Eternally Regressing Knight
Chapter 79 - 79 - Dealing with an Idiot
Chapter 79 - Dealing with an Idiot
A thin twig and one person.
An arm drooping, the twig almost touching the ground.
It looked like a sword.
A sword sharper and more pointed than any blade.
After that, there was no need to think, breathe, or do anything else.
Everything happened in an instant and ended in an instant.
Enkrid saw a vision of the battlefield.
The moment the enemy moved their foot, he instinctively struck with his sword.
Whoosh.
The twig Enkrid held cut through the air with force.
It only sliced the air.
Then the enemy's twig touched his neck.
Thud.
'How?'
He replayed the scene in his mind.
He had seen it.
So, it could be said that he was struck despite seeing it.
"It seems everyone says something after it's all over, so I will too. It was about timing."
The man spoke.
The enemy had used a quick strike and applied it like a textbook of orthodox swordsmanship.
It wasn't that the enemy moved first; Enkrid's downward strike was countered.
'Not a block, but a counterattack.'
Enkrid's gaze shifted to the enemy's feet.
The soft arc of the dirt below his boots came into view.
'Twisting the body to hide the centerline.'
It was a basic move.
One could even say it was a simple technique.
Twisting to dodge and thrusting with the sword to finish.
'If it were a battlefield.'
It would have been similar to the first thrust Enkrid had experienced.
Even though he believed he was at a completely different level now.
The gap was vast.
The enemy's skill was overwhelmingly superior.
A normal person would realize their own limits and be engulfed by despair and frustration.
The difference was obvious.
All it took was a single swing of a stick.
"You don't seem that young."
The man casually remarked.
Since it was a question implied, Enkrid responded.
"Thirty. One more round?"
"One more round?"
He nodded.
"Ha."
At Enkrid's nod, the man let out a bitter laugh.
In his eyes, Enkrid was not quite normal.
He had shown the difference between their prowess.
The man had been filled with passion and set out, but seeing the clear limit, he wanted to spare Enkrid the waste of time.
Defeat was painful for anyone.
And it would hurt even more when facing an overwhelmingly superior opponent.
What does it mean to lose?
What happens to someone who faces defeat?
They fall into despair and anguish.
Some may refuse to accept it and struggle.
'Struggling?'
But that wasn't how it appeared.
"It seems like you're stealing the timing to strike. How did you do it?"
He was actually asking to be taught.
There was no sign of embarrassment.
Just like when he first tempted him, his eyes were filled with a silent flame, only watching everything with an intense gaze.
'This guy's insane.'
The thought crossed the man's mind, but he assumed his stance again.
Even though he could see the enemy's skill and limits.
He still wanted to give it another go.
They sparred again, and as expected, Enkrid lost.
He lost four more times.
He never gave up and accepted every blow from Polid.
"You're still not at the level to face him."
Jaxen gave words of advice instead of consolation, but Enkrid didn't particularly need consolation.
Losing, defeat, he had faced it countless times.
He had been beaten by younger talents.
He had been overpowered by mercenaries who took up the sword later than him.
He had even lost to a guy playing vigilante in the village.
He had lost to bandits too.
When he worked as a mercenary, he had been beaten by a bastard who proved that character and skill didn't matter.
He had run away from monsters or beasts countless times.
When a harpy's talon pierced a comrade's heart, he was too busy fleeing.
Had he hung his head each time, Enkrid wouldn't have been here now as a squad leader.
Such things never wounded him.
However.
"Was it fun?"
He was just enjoying it.
Enkrid was honest.
"...Sometimes, the squad leader is too weird."
Enkrid really didn't want to hear such things from his own subordinates.
Jaxen, who he had brought along because he seemed the most normal, was not exactly an ordinary soldier either.
When he had completely ignored Polid earlier, that wasn't normal.
Even now, Jaxen was completely ignoring Polid.
Whenever Polid tried to sneak up, he would say.
"You, soldier, I remember your face. I'm going to be the next head of the Rockfreed clan."
But Jaxen would ignore him completely.
"Hey, hey, why aren't you answering? What's the matter? Are you too scared to speak?"
Still, he ignored him.
"You little... I'll make you regret this later."
And Jaxen still ignored him.
So consistent.
Eventually, Polid had even complained to Enkrid.
Because Jaxen treated him as if he didn't exist, Polid seemed like he was about to go mad.
Enkrid thought Polid looked like someone who would start crying if prodded.
Seeing him pitiable, Enkrid gave him some advice.
"Because you're speaking to him."
A wise answer to a foolish question.
Isn't it because you're speaking to him that he's ignoring you?
You shouldn't have spoken to him in the first place.
Enkrid nodded to himself, proud of his kindness.
The moment Polid heard this, he trembled.
"You, you, you."
Unable to finish his sentence, Enkrid cheerfully walked past him.
"Soldier, you're hopeless."
The company commander said as she watched from the side.
There couldn't have been a more courteous gesture.
Leona had once spit out her tea while overhearing that.
"Hmm, I'd like to say once again how much I truly appreciate this."
And with that, she left those words behind.
But why was she reacting like this after Enkrid showed such kindness with his answer?
The repeated sparring sessions ended after a full day.
Now it was time to wrap things up.
The frontier guards, the company commander, and the unnamed swordsman all made an impression.
Everyone, including Jaxen, could only admire his passion.
But for Enkrid, it was an invaluable experience.
'Especially.'
The swordsman had shown him what a quick sword was, how to counter it, and what one could do by using speed.
There was nothing etched in his mind like a lightning strike just yet.
'It's fine.'
It would prove extremely useful when he hit a wall.
After wiping off the sweat, warming himself by the hearth, and checking his gear, the next morning arrived.
"Squad Leader."
Krais opened the inn's door.
Behind him was the balding Gilpin, holding a man whose face was nearly destroyed.
It seemed unlikely that one would be able to recognize the man after being beaten like that.
"That's him."
The company commander recognized him immediately.
It seemed that the fairy's senses were different from the rest.
"Ugh..."
The foolish Polid hiccupped.
Enkrid wondered how such a man was put in charge of a top merchant guild.
He was curious about what went through the heads of those under him.
'Is he just a puppet to be used?'
If that were the case, then fine.
If not, why would such a swordsman be here by his side?
There didn't seem to be any evidence of him being blackmailed.
"S-show me mercy..."
The captured man spat bloodied saliva, which dripped onto the floor.
He had certainly been beaten badly.
"This man was a bit rough at first, but after a conversation, his temperament softened."
Krais said.
Of course, Krais didn't mean they had a conversation with words alone.
It involved fists and feet.
And it seemed that a knife was also involved.
Looking at the arm, there were visible cuts.
The man had been wrapped in a ragged linen bandage, but the signs were clear.
"I'm the leader. Yes, it was me who caused the trouble, blinded by my obsession with Krona."
The man spouted something without being asked.
"Hold on."
Everyone focused on the man's beaten-up mouth, but it was Leona's voice that brought attention to the room.
"I'd like to know who gave the orders. The responsible one for the interogation is Special Sergeant Torres, right?"
"...That's right."
There were a lot of eyes on them.
Torres nodded, and two frontier defenders placed their hands under the man's armpits.
They started heading upstairs.
Soon, Leona, Polid, Torres, the smooth-talking brown-haired man, and the swordsman who had sparred with Enkrid were all headed upstairs.
Enkrid and the company commander also joined the group and decided to ascend together.
"You two, please finish the guard duties."
With that, Jaxen stayed behind.
To be more precise, he didn't seem to want to part with the Carmen collection's stiletto that was right in front of him.
As everyone was moving, Krais approached Enkrid, who was about to go up, and quietly asked him.
"What's going on?"
"Are you asking because you don't know, or just for confirmation?"
"Let's say I'm asking because I want to get what's mine."
This crazy.... big-eyed Krona hoarder.
It was only natural to expect compensation after working.
But he wasn't about to hand over the stilettos.
"This month's pay from the guild is yours."
Krais had seen Jaxen's lips twitch slightly when he captured the man, as if considering giving the stilettos away.
Taking Carmen Collection from Jaxen's hands was beyond even a skilled person's reach.
That wasn't the plan, though.
Nor was there any intention of wiping his hands clean after sending someone on a task.
Enkrid had no problem offering up the pouch he would receive from Krais.
"It's a promise."
If Krais found out that the payment was Carmen Collection, what would he do?
Would he let it go?
There was nothing to think about.
He would let it go.
That's because it was Jaxen's coveted item.
Krais knew his place within the squad.
Surviving within the squad wasn't something that Enkrid was the only one who learned.
Jaxen, Rem, Ragna, Audin—all of them.
If they wanted something, Krais would cleanly step back.
He never did anything foolish, like sticking his hand in a dog's mouth to check if it would bite.
"We'll meet again later."
Enkrid gently pushed Krais's forehead and made his way upstairs.
The group claimed a room.
In the middle, the leader of the spy group knelt.
Torres stood by the man, hand resting on his sword hilt.
Polid was with three others, and Leona was by herself.
When Enkrid joined the company commander and Leona, the arrangement finally made sense.
Once Enkrid arrived, Leona spoke.
"I know we need to interrogate him separately, but may I ask a few things first?"
She directed the question at Torres.
"Go ahead."
Torres's attitude had been the same since the first day.
He had always been stiff with outsiders from Border Guard.
Leona didn't seem to care about that.
She was once a target of assassination.
Even if it wasn't an interrogation, she had every right to ask a few questions.
It all started with the issue of succession.
The man who had been beaten into pudding.
Leona bent her knees and looked the kneeling man in the eye.
"Who ordered this?"
"I... I don't know. All I know is that they told me to use available resources to target the lady at the inn..."
The man answered, trembling, but spoke clearly, as if he knew that if he didn't, it would be the end for him.
"Do you recognize anyone in this room?"
The man glanced around, briefly eyeing everyone, including Enkrid. He shook his head.
He likely hadn't been the one to directly order this.
Such operations usually involved a few more people in the middle.
From here on, it would be interrogation time.
Polid had been the one to target Leona.
Once that was revealed, the succession issue would be resolved.
Enkrid suspected that would be the case.
"Well, it seems like a few fools who got greedy for my purse decided to cause this trouble."
Leona began to speak unexpectedly.
"...What?"
The leader of the captured spy group tilted his head.
"I didn't do it!"
Then, the foolish Polid displayed his wit.
He didn't even properly listen to what Leona had said before blurting out.
"Who's saying that?"
Leona retorted.
"Eh, no, I mean—"
Polid's eyes began to wildly shake.
It seemed he had completely forgotten about slapping her cheek during their first meeting.
Now, he was acting like this.
Enkrid thought that if he had been in Polid's position, he would have been thoroughly embarrassed.
In the end, Polid stammered, unable to continue, and instead made the dumbest noises his tongue could produce.
Torres frowned.
Everyone else from the guild side, except for Polid, remained calm.
The situation took a strange turn.
They all thought that the blame would fall on Polid.
"Bold," the company commander whispered from behind.
Only Enkrid could hear it clearly.
Bold?
What does she mean?
Enkrid didn't immediately understand the situation.
Curious, he started thinking things through.
When someone acts strangely, there is usually a reason behind it.
Of course, members of the squad, including Rem, often acted without reason.
But Leona wasn't like them.
Enkrid began to reflect on the situation.
Rockfreed Guild, Polid, Leona, the succession issue, the attack within Border Guard, frontier guards, the captured man, Aspen's spies.
He took in all the facts he knew and looked back.
Only then did he realize something and nodded inwardly.
It was something he hadn't thought about while immersed in the sparring and training.
That moment of realization had come.

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