A Knight Who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 451

Chapter 451: CHAPTER 448
“It was a light wave.”

Those were Oara’s words after returning from killing the ghouls.

The ghoul’s cry, as if it had risen from the depths.

The sight was enough to make one dizzy.

The presence of the ghoul, whose arms extended unnaturally.

For most people, it would have been enough to cause panic, but Encrid couldn’t help but acknowledge Oara’s words.

Four Squires, two Junior-Knights, and one Knight.

This force displayed overwhelming combat power.

Encrid had also noticed something else—the form of tactics employed by this city.

‘The Squires and Junior-Knights form a wall, while the Knight intercepts the enemy.’

It was a simple yet efficient tactic, clearly dividing the roles of shield and spear.

The rest of the soldiers focused entirely on long-range attacks.

The soldiers on the wall all carried longbows, and the arrows were top-quality, crafted from the bones of magical beasts.

They were like turtles, sticking their heads out from behind the wall.

The turtle, in this case, shoots arrows while taking the risk.

The Knight would finish off whatever remained.

Hadn’t that just been proven a moment ago?

Oara had calmly returned after killing the ghoul leader with just one stroke.

She hadn’t even bathed in black blood, and as she walked back through the battlefield, the few swings of her sword had left a dozen ghouls momentarily headless.

Of course, no ghoul was able to reattach its head, as even a troll couldn’t pull off such a feat.

“These bastards, I’ll kill them all one day. We should clear out the Demon Realm and plant orange trees there!”

Oara spoke with a bright smile, showing her upper teeth and raising her cheeks.

Being able to smile so brightly while saying such things was a talent in itself.

‘She’s not called Smiling Oara for nothing.’

A soldier who had survived the charge of the monsters knelt inside the gate and roared.

“We made it!”

Oara laughed at this, as did the four Squires and two Junior-Knights. They all lived with smiles on their faces.

Encrid laughed too.

It was enjoyable and impressive.

“They’re interesting people.”

Luagarne’s straightforward assessment.

“Well, it’s nice to see.”

Rem’s agreement.

“Aren’t you going home?”

Dunbachel’s instinct to avoid conflict.

Even as Encrid listened to all this, he didn’t take his eyes off Oara and the people around her.

Flutter.

A red cape fluttered in the wind.

A symbol of the Knights.

Oara, the core of that Knighthood, sensed Encrid’s gaze and looked back at him. She spoke while facing the wind.

“Next time, let’s fight together.”

Encrid nodded.

* * *

“Hey, the bread’s burnt!”

Oara was still cheerful and lively. She strolled through the market, greeting people and eating slightly burnt brown bread.

“Is she an interesting person? I’m not sure. But one thing’s certain. I can’t figure her out.”

Asia often dropped by and made such remarks.

“How about a spar?”

“If you think I’m the same Asia as before, you’re in for a surprise.”

Encrid reflexively opened his mouth as if to respond to her like he would to Rem but held back.

“Why? Was there something you wanted to say?”

Asia noticed his hesitation and asked.

“No.”

Encrid replied and picked up his sword. A simple sparring match, a chance to check what he had.

If he could unify his senses, wouldn’t other things be possible too?

The Heart of the Beast, the Heart of Great Strength, Giant’s Strike, a Handful of Breath.

Rem had taught him a mountain of techniques.

Did Rem give these techniques names on purpose? Or was there some other reason for it?

‘He did it to teach.’

That might be it.

Not confident in his explanations, he started by naming and defining them.

One thing becomes clear when you look at Rem. Everything he taught comes naturally from his body. Techniques and skills honed in the realm of instinct burst forth on their own.

Encrid had things that came naturally and things that didn’t.

So, he would start by making everything come naturally.

“What are you looking at?”

The barbarian from the west, who seemed to have been chased away for being mad, kept sharpening his axe. By now, he was on his third whetstone.

‘I just swing my sword.’

If strength is needed, then he would use strength.

If boldness was needed, then he would be bold.

Oara had advised him to discard certain things, but Encrid spent time combining them one by one.

“So you’re going to walk your own path. That’s not a bad thing.”

Oara didn’t claim her words were the right answer.

When people gather in groups of ten, each one displays a different color. The same goes for a hundred.

Why would Knights be any different?

Ragna was different, and the Mercenary King was different.

So, Encrid himself would be different too.

Perhaps time spent honing what he had was just what he needed.

It was dawn. Rem, uncharacteristically, was already out before Encrid.

While reflecting on what he had realized in one corner, Rem spoke.

“Not bad.”

The dawn before the sun rises is always the darkest. It was pitch black all around.

The air was still sticky, likely due to the proximity to the Demon Realm, but the wind had become noticeably colder.

Rem looked up at the dim sky, placing one hand on his waist, and gazed at the fading stars.

When the sun rises, the stars naturally disappear.

The same went for the two moons that had illuminated the night.

“Do you remember Utkeiora?”

Rem asked. Encrid lowered the tip of his sword and nodded in response.

“It’s the saying that the time before dawn is the darkest, right?”

“That’s right, but it feels like something I need to remind myself of.”

“What do you mean?”

“I need to go to the West.”

Was he saying he would go and return?

Or was he going to find his place once and for all?

Rem wasn’t sure either. Honestly, he felt like he would only know once he got there. It wasn’t some grand reason that made him leave his homeland. Sure, there were various reasons, but it would be a lie to say there wasn’t an impulsive part to it.

If he had to give a reason,

‘It’s just not enjoyable there.’

You could say he left in search of fun.

But being beside that crazy Captain was fun. It was the same now.

To Rem, this city was like a candle in the wind. It would collapse if the wind blew a little too strongly.

It was the Knights who were holding it together.

Why was that man so determined to protect the city? Rem didn’t particularly want to ask that question.

Instead, he thought of the place where he was born and raised.

There were people who would be protecting the things he had left behind.

He wanted to return to them and ask.

While the wild Captain and the stray cat had stirred him, separate from that, Rem also realized it was time for him to reflect on what he had left behind.

It wasn’t his mind telling him this but his heart.

“Do as you wish.”

Encrid replied calmly. He was never the kind of person to hold anyone back by force.

“Damn it, come at me. I’m in the mood. I’ll entertain you today.”

Rem smiled broadly and lifted his well-sharpened axe.

Even in the darkness before dawn, the blade of the axe glowed faintly.

“Have you been in pain since we got closer to the Demon Realm? Then I suppose you need treatment.”

Encrid replied as he also raised his sword.

Aker too revealed itself, cutting through the darkness of dawn.

Rem found Encrid’s taunt endearing.

“If mouthing off were a standard, the Captain would be the best on the continent.”

“Yes, let’s begin the treatment.”

That treatment was similar to the persuasion that Encrid often performed.

So, a bit of light contact would be necessary. If needed, lightly cutting with the blade to draw a little blood could also be part of the treatment.

Just as one slices the skin to drain the pus from a boil, Rem too needed to cut into his head a little.

“I was telling you to watch your mouth, but it seems you didn’t understand.”

Rem spoke as he moved. By the time he uttered the word ‘understand’, he was already in motion.

To Encrid, it seemed as if the axe had disappeared from in front of him, only to immediately reappear, falling from above his head.

Thud!

Of course, he blocked it.

It was a simple sparring session. However, Encrid seemed to have regressed.

He was in the process of mixing and combining what he had without fully utilizing everything.

Just as proper bread requires time to rise, Encrid too needed time.

Rem knew this, but he still pushed him hard.

After all, it’s natural for one’s skills to improve when they feel their life is on the line.

But it was still frustratingly slow.

“You’re terribly slow.”

Rem grumbled the same as before.

Encrid spent a few more days alternating between sparring with Rem, Luagarne, and Asia, following a similar routine.

Milio’s dream remained unchanged, and he would occasionally come to see Encrid.

“Don’t give up, soldier. No matter what others say.”

“…Do I seem that hopeless?”

At times, Milio would respond with a sullen reaction to Encrid’s heartfelt encouragement, but he too did not know how to give up.

Oara continued to wander around the city frequently.

During that time, Encrid was able to spar not only with Asia but also with Oara’s Junior-Knight.

“I don’t do sparring.”

The short-haired blonde said that her skills were not suited for sparring, so that left only the big man.

“This is for breaking and crushing things.”

As he drew out his gray blunt weapon, he spoke. The handle resembled that of a greatsword but was thicker. It made sense.

His hands were that large.

They seemed even bigger than Audin’s.

“Everyone here seems to go by some kind of epithet, right?”

Encrid asked, roughly gauging the distance between them.

“Well, some are given those names to boost the soldiers’ morale, but you probably have an idea. ‘Will’ is determination. An epithet can serve as a manifestation of the image needed to summon that determination.”

“So what’s your epithet?”

“People call me Roman the Crusher.”

Encrid, in his mind, tried to give epithets to his comrades.

Audin the Praying.

Jaxon the Sneak.

Ragna the Lost.

Rem the Reckless.

They were fitting.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

Encrid noticed something very peculiar about Roman’s movements.

Every action seemed clumsy and awkward. There were too many openings.

The combat style itself was designed with the armor he wore in mind, and it was clearly specialized for fighting monsters.

Even so, it felt like there were many flaws. It looked as if a single thrust could cause him to spill blood profusely.

“Alright, I’ll stop fooling around and do it properly just this once.”

At the end of the sparring session, Roman smiled, caught his breath a few times, and then brought his sword down from above.

Whoosh.

The club disappeared.

For a moment, Encrid saw Ragna’s Lightning Slash, recalled the Mercenary King’s Bull Charge, and remembered the time when an Aspen Knight pierced his own heart.

Lastly, he even thought of Oara as she advanced and cut down the ghoul leader.

The downward strike Roman showed now had reached the realm of a true Knight.

Encrid focused intensely, trying to catch the trace of the club.

It was a speed that could only be followed by someone who had been struck by Ragna’s Lightning Slash countless times.

The gray blur vanished and reappeared, flying toward his shoulder.

Encrid’s sword moved.

Clang, thud, thud, thud!

Even though he met the blow with Aker, supported it with his Gladius, and tried to deflect it to the side, not everything went as he intended.

Encrid was pushed back, using the remaining momentum to dissipate the impact.

“How was that?”

Roman asked. His expression wasn’t good.

It was clear he had pushed himself too hard.

“What was that?”

Roman found that he liked this man before him more than he expected. It wasn’t just that he knew how to fight, he had the spirit that aligned with the ethics of a Thousand Bricks.

Die with a smile.

Train today, even if you die tomorrow.

That kind of spirit.

That’s why he had shown him something like that.

“I’m not telling.”

Of course, he wasn’t going to share his secret technique in detail.

Encrid found Roman’s reaction refreshing.

Unlike the people who had taught him everything, here was someone who saw him as a rival.

He could also understand why the short-haired blonde didn’t want to fight him.

She had mastered lethal techniques, and even if they sparred ten times, she would lose all ten times.

So, it was because she didn’t want to lose.

“Is that so?”

Encrid wasn’t disappointed. On the contrary, he felt the opposite. A faint smile appeared on his face.

“You’re a bit of a freak.”

Roman said, leaving those words behind as he departed.

“You’re not wrong.”

Encrid heard Luagarne agreeing with that statement, but it barely registered in his mind.

During the sparring session, Encrid had clearly bested Roman in basic skills.

It wasn’t an overwhelming victory, nor was it a life-or-death battle, but if they fought seriously, even conservatively, Encrid believed he could win seven or eight times out of ten.

However, the downward strike that Roman had shown at the end was on a different level.

It was similar to that of a Knight.

How could that be?

It was something worth pondering.

The next day, when Encrid woke up, he felt unusually light.

He always maintained his physical condition well, making sure to eat well, sleep well, and relieve himself regularly.

But there were days when he felt exceptionally good.

Today was one of those days.

The sun was high, and the sticky air had eased, making it easier to breathe.

The air near the Demon Realm often felt thick and oppressive, making it uncomfortable to breathe, but not today.

A refreshing breeze was blowing.

It was neither too cold nor too hot.

After washing up, training, and getting hungry, Encrid stepped outside, just in time to meet a soldier approaching from the opposite direction with freshly baked bread.

“This is the best bread I’ve baked in years.”

It was warm, white bread, with steam rising from it.

Western-style bread had a golden crust, but the inside was white and chewy.

When Encrid split it in half and took a bite, the rich, savory, and slightly salty flavors harmonized, making him nod his head in approval.

“You really did bake it well.”

“Didn’t I tell you it was well-baked?”

The soldier who handed him the bread was one of the soldiers Encrid had become friendly with recently. He smiled quietly and walked away.

Milio approached, perhaps on his way to his post, carrying a pike, a longbow, and a quiver of arrows, and spoke to him.

“It’s a beautiful day. You don’t see days like this often in the City of Bricks. You should head to the western wall. You’ll see something spectacular.”

“Is that so?”

“Make sure you go.”

With those words, Milio walked away, and Encrid started to move. The dawn was breaking.

He went to the western wall, rested his hands on the railing, which was not easily covered in dust, and climbed the stairs.

On the wall, there were faces he knew and faces he didn’t. A familiar soldier gave him a nod of recognition.

Encrid nodded back slightly and then looked up at the sky.

Milio was right.

From the wall, the rising sun from the east seemed to push back the ominous darkness created by the Demon Realm.

The dawn in the Demon Realm created a thick gray mist, and the sunlight broke through, shattering it, grinding it away as it advanced.

It was a spectacular sight.

It looked as though the waves of sunlight were breaking apart the land created by the Demon Realm.

It was a view you couldn’t see every day, only around this time of year when the seasons were changing.

It was a breathtaking scene.

After briefly admiring that mysterious natural change, Encrid found a silver coin on his way back.

The food he ate that day was exceptionally delicious, and the beer was particularly cool and flavorful.

Beautiful scenery, a silver coin, good food.

He felt joyful, and the positive changes in his mood carried over into his training.

With each swing of his sword, he could feel a sense of purpose, and the sword moved exactly as he intended.

It was a day filled with unprecedented satisfaction, a day when luck was on his side.

And after the sunset had faded, Oara came to visit.

“Remember when I told you my grandfather built that city gate?”

She had indeed mentioned it.

“Let’s talk, it’s a good day.”

It was, in some ways, a trivial conversation, yet in others, it was a way to get to know each other better.

Those were the kinds of stories they shared. Encrid personally thought it was not a bad way to spend the time.