Chapter 414: Demon Slayer, Hero of the Nation, Guardian of the Border Guard, Friend of the King, Dreaming of Being a Free Knight
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 414: Demon Slayer, Hero of the Nation, Guardian of the Border Guard, Friend of the King, Dreaming of Being a Free Knight
"A banquet? Tell them to process another document in the time they’d waste on such nonsense."
What kind of seat was the throne?
What was the crown?
Now, Krang could answer with absolute certainty.
'The perfect place to die of overwork.'
There was work. Too much work. So much that his head felt like it would explode if he tried to handle it all alone.
Still, it was his duty, so he had to do it. Krang sacrificed sleep, a habit that in turn deeply troubled the royal chef.
"Shouldn't you at least eat properly?" Marcus said from his side.
Chewing on a sandwich, Krang stared at Marcus with wide eyes. He spoke with his gaze instead of his mouth.
'With work piled up like this, you want me to leisurely light candles, pick up a knife and fork, slice meat, and waste time chatting with other nobles?'
"...Never mind."
Marcus saw a new side of Krang. The man was a workaholic. Of course, he had a grand purpose, so it made sense. Still, Marcus had to say what needed to be said.
"Several nobles are trying to approach Encrid."
Krang, sandwich still in his mouth, lifted his head from the documents. Marcus continued calmly.
"They likely want to win the Hero of the Nation over to their side."
Even after weeding out as many as possible, how many nobles still remained in the capital? Easily over a hundred. And if you added the nobles based in other regions? Not all of them would be quick-witted or clever. Some would remain loyal but try to claim their share now that the civil war was over.
And among those, what was the best way to secure the biggest share?
A man whom the King himself called his friend. The Hero of the Nation, for whom the King had yielded his turn during the Memorial Coronation.
If they could bring such a person to their territory—or better yet, place him under their command—their influence would skyrocket. Moreover, the man's affiliation was incredibly ambiguous. He was merely a company commander of the Border Guard.
So, they would try every trick in the book, starting with honey traps.
"People are bound to change," Marcus remarked.
Krang swallowed his sandwich and locked eyes with Marcus for a moment. The two men, both sporting dark circles under their eyes, stared at each other before suddenly bursting into laughter at the same time.
"Hahaha."
"Pffft, hahaha."
Some people did change. But not Encrid.
"Let them suffer a bit. He'll handle it on his own."
Krang didn't care in the slightest about the nobles pestering Encrid. Instead, there was something else he wanted to ask Marcus.
"By the way, are you really okay with this?"
"Pardon? Ah, the title? Yes, that is for the best."
"Hmm."
Krang nodded.
"It seems Marquis Vaisar also went to see Enki."
"He's lost his touch a bit, too."
Krang truly didn't care. And with good reason. Anyone who had rolled in the dirt with Encrid would feel the same.
"Then, about the nobles wanting to hold a banquet..."
As Marcus spoke, Krang cut him off.
"Can't we just confiscate those bastards' assets?"
"By force?"
"Yeah."
"Was your immediate goal to become a tyrant?"
Would it really be so bad to be a tyrant? Krang was momentarily swayed by the temptation.
'Why is the royal family so damn poor?'
As soon as the Queen inherited the throne, she bid them a casual farewell and departed, taking the court mages with her. Krang had already decided to treat her as if she didn't exist. Lately, his biggest headache was finding a way to earn krona.
If he had known Krais better, he would have appointed him as the Minister of Finance on the spot. Of course, this was a pit he had dug for himself because Krang had overhauled the kingdom's policies rather drastically.
The most critical of these was the issue of the King's guard. Krang had replaced the King's Guardian Knights first.
"I heard you maintain your knighthood on the condition that you never set foot outside the palace for the rest of your life. Is that truly what you want to do?"
The Guardian Knight, who maintained his status through magical power and the mysteries of Will, had to scramble to grasp the true intent behind the King's words. He had wondered what on earth this man was talking about.
He had guarded the King for three generations. His grandfather and father had walked the same path. The spell bound to his bloodline was both a shackle and a constraint.
"Are you asking me in earnest?"
When the Guardian Knight asked in return, Krang broke his shackles. He granted him freedom, telling him to do what he wanted and go where he pleased.
For the guard, he employed the former Royal Guard. A man who used to wear a gray helmet knelt and shed tears.
"I shall protect you with my life. Even in death, I shall guard you."
In effect, he had re-established the King's Royal Guard, including Matthew and the others who had stood by Krang's side. Thus, he increased the number of guards and raised their pay. On top of that, trying to reinforce the dilapidated defense facilities throughout the palace...
'No wonder we're short on gold coins.'
Even after liquidating a portion of the national treasury, it was still like this. Krang did not look back. Wasting time on regret was a luxury he couldn't afford. He, too, had learned something from watching Encrid.
'Let's just do what needs to be done right now.'
Encrid was the kind of bastard who would train with his sword even if the continent were to perish tomorrow. If emptying the treasury a bit allowed people to eat well and live happily, what was the problem?
It was a radical idea and a reckless drive. And there was no one to stop him.
Thanks to that, the merit award ceremony to honor achievements and bestow rewards was being delayed. That was the reason Encrid was still staying in the capital.
*
Rem clearly recognized the difference between his past self—back when he first became a member of the troublemaker squad—and his current self.
'How did I end up like this?'
His skills, which had stagnated while wandering the continent, had improved. There were several reasons, but three of them were Ragna, Sachsen, and Audin. Fighting those bastards over and over, his skills grew simply because he hated to lose to them.
'What a pain in the ass.'
As he watched with those thoughts, he locked eyes with Ragna, who was swinging his sword shirtless.
"What are you looking at, you crippled barbarian? Can't even walk on your own?"
Rem silently cursed his own brain for momentarily thinking he owed those bastards anything. In truth, it was more accurate to say the biggest reason was the existence of Encrid. Rem had learned while teaching him, and watching his growth made it impossible to slack off.
"Watch your mouth or you're dead," Rem muttered half-heartedly to Ragna and began to warm up.
He had thought he would be bedridden for a month after overusing his sorcery, but he had recovered in no time. It was because his vessel had expanded along with his improved skills. Sorcery, after all, was cast using the body as its foundation.
Encrid was checking and repeating his techniques while listening to their "friendly" banter. Watching him, Rem approached.
"You said it's a new Will? Give it a shot."
Since he could move to some extent now, sparring was feasible. Deciding that today was the day, Encrid raised his sword.
As soon as he had gone to the blacksmith to ask them to piece the broken Silver back together, he was told it was impossible. The core was completely ruined. So, he had asked them to just melt it down, and now he held an ordinary longsword. He didn't want to blame his weapon, but he did wish he had a sword on par with Silver.
"Don't hold back," Rem said.
Encrid did just that.
He channeled Will into his eyes and maintained it. It was The Eye that Sees an Inch Ahead. It was a manifestation of Will that perfectly complemented the Capturing Sword.
Encrid glimpsed the future. Rem's breathing, shoulders, hands, and feet came into view. Rem would swing the hammer in his left hand as if throwing it. Then, he would swing his axe diagonally. The first hammer strike at his usual speed, followed by the axe strike half a beat faster.
It was a feat possible only because Rem wielded the weapons in both hands with absolute mastery.
The future he had briefly glimpsed unfolded exactly as predicted. Rem's hammer came flying. Even though his sword had the longer reach, Encrid stepped forward. As he did, he crossed his wrists and raised his sword.
With this, he intended to pin the wrist holding the hammer, stomp on Rem's foot, and drive his knee into Rem's groin. Getting this close would make the axe in Rem's other hand a threat, but at best, Rem would only be able to throw a punch while holding the axe. Because Encrid would stick so close that Rem would have no other choice.
'I can take a punch.'
Give up flesh to take bone.
In less time than it took to draw a single breath, their weapons, hands, and feet clashed.
Thud! Clack! Crack!
After the brief clash, Encrid stepped back and looked at Rem.
"How did you do that?"
"Hmph, did you think that trick of yours was invincible?"
It was a response born of sheer, beast-like instinct. Encrid realized anew: this bastard was crazy, but he was incredible.
The Capturing Sword was an orthodox sword style, a form designed to steer the battle of wits with the opponent exactly as he desired. And it had harmonized with The Eye that Sees an Inch Ahead.
Yet, midway through moving as predicted, Rem had altered his motion. Instead of swinging his axe, he let go of it, blocked Encrid's knee with his palm, and thrust his forehead forward.
Encrid had no choice but to react on instinct. The final crack was the sound of their foreheads colliding. Both of their foreheads swelled red right in the center. It looked like lumps would form.
If an opponent moved spontaneously before his eyes could even read and analyze the motion, how could he anticipate it? From that point on, he could only react with the techniques ingrained in his body.
Internally, Rem highly praised Encrid's reflex to headbutt him back, but he kept his mouth shut. He had spent the last few days figuring out a way to counter Encrid's newly awakened Will. He just didn't want to show that he had actually put thought into it. If he praised him too easily, Encrid might lose his drive to improve.
Of course, that would never happen, but Rem rationalized it to himself before speaking.
"See? Even this can be broken. So don't go using it recklessly."
Next was Audin.
"Haha, brother. Every technique has its weakness."
He broke Encrid's Will in an even simpler, more brutal way. He closed the distance immediately, forcing an ultra-close-quarters brawl. The brute strength of this massive bear of a man was even more overwhelming than Encrid's when using the Heart of Monstrous Strength.
Audin smoothly transitioned into a joint lock, attempting to dislocate Encrid's shoulder. Encrid, applying what he had learned, curled his fingers and thrust his palm upward to slip out of the hold.
Even after that, their sparring followed a similar pattern. The two ended up rolling on the ground, covered in dust. In the end, Encrid lost.
"What will you do if someone clings to you like this?" Audin asked.
His cheekbone was swollen and one eye was bruised. Encrid's captured knee was also on the verge of shattering. If Audin applied any more force, it would break. Thus, Encrid conceded. In return, he had given Audin a nice blue shade of makeup over one eye and cheek.
"Hmm."
Encrid nodded. There was still so much to learn.
Ragna stepped up next. He used an even simpler method: a slash that could not be blocked, even if one saw it coming and knew it was there. Honestly, it was even more terrifying than the swordplay Liebart had shown.
"Are you trying to send him to meet the Lord?" Audin marveled at the sight.
"That bastard is seriously out of his mind," Rem insulted Ragna, calling him a guy whose brain was even more broken than his own.
"He didn't die, so it's fine," Ragna merely replied in a flat tone.
Encrid wiped the cold sweat from his neck. If things had gone slightly wrong, he might have had to repeat today all over again. He had raised his sword to block, but the force had driven his own blade halfway into his chest. If not for the Bandage Armor he wore just in case, he would have bled.
Not that he was complaining. He understood what they were trying to tell him.
'No matter the technique, practice it relentlessly until it becomes second nature.'
In reality, the three of them were just busy proving they hadn't been surpassed yet, but Encrid chose to interpret it that way. After all, a favorable interpretation made everything better.
As they were engrossed in training, a young boy entered, looking around nervously.
"Excuse me, are you perhaps Lord Encrid... the Demon Slayer, Hero of the Nation, Guardian of the Border Guard, Friend of the King, who dreams of being a free knight?"
Encrid doubted his ears for a moment. Weren't there a few too many strange titles mixed in there? He had heard that many praises and rumors about him were circulating after the battle, but he had ignored them, figuring it was better to spend his time training.
"They only ever call me the Undying Axe, though?" Rem muttered.
The nickname "Noble Killer" also followed Rem around. It was because he spoke so viciously to any noble who tried to pester him.
"The Guard Who Steps on Shadows"—that was Sachsen.
There was also the white lion monster, Dunchabel. Though she was a beastman, she looked like a lion, which was how she got the nickname, and Dunchabel surprisingly liked it.
They called Ragna the "Merciless Sword." Of course, he didn't care much.
"Doesn't 'Pathfinder Ragna' suit me better?"
However, the way he asked that in return occasionally made people think he was even crazier than Rem.
Audin was given a nickname similar to his old one: "Giant Bear." He had heard people say he looked like one from a distance. Audin only smiled silently, though he didn't look particularly pleased.
Encrid looked at the servant boy who had addressed him.
"I think just 'Encrid' or 'Crazy Company Commander' fits better."
Although the official name was the Border Guard Independent Combat Company, even Encrid now referred to his unit as the "Crazy Company." After all, weren't all his subordinates lunatics? It wasn't a problem he could solve just by being the only sane one.
The boy approached, looking extremely nervous.
"My master wishes to see you, so if you have some time... Ah, if it is inconvenient, then when you are free next, or, ah, if you could tell me when you might have time..."
Encrid didn't want to make things difficult for the servant boy. He gently placed a hand on the shoulder of the boy, who was stammering with "ifs" and "ahs," and said, "Who is your master?"
"Ah, it is Baron Somerset."
It was a name he had never heard in his life. Wondering what this was about, Encrid nodded. He truly didn't want to trouble the boy any further.
The boy moved his legs, trembling with tension and eyes full of admiration. Encrid followed behind him.
"Another noble bastard?" Rem called out from behind.
Encrid waved him off, telling him to back away. It would be better for Encrid to quietly talk them down and send them away himself rather than letting Rem cause trouble.
Besides, the visitor had come for him.