Chapter 554 - It Was a Confession

Encrid had no attention to spare for Rem roaming the banquet hall like a sheepdog, or Audin spreading rumors from one side like a hunter who had laid his traps and settled in to wait. Too many people wanted to see him.

People packed the space around him. There really were a lot of them. This seemed like the place to use Wavebreak Sword. They were coming at him in literal waves.

Countless nobles greeted him. He recognized a few faces, one way or another, but most were strangers.

Ah, there was one amusing fellow among them. The man who had been pulling strings behind that merchant when they entered the capital approached him.

“It will never happen again.”

Had he said he ran a few small trading companies? He was a noble who lived in the capital without a city of his own to govern. He held no position at court, either, but occasionally acted as a representative in trials and had made something of a name for himself.

There were plenty of nobles like him in the capital. Some were bankrupt and did nothing but haunt other nobles’ banquets. Others exploited their status to launch schemes that made them little better than swindlers.

Even Krang could not round up and eliminate every last one, but he was keeping them somewhat in check by letting their ranks police themselves. In other words, making each of them find a way to live up to their noble status.

‘Wasn’t that why he said the royal house was secretly buying up titles?’

They bought the titles of those who could no longer maintain their standing and had turned to crooked means. Taking them by force would invite protests, so they settled matters with silver and gold coins. The idea sounded like Krais, and when Encrid asked, it turned out Krang had indeed sought his advice.

[“What was it Big-eyes said? Problems you can solve with Krona are the easiest?”]

Krang had said that with a smile.

[“I agree.”]

Encrid had nodded, too. It was part of a conversation they had shared on the journey to and from Aspen.

No amount of gold could make someone withdraw a blade from your throat, so problems you could solve with Krona were the easiest. Krais said it all the time.

This noble who ran trading companies was not desperate enough to sell his title. He had a certain knack for business, perhaps. And while his methods were bad, his intentions were not entirely rotten. Krang’s court was always short of funds, so it did need the Krona nobles like him donated.

“If I catch you doing that again, I’ll cut off one of the four.”

At Encrid’s offhand remark, the noble who backed the trading company went deathly pale. It was rather satisfying to see all the blood drain from his face.

“The four?” the noble asked.

“Your arms and legs. One of those.”

“Ah. Those four.”

“Yes. Those four.”

Noble dignity be damned, the man said only what he had to and withdrew. His legs seemed to shake and tremble, but he did not fall.

The noble before him was no monster, and hardly a great villain. This was neither a major incident nor anything worth dwelling on.

There were lords in this world who would kill everyone who entered their territory if the mood took them, then help themselves to the goods. At least Naurilia had been free of such men since Count Molsen’s death. Rumor had it that even on the fringes of the great southern nation, there were plenty of men who were indistinguishable from bandits despite being lords. Encrid himself had seen quite a few while working as a mercenary and guide.

Compared with them, fleecing a few rustic peddlers was almost cute, perhaps? Of course, if the man did it again, he really would have to surrender an arm or a leg. Encrid had said so himself. Even if it was not an oath, he would keep his word. As he always had.

Whenever a gap opened around Encrid, another noble stepped forward. His job now was to exchange a few words with each of them. So that was what he did.

It was tedious, but not painful. Something like this could not exhaust him, physically or mentally. He had once been kept in a banquet hall all night like a noblewoman’s accessory. This was better than that. Without question. Though spending the day swinging his sword from morning to night would have been more comfortable.

“I’ve fallen for you!”

A few bold noblewomen approached him in between.

“I haven’t.”

He turned them away.

With Kin Vaisar, the self-proclaimed greatest beauty in the capital, standing beside him, few ladies dared make an attempt unless they were exceptionally brave.

“I see Kin Vaisar’s reputation as the kingdom’s greatest beauty isn’t undeserved.”

“... Don’t you start.”

He could not even remember when he and Kin had started speaking so casually. Still, it felt natural, both their conversation and the way they behaved.

From what she said, Kin had recently opened a workshop in Border Guard and was throwing herself into her work. As a result, several young noblemen from the capital were constantly traveling back and forth to Border Guard. Then, once they saw Esther or Sinar...

[“Ah, so that is heavenly beauty. An angel has descended.”]

That was why the names Black Flower and Golden Witch had spread all the way to the capital. Kin had not wanted to hear it, but the bastards who had come to Border Guard to see her would go around saying things like this:

[“Kin is the capital’s greatest beauty, but the kingdom’s greatest beauties are the Black Flower and the Golden Witch.”]

She did not particularly care, but an insult was still an insult. Hearing that remark from Encrid, the very man those two clung to, had rubbed her the wrong way.

After passing some time in that idle fashion, Encrid found a moment to catch his breath and spotted Rem, who fit into the banquet rather better than expected.

“Did you know? There’s an alley cat in Border Guard who goes mad for anything female, human or Beastman.”

The practiced way he struck up conversation with a glass in hand suggested he had done this more than once or twice. His purpose was obvious, but at least he was not snapping anyone’s neck at the banquet. That was something to be grateful for, perhaps. Well, it would have been strange for anyone to pick a fight with Encrid and his companions under the circumstances.

Encrid’s gaze naturally sought out Audin. He had settled in a corner and was explaining with a gentle smile that he was not a bear Beastman and did not enjoy tearing people to death. Then came talk of a brother in Border Guard who resembled a skulking alley cat, stories about the Blood-Crazed Youngest, and reproaches for his own unvirtuous tongue.

Encrid was quick on the uptake, and neither Rem nor Audin was trying to hide his intentions. What they were doing was plain to see. As far as he could tell, at least for the moment, Rem and Audin were of one mind. Was this a heartwarming sight?

At least the atmosphere at the banquet was pleasant.

Hadn’t Krang said he was sorting out the decent nobles? He had also put his finger on exactly why Aspen had fallen.

[“Conditions force them to depend on religion, and on top of that, there are two houses capable of holding the king in check. He probably can’t do a single thing as he pleases.”]

[“And you’re different?”]

Naurilia’s royal house, too, had long been under the influence of the God of the Scales and the Holy Nation. Separating politics from religion might be a king’s goal, but it would be extraordinarily difficult. One small misstep could spark a religious war in the name of separating the two.

Krang said he was not even dreaming of separating religion from the state, then added:

[“Yes. I’m different.”]

When Encrid asked what made him different, the answer was memorable.

[“I have a friend on my side who shares my purpose, and he’s a knight, don’t I?”]

At times like that, Krang could say such things without a trace of embarrassment. But he was not wrong. Encrid had become a knight, and his goal was the same as Krang’s.

Krang, who had been standing beside him conversing, addressed the people around them.

“Don’t torment him too much. You’ll make him shudder at the very mention of a banquet.”

A smartly dressed young noble around Andrew’s age responded with flowery praise for the king’s wisdom and greatness before asking:

“Your Majesty, what do you intend to do now?”

Apparently, Nauril now had a rising aristocratic faction, a faction that publicly sided with the nobles while secretly remaining loyal to the royal house, and the royalist faction, which proclaimed its loyalty openly. Beneath the surface they were all on Krang’s side, but outwardly they remained divided. There were various reasons for it, but Encrid had no interest in political games and had not listened to the details.

At the question from a member of that rising aristocratic faction, Krang set his glass down on the table.

TAP.

This was essentially a standing reception, so there were no chairs; everyone was on their feet.

Standing among them, Krang drew the nobles’ attention with his gestures and the pacing of his breath. A natural talent, perhaps? The power to draw people’s eyes. Having set the mood, he spoke.

“For the time being...”

For the time being? Encrid naturally turned to him as well. Rem and Audin, who had been talking, also looked over as their surroundings grew relatively quiet.

Having drawn nearly every eye around him, the man of royal blood smiled and spoke.

“The goal is to eat well and live well.”

After all that buildup, it might have seemed a strange thing to say, but the perceptive understood at once. It was time to strengthen the kingdom from within.

As Encrid ate, drank, and watched, a group entered the banquet hall. They wore long, flowing robes embroidered with plump grapes, which suggested they were priests of the God of Abundance.

The moment they entered, Audin slipped out onto the balcony on silent feet. His movements were so fluid that, unless you were watching closely, you would not have sensed him even if he passed right beside you.

Encrid glanced at Audin, who had gone so far as to use a technique to leave, but said nothing and looked over the newcomers.

After exchanging greetings with the people nearby, one of the priests approached Encrid. He looked like a high priest at a glance. His clothing, manner, and bearing all suggested it.

His smiling face seemed designed to proclaim his benevolence. The creases around his mouth and eyes gave that impression, yet something about it felt artificial.

“May timely rain and warm sunlight linger, bringing abundance to your body and soul.”

Had Audin been there, he would likely have returned the greeting with the proper words. But he was not, so there was nothing for it.

“May abundance and peace be with you.”

Encrid offered a simple reply.

Come to think of it, whenever frauds masquerading as priests entered the city, Audin would personally step forward and break their bones one by one. But when real priests came, he would deliberately avoid them. Why? Encrid had never tried to find out, so naturally he did not know.

“Encrid of Border Guard.”

“Who in this land does not know that name by now?”

The priest spoke with the same smile. Encrid did not much like his face, but he did not spit in that smiling face, either. He simply took the words as they came.

Still, the long scar on the man’s exposed forearm, unmistakably left by a blade, and the way he walked told Encrid that this was no ordinary priest. The signs of training were obvious.

“May the sunlight of abundance rest upon our hero.”

With that greeting, the high priest expressed his admiration for all Encrid had accomplished, then withdrew. The priests following him went off in a crowd.

The banquet continued late into the night and ended quietly.

The next day, a strange rumor circulated about a fugitive and heretic. It concerned a priest who had betrayed the god he served and fled, abandoning a man who was like a father to him.

In some ways, heretics faced even greater persecution than Cultists. It was not difficult to work out whom the rumor concerned. Supposedly, the heretic had gained the strength of a bear through his misguided faith, and had a physique to match. Someone seemed to be spreading the story deliberately.

Encrid, however, cared nothing for whether rumors were circulating, and set off for Border Guard.

“Pay it no mind. It’s all baseless rumor.”

The guard captain, who followed Encrid with fanatical devotion, said this while seeing him off personally.

He had said his farewells at the banquet, so there was no need to see everyone again before leaving. Leading the horse by its reins, the guard captain spoke once more.

“That merchant will never do anything like that again.”

“What? Did you kill him?”

At Rem’s question from behind, the guard captain merely smiled without answering. No one needed to ask to know that, even if he had not killed the man, he had made him suffer just as much.

“Make way! The Iron Wall Knight of the Lunatic Knight Order is departing!”

There was no need to shout quite so loudly, but the guard captain took it upon himself to announce them, and a path did open. Everyone in the capital watched Encrid leave.

From Demon Killer to Iron Wall Knight. He was an unparalleled hero born of Naurilia. Whatever the hostility of certain nobles, to the kingdom’s ordinary people, Encrid was more than a hero.

“Blessings upon your journey.”

Someone spoke the words, and everyone echoed them. People wearing coifs or straw hats removed them and bowed their heads.

He had arrived quietly, but as he departed, most of the capital’s people watched him go. There was not even a chance for rumors to reach his ears.

On the journey home, with their horses’ hooves clattering and sunlight embracing the whole party, it was an autumn afternoon. They were just leaving the city when Audin spoke to Encrid.

“I am that heretic.”

It was a confession.