Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 8 - 8 -Snake, alcohol, flowers, knife.
Chapter 8 -Snake, alcohol, flowers, knife.
The surface-level reason is not wanting to die further.
Enkrid felt a different kind of fear as he repeated "today."
It was the fear of becoming complacent, the fear that if he did, such an opportunity might never come again.
That was fear for Enkrid.
"Is this what I wanted?"
To settle for today was to live a life of stagnation.
A life where one couldn't move forward.
Hoping for tomorrow was a natural human instinct.
Enkrid, after all, had been a person who dreamed of a better tomorrow despite his lack of talent.
And there was a reasonable and sound reason for that.
"I've learned everything I needed to."
No matter how much more he trained here, there was little to be gained.
If that was the case, then it must be time to move forward toward tomorrow.
"What happens if I survive?"
Does that mean today ends?
He had pondered this countless times.
To put it simply, he didn't know.
He didn't know what would happen after surviving.
"If I can move forward."
Then, let's move forward.
He had lived his life this way.
Above all, Enkrid needed conviction.
Could he truly see tomorrow after repeating today?
He didn't know.
Therefore, he challenged it.
The mindset of a challenger was a part of his everyday life.
Today would be a long day.
He would need to use everything he had built up until now.
"How did you do it?"
"Luck."
"Is that something you can just call luck?"
As soon as they exited the tent, Krais asked, eyes wide open, even more than usual.
The dealer, who had rolled the dice, was in a daze.
But instead of causing a ruckus, he didn't question it.
It was his own hand that had rolled the dice.
Thanks to that, Enkrid was able to calmly stand up and leave.
There was nothing to feel guilty about.
He had never cheated.
He simply had known all the numbers the dice would throw, like mimicking an oracle.
"I'll buy you a beer in the village later."
A soldier, who had made a good profit thanks to Enkrid, slapped him on the shoulder as he passed.
"Really, it's just luck. I'm no good at gambling."
As Enkrid turned to walk, Krais quickly followed.
"If not having a talent for it means that, then talented people must all be buried in krona."
"Sometimes luck just follows."
"...If you get this lucky twice, your pockets won't just be full, they'll burst."
While walking, Enkrid handed Krais seventeen silver coins.
Clink.
The sound of silver coins clinking made Krais quickly pocket them.
Krais took the coins with a nonchalant expression, as if saying, "Well, it's none of my business."
Then, he suddenly stared at Enkrid and rolled his big eyes.
"I figured it out."
Figured what out?
Enkrid asked with a glance.
Krais smiled broadly and continued.
"You're trying to seduce the commander who's coming tomorrow, aren't you? That's why you want flowers? Though, roses or lisianthus would have been better than white horse flowers."
Gambling aside, the things Enkrid had asked him to get were quite peculiar.
"...Do you think that'll work?"
What's going on in this guy's head?
There were rumors that the new battalion commander arriving tomorrow would be a woman.
But do you think giving a bouquet of flowers would make her fall for him?
That wouldn't even work on a village girl.
Of course, if someone with Krais's face was involved, maybe it would, but...
No, it still probably wouldn't.
It would be a gamble.
At best, he'd break even, and at worst, it could lead to an instant execution for insulting authority.
"The squad leader also has a pretty decent face, though."
"Do you ask all sorts of things when I ask for something?"
If he didn't run around to find the things he needed, he wouldn't be able to get them in time for lunch.
Looking at Krais, Enkrid silently gave him the signal.
Krais nodded and turned, knowing exactly what needed to be done.
He would have to move quickly.
Enkrid would also need to move swiftly, depending on how much time Krais spent gathering the items.
Now, it was time to rest.
Enkrid leisurely ate breakfast.
The meal was a soup made with crushed barley and wheat, hard bread, and dried meat.
The meat only came once every three days.
Fortunately, today was one of those days.
If it weren't, he wouldn't have seen any meat for days in the repetitive cycle.
Normally, he'd break the bread into the soup and eat it, letting it dissolve in the broth.
After a few bites, the broth thickened, and though it was tasteless, it was at least satisfying.
Once the dried meat was torn up and mixed in, the flavor became just right.
Enkrid chewed thoroughly.
Eating was the fuel for action.
Regardless of skill, soldiers who had eaten well performed better than those who had been starving for days.
The warm broth slid down his throat, settling in his stomach.
After repeating that a few times, the bowl was empty.
"Tasty? The flavor of exploiting your comrades for food?"
Rem came over, grumbling.
"Very."
"Yeah, I suppose it's fine to eat without being picky. I've never seen anyone who's picky about food living long. We've got one of those in our squad."
"Though, that person seems to keep surviving well."
"Not for long."
Rem, who had been muttering curses about a squad member, soon grabbed his bowl and walked off.
It was time to scrub the dishes quickly.
After filling his stomach with thick soup and bread, Enkrid took out a greased cloth and carefully wiped his sword, then dried it with a clean cloth.
The new sword wasn't made from famous steel nor crafted by a renowned blacksmith, but it was quite usable.
Its weight distribution was solid, and the blade was sharp.
It was sharp enough to cut through thick cloth armor or thin leather armor.
After finishing with the sword, Enkrid stepped outside the tent, and Krais appeared.
He came walking, his head swiveling from side to side, and Enkrid called out to him.
"Big Eyes."
Krais came over, holding a bundle in his hand.
"Here."
The bundle, as expected, was the item Enkrid had asked for.
When Enkrid received it, it was exactly as he had hoped.
Five throwing knives, mixed with some impurities.
The quality was poor, but the leather was well-oiled, and there was a large needle.
"I only managed to get one deer-skin glove."
Enkrid rubbed the blade of a throwing knife with his finger as Krais spoke.
It was true.
Instead of a pair, there was only one left-hand glove.
"So here."
Krais handed him a coin.
"It was two coins for the deer-skin gloves, so here's one back."
That Krais, he really knows how to make money.
Enkrid already knew this.
He could have insisted on the full price, but that would waste time, and there was no need for it.
Better to focus on today's tasks.
There wasn't much time to waste.
Krais had brought him dried white horse flowers.
"It wasn't even worth confessing to that girl, was it? She couldn't even get me fresh ones."
That swindler.
Enkrid nodded.
He had expected this.
Who on the battlefield would get a dozen fresh flowers?
"Instead, I got twelve stems."
At least he was an honest swindler.
"And here."
Krais pulled out a small pouch.
When he opened it, white powder was inside.
If the deal had gone wrong, Krais likely intended to pretend he couldn't get the powder, only to later claim he had just managed to acquire it.
It was a transparent trick, but Enkrid didn't mind.
He had everything he needed.
"Good work."
"But what exactly are you going to do?"
Krais was genuinely curious about what this good-natured squad leader might do next.
"I was thinking of doing some sewing and maybe brewing some alcohol."
At that, Krais couldn't help but tilt his head.
Sewing?
Brewing alcohol?
Why all of a sudden?
"Well, I guess I understand."
Krais didn't press further and left, while Enkrid carefully strapped his knife to his waist and tossed the rest into the tent.
Then, he walked with purpose.
His steps were already set toward his destination.
Without slowing, he headed toward the outer edge of the barracks.
A soldier, spotting him, called out.
"Hey, what's up? The 44th squad leader? If you're going to take care of business, don't go over there."
"Why?"
"Someone peed over there yesterday and got bitten by a snake. A venomous one. Not particularly deadly, but he's been scratching himself all day in agony."
"I'm in a hurry. I'll be quick."
"I warned you."
It wasn't the soldier's job to actively stop him.
He let Enkrid go.
'As long as his luck isn't too bad, it should be fine.'
The soldier thought to himself as he turned away from Enkrid.
Enkrid walked slowly, glancing around.
The outer edge of the barracks had been designated as a restroom area.
A few foul-smelling pits and some large trees stood surrounded by dry leaves.
Enkrid carefully avoided the stinky area and scattered the white powder.
He then crouched down in an area devoid of grass, picked up a nearby twig, and sharpened one end with his throwing knife.
Using the knife's edge like a saw, he repeatedly scraped at the twig, then used force to shape the tip by shaving off the sides.
After several strokes, the end of the branch split in two, forming a spear-like point.
From the outside, it might have looked like he was just wasting time, but his true intentions were different.
Even as he worked, Enkrid kept an eye on the dry leaves around him.
No more than a few moments passed after finishing his work and sipping a cup of tea when the leaves rustled.
Snakes dislike white powder.
Since he had spread some in one area, it was natural for the snakes to avoid it.
Snake hunting was something he occasionally did.
If you caught a good venomous one, you could sell it for a decent price.
Once, while selling snakes to a drunkard in the city, Enkrid had asked what the drunkard used them for, and the drunk had chuckled and replied:
"You've never tried snake alcohol? Don't speak if you haven't tasted it."
A hearty drunk, indeed.
Shasha-sha.
A snake wriggled, emerging from the dry leaves.
It had a brown body and a suitably angular head.
Enkrid pressed the twig to the snake's neck.
Thunk.
With that simple motion, he combined a learned thrust.
The snake couldn't escape.
He then struck the snake's head with the back of his knife, knocking it unconscious.
'One down.'
Enkrid repeated the process several times.
After scattering all the remaining white powder, he kept going until no more snakes appeared.
It didn't take long.
Before the sun had fully passed overhead, it was done.
Enkrid had caught five snakes.
He carefully held each snake by the mouth and pressed it into a flask lined with thin leather.
The snakes, having woken in a panic, started leaking venom from their fangs.
After repeating the process five times, he stuffed the remaining snakes into a thick leather pouch.
"Constipated? I was just about to go check if I'd been bitten by a snake, because you were not coming out."
It was the soldier from earlier, looking serious, as if genuinely concerned.
"Thanks to you, I'm feeling better."
Enkrid mumbled something in passing and quickly walked off.
Behind the barracks where Enkrid was, a squad leader's had been doing needlework.
This squad leader, with decent skills, had learned sewing from watching his mother, and his craft wasn't bad at all.
But he never considered making a living from sewing and enlisted instead.
On top of that...
'He's got a serious love for alcohol.'
That was what Enkrid knew about his squad leader.
Enkrid tossed a bundle of leather in front of the hungover squad leader.
"Got a minute?"
Though the squad leader didn't look great, his sewing skills were undeniably useful.
Enkrid had already had him patch things up for him a few times.
Even if the squad leader threatened to report it to the company commander, he'd still do the job, though with subpar stitching.
"Make me some pads for my hands, knees, and elbows with this."
"Why should I?"
The squad leader frowned. It was a natural response; they weren't exactly close.
But Enkrid didn't have the luxury of time to explain.
He needed the work done fast to ensure he'd have it before the battle.
"You got any hidden alcohol?"
At the mention of alcohol, the squad leader's face shifted.
His temper flared, and his brows twitched.
With his boar-like appearance, it wasn't hard to imagine him being quick-tempered.
Still, it was surprising that someone with such a rugged look could be so delicate with needlework.
"If you make some with this, it'll taste amazing."
Enkrid set down the bundle with the wriggling snakes on the table.
The snakes began to dance wildly across the leather.
"Snakes?"
The squad leader didn't even look inside but spoke up.
"Ever had snake alcohol?"
The squad leader nodded, clearly familiar with it.
"You know it tastes incredible, right?"
Enkrid hadn't tasted it himself, but he knew from the boisterous drunkard.
This was the moment of truth.
"If you haven't tasted it, you wouldn't know the flavor."
Enkrid repeated, and the squad leader vigorously nodded.
"I'll give you some snakes.So make this for me."
"How'd you know I'm good at sewing?"
"I overheard the company commander talking about it."
That wasn't true.
The squad leader had been drunk and confessed it directly.
But that didn't matter.
"Shut up, you loudmouth."
Despite the grumbling, the squad leader grabbed the needle.
It was a fair trade.
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
"Fine, fine, I get it."
The squad leader's eyes didn't leave the wriggling snake pouch.
He must really like snake alcohol.
Enkrid returned to the barracks, grabbed what he left before, and headed toward the training ground where Rem was.
No one spoke to him along the way.
In moments like this, being part of the 44th Squad was nice.
It was a unit that served as both outcasts and misfits.
Behind a small hill, where few people passed by.
Enkrid, wearing the deer-leather glove, crushed white dead flowers against a stone. He repeated the process until the white petals turned dark green, then mixed in the snake venom.
Normally, snake venom only caused mild itching, but when combined with white horse flower, it was different.
Seventy-seven days ago, an enemy soldier who had fallen victim to this venom, was paralyzed and started laughing at Enkrid.
It was a process Enkrid had learned well.
After crushing the flowers, mixing the venom, and creating a sticky green liquid on a flat stone, Enkrid coated his throwing knife with it.
The blade shimmered under the sun, reflecting a dull greenish hue.
'Now, it's ready.'
Thud! Thud!
"All units, assemble!"
A loud call rang out from inside the barracks.
Enkrid knew well from repeated experience.
It was the summons for the battle order.

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