A Knight Who Eternally Regresses-Chapter 374: Woof Woof

While Jaxon caused chaos, Enkrid shoved Marcus aside as if discarding him.

"The Grand Duke is inside the palace—"

Marcus rolled to the side as he spoke. He was sharp enough to realize his current state. Finding a place to hide was his best option.

He had no strength left to fight.

His only choice was to stay out of sight.

Despite once commanding a battalion, he had no soldiers left under his direct command.

Damn Baisar.

His family had chosen neutrality, siding with neither faction.

Marcus resented that.

But that didn’t mean he would sit idly by.

If he sent Enkrid into the palace, he would do whatever needed to be done.

First, he just had to survive.

I shouldn’t have gotten off the damn ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) horse.

Enkrid gave him a brief nod before mounting One-Eyed Jack.

The same overwhelming energy as before pulsed through Jack’s skin.

Pure, unrelenting will.

"I am fast."

A body built for nothing but running.

Yet, he did not recklessly flaunt his strength or speed.

And still, he ran.

"Because I asked him to."

Jack had fully accepted Enkrid’s request.

The half-transformed beast-horse stomped the ground several times before moving.

Comparing him to a regular horse was an insult.

With a smooth push off the ground, Jack lowered his body and surged forward.

His knees bent just enough to drive his momentum, his movements fluid and precise as he slipped through the mansion’s front gates.

It was quick. Silent.

A dark blur vanishing in the night.

At that moment, Jaxon had drawn the attention of every assassin, having just killed a few more.

No one was guarding the front gate.

Was this some kind of assassin habit?

Enkrid briefly considered it before speaking.

"That way."

Lowering his body, he gripped the horse’s mane and whispered.

Jack responded immediately, heading toward the outer road leading to the palace.

The capital was in turmoil.

The quick-witted citizens had already locked themselves inside their homes.

Several shops had hastily shut their doors.

Some of the guards still patrolling the streets gripped their spears with wary, murderous intent.

Enkrid ignored them all.

Jack lightly tapped the ground with his hooves, gliding toward the palace’s secluded outer road.

This was not a road meant for public use.

It was a direct route, built along the outer wall, leading straight to the palace.

"Let’s go."

"Hnnng!"

Jack whinnied in response, kicking off the ground.

The scenery blurred into streaks.

Would this be what it felt like to activate Will in rapid succession?

That was the level of speed they had reached.

A barrier appeared ahead—no, it was already right in front of them.

A single moment of focused awareness activated as Enkrid processed the sight.

It was a wooden palisade.

Sharpened stakes driven into the ground at an angle, designed to impale anything that charged in thoughtlessly.

Any horse, carriage, or soldier foolish enough to rush forward would be skewered, their bodies left full of gaping holes.

Even well-trained warhorses would hesitate before such a defense.

If they had built a direct route to the palace, it was only natural to prepare a way to block it.

"B-Bwah—?!"

One of the guards stationed at the barricade tried to speak.

But he couldn’t finish his sentence.

Something black was rushing toward him.

The speed was unbelievable.

In the blink of an eye, it was upon him.

He tried to scream a warning—

But before he could, the black shadow passed over his head.

Thud.

A heavy impact, followed by a gust of wind roaring past his ears.

A solid mass had leapt over him.

Jack had simply jumped the barricade.

To him, it wasn’t even that high.

Enkrid didn’t need to give any instructions.

Jack just did it.

"...Wow."

Several soldiers craned their necks, watching in astonishment.

Elite horses could clear obstacles, but this—

This was more like flight.

They had blocked the road with dozens of guards and a barricade, and he had simply soared over all of it.

"Uh—uh—FIRE!"

A delayed order rang out.

It was pointless.

The horse was already long gone.

Faster than anything they had ever seen.

This was Enkrid’s second time riding Jack.

And yet, he felt even faster now than before.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The palace, which had once been far in the distance, loomed ahead in an instant.

Clearing the palisades and spears, Jack sprinted straight for the gates—

And then, with a sudden jolt, he planted his front hooves and twisted his body, skidding to a perfect stop.

Pffft.

Dirt and dust billowed from his hooves.

Not only was he capable of absurd speed, but he could also halt his momentum with pinpoint precision.

It was artistry.

Enkrid steadied himself and spoke.

"Thanks."

Then, without hesitation, he leapt down.

Now wasn’t the time to marvel at Jack’s abilities.

Enkrid sprinted into the palace.

No guards stood at the inner gates.

Instead, from within, the sound of clashing steel and the stench of blood filled the air.

Enkrid followed the noise and scent.

"Oh, that idiot!"

A voice called out.

A group of men stood gathered—

A moment of coincidence?

A stroke of luck?

Or perhaps he had been hoping for this moment.

Who knew?

He recognized a face among them.

A former instructor—one infamous for spouting nonsense.

"Hey, bring that waitress over here."

The memory resurfaced.

The instructor had forced those words out, and Enkrid had nearly been beaten to death.

"If you lost, just say you’re sorry and admit your mistake."

The man had demanded.

Enkrid had simply responded quietly.

"What was that? Did you just bark at me?"

There had been many times Enkrid had nearly died.

Some of those memories were useful.

This one wasn’t.

The former instructor was now wearing the crest of House Mernes.

He smirked as he spoke.

"Be honest. You slept your way up to where you are now, didn’t you?"

Ah.

It had been a while since he had heard such complete and utter nonsense.

The man had known the old Enkrid.

The talentless fool who had swung his sword relentlessly.

The idiot who had trained until his palms bled.

A pathetic joke.

And now, he was supposed to be the hero of the Border Guard?

Ridiculous.

There had to be someone backing him.

Even back then, there had been people who secretly looked out for him.

"Do you know where Crang is?"

"What?"

"Guess not."

"What the hell are you talking about, you idiot?"

"Still too busy barking, huh? Woof woof."

Bringing up their shared past made the man's face turn red.

"I’m gonna kill you."

He snarled, stepping forward with his sword drawn.

Back then, he had taught a few useful things.

"Overconfidence gets you killed. Even when hunting a rabbit, you give it your all. Otherwise, you end up dead."

"Agreed."

That was why Enkrid showed only a portion of his best.

Between the colonnades that resembled a hallway, thirteen men stood before him—his old instructor and his lackeys.

Judging by their sneering expressions and the casual way they held their swords, it was clear they had been abusing their power under the name of Viscount Mernes's army.

Behind them, a half-clothed maid trembled.

Her arms bore fresh scratches, and terror was frozen in her eyes.

Enkrid stepped forward with his left foot.

His muscles tensed.

Bending his knees slightly, he channeled his Will, sharpened his focus—

And pushed off the ground.

Tung!

His foot slammed against the stone floor.

A moment of acceleration.

Speed that left everything behind.

The spark of Will turned into a single pinpoint—closing the chapter on an old grudge.

Ting. Puk.

A sharp snap echoed.

And a body dropped.

The assassin had not even reacted.

The difference in skill was overwhelming.

The sword in his hand clattered to the floor.

His knees buckled, and his head met the ground with a dull thud.

The rest of them held their breath.

Too shocked to speak.

Enkrid wordlessly drew his second blade from his left hip.

Srrrng.

A gladius.

Now, one sword in each hand.

Like a wolf among sheep.

Two of the "sheep" raised their hands in desperate defense, but the wolf simply batted them aside and carved them apart.

A thick, wide blade for slashing—

A thin, narrow blade for thrusting.

The slaughter was over in moments.

The twelve men were left as nothing more than butchered carcasses.

Enkrid swung both swords in the air to flick off the blood.

"Uuhh..."

The maid had been saved.

But she was even more terrified.

The monsters that had been about to assault her had been turned into meat right before her eyes.

It was a miracle she hadn’t fainted.

She was in no condition to answer questions.

And Enkrid had no time to tend to her.

"Find a place to hide."

He simply said before moving on.

Sliding his swords back into their sheaths, he clenched and unclenched his fists.

It’s getting easier.

Fighting Aisia had changed him.

Training with her—dying against her countless times—had forced him to adapt.

Using Will had become second nature.

At first, he had collapsed from overuse.

Now, he recovered after a single night’s rest.

Aisia had been shocked by it.

But Enkrid had still found it uncomfortable.

Yet the more he used it, the more his body changed—

The more he evolved.

A fleeting thought.

A passing realization.

Enkrid had the feeling that someone else would block his path soon.

"Every damn past grudge is showing up today."

First, the jealous watchman.

Then, the assassin syndicate.

Then, his old barking instructor.

Enkrid’s instincts urged him forward.

And sure enough—

Another battlefield appeared.

He had followed the sounds of combat.

A royal courtyard.

Even the guards meant to defend the inner palace were nowhere to be seen—

Because they were fighting each other here.

"Who goes there?!"

A Royal Guard turned and shouted.

Enkrid responded casually.

"Just passing through. Carry on."

"...The hell kind of lunatic—"

"Anyone know where Crang is? That’d be helpful."

His gaze locked onto one man.

The one in the dark-gray helmet.

He was covered in blood.

Clearly, he had been through hell.

"He’s in the palace’s inner annex. You’re late."

The gray-helmeted knight spoke.

"Madman!"

A Royal Guard wielding a golden spear suddenly charged.

Enkrid shifted his weight—

Then launched his foot upward.

A Balraf-style back-leg high kick.

His boot, reinforced with thick leather, whipped like a coiled snake, striking the soldier’s fingers gripping the spear.

Crack!

Bone snapped.

The guard screamed, dropping his weapon.

Only then did Enkrid recognize him.

The same soldier who had once gritted his teeth and mocked him.

We meet again.

Enkrid grabbed his head and smashed the flat of his blade against his skull.

Bang!

A sharp crack.

A garbled scream.

The guard collapsed, his golden helmet now slick with blood.

Turning back, Enkrid asked:

"Need help?"

Despite knocking out an opponent in a single strike, he spoke with complete indifference.

His presence alone dominated the courtyard.

A weight—an invisible pressure only those with true strength could exude.

The kind seen only in true knights.

The entire battlefield fell silent.

Even the Royal Guards, who had been fighting moments before, hesitated.

The gray-helmeted man spoke again.

"Didn’t I just say you were late?"

He was telling Enkrid to go—

To reach Crang before it was too late.

"Right, then."

Without another word, Enkrid dashed forward.

He didn’t know the exact location of the annex.

But he would find it.

Or he’d simply ask the next idiot who tried to fight him.

"This is treason!"

A voice called out behind him.

"If following what I believe is right is treason—then yes, I am a traitor."

Another voice answered.

The voice of the gray-helmeted knight.

Enkrid kept moving.

The hallway ahead stretched in a single direction.

Light streamed through the windows.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind—

Is the Queen safe?

Then—

"That’s far enough."

A figure stepped in front of him.

A woman.

Orange hair.

Not a cape nor a plated armor—

But simple leather gear.

Enkrid stopped.

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Not because he sensed an immediate threat—

But because this was someone to speak with before fighting.

"Aisia?"

She met his gaze.

Expression unreadable.

"This is as far as you go. I can’t let you through."