As far as Enkrid knew, Krais was not a person who clung to things that were impossible.
"You're not needed."
At the Mercenary King's words, Krais quickly abandoned his pursuit, just as he had been doing.
"Yes, I see!"
In reality, Krais never had any real intention of following him.
If he had, his change of attitude wouldn't have been so quick.
"Isn't there a gift, perhaps? You've come as a guest."
Instead of giving up what the king liked, Krais focused solely on his goal: the king's gold.
Enkrid had heard rumors about a warehouse filled with gold in the eastern regions while traveling across the continent. There were also stories about a thief guild that united to try and steal it, only for none of them to survive.
Enkrid dismissed the rumors.
"Gold, huh."
It must be a lot.
That was the extent of his thoughts.
He didn't need that much gold, so there was no point in learning more.
Rem, Ragna, Audin, and Jaxen felt the same way.
The Madmen's unit was full of those with no attachment to Krona.
But Krais was different.
His eyes glowed with an unusual light.
It was as if the ghost of a vengeful spirit, abandoned by a lover and trapped in a ruined house for a hundred years, had taken hold of him.
As Krais spoke of gold, there was a burning heat in his eyes, a madness in his gaze.
Still, Enkrid thought the situation was too bad, even if the person was Krais.
"A gift? You want me to give you the gold from the east, don't you?"
"I would appreciate it."
"No."
"You are the King of the East. Isn't your heart supposed to be as vast as the land?"
"I am not such a generous person."
"You are the King of the East! Do you mean this meeting has no significance for you?"
"I can't hear you."
Enkrid thought the King of the East wasn't particularly good at speaking, but he was incredibly skilled at drawing people into his pace.
Krais didn't get angry. He didn't even grind his teeth. He simply continued with the same smile and tone as before.
"Is that so? Then I'll ask you again tomorrow."
From a distance, it might seem like a friendly conversation. The king nodded and smiled.
For a moment, Enkrid worried.
If Krais ended up getting striked, it would be hard to meet him again in this lifetime.
"Are you sure about this?"
Enkrid asked Krais, who had just left the king's presence.
Krais, his back turned to the king, silently mouthed the words.
"That bastard is such a petty man?"
Krais wasn't someone who would be easily sent away, and Enkrid himself still had much to learn. So he considered him a valuable teacher.
"Do you know who you're talking about?"
When asked again, Krais frowned, nodded, and answered.
"Yes."
"Even so, do you still want the gold?"
"Yes."
Enkrid looked at Krais with eyes that questioned the reason behind his demand.
Krais, tossing his thumb over his shoulder, explained.
"He is the King of the East. Do you think someone like that would kill people recklessly? Especially when he's come here with the intention of recruiting talented individuals? He'll try to leave a good impression rather than a bad one, so he won't act rashly. And besides, it's gold from the East. You may not know this, but Lewis Mountain steel and Uber Mountain silver both come from the East. Should I just let that opportunity slip by?"
The first part of his reasoning was to reassure Enkrid that there was no need to worry.
Krais must have read the concern in Enkrid's eyes, which was why he started with that.
The fiery glow in Krais's eyes clearly indicated one thing: gold.
Would Krais succumb to the immediate threat just because of the gold?
No, Krais wasn't that foolish.
A knight would never kill someone who made a reasonable request. Since the person in question was the King of the East, he wouldn't act recklessly.
Moreover, the king came without large-scale escorts, with just two people, which showed his unpretentious nature. He had even trained with Enkrid's leader and offered some guidance.
When considering all this, it became clear what kind of person the King of the East was.
Krais understood this very well.
"But, Captain."
Just then, Krais, his golden eyes losing their intensity, called out to Enkrid.
"What is it?"
Enkrid, having finished a hundred downward cuts, wiped the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand.
"You're not going, are you?"
The King of the East didn't try to hide his intentions. Still, he didn't seem unpleasant, which was a sign of his natural charm.
He wanted to take everyone, including Enkrid, to the East.
But Enkrid himself had never received such an offer.
Rem, Ragna, Dunbakel, Audin, and Teresa had all been given that offer, but Enkrid hadn't.
Though the king had made similar remarks upon meeting him for the first time, he had never brought it up again afterward.
Was it out of pride? Or did he not want to bring up a suggestion that had already been made?
That wasn't the case. The king was simply someone who repeated the same words diligently.
However, he didn't do that with Enkrid. Instead, he had only engaged in training and offered brief advice.
What if the king had asked him to go along? Enkrid instinctively knew the answer.
"I'm not going."
It was a statement he made with certainty.
Krais let out a sigh of relief, but a subtle unease lingered in his heart.
"If the captain leaves, will the five walls of this border hold up?"
Krais had been subtly recommending the expansion of the city walls in each city under Enkrid's command, encouraging the expansion of urban areas.
He had also spread rumors through traveling merchants.
Of course, it was all part of a larger plan.
By making the five cities feel like one, he aimed to solidify the recognition of a new ruler and lord, while encouraging the city lords and merchants to get involved in securing trade routes.
"The scale of Krona's movements has changed."
All of this was only possible because of Enkrid, the central figure.
Krais was one of the people who understood his commander's desires the best.
A knight, someone who sought to be a heroic figure.
What he desired was knighthood.
Honor and loyalty.
A person who moved forward while upholding those ideals.
"Would the East be attractive to him?"
From Krais's perspective, the King of the East overflowed with charm, so much so that it seemed to burst forth like a fountain.
Though his attention remained solely on this unit, there were a few who had already taken an interest in him from afar.
Some were former mercenaries who had been famous in the Border Guard.
A few swordsmen who had once served nobles also showed interest.
Krais had also seen the king's urgent letter sent just the other day.
What could the contents of the letter have been?
It had been sealed for Enkrid's eyes only, and Krais never bothered to ask about its contents.
Had Krais known the situation, he would have realized that it was a letter containing many promises.
Because of his tendency to imagine the worst, Krais couldn't help but think about all of this as he left the training ground.
Rem was twirling an axe he had carved on the table, making a strange trajectory in the air with his fingers.
"Are you doing that for fun?"
The King of the East approached and asked. His guards followed behind.
"It's the process of making the axe familiar in your hand."
Whether spinning the axe or making a table, the reason was the same.
Even though the hundred-year-old monster asked, Rem didn't even turn his head as he answered.
It didn't matter if the other party was the king of the East or whoever; it wasn't his concern. That's just how Rem was.
"You're a person without greed."
"What do you mean?"
"You just seem like it."
"I am quite greedy."
Rem answered honestly.
The king of the East shook his head and then spoke.
"If that's the case, why don't you follow me?"
If gold was needed, take the gold.
If beautiful women were needed, go and claim them.
If a formidable opponent was needed, seek a fitting challenger.
However, Rem didn't desire any of those things. At least, that's what the king of the East thought.
"Would you like to go hunting together?"
The king made the proposal to Rem, and while it was hard to guess his intentions...
"Well, why not."
Rem nodded, not giving it much thought.
He was already feeling restless. While Enkrid was wasting his time sparring with the mad old man in front of him, Rem had also been reflecting on a few techniques.
It was based on a small realization.
Through a few tools obtained after killing the immortal madman, Rem had used other people's magic.
"I thought my body would suffer from a curse or something like that."
But nothing happened. Only a small part of the expected side effects appeared. It wasn't just about the difference in vessels.
"My body has changed?"
Going to the West was one thing, but verifying what he had was another matter altogether.
To confirm that, he had been carving chairs and tables with his axe. Now it was time to swing the axe in battle, facing monsters and beasts.
Until now, he had controlled his fine senses, but now he felt the need to unleash what he had.
"Alright, let's go!"
The king's hearty shout caught the attention of Dunbakel, who was watching from the side. She saw the mad axe-wielding man in alignment with the king.
'Will that guy follow him?'
Seeing the king of the East with that man, she wondered if it was possible.
That would mean someone who could pound her would be gone.
'And it would make it harder to improve my skills.'
Though Dunbakel didn't welcome the torment from Rem, one thing was undeniable. The more he tormented her, the stronger she became.
Her gaze turned to Enkrid, who seemed unbothered as usual.
A hunt with a typical noble and a hunt with the king of the East could never be the same.
Above all, Rem was his hunting partner.
Neither of them had any intention of chasing down deer that swiftly ran around.
"This is the Pen-Hanil mountain range, have you been there?"
"Back when I was active on this continent, it was my playground."
"Quite the place, huh."
"Yeah, quite the place."
They exchanged casual banter. Asaluhi thought the king really liked the man, Rem.
On the other hand, Rem didn't try to push the king away.
The two of them joked like old friends.
The three headed into the Pen-Hanil mountain range.
At the entrance of the mountain range, Krais had deliberately set up a stronghold.
It was three times larger than any other outpost, like a small city.
It was a measure to block the monsters and beasts that came down from the mountains.
To secure a safe route in this area, they had to deal with the things coming out of the Pen-Hanil mountain range on the spot.
If left alone, monsters like gray ghouls, blood-sucking flies, and the troll brothers, which had been cleared by Enkrid and his squad, would show up again.
However, there was a problem with setting up a stronghold.
Looking at the general shape of the mountain range, Rem figured that preventing monsters from coming out like this would lead to problems later.
The interior of the mountain range had plenty of places to hide and regroup.
The monsters would grow cautious of the stronghold and, when they gathered, they would naturally form colonies.
Later, monsters might rush out in the hundreds.
"You see? Just setting up a stronghold won't solve it. This could lead to a massive massacre."
The king of the East realized that as well.
He was certainly not just someone good at fighting.
He could read the terrain and assess situations as well as Rem.
"What do you see? Didn't I tell you? This place used to be my playground."
Half of that statement was bluster.
Rem knew that. While it wasn't as much as the East, the Pen-Hanil mountain range was also full of secrets.
It was the first place treasure hunters would target.
Such a place couldn't truly be a playground.
But...
"Well, you're not bad."
It was an ability worth acknowledging.
"Of course."
The king, despite being a king, was surprisingly humble. Rem liked that.
The two entered the mountain range shortly thereafter.
Krais hadn't left the stronghold without knowing about the issues it might cause.
He judged that it would be better to deal with monsters using the mad squad and prioritize securing safe zones.
Though monsters and beasts might always appear, there was no danger!
This was what they would say.
Alternatively, it could be said that while there wouldn't be monsters and beasts, soldiers were always vigilant, ready for any unexpected situation!
This would be perceived differently by those traveling through the area.
Once they passed through the Pen-Hanil mountain range, they would be able to make the fastest shortcut compared to any trade route.
For that reason, the king and Rem saw a group of monsters the moment they entered.
A nest of more than thirty trolls.
It was hidden behind tangled tree branches and leaves.
A faint scent of weak magic lingered in the air.
Some monsters were born with magic, sorcery, or powers.
It seemed there was such a creature in the troll group.
"Here."
"This is it."
They spoke and looked at each other.
It was like a well-coordinated team.
Kwargh.
The trolls smelled the human scent and peeked their heads out.
"How's it going?"
Rem asked as he suddenly lunged forward, swinging his axe.
He brought the axe down vertically, cutting the troll's head as easily as slicing tender meat.
The troll's head split lengthwise, but it still swung its left hand violently.
Rem swiftly cut off its wrist with the other axe.
Another troll leaned in right beside them. The giant, with its bulbous green skin, opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth.
At that sight, the king, Anu, spoke.
"This will be a fun hunt."
With thirty trolls, even a knight would find it difficult to ignore them. With a magic-using monster in the mix, it could be dangerous, but not for these two.
The king drew his weapon. It wasn't the usual jambiya but the long spear carried by his aide, Asaluhi.
The king caught the spear thrown by his aide, unfurled the cloth wrapped around it, and took his stance.
As the cloth flew off with the wind, Asaluhi reached out to catch it.
The king wasn't just playing around.
He wanted to show the warrior from the West something.
Something more powerful than what Enkrid had shown with his brute strength.
The king of the East put a bit more heart into it.
It was bad news for the trolls.
In order to get more Chapters in advance head over to my ko-fi!

Comments

Loading...