Chapter 268: Imitating Krais
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 268: Imitating Krais
"You're leaving me behind? If you're going to do that, you'll have to step over me!"
At Rem's words, Encrid moved. Thrusting his left foot forward, he propelled himself in one fluid motion.
His body seemed to vanish for an instant.
Of course, no one in the quarters missed the movement. However...
My footwork?
Sachsen was slightly surprised when he saw Encrid's steps.
The Snake Walk?
Audin felt the same.
It was a form that blended their two distinct styles into one, fully digested and made his own.
What is a sword, and what is swordsmanship?
Through a continuous chain of realizations, Encrid had forged a style that utilized his entire body, and that naturally included his footwork. In truth, for any discipline that involved the body—be it dancing or martial arts—the feet were of paramount importance.
Footwork accounted for more than half of the entire discipline. Naturally, Encrid paid as much attention to his steps as he did to his blade.
And now, that mastery was on full display.
The way his left knee flexed and extended to drive him forward with uniform force mirrored Sachsen's silent steps, while the subsequent fluid shifting of his right leg joints was the Snake Walk Audin had taught him.
He had blended the two seamlessly. To an untrained eye, it would look like something entirely new.
As Encrid prepared to literally step over him, the barbarian snorted and rolled away. Through some strange trick of momentum, Rem’s body spun sideways, narrowly dodging the step.
Stamping his right foot onto the floor with a heavy thud, Encrid asked, "In times like this, aren't you usually supposed to stay still and take it?"
"Who said I'd let you step on me? Want to learn this too? This is a secret technique called the 'Un-trampled Dung Beetle.'"
It was painfully obvious he had just made the name up on the spot.
"No."
Encrid refused flatly. Rem threw a few more tantrums afterward, but they still couldn't take him along.
Just because a village was suspected of producing the drug didn't mean they could immediately lead a military unit to raid it.
"I know I told you to crush them, and it's awkward for me to say this now, but we are still under the Kingdom's jurisdiction. You know that, right? Besides, the eyes watching us lately aren't exactly friendly."
And why wouldn't they be? Count Molsen was ready to play dirty at any moment.
Was it only Count Molsen? Other nobles were also salivating, eyeing the territory greedily. Encrid had also heard that while he was away from Martai, a certain noble had deserted.
"He went to grovel at the feet of another noble. He probably plans to make a fortune by selling information about this place. Foolish bastard," Marcus spat, cursing the man.
However, according to what Krais said after hearing the rumors:
"He was absolutely crushed by the workload, you know? They said if you don't handle your work properly, noble or not, you get beaten."
If they slacked off, they were beaten; if they tried to do it properly, a mountain of work piled up. Some of the nobles had used their wits simply to run away. To flee while abandoning whatever foundation they had—just how badly had they been tormented?
Of course, Marcus's words also made sense, so it was likely a combination of both.
Krais added, "If it's Marcus, he probably wants all the nobles to run away. He might be using the excuse of a labor shortage to torment them, but he could also be trying to completely replace the territory's personnel with his own people. But if he does that, well, I don't know if it'll turn out okay."
"What do you mean?"
"No, nothing. Just thinking."
Krais was always a worrywart. Encrid didn't press further; the task right in front of him took priority.
The bottom line was that they couldn't just plunge a sword into someone based on mere suspicion. The enemy might send assassins and swordsmen to block their path, but the Border Guard Standing Army couldn't operate like that. They could if they acted in secret, but not this time.
First, they had to gather evidence to prove the village’s guilt. At the very least, they needed fabricated evidence, and above all...
"Aren't there bound to be innocent people among the villagers?"
Marcus's words were reasonable. Just because a few caused trouble didn't mean they could round up and torture everyone. There could be those making the drug without even knowing what it was.
That was why the team was small.
"Only Company Commander Sinar, Finn, Sachsen, and I will go."
Deciding that infiltration and reconnaissance were the priorities, they resolved to do just that. The elven company commander also mentioned she had been looking into this matter for quite some time.
"Did she say she’s been chasing it for nearly a year?" Krais tilted his head as he heard this. "For someone who's been at it that long, not knowing the location of a single village is... well, suspicious. Did she go out under the guise of work only to hang around some gambling den?"
That elf in a gambling den? It was a highly unfitting image. Yet, Krais's words had a point. It seemed closer to negligence.
Of course, Meelun might have had some extraordinary talent under Frok, but if the place was sloppy enough to be known to passing travelers, she should have noticed it long ago.
"Maybe she's good at fighting but has no talent for tracking. That's probably why she brought Finn along."
"Are you defending her because she's your fiancée?"
Encrid had learned various techniques from Audin, but naturally, Valaf-style Martial Arts remained the core. Among those techniques were several joint locks designed to inflict maximum pain without permanently breaking the opponent's body.
As part of his "training," Encrid demonstrated a lock on Krais.
The key was to stand side-by-side with the opponent, clasping hands as if interlocking fingers, and tangling the arms so the tip of the opponent's elbow pressed against one's own bicep. Once locked, all it took was a sharp pull backward.
It wasn't torture, but if he applied real force, he could easily shatter the wrist. When Krais carelessly offered his hand, Encrid pulled without hesitation.
Crack.
"Does it hurt?"
"Aaaaargh!" Krais screamed at the top of his lungs.
Encrid pulled indifferently before letting go.
"My—my arm almost got crippled!"
"Ah, should I have just cut it off instead?"
Krais fled in a hurry. Encrid didn't give chase; it was only a joke. But he soon regretted it.
Just now, I sounded like Rem.
That was a bad sign. He pushed the thought away.
After shaking off the unpleasant comparison, he sensed a presence behind him. As Encrid turned halfway, he saw Ragna.
"Why can't I go with you?" Ragna asked, munching on an apple he had procured from somewhere.
Behind him, Audin and Teresa were also visible. For obvious reasons, the two massive warriors couldn't be taken along. The same went for Dunchabel, who practically screamed "beastman" with her appearance.
And as for Ragna...
"If things go south, we might have to scatter and escape. Then we'll have to gather at a designated rendezvous point."
"Is that a problem?"
This was how terrifying a directionally challenged person who lacked self-awareness could be.
"There's no need to use your sword for this." Instead of a long explanation, Encrid simply patted Ragna on the shoulder.
Ragna conceded. He wasn't one to step forward easily in the first place. Though he had shown some motivation recently, it wasn't to the point of volunteering for missions outside of training. He had only reacted that way because Encrid said he would be away for up to a week.
Come to think of it, these people only seemed active when it involved him. What would happen if I wasn't around? It was a stray, useless thought.
"I, Rem, am turning to a life of delinquency starting today! Waaaaah!"
Rem shouted this while wrapped in a thermal pelt and clutching a heating stone to his chest, despite it being winter. He looked like he would overheat dressed like that, yet he persisted. It was fascinating to see someone who hated the cold so much begging to be taken on a winter mission.
Encrid ignored him. Reacting to every little thing would only lead to endless chatter.
Leaving the whining Rem behind, Encrid went about his tasks. He mapped out the village's location and inspected his armaments: two swords and six Whistle Daggers recovered from the assassins.
There were also a few vials of poison powder and liquid, but poison one didn't know how to use was bound to cause self-harm. When Encrid tried to discard them, Sachsen claimed them all.
Having finished his maintenance, they gathered in the elven company commander's room for a briefing. Sinar decided to station a portion of her company nearby—about two platoons—but to avoid detection, they would have to keep their distance.
Even so, they wouldn't be able to wait on standby for long. They couldn't fight indefinitely against the hordes of monsters and demonic beasts running rampant in the winter. Holding out in the open without even a fence would last a week at most. And if they caused too much of a ruckus, the village would notice.
"I think two days inside should be enough to find out what we need, don't you?" Sinar said, spreading out a military map. Encrid nodded, seeing the elf uncharacteristically serious.
"If we're late, we can send them back, or we could just surround the place entirely," Finn added.
Finn, the former ranger, was as sharp as ever. "Yo, I see you're still spreading your demonic charm everywhere?" she had greeted him earlier. Encrid had brushed it off.
"We set out tomorrow at dawn."
Sinar took the lead. Encrid nodded. As they finished the meeting and prepared to leave, Sinar spoke to Encrid's retreating back.
"Ah, my fiancé is welcome to sleep over here."
Encrid walked straight out. Behind him, he heard Finn giggling.
Is this funny?
Even as he thought that, a smirk played on Encrid's lips. Seeing this, Sachsen spoke up.
"About that elf."
"Yeah?"
"At this point, why don't you just play along for once?"
Encrid didn't bother seeking an answer. Sachsen, realizing what he had just said, quickly turned his head away, telling him to forget it.
By the way, was something going on with this guy? Normally, Sachsen wasn't the type to let such thoughts slip out so easily. To fail to control his tongue because his mind was elsewhere...
Moreover, Sachsen's expression looked heavier than before. It was something that could only be felt because they had spent so much time together, and because Encrid’s Sensory Technique had been honed to an incredibly sharp degree.
To anyone else, it was the same expressionless face, but to Encrid...
His concentration seems frayed.
It didn't seem like he would botch the task at hand, but rather that he was looking at something beyond it. It was like taking someone to an open plain to enjoy the scenery, only for them to glance at the horizon and search for what lay past it. At the same time, a sharp, chilling aura could be glimpsed. He seemed like someone preparing for something.
Why?
It was just a mission. Did he hate the use of drugs? That couldn't be it. Sachsen dealt with various medicines and drugs regularly. Though he didn't use them himself, he was the one who identified whatever Krais brought back.
There had to be another reason. Encrid didn't ask. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't get an answer, and even if he heard it, nothing would change.
When he returned, he saw Esther. Beside her, the wild horse was also visible. Somehow, the two of them were together. Upon seeing Encrid, the horse let out a whinny, as if asking where he had been.
Encrid thought that was his line. For a beast that had been running around like a maniac the moment he brought it to the Border Guard...
"That's my line, Odd-Eye."
In the end, because he couldn't think of a proper name, he had just been calling it that.
Grrr.
Hearing that, Esther let out a soft growl from the side.
"Ah, I'm going on a mission."
When he mentioned he would be away for up to seven days, Esther gestured that she was coming along. She raised her forepaw, pointed at Encrid, then at herself, and tapped the ground.
"Alright."
The panther was naturally skilled at concealment. Having been separated for a long time before, she seemed upset, so it was only fair she followed. Sometimes, Encrid found it awkward to think that this panther could transform into that blue-eyed woman with long black hair. Even though he had witnessed it, it was hard to see her as anything other than a panther.
Whinny.
"You rest too, Odd-Eye."
The wild horse was extremely curious and seemed to understand human speech, at least in part. It was clearly offended by its nickname.
Snort!
When it stamped its hoof, Encrid asked if it disliked the name. The horse nodded. Staring at the beast for a moment, Encrid came up with a new name on the spot.
"Let's call you Indomitable."
In the continental tongue, the word could also be interpreted as "Will of Steel." Since "Indomitable" was a word from the Eastern Continent, Esther stared intently at him, surprised he knew it. She had thought he was a man who lived and breathed only for his sword, yet here he was showing an unexpected depth of knowledge.
Encrid liked ancient tales. If there was a storyteller who knew about chivalry and lore, he would readily pay silver to listen. He had picked up quite a lot over the years.
"Since your eyes are different colors, Odd-Eye fits perfectly, though."
Snort!
The horse neighed roughly. Encrid didn't care much about names.
*
At dawn the next day, the group set out.
"I'll guide the way," Finn said, taking the lead. Following Meelun's directions, they walked for two full days.
Finally, the village Frok had mentioned came into view. They decided to pose as wandering merchants. Encrid would be the guard, and Sachsen would be the merchant. Sinar would also act as a guard, with Finn as the merchant's subordinate.
"Will this work?" Finn asked with concern.
It was a pointless worry. The moment Sachsen set foot in the village, he transformed.
"What village is this? Might we buy and sell goods here? What a fine village!"
What the... he's terrifying.
Encrid was startled to see Sachsen change in an instant. The transformed Sachsen turned back and continued:
"I mean, isn't it obvious just by looking? Look! The people's faces are bright, and you don't see anyone starved or thin. It must naturally be a prosperous place to live! That means there will be plenty of goods to sell, and the people's hearts will be generous! Isn't that so?"
As he spoke, he slapped Encrid on the shoulder with a bold, careless attitude. It was a familiar way of speaking—the technique of the endlessly chattering, magical mouth.
Sachsen was imitating Krais.