He quickly made a fire and placed a pot on top.
Since it was a field meal, it wasn't going to be anything extravagant.
Dried meat, fruit, cheese, and water mixed with wine were all there was.
Everyone ate and drank.
Enkrid, tearing into the seasoned jerky he had brought, noticed a pair of eyes watching him intently.
It was the beast-woman.
'Do you want some?'
Seeing the longing in her eyes, it seemed they were quite hungry.
Thinking about it, she probably hadn't had a proper meal since being imprisoned.
Whether they kill or free her, one should at least provide food.
The hunger was so intense that their eyes seemed to glow. A golden hue.
'No need to be stingy.'
How significant could one piece of jerky be?
Enkrid tore off a portion of the jerky and sat in front of the beast-man. He shoved it into their mouth, and the beast-man blinked in surprise.
"Try it."
Dunbakel mumbled to herself. The savory and sweet blend of flavors spread in her mouth, stimulating her mind.
At the same time, she looked at the man in front of her.
She observed him over and over, and before long, beyond jealousy and envy, something resembling admiration started to grow.
'What if I had lived like him?'
She couldn't help but feel a sense of envy. It must have been luck to have such an extraordinary subordinates around.
If that kind of luck had come her way…
Why had she been born this way?
Why was she born to be abandoned and forsaken?
It would have been better if it had ended with just being neglected. Then she would have fought for her village, and if she had died like that, it would have been fine.
If she had left for Creamhalt's embrace.
Regret, jealousy, longing, and sorrow.
A mixture of emotions filled her as she chewed on the jerky.
She swallowed, and even passed the water bottle. Thinking it was water mixed with wine, she was instead met with a refreshing apple flavor that filled her mouth.
"Apple cider?"
Why was he treating her this way?
Dunbakel thought he was trying to seduce her, but she couldn't be sure.
It was a moment of choice.
Should she speak, or stay silent?
It was a turning point.
Dunbakel made her choice.
"There will be an ambush by the Black Blades."
With seasoning still on the corner of her mouth, Dunbakel spoke.
If he asked how she knew, she planned to talk about the markings.
Enkrid just looked directly into Dunbakel's eyes and said, "I see."
After that, Dunbakel expected Enkrid to do something, but surprisingly, he remained quiet.
He simply returned to his meal, speaking only a few words to the noble and a member of the Black Blades.
"How do you know the way?"
Knowing the road as a messenger for the Black Blade wasn't the same as knowing the way.
Marcus hadn't even stirred to bring this up, but Enkrid had.
Vancento twisted the corners of his mouth. He looked at Enkrid with a mocking expression and spoke.
"You don't need to know. Commoner."
Was it a habit to attach the word "commoner" to the end of everything?
Though, he didn't seem to be a very impressive noble either.
Enkrid, thinking it was no big deal, nodded in acknowledgment.
That wasn't really important anyway.
Enkrid looked at the guards in black clothes.
He had observed their walking patterns, hand gestures, attitudes, and positioning.
He'd seen them in the city before, but now that he was out here, he could clearly tell.
'Not bad, I think.'
Rem, Ragna, Jaxen, Audin, and even the fairy commander.
Lately, he'd had an abundance of sparring partners, but none had given him quite the same feeling.
Their steps light, their hands fast.
They likely preferred short weapons. Throwing techniques would probably be top-notch as well.
Part of him wanted to see their unique skills, while the other part of him felt an inner thirst.
Sparring was sparring, and real combat was real combat.
Watching someone chew thin bread and drink water in front of him, this thought arose.
'I want to fight.'
The movements and gestures naturally piqued his interest.
'How effective will my swordsmanship be?'
What should he focus on when facing them?
How could he catch up to their steps?
Enkrid wasn't a genius.
Just because he saw something didn't mean the method to counter it would suddenly appear.
However, after hundreds, or even thousands, of sparring sessions, he could draw on his experience to come up with a response.
'If I cut their thighs...'
Their feet would freeze. That would essentially seal one of their special techniques.
It was when he saw their peculiar habits that Enkrid wanted to fight them.
Maybe it was because they sensed his gaze.
"Annoying."
The guard in black raised his head and spoke after taking a few sips of water and a bite of bread.
His gaze landed on Enkrid, and Enkrid opened his mouth.
"Me?"
"Who else?"
A strange tension filled the space between them. One showed a subtle hint of hostility, while the other displayed an obvious sense of ill-will and discomfort.
The guard in black, revealing his hostility, sat and crossed his arms, resting them on his knees.
They were gathered in the shade under an appropriate tree.
The sound of two horses walking over dry grass, munching on the dried plants, and a cool breeze for a summer day blew as the guard spoke again.
"You must be at the height of your confidence now."
Enkrid inwardly agreed. Lately, he had been feeling a sense of confidence.
"But you should be cautious. You need to choose your opponents carefully."
That was also true.
"Isn't that just a special class in the so-called 'common soldier' ranking?"
...That was not the case.
"You shouldn't risk your life on foolish actions, right?"
Enkrid wasn't even surprised anymore. Hadn't people underestimated him countless times before?
This was nothing new.
Even before he left, didn't Krais say something similar?
"Marcus tends to hide the captain's achievements. He seems to have ulterior motives."
He had hidden and concealed things. In that case, it wasn't surprising that others might misunderstand.
But there was disappointment too.
'Their perception.'
He had seen through his opponents, but they hadn't seen through him.
In truth, this was only natural.
Enkrid had climbed from the very bottom to get to where he was now.
He didn't have the habits of someone who had quickly acquired skill.
Arrogance and pride were the furthest things from him.
What remained was the relentless drive of someone who had climbed up through defeat.
So, to an outsider, he might just appear as someone who wielded a sword at a decent level.
"That's some nonsense."
Rem said as he saw this.
Hearing Rem's words, the noble Vancento spoke.
"Shut up, you barbarian. Are you showing off that you grew up without a mother?"
His words cut deeply, like a sharp blade, provoking Rem. Enkrid thought it was too late to stop this now.
In fact, he thought it was fine this way.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The guard in black was thinking of calming things down with words.
After all, it would be over once they had finished their meal and passed half a day.
The Black Blades waiting in ambush ahead would kill them all.
Normally, he would have been the one to take action.
'One of them would be fine, but...'
If it was Rem and Ragna together.
But he didn't want to fight both of them at once.
Enkrid didn't even matter to him. Who was that guy? Among the Black Blades, he was one of the elite, ranking among the top with his skills. He had learned from a great teacher.
It was one of those moments.
"You barbaric fool, shut your mouth. Are you trying to show off that you grew up without a mother?"
Vansento spat out his usual venom.
Enkrid had to stop Rem again, but there was no time or moment to do so.
Hwoong, thud!
A sound like the wind being sliced was followed by a heavy and horrible noise.
The guards turned their heads. He tried to process the situation for a moment, still turning his head.
"Grr, grr."
A person with an axe lodged in their face couldn't speak properly. That was to be expected.
Moreover, surviving would be impossible. If someone managed to live with their face half-split like that, they'd be more like a ghoul than a human.
'Even a ghoul would die if their face is split like that.'
Between the vertically split skull, something small and precious that had been in the head was now spilling out, blood flowing freely.
The moment of impact sent an eyeball flying out and rolling to one side.
From the force of the axe, the body flew back several steps, landing in a crumpled heap as a corpse.
The person was Vansento, a member of the Black Blade, an envoy for this mission, and a noble.
"Damn, that guy has a filthy mouth."
Rem, the barbarian, muttered as he shook his hands.
"What the hell?!"
At last, the guard, now startled, jumped up and said.
Hiiiiiing!
Suddenly, the two horses tied to the carriage neighed loudly in panic.
Dunbakel was also surprised, mouth agape.
'He killed a noble?'
They had just barely left Border Guard's patrol area and had been traveling for a little over half a day, and now, the envoy and their guard had been killed.
Killed by the very man who was supposed to protect them.
Enkrid's assessment was simple and plain.
"Oh, I see."
"Oh, I see? These crazy bastards."
The guard wasn't particularly sharp. At least, Enkrid thought so.
Ragna was indifferent.
He merely asked Enkrid.
"Are you handling this alone?"
"I'd like to."
"Do as you wish."
Rem walked up like he was going for a stroll and pulled out the axe he had thrown. Below the axe was the dead Vansento. The scum who had eaten the gold coins from the Black Blade.
Knowing he was trash, why hadn't they killed him easily?
Because he was a noble.
The noble status acted as a shield. Even if it wasn't inherited and was just a minor noble.
If this was revealed, Rem would be hunted for the rest of his life, yet he took such a gamble.
The guard's thoughts grew complicated.
"What are you looking at? Want me to add a decoration to your head too?"
Rem, meeting the guard's gaze, said.
"It's mine."
Enkrid, rarely showing greed, added.
"Oh, I know. If it weren't, I would've swiped it already."
Rem, shaking his limbs, wiped the blood off on Vansento's silken robes, cleaning the axe blade.
The guard, seeing this, spoke up.
"This is still Border Guard's patrol area. What if a patrol comes through?"
It was a natural question.
"They won't come."
Enkrid answered flatly. He already knew how patrols were carried out. He had learned everything from Vengeance, who also served as the patrol captain.
"They won't come?"
Only then did the guard in black realize that this wasn't an impulsive act.
'Was this planned from the start?'
Enkrid swiftly drew his sword with a chirr. The sword reflected sunlight, scattering light. Seeing the sword tip aimed at him, the guard also drew his weapons.
Two black daggers were unsheathed soundlessly.
The guard held them both in reverse, blades facing downward, and instinctively took a fighting stance.
'There are reinforcements half a day's distance away.'
It was time to forget about Vansento's death and focus on finding a way to survive.
How could he survive?
Enkrid had said he would handle him alone.
Rem and Ragna didn't seem interested.
'I'll go all in and charge.'
He was confident in his speed. But to do so, some things had to be in place.
"You knew the patrol wouldn't come, so you planned this, right?"
Enkrid shrugged.
"None of us need to be seen, is that it?"
As he spoke, the guard subtly began moving his feet. It looked like he was trying to avoid the sun. Enkrid mirrored his movements.
The guard had positioned himself exactly where he wanted.
He was now behind the carriage, on the right rear.
He swiftly threw the dagger held in reverse.
Enkrid instinctively raised his sword.
If the guard threw it or rushed in, there would be time to react.
The guard threw the dagger upwards and waved his right hand. At the same time, two throwing knives shot from his belt.
His handwork was quick. He threw the weapon in his hand to distract Enkrid and then threw knives from his waist.
The two knives flew and struck the horses' necks.
The horses cried out in pain as they staggered and bled.
The guard had calculated that if the horses were dead, the others would not be able to pursue him.
The remaining task was to fend off Enkrid, who was blocking his way.
With a swift motion, he caught the dagger he had thrown and lowered his stance, striking the ground.
He rapidly closed the distance, getting within sword range in no time.
It's often said that heavy infantry has the advantage in battle.
But when the distance closes like this, light infantry has the advantage.
'I've got him.'
The guard, confident, crossed the daggers he held in reverse and slashed at Enkrid's wrists and neck.
Enkrid deflected one of the blades aimed at his wrist with his forearm guard.
He dodged the second strike to his neck by tilting his head backward.
It was a trick made possible by watching and timing his movements accurately.
With that, Enkrid raised his knee, and the guard, already close, had no time to dodge.
The guard quickly raised his knee to block.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
'What power is this?'
One blow, just a knee strike, left the guard's shin in pain.
But that wasn't all.
In an instant, Enkrid vanished from view, and suddenly a presence beside him made the guard lower his head.
Ping.
Before he knew it, a wide-bladed guard sword had swept through the guard's hair, cutting several strands free.
Without waiting for the guard to catch his breath, Enkrid thrust both daggers forward.
Whoosh!
The thrusts cut through the air.
Behind the guard, Enkrid's next strike was already on its way.
He used his forearm like a sickle, slashing downward.
Wham! Crash!
The strike hit the back of the guard's head.
The guard, still in his lowered stance, collapsed to the ground, his forehead slamming into the earth.
Enkrid didn't hesitate and drove his sword into the back of the guard's head.
Thud!
After creating a second hole at the back of his skull, he pulled the sword out, and blood spurted from the new wound.
Enkrid stepped back and wiped his sword in the air, blood droplets splattering onto the ground.
"You don't look too happy. Was it boring?"
Seeing this, Rem asked. Enkrid gave an honest reply.
"It was too dull."
His speed was slower than Enkrids.
His fighting skill wasn't as good as the cursed sword.
But it wasn't like there was no flash of brilliance either.
He was better than that beast-man, but calling him outstanding was difficult.
In the end, it felt like doing something without wiping properly afterward.
"What was your name again?"
Enkrid asked without hesitation, not directed at Rem or Ragna.
The beast-man soon answered.
"Dunbakel."
Staring into the beast-man's golden eyes, Enkrid asked with regret.
"How many ambushing soldiers are there?"
If a feast had been prepared for him, shouldn't he at least taste it?
Enkrid was sincere.
Dunbakel now had no choice but to acknowledge.
These guys were definitely crazy.
"They're probably elite. They'll had time to prepare, so they wouldn't have sent weak ones."
Enkrid didn't laugh at this, but his eyes shone.
Rem grinned.
Ragna, on the other hand, silently watched Enkrid and then spoke.
"Why did you give up the distance?"
"To induce carelessness."
"Not bad."
Even in this situation, they were talking about swordsmanship.
It was absurd that they weren't even bothered by the fact that they had just killed a noble.