A Knight Who Eternally Regresses-Chapter 809

"Gack."

The assassin, who had been hiding in a marketplace alley, jumped up to avoid the poison cloud.

He hooked his fingers on a retaining wall and climbed onto the roof of a brick house, but in an instant, a cold wind grazed his neck.

A question arose in the assassin's mind.

A sudden wind?

And a cold one at that?

'In the middle of summer?'

He didn't even have time to lift his head, but he saw a cloudless blue sky.

It was full of hot sunlight.

With a red line drawn across his neck, the assassin tilted his head back and collapsed.

The blood that flowed from his fallen body stained the roof of woven straw and stone red.

"Wh-what the."

"Kyaaak!"

"Son of a…"

Only then did screams and fierce shouts erupt from all sides.

SHREEE!

A soldier who had been standing guard for security blew his whistle.

At the sound of the whistle, four soldiers who had been on patrol gathered.

In the meantime, Jaxen, from the roof of another building, gouged the side of an assassin lying flat with his dagger and split his heart, and planted a Silence Dagger in the forehead of another assassin whose eyes were peeking out of a building window.

Even though three men had died, the other assassins couldn't even find Jaxen's location.

"Don't block one of them."

Krang whispered urgently.

Enkrid, placing himself in front of Krang, spoke.

"Jaxen, leave one."

Krang had spoken in a whisper, and Enkrid's voice wasn't very loud either, but it was fine.

Thanks to the exploding arrows, a commotion had broken out, and the screams and surprised voices of people were echoing all around, but a focused Jaxen would have already heard him.

Indeed, it went according to Krang's will.

There were five assassins in total, and the one who had hidden most secretively kicked off a retaining wall and jumped, earning himself a moment to speak.

"For the true royal family!"

He shouted and extended his hand.

A short arrow shot out from his sleeve. Enkrid did not block it.

It was because after Krang had told him not to block it, he had pulled on his collar and said to leave it, that he would handle it himself.

He didn't know what he was aiming for, but he knew that Krang had a plan.

'If things go south, I just have to draw my sword.'

More importantly, he had the leeway to draw his sword after waiting until the last possible moment.

In the eyes of the focused Enkrid, a red light could be seen shimmering over Krang's entire body.

The red light, which arose with a speed as fast as the flying arrow, took form and swirled around Krang.

'A spell?'

Similar, but different.

It didn't smell like a spell.

Rather, it smelled of cloth that had been thoroughly dried in the sun on a very clear day.

The red light that erupted from Krang's body snatched the arrow shot by the assassin.

The light took a form, looking like the foreleg of a beast.

Of course, all of this happened in an instant.

It was only clearly visible to Enkrid, who had exerted his concentration; an ordinary person wouldn't even have been able to perceive what was happening.

That beast's foreleg caught the short arrow.

That was the end of it.

The arrow, which was imbued with a poison cloud spell, had its spell nullified and snapped with a click.

The assassin had thrown his whole body in as he shot the arrow.

Would the arrow that was blocked before work now?

He had anticipated that and had drawn a hand-span-long dagger and charged, but the foreleg that had extended from Krang's body struck the assassin's head.

Thwack.

His neck bone snapped, and his torso was flung to the side and rolled.

The man with the broken neck became a corpse on the spot.

And so, the last assassin died.

Seeing that, Krang threw off his hood and pulled out his own cloak, which had been hidden inside a large robe.

The red light that had enveloped his body drew a shape behind his back.

Four legs, and a mane that wrapped around its neck like a blazing fire.

The figure stood steadfastly behind Krang, albeit faintly.

It was as if it were claiming that its permission was required to kill this human.

This time, it wasn't just visible to Enkrid's eyes.

Now, it would be visible to everyone.

It had revealed itself for that purpose.

The intention was clear.

Wind rose and Krang's red cloak fluttered.

"Are there still those who are dissatisfied with my rule?"

His appearance drew the gazes of everyone around.

At first, only a few's eyes widened in surprise, but their reaction spread quickly, like black ink in clear water.

"All of you, listen."

And then Krang displayed his specialty.

After gathering the gazes of the surprised people, he drove his will into their ears by giving a speech on the market floor, without a single podium.

"All of this must come from my own lack of virtue. I will acknowledge it."

The content of the short and thick speech was not that important.

Krang, too, was calm instead of putting his heart and soul into it.

From the moment he had spoken as if sucking in the surrounding gazes, his attitude had been consistent.

Calm and serious.

"I will not allow monsters and bandits to run rampant."

Enkrid didn't know what Krang was aiming for, but he could clearly tell one thing.

'He's showing off.'

Krang's goal was to show them that beast shining behind his back.

No, not a beast, but a divine beast.

Though it had been for just an instant, the power and speed with which that foreleg had moved were comparable to that of a knight.

'Assuming it was a light gesture extended to block an arrow.'

The thought of wanting to have a go at it arose.

It was a natural sequence.

When you see a skilled opponent, it doesn't matter if they are human, giant, frog, or a divine beast.

Krang's speech ended, short and to the point.

And as he turned around and saw Enkrid, he spoke.

"No. Now I can tell just by the look in your eyes. It only reacts when my life is in danger."

Krang smiled and shook his head.

It was after a part of the security force, upon hearing of the attack, had formed a perimeter around the king.

The Royal Guard that came from the inner castle created another layer of defense inside the security force's perimeter.

Krang cut off the interest that had arisen in Enkrid's eyes with a single stroke.

When it came to astuteness, Krang was as quick as anyone.

"Ah."

Krang laughed at Enkrid's disappointed sigh.

This friend of his really didn't change.

And one had to be at this level to be able to dream such an absurd dream.

Well, it was the same for him.

***

"The Sun Tree?"

Enkrid asked.

"Yeah."

The voices of the two were not quiet.

They were heard by the Royal Guard surrounding them and the sharp-eared soldiers of the security force.

More importantly, hadn't he just shown them himself?

From the murmuring of the people gathered in the distance, words like 'Sun Tree', 'guardian tree', and 'the king protected by the royal family's god' arose.

He might have even planted instigators to spread such words.

"Wasn't that just a legend?"

The founding story of the three knights and the Sun Tree was nothing more than a tale.

Krang shook his head.

"It isn't."

Enkrid blinked once.

Krang intended to resolve all of his friend's questions.

"Only those who have inherited the royal blood have the qualification, and under that qualification, it is a protection that can be obtained if one receives the power of the divine beast and does not die."

The tattoo was the proof that the Sun Tree resided in him.

"You could have died in the process?"

It was a power that couldn't be compared to something that was just given because you wanted it.

Among artifacts, there were items that gave power in exchange for a person's life force.

A few magicians with foul hobbies had created such spell objects.

Then did the guardian tattoo, where the power of the divine beast resides on the skin and protects you, not have a price?

That was unlikely.

"Those with a weak will, those who desire power for their own gain… well, according to the royal family's legend, those guys die, but from what I can see, it seems to be just a matter of enduring nightmares for about three days."

As they say, a man will put on a brave face even if he is about to die.

In reality, it couldn't have been just a matter of enduring.

But there was no need to ask in detail.

He would probably tell him if he asked, even if it was a royal secret, but he wasn't curious.

"The first button has now been fastened. Ah, this means this is not the end."

Revealing that he was protected by the Sun Tree was just the beginning.

Enkrid didn't ask any more about this either.

He figured Krang would tell him on his own.

Whatever it was, Krang's eyes were still shining.

Though the types were different, Krang must have also faced the hardships that Enkrid had faced until now.

Even now, having overcome all of that, his gaze had not changed.

For Enkrid, all his questions were resolved with that.

However, one thing.

"Really no?"

"Ah, I said no."

The sparring match with the Sun Tree was just a little disappointing.

***

"It's a stratagem to sow discord."

Krais, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, said, and Marcus nodded.

"That's right."

Igan, the act of driving a wedge between people.

By revealing that the Sun Tree protected him, Krang had gained the nickname 'Sun King', but the reality of the assassination attempt remained.

"Another rebellion?"

"I heard the queen has returned?"

"No, the queen's child is growing up somewhere, and it's a scheme by the local clans who are pushing him forward."

All sorts of rumors were circulating together.

All of this reached the ears of Enkrid, who was spending all day playing in the training grounds.

A few of the commanders who spent time with him in the training grounds also heard the rumors, but their reactions were solid.

"His Majesty will take care of it. If we are needed, he will call for us then."

Trust and faith.

These were the things Krang had built up with them over time.

Some nobles may have been shaken, but the shield of the royal family in the training grounds showed not the slightest waver.

Enkrid took a sip of Marcus's hobby, expensive tea.

He had heard that if you pick tea leaves that grow only in a specific region and ferment them for a long time, a unique aroma is created.

He had heard it a little while ago, but it had gone in one ear and out the other, so he didn't remember exactly.

The tea tasted astringent, but also had a subtle sweetness and umami, and the aroma was as clear as flower petals floating on clear water.

It was not a bad tea.

While he was drinking the tea, Krais continued to speak in a calm tone.

"The nobility doesn't have the capacity for that. Even if they did, why would they aim for the throne? The queen? The queen's child? There's no such thing. It's just a groundless rumor. And even if there were, for the nobility to do something like this now is an act that would only result in immense losses. There's no gain. And the nobles I know are not people who move without gain."

Those who are responsible for and lead a house have a duty to feed their family.

Andrew, too, had said something similar at one point.

That a sense of responsibility is born on its own.

"And a rebellion? Against the current royal authority? Why?"

Thump.

Krais struck the table with his fist.

Even with the light gesture that didn't shake the teacups, Marcus's brow narrowed slightly.

"Be careful."

It meant he couldn't stand to see the precious teacups and tea leaves fall to the floor.

It was the same logic as a wine lover spilling a fifty-year-old vintage on the floor.

Krais apologized with his eyes and continued.

"By opening the trade routes, it has become a better time to live than ever before. Has the nobility's slice of bread gotten smaller because of that? Not at all."

Enkrid looked at Marcus's office.

It had more decorations than before.

The furnishings had also increased.

To be precise, they seemed to be for storing tea leaves and teacups.

Though they were luxury items, this would still be considered on the frugal side.

Since the Naurillia of today was wealthier than ever before.

"Furthermore, by securing the capital's safety and creating safe roads in the surrounding area, he has suppressed even the attacks of bandits, monsters, and beasts. It is an achievement accomplished for the first time among all successive royal authorities."

The majority of that achievement was thanks to Enkrid.

Marcus's gaze swept over him once.

The man with black hair and blue eyes nodded his head without much thought.

He's not interested.

Marcus took in his state at a glance.

He was right.

Enkrid was only half-listening, recalling the words Krang had spoken.

Hadn't he said that half of the things Krang implemented had come from the head of the big-eyed man before him?

'And some of that was probably Abnaier's opinion.'

If one were to look for the most excited person in the Border Guard recently, it would be Abnaier.

He had launched various businesses and plans in the Border Guard that he couldn't in Aspen.

It was said that Aspen was also changing due to his influence.

And he had said that was quite satisfying.

Regardless of Enkrid's reaction, Krais' steadfastly continued his words.

"If it were me, I wouldn't have created this kind of problem in the first place."

Marcus asked.

"Then, what?"

"Making the nobles endlessly check, be wary of, and fight each other."

They were frank words, but their content was as sharp and bloody as clashing blades.

If the nobles fight among themselves, there is no room for talk of checking the king.

The reason baseless rumors were circulating was because life was too peaceful, so he would make it so that such thoughts wouldn't arise.

How?

By using the factions among the nobility to make them fight each other.

Should it be called a way of preventing a large war with small fights?

However, that was not what Krang wanted.

Krais had said it, knowing that.

Who would say anything if a few hovels where the poor lived were burned down to make way for a road for carriages?

The poor have no power, so they cannot speak.

The nobles who start businesses through the carriages gain profit, so they just press their tongues to the roof of their mouths and keep quiet.

Normally, one shouldn't even blink an eye at setting fire to those hovels, but Krang did not do so.

The path he walks is an arduous and difficult one.

Therefore, it is the royal road.

That is the path Krang desires.

'Dreams, hope.'

In an age where such things are useless, those who chase after them must be fools.

Therefore, Krang is a fool.

'And so am I.'

Enkrid, too, knew that what he desired was absurd.

He knew, and yet he just moved forward.

And little by little, the world is changing.

The Krais before him was the proof of that.

The man who would have nitpicked before, saying this is wrong and that is wrong, now unreservedly joins and follows Krang's will, his will.

"So why did you come?"

Enkrid asked.

Krais hadn't been summoned by him.

He had just shown up.

"I came to punish the ones who dared to mock the Salon."

Krais' eyes shone.

That is to say, they shone with hatred for the ones who had used his dream.

The source of the rumors threatening the royal family was the Salon.

Starting from there, it was said that spies from the south were running rampant.

"Spies from the south."

Before they parted, Krang had said that all of this was the work of Lihin-Stetten in the south.

And those spies had used the Salon to carry out their schemes.

The capital's Salons had been taken over by the south's espionage.

Krais was furious about that.

"Killing with hatred."

The rage-filled advocate of the Salon muttered.