A Knight Who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 284

Chapter 284: CHAPTER 282 Chapter 284: CHAPTER 282 “Everyone has assembled.” All the troops, except for those on patrol duty, had gathered.

Encrid stood on a platform set up on one side of the training ground, looking at the assembled soldiers with a calm expression.

‘Will this really work?’ Doubts arose.

Half of him thought it might be a pointless exercise.

Suddenly giving a speech out of the blue.

It was Krais’s request.

As the strategy meeting was coming to an end, Krais had asked, “What is needed for a group on the brink, for a crowd facing danger?” He asked the question and then answered it himself.

“It’s simple.

Right now, our domain needs a rallying point.” As he spoke, he dramatically spread his arms.

The gesture was like that of an actor on stage, yet it also seemed fitting.

It was a gesture that drew everyone’s attention.

Following Krais’s explanation, Encrid’s gaze shifted to one side.

It was the head of the conference room table.

A man sat at the far end of the angular table, the unfortunate leader whose fatigue had cast shadows under his eyes.

“Battalion Commander?” One of the Platoon leaders murmured, his tone full of doubt, as if he wasn’t sure of his own words.

“Well, I apologize to Battalion Commander Graham, but right now, there isn’t anyone as well-known around here as the Mad Company Commander.

Besides, there are those who stayed in the domain just to follow Commander Encrid.

I doubt they all promised to fight for us.” Krais didn’t drag out the conversation or embarrass anyone, he quickly cut to the conclusion.

He was careful not to undermine Graham’s authority.

And Krais was right.

Marcus had intended to pour gold into hiring mercenaries and integrating them into the army, but not all of them had fully committed.

Some were still half-heartedly involved.

They might flee if things went south or even join the enemy.

How many sword fighters live like bats?

“There’s also the matter of morale among our troops.” Krais said, raising his right index finger beside his face.

Rumors spread by the Cultists and the Black Blade Bandits.

Talk of Aspen invading at any moment, Marcus plotting a rebellion and being beheaded, or the Cultists bringing their demonic beasts tonight.

The patrols took up clubs to suppress the rumors spreading within the domain.

Would that be effective?

‘No, it wouldn’t.’ Encrid thought the same.

You can’t stop words by beating people.

You can’t stop rumors by force.

So how do you stop them?

Krais clenched his hand into a fist and brought it down sharply as he continued speaking.

“Rumors can be stopped with more noticeable actions.” And so, what was needed was a rallying point.

To put it in old-fashioned, legendary, or mythical terms, what they needed was a hero.

In the last battle, to those who fought alongside him, Encrid might have appeared that way.

A man who had once been floundering beside them was now an Independent Company Commander, a symbol of strength.

It was like a scene from a heroic epic.

Some of the soldiers who knew how to play music even composed a few songs.

They weren’t exactly worth listening to, though.

“Ah, I admit it.” Vengeance, who had been listening, blurted out without thinking and then quickly looked away.

He glanced at the Battalion Commander, worried.

It wasn’t something to say in front of the Battalion Commander.

But Graham, too, acknowledged it.

Honestly, he’d thought more than once, why not just let that bastard be the Battalion Commander?

Was it that he lacked ambition?

No, that wasn’t it.

‘But in a situation like this…’ ‘A crazy bastard like that is exactly what we need.’ More importantly, if it was Encrid, it would be fine.

He could even hand over the position of Battalion Commander and the responsibility of the domain to him.

There wasn’t any grand reason.

It was just that he naturally wanted to see that crazy guy succeed.

Is it worth giving up his own position for that?

Well, that’s a bit ambiguous, but the Mad Company Commander isn’t someone who shirks his duties.

From the perspective of running the domain, it might not be a bad idea.

These were idle thoughts.

“Proceed.” Graham’s fatigue-ridden face lightened a bit.

The plan brought some relief.

Also, there were no nobles around to make pointless noise, which was another factor that put him at ease.

“Are you sure about this?” Palto tried to stop him once, but it was just words.

He also thought they had to do something immediately, whether it would work or not.

And so, Encrid stepped onto the platform.

“Just say something like, ‘Let’s fight hard’.

That should be enough.” Krais had said this right before Encrid stepped up, and Encrid nodded.

“What we need right now is to prevent any spies from infiltrating us and show the outside that we’re holding strong.

The soldiers need to see something they can trust and follow.

Battalion Commander, you should rest for now, and after you’ve had a good break, come back with a worry-free face and just clap from the back when we give the speech.

Leave the rest to us.” It was like a theater stage.

It was a calculated move to boost the soldiers’ morale and thwart the enemy’s intentions.

Encrid decided to participate.

And so, he stood on the platform.

Among the murmuring soldiers, there were some veterans.

Some faces were familiar, others were not.

Although it wasn’t snowing, the sky was still dark.

But for a brief moment, when the clouds parted and sunlight shone through, Encrid opened his mouth.

“Do you think we’ll lose?” The soldiers didn’t respond.

They just stared blankly at Encrid.

There were too many soldiers gathered for his voice to carry properly.

Esther, who had transformed into human form, gestured behind Encrid.

It was a spell to spread his voice far and wide.

Encrid thought of Krang.

Though brief, the impression he had left was profound.

Not just listening, but something that could command the surroundings.

Thud.

His heart pounded, and something hot boiled deep in his gut.

“I don’t think we’re going to lose.” A simple and clear statement spread far and wide.

It was filled with nothing but conviction.

How could he be so sure?

The doubts the soldiers had about Encrid matched their everyday thoughts.

How could he endure such grueling, almost torturous training every day?

How could that man be like that?

“We won’t lose.

Protect the Border Guard.” At the third declaration, one of the soldiers shouted.

“How do you endure it?

How do you go through such training?” It was one of the new recruits who had been shaking with dread from the harsh training.

He had lived a life of petty thievery before joining the Gilpin Guild and later saw Encrid fight in the domain.

Afterward, he decided to join the army.

He had become part of the military.

Encrid knew he wasn’t cut out to be a proper orator.

So he simply spoke from the heart.

That’s why he welcomed the question, and his true feelings slipped out without him realizing it.

“The pain that kills me only makes me stronger.” Who cares about the deeper meaning behind those words?

Silence descended.

Many soldiers were mulling over Encrid’s words.

The sunlight broke through the clouds, and it seemed as though a ray of light shone down from the darkening sky.

The soldiers standing within that beam of sunlight felt a gentle warmth.

That silence continued for a brief moment.

Just as Encrid wondered if he needed to say something more, one of the soldiers suddenly shouted.

“I want that pain too!” What the hell is he talking about?

He looked down, puzzled.

Regardless of his thoughts, Encrid’s expression remained calm, and from his stoic face, the soldiers drew a strange sense of reassurance and confidence.

“I will overcome the pain!” Another soldier shouted.

“I can do it too!” Yet another cried out.

“The pain that kills me!” “Makes me stronger!” A strange chant emerged.

But fortunately, it went just as Krais had predicted.

The soldiers’ morale began to visibly surge.

Rem, watching from the side, blinked and asked, “Isn’t the saying, ‘What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger’?

I think I’ve heard that somewhere before.” Indeed, the words had come out wrong.

It was said with the understanding that the pain that almost kills you makes you stronger.

“As long as we get the desired result, it doesn’t matter.” Palto muttered under his breath.

The cheering and shouting soldiers were no longer the same as they had been yesterday.

Just when desertions might have occurred due to rumors and enemy schemes, Encrid’s speech ignited a fiery resolve within them.

Pain only makes you stronger.

The kind of pain that feels like it could kill you just makes you even stronger.

In reality, the kind of pain that could kill you does make you stronger, but that wasn’t the point.

The soldiers were fired up.

The rigorous training they had endured up to this point played a part as well.

Hadn’t they already faced their changed selves head-on?

Some of them knew Encrid, and others were aware of his Madmen Company.

Even those who didn’t know of their exploits had at least heard of them.

These were the words of such a man.

As the cheers and shouts momentarily paused, a foreboding feeling seemed to sweep through the ranks of the soldiers.

“You can’t stop all the spies.

You can only weed out as many as possible.” Suddenly, Krais’s words came to mind.

Even Encrid couldn’t find all the spies hidden among the troops.

But he wondered if he could exert a strong influence over them.

It was a moment of quick thinking.

Amid the cheers, Encrid’s voice rang out loud and clear.

“My name is Encrid!

The Mad Company Commander!

I’m going to take the enemy Commander’s head!

Tonight!

Look forward to it!” It was a madman’s declaration.

Rem whispered from behind.

“Are we really going tonight?” The soldiers’ deafening cheers shook the platform.

Feeling the vibrations under his feet, Jaxon heard Rem’s question and thought it over, making a decision.

He, too, had sensed the unsettling atmosphere among the troops.

“No, we’re not going.

You fool of a barbarian.” Jaxon quickly understood his Commander’s intent.

Rem, pretending not to hear, added, “Let’s just leave this idiot behind.

He’s useless, right?” Ignoring the chatter behind him, Encrid drew his sword.

Sching!

A soft blue light shot upward, slicing through the sunlight.

“All troops, to your positions!” Waaaahhhhhhh!

The cheers grew louder.

“Pain!” “Give us pain!” “Oh, pain!” The chants grew even more fervent.

Graham wasn’t sure if this was the right course of action, but the results were undeniable-morale had been boosted.

It was beyond what he had hoped for.

Krais sometimes thought that Encrid didn’t fully understand his own position.

When you think about it, it made sense.

The Encrid seen within the Border Guard was twice as crazy and twice as monstrous as the one seen from the outside.

And what would people think when they heard that this madman and monster was on their side, leading the charge?

They would go wild.

Their morale would skyrocket.

Everything had gone according to plan.

Graham didn’t care about Krais’s motives.

He only knew one thing-that this was the moment.

The soaring morale, the soldiers shouting their mantras with a frenzy.

Now was the time for passion, not cold calculation.

The veterans who had gone ahead would handle the cool-headed planning.

Graham shouted, “All troops, march!” No sooner had he given the command than the units started moving in perfect order across the training ground.

The operation, both day and night, had begun.

* * * Gilpin glanced warily at Frog’s face, his guard fully up.

If things went wrong, wouldn’t he be the one who’d end up beaten to death?

“It’s fine.

The deal’s done.

You’re part of the guild now.” Whatever he had done, Krais, the real Guild Leader, had accepted Frog as a member.

It didn’t feel right.

Wasn’t this the same Frog who had come to the guildhouse twice and turned it upside down?

But orders were orders.

Gilpin was dutiful.

Had following Krais’s instructions ever done him any harm?

No, it hadn’t.

When he was told to dig a tunnel, he dug it.

When he was told to accept Frog, he accepted him.

He followed Krais’s orders to the letter.

“This way.” On the other hand, Frog Maelrun showed no sign of caution.

“I’m hungry.” “Right here.” Maelrun, fresh out of prison, drank worm stew while staring at a man with a shaved head.

As he crunched down on a grub, he suddenly felt happy.

Sure, he ate fruit and human food, but nothing beat worm stew.

It was packed with both nutrition and flavor.

After three days of feasting and resting, Gilpin cautiously approached Maelrun.

“Could you keep an eye on the people coming and going?” “Uh, sure.” Maelrun stood up without hesitation.

He quite liked the terms Krais had offered him.

Most of all, he appreciated that Krais didn’t force any kind of binding oath.

‘That bastard Fromshell insisted on an oath right from the start.’ He had taken advantage of Frog’s weaknesses.

Krais was different.

“Eat what you want, do what you want.

Just do it within the domain.” “Why should I?” “What is it that you want to do?

I want to make sure you can do it to your heart’s content.” Maelrun didn’t answer right away.

Frog was a species driven by desire.

Krais was smart and exceptionally perceptive.

He could sense Maelrun’s wariness.

“Why should I tell you that?” “If you just tell me, you can leave whenever you want.

Is it that difficult to say?

If you tell me, I’ll open the prison door right now.” Krais’s willingness to take a step back made Maelrun open his mouth.

“My desire is to feel that moment of accomplishment, the instant of victory.” Krais was clever.

He understood the core of the matter immediately.

Maelrun was talking about victory and the feeling of accomplishment, not about the battle itself.

There are many who crave results more than the effort it takes to achieve them.

There was no reason Frogs couldn’t be the same.

“It would be good if there were plenty of easy opponents.” “Training duels don’t satisfy me.” He spoke with a sneer, showing his displeasure with a flick of his long tongue.

He was clearly saying that he enjoyed the thrill of winning in raw, unrestrained combat.

“Oh, that’s perfect.

We get a lot of those kinds of guys in the Border Guard.

If you ever feel like you’re going too far, just say the word.

We’ve got people who can handle it.” People like Rem, or Rem, or others like him.

Those who enjoy fighting madmen.

The rest of those with proper martial skills or swordsmanship would be left to Encrid.

There were still quite a few swordsmen, mercenaries, and merchants visiting the town.

Half of them were drawn by Encrid’s reputation.

‘This could act as a sort of filter.’ If Frog beat up most of them, that’s how it would turn out.

“I can roam the domain as I please?” “It’d be even better if you could find and beat up anyone who seems to be hiding their strength, don’t you think?” What is a raw fight?

The opponent matters.

So it would have to be someone who looked like they’d put up a proper fight.

The satisfaction that came from defeating such people…

Just imagining it sent a thrill through Maelrun.

His skin reacted, and a slick oil began to ooze out.

“Without an oath?” “Without.” Krais smiled.

What did an oath matter?

Oaths were meant to control desire for people like Frog.

So, when desire and craving take precedence, there’s no need for an oath.

Maelrun was naive.

He thus became a guild member and roamed the domain freely.

Gilpin noticed movements in the back alleys aimed at excluding them.

A few new faces had appeared, claiming they were going to start a guild.

Among them was a swordsman they had brought forward.

He was a man with two thick scars running down his face.

He wielded a thick mace, and getting hit by that wouldn’t just be painful-it could be fatal.

It was clear at a glance that the scarred man was no ordinary fighter.

However, being of near-Knight-level skill wasn’t something common, so he was just average.

At best, he might have been on par with a former Border Guard.

He was no match for Frog.

“Oh, really?

You want to fight?” Maelrun grinned.

His opponent’s skill seemed just right.

It would be fun to toy with him before winning.

“Why is Frog here?”  The man said, his eyes darting nervously.

“Does that even matter?” Maelrun replied, raising his Loop Sword.

The unexpected appearance of Frog had the man rattled.

The outcome of the fight was a foregone conclusion.

* * * “Failure?” The Wolf Bishop, leader of the Cultists, paused mid-bite, his words dripping with disdain.

The half-eaten piece of meat fell onto the table.

“Yes.

We’ve lost contact with the group that went in to take control of the back alleys.” “Send more.” The bishop found the situation rather dull, but he also knew he couldn’t afford to step in personally.

‘Are they just going to sit back and watch?’ The one who starts a fight should be the first to draw their sword.

Moreover, there was intel suggesting that an assassination squad would target their Commander tonight.

Was he just going to sit still and take it?

“How dare they try to come for us?” It would be amusing to cut off the heads of those who dared to come and impale them on stakes.

The Wolf Bishop chuckled to himself.

And that night, no attackers came.

However, the next morning, the Border Guard Reserve unit marched out beyond the city walls.

Their direction?

The encampment of the Black Blade Bandits.