Eternally Regressing Knight - Chapter 94: Punishment or Opportunity?

Under the soft glow of the moon, Encrid returned from his usual rigorous training and entered the barracks after washing up. Despite the warmer days, the nights were still cold, causing steam to rise from his shoulders as he stepped inside.

In just two days, he would cross the river for the reconnaissance mission, but the intensity of his training remained the same. Nothing changed; whatever awaited him, he had to build each day to reach the next.

Encrid’s routine was consistent, embodying the persistence that the ferryman mocked as monotonous.

Upon his return, he saw Enri pause mid-conversation with Krys, casting a glance at Encrid’s bed. There, Esther was already curled up, having claimed his spot. The leopard played with the spellbook during the day but always took its place on Encrid’s bed at night, as if it belonged there.

Esther lay on the bed, resting its head on its forepaws, casting a brief glance at Enri before looking away—clearly uninterested.

Enri, wary of the lake panther’s imposing presence, avoided getting too close.

“Isn’t it said that in the Green Pearl Plains, lake panthers are revered as guardian spirits?”

From across the room, Enri raised his voice.

“Did you ever train as a pathfinder? I thought you might have some knowledge in that area,” he asked, with a hint of curiosity.

Encrid hadn’t. He only knew how to find his way around, barely enough to navigate.

He understood why Enri misunderstood, though.

‘Everything I know, I learned from him.’

There was no need to feel embarrassed; it wasn’t something Enri would remember.

During their time in the tall grass of the Green Pearl, Encrid had learned from Enri’s expertise. He had picked up knowledge over several repetitions of today, piecing it together bit by bit.

Scratching his forehead, Encrid replied, “Not at all.”

“Then do you know much about the routes north of the river?”

The area north of the Pen-Hanil River neared the northern expanse. Despite his time as a mercenary, Encrid had never been there.

“Even though the ground is starting to thaw with spring, it’ll still be hard. I’ve passed through that area a few times. Would you like some tips?”

Enri was thoughtful, perhaps due to his background as a hunter. Or maybe being a hunter had shaped his practical mindset.

He always considered the situation and did what was most needed.

It made him blend seamlessly into the unit.

He had been talking to Krys before turning his attention to Encrid, who was unbothered by Enri’s cautious nature. Even Rem, who usually hassled newcomers, left Enri alone. The rest either ignored or accepted him without issue.

“A hunter, huh? Must have had some experience,” Rem remarked from his seat, sharpening his axe with a whetstone. His gaze shifted briefly to where Andrew and Mack sat in the corner, causing Andrew to flinch and straighten his shoulders.

“Enough,” Encrid warned Rem.

“Are you playing favorites now? Taking care of the new arrivals? That’s how you end up with a knife in your back after ignoring the old for the new,” Rem muttered, his words strung together in a jumble of nonsense.

And who was the old, and who was the new?

“Idiot,” Encrid muttered dismissively, moving closer to Enri, who dared not approach Encrid’s bed with Esther sprawled across it.

“Grr.”

Esther tapped Encrid’s thigh with its paw as he walked by, as if urging him to finish up and return to bed.

‘Are you jealous too?’

It seemed Rem wasn’t the only one causing problems.

The barracks had an odd tension ever since Enri, Andrew, and Mack joined. It was still the infamous troublemaker squad, after all.

The newcomers were not met with warm welcomes.

Encrid wasn’t trying to force them to integrate; he knew better than to push it. There was no need to be of one mind. On the battlefield, everyone fought their own battles. Following blindly could lead to an untimely death.

In this squad, you were responsible for your own survival.

“Quite a tense atmosphere,” Enri had remarked on his first day, noting the undercurrents.

This was mild compared to before.

Previous recruits often ignored Encrid’s authority as squad leader, only to end up injured or worse and sent away a few days later.

Sometimes it was Rem’s doing; other times, it was someone else.

‘Most of the time, it was the squad’s work,’ Encrid thought.

This time, it was different. Enri, Andrew, and Mack were familiar faces and seemed to like him, which meant they were less likely to end up broken or wounded.

It was an assumption, but a reasonable one.

“There are a few things to watch out for north of the Pen-Hanil River. You’ll handle most of it, but knowing is better than not. Ever heard of flat stones? They’re common there…”

Enri shared his knowledge, practical tips passed down through generations of hunters. Such as avoiding clay-colored flat stones, which would explode when heated. Or the fact that poisonous snakes sometimes hid under them. The river had sections where the water deepened, and the current quickened.

Encrid absorbed as much as he could. He couldn’t memorize it all in one night, but knowing even a little made a difference.

He was deep in thought when Mack sidled up to him.

“Can I ask you something?”

The rest of the squad, except for Ragna who was on duty, seemed to pay attention, as if sensing a disturbance.

‘Should I tell him to leave it?’

If left unchecked, who knew what might happen next.

“Could you put in a request for transfer?”

Mack asked, despite the wary eyes and tension surrounding them.

“Brother, you know it’s not that easy to leave once you’re in,” Audin said with a playful grin. It was a joke, one that embodied the troublemaker squad’s tradition of toying with each other.

Though, to Mack, it wasn’t funny.

Mack muttered, “He was listening to all that?” before Encrid could intervene, Andrew stood abruptly.

“I know you don’t like me, so fight me if you want! No matter what anyone says, I’m staying to learn under the platoon leader. I’m not leaving!”

It was youthful bravado, bordering on recklessness.

Was that boldness admirable?

“I’ll go first,” Rem declared, standing with his axe, licking the edge as if to provoke fear.

“Where should I cut?”

Even Encrid found that chilling.

Rem’s alien appearance, with his grayish eyes and harsh tone, felt genuinely menacing. Anyone confronting him would likely lose a limb.

“Am I to deal with idiots now? I’ll go first,” Jaxson said with a sigh, marking the first words he’d directed at Andrew since his arrival.

“Brothers, you know I don’t kill. I just play rough, so it should be me,” Audin added, equally enthusiastic.

Their eagerness was palpable. Mack tugged on Encrid’s sleeve.

“Stop them! What’s wrong with Andrew?”

He had to act before Mack started crying. It was unsettling to see a grown man tear up.

“Enough.”

It was a strange relief.

Rem wouldn’t handle someone he truly disliked this way. ‘Where should I cut’ implied a sparring match, a twisted form of acceptance.

Jaxson speaking at all was a sign of interest. Audin would have said something more stern if he disapproved.

Had they disliked Andrew, there would have been no joking.

‘How do I even explain this?’

“Listen, kid. I’m busy now. Let’s see if we can’t settle this after our leader heads out on his mission. I’ll have plenty of time then. By then, even if you cry to leave, I won’t let you go,” Rem said, a smile that sent shivers down spines.

Andrew’s face paled, but he didn’t back down.

Was it sheer resolve?

“Come at me anytime! I’m Andrew of the Gardner family. I won’t run!”

Encrid wasn’t the only one who felt it—Andrew’s determination seemed almost suicidal.

Krys shook his head, and Enri stepped back.

Rem smirked unsettlingly, while Audin murmured, “Settle down, brothers. It’s inevitable anyway.”

Jaxson, expressionless, scanned them up and down, muttering softly,

“A few fingers, perhaps.”

Encrid couldn’t tell if he was serious, which was even more unsettling.

“Don’t injure him. He’s one of us, and we’ll soon face the battlefield,” Encrid said, both a warning and a request.

He couldn’t stop them entirely, nor did he have the power to.

“Keep it quiet if you spar.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll start by cutting tongues,” Rem said with a wry grin.

Enough with the jokes.

“Come at me! Come on!” Andrew shouted, and calming him down took until it was well past bedtime.

When Encrid finally settled into bed, Esther climbed onto his chest, thumping him as if scolding him for being late.

“Sorry,” Encrid said, stroking the leopard’s forehead. Esther purred and nestled into him.

A warm comfort settled over him.

Encrid wasn’t immune to worry about the future.

Especially when the ferryman in his dreams spoke ominous words.

That night was no different.

As sleep took him, a dark, surging river appeared.

“Cry out in your confinement, for your wails are my nourishment, my delight.”

The ferryman laughed with a sound that was almost unbearable.

The thought of being trapped in this endless cycle, unable to move forward, made Encrid’s chest tighten.

But what could he do?

When he awoke, he brushed the nightmare aside.

It was over.

‘Whatever is meant to happen will happen.’

The path would be walked as it always was.

“Good morning.”

Encrid whispered to himself at dawn, beginning another day.

Starting with the *Isolation Technique*, Valaf’s bed wrestling.

Then sparring with Rem, sword practice with Ragna.

Training with Jaxson to hone instincts and scatter killing intent.

“Instinct can be a dangerous weapon if your opponent knows how to deceive it,” Jaxson advised. How to counter that?

It was always the same.

Train, experience, sharpen through real combat.

Andrew, Mack, and Enri managed well enough when Encrid was present.

Despite the chaotic methods, the squad’s intentions seemed positive.

‘It’ll be rough for them.’

But they’d gain something, just as he had.

Two days later—

“Let’s go.”

In the early dawn, Encrid moved past his sleeping squadmates and stepped outside.

It was the day to cross the Pen-Hanil River for the reconnaissance mission.

An order directly from the battalion commander.

Failure would be troublesome.

Success would bring its rewards.

Krys had ranted about the new commander’s nature.

“Marcus, they say he’s a war maniac? But he rewards those who achieve and punishes those who fail without mercy. It’s like he’s a monster created by Naurilia’s military policies.”

Rewards for the accomplished, no forgiveness for the guilty.

A commander perfectly aligned with the kingdom’s military.

So, what was this mission?

‘Is this punishment?’

Or an opportunity?

Encrid saw it as the latter.

To prove himself and earn recognition—wasn’t that what he wanted?

“We meet again.”

Before passing the city gates, Encrid saw the team he’d join for the river crossing. Or rather, the man leading them.

The border guard’s commander, Torres.