The Knight's strike.
That was all Encrid desired.
What must he do to achieve it?
Since he couldn't grasp it, he asked.
"Moving will? What, you just do it, right?"
That was Rem's answer.
Encrid realized anew that this madman, who had a hobby of decapitating nobles, was indeed a genius.
"So, that's one way to use willpower."
Luagarne became a scholar and began to study it. Her words were of great help afterward.
"How about breaking it down step by step?"
Break down the actions. Infuse Will into every motion, from drawing the sword to thrusting it. She was telling him to approach the preparation process differently.
Encrid kept changing his questions and receiving answers. He asked Roman repeatedly.
One day, while staying by Oara's side, he asked again.
"How should I answer something that just happens naturally?"
Oara's answer was similar to Rem's. Ragna would probably say something similar, and so would Audin. Would Jaxon be any different?
"You just do it like this."
Ragna would say this while swinging his sword.
"Pray, and it will be done."
Audin would say this.
"You feel it with your senses."
Jaxon might say something like that.
Encrid felt as though he was hearing advice from those far away in the Border Guard.
Prayer might not be the answer, but meditation could be.
Swinging recklessly wouldn't work, but he mustn't forget the importance of natural movements.
Would keen senses help him feel willpower?
Not exactly, but sharp senses would tell him how different a motion was from usual.
When the student surpasses the teacher, even such things become possible.
For the first time in his life, Encrid reached the process of understanding two things from hearing one.
Everyone would be astonished if they knew where he began, but it was something no one could know now.
Even Rem, who was watching from the side, found it difficult to notice.
Upper horizontal slash, side glance, crown strike, counterattack, half-sword fighting, parry, deflect, continuous strike, penetration, cut-and-slide.
After recalling the techniques he had, he pulled one out.
'Thrust.'
He decided to follow where his heart led.
Encrid focused solely on the act of thrusting his sword. He lifted the blade and thrust it forward. Within that motion was the realization he had gained through repetition, along with the understanding of willpower in the moment.
'Should I divide it?'
He should not. He needed to combine it.
'Footwork.'
All it took was stepping forward and thrusting the sword.
What was required to make it unstoppable?
'Speed and power.'
This was a realm that couldn't be mimicked.
Precision with speed and power.
He repeated it. Time passed. He went through day after day. The hourglass running only for Encrid dropped its grains.
In normal circumstances, this would be time enough to drive one to madness.
Time to despair and wail in frustration.
Time to agonize over why such a trial was given to him.
Time to curse the Gods and the parents he never knew.
He poured all that time into training. He did so while hearing Oara's screams.
"You enjoy their deaths, don't you?"
The ferryman sneered.
He ignored it.
Soldiers died. Milio died. Rowena died.
"Are you enjoying this?"
The ferryman asked. Instead of answering, Encrid thought only of his sword.
"You won't surpass this wall."
The ferryman declared.
It went beyond hearing it with one ear and letting it go out the other, he didn't hear it at all.
"You'll hit the ground in regret. Some things never change."
The ferryman, in his light tone, even ended with a note of concern.
Encrid let those words pass as well.
"You have too many useless techniques."
He heard Oara's words to discard them and combined everything. Encrid's body naturally unified it all into one.
Is this the path to Knighthood?
Or is it the wrong path?
Is it just a desperate struggle?
Is it a waste of time?
It would have been easy to doubt, but Encrid took each step steadily.
So he walked, and thus arrived at 'today'.
Kiaaa!
The sound of screams woke Encrid, and without wiping the sleep from his eyes, he told Rem to follow him, picked up his sword, and headed out.
"Try and stop this."
Without warning, he spoke and thrust his sword. Rem, who had followed, instinctively moved his axe.
Rem saw the point surpass the sound and barely managed to block it.
Clang!
The point of the sword touched the axe's surface and then fell away.
"Damn it, were you trying to put a hole in my axe?"
Had he gone all out, there might have been a hole indeed. Encrid clenched and unclenched his hand several times.
Is this something he could only do once?
Even with a body trained through the Isolation Technique, just one thrust made his ankle, waist, and shoulder throb.
His muscles screamed. But that didn't matter.
"Let's go."
Encrid headed toward the battlefield.
In his mind, he replayed that single day countless times.
It was the beginning.
"Dunbachel."
A beastkin, looking unusually anxious, approached at Encrid's call.
Her unwashed face looked filthy, and the stench made Encrid's nose wrinkle. Encrid whispered to Dunbachel.
"Did I ever tell you?"
"...What?"
Dunbachel showed a hint of wariness at this sudden display of friendliness.
Her beastkin instincts told her that this guy was up to something.
"Truth is, I trust you."
"..."
Dunbachel blinked at the sound of a dog barking in the distance.
"You're the most beautiful beastwoman I've ever seen."
Encrid could count on one hand the number of female beastkin he had encountered in his life.
He could say with certainty that Dunbachel was the first he had looked at closely.
In any case, it was a random statement.
"Out of nowhere?"
"You're strong."
"Rem, I think he's sick."
"I've always thought your potential surpassed mine."
This was the truth. Encrid knew well how insignificant his own talent was.
"He doesn't have a fever."
Dunbachel's hand brushed Encrid's forehead.
"So it's okay to run away."
There's a saying in the continent that even a Dragon will dance if praised.
Even someone as self-centered as a Dragon enjoys hearing kind words.
Encrid didn't want Dunbachel to become a terrified, piss-soaked cat.
"It's okay to run away, but until then, fight. Fight as long as you can."
Dunbachel stopped in her tracks.
Did this guy know what he was talking about?
Dunbachel was tormented because she only wanted to survive, to simply stay alive.
'Is merely surviving enough?'
Beastkin are naturally driven by a strong survival instinct. But Dunbachel was even more extreme than most.
She could do anything to stay alive.
Yet she instinctively knew that simply surviving would lead to nothing.
'What do I want to become besides just surviving?'
Encrid's words made Dunbachel halt. While everyone else moved forward, she stood lost in thought. It wasn't a long time.
Before others could take three steps, in the brief time it took to catch a few breaths, Dunbachel stopped to think.
'Why am I even here?'
She cast a stone of a question into the lake of her being. Ripples formed and spread.
Before the ripples could even settle, an answer surfaced. It was a kind of revelation.
'Proof.'
Dunbachel wanted to prove that she wasn't a failure, that she wasn't a defective creation of the beastkin race, that she had lived properly even without her parents' love.
She wanted to prove all of that.
Having lived her life denying herself, she envied Encrid, who moved forward with single-minded determination.
But had this guy walked that path easily?
"Ah."
With a short exclamation, Dunbachel began to move again.
She had now decided on what she needed to do. The fear that had gripped her just moments ago had slightly diminished.
One turning point can't overcome everything. But just as there are those who move forward when a milestone appears, Dunbachel too saw the path she needed to take.
* * *
"Rowena..."
"If you're going to rescue her, follow me."
Encrid cut through the commotion at the gate.
"...What?"
Rowena's lover looked at Encrid.
The sudden words made his mind stop for a moment. But soon, understanding the meaning, the soldier began to move.
"You're going with us?"
"What's your name?"
Encrid realized he didn't even know the soldier's name until now.
"It's Admor."
"Alright, let's go."
Encrid needed to ensure that his intentions resonated with those around him.
This situation was similar to when he had convinced Andrew back in the days when he was a Squad leader in the tall grasslands.
Back then, he had started by showing his skills, but now, there was no need for that.
"Asia!"
At his shout, Asia emerged from one side, clad in armor and a cloak.
The cloaks of the Knights were said to be resistant to fire and enchanted to retain body heat when wrapped around oneself.
Moreover, these cloaks, which could block simple spells, were a symbol of the Knights.
They weren't cumbersome but rather efficient, which is why they wore them.
"What?"
"Did I ever tell you?"
Speaking loud enough for everyone to hear, Encrid felt the soldiers' attention shift towards him.
Not just the soldiers, but Oara, the Junior-Knights, and the Squires standing at the front also listened to Encrid's voice.
"...Tell me what?"
Asia was puzzled by this sudden behavior.
This guy, who sometimes did crazy things, was now creating a strange atmosphere and drawing everyone's attention.
Encrid, being perceptive, noticed Asia's reaction but ignored it.
There was no time to explain everything.
"That I was once a famous monster hunter."
That wasn't true.
He had been a monster hunter, but he had never been famous.
"Is that so?"
"I have a feeling."
"What kind of feeling?"
"Something like a coiled serpent is lying in wait inside."
Asia turned her gaze at Encrid's words.
It was indeed a Demon Realm that pricked at one's skin with an ominous sensation, but she didn't sense anything specific.
"What are you talking about?"
Oara asked from atop the wall.
"The air has changed. My subordinate, a beastkin, has caught a scent. It's not just the screaming spiders, there's a smell of conspiracy deep within the Demon Realm."
"Me?"
Dunbachel pointed at herself with a finger from one side. Rem slyly moved his foot to indicate Dunbachel and spoke.
"Shut up and just watch."
It seemed their leader was up to something.
Though they didn't know what.
'It'll probably be something interesting.'
Rem had faith that Encrid wasn't someone who did crazy things without reason.
"Rem, Dunbachel, come back quickly."
Encrid said as he looked at Rem.
"Where am I going?"
"Over there."
Encrid's hand pointed inward.
Admor, who had come out to rescue Rowena, was nervously glancing around, unsure of what to do.
"Inside the Demon Realm?"
"Are you scared?"
"Is that supposed to be a taunt?"
"No, just asking."
"Damn it, I don't know what you're up to, but fine. I'll go."
"Hurry up and come back."
Encrid said. Rem might have asked a question at this point.
For instance:
"We don't even know what's in there or what we're supposed to do, so what are you talking about?"
Something like that.
It could have seemed like a frustrating order.
In response, Encrid might have said:
"Just go, and you'll see."
Should he have pretended to be a prophet?
Or should he have simply said it was a gut feeling?
Encrid hadn't prepared any specific answer.
"Let's do it."
Rem nodded.
Encrid told Admor to follow Rem.
"Find the traces. You'll be able to save what you're trying to save."
Admor had no other choice, so he quickly followed behind Rem.
As Rem's back disappeared from sight, Encrid watched him go.
In the old days, when he wandered the continent, no one would have listened to him.
During his days as the Troublemaker Squad leader, he had relied on force in similar situations.
It was a moment that reminded him of Andrew.
There were times when he had to beat someone to make them follow him.
But what about now?
All he had to do was trade trust for action.
Encrid knew, through several experiences, that Rem would react this way.
"Now, let's go, Asia."
"Where am I going?"
Asia, standing beside him, was utterly bewildered.
"You need to lead the Squires in battle."
Encrid was firm.
"Now? Me? There?"
"Asia of the Red Cape Knights, do you want to just stand back and watch while the Thousand Bricks is in danger? And you still think you deserve to wear that red cape?"
At the sudden reprimand, Asia's eyes flared with anger.
"Are you picking a fight?"
"No, I'm cheering you on."
In any case, she moved forward. Asia had received too much from this man to simply refuse his words.
He was the one who had enabled her to wear the red cape up until now.
She felt indebted to him from the civil war—an enormous debt, in fact.
So, there was no reason not to listen to him this time.
After killing six spider monsters that were harassing the four Squires, Encrid stomped his foot hard on the ground.
The heavy thud drew the attention of everyone, including Roman.
Oara also looked at him.
"There's no one better than me at monster hunting. From now on, I'm in command of the front lines."
"…Did the drink you had earlier go bad?"
Roman muttered.
Encrid ignored him. He had bought action with trust, but now it was time to earn trust through action.
"Ground spiders. Watch the floor."
His repeated experience of the day gave him a head start on information. In other words, by acting within a certain predicted range, he could even anticipate the enemy's attack order.
Thud.
The ground trembled. Soon, with a thump, a spider poked its head out.
"Oliver, strike."
It didn't matter who gave the order. Oliver instinctively brought his mace down.
Smash!
The spider's head burst, spraying black blood.
"Roman, under your feet."
As soon as Encrid finished speaking, dust began to rise under Roman's feet.
Whether from the sky or the ground, they weren't the type to be caught off guard by anything that suddenly appeared.
Naturally, knowing in advance, crushing the head of a spider that poked its head out was no challenge.
Crunch.
Roman's mace-like greatsword drove vertically into the spider's head, crushing it.
Just like that, the spiders surfaced within the range Encrid had indicated.
When the ones in formation began to push forward, the rear gate started to open.
"Close the gate! Use the forces at the front to block the rest of the monsters. Archers, aim only beyond our heads!"
Encrid spoke quietly but then shouted the last part.
It was an uncharacteristic burst of energy. Oara, from atop the wall, nodded with interest.
It was obvious at a glance.
His words and gestures were full of conviction. Watching to see what he intended would reveal his plan, and if things went south, she could intervene.
Besides, she didn't think his judgment was wrong at the moment.
Encrid moved according to his plan.
He bought action with trust.
He earned trust through action.
And then?
Now it was time to fight like hell.
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