Chapter 112 - Immediate Deployment
For just a single moment.
"It was clear."
How to catch the Frog, how to kill it, how to win.
The letters carved themselves onto the signpost, and a path unfolded before his eyes.
Would this turn into another fulfilling day?
To prepare for another repeated today, he had rested well and returned in perfect condition.
Now, all he had to do was die and start the day again.
Yet, the Frog's sword did not descend.
The killing intent and aura remained, but...
The blade did not move.
It stopped abruptly in mid-air, as if held by an invisible force.
Rumble.
The Frog repeatedly puffed out and deflated its cheeks.
"Why?"
What was invisible to Enkrid's gaze—the Frog's own sight—was directed behind the human who had severed its arm.
A panther with eyes like a sapphire lake stood there.
A Lake Panther.
In some regions, they were treated as sacred beings, even worshipped as guardian deities.
But such things didn't matter to the Frog.
To them, a beast was merely a beast.
In other words, it wasn't as though the mere glare of a Lake Panther was what halted it.
"What a pain."
The Frog muttered a curse internally.
Its smooth skin didn't sweat but instead secreted a similar mucus-like substance.
This was a physical response to tension.
The Frog, with a white scar on its neck, was no stranger to battle and had faced many mages among its foes.
Mages—those peculiar beings who brought the realm of spells into reality.
Troublesome adversaries, always a nuisance.
The black skin and lake-like eyes of the Lake Panther exuded such an aura.
Through countless experiences and the eyes of a talent appraiser, it could perceive traces of mana.
That panther itself could either summon the spell realm or, at the very least, was deeply tied to it.
The Frog instinctively knew.
If it struck with its sword now, it could kill the man.
'But I'd be risking my life, too.'
The spell-casting panther wasn't the only problem.
The human seated before it wasn't easy prey either.
Constantly aiming for its heart, only to shift his sword toward its arm?
That final move.
The human's sword, which had trailed along the broad edge of its blade—the strike, the intent, the aura.
It wasn't a simple motion.
With calculated footwork, the human had briefly demonstrated strength comparable to the Frog's own.
Compared to itself, the human was small in stature.
The conclusion was clear: the quality of his muscles was extraordinary.
Moreover...
"Those eyes."
His gaze hadn't faltered.
Even now, those eyes burned with fierce determination aimed at the Frog.
How could he still maintain such a look when he stood no chance of winning?
Determination—this human seemed forged entirely from it.
It felt as though he was witnessing something unyielding, a force of nature that refused to break no matter what.
He wasn't relying on the mage panther behind him.
It was pure and unwavering resolve.
"This crazy bastard."
Rumble.
The Frog's cheeks swelled larger than ever.
It was thoroughly displeased with this situation.
In its mind, it weighed the scales.
Was this a foe it needed to kill, even at the cost of its life?
Or should it bide its time for a later opportunity?
It wanted to kill him, to be rid of this troublesome type of human. But if its life hung in the balance?
It had to think differently.
The appraising gaze once more scrutinized Enkrid.
The Frog calculated meticulously.
While it lived on whims—fighting when it wanted to fight, eating when it wanted to eat, loving when it wanted to love—
Its life was now on the line, and it was bound by duty.
Should it risk its life and abandon its obligations just to kill him?
The scale tipped to one side.
There was no point in overthinking it.
This city, the border fortress city of Border Guard, wasn't important enough to warrant such risks.
The Frog's swollen cheeks deflated.
The blade poised to strike lowered once more.
The aura faded.
'This is his limit.'
That was its judgment.
This human would not grow stronger than he already was.
Exceptional muscle quality, momentary strength comparable to its own, excellent swordsmanship, remarkable tactics, and an indomitable will—it all felt as though this man was an entirely new species.
And yet...
The Frog instinctively understood.
"Half of it was luck."
Despite almost losing its arm in that final move, it had crushed the human's right wrist in return.
The human's gambit had relied on luck.
Next time, it could kill him.
If they met again, it would surely end him.
"Remember this, human. My name is Meilune."
With those words, it was over.
The aura vanished as if washed away, and the Frog retreated.
Meilune locked eyes with Esther, who stood behind Enkrid.
'I'm leaving, so stand down as well.'
That was the message in its gaze.
Esther didn't respond.
She merely stared silently, her lake-like eyes unwavering.
Meilune picked up its discarded cloak and withdrew.
The Frog strode out of the mansion with ease, unopposed.
Though a few guild members hesitated...
"Don't just stand there. Step aside and let the guest leave."
Krais intervened.
Even with one arm disabled, the Frog was still the Frog.
And so, the Frog departed.
Thanks to the magical tome Enkrid had brought, Esther discovered a loophole to remove the shackles binding her body.
While she couldn't return to her human form immediately, she could now manifest parts of the spell realm even in her panther form.
"Of course, I'll suffer every time I do it."
She'd have to use her stored mana.
And there was a risk of contaminating parts of the spell realm.
It was a method outlined in the tome of that lunatic who used corpses to construct his spell realm.
An extreme loophole.
Still...
"I might need it someday."
It would be useful to know.
That's why she had learned it.
And now might be that time.
Esther had feigned calm, while subtly revealing her presence.
She made the Frog aware that she was a mage.
If it struck with its sword, she would pierce its heart with something in return.
Willpower—what was it? Willpower could become mana.
For a brief moment, Esther made herself appear not as a panther, but as Esther, the mage.
And that was the result.
The one called Meilune, or whatever his name was, backed down.
If her body had been in perfect condition, it might have been a different story.
In the current state, even if Enkrid and Esther joined forces, their odds were only fifty-fifty.
That conclusion came after weighing all possibilities.
So, the reason their opponent retreated now was simple.
'It's luck.'
That was the only explanation that made sense.
Had Enkrid's skills improved noticeably?
Surprising, yes, even Esther could tell.
But that alone wasn't enough reason for Frog to retreat.
Of course, before attributing it to luck, there was a twist in the situation.
The twist was created by a man who happened to stay by their side due to certain necessities.
'The left arm.'
Not the heart, but the arm.
Had the focus remained on the heart, Frog would've kept enduring.
But with his left arm severed halfway—
In this case, reattaching it might take longer than simply letting it regenerate anew.
A swordsman with a missing arm.
The odds were finally in their favor.
'Damn it.'
How did it come to this?
Esther sighed, lightly tapping the back of the one who had almost cost her all the mana she had accumulated.
Why wasn't this guy getting up?
"Esth… Ugh!"
It seemed Enkrid had barely held on himself, retching on the ground.
Esther hopped backward.
Krais approached them.
"You okay? Uh, wait—did you find Ragna? You understood what I was saying, right?"
"Hah."
After retching once, Enkrid, his stomach slightly settled, lifted his upper body and spoke.
"You've been cooped up here for six days without going to the field, and you don't even know where your squad is? Are you really someone who deals in information? You?"
His tone wasn't scolding but rather calm.
"Huh?"
Only then did Krais realize what he had overlooked.
Come to think of it, his squad members were familiar faces he saw whenever he returned.
Sure, he'd heard about deployments, but who would've taken the squad out without Enkrid?
No sane commander would dare touch this squad of outcasts—
A superior-killer, a chronic lazy bastard with no sense of direction, a wanderer who vanishes without notice, a fanatic who claims they need divine permission to fight.
Seriously, who'd want to deal with a group like that?
Naturally, Krais assumed they'd wait in the barracks for their squad leader.
He'd miscalculated.
"They're gone. All of them were deployed."
"Well, that's unexpected. So, it's just you and Esther?"
"Yeah."
Krais slid a hand under Enkrid's arm, helping him stand.
"Are you badly hurt?"
"Except for my right hand, I'd say it's manageable."
As he answered, Enkrid thought his condition wasn't as bad as expected.
But the real question lingered—
'Why did Frog just leave?'
With just a swing of the blade, he or Krais could've been dead.
'Why?'
Enkrid's gaze turned toward Esther, the panther.
'What exactly did you do? Really? Against a Frog of all beings?'
He was fully grasping the weight of those two syllables—Frog.
What could this young, small panther have possibly done?
No clue.
He couldn't figure it out.
"Nyaa."
Feeling his gaze, Esther opened her mouth as if scolding him.
As if asking how he could collapse so easily.
Enkrid took a deep breath and organized his thoughts.
'I don't know.'
Dwelling on the unknown wouldn't yield answers.
It never did.
He knew this from experience—accepting the unknown as it was and focusing on what could be gained for the future.
'It worked.'
How should he describe it?
For a fleeting moment, he had felt as though he had overwhelmed Frog.
He had drawn Frog into his plan and struck.
He severed an arm—not the heart, but the arm.
It would regenerate, of course.
But not during their battle.
If only he had dodged that last strike aimed at his right wrist—
'If only.'
The fight could've taken a different course.
This skirmish offered plenty of lessons to reflect on.
With that thought, Enkrid began walking toward the barracks.
Krais supported him, and Esther, instead of jumping into his arms, glanced back briefly before following at his side.
***
They had just arrived back at their quarters and were about to rest when—
"Where have you been?!"
It was the 2nd Company Commander, Vengeance's direct superior.
Clearly searching for Enkrid, the commander's forehead glistened with sweat.
What kind of commander runs around personally instead of sending a messenger?
As Enkrid considered this, preparing to salute—
"Immediately! Deploy!"
The commander interrupted him.
"I've sustained some injuries," Enkrid replied.
If he had the luxury, he'd have preferred to rest for a day or two.
His absence wouldn't make much of a difference in the grand scheme of the battlefield.
After all, he was just a squad leader who'd recently returned.
Surely, some leeway could be given.
"What? How did that happen?"
It was already known that he'd returned unharmed from the mission.
"A scuffle with some rogue."
"At a time like this?!"
Though the commander scolded him, he ultimately shook his head, acknowledging the inevitability.
"We don't need your swordsmanship right now. If you can move, we simply request you go."
The tone wasn't forceful but closer to a plea.
To Enkrid, it sounded like trouble had flared up at the frontlines.
'Why?'
He still hadn't been briefed on the battlefield situation.
After returning, he had spent an entire day resting, only to clash with Frog the next.
"Ranger Finn will accompany you. Can you depart immediately?"
"What's the urgency?"
Krais, who had been quietly listening, asked.
As someone familiar with the commander, he received a straightforward answer.
"Well, your platoon said they wouldn't fight anymore unless their leader was brought back…"
The commander trailed off, but Enkrid understood immediately.
"My platoon?"
"They insisted on it. This deployment is essentially to convince them. You'll be stationed at the rear, so just staying on the battlefield will suffice. This is a direct request from your company commander."
It seemed he had no choice.
A sore wrist wasn't reason enough to sit out.
After all, he could still grip a sword.
'Rem.'
Just hearing the explanation left Enkrid uneasy.
He figured he could get briefed on the situation en route.
All he needed now was to patch up his wounds and head out.
"Yes."
Enkrid saluted, signaling his readiness to depart immediately.