A Knight Who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 419



Only Noblemtl

419. As your heart desires

“You’ll be at the border guard?”

Encrid nodded to Christ’s question.

“I knew this would happen, so I prepared, but if you need anything else, just let me know. With all my heart!”

Ever since he saw the general and the treasure, Chrys’s eyes would shine like gold coins, and he would repeatedly say the word loyalty.

Encrid didn’t blame Chrys for that. No matter what anyone said, he was a guy who did his job properly.

The accommodation has changed. It has become larger and has more rooms. A new training ground has been built in front of it.

There had been a dedicated training ground for the Madman Company before, but this time it was completely different from the ground up.

Smooth stones were spread out across the wide ground.

On one side, the green leaves of the neatly planted trees were covered with morning dew.

The sun was beginning to rise. It was summer, the season when the sun rises early.

Trees, flowers, rising sun.

Encred drew his sword as he watched the leaves sway in the wind.

After that, I repeated my usual training. There was no separate training today.

“Let’s see when my axe is finished.”

Rem said, gritting his teeth.

“The greatsword is still there.”

Ragnar also frowned and refused.

“Are you going to stab and cut me with that, Brother General?”

Even Audin secretly showed his intention to refuse.

“I won’t do it.”

Dunbakel avoided it.

“I got a new shield.”

Even Teresa refuses.

“Even though I’ve grown new ankles, I wouldn’t have enough to deal with you right now even with three ankles.”

The hopes of Luagarne were also dashed.

There wasn’t even a hint of a sneeze.

“I don’t think it will work yet.”

Even when I tried to call out Pel, he shook his head.

He added that he couldn’t win yet. He didn’t seem to have any intention of fighting right now.

It was a truly regrettable thing for Encred. Even if he had done it himself, all he had done was test Aker, the most famous sword among the newly acquired ones.

During that test, Rem’s axe blade was split and Ragna’s makeshift sword was cut in half, but that was inevitable.

Now that you’ve got a new sword, you might as well test it out.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit lethal?”

Rem said sarcastically, but Encred answered calmly.

“Being properly equipped with a weapon is also a skill.”

“The king just gave it to me… … Let’s stop talking.”

Rem gave up on answering. It would be better to use her sorcery once more than to defeat Encred with her tongue.

“Come at me, you savage bastards of the West.”

Encred teased Rem a few more times, but Rem, having learned her lesson, turned a deaf ear and ignored him.

Encrid soon shook off his distracting thoughts and focused on his training.

‘Cut, stab, and cut.’

The wind blew and the leaves swayed as he swung his sword, drawing an imaginary enemy.

‘There is something to be learned from everything you see.’

It didn’t always require a grand realization. It was just a matter of repeating the movement, reducing small errors, and implementing better movements.

With the sword swinging along with my thoughts, everything I had learned so far was naturally mixed together.

A moment of will in the continuous stabbing and cutting movements.

‘Two movements in one breath.’

Ragnar had implemented up to three movements in one breath.

I saw it when I cut down the ghost general in front of the count.

Encred couldn’t do that yet. What Ragnar did was beyond a feat, it was close to being miraculous.

It felt like the closest sword to a knight, and it looked like that.

‘Over and over again.’

If there had been a boatman right next to me, I would have cursed him and said he was such a pain in the ass.

A crushing sword followed by a momentary acceleration.

A black virtual enemy is set up to capture and depict a battle between two people.

The opponents before him were diverse, ranging from the young geniuses he had met in the past, to those he had met during his time as a mercenary, to Learbart, Rem, Ragnar, and Audin.

Not all fights were easy.

Encred was already one of the best knights in terms of skill, but the outcome of a fight was different from that of a duel.

Because everyone dies by a blind sword.

‘Don’t discuss victory or defeat before the fight.’

Three of the instructors who taught him said the same thing. Oddly enough, all three had refused to teach Encred, and only taught him after seeing his persistence beyond desperation.

He swung his sword again and again, sweat spraying everywhere.

In Encred’s view, the person closest to being a knight was Ragnar.

I also killed the guy who blocked my way with one blow.

A sword that cuts through the waves of ghosts.

It was clear that he was above the level of a knight in every way. So I asked.

“Did you get to the article?”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t know?”

“I don’t know because I haven’t been there.”

Confidence was evident in Ragnar as he spoke. It was the kind of confidence that only a genius can show.

He said it with attitude.

I haven’t been there, but I’m sure I’ll be able to reach it.

Absolute faith was evident in his attitude and actions.

Encred knew very well that his talents were poor, and he had many geniuses like Ragnar by his side.

Remdo and Audin too.

Moreover, Dunbakel and Teresa’s skills had improved beyond comparison. Their talents were different.

What about Pel? If we look at the way he can gauge his opponent’s skills with his eyes, he too could be called a genius.

Even Squire Lawford may not know what he was thinking when he followed him, but his talents were probably superior to Encred’s.

Learbarth was a poet who fell into a swamp of frustration and despair.

He sang despair and danced in frustration. He lamented his talent and walked the path of wickedness.

-Be frustrated and despair!

The boatman’s welcome shouted.

Encred ignored them all. He had no reason to be distracted or shaken by such distracting thoughts.

It was a time when I was sweating profusely.

A sound of footsteps was heard from one side. Encred stopped swinging his sword and turned his gaze.

It was the direction where the dawn was breaking. He saw a shadow walking towards him with its back to the light.

The sun had risen brightly, illuminating the surroundings. I could see two arms naturally swinging along with reddish-brown hair.

Encred knew that a silent dagger could fly from that hand at any moment, and that the man had countless blades and weapons hidden all over his body.

If Audin’s body was a blunt weapon like steel.

The one approaching now is a living, breathing weapon that can kill the opponent just by breathing.

As his skills improved, so did the visible aspects. Saxony’s ‘preparation’ that had not been seen before was visible.

These are hidden things in every step, every gesture.

Encred saw that and changed the position of his feet, pulling on his sword belt and placing his hands on his waist. Naturally, Aker was in his hand.

This is a famous sword named after a knight from the founding myth. It could be called the royal family’s treasured sword.

‘Can I break it?’

Since it was given to me, I can’t help it, right?

If Saxony attacked now, Encred himself, along with Aker, would not be safe.

Let’s divide the assassins among themselves and talk about their level.

Showing off your life on the outside is third-rate.

If you reveal your true nature, you’re second-rate.

If you approach without any noise, you are first class.

If someone approaches you with an ordinary aura, you are considered top-notch.

Saxony was as usual, but Encred’s keen senses and intuition did not say so.

“I really felt your skills improved a lot.”

Saxon said as he approached.

“It’s still a long way to go.”

Encred spoke and stretched his arms further. He relaxed his strength. He had to relax his strength in order to gain a burst of speed.

“To become a knight?”

Nod.

Saxon stopped walking. The sunlight behind him made his face appear only as a shadow. The dark shadows made his face look colder than ever.

“I have one question to ask.”

“Ask.”

“Why didn’t you join the Knights Templar?”

* * *

“Are you coming back now?”

Back in the old days, when Georgiou’s Viscount Master was there, there was something they would secretly do after each infiltration mission.

The goal was to kill anyone who could guess the identity of the infiltrating guild member.

As of now, it is not a rule that must be followed.

But if the opponent is none other than Geor’s master, then the story is different.

The one who always had to remain hidden behind a veil of mystery was Geor’s dagger master.

“Shall we handle it?”

The lover and the master’s daughter asked.

Saxon didn’t answer. His mouth wouldn’t open easily.

“If I do it, I will do it with my own hands.”

The lover nodded.

That’s true too.

Then, when would they process it and when would they return? Aside from the piling up requests, the bigger problem was that the master was away for long periods of time and discipline was not maintained.

There are many people out there who would take advantage of this opportunity and do something bad.

Just thinking about it, there were more than five people.

‘No, there should be ten.’

Still, I respected the Master, so I followed his will.

For no apparent reason, Saxony was still here. She could have left before the civil war began, and she could have left afterward, and she didn’t even have to return to the Border Guard.

There were also countless opportunities to kill anyone who suspected his identity along the way.

Regardless of whether it succeeds or fails, why didn’t you just try?

There was a mountain of things I was curious about and couldn’t understand.

“Can I ask why?”

Saxon was left speechless for a moment at the question asked as a lover rather than as a guild member serving the Master.

“I think you’ll find out if you ask.”

“what?”

“Why didn’t you become a knight?”

It was a sudden remark to the woman, but not to Saxon.

‘Master.’

All the way here, the words of the previous master were floating around in Saxon’s head.

“Technology without a heart is nothing more than the art of murder. It’s nonsense.”

I wondered if that was the right thing to say to someone who had come to learn the art of killing.

“Is it good to kill people? Is it fun?”

It’s not something I feel often, but it’s fun.

“Don’t laugh. If I see you laughing, I’ll feel like my choice was wrong.”

I didn’t even wonder what the choice was.

The Master had said similar things from the very beginning when he brought him here.

“If there is something you cherish, things that seem like nothing more than a killing technique can become a sword that protects someone.”

Saxon asked the Master in return.

“Then what is the Master guarding?”

“I’m guarding a fence that keeps fools like you, who only care about their daughter, their family, and me, out into the world.”

A story that is half understood, but half incomprehensible.

A story that doesn’t really matter.

A story you just have to hear and let go.

What mattered to Saxony was the power needed for revenge.

So now that revenge has come to an end, should we look for a new target for revenge?

Should I repeat the process of finding and killing each of the remaining people?

Is that the right way?

I thought it was something I had to do before I could judge right from wrong. That’s why I’m here.

“Well. Saxon Bensino, the heir of Bensino. Do you want to be a murderer? Is it your only goal in life to kill people perfectly? Is that your dream? Is that everything to you?”

The Master’s words continued to ring in Saxon’s head.

* * *

Encred was momentarily lost in thought at Saxon’s sudden question.

‘Why?’

I haven’t really thought about a reason.

But if you think about it, you could have stayed in the Knights. If you wanted to stay in the capital and join the Knights, who would turn you down?

Krang was ready to create a new order of knights if necessary, and Asia also made a subtle suggestion to wear a red cloak.

The Marquis of Octo, now a duke, even spoke openly.

“How about staying in the capital and joining the Knights Templar? I believe it would be a good opportunity for you.”

If the Marquis of Baisar wanted to continue the relationship by becoming the background, the Duke of Okto wanted to become the new pillar of this land.

Encred blithely dismissed all of those suggestions.

At that time, all I wanted to do was go back and swing my sword in peace in the morning and evening.

“just.”

Encrid added, as he felt the need to elaborate further.

“I just moved wherever my heart led me.”

If we go into more detail, it is because the knight he was pursuing was not visible. Encred could not find chivalry.

I saw the knights of the capital, but was there chivalry in them? Honor? Faith? Fidelity?

Help the weak.

Take up your sword and fight for justice.

A battlefield where children do not fight.

A fight between those who guard the back.

Things that are called virtues, but are now ignored.

Encred felt no need to wear the red cloak to follow the path he desired.

That was the reason behind the saying that I did whatever I wanted.

“The knights I was hoping for weren’t there either.”

Encred knew my explanation was lacking, so he simply listed his thoughts.

Although the explanation was not long, the meaning was sufficiently conveyed.

“Dreams are big too.”

If it were Rem, he would have said something like this.

Saxon only frowned at Encred’s words.