Chapter 69 - I Dreamed of Holding a Woman (2)

Encrid had a dream.

A flower field and a woman appeared.

"I'll be in your care for a while, so keep that in mind."

She possessed a mysterious charm.

Even for Encrid, who rarely paid attention to women, she seemed unlikely to be easily forgotten.

The dream was a mess.

It shifted from a flower field to a black river, then the Boatswain appeared, then the woman, and then suddenly a panther.

'Why are you appearing here?'

He asked inwardly, but the panther shook its head and, as if sulking, sharply turned its head to the side.

Finding it incredibly cute, Encrid couldn't resist raising his fingers and scratching the top of its head.

PURRR.

He had heard that the lake panther was a beast of prey, but seeing it like this, it was no different from a cat.

It let out a pleasant cry. The purring sound was endearing even to Encrid's ears.

Then he briefly opened his eyes, and it was truly ambiguous whether this was a dream or reality.

Right before his eyes, the woman he had seen in the flower field and at the black river was embraced in his arms.

And naked, at that.

When he blinked, the woman disappeared, and he saw the top of the panther's head. It seemed it had been a dream after all.

'For a dream, though.'

The heavy sensation of holding her remained in his arms. A fragrance and warmth that couldn't be felt from a small panther lingered, making him feel even stranger.

'The dream felt too realistic.'

Then sleepiness washed over him again, and Encrid didn't bother to fight off the overwhelming urge to sleep.

When he woke up in the morning and opened his eyes, the panther, which never left his arms before he woke, was nowhere to be seen.

"Panth—Esther."

About to call it whatever came to mind, Encrid remembered the name he had given it in his sleep.

At that, he saw the lake panther, standing completely upright, moving on one side of the room.

It was hiding so perfectly in the shadows of the quarters that it was hard to spot without looking closely.

It had blue eyes like a lake and ebony-black fur.

It padded across the floor with light steps and sat down coyly on one side.

It was on the leather laid out in the corner of the quarters for resting. Naturally, it was heated leather.

'Overnight, things have gone beyond abundant to downright luxurious.'

To think even a mere panther was grooming its claws on top of thermal leather.

On it lay some jerky, brought over by either Big-eyes or Rem.

The panther roughly cut the jerky with its claws, tossed it into its mouth, and began to chew.

But why did he feel so empty?

Was it because the little beast that warmed his arms in the morning was gone?

Or was it because the dream felt too real?

He felt like he could draw the naked body of the woman from his dream if asked to.

Of course, he had no skill in drawing whatsoever, so it would turn out to be a complete mess.

That was how vividly it remained in his memory.

'She was pretty, though.'

Her beauty was exceptional. It was on par with the Fairy Company Commander, who boasted an otherworldly beauty.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

"I had a dream, and it stayed so vividly in my memory."

Esther looked at that Encrid. The panther's gaze was peculiar.

When she spoke her name in the dream, her intent might have lingered stronger than expected.

For someone with weak willpower, that alone could have caused mental damage.

Then, what should she do?

Should she figure out a way to do something about it, even in her panther body?

The panther grew serious.

"What kind of dream was it?"

Rem asked, lying down rolled up in the leather.

"Are you a caterpillar?"

"That's right. I'm a caterpillar. A caterpillar that's all talk. So feed me breakfast. Otherwise, this frail caterpillar will starve to death."

This bastard was definitely half-crazy.

Encrid let Rem's words go in one ear and out the other. He was the kind of guy you could do that to.

"So what dream was it?"

Rem asked again. Encrid scratched his chin and answered.

"It was a weird dream."

"Weird?"

Rem tilted his head. Since only his head was sticking out, he made all his expressions using only his face and head. If this was a talent, it was certainly a talent.

"I saw a naked woman."

COUGH! HACK, HACK!

'Hm?'

Encrid's eyes turned toward the panther.

He saw the panther coughing incessantly, as if a piece of jerky was caught in its throat.

"Esther?"

The panther kept its head buried in the floor, ignoring the call.

It was a panther that had radiated an aura of mystery since they first met.

The beast of beasts, the master of the Green Pearl.

The panther with lake-like eyes, the lake panther.

And such a beast was drooling on the floor, hacking up coughs.

HACK!

To the point where it looked like it might die.

"In all my life, I've never seen a panther choke to death eating jerky. So, was she pretty?"

She was incredibly pretty.

But he didn't answer. What was the point of saying it?

It was just a dream anyway.

"Aren't you too sluggish just because it's winter? Rem?"

Encrid said as he got up.

Upon standing, there wasn't a single spot on his body that didn't ache.

Just moving was agonizing.

Still, staying still at times like this would only make his body weaker. It was a fact he knew from experience.

That didn't mean he needed to train, though. In the past, his impatience would have made him push his body even harder.

He knew that doing so would only ruin his body further. Ever since he realized that, he had kept his limits.

He wasn't as impatient as before, either.

'Rest is also a part of training.'

It was something countless swordsmanship teachers had said.

If he loosened up his body moderately today, tomorrow would be a bit easier. The monk gymnastics he learned from Audin should be enough.

"I'm asking if she was pretty."

"What does it matter? It was a dream."

He answered roughly and stepped outside. It was cold again today. His entire body ached, but he began to stretch.

He didn't have many thoughts. Rather, after rolling around in the sparring session, his mind had cleared.

It had always been a question.

'What should I do next?'

For those with talent, those commonly called geniuses, it's said that the path reveals itself even if they don't seek it.

Finding exactly what they lack and need at the moment is also a talent.

Then, what about those without talent?

They try this and try that.

That's where time is consumed. The starting line itself changes.

That was why an excellent teacher was necessary.

The existence of a teacher who could pinpoint and point out one's flaws is always like a treasure.

This time, the Fairy Company Commander had fulfilled part of that role.

Now, someone else had to fill in the rest of his shortcomings.

"Audin."

In the morning, Audin came outside. The cold? He wasn't the type of man to care about such things.

It was to the point where people around him called him a praying bear.

It probably wasn't just because of his size that he was called that.

"Yes, Brother. It's a good day, isn't it?"

A cutting wind swept past between the two of them with a sharp howl. The Border Guard was situated at the northern end of the Penn-Hanil continent.

Meaning it was an exceptionally cold region even within the Penn-Hanil continent.

Thanks to the cloudy sky, the surroundings looked patchy and dim despite it being morning.

But this was just the kind of person Audin was. He took it as it was, whether the sun rose or the rain fell.

Though he couldn't quite bring himself to say "good morning" on days it snowed.

"It is."

Encrid replied. What did the weather matter?

No, it was indeed a good day. Any day where he spent time learning something new was undoubtedly a good day.

"Teach me wrestling."

Encrid was always the same. He did as he always did.

His purpose and will were clear.

Because he always treated his squadmates like this, their current relationship had been built.

Audin tilted his head.

To him, this fellow was a truly unique person.

Seeing his skills improve in just a few days, he had wondered what kind of luck allowed him to become like that.

Encrid, the Squad Leader, was a blazing flame in Audin's eyes.

A flame that burned its surroundings without realizing its own body was burning away.

And because of that, the flame lit up and warmed its surroundings.

When Audin had wanted to turn away and ignore everything in the world, when he had essentially half given up on everything.

That was when he first joined the unit and encountered this man.

["What are you doing right now?"]

It was their first meeting. Encrid had been swinging a club in front of the barracks. It wasn't just any club, but three waterlogged wooden logs tied together with a rope.

["Strength training."]

Would strength easily increase just by swinging something heavy?

It would increase, but it wasn't an efficient method.

He'd be lucky if his body wasn't ruined from doing that.

Audin had thought he'd quit in a few days.

Encrid did not do that. Every day was exactly the same. Even when he went to the battlefield, had duty, or when it rained or snowed.

Even if it meant cutting down on his sleep, he swung his sword.

Audin recalled his past self from back then.

Utter devastation, those two words could likely paint a picture of his past self.

Radiating sheer gloominess, he had asked.

["Your skills are terrible, so why do you do this every day?"]

["If I keep at it, I'll get better."]

He didn't even look offended. Like a calm answer to a tranquil question, he replied like that and resumed what he was doing.

Watching that, Audin felt as if a lightning bolt had struck his head.

'How can he be like that?'

What was it that drove him?

What kind of faith did he have?

There was no scent of religious faith on him.

They say the ability to make an effort is also a talent, but if one wasn't born with anything in the first place, they wouldn't be able to keep up that effort either.

Encrid was that kind of person.

A person betrayed daily by his daily efforts.

A person who, despite being betrayed every single day, kept moving forward every single time.

'What are you?'

After that, Audin steadily observed the Squad Leader.

As he kept watching the Squad Leader, the reason he had felt so despondent felt like truly nothing much.

'Because faith is not something practiced while expecting a reward.'

That day, Audin started praying again.

["Brother, if you keep doing that, your joints will be completely ruined."]

After that, he began to assist with the Squad Leader's training little by little.

Audin looked at people's bodies. It was safe to say he had an eye for talent on par with a Frog's.

If a Frog was called a reader of talent.

Audin could be called a reader of the body, grasping the level of one's physical conditioning after observing the body through the power of acquired effort and talent.

In his eyes, Encrid had to put in twice as much effort as others just to build his body.

His innate skeletal frame was like that.

The quality of his muscles wasn't that great either.

Would he give up just because of that, though?

No, he wouldn't. The Squad Leader he knew wasn't that kind of person.

"To start, you'll have to build your body first. Will you be okay with that?"

Audin asked. Though it was still a day with a biting wind.

Ever since the day he resumed his prayers after watching the Squad Leader, he always thought of it as a good morning.

Except for the days it snowed, of course.

"As much as it takes."

"It will be painful."

"That's fine."

Since it would be better than dying.

That was what Encrid thought.

"It's going to hurt."

"No problem."

It would hurt less than being stabbed countless times and dying.

"What I will teach you from now on is not the monks' gymnastics. It's a technique I developed. It's called the 'isolation technique'."

The name sounded ominous, but he also felt hopeful because of it.

If he was going to learn, it was right to learn it properly.

At this point in time, these were the words of the person with the best martial arts skills among his squadmates, no, among anyone Encrid had ever seen.

"The isolation technique."

Heart of a Beast, Sense of the Blade, Concentrate on a Single Point, and now, the name of his fourth technique.

"It will be a training where you understand with your head and perform with your body, Brother."

"Yeah."

"Then, let us begin."

His tone was completely nonchalant. Encrid nodded as if it were obvious.

And then.

UUUURGH.

A groan rather than a scream began to leak out from one corner of the training grounds.

"This is just the beginning, Brother."

Encrid thought the being Audin prayed to every day might actually be a devil.

The gymnastics they had done before were literally just on the level of loosening up the body.

He had always brushed it off as just the basics.

"We will add strength to your muscles by lifting weight based on your flexibility. Let us proceed."

Audin kneaded various parts of his body, then forced him into a bizarre posture.

It was a posture that felt like it would literally rip his muscles apart.

Why did it feel like the muscles in the front of his thighs were tearing when he was lying face down with his heels pressing into his buttocks?

Audin personally grabbed Encrid's legs and pressed them down.

To Encrid, Audin's hands felt like shackles made of steel.

That was how solid his strength was.

Lacking an understanding of the body, Encrid had to learn the movements of his muscles with his own body.

"It'll be easier if you think of it as dying a couple of times."

He was already thinking exactly that. Because it was truly a continuous string of terrible pain.

To the point where he wondered if it might be better to just die like this.

GRRRGHHH.

Strange groans began to escape from Encrid's mouth.

"It's fine. I know your limits, Brother Squad Leader."

'Why do you know my limits?'

Was Audin actually a crazy bastard?

The thought naturally came to Encrid's mind.

Still, he secretly enjoyed it. Because he looked forward to what he would gain through this torment, Encrid smiled even as he leaked groans and suffered.

"Seeing your expression, it seems you still have room to spare."

No, he had none to spare.

The devil's priest Audin disassembled, split, and tore Encrid's body apart several times that day.

It was a certain day in winter, the end of the four seasons.

It was after he spent three whole days building flexibility.

"Lift it."

Performing restricted movements while holding heavy boulders followed right after.

"Inhale, exhale. Catch your breath. Put air into your belly. You must do this using abdominal pressure, Brother."

The isolation technique was not a skill meant for combat.

It was a technique to modify one's own body.

Half a month. For an entire half-month, Encrid endured it with the feeling of shitting blood.

Then, it became a bit bearable.

When another half-month had passed.

"It's manageable now, isn't it?"

It wasn't as hard as before. The same level of pain was gone. The start had been tough, but it was well worth it.

Because after another half-month, making it a total of a month, the changes in his body had begun.