Chapter 89 - No Time to Regret the Past
"Formation, now!"
The commanding officer's shout echoed.
The approaching threat was eight wolf monsters.
Monsters or beasts are always intimidating, especially in a city like Border Guard, which sees frequent traffic from merchants and nobles.
Therefore, the surrounding monsters need to be dealt with swiftly.
"Why are they so active in winter?"
One of the soldiers muttered as he set his spear in position.
To Enkrid, it sounded like an intentional remark meant to ease his nerves.
Following orders, twenty soldiers formed a solid defense against the wolf monsters.
Typically, monsters are faced in battles of one against many.
The squad leader was the type to stick to basics.
And Enkrid found that uncomfortable.
'This is the first time for something like this.'
It wasn't about the practice; it was the desire for real combat, the kind that made him want to charge out and draw his sword.
The thrill of battle, the time spent organizing what was gained from bloodshed, the very moment of taking a step forward.
Those were the things Enkrid yearned for.
It wasn't about jabbing at the monster's hide with a spear.
This didn't help.
He was even starting to feel bored.
Normally, seeing such monsters would have made his legs weak, but—
Unlike usual, Rem, who followed orders quietly, was giggling beside him.
"Your face looks like you're frustrated," Rem said.
Under normal circumstances, Enkrid would have been told to stab the monsters in the eyes, but his frustration made words slip out.
"Can you see that?"
"Looks like the squad leader's turned into a rough stone now."
Rem giggled, adding something else.
"Did you not know that between being exceptional and being crazy is just a fine line?"
He didn't know.
What would happen if he jumped right into the middle of the eight wolves?
With the assumption that Rem would back him up.
It would probably be much quicker than poking at them with twenty spears, one at a time.
If this was the approach, how long would it take to clear the surrounding monsters and beasts?
It would take a while, wouldn't it?
It felt like wasting time.
Having been trained on defense formation so thoroughly, Enkrid naturally carried out his soldier's duty in the formation, but—
The frustration remained.
Rem kept giggling beside him, and it felt as though he was pushing him.
Why was he following along like this?
Enkrid thrust his spear forward.
The spear's tip, energized, grazed the wolf monster's front paw.
"Grrrr!"
Reacting to the pain, the wolf monster bared its fangs, and the squad leader, seeing this, aimed for its head, thrusting the spear deeply.
But the cunning wolf monster dodged by retreating.
That was enough.
Enkrid allowed his thoughts to wander.
Otherwise, he felt he couldn't suppress the urge to rush forward and draw his sword to cut it down.
The image of the panther he had raised accidentally crossed his mind.
'Esther.'
After splitting the crazy mage's head in the sewer and returning, the Lake Panther had come back exhausted.
It smelled foul, like it had eaten rats from the sewers.
It had been so caught up in hunting the city rats, that it collapsed, lying on the ground, barely breathing.
Seeing that, Enkrid had soaked dried meat in water and fed it to Esther.
Esther gratefully accepted it.
'What kind of things was I doing?'
Clang!
His wandering thoughts were interrupted.
The wolf monsters had approached within range of his spear.
Enkrid pushed aside the image of Esther and thrust the spear into the approaching wolf's head.
Thud.
The hide on its head tore, and blood splattered.
"Don't take my position!"
The commanding officer's voice rang out.
The unit, maintaining distance while poking their spears at the approaching monsters, wasn't engaged in an easy battle.
The wolves, having been stabbed a few times, withdrew.
This was the right way to do it.
It was the proper method.
But Enkrid still felt frustrated.
He saw the commanding officer leading the soldiers.
The man looked physically fit, his appearance quite dignified.
Was he from the second or third squad?
With frustration building up inside, Enkrid played with his spear.
He couldn't consider it refined skill.
It was just stabbing and pulling, nothing more.
It felt like wearing clothes that didn't quite fit.
The spear didn't feel comfortable in his hand.
If he had used spears more often, he thought, he might have been worse with them than with a sword.
Ragna had once said:
"Whether it's a sword or a spear, the weapon you use can make a difference in how it feels in your hand."
Usually, knights are encouraged to wield a variety of weapons.
So, he had learned the basics, but only the sword felt like it truly belonged in his hand.
'A sword.'
Purely a sword.
It felt like meeting an old friend he had known for a long time the moment he gripped it.
The joy, the excitement, the expectation, the warmth of the sharpened steel against his palm.
'Ah, I want to use a sword.'
He wanted to recall the experiences he gained in the wizard's lair.
Not a spear, but a sword.
"I'll grant your wish."
Rem muttered beside him.
Enkrid looked toward him, but Rem was already charging forward.
"Looks like we're in for a long night!"
Rem shouted gleefully as he rushed forward.
His voice was full of enthusiasm.
With each step he took, the dirt beneath him flew up.
His movements were dynamic, rougher than even the wolf monsters'.
"Get back in formation you crazy bastard!"
The commanding officer shouted in anger.
The basic strategy was to defend the formation against the monsters.
If the formation broke, it would endanger the lives of other soldiers.
Rushing forward was wrong, and Enkrid knew it well.
But—
'Why not just kill all the monsters?'
He couldn't hold it in.
The desire to rush out and wield a sword, reliving the thrill of combat, was overpowering.
Enkrid briefly closed his eyes.
For a moment, he abandoned rational judgment and relied on his instincts.
Following those instincts, Enkrid threw aside his spear and kicked off the ground, charging forward.
"No, what are you—!"
The commanding officer's voice faded behind him.
Rem's sudden action was something the commanding officer had anticipated.
But Enkrid joining him was not.
So, the commanding officer couldn't help but be startled.
"Having fun?"
Rem, noticing Enkrid following him, grinned and started swinging his two axes.
The arcs of the two axes cut through the air, clearly aimed at slaughter.
The first axe split the approaching wolf's skull in half, and the second swung horizontally, severing the jaws of another wolf trying to bite at the arm of a soldier.
The two axes were like the blades of a guillotine.
"A little."
Enkrid had to admit it.
He drew his sword, swinging it in a large horizontal arc.
A wolf that had been charging at him halted, its front leg severed.
"Grr!"
The wolf let out a groan, sounding like a dog.
Enkrid pulled the sword back in, swinging it vertically.
The wolf's head was split open.
Thud!
He pulled the sword back, slamming it with his fist into the head of another wolf coming from the side.
Thud!
The wolf's head was knocked to the ground, rolling away.
Only eight monsters.
'Not sure when I started calling eight monsters "only" eight, though.'
Enkrid didn't feel any real threat from their current enemies.
Axes split heads, and swords cleaved through wolves.
The arming sword in his hand, while not as satisfying to wield as a longsword, still served its purpose well enough.
He regretted that Ragna couldn't join him for this battle.
Of the eight beasts, one had fallen to the spears of the soldiers.
Four were felled by Rem's axe.
The remaining three were split apart by Enkrid's sword.
Their skill was truly remarkable, proof that their rank as elite soldiers was well-earned.
"Damn, they're ridiculously good at this."
One of the soldiers in the formation muttered in awe.
The commanding officer should have reprimanded him for that.
But instead, he thought to himself, I can't really blame him.
They really were exceptionally skilled.
In a fight against magical beasts, formations were essential for survival.
But when extraordinary strength was at play, utilizing it became a mark of a good commander.
Rather than scold them, he assessed the efficiency of the situation.
This was a good outcome for both Enkrid and Rem.
If he were to nitpick, their actions could technically be seen as insubordination.
Above all, the squad leader held a high opinion of Enkrid.
He had seen him a few times before in passing, but back then, Enkrid hadn't seemed noteworthy.
When had he developed such incredible skill?
Was it true, as the rumors claimed, that his abilities had skyrocketed overnight?
There was no way to be sure of anything.
What mattered were the results.
"He's at least at high level," the squad leader thought.
One could believe he was one of those frontier defenders, known as the Butchers of the Frontier.
Those guys often dealt with magical beasts not by maintaining formations, but through sheer individual skill.
"You two."
Rather than reprimand them, he reassigned their efforts.
"If you want to fight, there's a place where troublesome beasts have appeared. Go there."
"Understood."
Standing amidst the corpses of the magical beasts, Enkrid, the "Spell breaker," nodded.
His calm demeanor earned a few cheers from the nearby soldiers.
After all, they had just wiped out a pack of beasts.
With this, their unit's task was complete, and they could move on to assist other areas, perhaps even rest for a bit.
No one truly enjoyed risking their life against magical beasts.
It took someone either extraordinary or crazy.
Perhaps both.
"We'll retreat to the city for resupply and rest," the commanding officer declared, leading his men away.
Enkrid glanced at Rem, who was wiping beast blood off his axe with a smirk.
"You owe me for this?" Rem teased.
"Not at all."
Though he said that, Enkrid couldn't deny feeling some relief.
Yet, a deeper hunger still burned within him.
"This isn't enough," he thought.
A few wolf beasts couldn't sate his craving.
He yearned for more than training.
He needed the heat of real combat.
The fire within him burned brighter.
"Let's go. They've given us another mission," Enkrid said.
As the soldiers headed back to base, a few approached Enkrid, patting him on the chest.
"Thanks to you, we're off first."
One of them, a familiar face, smiled as he handed Enkrid a bundle wrapped in clean cloth.
"Try this. It's amazing," the soldier said before walking off.
Others offered similar looks of approval.
Skilled soldiers were always valued allies.
Enkrid, with his straightforward demeanor, was well-liked.
Rem, however, was a different story.
Most kept their distance from him.
It wasn't just his barbarian origins; his rough demeanor and penchant for picking fights made him less approachable.
"We fought together, but the treatment's different. Feels like discrimination," Rem grumbled.
"Call it karma," Enkrid replied, tearing the jerky in half to share with him.
Taking a bite, he was surprised.
"This is different," he thought.
The jerky was delicious—soft, with a perfect balance of seasoning and a slightly sweet aftertaste.
"What's in this? Why's it so good?" Rem asked.
"No idea, but we'll have to ask for more later," Enkrid replied.
Curiosity aside, they prepared themselves.
Enkrid adjusted his gloves, thick leather pieces scavenged from a dead mage's belongings.
The gloves, sturdy and layered, had proven their worth.
They absorbed impact well, especially when striking wolves.
No matter how unpleasant the mage's origins, the gear itself was reliable.
Even his leather armor, reinforced with magic, had saved his life more than once.
When Krais had mentioned the equipment was exceptional, Enkrid hadn't fully appreciated it.
Now he did.
With solid gear and newfound confidence, Enkrid's resolve burned.
"Let's go."
Following the commanding officer's orders, Enkrid and Rem headed south, taking half a day's journey to reach their next destination.
"Is this the place?"
"Looks like it."
Using a rough map, they found the location, which had been fortified with makeshift defenses.
Such preparations signaled a serious engagement with magical creatures.
Noise filled the air, and they soon spotted something flying overhead.
Enkrid murmured under his breath as they joined the battlefield, with Rem hopping lightly to keep up.
A shrill scream tore through the air, announcing the presence of a monstrous foe.
Below, wounded soldiers writhed in agony, some missing eyes, others clawed and bleeding.
"My eyes! My eyes!"
"Kill it! Kill it!"
Crossbowmen loosed bolts into the sky, but none hit their mark.
The screeching creature was a harpy, its form grotesque.
Its torso resembled a woman's, but its wings replaced arms, and its lower half was that of an eagle.
Red feathers fluttered as it dove, its chest heaving in a way that felt more unsettling than alluring.
The sight froze Enkrid momentarily, dredging up old memories.
There was a time when he'd been forced to retreat, leaving comrades behind to die.
The harpy's appearance had signaled death and despair for his group.
The memories stung, but Enkrid didn't dwell on them.
He had no time for regret.
Instead, he tightened his grip on his sword and stepped forward, focusing his strength into each step.
The sound of his blade being drawn rang out.
In that moment, time seemed to slow, and his instincts traced the harpy's path through the air.
The daring heart of the beast within him surged, empowering his every move.
As the harpy descended, Enkrid moved in sync, his blade arcing through the air toward his target.