Chapter 23 - Gnu Footprints

"Sounds that are more unnatural than usual, that's what you listen for."

The Reconnaissance Squad's departure was in the blue dawn, even before the sun had risen.

As he was quietly gathering his belongings alone, Jaxon, who had been on the last night watch, casually threw out a remark.

"Out of nowhere?"

Wondering what he was talking about, Encrid asked back.

"You asked how not to get stabbed on the battlefield."

Encrid searched his memory.

The Medical Barracks, the assassin's attack, the Fairy Company Commander, Krang, the fire.

By the time he returned after wrapping up all that commotion, the troublemaking squad was in the middle of a brawl.

It made sense that his mind was distracted.

Thanks to that, he only remembered after hearing it.

Before all of that happened, on the final day before dancing his last dance with the assassin, he had asked in passing.

"I understand how to listen well, but you can't just constantly focus on listening to avoid getting stabbed on the battlefield, right? How do you dodge without even looking back?"

Auditory training—yeah, that's good.

But this is something that requires a high level of concentration.

Could he really keep his ears perked like this in the middle of a battlefield?

'It's difficult.'

He knew because he had tried it. Once he got used to it, he might be able to show movements bordering on acrobatics against multiple opponents, but still.

What was certain was that just listening well wasn't enough.

Jaxon was diligent.

He didn't ignore a passing question and answered faithfully.

And Encrid was even more diligent.

He didn't miss an opportunity to learn.

"You mean I should sense when something is off?"

"It would be great if you could awaken senses that are different from usual, but that doesn't happen easily. So, if you're in a grass field, you listen carefully to the sound of brushing grass blades and look for a sound of a different nature."

The reconnaissance area was a grass field. A place filled with grass that grew up to the calves at its shortest, and up to eye level at its tallest.

It seemed he was saying that knowing this.

Hearing the kind reply, Encrid suddenly grew curious and asked.

"You're explaining it in pretty good detail?"

At those words, Jaxon stared intently into Encrid's eyes.

It was as if those eyes contained the words, 'You already know everything, so why are you asking?'

When Encrid tilted his head, Jaxon finally finished his thought.

"Because you're relentless, Squad Leader."

"... What?"

Where did the direction of the conversation go wrong?

Why was the word 'relentless' suddenly coming up?

Jaxon knew the Squad Leader's tenacity. He knew his passion for the sword. That was why he said it, but...

Encrid hadn't caught on at all.

Encrid was about to ask more, but he closed his mouth.

Did the reason matter?

The whims of his troublemaking squad members weren't a new occurrence anyway.

Then the reason didn't matter.

Right now, there was someone to learn here, and someone to teach.

If the content had value, that was all that mattered.

Since he was currently being dragged off to the Reconnaissance Squad gathering, it wouldn't be bad to chew on this and train on the way.

Therefore, he ignored matters that he didn't need to argue over or ask about.

"How do I distinguish sounds of a different nature?"

Encrid wiped away his flustered expression in an instant and returned to the main topic.

Jaxon's gaze was strange as he watched him.

It was as if he were looking at a three-headed dragon.

"What?"

"Nothing."

The explanation continued. What was a heterogeneous sound?

How should one utilize their hearing?

It was excellent. It was the joy of learning. Encrid set off feeling more satisfied than ever.

"Right, so that's how it is."

Jaxon still looked at Encrid with a strange look in his eyes.

Encrid turned around without noticing it.

"Then I'll be back."

He walked out toward the outskirts of the barracks for his reconnaissance mission.

Watching him, Jaxon thought.

'It doesn't make sense.'

Recently, he had seen the Squad Leader perking his ears and listening to footsteps.

He had reacted from quite a distance.

His hearing—his listening range—was remarkably wide.

He might be able to fool others, but he couldn't fool Jaxon's eyes.

It was just a little strange.

He substituted in every training method he knew and every person who had received such training.

Training your ears by listening to sounds meant continuously hearing and distinguishing different sounds.

And in doing so, you would figure out the types of sounds.

But what about the Squad Leader right now?

'His ears are top-tier, but he's a beginner at distinguishing them.'

He seemed like someone who had intensively trained only the act of listening in a short period of time.

But was that something that could be achieved just by training?

If he had dozens of spare lives, maybe he could train like that, but still.

'Strange.'

The Squad Leader was a truly strange person. Anyway, thanks to that, Jaxon had told him one more thing he knew.

And the Squad Leader would quickly absorb what he had just learned.

Training your ears to listen was the hard part.

Distinguishing and categorizing the sounds was just supplementary.

As he finished his night watch like that and entered the barracks, there was Rem, looking at him with half-closed eyes.

He was lying sideways, resting his chin on his hand, and looking at him with a smiling face, which was deeply unpleasant.

"Those eyes of yours are rubbing me the wrong way."

Jaxon offered his morning greeting.

Rem smiled softly and replied.

"Have you fallen for the Squad Leader's charm too? When you look at him, you just want to teach him things, don't you?"

"It's a fair exchange. I owe him a debt, so I'll receive a corresponding value later."

Jaxon of Equivalent Exchange.

That was his nickname within the unit.

But even as he spoke, Jaxon knew.

His teaching the Squad Leader wasn't an act done to demand something in return.

It was an impulsive decision.

Was it because his standout performance on the recent battlefield had left an impression?

Jaxon didn't think too deeply about it.

He knew that acting as his heart desired wasn't a bad thing sometimes. Therefore, he just needed to leave this matter at that.

"Fuck off, bastard. Acting all shy for a guy."

Rem giggled, then lay back down and closed his eyes.

He pulled his blanket up to under his chin, and soon let out even breaths as if intoxicated by the coziness.

Sometimes, Jaxon had a thought like this.

What exactly was that crazy barbarian trusting in to act so cocky?

"Go lie down. If you come at me thinking I'm asleep, I'll split your head open."

Rem, who had been pretending to sleep, said.

Jaxon ignored Rem's words and found his spot.

He was the type of opponent who would only talk more if you bothered to argue.

"Anyhow, this bastard never answers."

Sure enough, Rem grumbled to himself after speaking.

* * *

The Reconnaissance Squad, having set off at dawn, was creaking from the start.

"If we run into those Aspen bastards, I'm gonna split their heads open. Got it?"

Those were the words of the Recon Squad Leader in charge of commanding the small group.

For a moment, Encrid almost unwittingly asked him what he thought reconnaissance was, but the squad leader's words were faster.

"Troublemaker Squad Leader, you're just a soldier right now too. If you're going to disobey orders, say so now; let's talk with our skills. Well, unlike some people, I didn't become a squad leader by kissing ass, so I'm pretty confident."

His tone was extraordinarily fierce.

Encrid wasn't angry. He wasn't even that offended.

It wasn't as if he had received this kind of praise only once or twice.

Simple criticisms spat out by people who didn't know him were nothing.

And he also thought it would be better to quietly run the patrol, chew on what he had learned, and return, rather than causing unnecessary conflict.

"Even if it pisses you off, hold it in. Seems like he has a pretty cocky personality."

Another soldier sticking close by said. He was a soldier with a raspy voice and some age to him.

"I don't care."

"Then that's a relief."

The soldier stuck by his side smiled plainly, avoiding the squad leader's eyes.

He gave off a decent impression.

"Then let's head out!"

A total of ten men—the departure of the Reconnaissance Squad acting as a patrol unit.

Just because they were a reconnaissance squad didn't mean they all spied on enemy territory.

This plain here was a vast grassland called the Green Pearl on the continent.

If you went east, there were a few gentle mountain ridges following shallow hills, but still.

It was mostly wide open with nothing to block the view.

If you went west, the Penn-Hanil River, which could be called the lifeline of Naurilia, flowed, and that river was a wide watercourse currently shared by the enemy Principality of Aspen as well.

Due to the geographical characteristics, ambushes were nearly impossible in battles on these plains.

If so, what was the Reconnaissance Squad's job?

Exploring enemy territory and patrolling the surroundings.

Checking if there were any groups moving under the cover of day or night.

Seeing if there were any signs of enemy cavalry moving.

Or confirming whether they were up to something else—that was the job.

In the midst of that, checking key areas was also included.

Of course, the Reconnaissance Squad was dangerous.

You never knew when you might encounter the enemy.

There were many cases where skirmishes between reconnaissance squads led straight to all-out war.

However, such things didn't happen often.

And they shouldn't happen often, either.

"Let's go show the greatness of the Naurilia infantry."

The way Encrid saw it, that youthful squad leader was an idiot drunk on his own skills.

Was he the illegitimate child of some noble?

If not that, he might have someone backing him in the unit's command.

He looked to be just nineteen or twenty.

For a Squad Leader in the Naurilia regular army, it was a fairly fast promotion.

Even so, compared to true geniuses, soldiers like him were a dime a dozen.

The role of the Reconnaissance Squad seemed to no longer exist anywhere inside that Recon Squad Leader's head.

Among them, some soldiers even agreed with his words.

"Of course. With your skills, Captain, a few guys wouldn't even be a match."

"Please show us the might that knocked down five mercenaries!"

'That kid squad leader's ass is going to get worn raw.'

Even without anyone telling him, it was too obvious a story how this situation came to be.

Of all things, the soldiers in the Reconnaissance Squad had suffered frequent injuries, leading to a shortage of men.

And thanks to that, both he and those idiots had ended up coming here.

Even so.

Weren't these bastards below standard?

Still, there shouldn't be any problems.

The route for this Reconnaissance Squad was already set anyway.

'Patrol in a circle based around the allied encampment.'

The detailed route was up to the squad leader, though.

Encrid organized the information in his head, thinking it would be fine as long as the Recon Squad Leader didn't do anything seriously idiotic.

"These are the footprints of a gnu."

The squad leader found animal footprints while passing by.

A gnu was an animal resembling a cow that ran across the grasslands in herds.

It was an animal that moved in groups of as many as fifty or as few as twenty.

"If we track this, we'll feast today. Let's all have a barbecue."

... We're going to track twenty gnus?

What was even more absurd was that those footprints weren't a gnu's.

The footprints didn't belong to a gnu, but a gazelle.

"Yeah, right."

The good-natured soldier sticking to the back muttered.

He must have found it absurd as well, as he let out a scoffing laugh while staring at the back of the squad leader's head.

On the first day, the Reconnaissance Squad pressed forward, wandering around in search of gnus that weren't even there.

Naturally, no beast would let itself get caught by a group that was openly glaring so fiercely.

"Dammit."

The squad leader threw a temper tantrum for no reason.

If we had caught a gnu, would that bastard really have tried to light a fire?

If so, it truly would have been a sight to see.

A reconnaissance squad lighting a campfire when just moving stealthily wasn't enough.

'I am a complete and utter moron!'

How was that any different from saying that?

It might have been fortunate that they hadn't caught any beasts at all.

Before the sun went down, they had found a place with a hill and four towering trees, and had just finished preparing to camp there.

"Where are you from, Troublemaker Squad Leader?"

It was that soldier who gave a good first impression—above all, the one who had looked at the idiot leading the recon squad with contemptuous eyes.

"The Border Guard."

"A career soldier?"

Encrid nodded his head.

The Border Guard was a fortress city guarding the frontier.

There were farmlands and merchants there too, but it could fundamentally be called a military city.

It was a city packed with training facilities and career soldiers.

"I'm from a mountain village and I'm pretty confident in hunting, but I was appalled earlier when he saw those footprints and called them a gnu's. They were gazelle tracks."

Encrid was similarly appalled.

A sense of mutual understanding formed between the two.

The former hunter soldier's name was Henri.

He had an easygoing personality, but he greatly disliked their current squad leader.

"I'll teach you something fun tomorrow. It might look like there are no real paths in the grasslands, but there are specific trails that beasts take."

After chattering for a few more words, Henri quickly closed his eyes.

While standing the third night watch that day, Encrid chewed over what Jaxon had taught him.

He didn't actually hold a sword, but he swung his hands in the empty air as he reflected on what he had learned.

The sparring he did with Ragna and Rem before heading out on this reconnaissance dispatch had been quite helpful.

'He told me to land a stab from any stance, didn't he?'

Those were Rem's words. He himself was training for that very purpose. Rem had also taught him the method.

He had told him to train his lower body.

The Reconnaissance Squad walked a lot. Unless you were cavalry, it couldn't be helped.

'Walking is good too.'

It wasn't bad for building leg strength.

Filling his stomach with only jerky, it was only natural for him to feel empty inside.

But Encrid had no time to even think about things like that.

In his head, the training he needed to do right now, the training and swordsmanship he needed to do in the future, the auditory skills he learned from Jaxon, and the hunter's trivial skills that Henri promised to teach him, were all just swirling around.

He purely enjoyed learning and mastering things.

Of course, he also enjoyed using them as much as he had mastered them.

'Let's spar again when I get back.'

Throughout his watch, Encrid continued his thoughts along with his auditory training to sense anomalies.

Soon, he woke the next watchman and fell asleep.

From the time dawn broke on the second day, the Reconnaissance Squad set out on the path again.

In the morning, he roughly learned how to spot beast trails from Henri.

He listened to the sound of footsteps brushing against the calf-high grass.

'There's so much to learn.'

Encrid sincerely thought so.

The hunter's common sense that Henri taught him was quite interesting too.

Until now, he hadn't had the luxury to accumulate this kind of knowledge.

"This way."

The Recon Squad Leader took the lead and set off. The place they were heading was a weed field overgrown with tall weeds.

'Seems fine.'

For someone who claimed he was going to run into the enemy and split their heads open, it was an unproblematic route.

It was also a point they had been assigned to check.

Of course, the Recon Squad Leader easily shattered Encrid's common sense.

"We're going to push straight through the grass field and track a reconnaissance squad's trail. How about it?"

Was this bastard truly out of his mind?

He forcefully swallowed down those words that almost slipped out of his mouth on their own.

What was he planning to look at to get his bearings in a field of tall weeds?

And where was the guarantee that they would run into an enemy reconnaissance squad by going this way?

All they had to do was roughly check inside to see if there were any enemy ambushes or if any abnormal situations had occurred.

"Don't butt in. Listen, not all squad leaders are created equal."

He had tried to soothe him by speaking indirectly, but a subordinate soldier stepped up and said this.

Ha.

Encrid was still not angry.

He only wondered if it was okay to just let this be.

His deliberation was short.

He decided to just let it be.

If things went wrong and he ended up dying.

He would just rethink it the next day.

If not.

'We'll just bark up the wrong tree and go back.'

Whatever happened, it wasn't a loss for him.