337 - A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

337. **Planning to Amuse the Ghouls?** "When are we setting out?" Enkried asked for the date. "No rush." Will it take at least half a month? Kreiss pondered. The Gray Ghoul was a creature that had lingered in that place for a long time. Leaving it for another month or two wouldn't really be a big problem. "I see." "How many troops should we take?" Kreiss estimated at least two battalions. The situation warranted such a scale. After a brief moment of thought, Enkried replied. "Just one independent company." "...An independent company?" Currently, there's only one independent company within the Border Guard. The so-called Mad Company. Is this guy truly insane? It wasn't a joke but the sincere truth. The lower risk meant they were better prepared. Now that Azphen's threat was gone, this was possible. Previously, they couldn't extract troops freely due to the Azphen bastards. Though the increase in non-standard combat personnel like Enkried contributed, the clearer reason was that they were now capable. Kreiss's astonishment and emotions burst forth in a single exclamation. "Eh?" Is there anything to be surprised about? Enkried had dealt with Norks and Centaur colonies. If there weren’t any troops needed for defense or to guard a village, then surprisingly, taking on a monster colony was easy. A solution derived from accumulated experience. 'Hit the head, and it's over.' A simple principle. And it was true. Even scholars who fancied themselves as brainy had deemed that eliminating the leader was the best way to handle the Gray Ghoul's lands. Then, what's needed? At a minimum, the strength of a knight’s order. If knights came, all the better. That’s the best method. But since there weren’t severe damages right now and it was just an inconvenient place, the royal palace's stance was to deal with it when there was capacity. So, there’d be no knights. The palace could overlook the issue, but not Kreiss. The situation had slightly shifted. Detouring the trade route was a detriment. A significant detriment. An enormous loss. For the Border Guard, it was a problem that had to be solved. For the future, they had to cultivate the trade routes and had come up with various methods for that. At least Kreiss did. 'We lose money over time.' When transportation lengthens, losing a few silver coins as time passes is common sense. So, they must resolve it. Through this, Enkried's prestige would rise even further. Since requests from the royal palace overlapped. This was thus, a task to be completed successfully and managed stably. "Really?" "Really." "Why?" "Because it's enough." "Didn't hitting your head in practice injure your brain?" "And why do you keep using informal speech?" "I'm doing it out of sheer shock." Surprised. When will this guy ever return to normal? Max, seeing the insolent look in Kreiss' eyes, slapped his head. "It hurts." "I could've cracked it." The statement probably wasn’t a lie. Kreiss endured the pain. Only the Mad Company was going. 'Ah, well, it'll be fine, right?' Enkried himself was going along. It was the leader's judgment. He could roughly understand the reasoning. Increasing the scale and leading a larger unit could cause casualties. Injuries or deaths were to be expected. Naturally. Perhaps that was the reason? But not just that. In Enkried's eyes, a subtle thrill was evident. He seemed eager to fight. Kreiss felt a peculiar sense of certainty. Enkried asked. "The central request came as well?" "It was touch-and-go, but yes. It did." The royal court used it as a convenient excuse, but an actual request came through. Along with a letter. [Wishing you success.] Though it was just three words. It was from the previous lord, Marcus. "I guess they're busy." Enkried didn’t bother with a reply. That was it. Checking their equipment, gathering supplies, and any other preparations Kreiss could help with in the meantime were all that happened. Completing preparations for departure took just two days. Had they decided to send a battalion, it would have surely taken at least ten days. Kreiss felt skeptical, wondering if this was the right course. Yet, oddly, he didn't harbor any ominous thoughts. Especially since not all unit members were enlisted for deployment. "Do we really have to go?" During the preparation for departure, Ragna asked with droopy eyes. He seemed like a progressively aging dog. "If you’re tired after so much sleep, just go die." "Feel free to attack anytime if you wish to die. Even sneak in while I'm sleeping. Though it probably won't work." Ragna graciously declined the offer. "Do you really need such a fellow?" Enkried pondered briefly. As long as the strategy of a small, elite force held, it would suffice. The most crucial role for Ragna during the battle was not losing the way. "Rest." Enkried let Ragna be. If the Gray Ghoul's level was enough to summon a knight, what then? 'That would be fun too.' Enkried was ever-thirsting for new challenges. The current mission was like raindrops falling on a barren land struck by drought. He didn’t worry about the risk or whatever lay afterwards. Kreiss was the one who worried. He gathered and analyzed the surrounding information, assessed the value of the now ruined forest once housing the Gray Ghoul, and concluded that the colony’s leader hidden within wasn't as threatening. 'An intelligent ghoul leading a colony.' A creature defying the adage of 'as brainless as a ghoul.' A thinking ghoul. And it hides in the forest? What's the reason? Too much food? Suppressed natural monstrous violence? 'Utter nonsense.' Because, having gained intelligence, it knows it would lose in head-on confrontations. Thus it had secured a favorable position and held its ground. That was Kreiss's assessment of the Gray Ghoul's reality. 'Well, if things go awry, it’ll just find its way out.' He had previously watched Enkried maneuver through traps relying purely on instinct. Naturally, he developed trust in him. Two days later it was. On the day of deployment, Sinar joined them. "Not busy?" "I’m an elf." When asked what he meant, he explained that he couldn't stand by while the forest was defiled by monsters. Elves love the forest. Though the trees do not exhibit lively emotions, they brim with vitality. Such vitality would invigorate an elf's body, allowing them to heal even fatal injuries just by immersing themselves in the forest, provided the forest is healthy and lush, of course. "In the name of the elves, I will not forgive." Enkried nodded at this dry resolution. Though it didn't seem purely out of a desire to maintain forest peace, she too was more than capable as part of their elite force. "Alright then." After a day's travel in a carriage, they set up camp, laying stones, placing pots, and preparing a place to sleep. Up to then, a departing squad looked after the camp, lit fires, and took shifts on night watch. On the road, they encountered three ghouls. "I'll handle this." The soldiers accompanying them from Green Pearl, led by a single troop unit, confronted them. With the onset of spring, the number of ghouls had increased, so much so they could be seen even along the road. There were also rumors that the trade routes had become more perilous. "Charge!" The soldiers shouted as they attacked. Without a scratch, three ghouls lay sprawled on the ground. The first one had its head cut off, the second its legs, while the third, more agile, was struck with a stone thrown from afar, smashing its head. The third ghoul was more agile than the others. Not all monsters were created equal. There were individual differences. The squad’s strategy, which took this into account, was impressive. Two relatively superior soldiers impaled this agile ghoul with spears, buying time. Their arms were equipped with spears and shields effectively. Enkried judged the squad's strength to be none too shabby. "Just needs more basics." However, his notion of basics started with running alongside the River of Death. The actual running site was the plains on Green Pearl's side, but while running, the river would be in view. Surely, this news was far from the best for them. After spending the night, they detoured for several days, arriving near the Gray Ghoul's domain. Including the squad, everyone hiked well. "We'll head back now." Enkried nodded towards the saluting commander. Once the troops left, Enkried surveyed the surroundings. The forest was shrouded in a gloomy energy, and they made their camp on a clearing in front of it. "We’ll set out in the morning." Fighting monsters at night was a foolhardy act. "Let's do that." Lem replied. No matter how confident one was in their skills, was it worth taking unnecessary risks for one night's camping? Enkried was not inclined to do so. When dawn broke the next day, Enkried, Lem, Audin, Dunbakel, Teresa, and Sinar ventured into the land of the ghouls. * * * A shallow layer of mist obscured their vision, while grayish wood further narrowed their field of view. Beyond it, a nauseating and musty smell mingled with the mist, casting a damp atmosphere over them. "Just breathing here seems enough to catch a disease." Lem remarked while walking over the gray leaves, making a rustling sound. He was correct. The air coming in through their nostrils traveled downwind to their lungs. Their sharpened senses, honed by training, detected an impurity within the air. This place would accumulate poisons within one's body over extended exposure. ‘A thinking ghoul indeed.’ There must have been a reason it claimed this place as its base. Or perhaps it altered the environment after establishing its base here. Naturally, they had anticipated this and equipped themselves with this knowledge before coming. The poison was thicker than anticipated. A sickly person wouldn't last two days without succumbing to lung disease. But for Enkried and their extraordinarily healthy company, camping here for a month might be uncomfortable but not enough to catch a respiratory illness. Their fitness and stamina far surpassed the norm. "Grrraaaah!" Even after breathing in the malevolent air a few times, the ghouls emerged. Enkried, using sound and intuition, detected six approaching foes. They pounded the earth fiercely between the trees as they charged. As Enkried was at the forefront, he naturally took a step forward. Ping. With his left thumb, he pushed the catch holding the scabbard and the blade upward. Then grabbing the sword with his right hand, he further tuned in his senses. Nostrils resembling flat holes, skin almost charcoal gray, muscular legs, and long arms. If their claws, curved forward, managed to reach the flesh, they would demand quite a hefty sacrifice. The pitch-black eyes, void of pupils, etched a black line amongst the gray forest. Hearing the charging cries, he calculated the speed of the oncoming ghouls within the realm of intuition. No need for quick, flowing, or hefty swords. Enkried believed the silver weapon in his hand was more than capable of handling its role. Moreover, as he had come to capture the Gray Ghoul King, he intended to conserve his strength. To achieve optimal movement and minimal path, what was required was the acceleration of thought. A sharper response, quick thinking - Enkried's precise sword style further advanced. No, it didn’t stop at mere advancement. Lem's instincts, surpassing a beast's, astutely identified what Enkried lacked, aiding its development. Enkried was well aware of his shortcomings. "Only by recognizing what you're lacking does your skill grow." A phrase from a mercenary he met in the city. Not a swordsmanship instructor, yet he offered various bits of practical advice, which were immensely helpful. Enkried had gathered these bits of combat and life wisdom, testing and experimenting with them himself, turning them into experience. He’d done this all along. And this time was no different. Thus, experiencing the knight’s sword and dueling with Lem and others followed the same principle. Enkried focused on filling in what he lacked. It was time to showcase those results. Three approached from the left, two from the right, and one sprang upward after propelling itself off the ground. Crack! As the ghoul shattered thin branches obstructing its path, covering Enkried’s sight with its claws and gray body, Enkried's hands and feet moved. As always, it started with his feet. Using his left foot as a pivot, he unsheathed his sword with his right hand. The one lunging from above was first. Then, smoothly connecting all the points with a line. Thud! Slash, Slice, Jab, Thud! He split the one descending from above vertically, applying force with his left hand while pushing to the left with his right. As his right hand retrieved the motion, Enkried swung the sword to his left. Two ghoul heads caught in the extended blade were sliced diagonally. The first one sliced from right eye to skull, and the second had the top of its head blown off. Black blood and brain matter scattered in the air. In the meantime, Enkried switched his pivot foot to his right, twisting his body slightly, unsheathing the gladius with his right hand to stab twice to the right, then twisted his wrist to strike the last ghoul's head with the flat of the blade. A complex series of actions all executed within a single breath. As if predetermined, each precise movement seamlessly connected like a well-rehearsed sequence. “The duels helped a lot.” The foremost method of training the Sword’s Form is experience. Experience was something he didn’t lack. Combined with dueling and effort, that made all the difference. Thanks to that, Enkried could display his fourth sword technique on this occasion. The first was the Snake’s Sword. The second, Lightning Thrust. The third, Crushing Sword. Now came the fourth. In some ways, the fight had made the ghouls appear dim-witted. It was as if these foolish creatures willingly ran into the blade. This was possible because he forced their movements. Every element—footstep timing, body angle, hand position—was calculated to make the ghouls charge in one direction. Enkried called this the “Capturing Sword.” A Sword’s Form that restricted the opponent's movement. While conventional swordsmanship suggests adjusting techniques to suit one's body, Enkried had advanced further. He was continually crafting new techniques. In effect, everything Enkried naturally executed represented the ideal path. It was the route towards knighthood and mastering proper swordsmanship. Lem, observing Enkried, realized he had contributed significantly to this progress. Recognizing how beneficial their current undertakings would be, Lem offered a brief congratulation. "Playing around with ghouls, are we?" Enkried nodded at Lem’s blessing. "Let's do more." The sword was just beginning to blossom. Regardless of what Lem said, Enkried was more intent on wielding and refining it further. "Save some for me." Dunbakel grumbled, yet for the six times the next batch of ghouls attacked, no one besides Enkried found cause to draw their weapon.