Chapter 19 - Fire

Enduring today.

The repetition of forging and training.

Encrid did just that.

And in this repeated today, it was his first time reaching this point.

'Will she kill me?'

That was his first thought at the Company Commander's reaction. Encrid soon corrected that thought.

'If she wanted to kill me, she would have done it earlier.'

When on earth did Krang slip away?

He hadn't even felt a presence from that direction.

'Tsk.'

Even in this situation.

'It's still not enough.'

Encrid felt the inadequacy of his trained hearing.

That was his nature.

As a result, he missed the timing to answer.

The newly appointed Company Commander, a Fairy woman, was staring blankly at him.

Had she said, *You lived? *

Then what was he supposed to say in return?

Encrid opened his mouth.

"... Was I supposed to die?"

"Well, no."

The Company Commander replied, moving only her lips.

She watched Encrid like that for a long while before turning around.

Then she retrieved the poison dart that had fallen to the floor and checked the conditions of Vengeance and the night watchman she had brought along, peeling back their eyelids.

'Is she checking to make sure the soldiers didn't die amidst all this?'

Then, she brought the poison dart to her mouth and tapped it lightly against her tongue.

'It seems she also has knowledge in herbology.'

He had occasionally seen mercenaries do something like that.

Since there were many Fairies who were in tune with nature, it was entirely possible that she had a deep knowledge of poisons and medicine.

Encrid just sat there and watched.

He was in no mood to stand up.

Of course, if someone aimed for his neck right now, he would roll or flip to dodge it, but exhaustion was exhaustion.

It wasn't as bad as the first time he repeated today, but this was just as exhausting all the same.

If the first time was about physical stamina.

This time, he felt like he had used up his mental strength to the very bottom.

He had dodged repeated attacks several times relying only on sound.

And he hadn't suffered a single scratch in the process.

Naturally, it was not a coincidence.

How many times had he been killed before this?

There were times he was killed without a sound, but there were also many times he narrowly dodged the first attack.

A repeated pattern was bound to be learned.

There was a pattern to the assassin's movements as well.

Encrid had reflexively learned it.

'I guess it's because I've done this before.'

Was it a bit easier the second time around?

No.

It was absolutely not easy.

If someone had seen the today that Encrid repeated, if they had been beside him through it, they would never be able to say such a thing.

But there was no one who could do that.

In the isolated today, he was always alone.

Encrid sat there and pressed his temples with his fingers.

Though it was just his head throbbing because his excitement hadn't faded yet.

Once some time passed, a headache would come.

He instinctively had that feeling.

SWOOSH.

At the presence of someone thrusting something at his neck from the side, Encrid reflexively twisted his body and thrust out his palm.

There, he saw Krang pretending to strike his neck with the blade of his hand.

"Do you really have eyes in the back of your head?"

Krang said as if marveling at it.

"I don't think this is the time to be joking around, is it?"

Look at this immature guy.

Krang spoke with a laugh in a carefree tone.

"Ah, sorry."

Was the assassin really targeting this bastard?

'Then they should have just killed him, so why aim at me first?'

Was it just because he was unlucky?

Was it truly just a matter of bad luck?

There was no way that was it.

For starters, it was likely true that Krang was the target.

No matter how much he thought about it, an assassin coming to target Vengeance and himself didn't make any sense.

'If it were me and Vengeance, it'd be easier to just frame us and have us killed.'

Using a whole assassin just to deal with two powerless soldiers?

There was no need for that.

What was the reason for sending an assassin?

They wanted to wipe someone out without a trace.

Getting rid of them without anyone making a fuss.

The corpse left after the kill? They just had to set the tent on fire.

Who would care about stab wounds left on a body that burned to death?

Even if not that, there were plenty of ways to dispose of a corpse.

They could erase the blood and traces, then throw it in some secluded area.

Then it would be assumed as desertion, and no one would search for them prioritizing abduction or murder.

Furthermore, this was a Medical Barracks on the outskirts.

It wasn't a place where officers stayed, but merely a temporary Medical Barracks for regular soldiers.

It was a place no one paid much attention to.

Though it still wasn't a place just anyone could come and go as they pleased.

"They were probably targeting me."

It was when the Company Commander roughly sorted out the situation inside and peeked outside the tent.

Krang, squatting next to him, casually tossed out those words.

"Well, why?"

"You're not even that surprised, are you?"

"I am surprised. Plenty."

"You've got a good poker face. You."

Was this the time to be focusing on that?

Encrid was about to snap at him but held back.

He knew from watching him all this time. This guy had a carefree personality.

'Though he'll get serious when he has to.'

Since it was a today that had already passed, it wouldn't be in Krang's memories, but.

The image of him giving a speech as if sucking in everything around him remained engraved in Encrid's mind.

"I suppose you have no intention of telling us who you are?"

The Company Commander, who had approached silently before he knew it, spoke.

Krang gave a rough nod and spoke again.

"Anyway, that's why I'm saying I'm sorry."

Was he calling this an apology?

Krang stood up after speaking. He glanced around once and then made eye contact with the Company Commander.

"I don't think I'm in a position to order anyone, so I'll ask it as a favor."

Krang spoke informally not only to Vengeance but also to the Company Commander.

He couldn't do this unless he was a high-ranking noble.

Because otherwise, he'd have nothing to say even if he was stabbed to death.

It wasn't just that he opened his mouth.

One step.

He merely took a single step forward, yet.

It was just like that time.

An atmosphere similar to the time when he asked him about his identity settled down.

Krang quietly accepted their gazes.

Two audience members, one actor.

But that actor was like a vortex.

A greedy soul that sucked in and swallowed everything around him.

"I can ask this of you, right? I'll consider this a debt and pay it back."

"Please go ahead."

The Company Commander replied, clasping her hands together in a polite salute.

Krang spoke with a soft smile.

"I hope no one else dies today."

It was quiet but firm, silent but like a storm.

If a voice had magic in it, it would surely be like this.

It made one want to listen to those words. That was the tone and inflection he used.

How did he make people feel this way?

Encrid felt a strange sense of deja vu.

It was because it was something he had experienced once before.

The vortex that sucked in its surroundings so strongly quickly died down.

Krang spoke and then held his hand out to Encrid.

"Your legs gave out, right?"

"No, it's not to that extent."

Encrid grabbed his hand with a complicated heart.

"... Is this the reason you changed your mind?"

Watching the two of them, the Company Commander asked.

"Let's just say that."

Krang replied.

Encrid couldn't understand a single thing the two were talking about.

But he had no intention of asking either.

'It doesn't seem like they'd tell me anyway.'

The Company Commander let out a small sigh, *Hmm*, and spoke to Encrid.

"Can you keep quiet about today's matter?"

"Yes, of course."

She asked with a threatening aura, ready to poke a hole in his neck right now if he didn't, so how could he possibly give any other answer?

He had caught a glimpse of the newly appointed Company Commander's skills earlier.

Even if it was just a single move.

'Was it possible to strike it away like that?'

A single move pushing it outward with the back of her hand.

With a single gesture, Encrid lost his balance and fell.

He wanted to watch that on repeat if possible.

If so, dying would be enough.

He could just repeat today.

What if he stood his ground and refused to keep quiet here?

Would she not kill him?

No. That wouldn't work.

There were surely plenty of ways to shut someone up without killing them.

It was a useless endeavor. What's more, he had no desire to intentionally commit suicide either.

"I ask of you."

Above all, Krang spoke like this.

To Encrid, it had only been a few days, only a handful of conversations.

He felt that the bond he had built with his friend Krang was not small.

The relationship between the two of them was oddly intimate, regardless of the time they had spent together.

"Keeping my mouth shut is my specialty."

It wasn't an empty boast.

Just how many secrets did he know within the squad?

Some of them were important, some weren't.

But he had never spoken a word about any of them anywhere.

"Then we just need to resolve this situation."

The Company Commander spoke, then looked at the torn tent and the two unconscious soldiers.

"My hope that no one else dies includes those two as well."

Krang said, and the Company Commander nodded as if it were no big deal.

No one knew what had happened here yet.

But what if they found out?

Judging by the atmosphere, revealing Krang's identity seemed troublesome.

The Company Commander was deep in thought.

"If that night watchman wakes up, will he know he was attacked?"

Encrid asked as he brushed the dirt off his backside.

"I assume he won't. Even if he does, he wouldn't have seen anything."

The Company Commander replied with half-certainty. Encrid thought the same.

Just how many times had he been killed without knowing anything?

That freckled guard surely must have fainted without knowing anything either.

Then well.

"Please just carry one of them outside on your back."

At Encrid's words, the Company Commander looked back at him.

"There's a simple and convenient solution. In return, I might get cursed at a bit. But I think you can cover for me, Company Commander."

He explained his plan. Krang laughed upon hearing it, while the Company Commander gave a humorless nod.

* * *

CRACKLE!

"Hm?"

The night watchman standing guard in front of the barracks while dozing off suddenly opened his eyes when his cheek felt hot.

Upon opening his eyes, he also felt a comforting heat radiating from somewhere.

Turning to the side while still half-asleep, his body instantly froze.

'It's a fire?'

It was a fire. Flames climbing up the front of the tent shot upward, scattering embers.

CLACK.

The sound of his spear slipping from his grasp and hitting the floor snapped him wide awake.

"F-Fire! Fire! Fire!"

The soldier who dropped his spear shouted. Shocked, his tongue got twisted.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!"

He just kept yelling 'Fire' over and over instead of a proper sentence.

But his words were so urgent that they pierced straight into the ears of everyone nearby.

"Fire!"

A patrol guard who happened to be nearby shouted loudly, making the situation crystal clear.

"The Medical Barracks is on fire!"

The quick-witted patrolman's voice echoed loudly.

"Bring water!"

Only then did groups of other soldiers start poking their heads out one by one to grasp the situation.

"Shit, what about inside the barracks?"

"Was there anyone inside?"

"There is, that fucking soldier!"

The fire that had only caught on the front of the tent quickly spread upward and engulfed the entire tent.

All hell broke loose in the middle of the night.

Black soot and smoke billowed upward.

It was not a situation where even a reasonably brave soldier could go inside.

"I said bring water!"

Among them, the Supply Company Commander shrieked at the top of his lungs.

Those who were scurrying about brought water in buckets and the like.

SPLASH!

They threw the buckets of water onto the fire. Smoke surged up for a moment, but.

"Line up and pass it down!"

The Supply Company Commander shouted. He showed off the experience he had gathered from hauling cargo.

Passing it down was a method of transferring items by lining up in a single file.

The group of soldiers formed a long line and started passing the water buckets forward in the same manner.

SPLASH!

One idiot among them even dropped a bucket on the ground.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Pick it up right now!"

"I'll fix it, sir!"

A commotion broke out. The flames illuminated the soldiers' faces.

The Supply Company Commander stomped his feet in anxiety.

The fire on the tent wasn't what mattered.

If that spread to the sides, there would be no disaster worse than this.

To him, the fire spreading was a bigger problem than a few guys inside dying.

As the flames began to slowly die down thanks to the bucket brigade, the Supply Company Commander inwardly let out a sigh of relief.

'But what fire all of a sudden.'

Was this the season for fires to break out easily?

The weather wasn't that dry, was it?

Fortunately, the fire did not spread to the sides.

As if it had been waiting, the blaze ended after burning down just that one tent.

"There's someone over there!"

Amidst it all, a soldier with good night vision shouted.

"Bring them here. It's a relief if they're alive."

The Supply Company Commander spat out words he didn't even mean.

The fire not spreading was a hundred times more of a relief than them living.

* * *

Encrid laid the freckled soldier down next to Platoon Commander Vengeance, whom the Company Commander had moved outside.

"Here!"

And as he shouted, people flocked over.

"Are you okay?"

"A fire out of nowhere."

"What happened?"

Encrid, his face smeared with soot, let out hacking coughs.

To anyone's eyes, he looked just like someone who had barely escaped from a burning tent.

"I also, *cough*, *hack*, don't really know."

Encrid continued speaking through his coughs.

The midnight fire was ultimately concluded as an accident.

* * *

HOOT.

An owl's hoot or something similar could be heard from afar.

It was probably from the direction of the forest.

Listening to the sound, the Fairy Company Commander matched her current location with the map in her head, set her direction, and walked.

It was a pebble-strewn stream not far from the encampment.

Having reached her destination, the Company Commander opened her mouth.

"It would have been dangerous if not for that Squad Leader."

Just by looking around the barracks, the Company Commander figured out the assassin's intentions.

'Eliminate the one by the entrance and immediately take out the target.'

The one by that entrance was Encrid.

Thanks to him, they lived.

If he had held out even a little less, they would have died.

He would have died, and the escort target would have died.

"Is that so."

Krang replied, taking a deep breath in and then exhaling.

Looking at him doing so, the Company Commander turned her body.

"Then."

It was a simple farewell.

The light footsteps unique to Fairies didn't make even the slightest noise.

Her current position was the 4th Company Commander of the 4th Battalion of the Cyprus Division.

It was time to return to the encampment.

Stepping into the darkness, the Fairy's figure quickly disappeared from view.

Watching her, Krang recalled Encrid's dream.

'A knight, huh.'

"Looking at you, I feel like I'm getting a sense of how I should live my life too."

That was how Krang had answered after hearing Encrid's dream.

It hadn't been an empty promise.

Krang might deceive an opponent, but he never spoke empty words to someone who approached him with sincerity.

There was a secret to Krang's birth.

However, he liked neither his birth nor his secret.

That was why he had been avoiding it until now.

'I will face it too.'

He had recognized Encrid's skills at a glance.

And a guy like that dreamed of becoming a knight.

Five out of ten passersby would say that dream was absurd.

The other five would be too busy laughing at it.

Still, he dreamed.

He wouldn't give up.

It had only been a few days, but seeing him silently opening and clenching his fists on repeat, Krang had a hunch that he wouldn't change.

A person like that did not change easily.

"He was quite an interesting friend."

A strange sense of intimacy remained. The clouds above Krang's head cleared. The moonlight began to peek out once again.

He walked.

A life somewhat different from before would be waiting ahead of him.