Chapter 20 - Squad Leader Encrid

There were torch stands between the tents.

And there was oil in the supply barracks.

He had spent several days repeating 'today', training to listen to sounds.

He could find what was around him and where it was located even with his eyes closed.

"I'll be right back."

It was a very simple task.

Figuring out the patrol guards' locations by sound and secretly fetching oil from the supply barracks.

He roughly splashed the fetched oil onto the tent.

After that, it was even easier.

All he had to do was casually kick the torch stand over.

Since no one could be around to see him, he crawled on his belly using the shadows as his friend, pulled the torch stand, and toppled it inward.

The embers at the end of the torch stand met the oil and flared up with a *WHOOSH! *, greeting it warmly.

"You're quite skilled."

The Company Commander said calmly.

'Is that a compliment?'

Encrid thought that as he set fire to the tent.

Naturally, the spot where he had poured the oil caught fire first.

Encrid dodged the flames just enough to smear soot on his face and inhale a bit of smoke.

Reacting genuinely was much easier than acting clumsily.

"Cough!"

Coughing, Encrid carried the unconscious freckled soldier on his back, exited through the torn part of the tent where the Company Commander had entered, circled around the barracks, and collapsed in front of the Medical Barracks.

This was enough.

"Fire!"

He had deliberately set the fire right when the patrol guard was approaching.

No, he had to.

The night watchman bastard from the neighboring barracks was a master of sleeping while standing.

He hadn't woken up at all.

Encrid thought the assassin had shot a poison dart at that guy, too.

He hadn't even needed any grand preparations up to this point.

Just stealing oil from the supply barracks he already knew about.

And knocking over a torch stand was all it took.

However, Krang and the Company Commander, who had been watching, seemed quite impressed.

"Seriously, if you went to some bandit group, you could easily become the boss in no time."

Krang's words right before they left stuck in his memory.

He wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment.

As he swept his hair up with his hand, the singed strands caught on his fingers.

'I should cut my hair a bit, too.'

He lay down on the floor without even thinking of wiping the soot off his face.

It wasn't a massive fire. It wouldn't be a huge incident either.

Because no one had died.

He had already roughly thought up an excuse regarding the night watchman.

'Ask me tomorrow. Tomorrow.'

Without any exaggeration, he truly wanted to just lie there and fall asleep.

It was a long night.

And a really long today.

Beyond a headache, his mind grew completely numb.

He didn't want to think about anything.

"Any survivors?"

"Over there. But, well. It looks like he's passed out now."

Encrid knew they were talking about him, but he ignored them and closed his eyes.

Fatigue washed over him.

* * *

The freckled soldier who had been on night watch probably didn't, but Encrid felt a one-sided sense of intimacy with him.

'You wouldn't know it, though.'

Encrid had conversed with him.

He knew his hometown.

He knew about the girlfriend he had left behind in his hometown.

He had even heard why he joined the army.

It was a today that the soldier didn't have, but that Encrid did.

It was an intimacy born from that.

Besides, the fire and the attack weren't his fault.

So he provided a suitable excuse for him.

That he had shouted as soon as the fire broke out and tried to save the people inside.

And that he had inhaled smoke and passed out while doing so.

He was a fresh recruit who had just finished his training.

There wouldn't have been any drills on barracks fires during that training.

It was a believable enough reason for everyone to accept and move on.

"I did that?"

However, since it was something he didn't remember, he asked back in bewilderment.

"Looks like you lost your memory."

The Supply Company Commander just accepted it and moved on.

Encrid wondered if anyone would suspect him, but no such thing happened.

That was because he had given such a perfectly fitting excuse.

He thought someone might find it strange, but fortunately, that didn't happen.

The Supply Company Commander just seemed relieved that the supply barracks hadn't caught fire.

He had aimed for that as well, so it could be said the situation had gone exactly as he intended.

A newly dawned morning.

Today did not repeat.

Although Encrid still felt a headache after waking up.

He was still satisfied.

Because he had made it past 'today' once again.

"You saved me?"

He was on his way out after washing his face and body, changing out of his burnt-smelling clothes, and roughly trimming his hair with a dagger.

Vengeance asked while resting his ass on a box of supplies.

"I couldn't just let you burn to death right in front of me, could I?"

At Encrid's words, Vengeance mumbled to himself.

Muttering something, he asked.

"... Why?"

Encrid wondered if this was something that needed a reason.

Because of his still-throbbing head, he didn't particularly want to have a long conversation either.

"Because we're comrades."

So he answered without much thought.

Hearing that, Vengeance's expression stiffened.

"Tsk."

Seeing his stiff expression, Encrid opened his mouth.

"The flower of the battlefield is..."

"...the infantry."

It was the greeting of the infantry company.

With those words, Encrid turned around.

He had just received orders to return.

"I've only ever been mean to him."

The faint sound of Vengeance grumbling from behind brushed against his ears.

He was hearing sounds he normally wouldn't have been able to hear.

'Auditory training.'

Encrid ruminated on the ability he had gained.

And he also recalled the Fairy Company Commander batting the blade aside last night.

He also reflected on dodging the stab and the assassin's attacks.

A question naturally arose.

'Am I still stuck in the same place?'

It wasn't a serious thought. He was just curious.

Just how different was the him of yesterday compared to the him of today?

He suddenly wanted to go a round with Rem.

'For now.'

Returning to his main barracks and getting some proper rest came first. His head was still throbbing.

"The weather sure is nice."

After walking only a few steps, Encrid saw his shadow stretching long to his right.

Lifting his head to look at the sky, he saw a clear, bright blue canvas.

Fluffy clouds were scattered in pieces across it, the wind was cool, and the sunlight was warm.

Today was a very clear day.

It felt as though just walking would make his headache disappear.

* * *

Krais appeared calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was sighing heavily.

It had been exactly a week since Encrid had left his post.

'How did I ever survive back then?'

Faced with the situation unfolding before his eyes, Krais's mind escaped from reality.

Krais recalled the times when Encrid hadn't been around.

["Therefore, I am the Squad Leader here. Therefore, you all must listen to me. Therefore, gather in front of the barracks right now."]

The Squad Leader who constantly repeated 'therefore'.

He had displayed a coercive attitude. And he met a sudden, gruesome death on his first battlefield.

["Follow behind me!"]

It seemed he had heard some strange rumor from somewhere.

That although the troublemaker squad was small in number, their skills were top-notch.

Did he really think such people would obediently follow behind him?

He charged forward alone and got his head skewered by a spear.

When the helmet he had worn came flying back, Rem had sent it flying away with a spinning back kick.

'And the Squad Leader after that.'

["I heard you guys know how to fight, so should we do a little skill test? Anyone want to take me on?"]

They said he was the son of a noble. Apparently, he was serving in the military for committing some crime.

They didn't know the details, but he was supposedly only going to roll around here for a few months before going back.

That noble was overflowing with confidence and lacked any experience.

["Dare I spar with the Squad Leader?"]

Rem had asked, scratching his head.

["Hmm, not you. Yeah, you step up. You, the one with the auburn hair."]

He had chosen Jaxon as his opponent.

Just looking at his exterior, Rem was the very picture of a ruffian, looking to anyone like he could fight.

But calling Krais forward would have been too shameless.

It seemed Jaxon was the only one who looked like a pushover.

Naturally, it was a huge mistake.

["Me?"]

["Yeah. Step up. Let's spar. Haha, I've never lost in my life."]

["What if someone gets hurt while sparring?"]

["Does a man fear such things? We'll keep it off the record!"]

That arrogant and insolent noble Squad Leader...

["Aaaagh!"]

Got his forearm broken.

["I figured you'd dodge it, obviously."]

Jaxon usually acted affable, but occasionally, he became a total lunatic.

It was the fault of Rem and the other squad member who had provoked Jaxon while watching him half-ass the fight.

["He should have extended his left foot forward there."]

["Don't make me laugh, he could've just swept his leg and knocked him flat."]

["Your sword hand is losing strength. Grip it tighter. If you underestimate your opponent, you'll be the one getting hurt."]

["Tsk, what a puny bastard, he couldn't even knock down a woman. I would've ended it ages ago. Ugh, I'm bored."]

At those words, Jaxon turned ferocious.

And as a consequence for breaking the noble Squad Leader's arm, the Company Commander had lashed out in anger.

["You assaulted a superior officer?"]

["He insisted on fighting, saying it would be kept off the record."]

["Right. Right. If a man goes back on his word, his dick's gonna fall off."]

["He has but one mouth, yet his words keep changing. Ah, this sinner repents."]

With the squad members throwing in a word each, the Company Commander couldn't say anything.

Facts were facts.

They had fought under the agreement to keep it off the record.

Naturally, the noble Squad Leader tucked his tail between his legs and fled.

In his own family, there might have been plenty of bought-off swordsmen willing to lose to him, but this was a battlefield.

The Company Commander hadn't seemed intent on dragging the noble Squad Leader into battle in the first place anyway.

He had just slapped the title of Squad Leader onto him.

'And the Squad Leader after that, well.'

They were all pretty much the same.

The Squad Leader who was prone to fits of anger had quietly chatted with Rem outside, stopped acting up, and silently requested a transfer.

Besides them, everyone else had bolted for similar reasons.

Even the ones who managed to stick around just treated each other like strangers.

"Haa."

Krais turned his head at the sound of a sigh from behind.

"Finally."

Turning his head, Krais checked the person's face and muttered in relief.

"What is this mess?"

It was Encrid. He approached while pressing his right index finger firmly against his temple.

Encrid looked at the two men facing off in front of the 4th Squad's barracks.

It was the reality Krais had been escaping from.

"I said that since the Squad Leader is gone, I'm practically the vice-squad leader, right? So if I tell you to do something, you do it. Squad member Ragna?"

"Don't call me by my name, and attach 'Sir' to my surname. Barbarian."

"Hah, has this picky eater put on the shell of a noble?"

"It's just unpleasant to have a beast that is less than human call my name."

"Oh, really? I guess you'll only wake up after getting torn to shreds by a beast?"

Veins popped out on the growling Rem's hand.

He looked ready to throw his axe and split his opponent's head open at any moment.

The squad member called Ragna faced him nonchalantly.

He stood casually, letting his arms hang down.

That was Ragna's ready stance.

Jaxon watched as if he couldn't care less.

The one remaining squad member quietly offered a prayer while trying to stop the two.

"Brother, conflict and violence are bad things."

"Stay out of this, zealot."

"Step back. The sword has no eyes."

Rem and Ragna replied simultaneously.

'The squad is in a great state, alright.'

To think it had devolved into this mess in just a week.

The headache that had flown away while he was walking came back.

"Krais, do you have any medicine left?"

Jaxon only said what he wanted to say, regardless of whether they fought or not. He greeted Encrid with his eyes and asked Krais.

"I don't have any right now. Squad Leader, you're here. I was actually thinking of coming to find you. Some things happened, you see."

Krais shook his head at Jaxon and spoke toward Encrid.

"Hold on a second."

He had to stop those two first, didn't he?

If he left them alone, it really looked like blood would be spilled.

It had been like this on the day he arrived, too.

The opponent back then hadn't been Ragna, but the praying squad member, though.

"There are many things that cannot be solved through conflict and violence."

That guy saying that wasn't exactly normal either.

"Hey!"

Encrid ignored his throbbing headache and stepped between the two.

The way to stop their fights was simple.

Words wouldn't stand a chance.

You had to physically shove yourself in.

Encrid walked in between them.

"... Seriously, they say ignorance is brave. You're here?"

Rem muttered. The veins on the back of his hand twitched and then stopped.

"I can't just cut you down with him, anyway. The Squad Leader is... well, never mind."

Rem and Ragna, who had been glaring at each other, stepped back. Even as they retreated, they didn't forget to exchange 'pleasantries'.

"Don't die on the battlefield, because I need to be the one to kill you."

Ragna said.

"Huh? What's that? You want to drop dead tomorrow? You want a taste of Sir Rem's axe that badly?"

Rem shot back.

"Enough."

Between them, Encrid shook his head.

Why did they get along so terribly?

He didn't know. They had been like this from the very beginning.

The two were still glaring at each other.

Good grief, to think a brawl was the first thing he saw upon returning.

"Anyway, all sorts of things happened while you were gone, Squad Leader."

Krais spoke up once again from behind.

"Is that so?"

He could tell just by looking.

When he was at the Medical Barracks, Ragna had said the barracks were a mess, and he had been exactly right.

It was something he had expected to some extent.

It was fine.

Having just gone through such harrowing experiences, the trouble they caused was nothing to him.

Not doing their meal duty and taking care of their own meals individually.

Getting into an argument with a squad member from the neighboring barracks and smashing his jaw.

Ignoring the Platoon Commander's summons.

'Isn't this too much of a mess just because I'm not here?'

That thought suddenly struck him, but he was truly fine with it.

Krais continued to chatter on and on.

And Encrid learned that this kind of chaos wasn't limited to just their troublemaking squad.

"A curse?"

Encrid forgot about his throbbing headache and asked back.

"Yes, they said a curse has been cast over the entire Encampment."

'What kind of bullshit is this now?'

It was nonsense enough to make him forget his headache.