Chapter 50 - 'Surely Not' Gets You Killed (1)

After the battle ended, Encrid also fulfilled his duties as a standing army member of the Border Guard.

He stood guard duty and patrolled the inside of the city.

During all his remaining time, he immersed himself entirely in the sword every day.

If someone were seeing Encrid for the first time, they might be sickened by his repetitive daily routine.

But it was also such a peaceful routine that everyone around him thought nothing of it.

In truth, even if someone had been watching him closely, he wouldn't have cared.

He sank deep into himself, agonizing over the same questions.

'How can I win?'

Or, how could he wield his sword better?

It was a time to check and reflect on what he had. Having seen the skill of a knight, the desire to become even better boiled up madly within him.

Even so, he didn't feel impatient.

Slowly, one step at a time.

Even if it was slow, he would definitely move forward. That was Encrid's specialty.

'Heart of a Beast, Sense of the Blade, Concentrate on a Single Point.'

To move forward, he engaged in sparring using everything he had learned from Rem, Jaxon, and Ragna.

At first, he mostly paired up with Rem, and later Ragna joined as well.

Then Jaxon also began to step in occasionally.

"I'll give you a change of pace before your brain turns into muscle too."

"Huh? Are you saying that just to get at me?"

Sparks flew between Rem and Jaxon over a single needless remark, but to Encrid's eyes, it was a peaceful everyday occurrence.

Sparring with Rem was rough. It was a type of sparring that demanded momentary improvisation and judgment.

He had to stay focused with boldness at the forefront. It was a time when his body had to move before his thoughts.

Ragna was a little different.

It was a fight focused entirely on swordsmanship itself. Even if he started on the offensive, a moment of carelessness would quickly force him onto the defensive.

Throughout the spar, he had to pay attention to the entire flow of the battle.

Jaxon was different from both of them again.

Jaxon mixed in a lot of feints. He deceived with sound, with his footwork and hand gestures, and even by subtly pulling his shoulder back.

He had to pay attention to every single movement. It became a fight that forced his brain to work reflexively.

"Erase all distracting thoughts. Focus on the present."

Those were Jaxon's words.

Before he knew it, the knight had been erased from Encrid's mind.

He repeated what he could do every day.

On an afternoon fifteen days after returning to the Border Guard, the awards ceremony took place.

"These are the ones who contributed to our victory against the wicked Aspen!"

The Battalion Commander distributed the reward money. Among them, Encrid's reward was the largest.

"We bestow this reward for the merit of discovering and neutralizing the spell!"

The adjutant loudly announced Encrid's contribution.

'They're actually announcing all this?'

He had expected the command to snatch it away and claim the credit as their own, but they smoothly acknowledged his merit.

Among the several Company Commanders lined up next to the Battalion Commander, the emerald-eyed Fairy Company Commander clearly stood out.

Did that Company Commander do something? He had no way of knowing. And it didn't seem like she would answer even if he asked.

"It is our victory!"

The Battalion Commander cried out in victory once more. However, no one was swept up in madness like on the final night of the battlefield.

Led by the Platoon Commander, the soldiers standing at the front clapped their hands.

When Encrid returned to his place, a few soldiers in the back glanced at him and muttered insults.

"A spell? He destroyed that flagpole all by himself?"

"One of his squadmates probably did it."

"Surely he couldn't have done it alone."

"The fog was a spell, and he got rid of it? I seriously doubt it. That Squad Leader?"

It was something they would say if they knew the usual Encrid. Encrid thought so himself.

But Rem was different.

"Seems like the kids these days are missing the taste of my axes."

He spoke expressionlessly, and the meaning carried in those words was terrifying.

Especially since he was a guy who made a hobby out of bashing the heads of nearby soldiers.

"Why do we even do this? We could just sleep some more during this time."

Ragna glanced backward and grumbled. The Battalion Commander's speech seemed terribly boring to him.

As the Squad Leader, Encrid soothed him.

The Battalion Commander was in the middle of talking about himself for a long time.

It was a feast of bullshit about how great his role on the battlefield was, how sending the Recon Party was actually his idea, and how he instantly knew it was a spell the moment he saw the flagpole.

Perhaps because they were bored, the sounds of people trashing Encrid from behind gradually increased.

"That troublemaker Squad Leader, don't you think he secretly sneaks into the Battalion Commander's quarters too?"

"Hey, he's not a male prostitute, what kind of bullshit is that?"

The bastard who brought up the word 'male prostitute' laughed even louder at his own remark.

This too was something he normally heard. The Squad Leader who only survived by kissing up to his squadmates.

It was something he hadn't cared about even when his skills were formerly terrible.

By now, it had gone beyond just letting it in one ear and out the other; it reached a level where he didn't hear it even if it was audible. Encrid ignored it again and moved on.

However, his squadmates felt otherwise.

"Seems like you're having fun."

It was Jaxon. The auburn-haired squadmate, who had moved before anyone noticed, slung his arms around the shoulders of the soldiers who had been running their mouths.

Encrid didn't even know when Jaxon had moved.

He saw the two soldiers flinch in surprise.

Jaxon bowed his head deeply between the two of them and whispered something. Because he spoke with his head down, Encrid couldn't even read his lips, but after those words, the two soldiers shut their mouths.

Their faces turning pale was a bonus.

Jaxon smoothly returned to his original spot.

"What did you say?"

Rem asked, looking curious. Ragna also pricked up his ears, while Big-eyes and the devout squadmate subtly leaned their bodies toward Jaxon.

He didn't care what they gossiped about, but Encrid was also curious about what Jaxon had said.

"Just some advice. Necessary advice for living out your life."

"Bullshit."

Rem scoffed at him.

Encrid hadn't seen it—no, counting Big-eyes, the two of them hadn't seen it—but the other three had.

In both of Jaxon's hands, which had been slung around their shoulders, he had been holding short knives.

With the tips pressing exactly against their necks, who wouldn't have a chill run down their spine?

"Do you need some advice too?"

Jaxon asked toward Rem. It was a casual attitude. Upon hearing that, Rem laughed, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Quiet. The Battalion Commander is giving a speech."

Encrid stepped in at the right moment and stopped them.

Despite Jaxon's show of force, the dissatisfaction directed at Encrid remained unchanged.

It was criticism heavily mixed with jealousy and envy.

Originally, he was a nobody.

Originally, he was an existence that lagged behind, struggling at the bottom.

Originally, he was a Squad Leader who barely managed to survive thanks to his squadmates.

That was Encrid's position.

Him being a lowest-grade soldier played a part as well.

But they were told that such a soldier had destroyed the spell.

The Battalion Commander directly praised his merits, and reward money even came down from the kingdom.

There were more people envying him with the heart of a snake than those who were genuinely happy for him.

Since ancient times in Naurilia, snakes had been depicted as wicked, jealous, and sinister creatures that couldn't stand seeing others succeed.

That was why people would sometimes say someone was showing 'snake's intent' when seeing a case like this.

The behavior of the soldiers right now was exactly that.

They couldn't stomach the achievements of someone who was supposed to be worse off than them.

Even though he had saved them by breaking the spell, many soldiers couldn't easily acknowledge it.

"Surely, that Squad Leader couldn't have?"

Even if it wasn't outright complaining, a single muttered remark like this spoke for the whole situation.

Surely not. What could that Squad Leader possibly have done?

Mixed within those words were disdain, envy, and jealousy.

"Hmm, everyone sure has a lot to say."

It was to the point that Big-eyes, who would usually just brush things off, spoke up.

The Battalion Commander's speech ended.

The leather pouch he received was heavy. As long as it wasn't copper coins, it was quite a large sum.

Encrid decided to use the heavy pouch to buy a sword.

"Everyone disperse! It's time for the shift change."

The battalion's adjutant announced the end of the boring period.

"Should we do a round right away? Do you have duty?"

As everyone was about to disperse, Encrid asked Rem. Rem found this person truly, incredibly fascinating.

"Have you ever thought about sparring with those kids who were running their mouths instead of me?"

"Them? Why bother? Would they even be helpful?"

The Squad Leader was only looking at his sword again. Seeing that, Rem felt a sense of warmth in his chest.

How could a person be so consistent?

Dealing with those arrogant bastards who ran their mouths could wait until later.

"Let's do it. A spar."

Rem suddenly recalled the first time he saw Encrid in the Border Guard.

Back then, he was beyond terrible; he was an idiot who only used cheap tricks.

How was he now?

The time they had clashed again in the city after the battle flashed through his mind.

'Where did he get such fundamentals?'

Heavy Sword Technique. On top of that, he showed swordsmanship that seemed to have been guided by a solid, prestigious family. It was to the point where Rem wondered if it was really the same person.

"You've improved a lot."

After saying that one line, Rem immediately shifted into a higher gear as well. He had to. A playful spar like before wouldn't be enough anymore.

Rem had taken it in stride, but Ragna had been quite surprised right after sparring with Encrid.

'Even if I taught him myself, he couldn't do better than this.'

That was how much the Squad Leader's skills had rapidly improved. His fundamentals were one thing, but he had also done quite well with Concentrate on a Single Point, which Ragna felt he had only casually explained.

Even so, it wasn't exactly an unnatural thing.

Concentrate on a Single Point was a matter of pushing oneself into a kind of trance state.

If someone had the talent, it could be achieved in a single day.

Because he himself had done so.

Though it was quite fascinating that the Squad Leader had managed it.

'It's not an impossibility.'

Assuming the other person could do it just because he could was the mindset of a genius.

In that way, Ragna came to understand Encrid's current state.

Jaxon felt a sense of joy while facing off against the suddenly much-improved Squad Leader.

'Is this... fun?'

What is a sword? What is a spear? What is a weapon, including daggers?

They were nothing more than tools for killing someone.

Up until now, he had spent his whole life treating weapons solely as tools.

But oddly enough, he felt refreshed inside after sparring with the Squad Leader.

To the point where Jaxon even momentarily forgot his own set goals.

He found that endlessly fascinating.

That was why he wanted to look after the Squad Leader even more.

Standing to the side, the devout squadmate, Audin Plumley, stared blankly at the Squad Leader.

His eye for such things was extraordinary.

'His skills improved tremendously in a single day.'

Did the Squad Leader really have this much talent for physical movement?

If so, his skills should continue to show improvement afterward.

But right now, he was stagnating again.

There could be plateaus in everything one learned and ingrained into their body.

Audin knew that too, but whenever he looked at the Squad Leader, he always felt a sense of incongruity.

'Something is weirdly off.'

Still, it probably wasn't anything to worry too much about.

Or, rather, he felt at ease thinking that it was due to God's blessing.

Encrid was a person who engaged in his training so intensely that a day felt too short.

If a blessing didn't descend on someone like that, who else would deserve to be blessed?

Audin embraced the topic that had stemmed from the Squad Leader.

God and humans, blessings and curses.

Taking everything that came to mind as a subject of meditation, he sank into deep thought.

* * *

"Seems pretty good."

Encrid bought a single sword.

"It's not just 'pretty good.' That's a piece mixed with Valerian steel!"

The blacksmith said, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Is that so?"

Encrid asked back, holding up the sword to examine the blade.

There was no trace of the bluish sheen unique to Valerian steel.

Seeing him inspect the blade like an expert, the blacksmith quickly added:

"I said it was mixed, I never said it was pure Valerian steel."

"Sure."

Valerian steel was a high-quality metal whose name was renowned across the entire continent.

Steel coming from the Valeri region had high elasticity and didn't break easily. A sword made of Valerian steel would not chip easily.

Once sharpened, it became an incredibly durable weapon.

What better ally could there be on the battlefield than a sturdy sword?

Therefore, a Valerian steel weapon was something everyone desired.

Aside from that, there was Imperial steel, but since Imperial steel couldn't be exported outside the Empire, Valerian steel was arguably the best thing a person could obtain.

"I'll take this one."

Because he spent half his reward money on the price of a single sword, Big-eyes, who had followed him, shook his head.

"Why are you spending so many krona on a sword? You could just use whatever's rolling around on the battlefield, or you'd get one if you just applied for supplies."

"Wouldn't it be unfair to die from getting stabbed while using something flimsy?"

"... When you put it like that, I don't have anything to say. So, are you going straight to apply for your promotion now?"

"Yeah."

He had recently honed the techniques he had ingrained into his body through countless spars.

Now, he wanted to put his skills to the test.

'How far can I go?'

Right now, he was a lowest-grade soldier. He judged that he would be at least middle-grade or higher.

Then what about upper-grade? Or highest-grade? Or special-grade?

Naurilia had introduced a soldier grading system to boost the soldiers' morale.

In order to be promoted in rank, one simply had to defeat a soldier of a higher grade.

Challenges were accepted at any time. There were even people within the unit who specialized in setting up these spars.

It was a simple, yet efficient method.

"Alright, let's go then."

And Big-eyes was someone who did this kind of matchmaking for spars.

Krais, or Big-eyes, would do anything if it made money.

Promotion spars were tied to gambling, so they were profitable. The higher-ups knew that krona were being exchanged, but they just let it slide.

There were even commanders who outright bet krona on the spars.

"I bet on your victory, Squad Leader."

Big-eyes said. It wasn't something he said out of trust in his own eye for talent.

It was what he had heard after pestering Rem before they started.

"You're better off betting on the Squad Leader."

That was all he said, but since Rem wasn't the type to spout empty words, Big-eyes believed him.

'You better not lose.'

If he did, he wouldn't let it go easily. Of course, he wouldn't actually attack him.

Krais also knew full well that not even his bones would be left if he tried to attack Rem.

"You want to do a promotion spar?"

When he requested it from the Platoon Commander, the Platoon Commander nodded his head.

"True, there's no need for you to stay at the lowest-grade."

After that, with the Platoon Commander's permission and Big-eyes's arrangements, preparations for the spar were made at the central parade ground, and a few idle soldiers gathered.

In reality, it wasn't an event that would draw a crowd, but this was the famous troublemaker Squad Leader, wasn't it?

The one who broke the magical fog.

The rumored Squad Leader who prolonged his life by licking his squadmates' assholes!

Therefore, the number of spectators increased.

One by one, the number of eyes watching multiplied.

Amidst a crowd of over twenty spectators, Encrid stood facing his opponent.

It was a curly-haired soldier with a mercenary background.

"I'm middle-grade. I heard you went straight to applying for a middle-grade soldier?"

"I did."

"You're quite arrogant."

Ending the short conversation, they exchanged sword strikes. Encrid parried his opponent's downward slash.

CLANG!

Sword met sword, ringing out with the sound of metal.

Encrid waited for his opponent to attack again.

It had always been like that until now.

Rem, Ragna, and Jaxon as well.

Every time they sparred, they gouged at Encrid's openings.

And how was it in actual combat?

Even the Stabbing Pervert.

Even Mitch Hurrier of Aspen.

They were all formidable opponents. They were people who never tolerated an opening in their opponent.

But his current opponent was not like that.

CLANG! CLANG!

A few more sword strikes followed.

Encrid furrowed his brow.

'Is he joking around?'

His opponent's skill was far lower than he had expected. It was hard to distinguish whether the man was being serious or not.

"Haah!"

The soldier, who claimed his rank was middle-grade, swung his sword down. There were so many openings that it almost made Encrid hesitate.

Encrid only pretended to block the sword, dodging it as he hooked the top of his foot behind his opponent's shin to trip him.

THUD, SWOOSH, WHUMP.

The soldier's right foot lifted to the side, and he went flying over just like that. He collapsed with a crash.

"Aaargh!"

Perhaps he had planted his hand wrong while falling, as he let out a scream and rolled on the ground, clutching his wrist.

It was completely unexpected.

Questions burst forth in Encrid's eyes like a breached dam.

'Why is he so weak?'

That was Encrid's question.