Chapter 396 - Next
Edin Molsan felt a headache from the smell of burning oil from the lantern.
If he stayed here any longer, he wondered if he would die without ever experiencing the refreshing air, rather than from torture or beatings.
"Damn it," he cursed silently, and then his thoughts turned to his younger sibling.
When he raised his head, he saw someone sitting cross-legged right in front of him. With large eyes and the kind of handsome looks that any man would turn to look at, it was Krais, someone Edin knew well from the Madmen Unit.
He never imagined this guy would have planted a spy by his side and his brother's side. There was no point in resenting it now, as it wouldn't change anything, so Edin asked the practical and realistic question.
"My younger sibling?"
"Perfectly fine. They don't eat much, but it seems to be the secret to maintaining their figure."
Krais's smooth way of speaking was annoying.
"If you had run away right before the civil war started, none of this would have happened," Krais remarked.
Edin almost said he wished he had done that, but he stopped himself.
You need to understand to avoid it.
His father, the King of the Borderlands, had planned the civil war, and he executed it. He knew that, but he couldn't speak freely.
No matter what anyone said, he was Edin's father.
Treason would certainly lead to a joint beheading.
Would he stand on the opposite side of his father?
That was unthinkable.
Edin knew the power his father had. He was no man to fight a battle without a chance of winning.
Edin Molsan just wanted to hide with his brother somewhere peaceful.
Whether it was in the East or the North didn't matter.
That's why he endured while getting beaten by that Enkrid guy.
His brother was supposed to seduce Enkrid and convince their father.
Looking back now, it seemed like their father didn't care about Edin at all.
"Not that he'd let me escape either," Edin thought.
"Kill me."
Edin said. These people were his father's enemies, so they wouldn't leave him alive.
The value of a hostage? Nonsense.
His father?
Dean Molsan, his father, was no longer human in Edin's eyes. His coldness was like the eternal permafrost, a chill that never melted.
It wasn't visible on the surface, but if you observed closely, there was something inhuman about his coldness.
"When did he start being like this?"
He didn't know. It was outside of his awareness. His father had changed at some point.
"What are you going to kill?"
Krais tilted his head, then smacked his thigh with a loud clap.
"Let's do it this way."
Krais knew how to handle people. He was quick to pick up on things and had a good grasp of the situation.
Edin Molsan knew that as a hostage, he had no value anymore.
Count Molsan didn't care about his son in front of him.
Of course, he didn't care about his daughter disguised as a man either.
It was none of his business, but one thing was certain.
"Edin Molsan is trying to escape."
He knew what he wanted. Torture wasn't necessary.
"Tell me everything you know and head to Martai. I'll arrange a new identity and a home for you. You were probably planning to sell the jewels and trinkets you brought to establish a base, but do you think you can easily dispose of such things? You'd be lucky not to get stabbed by a thief in the middle of the night."
Krais had once hidden people and made deals with Krona. He had the skills, and for a while, he had considered taking this path.
He didn't pursue it, though, because the chances of getting stabbed and locked up were too high. But at the time, he had no real talent in this area.
The work could be done through the Gilpin Guild, so it wasn't too difficult.
"...You're going to spare me?"
Edin's eyes were filled with doubt.
"Right, I wouldn't believe it either," Krais said, throwing out words that would make his opponent nod if they heard them.
"On my commander's honor."
The commander was Enkrid. The weight of Enkrid's name at Border Guard was incomparable to anything else.
Even if people didn't know the name of the lord, they knew Enkrid's name as well as any child in the street.
"What if this is a lie?"
"Do you have a choice but to trust me?"
Edin had no choice. He could either trust him and speak or just die.
"Damn it. I really got myself caught."
Edin Molsan said what he knew. It wasn't that important to him.
He didn't even know the details.
"There are five weapons in the Count's territory."
"Not dogs, but weapons?"
The unit he attached seemed wrong.
"They are five warriors who wield different weapons."
The explanation wasn't long.
The Count's forces were divided into four groups, and each had a general.
The remaining structure was similar to the kingdom's.
The five weapons, the generals and the warriors who guarded Count Molsan, were the ones who proved themselves with brute strength.
They were monsters by name.
The mute warrior who wielded a hammer, Maltan.
The giant who made his body a weapon, Benukt.
Zalban, who handled two spears with near-magic skill.
The leaf-blade fairy, Banat.
The fallen noble warrior, Rievart.
"They could all have been knights in any order. They are all devoted to the Count."
Just thinking about them made Edin's mouth go dry.
They were all inhuman beings.
Count Molsan was persistent and insidious. No one knew the power he had hidden.
"Did he ally with a cult or something?"
That was the question Krais also wondered about. Whether the Count had allied with Aspen or another group.
"No need. He has the territory forces."
Edin answered, and Krais's previously relaxed expression hardened.
No need for a long explanation.
"He's built a monstrous army."
While Border Guard was holding off Aspen.
While the kingdom was holding off the Demonic Realm and the South.
Count Molsan had been calm. Though called the king of the borderlands, he hadn't caused any major problems.
That was the power he had amassed.
Was that all?
That crafty bastard?
He must have hidden more. The suspicion turned into certainty.
Suddenly, Krais stood up with a crash, knocking over the chair.
Edin closed his eyes as he watched.
The dice had been thrown, and Edin knew how many days he had left.
Outside, Krais's voice could be heard, shouting as he ran.
"Audin! Captain Shinar! Captain Graham! We need to organize reinforcements immediately!"
***
"It was a mistake to knock out the constable like that."
The voice came from some guild master standing next to Enkrid. Honestly, it was annoying, but he left him be.
The guy had come closer with something like goodwill.
He was the one who had supplied various weapons and equipment and had even followed him on the way to the Naurilia plains.
He said he used to wield a sword back in his youth.
So, his interest was in joining the king's army.
"A mistake?"
Andrew, who was following behind, reacted, sensing something wrong.
"I know you have skills, but you know, don't you? Reputation is just as important."
The guild master explained, and Andrew scoffed. The guild master, seeing this, furrowed his brow before quickly relaxing.
The other man was the head of the newly rising noble family, Gardner.
The five trainees behind him were said to have impressive skills as well.
Enkrid didn't care much about what the guild master had to say.
The reason?
It was quickly clear without much thought.
It was because there was no one spreading rumors about what Enkrid had done to those who had witnessed it firsthand.
Aishia, who roughly knew the situation, wasn't someone who would blabber.
Would Rem speak up? Talking was Rem's specialty, but there was no one here to talk to. Ragna and Jaxen were out of the question.
Would Esther step forward?
"He's the one who saved your king."
Would she say that? Fat chance.
Of course, there were those who had seen Enkrid.
They were the ones who had faced him when he saved Krais. They had witnessed his swordsmanship as he instantly sliced through Squire Ropord, but those people fled immediately.
There was no chance for them to speak up.
Krang hadn't said much, nor had Matthew. The guard holding the trident was the same.
However, whenever someone said something foolish, Matthew and the trident-wielding guards would get angry.
Of course, some rumors had spread.
The rumors that Enkrid, the hero of the Border Guard, was real.
The previous stories about him being a braggart or a nobody were starting to fade.
But not all nobles had acknowledged it.
So what?
As mentioned repeatedly, Enkrid didn't care in the slightest. Among those who gathered around him, there wasn't anyone who paid attention to such things.
Unless someone came to mock him, of course.
But otherwise, why bother?
Enkrid was far more interested in other matters.
There were many things to think about and tasks to do.
As Enkrid made his way through the Nauril Plains, he reflected on the past.
"I am Ingis of the Red Cloak Order. We will meet again, I think."
It was when Ingis, a knight from the order, had approached Enkrid before leaving.
"I hope next time we can spar."
Despite not having done anything particularly special, Ingis's attention had been drawn to Enkrid.
"Why do you want to fight me?" Enkrid asked, intrigued.
Normally, Enkrid was the one who would initiate such a challenge, so it was unusual for someone to ask him instead.
"I have a good instinct, and you are an interesting person."
Ingis, with a serious look, ran his hand through his hair.
Enkrid found him to be a very unique individual.
"Well, I must be going now."
Ingis mentioned that there were troubling matters down south, repeating the sentiment a couple of times as he left.
"You're turning into quite the man who could make someone fall for you every day."
Afterward, Luagarne came to visit. She unsheathed her sword a few times, then spoke.
"My current skills can't match yours."
Her ankle was still not fully recovered. Even though Frogs could heal quickly, an ankle wouldn't fully heal overnight.
But still, the skill gap was undeniable.
"I still have things to teach, it seems."
For five days, Luagarne had helped Enkrid improve his fencing techniques.
Enkrid diligently learned the techniques.
"Did I do it this way back then?"
As Enkrid practiced swordplay while marching, he recalled his past movements. It was just part of his routine, and everyone else simply paid it no mind.
In reality, Enkrid didn't have any soldiers under his command, so the people who observed him were predictable.
Ragna, Jaxen, Dunbakel, Rem, and Andrew.
Except for Andrew, the others originally belonged to the Border Guard's standing army, so it was natural that they didn't have soldiers under their command.
The journey to the Nauril Plains was smooth. There were no ambushes or raids.
The scouts were constantly moving, reporting enemy movements.
Until then, Enkrid had only reflected on what he had practiced over the past month.
One month, which, under normal circumstances, could be considered a short period, was different this time.
"You've grown a lot."
Ragna's gaze shifted.
"Come on, bring it on. I'll go half-serious with you."
Rem, too, was stirred by the challenge.
"This is ridiculous."
Aishia, who had recovered and returned, shook her head. How could someone's skills improve so much in just a few days?
"It's hard to recognize the old version of you."
Jaxen also commented on the change. It was high praise. Enkrid nodded.
For one month, Enkrid had said almost nothing.
He had only focused on his sword and advanced.
Was it because of the stimulation from his mentor?
That wasn't all of it.
Inside Enkrid, the half-formed swordsmanship continued to emerge.
Enkrid repeatedly asked himself questions.
"What if I had fought until the end?"
What would have happened?
Through these recurring questions, he found his answer. No, he already knew the answer.
The experience of repeatedly facing today's challenges brought insight.
Now, having walked the path, a new vision opened before him.
Maximum three times, that was enough.
With that, the barriers could be overcome.
Thus, he realized that he was not a wall.
It was a refreshing experience.
Though a month had passed, it felt too short considering the numerous repetitions.
It was a time of different concentration and intensity.
Enkrid showed a change every single day. It was a moment of digesting the experience accumulated over those repeated days, but to others, it seemed like something extraordinary.
"Now, you won't be dying that easily."
Rem concluded.
Finally, they reached the Nauril Plains.
Beyond the lush green fields where new sprouts were growing with the arrival of summer, the enemy forces appeared in full view.
A massive army lined up, their numbers staggering.
"There are so many of them."
Rem spoke first. Ragna nodded, and Jaxen just raised his head slightly with his arms crossed.
Dunbakel scanned from left to right and said, "There are at least three times as many."
As she had said, the numbers were vastly different.
In fact, the commanders from Krais's army had thought they could attract cultists or pull some tricks.
It was a misjudgment.
The reality was that the army's numbers were different. The finely trained provincial army numbered close to ten thousand.
Even their formation alone had a different aura.
The troops stationed to defend against civil war barely numbered three thousand.
They were outnumbered, out-trained, and outclassed. It was a losing fight.
In front of them stood five deadly figures. Two adjutants stood by their sides, each exuding a formidable presence.
The weather was sunny, yet it felt like dark clouds were gathering overhead.
The black clouds hung only above their forces.
And then...
"I'm just here to say hello."
The man who had come this far while constantly reflecting on his sword spoke.
He wanted to test his sword, and on some level, he instinctively sought to shift the momentum of the current atmosphere.
It was the kind of intuition that could pierce through the strategies and tactics of the battle against Aspen.
"Big-eyed one."
Enkrid now comfortably called the one who had become accustomed to helping him the "wierd-eyed one" and mounted up.
With the blaring sound of a horn,
Boom, boom, boom!
The drumbeats echoed, and a single horseman charged forward.
"Anyone, step up."
He called out. The scene was one of stunned silence as one of the five deadly figures' adjutants stepped forward.
"I'll bring back his head."
Since the opponent had requested a duel, it would be given.
The adjutant extended his spear and rode forth.
The opponent dismounted.
Why would a foolish man dismount?
The steed screamed.
"Hah!"
With the command, the speed increased, and the ground began to tremble.
The heavy horse and its rider charged.
The enemy's dismounted opponent would likely be skewered or torn apart.
"Aaargh!"
One of the kingdom's soldiers pointed ahead, opening their mouth in disbelief.
"Shouldn't we avoid that?"
That was the question.
But most of them stood frozen, watching.
Though not everything happened in an instant, there was nothing they could do.
Given the situation, all they could do was watch.
Those who could see and understand the situation knew the dismounted enemy would be pierced by the spear.
Those who didn't know Enkrid could only think the same.
Only a few had the luxury of knowing who it was.
Boom, boom, boom!
The horse closed the distance rapidly. Its heavy weight visible from afar. Dust rose from the earth.
The grass was crushed underfoot, flying backward.
It was a violent charge compared to the smooth gallop their own troops had made.
Whoosh!
The spear cleaved the air. The adjutant wielding the spear and the rider sped past the opponent.
Thud!
Blood splattered into the air like paint on a canvas.
The rider passed by, but the rider's upper body was left behind.
The spear-wielding warrior's torso was lifted into the air, as though some invisible force had yanked it, before it crashed to the ground.
Blood and innards stained the grass and earth.
The first casualty.
Enkrid muttered under his breath, even though they couldn't hear his words.
"Next."
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