Chapter 74: Because I Trained Every Moment (3)

               

Even though they fell from the second floor, the drop wasn’t particularly high.

Still, falling while carrying the weight of a fully armed man was as good as a death wish.

Encrid, who had driven his head into the assassin’s stomach, managed to maintain his balance as they fell.

The assassin, having been taken by surprise by the sudden tackle, was helpless.

Thud!

They hit the ground with a heavy impact, Encrid landing on top of the assassin.

“Ugh!”

The assassin spat out blood upon hitting the ground.

Pushing off the assassin’s body, Encrid exhaled heavily and took a moment to assess his condition.

‘No injuries.’

His joints and tendons seemed to be fine as well.

That was enough.

Separating the assassin from the escort target was the top priority.

Jaxson was blocking the way to the second floor, and the fairy company commander was taking care of the remaining threats.

As he examined himself, Encrid confirmed that he had no real wounds on his back.

Blocking the assassin’s blade with his body had been a calculated move.

‘The armor.’

It was the leather armor he had obtained during the raid on the Gilpin Guild.

Rem had been the one to recognize its value.

“It seems like it can resist most slashes. Well, it’s made of rare monster hide, so you’d better take care of it. The tanning process for this material isn’t easy to come by, you know? What kind of fool had it in storage and never wore it until he died?”

The armor had originally been locked in a cursed chest.

The deceased guild leader had been unable to remove the curse, so it had stayed unused.

For whatever reason, the curse hadn’t affected Encrid, which had allowed him to wear it and block the assassin’s blade without spilling a single drop of blood.

Still, while the armor could deflect sharp weapons, it couldn’t absorb the full force of impacts, which was why he silently thanked Audin.

The isolation technique had strengthened his body, and wrestling had taught him how to use that body effectively.

Through this training, Encrid had protected himself.

It was all possible because he trained every single moment, without letting a day go to waste.

The fact that he had dodged the knife and subdued the assassin was all thanks to that discipline.

If he had taken even one day lightly, would he have been here today?

No. He could say that with certainty.

“You’re insane.”

The assassin’s mask was soaked with blood, and the man seemed irritated by it, pulling it off to reveal his face.

It wasn’t a face Encrid recognized.

That was no surprise. The Border Guard’s population was over 5,000; there was no way to know everyone’s face.

Still, there was a vague familiarity, as though he had passed this man once or twice before.

“Cough.”

The assassin coughed again, blood splattering onto his beard as it dripped to the ground. Even so, he glared at Encrid with eyes full of killing intent. His will to kill radiated out from him like a palpable force.

Shing.

Encrid drew his longsword.

The assassin pulled out a gladius with one hand and a short sword with the other.

‘Dual weapons.’

Despite coughing up blood, his stance was stable and balanced. His internal organs were probably damaged, but his eyes were still sharp.

This was a man who had experienced battle. Encrid’s instincts told him as much.

Judging by the lines on his face, he was over thirty. For someone to survive that long in this world, they must have had more than a few tricks up their sleeve.

‘He might use strange sword techniques.’

Based on his observations, Encrid predicted an unusual or unorthodox attack rather than a standard form of swordsmanship.

“Hrk, ptooey.”

The assassin made a snorting sound as he sucked in a mix of blood and snot, spitting it out before speaking.

“Where are you from?”

“What difference does it make?”

“If you’re with the standing army, that makes you my junior.”

Junior?

Encrid raised an eyebrow, suspicious, though his eyes remained on the assassin’s body, scanning for any weaknesses.

His stance was flawless. It was clear and disciplined.

“I used to be a squad leader.”

The assassin’s words rang true. Encrid believed him, but that didn’t change anything.

There were countless men who had left the military. Some were discharged due to injury, some died, and some left without physical harm but with a trail of mistakes behind them.

There were even those who had simply completed their service.

For example, criminals who chose military service instead of imprisonment could be discharged after completing their mandatory service.

“Were you part of the Butcher Battalion?” the assassin asked again.

Encrid lightly shook his head. He responded only to find an opening, but the assassin still showed no signs of letting his guard down.

He was skilled, without a doubt.

Encrid thought as he subtly lowered the tip of his sword. As his sword shifted positions, the assassin adjusted the stance of the weapons in his hands. This was no simple opponent. His instincts and intellect both confirmed it.

“Alright, then. I was feeling dizzy and nauseous, but now I feel better. I’ll kill you and that woman upstairs, and then I’ll be on my way.”

The assassin spoke as if killing them was as simple as picking up a coin off the ground.

Encrid didn’t respond this time.

There wasn’t time for that.

The assassin lunged at him, fast. His gladius and short sword weaved through the air like a dance.

Both hands moved at different tempos.

‘The Valen-style dual wield.’

Encrid recognized the technique. He had never tried it himself, knowing his limitations, but he understood it.

The assassin’s two blades moved at different paces, each aimed to deliver a fatal blow. Both his footwork and swordplay were impeccable.

Encrid immediately gripped his longsword with both hands, lowering the blade to his left hip, letting it trail behind him.

The assassin’s eyes gleamed.

Encrid remained calm. The Heart of the Beast gave him courage.

He couldn’t predict the assassin’s movements, as the Valen-style dual wield was a technique beyond his ability to execute.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t respond.

Thunk.

He stepped forward with his left foot.

Moving at his own tempo, ignoring the assassin’s rhythm.

The two blades arced through the air, each forming a deadly circle.

But before they could reach him, Encrid moved.

“You’ve got strength, I’ll give you that,” Audin had once said. He had insulted Encrid’s lack of speed, but acknowledged his strength.

Encrid knew how to break techniques like the assassin’s with sheer power and the Middle Sword-Style.

Whoosh.

His longsword cleaved through the air. The blade, forged from Valeri Mountain steel, sliced horizontally through the space before him.

Of course, it didn’t only cut through the air.

Thunk, splat!

A mid-level horizontal slash.

Where skill and technique fail, brute force prevails.

Encrid had sparred dozens of times since beginning his repetitions.

His rapidly improving skills, honed through repeated duels, allowed him to expand his repertoire.

Things he had once failed to notice or comprehend were now clear to him, thanks to the Heart of the Beast, the sense of the blade, and his heightened focus.

And when his body didn’t cooperate, the isolation technique had helped reshape it.

Dodging the knife with a simple tilt of his head was just the beginning.

The only difference now was that he had decided to swing his sword with intent.

With his reshaped body, Encrid twisted his muscles, pivoting on his left foot, and unleashed his strength.

The entire sequence occurred in an instant.

His blade, cutting through the mid-section of his opponent, nearly sliced him in half.

The assassin had tried to block with one of his swords and slip past Encrid’s attack, but brute force had crushed his technique.

It was a clear victory for strength.

Encrid stood over the assassin, whose body had been severed, his insides spilling out onto the ground in a steaming heap.

“Farewell, Senior.”

Even with half of his body split open, the assassin clung to life, his eyes filled with bitter regret.

His lips trembled as he mumbled his final words, which Encrid read from his mouth.

“Glory to the homeland.”

Was this all for loyalty to his country? Had that loyalty led to this assassination attempt?

Encrid didn’t know.

But it seemed worth looking into.

He swung his sword to clear off the blood, then sheathed it with a soft *shing*, just as the fairy company commander and Jaxson emerged from inside.

“You fought pretty noisily,” Jaxson remarked, his eyes scanning Encrid from head to toe.

Encrid didn’t appear to have suffered any major injuries, save for a few scratches from breaking through the window.

“If you’re my lover, this much should be expected,” the fairy company commander commented, her usual stoic tone laced with dark humor.

“That’s a misunderstanding. Someone might overhear,” Encrid blurted out in confusion, reversing the order of his words.

“Is that so?”

The commander brushed it off without much care.

“Did you capture anyone?”

“Yes.”

Jaxson nodded, and Encrid followed him back inside.

On the first floor, several prisoners had already been tied up.

Looking around, Encrid noticed that many of the merchant guild’s guards were nowhere to be seen.

Some of them had beenalready dead.

‘The attackers weren’t that skilled.’

At least, that was true by Encrid’s standards.

For the typical merchant guild’s escort, however, they would have been quite formidable.

Especially the one Encrid had fought last—he was a retired soldier. He could have easily cut down a couple of amateur mercenaries in no time.

But where had this group come from?

The question arose naturally in Encrid’s mind.

When he entered the main hall, the escort target, Lady Leona, was already downstairs.

The surroundings were a mess of blood and corpses, and some of the bodies were their own men.

It looked like the aftermath of a battlefield.

More than twenty attackers had stormed the inn.

Over half of them had been killed or captured by the fairy commander and Jaxson.

Several members of the merchant guild’s escort were vomiting, which was understandable.

The room was filled with the stench of blood, entrails, and death.

Despite it all, Leona only wrinkled her brow slightly, seemingly unaffected.

She approached, her boots clicking as they struck the bloodstained floor.

“Your name?” she asked, standing in front of him.

Encrid pointed to himself, as if confirming she was speaking to him.

She nodded.

“Encrid,” he answered.

“Are you alright?” Leona asked, gesturing toward his back.

Encrid nodded.

Thanks to the leather armor. Just as Rem had said, it was tough enough to resist most slashes.

Encrid had quickly assessed the skill level of the assassin and decided it was safe to block the attack with his body.

If he hadn’t, what would he have done?

He might have chosen a different tactic, but at that moment, using his body had seemed like the best option.

“I’ll make sure you’re compensated later,” Leona said.

Her thanks caught him off guard.

“No need. It was just my duty,” Encrid replied.

Leona pursed her lips, as if considering her next words, before finally speaking again.

“Leona.”

“I know,” Encrid replied simply.

She looked around the room, taking a deep breath before exhaling.

“Make sure to compensate the families of those who died,” she said to her nanny, who had nervously approached.

The nanny, still trembling, nodded in response. She appeared far more shaken than Leona herself.

Judging by the vomit on the corners of her mouth, she had already been sick from seeing the carnage.

She deliberately avoided looking at the bodies.

Leona, on the other hand, seemed unusually composed.

‘She’s more stoic than I expected.’

Perhaps she wasn’t as sheltered as Encrid had first assumed.

Maybe she had already prepared herself mentally for something like this.

Encrid took a step back, observing as the others began to clean up the scene.

Leona didn’t engage with him further.

As Encrid moved to a corner of the inn, he caught a glimpse of the innkeeper’s distressed face.

This was likely the first time something like this had ever happened here.

Encrid couldn’t help but wonder: *What kind of madman would orchestrate such an attack?*

‘Glory to the homeland,’ Encrid thought.

The mention of the homeland suggested the attackers were spies from Azpen, infiltrating the Border Guard’s territory.

“The leader managed to escape,” Jaxson said from beside him.

“Why didn’t you capture him?” Encrid asked.

“Why would I?” Jaxson replied nonchalantly.

His focus was on the escort mission, nothing more. To him, it was his job as a soldier to fulfill the request for protection.

His attitude and tone conveyed that message clearly.

Encrid didn’t reprimand him. It was better than bringing Rem or another reckless squad member into this situation.

“You did well,” Encrid said.

“Two days left,” Jaxson remarked.

His words hinted that he intended to stay focused on the mission for the remaining time. He was right—duty came first.

Still, Encrid couldn’t help but wonder about the people behind the attack.

The event had occurred in the early evening, and by the time night had fallen, the stench of blood still hung heavily in the air.

The few remaining guests had packed up and left, and the innkeeper’s face grew more and more grim as time passed.

Just then, Lady Leona spoke up.

“The losses will be covered by the merchant guild,” she said.

Looking at her back, Encrid noted that she didn’t seem afraid. She carried herself with confidence.

She wasn’t just a sheltered young lady raised in luxury.

Encrid watched her in silence, then asked the fairy commander, “Will we be staying up all night, Commander?”

“Do you want to?” she asked.

“No.”

“Then take the first rest,” she ordered.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Without further argument, Encrid headed upstairs.

As he climbed the stairs, he clenched and unclenched his fist.

*How skilled had that assassin been?*

At the very least, the assassin seemed as skilled as the ‘piercing fanatic’ Encrid had encountered on the battlefield during his earlier repetitions.

Though he had injured the assassin when they fell from the second floor, meaning the fight had been far from fair.

‘His internal organs were damaged.’

With that kind of injury, the assassin wouldn’t have been able to use his full strength.

Still, that didn’t diminish the victory.

‘I would have won even if he were at full strength.’

Confidence—a word Encrid had never been able to claim for himself.

Now, he felt it growing, if only slightly, in his heart.

He would still walk slowly, like a turtle, but each step would be different from those before.

Encrid believed he had taken one small step closer to his dream. It was too small to be noticeable, but that didn’t matter.

The fact that he had advanced at all was enough to bring him satisfaction.

“Thank you for saving me.”

A voice called out from behind him as one of the merchant guild’s escorts descended the stairs.

“If we hadn’t requested protection from the Border Guard…”

The woman, who had been part of Leona’s personal guard, was pale and visibly shaken.

Even though she had been stabbed in the abdomen earlier, she was already up and walking.

*Is she crazy? She almost died!*

“The wound was shallow. I was lucky. My internal organs weren’t hit,” the woman said, sensing Encrid’s gaze.

“That’s good to hear,” Encrid replied.

After exchanging a brief and awkward glance, Encrid continued up the stairs.

“Thank you again.”

The woman called after him, but Encrid didn’t think much of it.

He was just doing his job.

It was his mission, after all.

Encrid rested for half a day and woke before dawn.

“Your turn, squad leader.”

The commander’s voice called out to him. He had already woken up before she spoke.

They shared the room with Jaxson, taking turns on watch, so there was no issue with them sharing the space. As soldiers, gender didn’t matter.

Even though the Border Guard had been assigned to protect Leona, the assassination attempt had still occurred.

That attack had set things in motion.

Two full squads from the 2nd Company were now stationed outside the inn.

“I’ll catch whatever bastard did this and make sure they pay,” one of the platoon leaders confidently declared.

Encrid heard that the captured attackers had been taken away for interrogation.

He descended to the inn’s main hall.

Despite the thorough cleaning, a faint smell of blood still lingered in the air, mixing with other unpleasant odors.

The dim candlelight barely illuminated the empty room.

All the regular guests had already gone to other inns.

As a result, the main hall was now completely deserted.

Encrid sat at one of the tables.

And then, as usual, he began to review everything in his mind.

This was second nature to him now.

Even without repeating the same day, it was a habit he had developed over time.

As he continued his reflection and subtle exercises, just before dawn, someone came down the stairs.

“You’re up early,” a voice said.

It was Lady Leona.