Chapter 93 - Is it a Result of Coincidence, or a Moment of Overlapping Inevitability?

"Balaf Style Combat Technique, on a bed, the planted foot is uncomfortable. So, what must be done to make it comfortable?"

Audin asks. Encrid pondered for a moment before answering.

The two men on the narrow bed were incredibly serious.

"Apply force?"

At first, he thought they were intentionally learning the trick to throwing a punch in a narrow and uncomfortable space.

"No. You cannot. A bed is a place to lie down. We will hone techniques for when lying down."

He said a bed is a place to lie down.

After the first combat technique training, he could tell that Audin washed much more often than he had thought.

Because even with his head trapped in Audin's armpit and his limbs suppressed, he didn't smell any sour body odor.

On the narrow bed, they moved their hands and feet, bending and grabbing joints to suppress. No, he was suppressed.

"The bed is narrow. Rather than complex movements, use fast movements."

It was learning. It was teaching. It was a sip of water given to a thirsty man wandering the desert.

To Encrid, it was exactly that.

Because of that, he focused far beyond an attitude of simple listening.

Of course, they were tricky techniques to use in actual combat.

But while taking requests and wandering around, he did put them to use here and there.

For example, when grabbing and bending the wrist of a drifting pickpocket.

"Since Gilfin appointed himself the guardian of the night, it seems like the drifters are increasing, huh?"

Pickpockets get their wrists cut off if caught.

He looked young. Twelve years old at best? So he handed him over to the Gilfin Guild.

He heard later that the kid got beaten half to death, but.

That would be better than getting his wrist cut off.

Aside from that, he always tried to utilize it wherever he could.

However, there would be no better opportunity than now.

The moment he met the Company Commander's knife-hand, Encrid stepped back with his right foot.

Keeping his left foot forward, if he pulled his retracted right foot up to the position of his left foot, bent his knees, and then extended them while kicking off the ground.

It could become an explosive charging step.

Using the elasticity of his whole body like that, he stretched his right hand straight out.

It was a stab. Though executed with a knife-hand, its core did not change.

It was just like when he saved Krang.

When the Company Commander tore open the tent of the Medical Barracks and came in, Encrid had held a dagger in his hand then, but now it was only replaced by a knife-hand.

The Company Commander also reacted the same way as back then.

She swung her right hand from the inside out, striking away Encrid's wrist. The trajectory of the stab was diverted by that hand gesture.

The Company Commander's foot kicked Encrid's heel.

Back then, he had suffered it helplessly.

But not now.

Right before his foot was kicked, he lifted it to dodge, and using his left foot as an axis while keeping the twisted posture from the knife-hand stab, he leaned his body and pushed.

What was the biggest difference between the Fairy Company Commander and himself?

'Weight.'

"Grasp the opponent's weakness, and bring them down with your own strength. Brother."

Encrid followed Audin's words. He didn't clumsily exchange moves and simply tackled her.

"Mmph!"

The Company Commander let out a short groan. She kicked Encrid's thigh with the sole of her foot, but.

Encrid endured the impact and ultimately pinned down the Company Commander with his body.

While pinning her down, he grabbed her wrist, pushed it outward, and wrapped his own legs between the Company Commander's legs.

At that, with the Company Commander lying on her side, her left hand was caught stretched forward, and her legs were intertwined, binding her four limbs.

"It seems I've won."

Encrid said after catching his breath.

The Company Commander only turned her head. They were close enough to feel each other's breath.

Soon, she opened her mouth.

"A human's proposal is quite different from a fairy's."

A floral scent came from the Company Commander's mouth.

It was another fairy's joke.

Staying pressed together like that, he could see the Fairy Company Commander's lips.

They surely looked soft, but.

"... That's not it. Nothing like that."

Encrid tried to immediately release the hold and get up, but this time, conversely, the Company Commander wrapped her legs around Encrid's waist.

He stumbled for a moment, but since Encrid's core strength was exceptional and the Fairy Company Commander was light, he held his ground.

"You have a strong waist."

Was it the listener's fault for not hearing the Company Commander's words literally?

Or was it the speaker's fault?

'It's not really something to quibble over.'

"Please get down."

The Company Commander, who had been half-hanging onto him, got down. Then she stood up straight and brushed off her body.

She was covered in dust from scuffling on the training ground floor.

The Company Commander slapped her own rear with her palms to dust off her pants.

Because she happened to be wearing tight-fitting pants today, he thought it looked like a rather peculiar posture depending on how one looked at it.

"You've improved."

"Yes, I have improved."

The single remark she spat out after.

Encrid obediently agreed.

Wasn't this all started to show his actual skills?

Exploiting a momentary opening and the opponent's weakness to seize victory.

The Balaf style suppression technique mixed into it.

Since everything was proof that his skills had improved, he could agree with the Company Commander's words.

The Company Commander did not speak for a moment, a very brief moment.

Then, she said.

"I'll just say I'm sorry I couldn't stop it, for now."

As he tilted his head at the sudden remark out of nowhere.

"Just know that the platoon's replacement personnel will arrive by today."

Encrid was about to ask what she meant, but stopped himself.

The Company Commander was already turning around and heading back inside.

Would pressing her for answers make her tell him anything?

He didn't think so.

Judging from what she said, it seemed like something he would naturally find out as time passed anyway.

'Since she said she's sorry she couldn't stop it.'

He also understood that it was some kind of order handed down from a higher-up.

When it came to being quick-witted, Encrid was at a fairly high level too.

Because it was a necessity for surviving with clumsy skills.

'I'll find out soon.'

He decided it would be better not to pay it any mind.

Rather than fussing over pointless things, it was better to swing his sword one more time during that period.

* * *

The Battalion Commander had been replaced.

It made sense. It wasn't a battlefield fought bit by bit through local skirmishes, but rather foreshadowed an all-out war.

The events of the previous battlefield carried over, expanding the front lines.

The fight had grown larger.

So, it was only right that a Battalion Commander specialized in combat should come.

"My name is Marcus."

Battalion Commander Marcus.

A man who once sought the rank of a knight, but ultimately failed to overcome the wall of talent.

One could say he was a core officer under Cyprus, possessing experience serving in various units, including the Border Guard.

He didn't care in the slightest about the stupid things the previous Battalion Commander had done.

"The only ones worthy of being called the main force are the Border Guard and the Turtle Company, right? The rest of the grunts are just for making up numbers, so establish a strategy based on that. You can do that, right?"

He was a man whose head was entirely filled with war.

And the rumors circulating within the unit reached his ears as well.

"The troublemaker Squad Leader? He's a Platoon Commander now? How unique. You're saying he was lucky?"

That was after receiving a full report on everything that had happened up to that point.

It didn't seem like something that could just be chalked up to good luck.

Anyone would probably think the same thing.

From here, Battalion Commander Marcus took it one step further.

"How about testing that luck one more time?"

It was just one soldier; if he had to be sacrificed, it couldn't be helped.

But if the goddess of fortune truly kept an eye on him and let him live, there was no reason not to use it.

What if it wasn't luck? Would he die? Even so, he was just one soldier.

Either way, it wasn't a losing prospect.

This was the full picture behind what the Fairy Company Commander had said.

That she was sorry she couldn't stop it.

"Send him."

It was a unit formation for both espionage and covert operations. It was a direct order from the Battalion Commander. There was no way to stop it.

'I'd like it if he came back alive.'

It wasn't because she actually thought of him as a mate like in her joke.

'He's that much of a talent.'

His background was clean, and he was tied to 'Krang'.

It was because of a favor Krang had asked for, and because she herself thought it would be a shame to lose him.

His skills, his spirit, and his courage.

He was a guy who was to her liking in every way.

Therefore.

'Come back alive.'

She could only hope for that much.

* * *

"This isn't just a support mission."

Encrid knew that Rem was just as quick-witted as he was.

It was a mission handed down while they had been running various errands.

A mission was given to cross the Penn-Hanil River to the north of the Border Guard and scout the surrounding terrain.

Encrid drew a topographical map in his head.

Heading east from the Border Guard led to the Green Pearl.

Above that was the Penn-Hanil River.

And if they crossed the Penn-Hanil River and advanced northeast, a city would appear.

It was Aspen's fortress city built strictly for military purposes, Crossguard.

The destination of the mission was the very location of Crossguard.

So on the surface, this was a terrain-scouting mission, but.

'In reality, it's espionage.'

It was added that detailed explanations regarding the mission would be provided once they crossed the river.

"And they specifically picked just you, Captain?"

Jaxon also frowned after grasping the details of the handed-down mission from beside them.

Was it a troublesome matter?

It was. Encrid knew it too.

Let alone the fact that it wasn't the kind of job that should be handed down to him.

'This is it.'

What the Fairy Company Commander had said.

"Why? Terrain scouting? Rumors are spreading that an all-out war will break out soon, so where are you supposed to go?"

The newly arrived platoon member said. It was a face Encrid knew well.

Henri. A soldier who used to be a Plains Hunter.

He recalled him saying that he wanted to return to the plains once the previous battlefield was over.

Yet he was still remaining in the city.

"Even if I want to go back, if an all-out war breaks out, it's pretty much a lost cause to live on the plains anyway, isn't it?"

That was the reason.

Besides him, two more joined.

Andrew, the immature Squad Leader, had now become a real Squad Leader.

And beside him, of course, was Mac.

So the number of people who joined was three, and officially, Andrew had become the Squad Leader of this unit.

Of course, it was a structure that had no chance of working on Rem and the other squad members.

The actual number of personnel was barely nine in total, so what was the need for a Squad Leader here on top of everything else?

Much less, who would listen to his words?

"If it's something like this, I'd probably be a better fit."

Henri said.

"That's because it's not just terrain scouting. Brother."

Audin spoke with a gentle smile, and seeing that, Henri's shoulders flinched.

It was a natural reaction for anyone seeing Audin for the first time.

A massive man spoke to him in a soft tone with a smile. It was incredibly awkward, as his intimidating fists and sheer bulk completely filled one's vision.

He would need some time to adjust for a while.

"A direct order from the Battalion Commander? Can't we ignore it?"

Ragna, who had been snooping around, casually threw out a thoughtless remark.

If we ignore it, that's insubordination. You bastard.

Normally, he would have thought they got caught up in something real nasty.

Because it was a high-risk mission no matter how you looked at it.

It was the enemy nation's fortress city where an all-out war was about to break out. Just getting near it was a huge risk.

'Is the goal to receive information from a spy planted inside the city?'

Encrid roughly tried to guess the purpose of the mission. It seemed plausible.

It was certainly a necessary task.

It was a job someone had to step up and do.

Normally, it would be proper to separately use those who specialize in this kind of mission.

'Seeing as the Company Commander said she couldn't stop it.'

It meant the Battalion Commander had stepped in personally.

That would be the reason the Battalion Commander's official seal was stamped here.

"What do we do?"

The Platoon Commander who came to deliver the mission looked around and hesitantly asked.

"What else can we do."

Encrid didn't hesitate at all. It was something he had to do anyway.

'If it's actual combat.'

He was always nothing but welcoming.

More than anything, he was at a point where he had reflected on the fact that if he did his best in any situation, there was always something new to learn, master, and realize.

In fact, his heart was even pounding with excitement.

Just what kind of things would happen?

Was this the wall given by the Boatswain?

If not, was it just a passing event?

Was it a result of coincidence?

Was it a moment of overlapping inevitability from the things he had done?

None of that mattered.

If something blocked his path, he would simply smash through and move forward.

That was Encrid's life.

"I accept the mission."

At Encrid's words, the expressions of all the squad members soured.

"I should tag along."

Ragna said, but that wouldn't be easy either.

While the Battalion Commander's intentions couldn't be known exactly, an order was attached stating that the squad members, excluding Encrid, were to remain on standby under the command of the newly arrived Squad Leader.

Guessing from the order.

'He left behind those who are guaranteed to perform well on the battlefield. And only pulled me out.'

Even he had no idea what the Battalion Commander was thinking by giving this instruction.

Who would have known.

That based on the rumor of him being a lucky soldier, the man had done the crazy thing of deciding to test that luck.

This Battalion Commander named Marcus wasn't normal either.

That was to be expected as well.

An officer mad for war—that was the nickname attached to Marcus.

He was the kind of guy who would do anything to win.

And Encrid was merely the start of it.

"Don't worry. I'll handle it well and come back."

There was no chance of dying. As long as 'today' repeated, and as long as he accepted overcoming that 'today' as a given.

As Encrid tossed the remark out lightly, Rem's brow shot upward.

"Handle it? Weeeeeeell? You think that's gonna work? You've still got a long way to go. This won't do. Let's do some special training today. Special training!"

Ragna, Jaxon, and Audin weren't much different from Rem in their reactions.

"Have you caught the rhythm?"

"Let's learn how to stab someone from behind."

"Hoho, it seems it is time to learn the Balaf Style bed combat technique more deeply."

Andrew, standing there, glanced at everyone before opening his mouth.

"Now, since I'm the Squad Leader, I think everyone should follow my orders."

It was an order handed down from above. Andrew wasn't acting arrogant like before, but was genuinely trying to follow orders.

That was all, but.

"Don't make me laugh!"

Rem threw a fit. His usual fit. Nothing extraordinary.

He suddenly leaped forward and immediately smacked the back of Andrew's head.

His fist was so fast it couldn't be seen.

He rushed in and struck before Andrew could even react.

*WHACK! * Struck in the head, Andrew's eyes unfocused as he collapsed sideways. Mac, who was beside him, caught him.

"What?"

Seeing the collapsed Andrew, Mac snapped his head up in a flare of anger.

Those were the words of Rem upon seeing that.

Assaulting a superior.

It was the title attached in front of Rem's name.

Rem glared, and Mac looked at him for a moment before speaking after confirming that Andrew had only fainted.

"I didn't even say anything."

What could he do? There was such a massive difference in combat power.

That clumsy resistance would only be met with violence in return.

It was a fact he already knew.

That was why he hadn't wanted to come here.

But he couldn't stop Andrew from volunteering either.

'Hah.'

Life was so twisted. Mac lamented.

Henri watched the situation and became certain.

'You really die if you run your mouth carelessly.'

Only then did he feel like he understood why this was the troublemaker squad.

He had only come here because of Encrid, but it was a moment where he felt a bit of regret.