“Yes, that’s what happened.”

The lieutenant responded.

Ten men infiltrated the enemy camp, and despite losing five of them, the remaining five had accomplished an extraordinary feat and returned.

This wasn’t some elite unit trained by the Cypress Division, but a group of ten soldiers led by a bottom-tier squad leader.

The captain’s interest was piqued.

‘Encrid, Encrid.’

What kind of man is this, really?

His skills are mediocre, so how is he able to achieve these results?

It wasn’t something that required deep thought.

‘Luck.’

He decided it was simply luck.

If it wasn’t luck, then what was it?

Unless Encrid had somehow entered the enemy commander’s mind and memorized the exact location of the enemy troops…

But that was even more far-fetched.

It would make more sense to suspect him of being a spy trained by the Azpen Duchy.

But that didn’t make sense either.

What kind of idiot would train a spy like him, only to send him as a lowly squad leader with mediocre skills?

“Do you want to summon the squad leader to confirm the details?”

“If he were dumb enough to lie about something like this, he’d be dead already.”

The captain leaned his chin on his fist and pondered.

So, assuming Encrid’s success was due to luck…

What were the Azpen troops after?

First, this had to be reported to the battalion commander.

That was the proper order of things.

With that, she finished her thoughts and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

Who was the idiot who selected this guy as a lieutenant?

The captain shoved the fool aside and answered.

“I’m going to the battalion commander’s tent.”

Given the situation, reporting it was the top priority.

* * *

Rem was bored.

There were no small skirmishes, and nothing much to do.

Both armies were busy glaring at each other from their respective positions.

Rumors began to circulate within the unit that the war might end without further conflict.

“Well, that makes sense. Winter’s coming, and these plains battles never get resolved quickly. So, they’ll probably just postpone things until next year.”

That was the word from Big Eyes Krys, who had sharp ears.

It wasn’t his personal opinion but rather a conclusion he had drawn after hearing all the rumors.

Rem didn’t care what Krys was babbling about. He had no interest in things like this.

Whether this battlefield repeated itself every year, or whether Azpen and Naurilia were once on good terms—it didn’t matter to him.

‘This is boring as hell.’

He spent his time sharpening his axe blade and juggling axes, but that didn’t change the fact that he was bored.

Rem was going out of his mind with boredom.

Everyone else seemed to have something to do.

“Are you seriously trying to sell me those cigarettes at that price? Are you insane? Did you get an arrowhead lodged in your brain?”

Over on one side, Big Eyes was busy trying to sell his goods.

After a battle, his profits would dry up for a while, so he was working hard to make money now.

He was certainly diligent.

“What? Arrowhead?”

Sometimes, there were guys who tried to intimidate Big Eyes because of his small stature.

Rem found it a small pleasure to intimidate those guys back.

All it took was licking the freshly sharpened edge of his axe while staring them down.

Of course, Rem never sharpened his axe to the point where it would cut his finger just by touching it. If the blade was too sharp, it would easily chip.

Unless it was enhanced by magic or a master craftsman, that was the best way to maintain it.

So, licking the blade didn’t actually cut his tongue.

“…Come to think of it, I did get hit in the helmet by an arrow last battle.”

That guy backed down pretty quickly.

“Cigarettes are hard to come by. How many packs do you need?”

Krys raised his voice again, looking every bit the shrewd merchant.

Jaxson, the sly alley cat, preferred wandering outside the barracks to hanging around inside.

The religious fanatic was busy praying, pressing his forehead to the ground with a deeply gloomy expression.

He constantly muttered, “Lord, grant me your answer,” and honestly, just watching him made Rem uneasy.

He reeked of a crazed zealot.

Why the hell was he always like that?

And lastly, there was Ragna, who spent most of his time sleeping. He seemed to have no other purpose in life, just drifting through time in a cycle of sleep.

Doesn’t he ever get bored?

‘It’s so dull without the squad leader around.’

Rem complained to himself, wondering if perhaps the squad leader had died.

Recon missions were dangerous. And although the squad leader’s skills had improved considerably, by Rem’s standards, they were still embarrassing to watch.

If the squad leader had died?

That would be a bit, no, quite disappointing.

‘Damn, have I grown attached to him?’

After observing him for a while, Rem realized that the squad leader was someone worth saving.

But then again, following him around to protect him would be ridiculous.

What was the squad leader, after all?

Nothing.

Just someone he happened to like.

‘Someone I like?’

Now that he thought about it, there weren’t many people he liked.

Few people had made an impression on Rem in his lifetime.

He figured it would be nice if the squad leader came back alive.

But that didn’t make him anxious.

After all, the squad leader wasn’t the kind of person who would easily fall to some weaklings.

As Rem’s random thoughts came to an end, his boredom remained, and he couldn’t stand it any longer.

Whether the squad leader was dead or alive, he needed to do something about the boredom he was feeling right now.

“Do I want to kill you?”

Rem opted for a straightforward approach.

He kicked Ragna, who was lying around doing nothing.

Ragna stared up at him.

The look in his eyes was one of disbelief, as if asking, *What the hell are you doing?*

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Ragna’s tone was serious.

“I’m bored. Let’s have a fight.”

No more words were needed. Jaxson, who had briefly entered the tent, saw the two of them and walked past, ignoring them.

The religious fanatic remained busy pressing his forehead to the ground with a sullen expression.

Krys wasn’t around.

The two stepped outside, mutually agreeing to the fight.

Clang.

They lightly tapped their weapons together, signaling the start of the fight.

Then they began swinging their sword and axe at each other.

Whoosh!

Rem’s arm swung, and the axe came crashing down with terrifying force. Ragna dodged the axe’s edge, twisting his body as he thrust his sword forward.

It was a thrust far more precise and deadly than any Encrid had shown in his countless repetitions.

The sword aimed for Rem’s midsection.

Rem planted his foot firmly and leaped back.

Thud.

His foot left an imprint in the ground.

Anyone with an eye for combat would have been shocked by the level of skill on display.

Encrid arrived just as their battle was reaching its climax.

* * *

“Kill him!”

An excited soldier shouted.

By now, a large crowd had gathered to watch the fight.

Why was the troublemaker squad known as the troublemaker squad?

Because they were a collection of problematic individuals.

And why did the unit keep such a troublesome group around?

Simple: because of their skill.

With two of their members showing off that skill, how could this not be a spectacle?

Bang!

The clashing of sword and axe sent a cloud of dust swirling around them.

Swish!

Despite the dust, neither took their eyes off the other.

Skkkrrt.

The axe, which had seemed poised to strike from above, suddenly scraped along the ground.

Small stones were kicked up by the axe’s edge.

Ragna avoided the low sweep of the axe and slashed down from above with his sword.

Whoosh.

Despite

keeping his eyes open, Encrid couldn’t see the sword’s trajectory.

The sword, which had been above, suddenly came down and slashed at Rem’s neck.

Bang!

Once again, the axe and sword collided.

Sparks flew as their weapons clashed.

“Damn.”

The 2nd platoon leader of the 4th Company muttered.

It was obvious just by looking that their skill level was far beyond his own.

Several other soldiers, confident in their abilities, clicked their tongues as well.

Even those who were nearing the level of advanced soldiers felt the gap.

Of course, some among them tried to gauge the skill of the two fighters.

‘I could do that too.’

‘If it were me, I would’ve finished it already.’

These were thoughts they could only have if they mistakenly believed they were seeing all that the two had to offer.

And Encrid stood there, wide-eyed, rooted to the spot.

He didn’t hear a word of the chatter around him.

At that moment, his entire focus was on following the movements of the two fighters.

In his mind, he was fully engaged in fighting both the sword and axe.

Sweat dripped from the tip of Encrid’s nose.

Just watching and concentrating on the fight left him drenched in sweat.

Sometimes, you could improve your skills just by watching.

No one intended for it, but at that moment, Encrid realized what he needed to do.

‘The way I’ve been doing things won’t work.’

Everyone has a method that suits them—whether it’s learning the sword or training their body.

And Encrid had something others didn’t.

The curse of repeating today.

The endless wall the ferryman had spoken of.

So, rather than ordinary training or practice, he needed a new method that suited him.

Watching Rem and Ragna fight, the solution popped into Encrid’s head.

Excitement and realization surged through him, only to quickly cool, like cold water poured on a heated pan.

As he watched the two sparring, Encrid had to admit the truth.

He had never drawn out their full potential.

Neither Rem nor Ragna had shown him this level of skill in their spars with him.

Setting aside strength and speed, he could see it in their expressions.

Rem was grinning.

He looked so exhilarated.

Even Ragna’s face was alive with energy.

It was a look he didn’t usually show.

How many times had he repeated today?

How many times had he faced death?

Yet, even now, he couldn’t seriously challenge either of them.

That was his current level.

But he wasn’t discouraged.

If he were the type to give up over something like this, he wouldn’t have started in the first place.

Instead, he found it exciting.

Because he had a new goal.

‘That expression.’

As he watched the two fight, he resolved to one day bring out that same expression from them in a duel against him.

Encrid was more than satisfied with that thought.

He saw a new path, and he had the time to walk it.

Nothing could be more enjoyable.

Ti-ri-ri-ring.

As the axe and sword scraped against each other, they emitted an odd sound.

Simultaneously, Rem and Ragna stepped back, creating distance between them.

Both were sweating heavily. Encrid could see the sweat running down Ragna’s forehead.

Exhaling heavily, Rem grinned.

“For a guy who spends all day sleeping, you’re not half bad.”

Ragna scoffed at that.

“And you, a brute who only picks on the weak, think you can judge me?”

Despite their sharp words, both lowered their weapons.

They didn’t need to say it aloud; they both knew they were at their limits.

If they continued, it would become a fight to the death.

They might have pushed it that far if they were more heated, but not today.

It had been a sparring match with some reserves left in the tank.

Even while fighting, they had noticed a familiar face among the spectators—the squad leader.

It was proof that they had enough awareness to observe their surroundings even while engaged in combat.

“Enjoying the show? If you want to keep watching, how about a fight with me?”

Rem’s sudden comment scattered the crowd.

As the crowd dispersed, only a ragged-looking Encrid remained.

“You’re back?”

Rem greeted Encrid, and Ragna acknowledged him with a nod.

The fight was over.

And Encrid had returned safely.

Soon after, Jaxson emerged, running his hand through his messy red hair, and Krys spotted the squad leader and ran over.

“You’re back?”

“Squad leader!”

“The gods have watched over you.”

Even the religious fanatic acknowledged him.

The six of them, the entire squad that should have originally been a group of ten, were now together.

With them, Encrid announced his return.