Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 61: The Elf's Joke
Encrid gathered the dead bodies in one spot and waited for the patrol to arrive.
“This is quite the task,” he muttered to himself as he handled the corpse of the half-blood elf.
He reached out to lift the assassin, and his fingers brushed against something strange. It was around the chest area. As he followed the sensation with his fingers, he felt something extending down to the side.
Opening up the garment, he found a sheathed throwing knife set, with four whistling knives still inside. These weren’t ordinary items.
‘Almost forgot about this.’
It was an excellent weapon, and since he’d recently learned how to throw them, they would prove useful. He had already experienced firsthand the power of these whistling knives. Encrid took the knife sheath and, while he was at it, rummaged through the clothes of the others, pocketing any kronas and valuables.
Besides the whistling knives, there was also a leather pouch containing some powder and unknown items. The odd smell made him cautious, so he decided not to touch it. If it was poison that could be absorbed through contact, he wouldn’t be able to find an antidote easily.
Moreover, he wasn’t keen on using poison in the first place, so he left the pouch where it was.
When the patrol eventually found Encrid, it was no surprise they were shocked.
After all, their squad leader, who had suddenly disappeared during duty hours, reappeared with five corpses in tow.
“What is this!?”
At first, they were so startled that they aimed their spears at him.
“Spies,” Encrid explained briefly. That was all they needed to know.
One of the patrolmen, pointing his crossbow at a corpse, spoke up, “I recognize this guy. He came in four days ago, claimed he was working for a traveling merchant.”
A traveling merchant carries a pack light enough to move around freely, visiting various places. It was a fitting disguise.
“Didn’t you check his ID badge?”
“We did. It was flawless.”
A meticulously forged ID badge. Such things weren’t commonly made.
It couldn’t be something easily accessible.
One of the soldiers, using the tip of his spear, searched the clothes of the half-blood elf and frowned as he looked at the corpse with its head split open.
While Encrid stood by, the commander of the 4th Company—an elf—appeared on the scene. After inspecting the assassin’s body, she quickly concluded, “He was carrying poison. Definitely an assassin.”
She had determined this not only from the poison but also from inspecting the body shape.
Encrid calmly explained the presence of the assassins.
That was the end of it.
Although the patrolmen kept shooting him suspicious looks the entire time, any misunderstandings were short-lived.
“You took down five? One of them must’ve been pretty skilled.”
“These three are Jack, Bo, and Rotten.”
One of the patrolmen seemed to recognize them. Jack was known for his spear skills, Bo for his agility, and Rotten was no slouch either—at least according to the common soldiers.
Three competent soldiers, along with the half-blood elf assassin and a crossbow-wielding soldier.
He had dealt with all of them and was barely injured. A few scratches were all.
“…Did you handle this by yourself?”
The patrolman forgot about the company commander standing nearby and asked in amazement.
“I just happened to,” Encrid replied, looking at the company commander. The elf commander remained silent, her expression unchanged. She simply stared at Encrid with her ever-glistening green, gem-like eyes.
“I understand. Return to your post,” she finally said.
“Yes.”
Encrid saluted and turned to leave, but as he did, the elf commander spoke again.
“You deserted your post, so you’ll have to make up for it later.”
Her tone was sharp.
Of all things to point out in a situation like this.
The three patrolmen exchanged awkward glances, but Encrid simply nodded.
“Yes, understood.”
She was his superior. Arguing would only waste his breath.
There were some people in the army who adhered strictly to military laws and regulations.
The elf commander didn’t seem like one of those types.
But still, if she said so, it was a subordinate’s duty to listen.
There was no point in making a fuss about it.
“Then,” Encrid finally walked away from the scene.
Two days later, two soldiers from the Border Guard came to see him again.
It was standard procedure for the Border Guard to inspect the scene in the city.
Encrid complied with the investigation sincerely.
“They attacked suddenly.”
“Did you desert your post because you knew something?”
“No. The two seemed suspicious, but I just wanted to get some air.”
“So, deserting your post just happened to uncover spies? Looks like these two were killed in one strike.”
“They came at me to kill right away.”
“And you managed to subdue them without any major injuries?”
Their questions were sharper than expected, but Encrid remained calm.
Of those who had seen the incident firsthand, only he had survived, so their suspicions were understandable.
“Yes, I was lucky.”
“If you’re that lucky twice, you could knock down city walls. Guess the difference in skill was that big, huh?”
One of the two soldiers made a half-hearted joke.
Neither seemed to be accusing Encrid. It would be absurd to suspect someone who had been ambushed.
Besides, the Border Guard had already conducted a thorough background check on Encrid.
That was when they had considered recruiting him into their ranks.
“Good job.”
“And I heard you got promoted. Congrats.”
“Thank you.”
Both soldiers outranked him. That was typical of the Border Guard.
“You really don’t want to transfer here? Seems like a waste of talent.”
As they were about to leave, one of the short-haired guards asked.
“No.”
His curt response left the man at a loss for words.
“Well, alright then.”
Encrid returned to his quarters.
As he opened the door, something suddenly swooped down from above. Instinctively, he ducked to the side and rolled. Just barely dodging, he realized a few strands of his hair had been cut.
“Hey! Passed the ambush test!”
Rem grinned mischievously. The culprit was his axe.
“Rem, you insane bastard.”
Encrid cursed under his breath.
His hair, cut in midair, fluttered gently to the ground.
If he had been just a little slower, his neck would have been branded with an axe scar.
A bleeding scar—a mark for life.
“Don’t worry, even if you hadn’t dodged, I only meant to trim a little off your hair.”
“Just shut up.”
There were a lot of lunatics in the world, but a few of the worst were right here in his squad.
Encrid had long since realized this, and it no longer even made him angry.
“Now that even assassins are targeting us, shouldn’t you learn to defend against surprise attacks?”
“Nice excuse.”
Encrid shook his head.
“Looks like it’s time for a haircut, don’t you think?”
Rem said, smirking.
It was true—he was due for a trim.
His bangs had been creeping into his eyes.
He hadn’t noticed during the fight against the half-blood elf because he had been so focused, preparing several tricks to deceive his opponent.
But it was starting to become bothersome in everyday life.
“Do me a favor, would you?”
Encrid asked, though it wasn’t Rem who stepped up. Krys approached from behind.
“Sure.”
Krys had surprisingly nimble hands.
While the others were masters at handling swords and axes, when it came to cutting hair, they always left it in a terrible state.
“I’ll shorten the bangs and trim the rest evenly.”
His tools were a small dagger, a pair of scissors, and a comb made of horn.
“That’ll be ten kro, by the way.”
“That’s steep.”
“My skills have improved. If you don’t like it, go to the city barber.”
Encrid didn’t like that idea. The barbers in the city were expensive and had even worse skills than Rem.
There was no point in paying twice as much for a worse cut.
The city barbers were mainly sought out for their expertise in tending to injuries rather than haircuts.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
Snip, snip.
The sound of scissors cutting hair filled the air.
Encrid sat in a chair right in front of the entrance to the quarters. Before he knew it, white snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
Rem, watching from nearby, grumbled.
“Looks like demon dung.”
When the snow fell, the troops would be stuck clearing the training yard and the drains for a while.
It was a job that no one could escape from.
Neither Rem nor Ragna could avoid this labor.
If the snow wasn’t cleared, it would cause endless problems.
“Ugh, I hate this,” Ragna muttered, pulling a blanket over his shoulders.
“It’s freezing,” agreed Jaxson, standing beside him.
“No matter how much you warm yourself, this kind of cold is hard to handle, brother,” Audin added, stepping out as well.
Why was everyone coming out to watch?
Although snowfall usually made things feel a bit less chilly, the temperature had dropped significantly today. Sitting outside, Encrid’s lips were turning blue.
“Man, my hands are shaking. If I mess up, I might cut off an ear,” Krys joked while cutting.
“I can hear you.”
“That’s how focused I am.”
Krys was warming his hands on a heated stone while continuing to cut.
As the snow fell, Encrid pondered the assassins.
‘How did they get in?’
The merchant’s assistant had used a forged ID badge.
The half-blood elf had snuck in.
But Border Guard cities were supposed to be difficult to infiltrate.
Forging an ID badge was a serious crime.
Neither were things that could be done easily.
More than anything, it didn’t sit right that Jack, Bo, and Rotten had switched sides as spies.
‘Where were the three of them from again?’
He vaguely remembered hearing something about it.
“Do you know where those three were from?” Encrid asked.
Krys nodded, then realized Encrid couldn’t see him from behind and answered.
“Yes, I do.”
“Where were they from?”
“Jack was caught pickpocketing and put into service. Bo was guilty of slandering a noble, I think.”
“Sounds like a decent guy,” Rem chimed in, his tone sarcastic.
“Sure,” Encrid chuckled at Rem’s comment, though Rem ignored it. Krys continued.
“Rotten used to be a bodyguard for some merchant guild.”
“Which guild?”
“I think it was a guild that went under a while ago. What was it called…?”
The three of them had joined around the same time, within the past year. Krys, being the team’s information broker, knew quite a bit.
‘If someone deliberately placed them here…’
Whoever it was would need to be skilled at forging ID badges, familiar with the city’s secret entrances, and likely involved in crime.
How many groups could fit that description? There were a few obvious suspects within Border Guard cities.
The biggest group?
‘The Thieves’ Guild.’
It called itself a guild, but it was really just a gathering of criminals involved in all kinds of illicit activities.
Come to think of it, hadn’t there been a complete leadership change about a year ago?
He recalled hearing something like that.
When Encrid asked Krys, he confirmed that such a rumor had circulated, but he hadn’t been able to dig deeper into it.
Encrid turned his gaze to Jaxson.
“Do you know anything about the Thieves’ Guild?”
It was a blunt question. Jaxson stared at Encrid silently.
“Why ask me?”
“You just seem like you might.”
Why, indeed?
From the way Jaxson threw blades to his heightened senses, Encrid had deduced that Jaxson’s background was likely connected to thieves or assassins.
Or something along those lines.
That’s why he asked.
Jaxson remained quiet for a moment.
Rem looked like he was about to say something, but Encrid stopped him with a glance.
Ragna, as usual, gazed lazily with half-closed eyes.
Audin stood quietly, hands clasped, as if waiting for an answer.
Snip, snip.
Krys broke the silence as he continued trimming Encrid’s hair.
“I’d like to know, too. Are you thinking the assassination attempt was linked to the guild?”
Krys had sharp instincts. Those who had seen how things played out would naturally have their suspicions.
Especially those with a sharp mind.
Krys was quick on his feet and had lived among the lower classes, so he would be privy to such matters.
So he thought Encrid’s suspicion was reasonable.
Finally, Jaxson spoke.
Encrid had expected him to demand something in return, but he didn’t.
“They switched leadership about a year ago. I don’t know what’s been going on since. All my old contacts were cut off.”
It was worth looking into.
That was Encrid’s thought.
“Finished.”
Krys spoke up, and as he finished trimming Encrid’s hair, the snow began to fall harder.
“Ugh, I hate this.”
“Me too.”
“Same here.”
“Brother, this is a trial sent by the gods.”
“Man, this snow is coming down hard.”
One by one, Rem, Ragna, Jaxson, Audin, and Krys complained about the snow.
Encrid watched them for a moment before speaking.
“As squad leader, I’m thinking about planning an operation. Instead of shoveling snow, we’ll head straight out.”
At those words, all five of them perked up.
Ten pairs of eyes looked at Encrid like hungry wolves.
As long as it meant they could avoid shoveling snow, they were ready to do anything.
“We’ll just need the company commander’s permission.”
Encrid brushed the stray hairs from his face as he spoke.
“Go get it.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“Let’s move.”
They were all eager to see him go. Encrid figured he might as well get moving.
He didn’t feel like going back to the barracks only to be stared down by those five again.
Wiping off the hair stuck to his face with the melting snow, Encrid immediately headed for the company commander’s quarters.
“You got a haircut. So, why are you here? Another ambush?”
Was she joking about the ambush?
Her comment made Encrid pause.
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then what?”
“The Thieves’ Guild seems suspicious. I want to look into it.”
The elf commander lived alone in her quarters. Standing with her hands behind her back, she looked out the window at the falling snow.
“What do you mean?”
“I’d like to carry out an independent operation.”
“Hm.”
She continued staring out the window for a while before asking, “You’re not just doing this to avoid shoveling snow, are you?”
“No, that’s not it.”
That was half true, but the other half was also true, so there was no harm to his conscience.
“Fine.”
The commander granted her permission.
“Just be careful. The crime guilds in this city are very good at cozying up to those at the top.”
She raised her index finger and pointed at the ceiling.
In this military city, there wasn’t a mayor, but there was a battalion commander, and he wasn’t the only one.
Several nobles had been dispatched by the state to handle administrative duties.
Those were the key figures of power in Border Guard.
“You don’t want to get on their bad side.”
It felt strange hearing political advice from the elf commander, but Encrid took it seriously.
“Yes.”
“And when you leave, make sure to avoid the torch stands. This is my room—don’t go burning it down.”
There was a short torch stand in the commander’s quarters, keeping the air pleasantly warm.
“I’ll be careful.”
As he gave his answer, Encrid couldn’t help but think that he still wasn’t used to the elf’s jokes.