Chapter 110 - Luck and misfortune come at the most unexpected moments.

Pin and Torres went in first to report.

Torres would give the overall report, and Pin would assist with the rest.

Encrid only needed to report his return.

Like that, in front of the barracks.

An unexpected figure came into view.

It was Gilfin.

His clothes were torn here and there, and his face was covered in dark bruises.

One of his eyes was half swollen, though it seemed to be healing, and he walked with a limp.

Looking closely, his leg didn't seem to be broken.

"Let's have a look."

Taking a quick glance, it seemed he had sprained his ankle.

"I am fine."

A faint sense of anxiety could be felt in Gilfin's tone.

Encrid nodded.

"What's going on?"

This was the person Krais was managing.

Obviously, something had happened in the Gilfin Guild for him to be in this state.

"He's here."

"Who is?"

"That Frog bastard who was buddy-buddy with the former guild master."

Ah, the Frog.

There was no need to search his memory.

Right, he had said the Frog would come when spring arrives.

That meant he was here right now.

But wasn't it a little early?

"Explain first."

He wanted to hear the story first.

If Krais was dead or it was a true emergency, Gilfin wouldn't be chatting like this; he would have immediately said they needed to go together.

* * *

Krais had already been eating and sleeping in the city for six days.

Spending about a week outside the unit was Krais's daily routine.

Furthermore.

'I heard the deployment is soon.'

Then how many things were there to prepare?

From tobacco to food, and various errands.

Many people sought Krais out. Not just soldiers, but officers as well.

Thanks to that, many people accommodated him like this.

That was how it had been for six days.

He wanted to sort out everything he needed to handle before the deployment if possible.

Above all, ever since swallowing the Gilfin Guild, the fun of counting Krona had grown.

With things like this, why would he want to return to the base?

'Let's see. How much will I earn today?'

It would cost a lot of Krona to open a salon later.

So earning as much as possible while he could was the best.

He had also received quite a bit in commissions from the items the Squad Leader brought and sold recently.

'I wonder if he'll pick up something like that from somewhere again.'

Then again, they said a magician had been living hidden in the sewers.

Would something like that happen frequently?

"It's time for lunch. Let's grab a bite."

It was around noon, so he had just called Gilfin over to grab lunch. The lunch served was a noodle dish made from ground whole wheat.

By some skill, the noodles were pulled thin, making it a stir-fried noodle dish topped with olive oil and tomato sauce.

It was decent enough.

"So, did you block off the entire basement of the Shoemaker's Store?"

Krais asked, clattering his fork.

"We blocked it all off a while ago."

Gilfin answered, swallowing the noodles he had been chewing in his mouth.

The intention was to at least act as night guards, if not the guardians of the night.

For that reason, the Gilfin Guild exerted its influence in places out of the regular army's reach.

Burying the basement of the Shoemaker's Store was one of them.

Because the regular army didn't care about things like that.

They had looted everything there was to loot but left the tunnel alone.

Of course, the Squad Leader had looted it first before that.

Anyway, what was this night guard?

Aside from roughly handling drifters entering the city to pick their pockets, it was about giving the city's residents the impression that they were the protectors.

The effect? It went without saying that it was good.

When collecting protection fees.

When sorting out the protection taxes.

Especially when gathering information, as all the city residents practically became Krais's ears.

'If I put my mind to it, couldn't I weed out all the spies from Aspen?'

It seemed like that would be the case once the Gilfin Guild absorbed all the surrounding guilds.

It seemed like something he shouldn't rush into just yet.

Krais stopped eating and mulled over the plans in his head with blank eyes.

'For muscle, I'll rope in the Squad Leader.'

Because if the Squad Leader moves, it gives the squad members under him a reason to move.

Since what each squad member wanted was clear, coaxing them wouldn't be a difficult task.

'What about the number of people to manage?'

There were slums in the Border Guard as well. Within them, there were bastards who gave up on life and lay about, but...

There are also those fiercely struggling to survive.

'I'll bring in some from the slums.'

I'll crush other guilds and absorb the smaller fry.

If nothing else, Krais was confident in his eye for people.

It might have been thanks to growing up getting kicked around enthusiastically since childhood.

During his begging days, he could recognize at a glance what he would get if he begged from a specific person.

Of course, he took hundreds of beatings before he reached that point.

The moment he realized that talking to the wrong person could get him beaten to death, his instinctual sense naturally bloomed.

'It feels like it just might work out.'

Should I call it the back-alley guild integration operation?

One year, no, once the foundation was laid, it felt like he could completely take over the back alleys in less than half a year.

If things went according to plan.

However, variables always existed in plans.

This was that variable.

CRASH!

Did they say luck and misfortune come at the most unexpected moments?

It was the same for Krais.

Someone smashed through the door of the mansion's reception room and walked in.

It was a figure wearing a thick cloak over their head.

Krais didn't have thoughts like, 'How did he get all the way in here?'

He didn't even ask who it was.

There were over a dozen guild members guarding the mansion.

Among them, the two who were guarding the door were sprawled on the floor.

'Blood?'

There were no pools of blood on the floor. Were they not dead? It seemed so.

In a short span of time, Krais recognized and accepted the unfolding situation and the sudden misfortune that had arrived.

His brilliant mind raced madly as his eyes scanned his surroundings.

"Yes, please come this way."

That was the first thing out of his mouth after finishing his assessment.

"Do you even know who I am? That's a refreshing reaction."

The freak in the cloak spoke while shrugging their shoulders. The cloak swayed with the movement.

The voice was rough and raspy. It sounded as if their vocal cords had been injured.

"Because it didn't seem like that was what's important."

"You have good instincts."

Saying that, the bastard took off his cloak.

Inside the smoothly falling cloak.

He saw an opponent wearing armor reinforced with an iron plate around the heart.

A breastplate, Heart Armor.

"... Ah."

It is difficult for a human to recognize a Frog's facial features.

Despite that, Gilfin recognized the opponent.

A Frog with a white scar left on his neck.

The grim reaper who visited every so often, the bastard Gilfin had mentioned.

'Isn't it too early?'

Didn't he say he would come a good while after spring arrived?

"Where did the bastard who was here before go?"

"He got sick of this place and went on up first."

Krais calmly responded to the Frog's words.

Gilfin was dripping with cold sweat.

Because one wrong word meant he would end up going "up" as well.

The fear of death loomed over him. It was a threat brought by an overwhelming difference in combat power.

In a situation like this.

"Have you eaten?"

Krais calmly asked.

The Frog twisted his lips upwards.

"You're an amusing bastard."

With those words, the Frog moved, and Gilfin resisted, only to be beaten.

It ended in three hits. And if the opponent hadn't held back and drew a weapon, it would have ended in a single exchange.

Krais didn't even resist, yet he was still hit.

"Humans listen well once they get hit. That's my theory. What's the name of the bastard who killed the former guild master?"

After beating them like that, the Frog grabbed Krais by the collar with one hand, hoisted him up, and asked.

Krais racked his brain.

Who among the squad members could deal with a monster like this?

Rem, Ragna, Audin, Jaxon.

Whose name should he give out of them?

Who should he have this guy look for?

It was something he had thought about the exact moment he saw the Frog, so there was no hesitation.

"*Cough*, I would've answered even if you just asked normally."

"I don't want to. I want to beat you first and then listen."

Crazy Frog bastard.

Unlike his inner thoughts, Krais smiled and replied, "Is that so."

"The Border Guard standing forces killed him. His name is Ragna."

"And the reason you're sitting here?"

"I'm a proxy. The acting guild master."

"Amusing, truly amusing. Hey, baldy."

Gilfin, who collapsed in an instant, didn't even know how he had been taken down.

His eye socket just hurt too much, and his thighs were so numb he couldn't stand up.

"Ugh, y-yes."

"Bring Ragna. Then I'll let this bastard go."

At those words, Gilfin looked at Krais.

"Go. Bring him. Our true guild master."

Gilfin was quick on the uptake as well.

It meant to bring someone great enough to kill the Frog bastard.

The Frog wasn't an idiot either.

Even if he couldn't distinguish truth from lies, he knew this small, pretty-boy human was trying to pull some trick.

The Frog made a decision.

'I'll kill that bastard.'

And slap shackles on this guy.

Since the bastard who originally managed this place was dead, it was time for a new manager.

Because contacting the homeland to do anything would require a lot of effort, he determined that local procurement was necessary.

If things went wrong? Slipping away by himself would be a piece of cake.

* * *

"How many days has it been since Krais was captured?"

Encrid asked, scratching his nose once.

"Three days."

"And my squadmates?"

"They all happened to have headed to the battlefield."

"Rem too?"

"I don't know about that. I only heard they were gone."

"And you confirmed Big-eyes is alive?"

"I just saw him a moment ago."

"Did he break all of his arms and legs?"

"... Pardon?"

"Never mind. If he left his limbs intact, then..."

Encrid muttered to himself, nodded, and stood up.

Encrid and Gilfin had stepped away from the front of the base and were crouching in a corner having a chat.

Gilfin craned his neck back to look up at Encrid, who had stood up.

Wondering what he was doing.

Shouldn't they go save Krais right now?

Encrid finished speaking.

"I'll go report my return first."

"Should I wait?"

"No, the Frog is at the mansion, right?"

"Aren't we going right now?"

Right now? There didn't seem to be a need for that.

If the Frog wanted to kill Krais, he would have done it already.

But the fact that he didn't even snap his limbs for three days meant...

'He's holding out well.'

What Krais was aiming for was clearly visible, too.

It meant to call any of the squadmates. That was probably why he brought up Ragna's name.

Rem, Audin, and Jaxon could be brought over somehow.

What would be the reason he specifically picked Ragna, the lazy bastard with no sense of direction who was hardest to call?

It meant he wanted absolutely anyone to come.

'The problem is that I'm the only one left.'

It was surprising even to Encrid that the entire squad had headed to the battlefield without him.

So Krais wouldn't have predicted it either.

The troublemaker squad members apparently listened to someone else, not him, and went to the battlefield.

He thought the person who took them was amazing, too.

Because they'd be lucky not to die from a burst blood vessel due to high blood pressure while trying to control Rem and those guys.

"Go back and tell him to wait just one more day."

At those words, Gilfin's face twisted hideously.

"The guild master will die."

It was a natural reaction for Gilfin.

He was currently satisfied with his life.

Being at the level of a night guard rather than a guardian of the night fit him perfectly.

There were fewer headaches, and this put his mind at ease. Yes, his mind couldn't be more at peace.

Krais might be obsessed with Krona, but he was fair.

That was why. Gilfin wanted to protect this peace.

The Gilfin who had originally planned to give up and run away if the guild was torn apart before the Frog arrived was now gone.

He, too, had gained something to protect.

"We have to go."

He said it again, but...

Encrid shook his head.

"Go and deliver the message to wait just one more day. Then, Ragna will come looking."

After speaking, Encrid turned around.

Gilfin still had no choice. He had to turn around as well.

He had to go back and pass on the message.

If he didn't report the situation, the guild master would be torn to shreds. The Frog looked more than capable of doing that.

Gilfin began to walk, trying to piece back together his shattered peace.

'Oh, Gods.'

He found himself seeking out gods he didn't even believe in.

Encrid headed inside the base.

"It's already been a few days, what's going on? He wouldn't say a word even when asked."

The soldier guarding the front of the base asked on his way in.

'He's loyal.'

Encrid thought this as he recalled Gilfin. The regular army took over a back-alley guild?

With a bit of bad luck, they could be executed and have no grounds to complain.

So he likely couldn't say anything.

Yet he still wanted to protect it.

That sentiment was conveyed perfectly.

"Some shitty business."

Encrid answered vaguely and walked inside the base.

Krais wouldn't die just because one more day passed. That was apparent from the opponent's attitude.

'He doesn't seem like an idiot.'

Frogs had the image of being simple and ignorant, but...

Just as every person is different, the same goes for Frogs.

There were smart Frogs, ignorant Frogs, and delicate Frogs.

The same was true for Fairies, Dragonkin, and Giants.

Setting aside the unique characteristics of each race, of course.

'If there's time.'

If there was no need to go immediately.

Encrid walked, clenching and unclenching his fists.

He wasn't an idiot.

What he learned through this 'today'.

'I've improved.'

If not, he would have been killed by the Lycanthrope or the enemy commander a long time ago.

Yet he had even cut down a magician.

Wasn't that proof his skills had grown?

Then, could he take on the Frog?

When he fought the Stabbing Pervert, his entire flank was shattered by a single kick, sending him flying until he passed out, right?

So, what about now?

'I think I can do it.'

It wouldn't be baseless confidence. Although the one Krais looked for wasn't him but his squadmates.

'Frog, Frog, Frog.'

Wasn't he an opponent he wanted to test himself against more than anyone?

This was preparation for that.

He had no major injuries, but fatigue had accumulated. Hadn't he stayed up almost two nights in a row?

He caught some quick winks and took casual breaks on the way back, but he wasn't in perfect condition.

So.

'Report my return and rest first.'

Encrid did just that.

If leaving Krais to die wasn't an option.

He had to face the Frog.

It could be called a headache, but...

Encrid felt a strange thrill that the situation had turned out like this.

'Strange. It's strange.'

Normally, would he have been scared? No, rather than being scared, he would have charged in knowing he would lose. He couldn't just let his people die and look the other way. That was how Encrid had lived.

However, if previously he would have taken a step forward with the premonition of defeat...

Right now, the thought occurred to him that he didn't know whether he would win or lose.

"The Company Commander?"

Upon entering the base, he found a lot of people were missing.

There was also news that the Fairy Company Commander had led the troublemaker squad out as the vanguard.

He wondered who had taken them away.

Because of that, Encrid had to report his return to a Platoon Commander of another company.

"So we'll put you down as the only one left from the Independent Platoon, and are you joining up right away?"

It was someone he recognized.

"Fatigue has piled up, so I'll join in two days."

"Right, get there quickly if you can. It seems there are some problems on the battlefield. There might be a second deployment too."

The Platoon Commander rambled while shaking a dispatch.

Encrid nodded in acknowledgment and turned around.

He unpacked his bags in the empty barracks, soaked his body in hot water, and fell asleep covered by a cozy blanket.

If by chance he died to the Frog and ended up repeating today...

This was sleep to maintain his peak condition.

Encrid fell asleep quickly.

It was a very sound, deep, and clean sleep without a single dream.

Waking up, Encrid picked the sleep from his eyes, washed his face, and chewed on some meat for breakfast.

"You sure eat well bright and early."

The mess duty soldier shook his head back and forth.

After chewing and swallowing the meat enthusiastically, it was time for the isolation technique.

It was a good training method for digestion and warming up the body.

After that, he sharpened the blade of his longsword, packed it, and counted his remaining Whistle Daggers. Two was all he had.

It was because he couldn't retrieve all the ones he had thrown.

'I wonder if that guy can make more for me?'

Inwardly recalling the city blacksmith, he held the blade up diagonally in front of his eyes to check it.

It was fine.

There were no cracked spots.

There were a few nicks, but this much was...

The blacksmith had said the blade would be ruined if he cut a magician, but it was much more intact than expected.

Maybe it was different for every magician.

Only after completing his preparations like that...

NYAA!

"Where did you go?"

Esther appeared.

Since she hadn't been visible, he thought she had left.

"Stay here a bit. I'll be back soon."

Like that, Encrid stepped outside again.

"Hisss."

Esther got angry from behind. It seemed like she was asking where he was going without her.

"Do you want to come along? Just watch instead of fighting, though."

At Encrid's words, Esther leaped up and nestled snugly into his arms.

Feeling her warm body heat, Encrid took a step forward.

His destination was the mansion where Krais was being held.