Chapter 439

The border city guarding the Demonic Borderlands was called Thousand Brick.

A city whose walls had been formed by stacking bricks one upon another.

It meant that Naurilia had built it with thousands of bricks to block the invasion of the Demon Realm.

Even if this was the Demonic Borderlands, it did not seem likely that what was happening right before their eyes was a common sight within that brick sanctuary.

“Hold the line!”

Right in front of the city wall, soldiers were locked in a fierce battle.

Harpies filled the sky above, while pitch-black hunting hound Magical Beasts rampaged below.

Encrid saw that the gate to the city of Thousand Brick had been half-destroyed.

And that was despite the fact that this gate was not even on the side facing the Demon Realm, yet such chaos had still broken out.

Among those standing their ground there, he saw a familiar face.

It was Aisia.

She struck the head of a charging hound with the flat of her sword.

It looked like a light swing, but the force contained in it belonged to a Junior Knight.

Thwack, crack!

The head of the struck beast shattered and rolled aside. There were quite a lot of Magical Beasts, but would that really pose a problem?

Aisia was also a Junior Knight. One by one, she calmly struck down and stabbed the black hound Magical Beasts to death, while occasionally glancing upward.

Above her head, five Harpies circled.

It was not dangerous. They were fighting in proper formation, and if she died to something like that, she would not deserve to be called a Junior Knight.

Still, just standing there and watching would be absurd.

Encrid could not simply spectate and stepped forward.

It was only a matter of time before all the Fiends were killed anyway, so would it not be better to settle things a little faster?

“Rem, Dunbakel.”

“Time to loosen up a bit, huh?”

Rem dashed forward before his name had even fully been called. Dunbakel followed right behind him.

Encrid called to them and ran as well. Because of the Magical Beasts, he put down the backpack he had been carrying and moved with only a javelin in hand.

Encrid ran, pushing off the ground with force evenly spread across the soles of his feet. It was also training for the footwork he had learned from Ruagarne.

It was about tempering the foundation so that his center of gravity could shift anywhere, at any time.

As the wind struck his face, Encrid looked up.

He saw a Harpy above Aisia’s head swinging its wings forward instead of arms. Along with the beating of its wings, his instincts warned him.

Something invisible, but palpable.

Condensed wind poured down like blades.

Aisia raised her shield and blocked it.

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

The wind blades shattered against the shield, producing a sharp, grating sound.

A Harpy using a Spell? Encrid thought as he ran like a shot.

The Harpy rose higher into the air. It was out of sword range, and even crossbow bolts would barely reach it.

Unless it was an archer famous as a master marksman, sniping it would be difficult.

There were five Harpies in total.

They could use magic and hold a favorable position.

They were also capable of measuring an opponent’s strength. If not, they would have long since become five Harpy skewers on Aisia’s sword tip.

Over the course of a few breaths, Encrid organized the information he had taken in with his eyes.

His senses had been sharpened like blades.

The optimal line, one that only revealed itself on the battlefield, was drawn in his mind.

It was a sense he had awakened thanks to Avnair, Azpen’s genius strategist.

Encrid moved accordingly.

While running, he drew the Gladius sheathed horizontally behind his waist and threw it.

He gripped it in reverse, adjusted his running line slightly to the left, opened and closed his chest, and extended his arm exactly as it was.

It was a sword throw using the Flicking Blade technique.

Whoooosh!

The flying sword spun so fast it looked like a disc.

The Harpy usually blocked crossbow bolts with wind Spells, but perhaps realizing that would not work here, it twisted its wings, changed its air resistance, and tilted its body as it flew aside.

The Gladius scraped past where the Harpy had been and embedded itself into the bricks of the rear city wall.

Thwack!

A new sound of flesh being torn erupted from the head of the Harpy that seemed to have dodged.

The Harpy, with an axe buried in its skull, tilted and plummeted, drawing a long arc downward.

It had dodged the Gladius thrown by Encrid, but it could not dodge the Throwing Axe Rem had hurled, which ended up lodged in its head.

“One more.”

Encrid said. Rem coordinated without a word.

This time, Rem threw his axe first. Encrid recalled the process of learning, mastering, and training within the lake of experience and picked up a short javelin.

He had not expected to end up using the javelins he had brought for training here.

“We trained to handle all kinds of weapons, right? Think of this as a continuation of that.”

Ruagarne had continued the training Rem had begun.

It was a process of engraving everything into the body and mind, even unarmed combat or anything else, and internalizing it through actual experience with every weapon.

Encrid had diligently practiced throwing javelins too. His senses, sharper than before, had gifted him with a learning speed different from the past.

Of course, it might still have seemed lacking to those called geniuses, but Encrid thought it was decent enough for him.

Now he could prove it.

A javelin no longer than a forearm pierced the chest of the Harpy that had dodged the axe flying like a disc with a pang.

Thwack!

The javelin shattered through the breastbone and drove through it. The Harpy was pushed backward, slammed into the city wall, bounced forward, and fell to the ground. A thud sounded as dust rose.

“Enki?”

Aisia recognized Encrid.

“Let’s finish this first.”

Encrid replied. Dunbakel paid no attention to the Harpies and charged at the hound Magical Beasts attacking from below.

Running on two legs, she lowered her stance, drew her pair of curved swords, and swung them outward as though extending them to either side, like two whips made of blades slicing through the Magical Beasts.

Now that he was closer, he could also understand why Aisia had not charged recklessly.

If she had decided to advance, dealing with five Harpies would have been nothing, so he had wondered why she had stayed put.

She had been protecting several people who looked like merchants along with her companions at the rear.

It was obvious that if she left her position, the Harpies would target them, so she had only been holding the line.

With two dead, the spell-casting Harpies began beating their wings and fled.

The remaining three flew far away.

The gloomy sunlight, blocked by clouds as much as the damp air, illuminated the spot where the Harpies had been.

Encrid had intended to talk at leisure now that the Fiends had been dealt with, but Aisia did not.

“So the reinforcements were you.”

“And you?”

“Me too. This is also my original post.”

That was true. She belonged to the Red Cloak Order.

“Let’s go inside.”

Aisia said flatly, pulling a cloth from her chest, roughly wiping off her sword, and sheathing it.

Her attitude made it seem as though something like this was nothing unusual.

Among the group of merchants with pale faces, some had their legs give out and collapsed where they stood.

“There was no mention of Harpies that could use magic.”

One of the merchants said. His tone sounded accusatory, but it was probably just because he had been too shocked.

No merchant would dare speak to a Junior Knight of the royal guard like that under normal circumstances.

A fist or a sword was closer than Krong.

Fortunately for that merchant, Aisia understood his state.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen it too. In any case, you came here to work, so shouldn’t you just do your job?”

Hearing that stiff reply, it sounded more like the merchant was the one making a fuss.

Encrid once again realized that Aisia truly belonged to the royal guard.

Someone who worried over every little thing could never become a Junior Knight of the royal guard.

So Encrid stepped forward and persuaded them with gentle words.

“Get yourselves together first. If you keep lying there, those Harpies from earlier will think someone left them lunch and come back.”

At those words, everyone sprang to their feet. Some even gritted their teeth and helped up those whose legs had gone weak.

“Hey, don’t threaten them.”

Aisia said that to Encrid, then turned and walked in first.

“Since when did I?”

When Encrid shot back, Rem laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.

“If you say, ‘Harpy lunch,’ isn’t that a threat?”

Rem chuckled and followed after Aisia.

Since Encrid had only said it half-jokingly, he thought the merchants just lacked wit.

With a Junior Knight escorting them, were they really going to die to a mere Harpy?

“You should practice throwing while running more.”

Ruagarne said as she gathered up the remaining backpack and belongings, then handed the Gladius back. Encrid nodded and went inside.

The half-destroyed city gate did not seem like a big deal.

The people inside were indifferent.

The soldiers beside Aisia walked along chatting, as if they had nothing to whisper about.

“Those Harpy bastards really ought to have their whole line wiped out.”

“All those Fiend bastards should just die.”

This was Thousand Brick.

The gate of the Demonic Borderlands, blocked with a thousand bricks.

A place so dangerous that most people would not even want to live here.

Only those who hated Fiends stayed inside.

Thousand Brick was twice as harsh as the former Border Guards, which had at least been a fortress city.

Two soldiers, so rough-looking it was hard to tell whether they were guards or bandits, approached without helmets, passing the merchants who were coming in, and looked at Encrid.

A guard with a long scar above his right eyebrow, and another who looked like some hybrid of guard and bandit, approached.

Tap, thud, tap, thud.

The soldier tapping the ground with the spear in his right hand as he walked stopped in front of Encrid.

He ignored Frok, the Beastkin, and Rem alike.

“General Encrid, the Demon Slayer?”

He asked.

Encrid felt a subtle pressure and nodded.

The man moved the hand that was not holding the spear. Encrid did not react.

He switched the spear to his left hand, bent his right arm slightly, placed it at his waist, and said,

“It’s an honor!”

A military salute.

The man’s name was Millio, and he had heard the rumors about Encrid and had truly wanted to meet him.

“Pleased to meet you.”

Encrid greeted him.

Millio trembled with emotion. His hands were shaking.

“Later, could you spare me just one sparring match…”

“Have you lost your mind, you bastard? Asking for a spar here?”

The soldier beside him exploded in anger.

“The atmosphere here is kind of like that, right? He’ll have to adapt.”

Aisia, who had entered earlier, leaned against the city wall and spoke. She looked terribly tired. Now that he looked closely, the area beneath her eyes was dark. It seemed she had not slept properly in days.

“Adapt, my ass. He’ll love it.”

Rem said from the side. That was true.

If someone asked for a spar, then give him one.

“And you two. Talking about sparring in a situation like this? Are your bellies full?”

“No, sir!”

“We’ll correct ourselves!”

At Aisia’s words, the two soldiers immediately straightened and answered.

It looked like discipline was strict here, perhaps because they got smacked over the head whenever someone got bored.

“Let’s go inside. First, we need to meet Sir Oara.”

(T/N : Since this is a fictional set up im assuming the term Sir also applies to females if they are a knight so im using Sir instead of Dame. But please correct me if i am wronf )

Knight Oara.

The reason Encrid had come here.

Meanwhile, besides the guards, several more soldiers had arrived, all of them giving off fierce impressions.

“Rem, it looks like you have a lot of friends.”

When Encrid said that, Rem scanned the surroundings. There were no Westerners in sight. Rem quickly understood and smiled.

The kind of smile he usually made when killing someone or planting an axe into a Fiend’s head.

Rem realized that his captain was thrilled and was teasing him.

“Why are you so thrilled?”

Rem asked, then quickly realized why Encrid was thrilled.

“Damn, you’re excited to see a Knight.”

“Correct.”

Encrid said and followed Aisia’s lead inside.

The city was large, but the number of people in it was low. Most of them carried weapons, and there were no flower-selling maidens anywhere.

There were general stores and grocery shops, but they looked very quiet.

Only certain shops were crowded, and those were places where people were doing nothing but carving long horns.

Everything else seemed nearly absent.

There was also a bakery, where they were selling bread shaped like arrows.

It was called arrow bread.

The tavern right beside it was beyond quiet. It was serene.

Normally, it would have been packed with people eating and drinking from broad daylight onward, but everyone was avoiding it.

The owner, who came out right in front of the tavern, shouted in a deeply sullen tone.

“Then what am I supposed to eat and live on? Just because you’re Knights!”

Knights are respected.

Because they stand alone against thousands.

Knights are esteemed.

Because of the unpredictable power held in their hands.

Knights are revered.

Because they show their will for what they believe in.

“Oara! Please!”

The tavern owner, a man with thick arms, shouted the same sort of thing several times, but no one answered him.

Aisia passed by without a care.

“Understand it. The situation is bad right now, so a liquor ban has been issued.”

“A liquor ban?”

Encrid asked back, but Aisia only said, “You’ll hear the rest from Sir Oara.”

They passed through a dirt road that was not very well organized, and when he glanced into an alley, he saw several women selling their bodies.

That business seemed to be doing reasonably well.

At the front, a soldier-looking man could be heard saying something.

“Give me a discount.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. You want to save Krong when you’re here to whore around?”

“No, I really want to get between those thighs…”

The soldier seemed annoyed and raised his hand. It looked like he was about to hit the woman. Encrid naturally slowed his steps.

The woman was the weaker party. He could not just stand by and watch her get hit. He meant to stop it with simple logic, even if it meant persuasion backed by fists.

But the man did not so much as touch a single hair on the woman.

“Hit me if you want to die.”

The prostitute was bold, and the soldier hesitated before lowering his hand.

“Sorry. I’ve been in a bad mood since this morning because of what I lost in cards yesterday.”

The soldier apologized, and the woman snorted, grabbed his arm, and led him through a side door.

They argued, but they looked like they knew each other.

“Unique.”

Rem said with interest.

Encrid agreed. He had no idea what he had just seen. It was very different from what one would call ordinary daily life.

“Gonna take a look around the city.”

Perhaps more interested in the city than in the Knight, Rem took a long stride and went off to look around.

At the center of the city stood a house too shabby to be called a mansion.

It was a log house.

Even if the place was called Thousand Brick, they could not build everything with bricks.

When would they ever manage to haul all that material here, spread mortar, and stack it all up?

For most things, the right answer was to cut down trees from the nearby forest and make do with that.

That was the sort of house it was. A house made from logs.

Creak-creak.

Without even knocking, Aisia opened the door, which let out a bizarre sound.

It was the noise of rusty hinges.

“Aren’t you going to fix the door?”

“You do it. I’m only good with a sword.”

A voice came from inside. A somewhat drained, feeble woman’s voice.

“Right. You could just do it yourself.”

Another voice joined in. A low and heavy male voice.

Dunbakel stayed outside, and only Ruagarne and Encrid stepped inside.

The interior, lit by candles and lamps, came into view.

A round table sat in the center, and around it sat three people, along with a bottle of brown liquor.

“Did you bring the merchants back safely?”

A woman with languid eyes sat in the middle. Her hair looked red in the candlelight, but outside it would probably be closer to brown.

Her eye color was similar. Without the candlelight, it would have been brown as well.

The smell of alcohol spread through the air. It struck the nose strongly.

“Reinforcements have arrived. The Demon Slayer.”

Aisia said, and the brown-haired woman looked at Encrid with blurred eyes.

“…You.”

She could not continue for a moment, then spoke again.

“Handsome.”

For an instant, focus returned to the blurred eyes of the Knight.