Chapter 414 - 414 - The Demon Slayer, Hero of the Nation, Guardian of the Border Guard, Friend of the King, Dreaming of Becoming a Knight
"Banquet? You should tell them to handle another set of documents instead of wasting time on that."
What exactly is the throne? What is a crown?
Right now, Krang could give a firm answer.
'It's a position where one could die from overwork.'
There was a lot to do. Too much, to the point that his head was ready to explode.
But it was work that had to be done. Krang reduced his sleep and made the royal chef uncomfortable.
"You must eat properly, right?" Marcus spoke beside him.
Krang, chewing on a sandwich, turned to look at Marcus with wide eyes.
He was saying with his eyes instead of words, 'You want me to waste time talking with other nobles, holding a knife and fork and cutting meat while the work piles up?'
"... It's fine."
Marcus saw a new side to Krang. This person was a workaholic. Of course, there were reasons for that.
Still, he had something to say.
"Some nobles are trying to approach Enkrid."
Krang, sandwich in mouth, raised his head from the paperwork.
Marcus continued calmly. "They want the national hero on their side."
Even if Krang had eliminated many of them, how many nobles remained in the capital? At the very least, there were over a hundred.
And if you add in those from other regions?
Not all of them were quick-witted or smart.
There would be some who, loyal as they were, sought to claim their share now that the civil war had ended.
What was the best way for them to claim the largest share?
The king himself had called him a friend.
At the memorial ceremony, the king had yielded his turn to the national hero.
What if they could have such a person in their territory? Or better yet, under their command? Especially when that person's affiliation was still unclear.
He was only a company commander in the Border Guard.
They would try every trick in the book, starting with seduction.
"People change," Marcus said.
After swallowing his sandwich, Krang briefly locked eyes with Marcus.
The two, with their dark under-eye circles, looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha."
"Puhahaha."
Some people change. But Enkrid did not.
"Tell them to struggle. They'll figure it out themselves."
Krang wasn't concerned with the nobles harassing Enkrid. He had something else he wanted to ask Marcus.
"But, is it really okay?"
"Huh? Ah, do you mean the title? Yes, I think it's better that way."
"Hm."
Crang nodded. "I hear Marquis Baisar went to see Enki."
"His senses are a bit dull lately."
Krang really didn't care. Anyone who had worked with Enkrid would understand that.
"So, the nobles wanting to throw a banquet..." Marcus started, but Krang cut him off.
"Can we just seize their property?"
"By force?"
"Yeah."
"Is your closest goal becoming a tyrant?"
It wouldn't be too bad to be a tyrant, right? Krang was momentarily swayed by temptation.
'Why is the royal family so poor?'
As soon as the queen succeeded the throne, she bid farewell and left, taking the court magician with her.
Krang had long thought of himself as someone with nothing. Recently, his biggest concern was how to punish Krona.
Had he known Krais well, he would have wanted to appoint him as the treasury minister immediately.
Of course, this was the pit he had dug himself into. Krang had been a bit too bold with his policies.
The most critical issue, however, was the king's guard.
Krang replaced the king's bodyguard knights.
"I've heard that they keep their position as knight only under the condition that they never leave the palace. Is that something you really want?"
Using some magical power and the mystery of Will, the bodyguard knight had to understand the true meaning of the king's words.
What was he really trying to say?
He had been guarding the king for three generations. Both his grandfather and father had followed the same path. The spell passed down in his bloodline was a chain and a restraint.
"Are you asking seriously?"
When the bodyguard knight asked back, Krang loosened his chains. He allowed him to do what he wanted, go where he wished, and gave him freedom.
The guards were replaced by the old Royal Guard. A man wearing a gray helmet knelt and shed tears.
"I will protect you with my life. Even if I die, I will protect you."
Including Matthew, Krang had re-established the king's personal guard.
He increased the number of guards and raised their pay.
Then, he tried to patch up the palace's broken defenses.
'The treasury must be running low.'
Despite selling off some of the national treasury, this was the situation. Krang didn't look back. There was no time for regret. He had learned this from Enkrid.
'Let's just do what needs to be done.'
Even if the continent were to collapse tomorrow, Enkrid would be the one to sharpen his sword.
What's the problem with emptying the treasury so people can live better lives?
It was an extreme idea with a lot of drive.
No one was there to stop him.
As a result, the ceremony to award merit was delayed. That was why Enkrid was still in the capital.
Rem clearly recognized the difference between himself now and when he first joined the troublemaker squad.
'How did this happen?'
His skills had improved during his time wandering the continent.
There were several reasons, but three stood out: Ragna, Jaxen, and Audin.
Fighting them and not wanting to lose had led to improvement.
'What a miserable situation.'
Thinking that, he looked over at Ragna, who was swinging a sword, and their eyes met.
"What are you looking at, crippled barbarian who can't even walk?"
Rem briefly scolded himself for thinking that his improvement was thanks to those guys.
In reality, the biggest reason was probably due to the existence of Enkrid.
While teaching, he also learned, and as he watched Enkrid's growth, he realized he couldn't afford to slack off.
"Mess around, and you'll die."
Rem told Ragna briefly and began stretching as well. Although he had cast a powerful spell and expected to be bedridden for a month, he quickly recovered.
His skill had improved, and his capacity had grown, making it easier for him to handle such magic. After all, magic is based on the body.
Enkrid was busy checking and refining his own skills while listening to their friendly conversation. Seeing this, Rem approached him.
"You said it's a new Will, right? Show me."
Now that he was able to move somewhat freely, it was a good time to spar. Enkrid, thinking today was the day, grabbed his sword.
Upon visiting the blacksmith to ask for a repair of his broken Silver sword, he was told it couldn't be fixed, as the core was completely shattered.
So, he simply requested a regular longsword and took it in hand. Though he didn't want to blame the weapon, he wished he had something like a Silver sword.
"Do it properly."
Enkrid complied. He infused his eyes with the Will and kept it activated. His sight was sharpened to the point of seeing even a millimeter ahead.
It was a perfect manifestation of the Will that suited his sword, one that captured his opponent.
Enkrid glimpsed the future. He saw Rem's breath, shoulders, hands, and feet.
Rem would swing the hammer in his left hand, and then follow with a diagonal axe strike.
The hammer would be swung at the usual speed, but the axe would be twice as fast.
It was an impressive maneuver, managing both weapons with ease.
In the split moment, the future played out before him.
The hammer Rem swung came flying toward him. Enkrid, despite having a longer sword, stepped forward and crossed his wrist to lift it upward.
This move would block the wrist holding the hammer while stepping on his opponent's foot and aiming to strike with his knee.
Getting this close meant the axe Rem had been swinging could pose a threat, but it would only be able to throw a punch while holding the weapon.
It was a move that forced Rem to do just that.
'That punch will be bearable.'
It was a trade of flesh for bone.
Before clarify could even exhale, their weapons, hands, and feet intersected.
Thunk! Clang! Crack!
After a brief engagement, Enkrid stepped back and looked at Rem.
"How did you do that?"
"Heh, did you think that was invincible?"
It was a response based purely on beast-like instincts.
Enkrid realized again how crazy, yet remarkable, this man was.
The Capturing Sword was an art of maintaining control over the battle and pushing it in his favor.
The future sight and swordplay formed a perfect harmony.
However, Rem broke from the expected movements.
Instead of swinging the axe, he let it go and used his palm to block the knee while headbutting Enkrid.
Enkrid had no choice but to react spontaneously. The final cracking sound came from their foreheads meeting.
Both of them had red lumps rising on their foreheads, looking as though they might bruise.
How could one predict such an attack if it was carried out without giving time to read it?
From that point on, they were simply responding with the techniques ingrained in their bodies.
Rem, inwardly impressed by the headbutt Enkrid had just managed to defend against, didn't speak a word.
A few days passed as Enkrid worked to understand how to counter this new Will he had awakened.
He didn't want to show any signs of overthinking it, nor did he want to praise too easily.
If he offered too much praise, Enkrid might lose his drive to improve. Of course, that wasn't likely, but Rem rationalized this thought and spoke.
"See, это можно сломать вот так. Так что не используй это безрассудно."
Next came Audin.
"Heh, brother. Every technique has its flaws."
Audin, with his more simplistic and brute force style, shattered Enkrid's Will.
He closed in quickly, engaging in close-quarters combat. The raw strength of the bear-like brute was far superior to Enkrid's, whose heart was more focused on refined power.
Audin smoothly applied a joint lock, attempting to dislocate Enkrid's shoulder. Enkrid, however, applied the techniques he had learned, bending his fingers and lifting his palm to break free.
The sparring continued in a similar fashion. Both ended up on the ground, covered in dust.
In the end, Enkrid lost.
"What will you do if I get this close?"
Audin asked, his cheek bruised from Enkrid's strike. Enkrid was about to have his knee crushed, and if more force was applied, it would have been over. Thus, he conceded. However, he made sure to mark Audin's cheek with a blue bruise.
"Hmm."
Enkrid nodded. He still had much to learn.
Ragna joined the sparring next.
He used a much simpler approach. It was a strike that couldn't be blocked, even knowing it was coming.
Frankly, it was more terrifying than the sword strikes Rievart had displayed.
"Do you intend to send him to the lord, brother?"
"That guy's really a madman."
"It's just that he didn't die," Ragna said flatly.
Enkrid wiped the cold sweat from his neck. He had almost repeated the same mistake as before.
He had blocked the strike, but his sword had nearly pierced his chest. If he hadn't been wearing his bandaged armor, he would have been bleeding by now.
But he wasn't dissatisfied. He understood what they were saying.
'Whatever the technique, it must be used continuously until it becomes second nature.'
In reality, the three of them were proving that they weren't being outclassed yet, but Enkrid accepted it as a lesson.
If the dream always seems better than the reality, then it's all the better.
As they focused on their training, a young boy approached.
"Are you Enkrid, the demon slayer, the hero of the nation, the protector of Border Guard, the king's ally, and the free knight in the making?"
Enkrid briefly doubted his ears. Had he heard that correctly?
He had heard rumors about such titles spreading after the battle, but he preferred to focus on training rather than dealing with praise.
"I'm usually called the Immortal Axe," he remarked.
Rem had another nickname circulating, "the noble slayer," after his harsh words to the aristocrats who came at him.
There was also the shadow-walking guard, Jaxen.
The lion-like beast-woman Dunbakel had a similar nickname. Surprisingly, she liked it.
Ragna was referred to as the Merciless Sword.
Though he didn't pay much attention to it.
"Isn't Guide Ragna a better fit?"
At times, this response made Enkrid feel that Ragna was even crazier than Rem.
Audin had a similar nickname: "The Great Bear."
People from afar had said that, and while Audin didn't respond, it was clear he didn't seem pleased by it.
Enkrid looked at the young boy who had called out to him.
"I think just Enkrid or Madman Unit Commander fits best," he said.
Although the official title was Commander of the Border Guard Independent Combat Unit, Enkrid had begun calling his unit the Madman Unit.
After all, everyone under his command was as crazy as he was.
He couldn't do anything about it just because he considered himself the only sane one.
The boy, clearly nervous, began speaking rapidly.
"My lord would like to meet you if you have the time... ah, if that's inconvenient, could you perhaps tell me when you might be free?"
Enkrid didn't want to make the boy more uncomfortable. Gently placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, he asked, "Who is your lord?"
"Oh, it's Lord Somerset."
Enkrid had never heard the name before. Curious, he nodded.
He genuinely didn't want to make the boy feel worse.
The boy's legs were trembling as he moved, filled with a mix of nervousness and awe.
Enkrid followed him. "Another aristocrat?" Rem asked from behind. Enkrid waved him off.
It was better to handle the situation himself than to watch Rem cause trouble.
After all, this person had come to him for a reason.

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