Chapter 111 - Puffed Cheeks

'I can't just abandon him.'

It was unexpected that the Fairy Company Commander had taken all the troublemaker squad members, now platoon members, with her.

Encrid himself would not have believed it if he had not seen the empty quarters, so Krais, who had already been away from the barracks for several days, naturally would not have known.

That must have been why he asked them to call Ragna.

'He somehow avoided being dragged off during the deployment.'

Since Encrid himself had stayed behind, had he used the excuse that he would join him?

Or had the Fairy Company Commander left Krais behind out of consideration?

Either way, Krais remained, and the squad members were gone.

That meant Encrid had to save him alone.

He could not call back squad members who had gone straight out to the battlefield.

And was he supposed to mobilize the standing forces for an internal Gilfin Guild matter?

'Not a chance.'

As if they would help. Well, maybe if there were someone he could count on.

The Fairy Company Commander, for instance. Even if she had remained, it would have been close to a gamble.

What about Torres? It would be difficult for him as a Border Guard Platoon Commander, but as an individual, he might be able to help.

'They said the Border Guard was deploying immediately too, except for a portion of them.'

Just letting him take a day off after reporting his return was already the unit looking after Encrid.

Did that mean what they had gained through this mission was that great?

Encrid lightly shook his head from side to side.

Pointless thoughts kept filling his head.

He only had to do what needed to be done.

What he had to do here was...

"We're going to save our Krais. Yes, Big-eyes."

He said it while stroking Esther, who had tucked herself neatly against his chest.

Thinking Esther kept glancing up with a puzzled look, he explained again that Krais was his friend with big eyes.

It was a goal he had spoken out loud for no real reason.

Hearing that, Esther stared straight at Encrid with eyes like a blue lake.

Encrid looked back at Esther with eyes of a similar color.

"What?"

There was no way Esther would answer.

What answer could a panther give?

Still, her eyes did seem to be saying something.

As if she were asking whether going to save him was really right, whether that was truly the only reason.

"While I'm at it."

Encrid revealed part of what was in his heart.

Werewolves, Aspen's Gray Hound unit, and even a magician.

On the way here, he had wanted to confirm his own skill through Torres and Pin.

That desire had boiled up inside him like madness.

Where did he stand now? What state was he in? How far did his sword reach?

'How much have I improved?'

He did not know. He had no sense of it at all.

That was how it had always been.

One had to know before one could see, but Encrid's day was new every time.

He was an explorer discovering new land every day.

He was a Pathfinder always opening a new road.

He was a mountaineer climbing a mountain for the first time, and a hunter in a hunting ground he had never seen before in his life.

He advanced while looking at signposts, yet he did not know where he himself stood.

That was why.

When he heard that a Frog had appeared, he calmly checked his physical condition, then rested for a full day before setting out.

Because he had ended up thinking this was an opponent who would let him confirm where the signpost stood.

'Will my sword work?'

When he had encountered a Frog before, one hit had made his ribs complain of his weakness.

What about this time?

Not all Frogs would be the same.

'Still.'

There could not be a more excellent opponent to compare himself against.

If he failed, the Frog would become the wall blocking "today," but that was fine. It was fine.

This was something that would not have happened if any one of his squad members had been here.

And because of that, it was something Encrid had no choice but to handle.

Should he call it a coincidence?

Or should he call it good luck?

Or if not, should he say misfortune followed him?

Misfortune, well, had always been like a friend trailing behind him.

Swimming through that river of misfortune would be the task of the one caught in its current.

When his thoughts reached Rem and the other squad members, Encrid realized anew just how narrow the world he had been seeing had been.

'Ridiculous.'

At one point, he had thought of his squad members as middle-grade soldiers or above.

Middle-grade? Ridiculous. It was a ridiculous thing to say.

Not one of his squad members was someone who would remain within the soldier grading system.

Now he knew that.

In truth, if even one of his squad members had been here, there would have been no reason to fear a mere Frog.

'But right now, I'm alone.'

He could not abandon Krais.

Nor did he want to back down.

As he moved his left foot, he recalled the days he had faced Rem.

As he stepped onto the ground with his right foot, he reviewed what he had learned through Jaxon.

With his left foot again, he held Audin.

With his right foot, he held Ragna.

With every step he took, he reviewed what he had learned until now.

The countless instructors he had met, the repeated todays.

He was not afraid that his opponent was a Frog. Was this the harmony created by the heart of a beast?

Beyond composure, beyond boldness, beyond daring, a competitive spirit bloomed.

Encrid's pupils wavered like flames.

TAP.

Esther struck his chest with a forepaw. It seemed as if she were saying, not yet.

"I know."

Encrid answered and kept walking, and soon reached the mansion.

Bald Gilfin was waiting.

"Where?"

"The reception room."

Where was the reception room again?

Following Gilfin's guidance into the mansion, Encrid stopped before the reception room door.

'Am I charging in now prepared to die?'

Or had he simply gone mad with competitiveness?

He did not know. The answer lay beyond the door.

Esther left his chest and moved to the side, bouncing lightly.

Watching that, Encrid thought.

'Will he be someone I can talk to?'

Just from the fact that he had kept Krais alive, it seemed likely.

He would probably be able to talk.

But apart from that, this was also a matter of subduing him first and seeing what came next.

If he had come to fight, then he would fight.

What good would talking to his opponent do?

After drawing a short breath, Encrid decided to skip conversation and speak with action.

BANG!

He kicked the door open, rolled forward, and flung his right hand out as if throwing it.

The Whistle Dagger folded space with terrifying speed and flew.

WHIIIIISTLE!

The sound followed after it.

As if it had been waiting, the Frog's arm moved like a flash of light.

* * *

Was this crazy bastard insane?

Presence, then fighting spirit.

After fighting spirit that pricked the flesh came an attack. There was no hesitation.

It was a movement that looked as if it had been planned from before he stood in front of the door.

The Frog saw the arm of the one who had kicked the door open with a bang move.

The moment he saw the flying blade, the Frog drew his weapon and knocked it aside.

A movement close to a feat for an ordinary human.

For a Frog, it was not.

WHOOSH, SWISH.

CLANG!

He knocked aside the flying dagger with the flat of his blade.

The Whistle Dagger flew off and embedded itself with a thunk in the crude leather decoration hanging on the wall.

The one who had thrown the dagger charged in as he drew his sword.

RING!

The drawn sword flew down from above in a bold arc.

The Frog bent his finger and hooked it into the ring attached beside his sword's handle.

A Frog's slippery skin prevented grip strength from properly transferring to a weapon.

Because of that, Frogs made weapons with something they called a loop.

If that became a sword, it became a loop sword.

When he hooked his finger into the ring and bent it, the tips of the Frog's three distinctive round fingers touched his palm.

After that, all he had to do was swing.

WHOOSH, CLANG!

Steel met steel and announced the beginning.

Soon, sword and blade began to dance and play an orchestra.

CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG!

Sparks flew in the air, and a series of blows continued at a savage speed.

The Frog was inwardly impressed as he watched his opponent block more than thirty of his attacks and even counterattack from time to time.

'This bastard is fun, isn't he?'

Krais was sitting in one corner.

His hands and feet were not bound, and nothing was broken, but he could not run.

It had only been two days, but the Frog boasted absurd stamina.

After all, he only dozed off briefly and always stayed in place.

Krais could relieve himself, and meals were no problem.

He had even eaten at the same table as that Frog bastard.

But running away was a different matter.

'What happens if I bolt?'

Everyone would die. Every last guild member who remained.

It was obvious that if he was caught, he too would end up as a lump of meat beside the dead guild members.

That Frog bastard was more than capable of doing it.

They had said he would come long after spring arrived, yet he had come early.

Krais had something he trusted in, in his own way.

If even one or two of the squad members came, something could be done.

So, Rem or Audin, Jaxon or Ragna.

'Not the Squad Leader!'

When the door opened, Krais had been expectant.

When he recognized the person who kicked his way in at a glance, he was disappointed.

Now, he was so shocked his mouth hung open, and he could not even think of closing it.

'What the hell is this?'

CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG!

A continuous racket rang out as if it would destroy the reception room.

What he saw before his eyes were arcs and arcs.

Something the blades were creating.

Only sparks flying between them.

What was this?

The one who had come in was clearly the Squad Leader, and that Squad Leader...

'He's fighting against a Frog?'

It did not look as though he was being pushed back that badly either. At least, that was how it looked to Krais.

Encrid watched his opponent's weapon, which seemed to bend, and set his sword sideways.

CLANG!

The impact passed through his forearm and spread through his whole body.

Simply enduring it with strength was what a novice would do.

He let the force flow.

He mixed in the Flowing Sword Technique.

A feat that had seemed impossible before was possible now.

SCRAPE!

He let the blade slide away as if knocking it to the side, then thrust his sword straight in.

The blade cut through empty air with a whoosh.

The Frog brought his sword down again.

CLANGCLANG!

He blocked.

He blocked again, let it flow, and dodged.

How was something like this possible?

It was thanks to his experience fighting the magician's thorn vines.

The countless experiences he had accumulated made the current Encrid swing his sword.

Made him dodge.

Made him block.

The foundation was defense.

He blocked, and blocked again.

His opponent's weapon was like a hunting knife with a broad blade.

It was a weapon ordinary Frogs liked to use.

When it came to a loop sword, this shape was often seen.

It had a distinctive weight to it, and his opponent handled it with the exceptional strength unique to Frogs as if it were some thin rapier.

Encrid forgot everything and immersed himself in the sword.

His opponent's sword and his own sword.

A line connecting point to point, and that continuing line bent and became a bolt of lightning falling down.

That was the Frog's weapon.

Encrid received the falling lightning with his sword.

Unable to let it flow away, his knees buckled halfway.

While they were bent, he softly brought his sword down straight forward.

The Frog retreated half a step and thrust his blade.

A thrust with a broad blade?

It was irregular.

Even so, Encrid felt that thrust as if it were a sharp awl.

His senses danced along the blade.

His senses, which had already been fairly keen, had become sharper than ever thanks to Jaxon's training.

Thus, in a world where only the sword, himself, and his opponent remained...

He forgot the passage of time and engaged.

He blocked, and blocked again.

If he saw an opening, he thrust, struck down, and cut.

He even tried mixing in the techniques of the Valen Mercenary Sword Technique.

Pretend to cut, then stop and thrust.

It was now swordsmanship that had fully soaked into his body.

Should he call it an unorthodox sword continuing after the Heavy Sword Technique?

The Frog shook off most things with strength.

It was thanks to strength far superior to a human's.

The athletic ability and reflexes accompanying it also played a part.

CLANG-CLANG!

SWISH!

THUD!

He dodged some things and shook off others.

A blade grazed his cheek, and the Frog struck the top of his armor with his fist.

Receiving the fist, Encrid thrust his sword and aimed for the heart, so the Frog dodged by rotating his body half a turn.

"Grrrk!"

A bubbling sound flowed from the throat of the excited Frog.

Encrid let out no shout.

Only focus.

He focused entirely on one thing.

'Don't scatter it.'

Gather it and focus it.

Do not dodge by looking at the sword, but rely on the Sense of the Blade and dodge by instinct.

As such moments continued...

For an instant, Encrid stepped into a new world.

The Frog's finger hooked into the ring.

The wobble of his broad soles.

The movement of violent muscles hidden under slippery skin.

In time with that, his own hand moved, and his arm extended.

He also moved his feet and twisted his torso.

The moment he added focus upon focus...

The moment he forgot the points and even forgot the line made by those points...

Encrid saw one step ahead in the course of the continuing battle.

It could have been a moment that was merely a passing mental image.

Because he had seen it, he saw.

Because he felt it, he knew that the chance of victory lay there.

Encrid acted accordingly.

Until now, whenever there was an opening, he had aimed for the Frog's heart.

No, he had aimed only for the heart.

This thrust was the same.

A thrust filled with the will to pierce through no matter what broke through space like light.

The Frog stepped back with his right foot and dodged with footwork.

PING.

SKRRRT.

The blade scraped over the Heart Armor.

Seeing that, the Frog's cheek puffed up.

PUFF!

He dared touch his heart?

Unable to endure it, the Frog's blade fell toward Encrid's neck faster than before.

It was a lightning-like slash.

An opening that could be called an instant.

Encrid pulled back the sword he had thrust.

CLAAANG!

The two swords that had continued into a chain of blows met and stopped in the air.

"You want to fight me with strength? You stupid human."

The Frog growled like a beast.

Instead of answering, Encrid recreated the scene he had seen.

'If I do it like this.'

TING.

From that stopped state, he bent his knees halfway and created softness.

While receiving the opponent's strength, he mixed Flowing Sword and Righteous Sword.

The Frog's blade, trusting in its own strength, came down as if it would split Encrid from his forehead.

"You fucking—Captain!"

Krais's shout was heard, but both of them ignored it.

For a single instant, Encrid put in strength and powerfully drew his sword forward along the flat of the Frog's blade.

For that brief moment, he pushed back the Frog's strength.

TINGTINGTING!

Encrid's sword raced along the blade.

The Frog, who had been pressing down while relying only on strength, had his stance thrown off for an instant.

Reflexively, the Frog blocked the area around his heart with the right forearm holding his blade.

If he aimed for the heart, it would become another meaningless blow, so...

Encrid's sword drew a smooth arc.

SLASH.

What he aimed for was the Frog's left arm.

The Frog dodged that too.

Blood did spurt with a splash, but the arm had not been completely severed.

The blade had cut through his slippery skin and gone in.

The blade of the Frog, whose cheeks had puffed up as much as they could, also moved.

He was not going to just take it either.

The broad blade that had been knocked away came stabbing down again.

Encrid raised his right hand and blocked it.

The blade fell onto the gauntlet he had taken from the necrophiliac magician.

THUD!

CRUNCH.

With a nasty sound, he knocked the blade aside.

The surface of the gauntlet was cut and sliced, but his wrist was not severed.

It was a harmony created by the strike deflection he had learned from Audin and the tenaciously tough gauntlet.

"You really are a crazy bastard."

The Frog said.

His dangling left arm, even with regeneration, could not possibly be pleasant.

Even while blood poured from him, the Frog shot him a terrifying glare.

'Ah.'

Encrid sensed the end of "today."

He had already dropped his sword because no strength would enter his right wrist.

He had caught it with his left hand, but...

How many moves could he endure?

He did not know.

But he was fairly satisfied with that last strike.

A strike that created an opening by aiming for the heart.

It had truly been decent.

Frogs were also a race that judged talent.

Looking at Encrid, he felt displeasure.

Why? Because he had outstanding talent?

No. Because he was a type he had never seen before.

This one had to be killed.

He absolutely had to die.

He had clearly looked like a human who had reached his limit, so how had he done something like that?

He had used the Frog's downward slash and kept repeating as if he were aiming for the heart.

'And took my left arm like that?'

In that brief instant, the human had received the weight with bent knees and even pushed his foot forward as if scraping the ground with his sole.

He had bet everything on one move, and the one who had fallen for it was him.

What if his opponent's right wrist had been fine now?

'It was a fight I would have lost?'

The Frog's cheek puffed up even more.

He absolutely had to kill him.

His blade shot upward.

The moment it came down, it would be over.

Encrid was calm.

The Frog disliked that attitude even more.