Chapter 17 - If You Put Eyes on Your Back

If you were skilled enough, you could even meet prostitutes inside here.

I had heard that prostitutes also preferred coming inside the base rather than staying in cities or rural villages.

For one, they could receive a much higher fee than usual.

And even if it was done through connections, it wasn't exactly something that happened within military law and regulations.

The men they met here, whether soldiers or commanders, actively avoided causing any disturbances.

Nobody would enjoy creating a headache for themselves by getting caught unnecessarily calling for a woman.

Therefore, this place was full of suckers who paid well.

'Even so.'

He's quite skilled.

No matter how much someone wanted it, there were those who could make it happen and those who couldn't.

'Big-eyes probably arranged it.'

"Well, um, I'm jealous. You've got some skills, huh?"

"There's no need to live with pent-up frustration, is there?"

He wasn't wrong.

Because doing it when you can isn't a bad thing.

Jaxon walked while buttoning up his shirt.

Perhaps his relationship with the woman left in the tent was truly just tied to currency, as he didn't even look back.

Between the closing buttons of his shirt, a swollen, red hickey could be seen.

It seemed he had spent quite a passionate time.

Jaxon's reddish-brown hair fluttered slightly in the wind.

His appearance was strangely attractive. He looked ordinary, yet handsome.

Yeah, looking like that, it makes sense that women would be drawn to him.

"What is it?"

Jaxon asked, glancing at Encrid.

It was the same as usual. An easygoing and plain attitude.

Squad member Jaxon.

As Rem evaluated him, a pervert who preferred picking at blind spots.

For a brief moment, Encrid recalled Jaxon on the battlefield.

If Rem resembled a charging beast, then this one was.

'Nothing comes to mind.'

He had never properly seen Jaxon fight.

What he knew from Rem telling him.

And seeing him once jab an enemy in the back with a spear.

That was all.

However, he could infer his skills.

Even Rem would often get minor injuries.

But this one had no such injuries. Instances where he got injured were extremely rare and minor.

["Are you not going to fight properly?"]

However, there were times when Rem would growl and say this.

Whenever that happened, Jaxon would openly mock Rem.

["I don't have the kind of personality that enjoys seeing blood."]

["If you don't enjoy seeing blood, then just drop dead. Or don't stay here, you insidious bastard."]

["That's none of your business."]

["Alright then, should I split your head open, or your torso?"]

["Before that, I'll put two thumbnail-sized holes in your heart."]

The conversation ended there.

With Rem lifting his axe while bleeding from his forearm.

And Encrid stepping between the two as he watched Jaxon quietly stand up from his seat.

["If you want to kill each other, I think it'd be easier if one of you went over to the enemy's side. Do you really have to do it here?"]

Even after that, the two glared as if they were going to kill each other, but they didn't fight.

Words alone wouldn't work, but if he pushed his body between them, they would calm down like magic.

Were there only one or two squad members he had stopped like that?

Rem called Jaxon a sly stray cat.

Jaxon called Rem a crazy barbarian.

Encrid had also seen Jaxon stab an enemy in the back with a spear he picked up from somewhere.

Even after being stabbed, the opponent couldn't locate Jaxon.

While looking around, his ankle was kicked by Jaxon, who was crouching.

The sight of the enemy flailing on the ground with a spear lodged in his back remained vivid in his memory.

Since he was curious about how he could do that, he had asked him during his free time.

["It worked because the opponent's attention was entirely focused on his front."]

There was no detailed explanation.

Rem was the type to easily share what he knew and possessed, but.

He couldn't expect the same from Jaxon.

Not that Encrid gave up easily, though.

"Squad Leader?"

Jaxon stopped his feet. Before he knew it, he was in front of the Medical Barracks where Encrid was.

Hearing the question of what was wrong, he had fallen deep into thought.

There was no need to agonize over the answer to that question.

Encrid hadn't aimed to become the Squad Leader of the troublemaking squad in the Fourth Company's Fourth Platoon.

Who could possibly plan and form such relationships?

Therefore, there was no need to hesitate.

If there was something he was curious about, he would ask.

If there was something he needed, he would demand it.

That was how Encrid treated his squad members.

"If a guy like you stabs me in the back, how do I dodge it?"

Jaxon understood Encrid's words at once.

He had pestered him countless times to teach him the trick of sneaking up behind someone's back.

It was downright relentless.

He repeated the exact same question every few days.

It would have been easier to deal with if he had just whined.

Because it would have been enough to just scare him off.

But the Squad Leader didn't do that.

He only showed a desire to know, a desire to learn.

He wasn't moved by that passion, but one thing was certain.

If left alone, he would probably keep asking every few days for as long as he was in this squad.

If he knew this guy for the rest of his life, he would probably ask for the rest of his life.

Jaxon didn't call people relentless easily. Because he knew human limits all too well.

He knew the vanity of words like mental fortitude, faith, and willpower.

And yet.

To him, Encrid was a relentless human being.

His passion for the sword and martial arts was hotter than anyone else's.

Was that passion what drove him like this?

"Why are you trying to learn it so badly?"

"If I know it, my chances of surviving will be a little higher."

If you're just going to hand over all the money you earn to some training hall, what's the point of surviving for a long time?

Jaxon was about to ask what he actually wanted to do, but held back.

What would he do with that knowledge anyway?

Weren't they just passing acquaintances anyway?

Afterwards, though it wasn't easy, Jaxon had earnestly explained it.

Not that the Squad Leader could actually learn it.

It was obvious.

Because it wasn't something his 'type' could use.

But today's question was a little more refreshing.

"Do you think your ribs got busted because you got hit by a blind sword, no, a blind kick?"

It was a natural question for Jaxon.

Because if he thought he got kicked by the Frog in the previous battle because he couldn't sense its presence, he was gravely mistaken.

"No, that was just the opponent being incredibly strong."

"Then?"

Rarely, a follow-up question continued.

"Are you curious?"

At that question, Encrid asked back instead.

He knew Jaxon's usual attitude well.

He wasn't the type to be curious.

He just kept a moderate distance from everyone, neither coming too close nor drifting too far.

No one thought of Jaxon as particularly close, either.

Excluding Squad 444, there was no one who particularly disliked him either.

A moderate distance.

That was Jaxon's usual self.

So asking like this could be awkward.

And Encrid knew that if he asked like this, Jaxon would give him the answer without probing further.

They hadn't intentionally formed this kind of relationship, but after spending time together like this, he knew their usual reactions and stances well.

"No. Never mind. If there's a guy trying to stab you in the back with a spear, you just need to notice him first."

As expected, his explanation was the worst.

Rem said he couldn't explain things well himself, but compared to Jaxon, he could easily serve as a sword instructor for a prestigious family.

The truly fortunate thing was that Encrid had met and experienced all sorts of teachers.

Among them, there were people who taught even better than their actual skill level.

And there were people whose skills were decent, but who were absolutely terrible at teaching.

From all those teachers, in every moment, Encrid had gotten his money's worth.

Therefore, he had more than enough ways to learn well.

"How do I notice them first?"

Encrid asked.

"You just have to always look around your surroundings."

"And if I still get hit even when looking around?"

"Look around more often."

"I can't walk around turning my head all day, can I?"

"If it's you, Squad Leader, it's possible."

"No, it's not."

That bastard Jaxon sometimes made him out to be a weirdo.

He wasn't joking like Rem, either; he was serious.

Through a few experiences, Encrid had learned how to respond.

It was to firmly state that he couldn't do it.

Perhaps that firmness changed Jaxon's mind, as he looked around before quietly shifting his steps to the side.

It was a spot next to the Medical Barracks where various supplies were piled up.

Roughly resting his rear on them, he leaned slightly against the adjacent tent and spoke.

"Because it seems like this will be a long conversation."

"Today is a long day."

At least until he went to sleep, he had plenty of time to spare.

"You still have to eat, right?"

"Will I die from skipping a meal? I'll do your meal duty for the rest of my life. Ah, of course, for as long as we're in the same squad."

It was a promise that would disappear once today passed anyway.

Encrid made promises recklessly.

"It won't be funny if that's a joke, you know?"

The funny thing was, the thing all Squad 444 members hated the most was stuff like dishwashing and meal duty.

They were people who preferred combat over that.

The reason? They hated preparing what the other squad members shoved in their mouths, and they hated washing what those bastards had eaten off of.

They were crazy bastards through and through, but.

There was a lot to learn.

At least when it came to the battlefield and combat, they were the most excellent teachers for Encrid.

What if Jaxon couldn't resolve this?

He should just focus instead of worrying about such things.

If it still didn't work out, he planned to seek out Rem or other squad members in another 'today'.

A soldier who didn't sustain minor injuries on the battlefield.

He didn't know if Jaxon truly possessed outstanding skills.

He hadn't seen it directly with his own eyes.

However, the results labeled him as an incredible soldier.

Rem's attitude was proof of Jaxon's skills.

Then there must be something to learn.

Even if it didn't particularly help right now, it would definitely be useful later.

It wasn't like the Heart of a Beast had been useful right from the moment he learned it, either.

"I'm not idle enough to make empty promises."

"Didn't you say earlier that you had time all day today?"

"That's a different story."

"Alright. I assume you'll keep your promise."

Encrid nodded. He fully sat down on the ground in front of Jaxon.

A few passing soldiers looked at the two of them, but no one particularly spoke to them.

Amidst the passing soldiers and supply carts, the two sat facing each other.

One side was sitting on luggage, so his eye level was higher, but.

It wasn't at a level worth worrying about.

Jaxon felt a strange sensation.

Encrid flopped down and looked at him.

With gravel and embedded stones on the ground, it should have been uncomfortable.

Above all, even with carts passing by and kicking up dirt and dust, his eyes showed that he had forgotten about such an environment.

He was focusing on his words without a single shred of doubt.

At the earnestness of that gaze, Jaxon opened his mouth.

"Humans have something called the five senses."

"Are you talking about eyes, noses, ears, and stuff like that?"

"Yes. Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch."

Why is that coming up now?

Wouldn't it be normal to have such doubts?

Encrid showed absolutely no sign of that.

He merely listened attentively.

It was a good attitude. Enough to draw out words he hadn't even thought of saying.

Jaxon, who originally just planned to tell him to train his five senses, began his explanation.

They were words that came from the heart, not the head.

"If you can't keep turning your head, you just need to put eyes on your back."

Just because it came from the heart didn't mean the words that came out of his mouth had to be kind.

Even as he said it, Jaxon thought it was complete bullshit.

The explanation was wrong.

"I see."

And yet, Encrid nodded.

'Good grief.'

Jaxon chose his words.

He never thought he'd teach something like this.

But there was no reason he couldn't.

He would only need to teach a portion of what he had trained in.

He knew from watching him all this time.

The Squad Leader was ordinary. His senses were the same.

It meant he wasn't born with anything special.

Still, that was fine.

The training they were doing now would be effective even for an ordinary person. If he did it consistently for about three or four months, he would be able to achieve fairly decent results.

Originally, it was a type of training done while locked inside a place like a cave.

An even better training method would be, well, doing it while having his life threatened dozens of times by an assassin determined to kill the Squad Leader, but.

That made no sense realistically.

"You can't always look around in all directions with your eyes, but you can with your ears."

It was still a monster-piss explanation, but.

"Ah, right, because sound doesn't distinguish between front and back."

Encrid, maintaining his attentive posture, quickly understood his words.

"To be exact, sound also has a front and a back. As you distinguish sounds, your hearing will develop. It's a training you can do even while just sitting, for example. Now, listen."

Naturally, all sorts of sounds could be heard.

The sound of rolling carts, the grumbling voices of soldiers, the moans of the sick, the apathetic voice of a doctor telling them to bear it, and on top of that, the sound of the flags planted on the tents violently flapping in the rather strong wind today.

After a short silence, Jaxon spoke.

"It's a west wind today, and the doctor is in the third barracks forward from here. Also, the left wheel joint of that cart is loose. If they're lucky, it'll last two days; if they're unlucky, the wheel joint will snap today."

He was exactly right.

The cartwheel that had been rolling smoothly collapsed to one side with a *CRUNCH! *

"Ugh, seriously!"

The soldier driving the cart burst out in annoyance.

"If you distinguish and discern sounds, you can always be looking at your surroundings."

Encrid was surprised.

Was something like this actually possible? Well, Jaxon had just shown him that it was.

"The method of putting eyes on your back is hearing training. Do you think you can do it?"

For this hearing training, the environment was what mattered; the training method itself wasn't difficult.

Because simply distinguishing sounds was all there was to it.

Of course, that didn't mean it was easy.

"It would be more helpful if I keep repeatedly hearing and distinguishing the same sounds, right? And once I get used to that, I do it another way?"

Regardless of his skills in swordsmanship and martial arts, the Squad Leader was certainly good at listening.

Because listening well was synonymous with being quick to understand.

The Squad Leader quickly understood Jaxon's words.

"Yes, that's right. Among the methods of reading the footsteps or presence of an assassin moving silently, there is also distinguishing them by the sound of the air flowing around them. If you know a good assassin, it would be great to have them secretly come for your neck. That would be the best training method."

The latter half of what he said was a half-joke.

Since he had actually spoken with a slight smile.

It was a joke, but he had definitely said something unnecessary.

Because he understood such garbage explanations so readily, Jaxon had blurted it out without realizing it.

He also figured it was a story the Squad Leader would never have any connection to forever.

And yet.

"Is that so?"

The Squad Leader's eyes sparkled even more.

A truly incomprehensible human being.

That was how Jaxon evaluated Encrid.