A Knight Who Eternally Regresses-Chapter 260: On Dealing with Fools (5)

It was a conversation that took place before leaving Martai.

“Deceive them and strike.”

Both the Black Blades and the priest, Kraiss had a firm belief in how to handle fools.

Enkrid agreed with him.

“Let’s do that.”

“Right!”

With a lively reply, King Eyeball had prepared a lot.

This was the result.

“Hurry, hurry, kill them all!”

The chubby priest, who had secretly passed on the movements of Enkrid's group, shouted.

Where did that chubby priest get information about Enkrid's group?

‘Hmm, he was stupid.’

The priest was easily deceived by a few coins, trusting the child to sell him information.

He trusted too easily, really far too easily.

Afterward, Kraiss anticipated the Black Blades' attack.

Specifically, he selected ambush spots along the route they were traveling, paying attention to the cloudy skies and guessing at the weather.

It would be good if it snowed, but even if not, a cloudy day would work.

After a few considerations, he intentionally set up the situation for the Black Blades to strike.

‘These guys are really stupid, aren’t they?’

Kraiss doubted whether the Black Blades were actually a formidable band of thieves.

Would they really do something like this?

Sending a few mercenaries, hoping Enkrid’s group would die?

Of course, this was because of a lack of proper information.

The Pixie Captain didn’t survive to give any reports, and hearing rumors alone made it hard to judge Enkrid’s group’s true strength.

Especially, he had no idea of the abilities of those under Enkrid’s command.

He saw Rem lightly kick off the ground and move forward.

Then Rem vanished.

Boom!

The earth he kicked into split, and a cry echoed.

At the same time, a streak of light left behind, slashing the neck of a mace-wielding foe.

“Damn, that's a sharp blade!”

That was Rem’s voice after the fact. Kraiss couldn’t see all the movements of the barbarian, but he could infer everything from the result.

His keen mind made that possible.

‘The mace swung down from above, and before it hit the ground, the axe severed the neck.’

This happened because the hands and feet were several times faster than the swinging mace.

The reason he said the axe was sharp was that the opponent wore a helmet that covered their face, and the blade had sliced through it completely.

Blood from the mercenary wielding the mace was scattered across the lightly laid white snow, which began to turn red.

New snowflakes fell over the scene.

Enkrid surveyed the battlefield. While Kraiss could guess the process from the results, Enkrid saw everything.

“Don’t surrender!”

Rem charged forward, with Dunbakel and Teresa moving beside him.

One of the mercenaries, apparently familiar with Dunbakel, greeted her warmly.

“Bitch! Traitor!”

The mercenary shouted as he thrust a long spear at Dunbakel. His skill didn’t seem too bad.

At least better than the previous level Dunbakel had reached.

But that was all.

Dunbakel wasn’t the same foolish beastman anymore.

Her body bent like a whip. In that instant, it looked as if there were three of her.

It was possible because of her exceptional agility. A brief movement to the left and right left afterimages.

At the same time, her scimitar was drawn, cutting through the air and the falling snow, hitting the mercenary's head.

Every moment was split into frames in Enkrid’s eyes.

It was thanks to his sharp senses.

Thunk!

The scimitar smashed the mercenary's skull and pulled free.

“Sorry, didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

That was Dunbakel's response after killing him.

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‘She’s starting to resemble Rem more and more.’

Enkrid was worried about that, but let it be.

After all, she was finding her own path in this world. Criticizing someone like that was something Enkrid couldn’t do.

As he watched with his arms crossed, a few more mercenaries charged forward, two of them engaged by Teresa.

“Where the hell did a monster like this come from?”

The enemy mercenary yelled. She was the long-haired mercenary who had thrown a dagger.

Teresa blocked all of her daggers with her shield.

One of them seemed to have been enchanted, curving through the air, but Teresa twisted her body and blocked it with her shoulder.

Using her armor to defend was Teresa’s specialty.

She also excelled in pressuring with her shield and crushing her enemies with her thick-bladed sword.

And that’s exactly what she did.

“Argh!”

With the flat of her sword, she hit the mercenary who had survived this long with her dagger-throwing skills, and the skull inside the helmet shattered, brain matter and blood pouring out.

The crushed eyeballs burst, leaking clear fluid, mixing with the blood.

“I’m Teresa the wanderer. If you want to die, come at me.”

She spoke in a short phrase, and Enkrid could see several soldiers freeze at her words.

No matter how experienced you are, it’s natural to feel fear in the face of overwhelming violence.

The mercenaries died quickly.

At this point, a similar battle had begun above them, but they watched their commanders being slaughtered.

Naturally, their will to fight evaporated.

“Hey, surrender. The estate is short on hands these days. If you prove your identity and serve faithfully, I’ll have you reinstated within two years.”

Torres coaxed them. After all, these people were just mercenaries who followed the gold coin. If they decided to clean up the monsters and beasts, capturing them as prisoners and using them as meat shields was a gain.

He could accept only the decent ones.

His calculations were quick, and the offer came swiftly.

“S-Surrender.”

One of the soldiers said, lowering his wooden longbow.

Eventually, none of the soldiers ambushed from the hilltop shot arrows.

The chubby priest, seeing the mercenaries die, immediately turned and fled.

He moved with the most desperate urgency he had ever shown in his life.

It was almost unbelievable how fast that chubby body could move.

A thick forearm blocked his path.

“Ugh!”

The startled priest tumbled to the ground. The shock in his rear end shook his head. He lifted his face to the ground, his gaze meeting a soldier the size of a bear.

‘This guy.’

Zimmer had struck him, but there were others in the estate who supported him.

They had told him the truth.

The one who had originally struck him was this guy.

But Zimmer’s threatening glare had prevented him from doing anything.

He resented that.

It was all Kraiss’ plan.

Kraiss had hired a few thugs who couldn’t even be considered human, to make use of this fool.

The chubby priest had been led here by these actions.

Why? Because it was better to deal with a threat than leave it.

It wasn’t important how rotten the priest was.

It was the fact that the priest’s position mattered.

The best choice was to kill him and bury him.

That’s why they had brought him here.

When it comes to dealing with idiots, the best option is to ignore them. The second best is to bury them.

So from the moment Audin slapped him, Kraiss had visualized this scenario.

What a fitting pair—the Black Blades and the greedy priest.

It was a bit unexpected that things had gone so smoothly. Their enemy was just too foolish.

“The Master of Radiance once said that it is the work to reveal and reveal again. Did you do that?”

Audin asked. The chubby priest, trembling, immediately answered.

“Of, of course, I did... I-I did!”

His voice quivered, his tongue tangled in fear.

“Revealing Krona, rather than illuminating the world, should have been your task.”

Audin muttered. The priest was about to explain that he had helped orphaned children and had raised a few lost children at the temple, but Audin already knew.

Through Kraiss, Audin knew that this priest had revealed Krona, and he had also “revealed” several orphaned girls to himself.

Thunk.

Audin slapped the priest’s forehead, his palm crushing through the skull.

Blood poured from every hole in the priest’s head.

Audin hated those who, under the guise of faith, committed such vile acts.

There were those he had failed to punish before, driven by disbelief.

But now he was not the same.

He had someone beside him who overcame their limits and moved forward.

Now, he could no longer turn a blind eye to the truth, to life, to faith, and to belief.

“I will live, Father.”

Without abandoning the life granted by the Lord,

I will live and strike down my enemies under His permission.

Thus, I shall punish those who have shattered my faith.

It is not an easy task; if things go awry, it will end in a dog's death.

But I will not die like that.

Every day is a day of learning.

Apart from the teachings, Audin learned as well.

From Enkrid, from Kraiss.

“As I see the light you’ve shown, I too will shine my light.”

Audin prayed to his commander, though no one could hear.

A prayer directed not at a god, but at a man.

It felt awkward, yet strangely natural.

Enkrid, watching, let go of his thoughts.

‘Crazy bastards.’

And cursed inwardly.

At least he should leave the ones he had to face.

What were they so excited about?

Even Audin, who normally would just watch, suddenly took action and shattered the priest’s skull, looking at himself afterward.

In his eyes, there was desire, a gaze filled with burning passion.

‘Desperate to fight like a mad bear.’

The distance was too far for his intentions to be clear, and Enkrid misinterpreted it.

Rem, of course, was rampaging, and Ragna didn’t stop either.

Normally, he would have just watched, but suddenly, he drew his sword and swung it.

That blow was strikingly impressive.

A downward diagonal cut, like a falcon diving toward its prey.

It was faster than any falcon, but the image of it reminded Enkrid of that.

And just as quickly as it came down, it shot back up again.

Where Ragna’s sword moved, the preparation sword shattered into three pieces and scattered on the ground.

Ragna, after swinging his sword, looked at it with admiration, which was uncharacteristic for him.

“Ho...”

It was a sword that pleased him more than he had expected.

Indeed, it was the work of a dwarf.

Enkrid also wanted to try the new sword technique he had developed, and he was eager to wield the sword given to him by the dwarf, but...

“It’s over already.”

As Kraiss said with a sigh, it ended swiftly.

In an instant, Rem had cut down half a dozen, and there wasn’t even a spark from the fire ax.

The difference between the two groups was clear.

In truth, Kraiss, who specialized in dark thoughts, had over-prepared.

Even though there was a group of archers, the outcome of the fight was already decided.

As Rem rampaged, Jaxon stepped forward and took down a mercenary.

He was a young man with a half-faced appearance.

He was someone with a name.

“Please spare me, I’ll do anything.”

Jaxon had stabbed him in the thigh, blood dripping as he spoke.

“This is mine.”

Jaxon’s request was rare. Enkrid had received much from him.

“Take it.”

Enkrid didn’t question his request.

Frankly, no one cared.

Dunbakel felt the change in her own abilities.

As for Teresa—

“Let’s spar when we get back.”

She spoke with an unusually fiery gaze, her blood boiling.

“Sure.”

Enkrid nodded with a smile, then looked around, thinking inwardly,

‘Crazy bastards.’

It was resentment towards those who didn’t leave their share behind.

The first attack and ambush of the Black Blades ended in futility.

Kraiss thought it was entirely their fault.

‘Too kind.’

Of course, now things would take a turn far from kindness.

If even one of their plans hit, someone’s life would be at risk.

The ominous thoughts flew wildly, and Kraiss began thinking of countermeasures.

What could he do? In this battlefield, following Enkrid, it was an unavoidable issue.

At the same time, Kraiss made a resolution.

‘I won’t make a losing deal.’

His goal remained the same—the noblewoman’s salon.

He would get Enkrid to visit the salon, even if it was a short-term contract.

The thought of welcoming him was thrilling.

The group tidied up the remnants of the battle.

Torres and Zimmer, who had come to meet them before, greeted the group again.

“Well done.”

Enkrid said, and Torres nodded.

“Safe travels.”

The snow soon stopped, and the group hurried on.

When they reached the border guard, the wild horse nudged Enkrid’s shoulder.

“Why?”

“Want to look around?”

“Sure, go ahead. It’s dangerous to come in directly, so just come when I call you later.”

“Go on. Look around and have fun.”

Enkrid muttered to the horse, who stared at him.

Rem, watching from the side, mumbled,

“It looks like it’s going to turn into a person. Let’s ask Esther.”

No one responded.

Once inside the border guard, they headed straight for the barracks.

It was already evening.

Rather than camping for another night, they decided to walk in and rest, arriving late.

Naturally, there was no scuffle at the gates.

“You’ve arrived!”

A soldier, familiar from training, opened the side door.

They were happy to see Enkrid, but their faces were dark.

The training would resume, and the soldiers weren’t looking forward to it.

“I’ll check if you’ve been slacking off tomorrow morning.”

Enkrid was one who did his duty as a member of the unit.

Therefore, he didn’t forget the training unit leader’s tasks.

“...Yes.”

The soldier was eager to pass on the news, his face trembling with joy, though it seemed overwhelming for him.

“Ah, I’m tired! Let’s rest!”

Kraiss said as he headed into the barracks.

In the meantime, Teresa kept watching Enkrid with heated eyes.

“Shall we spar and then clean up?”

Enkrid said. Teresa nodded.

The two fought, and Teresa lost but was satisfied.

She was willing to follow someone who would at least fight her like that.

Later, in the morning, Enkrid reported briefly to the battalion commander.

That night, Esther, the leopard-like creature, had curled up next to him and fallen asleep.

Whether she was human or leopard, she said nothing and just slept silently.

“Let’s begin training.”

The day started with the training unit leader, and after lunch...

“There’s a guy named Gilpin outside. He seems urgent.”

Enkrid tilted his head. What could Gilpin want at this hour?

Hearing this, a past incident came to mind.

It was when someone named Frokk had come by.

As they went to greet Gilpin, the Fairy Company Commander was standing beside him.

“Where are you going, betrothed? No greeting?”

The commander asked.