A Knight Who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 430



Only Noblemtl

430. Unit Member, Fiancee, Wizard

It’s been a while since the sword in my hand felt heavy.

During the first year of holding a sword, it often felt heavy. After swinging the heavy iron a few times, my arm muscles would tremble, and the tingling pain in my palm between my thumb and index finger would not go away all day.

It was a time when even wooden swords felt heavy.

And now it’s several times harder than then.

‘be heavy.’

It looked like dozens of iron weights were attached to the blade.

If I let go of my strength even a little, the blade would fall down and stick to the ground. The muscles in both arms trembled.

It was unbelievable. With Audin’s training, I rarely felt like I was lacking in strength alone.

There was no time to think about such things now.

I was so focused on bearing the weight of the sword that no other thoughts entered my mind.

‘It’s heavy.’

I felt as if I might drop the sword at any moment. Even raising the tip of the sword slightly felt like crossing a mountain in the middle of winter with my bare body.

The rain that had briefly soaked his body evaporated in the heat of the fight, but as sweat began to pour down afterwards, Encred’s entire body quickly became soaked again.

Sweat was running down my face. Droplets of sweat ran down my chin and fell to the floor without stopping.

‘It’s very heavy.’

If this continues, I will naturally drop the sword. I fought bravely while carrying such a heavy object.

I didn’t even have time to catch my breath, which had been racing since earlier. My breathing was ragged, as if I had been running all day without resting.

The sweat that flowed down my body gradually increased, soaking my entire body. It felt like I had gotten into the bathtub with my clothes on.

But the hardest thing was still the lump of iron in my hand. The famous sword Aker, which had stuck to my hand when I first held it, now felt like a snake struggling to escape from my grasp.

‘Why is it heavy?’

I don’t know why. I just struck the opponent’s spear blade.

It was around this time that Anu approached Encred, who was expending his physical and mental strength, and whispered to him.

The time he held the sword felt like quite a long time to Encred, but in reality it was only a moment.

Because we only exchanged a few words.

“Can you bear the weight? The ox loves to throw off loads.”

Encred couldn’t understand everything the other person was saying, but he could tell one thing.

“If you miss it, that will be your limit. Then, even if you die, you won’t be able to do what you want.”

Saying that you have to die meant that you had to run with death by your side.

Even without listening to the king, Encrid already felt it.

That you must not let go of what you have in your hands now.

There is only one clear fact.

Encred thought he might drop the sword in his hand, but he also knew that he would not.

‘If you’re going to let it go because it’s heavy.’

I would never have taken a step towards that absurd dream.

“Do you want to become a knight? Then see, experience, and accumulate many things. All of them will help you on your path.”

The king spoke. It was an ambiguous statement. At least that’s what it sounded like to Encred at the moment. But Anu’s tone was full of goodwill.

“If you do not forget what is on your sword, the path will open.”

A few short words lingered in Encred’s mind, even as sweat poured down his face and the tip of his sword shook.

“Thank you for your help.”

Finally, the king patted me on the shoulder once and left.

Encred saw the tip of the sword slightly lowered in my line of sight.

The will of rejection, the heart of monstrous strength, the heart of a beast, and a body trained with single-point concentration, sensory skills, and techniques of isolation.

Pulling everything out didn’t help me hold onto this sword right away.

The King’s Ox made the weapon in his opponent’s hand feel heavier than ever before.

That was the mystery of Willow.

Encred recognized this, but still lifted the tip of his sword.

Just because everything I’ve learned doesn’t work doesn’t mean my will is broken.

If you were going to give up, you wouldn’t have even started.

The tip of the sword slowly rose upward. Encred finally lifted the sword properly and for a moment forgot the weight of the sword.

The extra weight placed on the king’s ox has disappeared.

Only then did Encred realize that his hand had been torn for the first time in a long while. Red liquid was flowing out of his sword-holding hand.

The leather wrapped around Aker’s handle was soaked in blood and had turned a dull color.

The first time the bull’s horn caught Aker’s blade, twisted it, and tried to pull it out of his hand, it was the wound he sustained when he endured it.

It could be said to be the price paid for enduring the knight’s weapon being taken away.

Realizing this, Encred staggered and fell.

“That’s stupid.”

Someone was speaking as they took hold of her body. It was Esther’s voice.

Encrid lost consciousness after that.

* * *

Encrid had a dream. It had been a long time, I should say.

It was a real dream, not a dream about a boatman.

“You plan on living off of rice? Leave it to me. You’ll die young.”

“Even those with outstanding talent have a hard time surviving past the age of 50 because of mercenary work.”

It was before I could properly express my dream. These were the words of those who told me to abandon the boat that was sailing the sea of ​​dreams.

The ferry had a hole in the bottom.

Can’t go forward.

Your oars are broken and rotten.

Also, I can’t move forward.

The boat you’re on is made of fallen leaves. You’re going to go out to sea in something like that? It’ll sink even on a lake or a river.

So I can’t go forward.

Everyone told the same story.

Encred saw that only two people, aside from his own men, listened to his dream seriously and responded to it.

It wasn’t even Prok Luagarne.

She judged that it would not work out, but seeing Encrid achieve it left her feeling mystified.

‘Crang.’

One was a friend who sat on the throne of Naurilia.

He said he found his way after hearing the dream Encred told him.

And another one is the King of the East.

Although it was a short period of time, I was able to refine what I had through sparring with him.

The strange thing is that, although I thought I would hear countless times during the duel that I had no talent, the King of the East never said anything like that.

When I didn’t have the skills to overwhelm my opponents like I do now, most of the people who came to me after hearing my dreams talked about my talents.

The reason they couldn’t do that now was because Encred’s swordsmanship was now superior to theirs.

But the king was a man of such a position and ability that it could be said that he had no talent.

You could have lamented his lack of talent and been surprised, but he was calm.

Rather, before leaving, he said:

“Don’t forget what you’ve loaded onto your sword, and move forward. The path will open.”

It was encouragement and faith.

Encred ignored all the words of those whose faces were not even visible beyond the curtain.

The rowboats made of fallen leaves and the oars made of rotten tree trunks have soon become caravels made of oak that has been well treated to prevent water from seeping through, and the oars made of rotten tree trunks have become oars made by carefully hammering sturdy planks.

Encrid, with his boat and oars, saw the milestones and the path.

‘What must I do to become a knight?’

Everything around them became blurred and the Azpen Knight appeared.

“If you stop me just once, I’ll spare you.”

Did you say that?

It didn’t seem like that, but now it’s a dream. It wasn’t the other person’s words that were important, but the meaning.

That means you only have to block it once.

The Azpen knight swung his sword.

It is a sword that is both fast and strong.

Since it was impossible to return the blow, I struck first.

The knight stepped down for my honor.

Encred practiced various techniques, such as slashing, stabbing, and swinging his sword, using his strikes as a standard.

Afterwards, Encrid also saw the various techniques displayed by the Bull of Anu.

The King of the East demonstrated his skill in using Will.

If he had wanted to, he could have killed himself in an instant.

I never intended to die so easily as to rebel, but that was the reality.

Today, which would repeat itself after I died, was soon forgotten.

Okay then.

“This guy.”

The boatman burst in, tearing apart one side of the dream.

That too was part of the dream.

Encred ignored the boatman and sat there thinking, until he had a small epiphany. It was a signpost that gave him some vague clues along the way.

‘It’s different.’

The King of the East had a different path than the Knight of Azpen, and the techniques he used were different.

The two were clearly different. So different.

With that thought, Encrid opened his eyes.

I felt a vague pain all over my body and my palms were throbbing.

I raised my hand and saw that it was wrapped tightly in bandages.

I could see the darkness outside, the lamp light, and someone sitting in a chair right next to the bed.

“Sinaar?”

“Now that you’ve called my name, all I have to do is offer my blessings.”

A fairy joke rang in my ears.

Encrid asked instead of laughing. It was hard to laugh at a fairy’s joke.

“What are you doing?”

“appreciation.”

There was no need to ask what he was admiring.

He was looking at himself with one leg crossed, his elbow resting on his leg, and his chin resting on it.

“You always end up fighting and collapsing.”

Sinar continued.

Encred shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“If you wake up, I can show you something fun.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sinar showed a faint smile that he would not show to anyone from his sitting position.

With that smile. She uncrossed her legs and lowered her arms, drew her sword and stabbed. The speed and angle were incomprehensible.

Age stabbed Encred’s heart beyond his awareness.

I felt like I was going to cough up blood. My whole body muscles tensed up and I momentarily forgot about the muscle pain.

Death is imminent.

Was I going to close my eyes and die like this? That wasn’t it.

“How is it?”

With Shinar’s words, the sword that had stabbed his heart disappeared like a grain of sand.

All she did was sit with her legs uncrossed and her arms hanging loosely.

It was all an illusion. No, it was a reality that could happen, as shown by the opponent’s momentum.

“What is this?”

“Was I was away from you for so long for nothing?”

Despite the fairy’s joke, Encrid quickly realized several facts.

Having experienced the knight’s power twice, it was rather easy now.

What Sinar had shown just now was the knight’s power.

A leopard that had been watching from one side approached and jumped into Encred’s arms.

It seemed like he was protesting to Sinar that it was enough and that he should step down.

“I’ll wait for you to recover.”

Sinar said.

Encred’s heart was pounding. He wanted to stand up and grab his sword, ignoring the muscle pain that was pulsing throughout his body.

I felt a strong desire to receive the real sword wielded by Shinar.

widely.

Esther hit Encred’s chest with her foreleg.

It seemed like he was telling me to be patient.

“know.”

Encred answered. He knows it too. With this body, he can’t fight properly. He can’t even spar.

So it’s right to endure it.

Instead, I will focus on recovering, and when I can get up and straighten my sword, I will grab Shinar and swing my sword.

“How is your fiancé?”

Sinar asked, his smile already gone, and Encred had no choice but to answer.

“It’s the best.”

“Okay, just know it.”

The fairy rose quietly. With faint movements still visible, she went out of the barracks.

The squeak of hinges announced her departure.

“You didn’t sleep? You passed out and as soon as you woke up, it was chaos.”

“Ugh, it’s been a while since I’ve slept in the barracks. What’s it like?”

“Pray, and your recovery will be quick.”

“Drrrrrr.”

Rem, Christ, and Audin spoke, and the last thing was Ragnar’s snoring.

Ragnar is the type of guy who doesn’t snore unless he’s extremely tired, but for some reason he started snoring instead of singing a lullaby.

“How much did I sleep?”

“It’s been exactly half a day.”

“Please go to sleep. You must not ignore the warning signals your body is giving you, brother. So go to sleep and calm down.”

Rem spoke and Audin intervened.

Esther thumped her chest again.

It means rest. It wasn’t a wrong thing to say. Encred thought and closed his eyes.

It seemed like I would be able to fall asleep soon. I was already feeling sleepy.

I felt Saxon, who had been watching silently from one side, put a small bottle of ointment down next to the bed.

“It’s medicine.”

Saxon spoke and returned to his seat.

I wondered why I was back in the barracks today.

Dunbakel, Teresa, Pell, and Lawford were in different quarters, but the four of them stood guard in front of the barracks.

Encrid, who had not known until then, fell back into sleep.

* * *

After Esther joined the Border Guard, she often left the barracks.

If Encred had paid more attention, he might have noticed, but he was too caught up in swinging his sword.

Should I say it’s the same as usual?

Esther walked along the Pen-Hanil River and the surrounding lakes, mountains and forests.

It was because of the restoration of the damaged spell world while dealing with the Count.

I also took care of the bonehead I got before.

I also tried summoning some of the spirits I had made contracts with in the past.

“Cannibal, do I look like your prey?”

Then I encountered a few groups of ghouls.

The outpost facilities and local security measures that Christ had pushed for also had the disadvantage of causing scattered monsters to gather together.

Since monsters that moved in small groups could no longer survive, it was natural that those with survival instincts left would band together.

It was one of those ghouls.

A monster that previously would not dare to make eye contact now fearlessly reveals its ugly fangs.

Even though Esther had not mastered necromancy, it would not have been difficult for her to recruit a few of these ghouls as her followers, but it was not even necessary. In fact, it was close to something that should not be done.

‘That’s not raising the level, it’s lowering it.’

As soon as that thought occurred to her, Esther gestured to summon fire and roasted six ghouls.

Shut up.

The ghoul that died with its whole body burning soon became a lump of charred flesh.

‘I’m working really hard too.’

Esther knew why she was like that.

The guy next to me was constantly struggling and moving forward. I realized that it was difficult to stand next to such a person with a weak determination, so that was why I did that.

‘If I just regain my former strength, I will cry as a fighting witch.’

So, he will also advance further. There was a good opportunity at the time.

If you wander around the Pen-Hanil Mountains, searching for hidden ruins and monsters, and polishing what you have, you will gain enlightenment.

If Ragnar is a genius in swordsmanship.

Esther was a magical genius.

She knew her way around, and she could tell what she needed and what she didn’t the moment she saw it.

I also knew that I could go further with it.

‘Oh, you idiot.’

Esther muttered to herself as she thought of Encred being defeated by the so-called King of the East.

He, Encrid will go further.

It was obvious that in the future, I would get involved with some clumsy devil or wizard like a count.

Because that was the path he walked.

I will clear away all the magic tricks that stand in front of that road.

Esther tried to fill her pride by proving herself like that.

Even though a fighting witch entrusted her body to him, it was of no help at all.

‘That is unacceptable.’

This was a question of the value of existence.

Esther also wondered if Encred would be able to achieve what he wanted.

What kind of path will that man walk? Where will it end?

These were things I had never wondered about when looking at the King of the East.

In this way, Esther traveled back and forth across the mountains, training her magic, and organizing the useful ones out of the six types of magic she had learned in the tower when she was young.

On the way back to the base, a soldier caught my eye.

I don’t know his name, but the soldier rolled the dice and moved his mana without realizing it.

It was a magical talent.

Esther was about to pass him by without a second thought, but then changed her mind and approached him.

“You follow me.”

Interested? No.

It was for myself.

‘There is something to be learned while teaching.’

That was what the teacher said and that was also his own experience.

That’s why.

The soldier who was actually the target, the Border Guard’s top gambler, simply blinked.

“yes?”

“If you don’t come, I will give you a pain worse than death.”

Esther did as she had been doing, and the soldier did not put up a futile resistance because he knew that the opponent was a sorcerer with the nickname of Encred’s lover.

The change in formation of one soldier was something that Graham, who was in charge of the actual Border Guard force, would take care of.

Also, Captain Graham handled it that way.

“A soldier? A squad leader? You took a junior soldier with you? Leave him alone, he’ll figure it out.”

This was what the battalion commander said when he heard that Esther or the leopard had taken the soldier away.