"Draw your bows!"
The command that had been given countless times rang out once more. Despite being intoxicated with the same exhilaration, the Commander did his duty.
Milio's gaze shifted to one side.
From one corner of the forest, a horde of monsters detached itself like a clump and moved separately.
The soldiers on the walls felt a sense of relief upon seeing this.
Milio was no different.
An opponent had appeared that would stoke this burning heart, radiating heat as if it would set his entire body aflame.
"Aim!"
The Commander's shout echoed along the walls. Each unit Commander repeated it.
"Aim!"
They nocked their arrows and adjusted their angles. The bows, made from the bones of beasts and monsters, with sinews twisted into bowstrings, were drawn back.
Creak.
Holding the tightly drawn bowstring, Milio waited for the command.
Every soldier held their position.
The Commander was busy assessing the scale and number of the approaching monsters.
It was difficult to fully grasp the situation in the darkness. Despite frowning and concentrating, he couldn't see clearly.
One of his subordinates fired a flaming arrow.
Thud.
The arrow flew and landed among the enemy ranks.
The monsters paid no heed to the flaming arrow. In truth, the flaming arrow couldn't cause any real damage.
The black soil swallowed the flames.
The fire quickly extinguished.
One arrow wasn't enough to fully illuminate the view.
"It's manageable. That spot you're looking at is roughly the center. It's not an overwhelming number. Not too many."
For a Twin Moon force, that is.
Oara, a Knight standing idly on the wall with her arms crossed, swallowed the rest of her words.
Hearing her, the Commander nodded.
The flaming arrow fired earlier would serve as a marker for everyone.
They would remember its approximate position.
"Fire!"
With his words, the signal flag was lowered.
Flap!
Wind, red moonlight, torches, and lingering shadows intertwined. The Commander's mouth opened as he watched the flag fall beside the archers with drawn bows.
"Release!"
A great archer might be someone who hits their target well.
However, a great archer is different from a great archer in the military sense.
They were not just those who hit their target well, but those who shot precisely at predetermined locations.
And these soldiers were well-trained, disciplined warriors. They were the archer corps.
Arrows split the air, raining down on the horde of monsters.
The heated, hammered arrowheads embedded themselves into the ground and into the heads of the spiders.
* * *
Whizz!
Encrid heard the piercing sound of arrows flying overhead. It was the sound of arrows in flight.
The source of the sound was not the enemy but their own side.
What did this situation indicate?
It meant that Rem and Dunbachel had done their jobs properly.
Not only Milio and the soldiers were aroused, Roman, Asia, and the short blonde, along with the four Squires, quickly moved as well.
"We'll hold the line here."
Roman gritted his teeth as he spoke.
"You four, form up around me."
The short blonde Junior-Knight positioned herself among the four Squires, taking charge as the leader. Her weapons were a dagger and poison.
It was a suitable position.
Roman and Asia coordinated their movements.
Roman became the bold spearhead, delivering powerful strikes, while Asia acted as the shield, blocking the spider's legs as they lunged.
They made a fitting pair.
The number of monsters was large, and Twin Moon was out.
"We'll kill them all."
Roman didn't hide his surging energy. He swung his sword as he stood with his back to a torch.
Whoosh, thud!
His heavy greatsword crushed six spiders at once.
Before that, Asia had skillfully struck and retreated, driving the monsters into a corner.
Thus, they killed and struck down countless enemies. Encrid felt something piercing through his awareness from the side.
Something sharp thrusting upward from below. His lower abdomen tingled. It was aimed at his stomach.
Encrid barely caught it and reflexively drew his Gladius to parry it.
He used a technique that involved twisting his left wrist to block and deflect the attack.
Thunk, screech!
The attempt to parry and deflect failed. The force behind the thrust was as heavy as that of a Giant.
Encrid twisted his side.
Crunch.
He narrowly avoided getting his flesh torn, and it ended with only the surface of his armor being scratched.
No, if he hadn't been wearing the gambeson, at least some flesh would have been torn off.
The attack came from the transformed arm of a monster, which had turned into a blade, with a poisonous claw at its tip.
It was a ghoul.
Its name was...
"Jerix!"
Oara's shout echoed from the top of the wall.
If left alone, Oara would approach and fight. It would be just like any other day, repeating the same routine.
Therefore, from now on...
'I'll insist.'
He would be stubborn. He would become Guide Ragna.
In other words, Encrid had no intention of yielding this fight.
"Roman! It's a bet!"
A shout burst forth from Encrid's mouth.
At that very moment, a similar type of monster suddenly emerged in front of Roman as well.
It was a Spider Swordsman, a creature that used all eight of its limbs like swords.
Everyone was startled. The monstrous presence of the enemy exhibited an overwhelming aura, much like that of a Knight.
Amid the collective shock, a shadow rose behind the group of Squires. It was an Owlbear.
Encrid hadn't predicted every aspect of the situation.
But he did know one thing: in situations like this, the Owlbear cubs always aimed for the weakest point first.
For instance, if a unit had been stationed in front of the wall, they would have been the first target.
So now, the Owlbear was targeting the Squires.
Encrid had anticipated this before the shadow even rose, so he shouted to Roman and leaned his body halfway back.
Encrid's eyes caught sight of the four Squires.
The torchlight, the shadows, the red moonlight, the short blonde hair, the position of the four Squires.
He took it all in simultaneously and noticed something flickering behind Oliver.
Oliver had been panting in exhaustion for a while. His stamina was lacking.
The Owlbear had noticed this.
As Encrid turned his gaze back, he extended his right foot outward and twisted his waist in a half-circle. Simultaneously, he extended his left hand forward. The sword in his hand became perpendicular to the ground, transforming into a disc that cut through the red moonlight and sliced through the air.
Whoosh!
As soon as Encrid threw his sword, instead of correcting his unbalanced stance, he spun his body another full circle, slashing horizontally with Aker.
Clang! Thud!
Two sounds struck his ears simultaneously.
One came from the Owlbear, and the other from right in front of Encrid.
Aker had struck the claws of the ghoul that had been aiming for an opening, while the Owlbear crossed its arms in front of its chest to block the descending blow.
The creature's feathers were slightly torn, and black blood flowed, but it wasn't a fatal wound.
The Gladius was knocked to the side, falling to the ground.
It seemed that lately, he hadn't managed to split anything with that Gladius, but it had still served its purpose well enough.
Encrid raised Aker horizontally, bringing it up to his face.
His blue eyes shone through the blade, illuminated by the red moonlight.
The ghoul took a step back after its claws were blocked.
Was it surprised that its attack had been stopped?
It likely lacked that level of intelligence.
It was a monster that had mastered the art of slaughter purely within the realm of instinct.
Yes, it was indeed curious.
This creature was worthy of the name Jerix.
"You're insane."
A belated murmur came from Luagarne.
Encrid understood the meaning behind those words. He had just saved his allies while turning his back on a monster of Knight-level strength.
It was indeed madness.
And it was thrilling.
'Ah, this is exhilarating.'
Encrid didn't bother to hide his inner thoughts. There was no need to.
He was in the process of breaking down everything those monster bastards desired, one by one.
And that brought him great joy. Moreover, the fact that he could engage in such a fight was its own reward.
Encrid smiled.
So far, things had gone as planned.
But would everything go according to his will?
The odds were slim.
'You can't know everything.'
Not everything goes as expected. That was a given.
Today may repeat itself, but no day can always be the same.
Yet, some things remained unchanged.
'Ghouls, Owlbears, Spider Swordsmen.'
Three types of monsters, wretched creatures, sacrifices for hunting Knights—those remain the same.
This is the stage set by that so-called Fragment of Balrog that comes afterward.
So what was Encrid's task?
He had already decided.
"Your mother must really be a ghoul."
Encrid spat out meaningless words. The ghoul let out a growling breath.
There was a venomous air to its breath.
Its claws were poisonous, and so was its mouth.
"Do some breath freshening, will you?"
Encrid muttered more insane words.
"Are you really okay?"
Luagarne asked.
He was indeed fine. This was, after all, like warming up before a workout.
It was like a ritual before offering a sacrifice.
Even if verbal taunts didn't work on this opponent, it seemed that taunting through actions did.
Look at this, the provocation said. Even with a creature like you in front of me, I can still take a shot at that Owlbear bastard in the back and not be overpowered by the likes of you.
Grrrr.
The ghoul let out another breath. Sensing the monster's frustration at the situation not going as it intended, Encrid laughed heartily.
"Are you hoping to earn the nickname 'Smiling Encrid'?"
Luagarne was tense.
The monster was that formidable.
Encrid, with a smile on his face, recalled his goal.
He wanted to send Oara back out with all her limbs intact and without any exhaustion.
He wanted to send her back with a smile on her face.
If what the enemy desired was an unsmiling Oara, a shell stripped of her will, then Encrid would show them an Oara filled with determination.
"What kind of bet?"
Finally, Roman's voice was heard.
He spoke while keeping his guard up.
Encrid sensed Oara approaching from behind. She didn't hide her presence.
It was that familiar pressure. The oppressive force radiated outwards, bearing down on everything in front of it. This time, the target was entirely the monsters.
Some of the nearby spider monsters recoiled, almost bouncing back at the sight of Oara.
She hadn't even drawn her sword.
"That one's mine."
She said, her voice brimming with clear determination.
Encrid rejected that determination.
"Let's stick to the order."
A brief silence weighed on his shoulders. A wordless pressure. Encrid rejected that as well.
Oara broke the silence and asked,
"You don't need help?"
"Just cheer me on."
Encrid replied without even taking a breath. It was the resolve of someone on a predetermined path.
The resolve that this was his fight.
He was insisting. It was stubbornness. Tenacity. Persistence.
So, Jerix is the prey you were after?
Well, now it's mine. My prey.
A willpower close to sheer obstinacy welled up within him, forming into a powerful aura.
There might not be a red cape, but in Oara's eyes, the back she saw was that of someone worthy of being a member of a Knightly order.
"An interesting fellow."
Oara said. It sounded like high praise.
Did she smile at her own words? She probably did. But now, there was no time to look back.
The ghoul's killing intent was palpable. It was as if it were telling him that even the slightest misstep would bring a blow similar to that of an Aspen Knight's strike.
Encrid opened his chest and spoke with his body.
Give it your best shot.
The die had been cast, and now it was time to see what number it landed on.
In this battle, just like the unchanging constant of the die roll in that first repetition of today, there was something similar here.
So what was the condition for overcoming this obstacle?
It was simple. Survive, and that would be enough. Hadn't the ferryman also said it?
To run away.
Though it was meant as a kindness, to Encrid, it was anything but.
If mere survival was all he'd hoped for...
"I never dreamed of anything like that."
Encrid muttered to himself again. With those words, his resolve shone even brighter. The stubbornness emanating from his entire being brought Oara to a halt.
The ghoul couldn't understand human speech, so even after hearing Encrid's muttering, it just stood there blankly.
Encrid steadied his breath and focused.
He could mimic a Knight's strike.
But would the enemy just stand there and take it?
Tension stiffens the shoulders. It would be better to relax a bit.
Encrid fixed his gaze on the ghoul and finally responded to Roman, who had asked what the bet was.
"Roman, if you kill a monster before I do, I'll admit your face is better looking than mine."
Making a joke at a time like this was surely madness.
But if he couldn't enjoy moments like this, he wouldn't have made it to the rank of Junior-Knight.
A Knight is one in ten thousand, a rare talent.
A Junior-Knight also required a similar level of talent to reach that position.
Without the repetition of today, he would never have reached a place where he could speak of wagers and obstinacy.
Encrid felt every hair on his body stand on end.
He had never thought it was okay to die, but, this was undoubtedly the moment he had been longing for.
To live with someone at your back, protecting them.
It was the life of a Knight, straight out of a bard's song.
"I want to become a Knight."
That single sentence had become a dream, one that had been torn and faded over time.
But now, it had been stitched back together and was shining once more.
"Accepted."
Roman's response was heard.
Sometimes a man needs the acknowledgment of a rival.
"Just cheer you on?"
Oara spoke from behind. The same determination as before wasn't present in her voice.
But at any moment, she would likely jump in. That kind of resolve was clear.
Encrid knew Oara's weakness. She couldn't fight for long because of her susceptibility to poison.
Her stamina wasn't befitting of a Knight.
So the one to dance on this battlefield right now wasn't Oara. This wasn't the moment for the sword known as Oara to be drawn.
"Or you could dance if you like."
Encrid replied as he swung his sword.
( Hey readers, I hope you're enjoying the novel so far. I received a bad news two days ago. My buymeacoffee account got suspended permanently and I have lost all those members. I any of the member of that platform is reading this, you can subscribe to the same memberships on this platform. And to my regular readers, please support me in these difficult times. I don't know why this is happening to me. First my free sites got suspended and now my paid site got suspended too. I am now working on building my own novel website where all the novels will be available and no one will be able to interfere with that site. So please support me guys.)
[T/L: Please support me AND read further chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans.]
[Additional Info: If anyone is facing the issue of payment on Ko-Fi, please contact me on revengerscans1@gmail.com]