Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 19 - 19 - Fire
Chapter 19 - Fire
Endure today.
Repetition of training and discipline.
Enkrid had always lived this way.
But it was the first time today's repetition had brought him to this particular moment.
"Am I going to die?"
That was the first thought that came to him in response to the company commander's reaction.
She felt the familiar warmth.
He quickly corrected himself.
'If she wanted me dead, she would've done it earlier.'
When did Krang slip away?
He hadn't even sensed Krang's presence leaving.
"Tch."
Even now...
"I'm still lacking."
Enkrid felt the inadequacy of his trained hearing.
It was in his nature to notice such things.
This realization caused him to miss the timing to respond.
The newly appointed company commander, a fairy woman, was staring straight at him.
"You're alive, huh?" she had said.
What was he supposed to say to that?
Enkrid opened his mouth.
"...Should I have died?"
"No, not at all," she replied, her lips barely moving.
The company commander stared at him for a while longer before turning around.
She then retrieved the poisoned needles scattered on the ground and began checking the condition of Vengeance and the sentries she'd brought along, rolling their eyes back to examine them.
'Is she checking to see if any of the soldiers died in the chaos?'
Afterward, she brought one of the poisoned needles to her lips and lightly tapped it against her tongue.
'She must be well-versed in herbalism.'
He'd occasionally seen mercenaries do similar things.
Given the fairies' deep connection to nature, it wasn't surprising that some had a strong understanding of poisons and medicine.
Enkrid remained slumped on the ground, merely watching her.
He had no intention of getting up.
Of course, if someone were to target his neck again, he'd roll or twist away to evade.
But for now, exhaustion weighed on him.
While this wasn't as draining as the first day of repetition, it was still grueling.
If the first day had drained his physical stamina, this time, it felt like his mental strength had been utterly depleted.
He'd evaded countless attacks solely by relying on sound.
Not a single scratch had marked him.
Naturally, that was no coincidence.
How many times had he been caught off guard in the past?
Though he'd been ambushed silently on occasion, he'd also narrowly evaded initial attacks several times.
Repeated patterns were something one could learn.
Even assassins had patterns in their movements.
Enkrid had instinctively learned them.
'So, I've experienced this once already.'
Would it be easier the second time?
No, absolutely not.
Anyone who witnessed the repetition of Enkrid's day, who went through it alongside him, could never make such a claim.
But there was no one who could.
In the isolation of his repetitive days, he was always alone.
Enkrid pressed his temples with his fingers as he sat there.
The excitement hadn't worn off, and his head throbbed faintly.
He had a sense that this would eventually turn into a headache.
Instinctively, he could feel it.
Rustle.
Suddenly, Enkrid sensed something being pointed at his neck.
He reflexively twisted his body to the side and extended his palm.
There, Krang stood, mimicking a motion as if to chop at Enkrid's neck with his hand.
"Do you actually have eyes on the back of your head?" Krang asked with genuine curiosity.
"This doesn't seem like the time to be joking," Enkrid retorted.
The nerve of this carefree guy.
Krang smiled lazily, speaking in his relaxed tone.
"Ah, my bad."
Was the assassin really after this guy?
'If so, why didn't they just kill him? Why come after me first?'
Was it just bad luck?
Could it really be that simple?
No, it couldn't be.
The assassin must have been targeting Krang.
It didn't make sense for an assassin to go after Vengeance or Enkrid.
"Killing me or Vengeance would only invite unnecessary suspicion."
Sending an assassin to eliminate two powerless soldiers?
That would be overkill.
The purpose of an assassin was to kill swiftly and silently.
If they wanted to clean up the aftermath, they could have simply set the tent on fire.
No one would question stab wounds on a corpse burned beyond recognition.
Even if that wasn't the case, there were countless ways to dispose of bodies.
They could erase all traces of blood and toss the bodies in a remote area.
The assumption would be desertion, not abduction or murder.
Especially in this remote field infirmary.
It wasn't a place for officers, just a temporary medical station for lower-ranked soldiers.
Nobody paid much attention to such places.
Of course, even reaching a place like this wasn't easy.
"They were probably after me," Krang said.
It was when the company commander finished tidying up inside and peeked out of the tent.
Krang, crouching beside Enkrid, casually muttered.
"Hmm. Why?"
"You don't seem too surprised," Krang said, glancing at her.
"I am. Believe me," she replied.
"Good poker face you've got there."
Was this really the time for this conversation?
Enkrid almost chided him but stopped himself.
He knew from experience. This man had an unflappable personality.
'Of course, maybe he gets serious when the time comes.'
Though Krang wouldn't remember it, the sight of him delivering a speech that drew in everyone's attention had been burned into Enkrid's memory.
"Are you going to tell us who you really are?"
The company commander's voice, silent and sudden, broke the air.
Krang shrugged lightly and responded.
"I'd say sorry, but no."
If that was an apology, it didn't feel like one.
Krang stood, dusted himself off, and glanced around, locking eyes with the company commander.
"I'm not in a position to give orders, so I'll ask for a favor instead."
It was strange.
He spoke casually, even to someone of higher rank.
This was the sort of behavior that could get him killed if he wasn't a high-ranking noble.
He didn't just talk, though.
With a single step forward...
That was all it took.
The air shifted, just like before.
The same suffocating presence from when Enkrid had asked about his identity enveloped the space.
Krang silently held their gazes.
Two spectators, one performer.
But the performer was like a vortex, pulling everything around him into his orbit.
"Will you do it? Consider it a debt I'll repay."
"Go ahead," the company commander replied with a respectful nod.
Krang offered a gentle smile.
"I hope no one else dies today."
It was small, but his voice carried a quiet yet unyielding strength.
If magic could imbue words, this was how it would sound.
A tone and delivery that made you want to obey.
How could he evoke such feelings?
Enkrid felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
Perhaps it was because he had experienced this once before.
The vortex that drew everything in quickly dissipated.
Krang extended a hand to Enkrid.
"Legs gave out?"
"No, not quite."
Enkrid grasped his hand, his feelings a tangled mess.
"...Did you change your mind about something?"
Watching the two, the company commander asked.
"Let's just say I did."
Krang replied, leaving Enkrid clueless about their conversation.
Not that he felt like asking.
"They probably wouldn't tell me anyway."
The company commander sighed quietly and turned to Enkrid.
"Can you keep what happened today to yourself?"
"Yes, of course."
Given the way she asked, as if ready to slit his throat for a different answer, what else could he say?
He'd glimpsed her skills earlier.
Just one move.
'But how could she parry like that?'
With a single motion, she had deflected Enkrid's attack, sending him sprawling.
He'd love to see that technique again.
But if he did, it would mean his death.
And so, the repetition of today would begin again.
If he refused to stay silent now?
Would she let him live?
No, that wouldn't happen.
There are many ways to keep someone quiet without killing them.
Killing would've been pointless, not to mention suicidal.
"I'm counting on you."
More than anything, Krang's words carried weight.
Though Enkrid had only spent a few days and shared a handful of conversations with Krang, he felt a connection.
The bond they had formed wasn't insignificant, transcending the brief time they'd known each other.
The two had become strangely close, as if time played no role in their camaraderie.
"Keeping secrets is my specialty."
It wasn't an empty boast.
Within the squad, there were several secrets Enkrid had entrusted to him.
Some were critical, others trivial, but none had ever been revealed.
"Well then, we just need to settle this situation."
The company commander spoke, glancing at the torn tent and two fallen soldiers.
"When you say no more deaths, are you including those two as well?"
Krang's question was met with a casual nod from the commander.
No one here truly knew what had transpired.
But if they found out?
Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed best to keep Krang's identity concealed.
The company commander appeared deep in thought.
"When that guard wakes up, will he remember being attacked?"
Enkrid dusted the dirt from his seat as he spoke.
"He probably won't. Even if he does, he wouldn't have seen anything."
The commander spoke with partial confidence, and Enkrid agreed.
After all, how many times had he been caught off guard himself?
The freckled sentry likely fainted without realizing what had hit him.
"Well then."
"Can you carry one of them outside?"
The company commander turned to Enkrid at his suggestion.
"I have a simple and convenient solution. However, it might get me into some trouble. If that happens, I'll need you to cover for me."
Enkrid explained his plan. Krang chuckled upon hearing it, while the commander nodded without a hint of humor.
Whoosh!
"Huh?"
The sentry in front of the barracks, dozing off during his shift, suddenly felt a sharp sting on his cheek and woke up.
As he opened his eyes, a warm heat brushed against his skin.
Half-asleep, he turned his head, only to freeze in shock.
'Fire?'
Yes, it was fire.
Flames were climbing up the front of the tent, embers scattering in the air.
Clink.
The spear he had been holding dropped to the ground, jolting him fully awake.
"F-Fire! Fire! Fire!"
The startled guard shouted, his tongue stumbling over the words in his panic.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!"
He couldn't even manage to shout "Fire!" properly, repeating the word in a panic-stricken tone.
But his urgency was enough to grab the attention of others nearby.
"Fire!"
A patrolling sentry shouted, his voice echoing through the camp and clarifying the situation.
"The infirmary tent is on fire!"
The observant patroller's announcement rang out loudly.
"Fetch water!"
At last, soldiers began sticking their heads out and assessing the scene.
"Damn it, is there anyone inside?"
"Yeah, there's that one soldier!"
The fire that had started at the front of the tent quickly spread upward, engulfing the entire structure.
The chaos of the night had begun.
Thick black smoke and flames rose into the sky.
Even the bravest soldiers hesitated to rush into the burning tent.
"Get water, now!"
The supply company commander shouted, spurring those who were already scrambling for buckets of water.
Splash!
Water splashed onto the flames, momentarily causing smoke to billow, but the fire barely faltered.
"Form a line for bucket passing!"
The commander barked orders, drawing on his experience with logistics to implement an efficient solution.
Soldiers formed a chain, passing buckets filled with water along the line toward the fire.
Thud!
One clumsy soldier dropped a bucket, spilling its contents.
"What the hell? Pick it up, now!"
"Understood, sir!"
The commotion continued as the flames lit up the soldiers' faces.
The supply commander stomped his foot in frustration.
The fire spreading to neighboring tents would be a disaster.
For him, containing the fire was far more critical than saving any lives inside.
As the coordinated efforts began to douse the flames, the commander sighed in relief.
'But what caused this fire?'
The weather wasn't particularly dry, so it wasn't a high-risk season for fires.
Thankfully, the flames didn't spread.
The fire seemed to know its limits, consuming just the one tent before dying down.
"There's someone inside!"
A soldier with sharp night vision pointed out.
"Bring them out! It's a relief they're alive."
The supply commander uttered the words, though he cared more about the fire being contained than the survivors.
Enkrid laid the freckled guard next to Vengeance, whom the commander had carried outside.
"Over here!"
He called out, drawing people over.
"Are you alright?"
"Suddenly a fire..."
"What happened?"
Enkrid, his face smeared with soot, coughed as he answered.
"I'm not sure either...
cough
cough
... It just happened so quickly."
The late-night fire incident was ultimately written off as an accident.
Hoo-oo-oo.
An owl's distant call echoed from the direction of the forest.
It was likely from the woods nearby.
The fairy commander, guided by the sound, compared the map in her head to her current location and moved forward.
She reached her destination—a pebble-strewn stream not far from the camp.
Once there, she spoke.
"If not for that squad leader, things could've been dire."
Just from inspecting the barracks, the commander discerned the assassin's intent.
'Eliminate the ones at the entrance, then go straight for the target.'
The one at the entrance had been Enkrid.
Thanks to him, Krang survived.
Had he faltered even slightly, both he and the target would've perished.
"I see."
Krang exhaled deeply, observing her.
The commander turned away.
"Well then."
With that, she offered a simple farewell.
Her fairy-like footsteps made no sound as she disappeared into the shadows.
She was the commander of the 4th Company, 4th Battalion, Cypress Division.
It was time for her to return to the camp.
The fairy disappeared into the darkness, vanishing from sight.
Watching her go, Krang thought of Enkrid's dream.
'A knight, huh.'
"You've given me an idea of how I should live my life, too."
Krang's words to Enkrid after hearing his dream were genuine.
Though he could deceive others, he had never uttered an insincere word to someone who approached him with sincerity.
Krang had a secret tied to his birth.
But he neither liked his lineage nor the secrets it entailed.
He had avoided them until now.
'Maybe it's time to face it.'
Krang recognized Enkrid's talent at first glance.
Despite the odds, Enkrid dared to dream of knighthood.
Most people would dismiss the idea as absurd.
Some would mock it outright.
Yet, he pursued it.
Krang sensed in Enkrid's resolute fists a determination that would not waver.
People like that rarely changed.
"What an amusing friend."
A strange sense of closeness lingered.
As the clouds above cleared, moonlight began to shine once more.
Krang continued walking, sensing that a different life awaited him.

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