Chapter 61 - Fairy's Jest
Enkrid gathered the corpses in one place, waiting for the patrol soldiers to arrive.
"This is work, too," he muttered, tidying up the mixed-blood fairy's body.
As he reached out to move the assassin's corpse, his fingers brushed against something unusual near the chest area.
Tracing the sensation with his fingers, he discovered an object extending toward the side.
Opening the assassin's coat, Enkrid found a sheath strapped to the body containing four whistle daggers.
They were no ordinary weapons.
"Almost forgot," he thought.
These were excellent weapons, and since he'd recently learned how to throw them, they would be useful.
He had firsthand experience of their deadly effectiveness.
He took the sheath and rummaged through the belongings of the other corpses, collecting any valuables like coins.
Among them, he found a leather pouch containing some powder with a strange smell.
It seemed dangerous to touch it recklessly—it might be poison, possibly toxic upon contact.
Without a readily available antidote, it was a risk he wasn't willing to take.
Enkrid left the poison pouch untouched.
It was no surprise that the patrol soldiers who found him later were shocked.
The troublesome squad leader, who had disappeared mid-shift, had reappeared with four corpses.
"What's this?" one of the soldiers exclaimed, initially pointing a spear at Enkrid in alarm.
"Spies," Enkrid answered succinctly, which was enough of an explanation.
"I recognize that one," said a patrol soldier, gesturing toward one of the bodies with a crossbow.
"He claimed to be a merchant's errand boy four days ago."
Merchants typically carried manageable loads, traveling between locations—a plausible disguise.
"Didn't you check their identification badge?"
"We did. It was flawless."
A meticulously forged identification badge was not something anyone could easily produce.
While one soldier poked through the half-fairy's belongings with a spear, grimacing at a split skull, the company commander of the 4th unit—a fairy—arrived.
After inspecting the assassin's belongings, she confirmed, "Poison. They're assassins."
Her conclusion was based not only on the poison but also on the assassins' physiques.
Enkrid explained the assassins' presence and left it at that.
During his account, the patrol soldiers cast suspicious glances his way, but their doubt was short-lived.
"You caught four? One of them must've been quite skilled."
"This trio was Jack, Bo, and Rotten," one soldier noted.
Jack was known for his spear skills, Bo for his agility, and Rotten for being a formidable fighter among the common soldiers.
Despite facing such opponents—along with a half-fairy assassin—Enkrid bore only minor scratches.
"...Alone?" one patrol soldier asked, forgetting the presence of the company commander in his astonishment.
"Things just worked out that way," Enkrid replied, glancing at the fairy commander.
The fairy commander said nothing, her expression unchanging as her jewel-like green eyes studied Enkrid.
"Understood. Return to your post."
"Yes, ma'am."
Enkrid saluted and turned to leave.
"You abandoned your post. You'll have to make up for it later," she remarked, her tone sharp.
Even in such circumstances, she criticized his dereliction of duty.
The patrol soldiers exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
Enkrid, however, simply nodded.
"Yes, I understand."
Arguing with a superior officer would be pointless.
Some within the unit were sticklers for military law and protocol.
The fairy commander might not fit that type exactly, but orders were orders.
"Then go," she concluded.
Enkrid finally left the scene, his stride composed.
***
Two days later, two soldiers from the frontier defense unit sought out Enkrid.
They were tasked with investigating the scene within the city.
Enkrid cooperated fully, answering their questions.
"They attacked suddenly," he explained.
"Did you leave your post because you suspected something?"
"No. I noticed their odd behavior but mainly stepped out for some air."
"And your absence happened to expose spies? Two of them were killed in a single stroke."
"They attacked immediately."
"And yet, you subdued them without taking significant injuries?"
The soldiers' questions were sharp, but Enkrid remained calm.
Having survived the encounter, he was the only living witness—naturally, their questions would focus on him.
"Yes. I was lucky," he replied.
"Two strokes of luck could topple a fortress," one soldier joked dryly.
"That means the skill gap must've been significant."
It wasn't a genuine accusation; they weren't doubting him.
Their investigation into Enkrid's background had already been thorough, completed when the frontier defense unit considered recruiting him.
"Well done," one soldier said.
"I hear you were promoted. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Both soldiers outranked him, but their remarks carried no condescension.
"Still not interested in joining us? Your skills are a waste here."
"No."
The curt response ended the conversation.
"Oh, well," one muttered, somewhat disappointed.
Enkrid returned to his quarters.
As he opened the door, something fell from above.
He instinctively dodged, rolling to the side.
He barely avoided it, though some of his hair was cut in the process.
Looking up, he saw Rem grinning.
"Passed the ambush test!" Rem announced, holding his axe—the culprit.
"Rem, you crazy bastard."
Enkrid cursed as his severed hair floated to the ground.
A moment's delay would've left a scar across his neck—a gruesome "tattoo" of sorts.
"Relax. Even if you missed, I'd have only cut your hair," Rem said cheerfully.
"Don't even start."
The world was full of madmen, but the most deranged were in his unit.
Enkrid had long accepted this fact.
"With assassins showing up, you should learn to handle ambushes, don't you think?"
"Great excuse," Enkrid muttered, shaking his head.
"Looks like it's time for a haircut anyway," Rem teased.
Admittedly, it was time for a trim.
The fringe of his bangs subtly covered his eyes.
When facing the mixed-blood fairy before, he was in a high state of concentration, and didn't notice due to the need to deceive the opponent with several strategies.
But now, it was becoming bothersome in everyday life.
"Please do something about this."
Enkrid spoke.
It wasn't Rem who stepped in, but Krais approached from behind.
"Yeah."
Krais was surprisingly skilled with his hands.
While the others handled weapons like swords and axes with finesse, when it came to cutting hair, they left bizarre shapes behind.
"I'll trim the bangs a bit shorter, and tidy up the rest."
Krais's tools were a small dagger, scissors, and a comb made of horn.
"Ten copper coins."
"That's expensive."
"I've gotten better at it. If you don't like it, you can go to a barber in the city."
He certainly didn't want that.
Barbers in the city were expensive and lacked the skill compared to Krais.
There was no reason to spend twice as much for something subpar.
However, the city's barbers excelled at tending to injuries, which made them more often sought out by those with wounds rather than for haircuts.
"Alright, let's begin."
The sound of hair being cut began to echo in his ears.
Sitting in a chair right in front of the lodging entrance, snowflakes began to fall from above.
Rem, who had been watching Enkrid, muttered.
"Devil's shit."
When snow falls, everyone would soon be busy clearing the unit grounds and drainage ditches.
It was something that affected everyone equally.
Whether it was Rem, Ragna, or anyone, nobody could escape the labor.
If the snow wasn't cleared, trouble would pile up.
"I don't like it."
Soon, Ragna also came out, his shoulders wrapped in a blanket.
"It is cold, isn't it?"
Jaxen, who was nearby, agreed.
"Even when you warm yourself, this cold is hard to bear, Brother."
Audin stepped out as well.
Why were they all coming out to watch?
Normally, snow would make things a little warmer, but today, the temperature had dropped unusually low.
Sitting outside, his lips began to turn blue.
"Ugh, my hands are shaking. I might accidentally cut off an ear."
Krais, who was cutting hair, commented.
"I can hear that."
"I'm concentrating."
Krais focused on cutting hair, warming his hands with a moderately heated stone.
Enkrid, watching the falling snow, was thinking about the spies.
'How did they get in?'
The mixed-blood fairy had infiltrated quietly.
Gorder Guard was harder to infiltrate than expected.
Forgery of identification was a serious crime.
Both were not easy tasks to accomplish.
Most of all, it was strange that Jack, Bo, and Rotten had switched to being spies.
'Where did they come from again?'
He seemed to have heard it somewhere.
"Do you know the three who died?"
Enkrid asked.
Krais nodded, realizing that he had been standing behind Enkrid, out of sight, and answered.
"Yes, I know."
"Do you know where they came from?"
"Jack was caught pickpocketing and served time, Bo was charged with insulting a nobile."
"Sounds like he was a good guy."
At the mention of insulting the nobility, Rem added his comment.
"Sure he was."
Enkrid sneered at Rem.
Rem pretended not to hear, and Krais continued.
"Rotten was a guard for some merchant guild."
"What guild?"
"It was an old guild that collapsed, what was it called again?"
All three came in around the same time.
About a year ago. Krais, being an information gatherer, knew a lot.
'If someone intentionally infiltrated...'
Forgery of identification, familiarity with the city's underground, and connections to criminal groups.
Could such a group be common?
Within Gorder Guard, there were a few obvious places.
The largest of those groups might be...
'The Thieves' Guild.'
It was a group involved in various crimes, not just thievery.
Hadn't it been said that there was a complete overhaul about a year ago?
He'd heard that rumor somewhere.
When asked, Krais said that such rumors were circulating, but he couldn't dig deeper into it.
Enkrid's gaze shifted toward Jaxen.
"Do you know anything about the Thieves' Guild?"
It was a direct question.
Jaxen silently stared at Enkrid.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because I think you know."
Why?
From how he threw knives to how he trained his senses, Enkrid could guess Jaxen's background.
A thief or someone involved in assassination.
Or something similar.
So he had to ask.
Jaxen remained silent for a moment.
Enkrid stopped Rem from speaking with a glance.
Ragna, as usual, stared with half-closed eyes.
Audin silently clasped his hands and seemed to wait for an answer.
The sound of Krais cutting hair broke the silence.
"I'd like to know too. You think the assassination attempt on the squad leader started there, right?"
Krais was sharp.
Those who had experienced the situation firsthand might be suspicious too.
Anyone with a functioning mind would think so, especially Krais.
He was quick-witted and had likely learned a lot from his time in the lower class.
Thus, Enkrid's suspicions seemed justified to Krais.
Soon, Jaxen opened his mouth.
Enkrid had expected him to ask for something in return, but that wasn't the case.
"Around a year ago, the guild underwent a change. I don't know anything about what happened after that. All my connections were cut off."
It was worth looking into.
Enkrid thought so.
"That's done."
Krais soon finished cutting the hair, and as he did, the snow began to fall heavily.
"Ugh, I really hate this."
"I hate it too."
"Agreed."
"Brother, it's a trial sent by the gods."
"Seriously, it's so annoying how it's pouring."
Rem, Ragna, Jaxen, Audin, and Krais each voiced their complaints about the falling snow.
Enkrid, watching them, said,
"I think we should set up an operation under the squad leader's authority. Instead of clearing the snow, we'll head out immediately."
At those words, everyone's ears perked up.
Ten pairs of eyes stared at Enkrid like hungry wolves.
It seemed they would do anything, as long as it didn't involve clearing snow.
"First, I need to get permission from the company commander."
Enkrid shook off the hair that had fallen on his face.
"Go ahead."
"Why are you still here? What are you waiting for?"
"Over here."
They urged him to go, and Enkrid, thinking it was best to leave before being hassled by those murderous glares, got up and went straight to the company commander's quarters.
***
"You got your hair cut. But why are you here? Were you ambushed again?"
The mention of an ambush made him wonder if the company commander was joking.
"It's not that."
"Then?"
"I suspect the Thieves' Guild. I want to investigate."
The fairy squad leader, standing in her single room, looked outside at the falling snow, hands behind her back.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I'd like to conduct an operation on my own."
"Hmm."
The fairy squad leader continued to gaze out the window and then asked,
"Is it because you don't want to clear the snow?"
"It's not that."
Half of it was true, but the other half was also true.
There was nothing to feel guilty about.
"Alright."
The fairy squad leader gave her permission.
"You'll need to be careful. The criminal guilds in the city are really good at what they do."
She raised her right index finger and pointed at the ceiling.
In a military city, there was the battalion commander instead of a mayor, but there were other people besides him.
Nobles sent by the country for administrative duties were among them.
They were key power figures in Border Guard.
"Don't get on their bad side."
It was odd hearing politics from a fairy, but Enkrid accepted the advice.
"Understood."
"When you leave, take the long way around and avoid the watchtowers. This is my room, so don't start a fire while leaving."
There was a short torch in the squad leader's room, making the air warm.
"Yes, I'll be careful."
Even as he responded, Enkrid thought it would take time to get used to the fairy's jokes.