Chapter 249: Because I Can
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 249: Because I Can
Rem stared blankly at the man and the horse.
He wondered what the hell he was witnessing.
Stroking a creature that’s practically a demonic beast?
Won't it bite?
Even if it did, Encrid wasn't the type to just take it lying down, so Rem wasn't particularly worried about his safety. Still, watching Encrid’s hand rest on the horse’s head—and seeing the horse quietly accept the touch—was utterly absurd.
The blood of a demonic beast definitely ran through that creature's veins. Even without magical detection, it wasn't hard to tell. The protruding fangs and the subtle murderous intent radiating from its body screamed danger.
And yet, Encrid was stroking its head and speaking to it.
"You did well."
He's actually soothing it? Rem watched the scene, incredulous. Is he seriously trying to bond with it right now?
Would a horse undergoing demonic beastification actually listen? Without even snapping its jaws? And beyond that, why was he doing this instead of just cutting down a creature that was turning into a monster?
Even if the transformation had stalled halfway, could it really survive in that state forever? Rem didn't know. He had never seen anything like this. What kind of beast could withstand monster blood and endure the agony of demonic beastification?
But since the creature before them was just a single beast, and since his commander was naturally eccentric, Rem simply watched.
While Rem stood by, Audin sought his god.
Father, I ask of You: is that demonic beast also overcoming its destiny right now?
Audin was more deeply moved than anyone else present.
Is destiny a predetermined path? An immutable, unchangeable force? There were times when he had felt that way. When he walked the path of an Inquisitor, when he looked into the eyes of those who died by his hands, and when he heard the words of the high priests who declared innocent people heretics.
"That is their destiny! The destiny ordained by our Father!"
Even then, he hadn't believed those words were right. Yet, he had been unable to break the shackles of that destiny or shatter its chains.
Father, what must I do?
He had prayed beneath the scorching sun. He had recited the scriptures. And through it all, Audin had harbored doubt. Later, he had witnessed an existence that shattered the very reason for his doubt.
That existence was named Encrid.
Watching him and getting to know him had troubled Audin, but it had also given him the strength to seek enlightenment and move forward. And now, before his eyes were a human and a beast, both rejecting, defying, and refusing what the world called the immutable truth.
"In the Father's name, by the Father's will, I dedicate my life."
A chant flowed from his lips. His holy power stirred of its own accord, bringing a splitting headache, but Audin smiled, enduring the pain as he softly hummed a hymn.
Hearing the song beside her, Teresa found herself listening intently. It was a voice like warm sunshine, a sensation she had never felt while in the embrace of the cult.
A song.
The resonant voice seeped into her body, knocking gently against her heart. With her eyes on Encrid and the horse, and her ears filled with Audin's hymn, Teresa felt a sharp tremor in her chest. Naturally, she began to reflect on her own life.
Her life had begun and ended within the cult. For what purpose should she, newly reborn, live now? She had intended to live once more for the sake of the struggle. She had thought that was everything.
But it wasn't. Teresa felt a strange emptiness inside her. It felt as though a hole had opened near her heart. Yet, she did not feel depressed or pained.
"The Father said, both the full and the empty reside within oneself," Audin said, finishing his brief song and reciting a passage from the scripture.
Those words struck a chord in Teresa's heart.
Sachsen merely watched the situation in silence. What is that horse? What is the commander doing?
In the midst of this, a stray thought drifted into his mind. Is he taming beasts now, too?
Fitting for the Charming Company Commander.
Sachsen simply continued to watch. A man had merely placed his hand on a horse's head, yet the scene left a deep impression on the hearts and minds of everyone there.
Encrid, meanwhile, felt a strange sense of kinship. It was a bizarre situation.
Why does it keep catching my eye?
This demonic beast drew his gaze and captured his heart far too much. Why? Because it was resisting demonic beastification? Perhaps. In its struggle, Encrid saw a reflection of his own past.
Suddenly, Esther came to mind. Had she told him to play by himself on the battlefield and refused to follow? A mage who ran wild, transforming between a panther and a human. At first, he had thought she was just a beast. Their first real connection had formed because they saved each other's lives, creating a story between them.
But what about now? He had no such history with the wild horse before him. And yet, Encrid felt a distinct fondness for it.
His hand remained resting on the horse's head. The horse merely lowered its head, not particularly enjoying Encrid's touch, but not rejecting it either. It just stared at him. His blue eyes were clear and steady, while its red eyes flickered like a wavering flame.
Encrid spoke not from his mind, but from his heart.
"Want to come with me?"
Snort.
The horse snorted as if it understood. It seemed to be a sign of agreement. There was no story between them, no shared time. They had only just met, and recognizing each other was the extent of it. Encrid had seen a horse that had stopped halfway through turning into a demonic beast, and the horse had merely encountered a strange human who had suddenly appeared.
"...Are you taking that with you?" Rem asked from behind.
"Yes," Encrid replied. He stroked the horse's mane once more and turned around.
Though a wild horse bordering on a demonic beast stood behind him, his movements carried the absolute certainty that it would not attack.
"Well, fuck, even I find this bizarre," Rem muttered.
If even Rem was surprised enough to swear, how must the others feel?
"The scripture says, 'How can even the lowliest creature have nothing in its heart? Love all life. Love them as much as you strike them down,'" Audin spoke as an Apostle of the God of War.
Sachsen merely watched with indifference. For some reason, Teresa's eyes behind her mask seemed to grow moist.
What's wrong with her now?
Encrid patted the horse's head. "It would be nice to go together right now, but I need to find her body to give her a proper funeral."
He was referring to Dunchabel. This was separate from taking in the wild horse. Encrid had not forgotten her.
"You're speaking as if she's already dead," Rem snorted. Drawing his axe, he added, "If she died from just this, she'd die by my hands anyway."
Was it certainty or hope that lay behind Rem's words? It was hard to tell. No matter how sharp his five senses or how quick-witted he was, that barbarian was exceptionally skilled at hiding his true feelings.
"The forest is vast."
Even if she were alive, finding her wouldn't be easy.
"If she's alive, finding her is easy," Rem said, taking a deep breath. His chest swelled to twice its size.
As Encrid watched, Sachsen raised his hands to cover his ears. Encrid tried to cover the horse's ears, but the horse stepped back, seemingly saying it was fine. Encrid quickly covered his own ears instead.
A moment later, Rem unleashed the air gathered in his expanded chest in a roaring shout.
"YOU STU-PID BEAST-MAN!"
It was a shout that seemed to tear the air apart—a monstrous roar, a true feat of strength. It sounded like a clap of thunder. With a low rumble, a portion of the forest trembled.
Neigh!
Even though the clever horse had anticipated it, it stumbled. Winter birds, startled by the thunderous roar, took flight into the sky.
Caw!
From far away, a crow seemed to respond to Rem's shout. It sounded almost as if it were telling him to shut up because he was too loud. Even though Encrid had covered his ears, his head throbbed.
"Ignorant barbarian," Sachsen muttered, his brow furrowed in a rare display of irritation. He was the most sensitive to sound among them.
"You could have warned us," Encrid grumbled.
Rem replied, "You should've figured it out just by looking."
"And?"
"If we wander around the forest shouting, she'll pop out eventually."
Encrid had to admit it wasn't a bad idea. Above all...
"Ragna will probably find his way to us, too."
They also needed to find their lost, stray squad member who knew nothing but how to swing a sword.
"Let's go find that stupid beastman," Rem said, and Encrid nodded. Now that they had killed the monster's leader, it was time.
As Encrid made up his mind and turned away from the wild horse, it didn't follow but instead stared at him.
"Aren't you coming with me?"
He spoke to it as if it were a person. It was strange, but the moment he had placed his hand on the horse's head, Encrid had felt a connection. He believed the horse would understand him. It might not comprehend the language, but the intent would get through.
Snort.
The wild horse shook its head and tapped the ground a few times with its hoof. Then, it turned around and gestured with its head toward the area behind it. Tapping the ground seemed to mean it would wait here.
But what was the gesture toward the back for?
The Grateful Forest was vast. The path the monsters had broken through was near the boundary between the forest and the plains. With winter approaching, patches of grass turning brown stretched across the wide land—a flat plain.
Beyond it, a herd of wild horses came into view. It wasn't just one or two; at a glance, there were dozens of them.
Indeed, thinking about it, it was only natural. Monsters and demonic beasts were common on this continent. To survive their clutches, forming a herd was a necessity. That was why humans also established territories, villages, and communities. Even a small village typically had at least fifty households and defensive walls. It was normal to have at least ten to twenty combat-ready individuals.
Even then, such villages were only viable in relatively safe regions. In areas where monsters frequently appeared, people had to live within a proper territory. This was why people gathered in territory-sized settlements and why free territories, unaffiliated with any nation, existed.
Such was the world—a world where only a select few could travel the continent alone. Naturally, the wild horses must have formed a herd to survive on this plain.
Then, what was this half-transformed horse to that wild herd?
"Were you the leader?"
Did it mean it couldn't leave them behind because those left behind were its subordinates and family? It didn't seem like that was it.
Then what?
Tap, tap.
It tapped the ground again. It was a mystery. Encrid decided that instead of immediately returning to Martai after finding Dunchabel, he would come back here first.
"Wait here. My subordinate comes first."
Encrid spoke, and the half-transformed horse stopped in its tracks. It seemed to understand the instruction to wait.
First, Ragna.
He would find him, and then find Dunchabel.
"Rem. Shout."
As they entered the forest, Rem shouted once more.
"YOU ID-I-OT WITH NO SENSE OF DI-REC-TION!"
He was definitely doing it on purpose.
"Wouldn't it be better to just call his name?"
"I don't want to."
It was his choice, so Encrid let it go. Finding Ragna wasn't difficult. A few stupid human-faced dogs rushed at them in response to the shout, but they melted away under Teresa's blade before they could even get close. The way they were sliced apart and scattered fit the expression "melting away" perfectly. They looked like winter snow melting under the sunlight.
Screech!
As they lunged with grating shrieks, Teresa blocked their fangs with her shield and struck down with the flat of her sword. The one whose torso burst left a messy stain on the ground. The next one was sent flying by her shield, impaled on a sharp branch, and left dangling. Even in that state, it remained alive and shrieked, but Teresa swung her sword and split it vertically.
Because the blood running through her veins was mixed with that of a giant, whether she used the flat of her blade, the edge, or her shield, it was more than enough to turn the human-faced dogs into a bloody pulp.
At first, there was only one, but then a few more emerged. But no matter how stupid they were, did it make sense for them to keep rushing over here? It was obvious they would die. Could monsters, even those made of hostility and malice, be entirely ignorant of fear? Especially when a Colony Leader wasn't tightly controlling their minds?
The reason was soon revealed.
"I thought it was a shortcut."
It was Ragna. He had apparently run into the fleeing pack of human-faced dogs, as black blood was splattered all over his armor. Perhaps finding it stifling, he had taken off his helmet and held it in one hand, while blood dripped from the sword in his right.
Ragna didn't have a single scratch on him. The pack of human-faced dogs fleeing from his blade had happened to run in this direction.
"You idiot, you goat-dropping, you dog-scrotum, you bastard who'll die lost forever."
Rem expressed his delight at seeing Ragna, and Ragna immediately returned the greeting with his sword. It was a light swing. Rem, who had drawn his axe before anyone noticed, blocked it.
Clang!
The blade and the axe met, exchanging their own form of greeting.
"Since you're already lost, should I dig a grave for you too?" Rem said, a smirk twisting his lips. Rem's aura was remarkably fierce. Ragna was not one to back down either, so a harsher spark than usual flared between the two.
Why were they being so hostile? Encrid could think of only one reason.
"Aren't we looking for Dunchabel?"
It was because the beastman Rem had trained was nowhere to be seen. Surprisingly, Rem tended to care for those he had personally trained. After all, the reason he had run around the battlefields in the first place was to save those he deemed promising—though he beat them half to death while calling them promising. Most of those who survived thanks to Rem didn't even realize it. It was something Encrid had only noticed after developing an eye for such things.
"Crazy barbarian," Sachsen muttered.
And just then.
"My ears are bleeding."
They heard the voice of the person they were looking for. She was up in a tree—a beastman with a scabbed-over gash on her forehead and a similar puncture wound in her thigh.
"Stupid beastman," Rem muttered.
No matter how vast the forest was, anyone would hear Rem making such a racket. In the end, his antics had worked. Dunchabel dropped to the ground. Seeing her land with a light thud, she didn't seem to have any major injuries.
"Why did you come? I was going to kill that leader and return on my own."
Encrid nodded upon hearing her words. He wondered if she was starting to sound like Rem because he was the one who had trained her.
"As if," Sachsen retorted, while Audin merely smiled.
Rem let out a gentle smile after calling her a stupid beastman, then said, "Once we go back, you're starting over from the beginning."
Dunchabel's face crumpled. Why? She had truly intended to kill the leader here. She was a beastman; she was confident in forest battles. Shifting the battlefield to an advantageous location had also been her goal. Her other motive was simply imitating Encrid. Saving her allies had been exactly that.
Encrid looked at Dunchabel. Since he saw no reason to beat around the bush, he asked bluntly, "Why did you do it?"
He was referring to her saving her allies and using herself as bait. Dunchabel blinked, and once she understood his question, she spoke.
"Because I can."
It wasn't a grand declaration of conviction or resolve. Yet, Encrid liked it all the more for that. Dunchabel then added one more sentence, and its content was entirely unexpected to Encrid.