Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 80: Leona Rockfreed

“You tried to cover up your crimes under Azpen’s name, didn’t you?”

Leona asked again.

“That’s enough. From this point on, it’s our jurisdiction.”

Torres interrupted Leona.

“Is that so? In any case, the misunderstanding has been cleared up.”

Leona smiled sweetly, as if to say, ‘I’m innocent, I’m pure, I don’t know anything.’ Of course, she knew everything and wasn’t innocent in the slightest.

Torres didn’t respond. Instead, he grabbed the man by the shoulder and said, “Let’s go.”

He didn’t even bother giving Encrid a farewell glance. He simply shoved the man with the ruined face forward and glared.

“P-please, spare me! Please!”

“Shut up, spy.”

“I’ll tell you everything I know! I’m not a spy! There’s a misunderstanding!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll save your tongue for last.”

At Torres’s words, the man’s legs gave out, but he wasn’t allowed to fall. The two guards on either side hooked their arms under his and held him up.

Judging by Torres’s demeanor, he was clearly irritated that things hadn’t gone as expected.

‘There was some kind of power struggle.’

Only now did Encrid start noticing what had been going on, after focusing so much on his swordsmanship that he missed the bigger picture.

Why hadn’t Leona pinned the blame on Polid?

What would have happened if it had been revealed that Polid was behind the assassination?

‘Would it only be Polid’s responsibility, or would the Rockfreed Merchant Guild also bear the blame?’

If the guild was implicated, would it be in Leona’s interest to admit to it or deny it?

If she was certain the guild was hers, it would be better to deny it. There would be no need to throw Polid under the bus for this.

Encrid had assumed Leona would sacrifice Polid for the sake of securing her position in the guild.

If that had happened, the Border Guard would have used the fact that someone from the Rockfreed Guild orchestrated an assassination as leverage to demand compensation.

After all, an assassination backed by the guild would have tarnished the city’s honor.

And the city’s honor was tied to the honor of the Border Guard, so they could have extorted a hefty price from the guild.

‘So, did she make this decision for the good of the guild?’

Did she care for the guild that much?

“Why? Have you suddenly fallen for my beauty?”

Encrid realized he had been staring at her without thinking.

What kind of person was she, really?

Her expression was far brighter than when she had slapped Polid. She radiated a sense of ease, but even as she relaxed, her posture showed no vulnerability.

It was the face of a merchant who had finished calculating everything.

Her attitude made it clear that she had no need to sacrifice anything from the guild. She must have had something else to rely on.

It certainly wasn’t the Border Guard.

She was a truly fascinating woman.

“No, I haven’t.”

Encrid answered simply.

Regardless of her thoughts, intentions, or attitudes, he only needed to carry out his mission.

“That’s a shame.”

Leona smiled again.

Had he once thought that her beauty didn’t fit with the image of a spider?

It seemed he would need to revise that thought.

Now, her smile, without the mask of innocence, was nothing short of the smile of a spider savoring its prey.

* * *

“Thank you for everything.”

The mission was nearing its end.

Leona was speaking as she packed up her things at the inn.

Beside her, Polid was grinning like an idiot. He probably thought he had won either the argument with Leona over the succession or that his assassination plot had succeeded.

Yet he still smiled.

That smile seemed to say that he was now the master of the guild.

“Hey, soldier, one day, you’ll be clinging to my coattails.”

‘Weren’t you picking fights with Jaxson at first?’

At some point, Polid had redirected all his attention to Encrid. He constantly picked fights with him.

‘Should I have ignored him?’

Maybe his kindness had caused this issue. Encrid couldn’t help but wonder.

Polid’s face was the picture of smugness.

A smirk on his lips, eyes full of certainty, and even the snorting from his nostrils.

“If I’m going to grab onto anything, it’ll be your neck, not your coattails.”

Encrid muttered to himself, not wanting to give Polid the satisfaction of a response.

Only Jaxson, the elf company captain, and Leona, who were nearby, heard him.

“In that case, cutting his throat might be faster.”

Jaxson offered advice.

“You sure are popular with men, soldier.”

The elf company captain teased.

“I feel bad about all this.”

Leona apologized.

“What did you just say?”

Polid hadn’t heard Encrid’s muttering, so he asked. Encrid simply ignored him.

He never should have been kind in the first place.

Polid briefly lost his temper but quickly calmed down when the plain-looking man behind him tugged on his collar.

He immediately stopped his tantrum. Afterward, Polid glared and tried to look confident again.

‘He’s obviously planning something.’

What that plan was didn’t need to be spelled out.

Causing more trouble within the Border Guard wouldn’t be tolerated.

‘He’ll probably try to kill me as soon as we leave.’

Looking at Leona’s group gathered in front of the inn, it was hard to say whether or not Polid could pull it off.

As Encrid was lost in thought, Leona approached and spoke.

“It feels like I’m being escorted.”

It wasn’t just a feeling—this was an actual part of their mission.

Polid, in his stupidity, wore his heart on his sleeve, but Leona was the opposite.

What was she so confident in?

Encrid began to wonder. There wasn’t a hint of worry in Leona’s demeanor.

“I won’t forget the favor of saving my life. If the opportunity arises, I will surely repay you.”

The woman who had barely survived the assassin’s attack on the second floor approached and spoke as well.

“Alright.”

Encrid didn’t think much of it. How often would they cross paths again on such a vast continent?

But others around him seemed to have different thoughts.

Two squads that had been guarding the inn were still nearby. Since they were there, they also continued the escort mission. It was their way of taking responsibility for what had happened within the Border Guard.

“A man who flirts with every woman who passes by.”

“Throwing his charms like poison at every woman he meets.”

“They call him the Irresistible Squad Leader.”

It was as if they had nothing better to do than write poems.

“…What’s wrong with them?”

The woman who had survived the assassin’s attack asked, blushing.

“They’re all planning to retire and become bards, so they’re practicing. Just ignore them.”

Encrid said the first thing that came to mind.

The elf company captain had sidled up next to Leona, whispering. With his sharp hearing, Encrid caught what she was saying.

“You should be careful. That soldier has a tendency to bed every woman in sight.”

Bedding women? Encrid hadn’t even smelled a woman’s perfume in what felt like ages.

He had been too busy dealing with chaos after chaos.

“Aren’t you going to leave? It’s time for you all to get going.”

Encrid politely sent off the soldiers from the two squads.

And in no time, the Irresistible Squad Leader song became a reality, with the soldiers singing it as they left.

They were insane.

Torres’s frontier guard had left with headaches from the whole ordeal, but Encrid’s group of soldiers seemed carefree.

And why not? They were just doing their jobs.

Thinking of the frontier guard reminded Encrid how impressed he was by Leona’s cunning.

‘Did she use this to put the Border Guard in her debt?’

With just a few words, she had flipped the situation. Whether the Border Guard would accept it was unknown, but…

She had turned the attack into an issue of the city’s security, rather than the Rockfreed Guild’s succession.

If the attack had been about the guild’s succession, it would have been the guild’s fault.

But if it was about a plot to steal money, then it was a problem with the city’s security.

‘What a brilliant move.’

Everyone knew Polid had ordered it, but since the target of the assassination was denying it, what more could be done?

She was a natural-born merchant.

Now that the situation had been resolved, it was easy to see it clearly. Had things not turned out this way, it might have gone unnoticed.

Torres had left, but Krys, who remained at the inn, filled in the blanks.

“Ultimately, the Border Guard will probably deny it. But for now, it seems like the situation works in their favor. They said those guys were Azpen’s spies, right?”

When Encrid asked why that was a disadvantage, Krys had explained.

“When you start assigning blame for something caused by Azpen’s spies, who does it benefit? Do you think it matters more that Azpen’s spies tried to steal from the guild, or that they caused trouble within the city? Which do you think the authorities will care about?”

It made sense.

The moment Azpen’s name came up, the situation became favorable for the guild.

In the end, it was thanks to a spy willing to die for the glory of their nation.

As Encrid listened to Krys’s explanation, he realized that Krys’s sharp mind rivaled Leona’s.

He had always known Krys was smart.

‘He could easily be the successor of a large guild.’

It was just a fleeting thought. What use was intelligence if your dream was to swindle noblewomen in a fancy salon?

As these thoughts passed through his mind, they soon arrived at the city gate.

A guard noticed Encrid and his group approaching and turned around to address them.

“You’re Encrid, right?”

The swordsman from Polid’s side approached Encrid.

“I didn’t catch your name.”

“I apologize. I can’t reveal it here.”

“…”

Encrid stared at him silently as the swordsman spoke, shifting his gaze behind Encrid.

“I only want to have a few words. There’s no need for hostility.”

At some point, Jaxson had moved up close to Encrid’s right side.

“You’re sensitive. Hostility, really?”

Jaxson replied. The man who had ignored Polid was now responding quite easily here.

“Don’t worry. You don’t need hostility to cut someone’s throat.”

The elf company captain had also appeared behind the swordsman, though when she had arrived was unclear.

The swordsman glanced at the two of them before turning back to Encrid.

“Put down your sword.”

His words came out of nowhere.

“There are some things that can’t be achieved by passion alone.”

It was something Encrid hadn’t heard in a long time.

Give up. You don’t have the talent. You’re wasting your time. You’re walking a path that leads nowhere.

Do you really need to be hurt to realize it?

Don’t you already know that getting cut by a sword hurts?

The more time you spend training, the more obvious it becomes how insignificant your talent is. Why don’t you feel that?

He knew it. Of course, he knew.

He had heard it all before, countless times.

Even if he didn’t fall into a pit of despair and hopelessness at the words, Encrid understood them.

He knew he could never become a knight.

Yes, at one time, he had accepted that.

And yet, he still swung his sword. He still didn’t give up.

He had lived with the shattered remnants of his dream.

He couldn’t even see the wall that stood in his way. Everything around him had been darkness.

And yet, he had continued to swing his sword, even until his hands bled.

So, would hearing these words now change anything?

*Heart of the Beast*, *Blade Sensitivity*, *Pinpoint Focus*, *Isolation Technique*.

The basics of swordsmanship, mid-sword techniques, and applying the Valen-style mercenary sword techniques.

Repeating today, relentless training, growing skills.

What may have looked like a slower-than-a-turtle’s half-step to others was, to Encrid, the most meaningful step forward he had ever taken.

And so, without realizing it, a smile formed on his lips.

“You’re smiling?”

The swordsman muttered, noticing Encrid’s expression.

“What’s there to worry about?”

Jaxson chimed in.

The elf company captain silently watched Encrid.

The swordsman wanted a response, and Encrid gave him one.

“Next time we meet, I might win.”

Predicting someone’s future was an arrogant act, Encrid thought.

“That’s true.”

The swordsman didn’t bother forcing his thoughts on someone who wouldn’t listen. He turned and walked away.

It was a brief stir near the city gate.

“You’ve done well.”

As they reached the gate, Leona turned and addressed the group, including Encrid.

Just as it seemed they would leave peacefully, Encrid noticed the gate guard glancing back and forth between the group and something outside the gate.

He seemed troubled.

Looking out, Encrid saw a heavily armed group waiting outside the city.

The moment he saw them, he understood.

If the other side was prepared to use force, what did Leona have on her side?

This was her trump card, waiting just outside the city walls.

“I am Mattis, Captain of the Rockfreed Merchant Guild’s Escort, here to meet you.”

The only one from their group who had entered the city.

A man with a neatly trimmed mustache and a light step, his coat dusted with dirt.

Without military power, a guild couldn’t survive on the continent.

If they didn’t protect themselves from bandits, raiders, monsters, and beasts, they’d be left with only bones to trade.

This man was responsible for the guild’s military force.

As soon as he arrived, he commanded the attention of everyone around him.

Encrid felt a strange sensation. His vision was filled with nothing but this man, Mattis.

Everything else disappeared. His presence alone drew all eyes.

“You’ve got some interesting companions.”

He said this as he knelt on one knee before Leona.

“The escort team has arrived, Guildmaster.”

He addressed Leona.

Encrid finally looked past him to see what lay behind.

The Rockfreed Merchant Guild’s escort.

Over thirty armed soldiers had formed a line outside the gate.