A Knight Who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 446

Chapter 446: CHAPTER 444
Swoosh, Thud, Whoosh, Bang!

The battle with the harpies could be summed up in these four sounds.

In the end, Rem tore through two slings and fired nineteen rounds of ammunition.

Caw! Caw!

The harpies cried out as their heads burst. Even as they cried, they charged again and cast their spells.

Wind gathered, forming something akin to a barrier. If you looked closely, you could see the space around it distorting slightly. Even if you couldn’t see it, you could sense it.

So what? What’s a barrier going to do?

Whoosh, Bang!

The harpies’ spell couldn’t withstand the overwhelming physical force created by the sling. The bullet shot from the spinning sling pierced the barrier without hesitation.

Caw! Caw!

By then, the harpies’ cries sounded like laughter.

Are they laughing as they die?

Ah, so they wanted to die, but had no one to kill them, so they were sad.

Well, here comes the barbarian to kill you.

He brought stones with him, yes he did.

Reciting an ancient song, Encrid had no time to step forward.

“There’s a lot of them.”

As he placed his hand on the Aker grip and lifted his head, he saw more harpy chicks screeching as they emerged.

Flapping wings and scattering feathers, the smell of rancid meat, and the stench of blood filled his nostrils.

There were more than thirty harpies.

‘Could there be fifty?’

As Encrid watched, more harpies emerged from the stone tower, likely exceeding fifty.

Swoosh! Thud!

Another bullet tore through the air.

It moved at a speed almost too fast to track with the eye.

When the stone pierced through the chest of a female harpy with swaying breasts, black blood rained down from the sky.

The harpy, now with a hole in her chest instead of breasts, crashed to the ground like a meteor.

Thud!

Dust rose with the noise.

The harpies didn’t just sit there and take it.

Three male harpies with solid pectoral muscles flew down, flapping their wings forward to launch feathers.

Dozens of sharp, knife-like feathers rained down on the group.

Encrid pulled out a round shield about two spans in diameter and read the trajectory of the feathers, blocking them.

Thud, Thud, Thud.

The feathers couldn’t penetrate the oiled shield and got stuck on the surface.

Blocking them was easy.

It wasn’t a difficult task since all he had to do was block the ones aimed at his own body.

The rest was just predicting their path and dodging appropriately.

‘I should’ve cut them down with a sword, perhaps?’

It didn’t seem like that would have been difficult either. In any case, he had blocked them, so there was no need to worry.

Luagarne drew her loop sword and blocked the area near her heart with the blade, ignoring the defense of other parts.

Luagarne was wearing heart armor, and the armor was wrapped around her heart with more than three layers of thin iron, high-quality beast leather, and enchanted fabric, so there was no need to block the feathers with her sword—they would just bounce off.

But the Frog was a species with heart phobia.

Even if their heart was protected with two or three layers, it was normal to feel uneasy and scared.

Luagarne was one of the rare Frogs who could utter the word ‘heart’ and still function relatively well, a testament to her unusual discipline.

The feathers struck Luagarne’s limbs. Two feathers even hit her abdomen.

Thump, Ping.

With a light noise, the feathers slipped off Luagarne’s skin, not even leaving a scratch.

The Frog’s skin was naturally covered with a unique slime that caused most blades to slip off, so this was to be expected.

No matter how sharp the feathers were, they would be meaningless unless they were intended to sever limbs.

Dunbachel leapt out of the range of the feathers.

Rem simply dodged while spinning the sling in place.

The three harpies that had launched the feathers hesitated for a moment.

They must have been shocked to see their fearsome feathers, which would usually cause people to flinch and desperately block or dodge, being dealt with so nonchalantly.

‘I’d be a little surprised too.’

Encrid understood the harpies’ mindset.

A good tactic starts with knowing your enemy.

It was something he’d learned while swimming in the lake of experience.

Knowing the enemy and knowing yourself.

Knowing yourself and knowing the enemy.

It was something that should be done before the fight even begins.

He could see the thick pectoral muscles of the harpies rising and falling.

Ah, what are these things? Are they monsters?

It was as if he could hear the harpies speaking.

They hesitated for a moment, and that was a foolish mistake.

The ones who had come down low enough to launch feathers were now within reach if they made a run for it.

Dunbachel dashed forward. She ran up the wall of the stone tower as if it were the ground. With just a few strides, she was at the same height as the harpies, and in midair, she twisted her body, slicing the heads and chests of the three harpies with her curved blade and claws.

As she spun through the air, Dunbachel lightly landed on the ground with a soft thud.

Thud, thud, thud.

The three harpies crashed to the ground, sprawling out.

Meanwhile, the bullets fired by Rem continued to tear through the air.

Swoosh! Thud!

The colony leader was a harpy that fired wind arrows, and Rem justly pierced the leader’s head with a stone.

Of course, at that moment, Rem wasn’t just standing still, he spun the sling with a whirring sound, rotating his body once before launching the bullet.

The dynamic movement doubled the speed of the bullet.

That was the end of the harpy colony. The leader, with its head blown off, lost the ability to cast even a single spell properly, losing what was perched atop its neck.

Screeeeech!

The remaining harpies shrieked. Some attacked in anger, while others fled.

Those that charged were swiftly slain by Dunbachel and Luagarne.

“Shall we move on to the next one now?”

Encrid spoke. There was nothing more to be done, and the fight had ended without anyone getting particularly tired. The night was still long.

It was a moonlit night, far from the dawn’s first light.

“Let’s do that.”

Rem said, tossing the broken sling to the ground.

Finding the black dog colony was even easier.

“Dogs still mark their territory, even when they become beasts.”

They found it by looking for traces of their droppings and following the scent. It wasn’t difficult.

Dunbachel was also skilled in hunting. She excelled at tracking by scent, so this was natural for her.

The job she did most while wandering the continent was bounty hunting.

And so they found the second colony of beasts.

This time, a walking dog suddenly appeared. It was a variant of the Hellhound.

As expected of a borderland of the Demon Realm.

None of the creatures around here were ordinary.

There were harpies casting spells.

And now a dog that walked on two legs.

And this wasn’t even a major area of the Demon Realm.

The southern Great Demon Realm would likely be even worse.

“The monsters near the Demon Realm aren’t normal. They’re that much more dangerous.”

Luagarne said as she looked at the dog’s head that seemed to have come straight from hell.

She spun the loop sword in her hand.

The heavy sound of the metal cutting through the air echoed.

They said cavalry couldn’t be used around here.

It’s said that there isn’t a single animal near the Demon Realm that hasn’t been terrified. Because of that, the environment itself was strange.

It was rare to see animals roaming around. Instead, the area was teeming with beasts and monsters.

Growl!

The leader of the beasts, a dog walking on two legs, spat fire and had poison in its fangs, but that didn’t matter.

Encrid decapitated it with two slashes.

With his left-hand Gladius, he knocked aside and cut off its front paw, then beheaded it with his right-hand Aker.

Meanwhile, Rem and the others killed dozens of the beasts by slashing and beating them.

There were over a hundred beasts, and they had killed half of them.

The rest, frightened, scattered in all directions. They didn’t need to chase after each one. There was no point.

“They’ll die on their own if left alone.”

Luagarne added, explaining further.

The monsters around here were tough, and if they wandered without forming a colony, they were sure to meet their end.

It was a place where even the average beast would struggle to survive.

Afterward, her lecture on monsterology continued. Encrid listened attentively. It was a story full of fascinating details.

The gist of it was this:

“The monsters near the Demon Realm evolve, is that it?”

On the way back, Encrid asked, pinpointing the core of the matter, and Luagarne nodded in agreement.

After dealing with the two monster colonies, they returned, rested, slept, and upon waking, Asia came to visit.

“What have you been up to?”

She couldn’t hide her surprise as she asked. Asia wouldn’t be shocked just because she sparred with Encrid.

It must have been because of the report she received after a good night’s sleep.

They had mentioned killing two colonies and a deserter who had evolved into a cult leader upon entering the city.

That news must have reached her ears by now.

Encrid, quick-witted and sharp-minded, understood the meaning behind Asia’s words and responded appropriately.

“I’ve been completing requests.”

He said this while carefully wiping down his sword with an oiled cloth, specifically one soaked in high-quality flaxseed oil.

This city’s food might be mediocre, but the items for weapon maintenance weren’t bad. They were actually quite excellent.

It was as if this city was filled with people destined to die in battle.

Since the city itself was a military garrison, maybe that was to be expected?

Perhaps.

In any case, Asia responded to Encrid’s calm words with another question.

“In just two days?”

She instinctively placed her hand on her waist, gripping the hilt of her sword. With her hand on the hilt, she felt somewhat calmer.

She wasn’t trying to criticize, but how could someone be so good at their job?

Encrid was sitting on a stump in front of the lodging that had been assigned to them, while Asia was lightly dressed, with only her sword at her waist.

A thick leather mat was spread out in front of the stump, and Encrid had laid out his weapons on it.

He was meticulously cleaning and maintaining each one with oil.

Weapon maintenance was one of the important tasks, just as much as training.

“Isn’t two days enough?”

Encrid responded.

“Ha.”

Asia let out a breath.

She knew these guys were good fighters, but this was a different kind of skill.

It was almost like the scouting abilities of an elite ranger.

Of course, there were a few soldiers in Thousand Bricks with ranger-level skills.

It’s just that they were out following the deserter Jack, the swordsman.

But here was someone who not only fought better than her but also excelled at tracking?

Well, it was a good thing.

Thanks to the work Encrid had done, they now had some breathing room.

There was no longer any need to fight off harpies to protect the city.

If the harpies attacked again, she would have to jump off the wall and slash those cursed winged monsters to pieces.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t an impossible task.

The only problem was having to climb back up to the wall after cutting down one of them.

“You’re really good at your job.”

Asia remarked again, just as another visitor approached from behind.

Asia was wearing short-sleeved clothes, but they were properly fastened, showing only her forearms. The new arrival, however, was dressed much more provocatively.

It was Knight Oara. She was wearing a thin shirt that revealed glimpses of her cleavage and short shorts that exposed her knees.

“Hey, want to go out?”

It was an unexpected question. Asia’s question had been one that could be inferred from the context.

But Oara’s was not. Encrid responded as he felt inclined.

“Sparring?”

If it was a fight, he welcomed it. He was always ready. His resolve was clear. And with resolve came determination.

Asia could feel the tension in her muscles as she observed the energy radiating from Encrid.

It was a spirit that made her want to engage in a fight herself.

“Not today.”

But Oara firmly refused.

Encrid stared at her intently.

If it wasn’t for sparring, why had she come here?

“It’s the day of rest.”

“What’s that?”

“If you’ve worked for six days, you rest for one. It’s a teaching of the Gods.”

Some Gods did preach such things.

Encrid had heard a bit about it.

Oara spoke as she showed her necklace.

It wasn’t a holy relic, but it bore the symbol of her order.

Oara was devout.

‘Audin would like her.’

Audin, instead of rejecting others for believing in a different God, would likely enjoy sharing religious views.

“You’ve handled your tasks efficiently, right? Then it’s time to relax.”

Oara’s brown eyes stared at Encrid.

Her eyes softened into a gentle curve. Asia, knowing Oara’s personality well, kept silent.

Smiling, Oara tugged at the front of her shirt with her fingers a few times. The weather was hot, and sweat was running down her body.

It was another sultry day. The kind where you’d wish for rain.

Just because she was a Knight didn’t mean she was immune to heat or cold, so she was sweating too.

A thin stream of sweat was visible, running down her neck.

“If you get distracted, many people will be sad.”

Luagarne, who had been sniffing dry grass and savoring the scent, spoke up.

“Is that a drug?”

Encrid asked with concern, and Luagarne puffed out her cheeks in a smile.

“It’s a herb that makes you feel good, but it’s not a drug for humans. For humans, it’s more like poison.”

Why was she talking nonsense if she wasn’t even high?

Oara looked at Encrid and said,

“Rest when you need to rest and work when it’s time to work. That’s my way, Oara’s way. So right now, it’s time for you to relax.”

It sounded forced, but it wasn’t wrong either.

Encrid had learned in the past that rest was important as well.

This time, through Luagarne, he had also learned how to broaden his perspective.

Resting didn’t just mean physical rest. Mental rest was important too.

“I’ll show you around the city, handsome. Come on.”

Oara suggested, and Encrid, who was in the middle of packing up his gear on the leather mat, spoke up.

“Dunbachel.”

“What?”

“Clean this up.”

With no Squire around, there wasn’t anyone else to do the work.

Dunbachel didn’t say anything like, “Why me?”

She was usually quite willing to do whatever Encrid asked.

“Asia, since the winged lunatics and the sulfur-breathing mutts are dead, you’ve got some free time. Come with us.”

Oara pulled Asia into the plan as well.

Encrid dusted himself off and stood up.

From the side, Rem, who was diligently sharpening an axe blade, looked up.

“Have a good time. I’m busy here.”

Rem said, fully focused on the task of sharpening the axe with a whetstone. It was something he did often, but this time he seemed to be putting even more effort into it.

“Alright.”

Encrid nodded and started walking.

“How did you find the colony locations?”

Oara asked as they walked on the damp earth.

Her short boots, which revealed her ankles, looked incredibly light.

As he noticed this, Encrid replied.

“We have a beastwoman with a good sense of smell and a fellow who’s good at tracking people.”

Oara pursed her lips, letting out a sound of admiration like ‘Oh’, and listened more closely. She was eager to hear more.

Encrid gave a brief explanation, sticking to the key points.

There wasn’t much to say about catching the colony leader.

They just found and killed them. That was all.

The three of them walked casually until they stopped in front of a tavern.

It was noisy. The sounds of loud chatter mixed with cheers and curses could be heard.

“I bet on you, Reuben!”

“If you lose, you’re dead! You idiot! No way!”

It seemed like something was going on.

“The prohibition was lifted.”

Oara said. The tavern was packed with people.

In the middle of the crowd, two bald men were gripping each other’s hands, straining with effort.

They were arm-wrestling.