Chapter 330: This Bastard is a Lunatic
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 330: This Bastard is a Lunatic
This bastard is a lunatic.
In that single moment, Kin read the madness hidden beneath Encrid’s surface.
Setting aside his looks and his skills, his personality was fundamentally flawed. She had grasped his true nature in an instant. Kin had developed a keen eye for people while handling the Vaisar family’s external affairs, and that intuition was now screaming at her.
Crazy bastard!
What if the Count charged him with the Crime of Insulting Nobility right then and there? Or worse, what if he returned home, nursed his wounded pride, and raised an army?
Even in the capital, the Count was a massive headache. He was known to have several fighters of Associate Knight caliber under his command. In truth, no one had even fully grasped the true extent of his military strength. It was a wonder why a man of his power had been keeping his head down and biding his time until now.
Kin couldn't even swallow her spit as she stared at the Count’s mouth, waiting for his reaction.
Encrid, on the other hand, was perfectly calm.
Look at him talk.
Those killed by monsters? Those killed by demonic beasts? Those left behind?
A man who claimed to worry about such things had turned a blind eye and refused to send reinforcements? No, a man who had turned his back on his own family in the first place?
Was Edin Molsen some child he had simply picked up off the street? If not, why was his name never even mentioned? Upon hearing that his father had arrived, Edin Molsen had even begged to be dispatched to the Greenpearl camp.
It was highly, extremely, incredibly bizarre.
He used sparring with me as an excuse to stay here.
Yet at some point, Edin had stopped sparring, gradually backed away, and eventually abandoned all public excuses to bolt from the area entirely.
Krais had also warned him when he arrived: "He’s probably a terrifying man. Well, he certainly looks the part. But what’s even scarier is how easily he casts aside his own son."
Right now, Encrid trusted his own instincts more than anything else. And those instincts told him that a winged chimera that had swallowed dozens of giant serpents was sitting right in front of him.
The Count's current appearance was a mere facade. The mask was shiny, but the reality beneath it was utterly loathsome.
"It’s not working, is it?"
The Count’s attitude shifted instantly. He didn’t get angry. Instead, he asked the question like a street-smart merchant, and the tense atmosphere instantly dissolved into something loose and casual.
"It’s not working," Encrid confirmed.
"I heard you fought magnificently while saving a child. They say if you hadn't stepped up, our allies' casualties would have been far worse, and that you risked your life to cross the battlefield afterward?"
It wasn't entirely false, but there were plenty of details Encrid could have corrected if he felt like it. He didn't bother. Why drag out the conversation?
"Yes, so they say."
"You speak as if it happened to someone else."
"I haven't recovered from combat fatigue yet, so I haven't had the mind to think about it."
Of course, that was complete bullshit. He had kept two nobles—one of whom was a family head—waiting for two days just because he had retreated into his own world of consciousness. How could he talk about combat fatigue now?
"Have you seen my guard?"
"I have."
"What do you think would happen if you two fought?"
Encrid thought for a moment. Honestly, the moment he saw the guard, he had wanted to face him. But not right now. He shouldn't.
If they fought now, he might accidentally kill the man. It would be different if the opponent was completely inferior or, conversely, vastly superior. But against someone of this caliber, he might end up taking a life. He was currently unable to control his strength properly.
"I don't know."
"You're being boring."
"To make it interesting, should I guarantee that I'd win?"
"That would certainly be entertaining."
Behind the Count stood that very guard. Naturally, he was listening to their exchange; the Count was speaking loud enough for him to hear, after all. It was a blatant provocation.
The guard didn't hide his aura. He glared at Encrid with eyes that promised to crush him in an instant if he dared to accept the challenge.
Encrid ignored him completely. Normally, he would have fought rather than avoid a confrontation. The fact that he was backing down would have made anyone who knew him wonder if he had a fever.
"Then I'll just be a boring person."
"I see. It’s going to get annoying for you after I leave. Will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine."
The Count stared at him, the corners of his mouth curling up even further. "It was a needless worry. Hahaha!"
The Count laughed heartily and stood up. Seeing this, the guard suppressed his aura, stepping aside to wait for his master to pass. To Encrid, he looked no different from a loyal dog.
Does he get his treats on time? Does he get walked regularly? Who knows.
"My offer still stands. Whenever you feel it’s not too late, you are always welcome," the Count said as he turned around.
"Yes."
"Take care of my son and daughter as well. It seems they wish to leave my embrace."
The Count was a meticulous man. If he had truly wanted to drag Edin Molsen back, he could have done so easily. He also spoke without hesitation of the cross-dressed daughter Edin had brought along.
Of course, Encrid already knew about her. Anyone quick-witted would have realized it by now. Every member of his company probably knew.
"Safe travels. I won't see you out."
He had kept them waiting for two days, and now he wouldn't even see them to the door. At the Count’s request, Castellan Graham, who had been waiting outside, saw him off instead.
"Your Excellency, Count."
"He’s a company commander under your command, isn't he? He’s far too arrogant. How about we string him up on the gallows?"
The Count cracked the joke even as he walked out. Graham broke into a cold sweat and replied, "If I hang Independent Company Commander Encrid, I’ll be stoned to death by the citizens."
He was making it clear that Encrid was a hero created by the city. At those words, the Count burst into another hearty laugh.
"Just a joke," he said boisterously.
Was it really a joke, though? Encrid watched the departing Count until the parlor door closed. The few soldiers guarding the door stood like statues, pretending to see and hear nothing. They knew that even ten lives wouldn't be enough if they got caught in the crossfire of such people.
"Are you insane?" Kin finally spoke. It was a war of words she had watched while holding her breath.
"I hear that a lot." Encrid remained nonchalant.
"No, but doing that..." She was smart enough to have made it this far, but she seemed genuinely shocked.
Encrid noticed the remaining refreshments in the parlor and popped one into his mouth. He was hungry; he had been fasting for two days.
Munching on a cookie, Encrid asked, "Did you decide to hand the Border Guard over to the Count’s territory?"
"That is absolutely out of the question."
Kin was here as a deterrent, to ensure neither Encrid nor the Castellan swayed. She was also a living warning from Marquis Vaisar.
"If we have to tell him to back off anyway, the Count won't care whether the words are polite or harsh."
Kin could understand that much. Count Molsen was like a loaded crossbow. He was a dangerous man whose bolt, if things went south, would point straight at the royal palace. Eliminating him immediately was impossible because his power was formidable and the central authority was fractured. It wouldn't be surprising if the kingdom split apart at this rate.
Kin brushed aside her stray thoughts and looked at the madman Encrid once more. There was a blind spot in his reasoning. Knowing something and actually executing it were two entirely different things. This guy was not normal.
"You've got a lot of nerve," Kin assessed.
"Are you going to stay and resolve these annoying issues for me?" Encrid got straight to the point.
Kin shook her head. "Now that the Count has withdrawn, I cannot remain here. It would cause other complications."
If rumors spread that Marquis Vaisar had his eyes on this place, it could jeopardize his political standing in the capital. Marcus hadn't headed back to the capital without a fuss for no reason; he had to consider his family’s position and avoid being framed as a traitor. This was why people said the method used by the leader of the Black Sword to make Marcus retreat back then was brilliant. In terms of cunning, he was on par with Krais.
"Well then."
"Are you telling me to leave right now?" Kin asked, dumbfounded.
Did this bastard even know she had waited here for two days? More than anything, didn't he notice her? Men and women alike stared at her endlessly. Kin Vaisar was a beauty renowned even in the capital. How many young men had wept when she left on her travels? Yet this guy was refreshingly indifferent.
"Do you have other business? Didn't you say it would cause complications if you stayed?"
He was right. Kin stood up. She had to go. There was nothing to be gained by staying longer. Still, couldn't he have spared at least a day?
As she stood, her guard leaned in and whispered, "He’s a peculiar man."
This was her personal guard, who shared a deep bond with her. They were like sisters.
"He’s a lunatic," Kin said, taking a step forward.
They called him the charming company commander, and this was the first impression he gave? Well, it was certainly effective. She didn't know about him as a man yet, but her interest was definitely piqued.
"Well then," Encrid repeated.
Was he really telling her to get lost already? Kin felt annoyed, but she brushed it off and walked away.
A brief send-off followed. Once Kin left, the riffraff who had been watching from the sidelines came into view—minor nobles, merchants who had bought their titles, and even several hereditary nobles. There were even a few noblewomen who had come just to catch a glimpse of Encrid’s face.
It was a gathering of those without real power, or perhaps those backed by larger factions. In any case, they were a pack of jackals gathered to seize the stroke of fortune named Encrid.
Jackals of the political arena.
They wouldn't pose a real danger, but dealing with them would be a constant headache. How would things turn out? Kin decided not to worry. He was a guy who had driven away even Count Molsen with nothing but his tongue.
As she left the city, Kin looked back three times. Then, a sudden realization made her curse.
"Fuck."
Her guard turned her head. They had just boarded the carriage. "Kin?"
"That bastard didn't even ask for my name."
To be treated like this despite her renown... she felt as though both her family’s prestige and her own beauty had been utterly ignored. Yet, strangely, she didn't entirely hate it.
This is a first.
What a crazy bastard.
Let's meet again.
Kin made up her mind. Her guard worried for her; obsessing over useless things was one of Kin’s few flaws.
*
There were many nobles and merchant guilds who coveted Encrid.
"I can't handle this on my own," Graham admitted, throwing up his hands. Encrid agreed to step in.
"If you come to my territory, along with my daughter..."
The first was an idiot trying to sell off his own daughter. Encrid brought Esther along for that meeting.
"Is it alright if I stay in human form?" she asked.
"It's fine."
Esther’s beauty was such that anyone with eyes in their head would be forced to look. If Kin had seen her, she would have understood immediately why Encrid hadn't paid attention to her face.
"Uh, well..." The daughter-selling noble’s mouth shut in an instant.
Conversely, someone else tried to hit on Esther. "Uh, what is the lady’s name?"
Encrid had to stop him quickly, because Esther was about to act immediately without even asking for permission to kill him.
After that, he usually brought Sinar along. He couldn't go around mass-producing noble corpses, after all, and Sinar wouldn't kill them outright. However, Sinar had her own drawback.
"She’s my fiancée," Encrid would say.
Strange rumors began to spread. Whispers circulated about a charming company commander who had an elf and a witch as his fiancées. Encrid let it be. If he left it like this, at least they wouldn't try to use their daughters or honey traps on him.
"Why aren't you taking me?"
"I have spare time too."
Dunchabel and Teresa spouted nonsense in between. Both were beauties, but if he brought Teresa, some nobles might think he had brought her along to beat them to death. In a way, Dunchabel was even quicker to strike than Esther. It was better to let the strange rumors spread.
When merchants came to talk about gold, he brought Krais.
"If you join my guild, you can grasp wealth beyond your wildest imagination."
"Sure, how much?" Krais asked.
"...Huh?"
"Yes, how much exactly?" Krais was cold and businesslike. "Don't even speak to us for less than a hundred gold coins. And don't even think about a one-time offer. The contract will be on a monthly basis, and we'll take a share of the equity. By the way, what did you say the name of your guild was?"
No merchant sold shares of their equity.
"That’s absurd!"
"The exit is that way."
"You impudent...!"
"Do you have a complaint?"
It all ended when a few soldiers from the Standing Army appeared behind the shouting merchant. The hired guards only looked around nervously. Even without the Mad Company, the Standing Army’s military force was superior. They were survivors of the battle against Azpen; if the merchants said the wrong thing, they would be the ones to die. The merchant shut his mouth and retreated, grinding his teeth to dust.
There were also those who brandished their authority. There were times Encrid wanted to send Rem to split their skulls open, but he held back, choosing to keep the peace.
"Come under my command. It will elevate your honor. I could even recommend you to an order of knights. Yet you dare refuse me?"
Encrid truly wanted to keep things peaceful. "Swords have no eyes," he said, deflecting them with a cliché.
"You dare thre-e-e-at...!"
Whoosh.
With a swift swing of his hand, he demonstrated a technique that sliced off the noble’s few remaining strands of hair, instantly silencing him.
"A mosquito," Encrid remarked.
As if there would be mosquitoes in the dead of winter. The noble lord couldn't bring himself to push any further. His opponent was staring at him with eyes that looked ready to bury him.
"Is it really alright to do that?" the Castellan asked worriedly. "What if that fellow actually commands a formidable force and declares a Territory War?"
"Oh, we should say 'thank you very much' and fight," Krais chimed in.
The Border Guard was the city with the strongest military force in the region, but they lacked gold. What they needed most urgently was Krona. City expansion was essential, but Krona wasn't circulating smoothly. If anyone attacked, they could simply swallow them whole and extract war reparations.
In any case, Krais kept turning them away. Sinar and Esther turned them away too. Encrid was summoned without rest, but after about a fortnight, he realized his body had mostly healed.
His senses had also returned. Now, he could avoid accidentally killing his opponents.
"Phew."
He caught his breath in satisfaction. What would have happened if he had fought the Count’s guard back then? He didn't know for sure, but he likely would have killed or severely injured the man.
He spent time reflecting on everything he had learned and practiced. Because his new insights hadn't fully settled into his body yet, he hadn't been able to control them. Thus, even while wasting time on useless matters over the past fortnight, Encrid had spent the period refining what he possessed to the utmost.
Now, a sudden urge to swing his sword to his heart's content welled up inside him. Coincidentally, today, none of those noble or merchant nobodies had sought him out.
Encrid returned to his barracks. He had been quite busy lately, so he hadn't been able to visit often. Inside, a familiar atmosphere drifted toward him.
Silence, and the tension flowing within it.
A heavy air pressed down on the barracks, as if something would explode at any moment. A dangerous scent, one he hadn't smelled recently yet felt intimately familiar, wafted through the air.
It was exactly like the feeling when Encrid had first visited the Troublemaker Squad’s barracks.