The central part of the city was bustling with activity, but the area Enkrid moved to was almost deserted.
Despite the contrast in atmosphere, Enkrid enjoyed the peace of the moment.
A butterfly with red wings fluttered by, and nearby, a long flower bed stretched out, with yellow and orange flowers in full bloom.
The flowers were known as Holy Gold, or the Flower of the Virgin, not for being sacred in nature, but for its symbolism.
It was said to be the flower that blessed the beauty of the world, representing not only the Virgin but also saints and holy figures, as those who carried divine blessing were seen as holy.
In front of the flower bed were a few maple trees with their red leaves scattered on the ground. It was a pleasant walking path, newly paved on the outskirts of the city, with no commercial facilities in sight.
Instead, one could see construction guilds or artisans working on buildings, which seemed to blend naturally with the surroundings. It was peaceful, almost idyllic, as though the only purpose was to enjoy the present.
A road built on a scale rarely seen in rural towns, perfect for a leisurely stroll.
Enkrid continued on and reached his destination.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The rhythmic sound of a hammer striking echoed through the area—it was the blacksmith's workshop.
Enkrid crouched to enter through the small entrance, and immediately, the scene inside came into view, with the heat of the forge pushing back the cool breeze.
The space had expanded since the last time, but much of it remained unchanged: grey ash, black soot, and a glowing furnace alongside a bellows.
People who seemed to blend into the scenery worked in the heat.
"Aetri," Enkrid called out as he greeted the blacksmith.
"Ah, you've come," Aetri responded, turning his head to meet Enkrid's gaze from where he sat in front of the forge.
"How is it?"
Since the battle with the Aspen knights, Enkrid had retrieved the weapons of the fallen knights, selecting only the engraved ones. These weapons, crafted from rare metals and intricate forging techniques, were obviously valuable.
Enkrid had brought them to Aetri for research and experimentation.
"Right now, I can't make any engraved weapons," Aetri said, his tone firm.
"That's fine."
Enkrid wasn't concerned.
He had already decided to entrust his weapons to Aetri, a man with dreams.
He was stubbornly determined in his choice.
People around him had already known that about him, and even Shinar would likely agree.
"Then, will you share with me what you've learned?" Aetri asked, his curiosity piqued.
He wanted to know about the insights Enkrid had gained during his battles—about the use of will, mindset, and the changes that had occurred.
As Enkrid shared his experiences, he also noticed that Aetri had impressive martial skills.
The two spoke and answered each other's questions, and Enkrid realized Aetri had trained with various weapons as part of his forging process. Aetri, though talented, had only learned the minimum necessary skills.
"Do you train separately?" Enkrid asked.
"No, just enough to meet my needs," Aetri answered.
Aetri's method was shaped by necessity—his talents were put to use in the forge, where heat and iron brought forth the results he desired.
Engraved weapons required a specific process, but this didn't concern Enkrid much.
He trusted Aetri, regardless of the outcome.
His faith was unwavering.
"Do you believe in it?" Aetri asked after a pause, sensing the unspoken thoughts between them.
"I don't know," Enkrid replied honestly.
The two men continued their work, with Aetri staying composed despite his inner anticipation.
Enkrid, equally unfazed, continued to speak about his insights, and soon, the Frog sculptor joined them.
It was clear that this sculptor, too, was dedicated to his craft, training and honing his skills.
The three of them spent the rest of the evening in conversation, with Enkrid learning even more from the exchange.
As night fell, and Enkrid prepared to leave, Aetri handed him a short sword.
"Use this instead. It would be better to stop using the gladius," Aetri suggested.
Enkrid didn't ask questions and accepted the sword without hesitation.
Aetri's apprentice handed him the weapon, its blade slightly thicker than the gladius, with a shorter length.
It felt heavier in his hand, and Enkrid noticed the weight balance shift.
"It's mixed with mute metal," Aetri explained.
With Aetri's encouragement and the support of those who understood him, Enkrid stepped outside into the clear night.
The full moon shone brightly overhead.
He reflected on the conversations of the evening, revisiting the day's events in his mind.
The thunderous realization he had hoped for did not strike him.
"Was I driven by an obsession to give my best every day?" Enkrid thought to himself.
As always, he picked up his sword again, continuing his relentless pursuit of mastery.
He walked through the city, reflecting on the letters and duties awaiting him, including one from King Anu in the East.
It seemed the rumors had spread that far.
"Unyielding Knight? Is that you? What have you done? Write me in detail. Oh, and the one you sent is still alive, but maybe not for long. And the Madmen Knights? Nice name. Sounds like a bunch of lunatics."
It wasn't entirely wrong.
After reading the letter, Enkrid quickly wrote a short reply.
"Things just happened that way. Dunbakel isn't someone who dies easily."
He finished writing and returned to training, preparing for the challenges ahead.
Rem, who was carefully cleaning his axe blade at one end of the training ground, asked, "So why did you name it 'Madmen'?"
Enkrid didn't believe all the rumors.
However, he didn't think the people under his command were entirely normal either.
It was the same as when he subtly responded to Anu's letter.
When Rem asked, Ragna, Jaxen, Audin, Teresa, Ropord, and even Fel all turned their attention to him.
Even Luagarne, who rolled her large eyes, tilted her head with curiosity, as if the Frog's innate inquisitiveness had been piqued. Luagarne puffed out her cheeks and said, "Yeah, I was curious too."
Enkrid briefly pondered on whether it was right to blatantly call someone crazy.
It wasn't.
Therefore, Enkrid couldn't bring himself to answer honestly.
"Because he fight like madmen."
His voice was a bit weak, but the meaning was clear and conveyed.
Rem nodded in acknowledgment.
"That's true."
As Enkrid had said, Rem and everyone else nodded.
It seemed like the right explanation.
Afterward, they practiced with swords, meditated, moved their Will, and tried various things until the sun set.
It was then that Krais arrived to speak with Enkrid.
His face seemed to carry many thoughts.
At least, that's how Enkrid saw it.
Krais's face was marked with the traces of deep contemplation.
Krais had come to a crossroads.
'Alright, let's think this through.'
He had two paths in front of him.
One was to continue living like this, and the other was to abandon everything and escape to some remote part of the empire.
What did it mean to live this way?
'It's a life where you could die from poison, or get shot by an arrow at any moment.'
Then what about running away?
'You'd hide somewhere and live a quiet life until you die.'
Honestly, the second option wasn't exactly what he desired.
But the danger was far less.
Would Nurat follow him?
No, she wouldn't.
In other words, he would have to leave behind everything he had.
'That's the way to go.'
By doing so, he'd significantly reduce the chance of dying.
There would be no more headaches like the ones he had now.
That was enough.
Living a short and intense life was foolish.
Life should be lived long, comfortably, and with a moderate amount of enjoyment, wasn't that right?
He could live in a quiet corner of some city, open a salon, and live well.
Krais was different from others.
He knew this better than anyone.
'I'm perfectly normal.'
The name "Madmen" didn't suit him at all.
That was why.
'Time to give up.'
Krais could already foresee some of what would happen on the continent.
Fire, iron, blood, and the boundary between life and death.
Monsters and beasts.
In the end, he would lose his mind due to the anxiety.
Could he keep finding ways to survive by calculating every situation?
'It might be faster for Ragna to travel across the continent.'
The world would be drenched in blood.
It was inevitable.
However, it was too late to tell Enkrid to go easy and focus on living well with just the few of them.
'Would I have a place here?'
There would be a place for him.
There would always be things for him to do.
But that would also mean becoming close to death.
In the end, he might have to leave for the faraway world beyond the river, hand in hand with his friends.
A firm decision took root in his heart.
The same resolve Enkrid had when he built the wall with Will.
Krais hadn't been able to speak to Nurat first.
He had spent days contemplating, and once his decision was made, he sought out Enkrid.
"Captain."
It was dusk.
The orange light of the setting sun faded behind the mountains, leaving a darkening sky.
It was almost like the final struggle of the sun scattering its light, creating a blue darkness.
In the midst of this darkness, two blue eyes, straight and unwavering, looked at him.
The owner of those eyes would never bend his will, no matter what happened.
Krais knew, looking into those eyes, that his own resolve remained unchanged.
'A man like me doesn't belong here.'
The continent would burn.
The war with Aspen wasn't the problem.
Until this point, he could manage it somehow, but no longer.
Krais felt that the problems of the city, internal strife, factional disputes, and countless other issues were beyond his ability to solve.
It didn't make him sad.
It was simply that his capabilities had limits.
Actually, perhaps he was a little sad.
He was curious to see how far Enkrid would go.
But Krais knew that his own life, his own dreams, were more important than that.
Nothing was more important than that.
'This is the end.'
He had achieved his goal by continuing without stopping, and Krais felt no regret in the end.
"Do you have something on your mind?" Enkrid asked, and Krais shook his head before answering.
"I don't think it's a concern."
The matter had already been decided.
His eyes were cloudy, and his voice rough.
He didn't look neat either.
Enkrid had noticed how Krais had been burdened with an excessive workload recently.
Some of it was work Enkrid himself should have taken care of, and some of it wasn't something Enkrid could resolve by stepping in.
At times like this, shouldn't he offer support?
"I heard from Krang about his ambitions while we were passing by."
Ambitions?
Krais wasn't particularly curious, but since he was already hearing everything, he would listen and say what he needed to.
"The Empire and the great kingdoms were all part of Krang's plan."
Magic realms, the Empire, the great kingdoms, and the nobility.
Even if the scale was huge, it felt too large to even fathom.
'As expected, this isn't a place for me.'
His resolve still didn't waver at all.
"Imagine, even in the Empire and great kingdoms, you could build salons."
Enkrid said, and Krais experienced a sense of shaking.
It wasn't his body shaking, but his heart.

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