Chapter 417: On the Rank of General
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 417: On the Rank of General
"Even if you're busy, you still have to do what needs to be done."
Encrid wondered if seeing him off was truly a necessary task, but since Krang put it that way, he couldn't very well tell the man to turn back.
Above all...
I am glad to see him.
Naturally, Krang was not alone. No matter how regularly they cleared out the monsters and demonic beasts around the kingdom, danger always lurked.
Encrid spotted Matthew, Squire Ropode, and the trident-wielding guard he had met before. There were also five more warriors drafted from the Royal Guard.
Upon seeing Encrid, they bowed their heads slightly. It was the respect due to a hero who had saved the nation. Encrid returned the greeting with a slight nod.
Though they were few for an escort, this likely wasn't all of them. It was standard practice to station a unit nearby, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.
Because that's exactly what Marcus would do.
While he was lost in thought, Matthew approached and asked, "Are you leaving now?"
From their first meeting until now, Matthew’s opinion of the man had changed a great deal. At first, he had viewed Encrid as an incredibly arrogant bastard. But now, if anyone were to ask, "Who saved this country?" he would name the man standing before him without a moment's hesitation.
My apologies to my lord, but...
The one who had led the civil war to victory was not Krang, but the Demon Slayer named Encrid. Though Krang himself would likely nod and agree.
"Ah. Did you want to go another round?"
Encrid gripped the hilt of his sword. Matthew had been about to ask if it wouldn't be better for him to stay, and if there wouldn't be more he could do for his lord in the future.
But suddenly, Encrid acted as if he were about to attack and said, "Come at me. We can't have you leaving with regrets."
Ah, what a lunatic.
Encrid genuinely thought the man had come because he was itching for a fight. Standing behind him, Pel shook his head.
A sword-crazy bastard. A sparring fiend. Not a single normal bone in his body.
Then again, that was precisely why he was worth following and watching. Normalcy was, after all, the opposite of extraordinary. Pel was here because he hoped the path he walked would be anything but ordinary.
"I haven't fully recovered yet," Matthew said. The injuries he had sustained previously were close to critical.
It was Encrid and his companions who were abnormal. Having broken through the wraiths, it would have been perfectly natural for all of them to be bedridden for a month.
And yet they get out of bed and spar after just a few days?
That was abnormal. Matthew was the normal one.
"I wish to follow you, Sir. I have dared to come here to ask for your permission."
It was Squire Ropode. He was extremely polite. Encrid knew the young man was a squire of the Red Cloak Knights.
"Aren't you part of the Knights?"
"Senior Aisia processed it as a long-term assignment. Though I wouldn't have minded leaving the order entirely."
Ropode's face was set with firm resolve. He looked at the man who had changed his entire outlook on life. It was a conclusion reached after a long period of deliberation.
I will learn the sword—no, I will learn how to live—by this man's side.
Having overcome his hesitant nature, Ropode now had a tendency to be excessively bold. It made no difference to Encrid.
"Take him with you. Since he wants it so badly."
"Sure, why not," Krang chimed in.
Encrid nodded. Overwhelmed with emotion, Ropode bowed deeply. If left alone, he looked ready to swear an oath of fealty on the spot.
Swearing such an oath was problematic enough, but doing so to someone else right in front of Krang? Nothing could be more absurd. For a squire of the order to swear fealty to a local company commander, who wasn't even a knight, was practically treasonous.
Of course, Krang wouldn't have cared even if he saw it.
"I heard Sinar left ahead of you?" Krang asked. Despite having a decent connection with Sinar, he had been so busy that he hadn't had the luxury of looking her up.
"She said she had somewhere she needed to stop by."
She had mentioned needing to deliver news of the elf she had killed. Encrid answered based on what he had seen and heard. He had watched her leave less than a day after the battle ended, her thigh wound smeared with ointment and wrapped tightly in bandages.
Krang had not changed just because he became king. And the same went for Encrid.
The two traveled together for three days. Since their luggage was loaded onto a carriage, there wasn't much to do. For three days, Krang watched Encrid engage in sparring.
To an outsider, it would look like they were desperate to kill each other, yet they called it sparring. Watching them, Matthew flinched repeatedly. The techniques used were that dangerous, and heart-stopping moments followed one after another.
Even when he wasn't sparring, Encrid swung his sword without fail whenever he had a moment of rest. While sitting in the carriage, he practiced something like hand-blade sparring. When asked what it was, he called it a simplified spar.
Krang nodded with a faint smile.
A lunatic, through and through.
Along the way, a band of bandits ambushed the group. It was a case of incredibly terrible luck. Unless the bandits had spat on a statue of the Goddess of Fortune, there was no explaining this.
"Hey, hand over everything you've got and get lost, and we'll let you live."
Despite several armed men in the group, not to mention the fierce-looking Rem and the massive Audin, the bandits still blocked their path. At this point, it might not be a problem with the Goddess of Fortune, but rather a problem with the bandits' intelligence. Or perhaps they placed immense trust in the crossbows lined up behind them.
Public order, which had been a mess even before the civil war, had now deteriorated into complete chaos. Krang didn't particularly sigh as he watched this. It was something he had already experienced countless times while wandering the continent.
"Hey, you need to prove you're useful too, don't you? Do you think we just accept anyone who tags along?"
Seeing the bandits, Rem egged Pel on. Hearing those words, Encrid wondered since when the Border Guard had been so picky when recruiting soldiers.
The bandits numbered over thirty. They were quite famous in these parts, known as the White Hood Bandits.
"We are the White Hood—"
Pel was a shepherd, and a shepherd did not tolerate uninvited guests crossing his fence. He responded like a true shepherd. Before the bandit could even finish speaking, Pel struck him on the head with his scabbarded sword.
It was a precise strike to the crown of the head, delivered with remarkably nimble footwork.
Thwack!
"Gah!"
Among the thirty, five held crossbows, and some showed a knack for throwing daggers, but the gap in skill was simply too vast to begin with. Even Squire Ropode could have handled them alone, though he would have struggled a bit.
Pel was a cut above Ropode. That had been true ever since that night in the past when he had met Encrid and forced him to repeat today.
No, even more so than back then.
Encrid measured Pel's skill with his own eyes. Having awakened 'The Eye that Sees an Inch Ahead', his field of vision had broadened, and his discernment had developed along with it.
He's improved.
And it wasn't just a moderate amount of growth; he had improved significantly. If Luagarne had seen this, she would have surely had something to say.
Pel showed no hesitation in his movements. Even though he swung his sword in its scabbard, few survived the blows. Fractures were the bare minimum.
Luagarne would find this interesting if she saw it.
When he had looked for Luagarne to see her face before leaving, he had been told she had already departed with the Queen. It was likely due to Frok's covenant. Still, it was a bit disappointing not to have seen her face.
"Is that enough?" Pel asked, his ruthless handiwork contrasting sharply with his youthful face.
Rem nodded. "Passed."
"...No, it's not like I was trying to take a test from you, so what do you mean 'passed'?"
Though he grumbled, Pel looked secretly pleased. And why wouldn't he be? Among the shepherds, he had only ever been scolded for swinging a sword alone. But here, everyone watched him and nodded in approval. And these were people of exceptional skill, no less.
"We need to deal with pests like those first. Any good ideas?" Krang asked, watching the bandit group, half of whom were dead and the other half fleeing.
He was expressing his headache over the public security issue. Though he spoke vaguely, Encrid understood him perfectly and replied, "Do you really think asking me will yield an answer?"
Naurilia had many gaps in its internal security, partly due to Count Molsen, but also for various other reasons. That was why bastards like these kept popping up, following in the footsteps of the Black Sword Bandits. Among them, there were even groups of spies sent deliberately by other nations, operating under the guise of bandits.
And bandits weren't the only problem. There were cultists, demonic beasts, and monsters as well. Krang had plenty of headaches. Yet, he smiled. This was the moment he had wanted, the thing he had desired.
So, what else could he do but smile?
Thus, the three-day send-off came to an end. The King had not stepped forward simply because Encrid was a hero who saved the nation. Krang had come because they were friends.
"See you again."
"Yeah."
The two parted with a simple farewell. Once again, Encrid thought the number of escorts was small, but they weren't the only ones. Sachsen had already told him on the first day that a troop was following them from behind. A massive escort for the King was trailing them.
As they walked along the main road, they saw traces of a military encampment. It was evidence of Krais moving his troops. That wasn't all. As they drew closer to the Border Guard, a large outpost established right in the middle of the main road came into view.
It was an outpost built for both offense and defense, featuring watchtowers from which arrows could be shot in all directions, stone walls, and a gate reinforced with iron bands. It wasn't small, either. It had enough space to house at least twenty soldiers. It was a brick building, not some hastily thrown-together shack. The touch of someone skilled in architecture was clearly evident.
"What is this?"
"Haha, after you left, our Big-Eyes brother did quite a few things," Audin said.
Krais did?
As Encrid approached the outpost, a vigilant archer blew a short, sharp whistle. A group of soldiers emerged from the outpost.
"Crazy Company Commander?"
It was Bell. He was the soldier whose life Encrid had saved during his very first 'today', and who had now become a squad leader.
"Are you returning?"
"Yeah."
Bell nodded as he looked at the group crowding behind Encrid.
"The Independent Combat Company has returned!"
At his shout, the soldier standing on the watchtower lowered his bow, stood at attention with his hand on the shortsword at his waist, and bowed his head. It was a military salute.
"Right."
Encrid saw three more identical outposts after that. The spacing was regular. The benefit of that was total control over the surrounding bandits and monsters.
Was that all? No. The Border Guard was a city that had taken turns enduring every kind of raid imaginable. On the roofs of the outposts, they had even installed beacon fires that could be lit at any moment. They were designed with a roof to let smoke rise, which was more than sufficient as a means of communication as long as it didn't rain.
Furthermore, the presence of beacon fires meant that these men were essentially acting as the foremost scouting unit. Instead of having them wander around on foot, changing it to a stationary guard duty had the effect of completely preventing bandits, demonic beasts, and monsters from even setting foot in the area.
If things continued like this, even demonic beasts and monsters wouldn't bother invading this way. Once they recognized it as a dangerous territory, they wouldn't attack.
And the reason the soldiers accepted this?
Relatively high and stable supplies would be the first reason. Next, they would have known that because there would be large-scale subjugations to minimize danger, it wouldn't be all that risky. Normally, starting construction would have been a headache from start to finish.
But the Border Guard is making gold coins like crazy.
It must have been a good time for construction, too, since the surrounding monsters and bandits had been wiped out. Thanks to them constantly throwing themselves at the Border Guard in the past, there was no one left to attack for the time being. Krais had taken advantage of that. The high pay was merely a bonus. Utilizing the perfect timing was the most crucial aspect of this endeavor.
So there was an answer.
Encrid remembered what Krang had asked—a way to deal with the bandit groups and monster hordes. Though they would have to conduct a large-scale subjugation first.
Since most of the Count's soldiers became the Royal Army through this affair.
They could fight monsters as a way to train and instill discipline. And they could sweep away the bandits while they were at it. By pardoning their treason through this and gaining praise in return, for the King, it would be like throwing one stone to shatter two ghoul heads.
Thus, they made their way back, receiving salutes from the outposts. The final outpost lit its beacon fire. The rising smoke announced Encrid's return.
"He's built all sorts of things, that Big-Eyes bastard."
Even Rem let out something resembling admiration. He recalled Krais asking him about his tribe's communication methods in the past. When he had told him about the 'heated stone' method back then, Krais had gone and built a beacon tower like that.
Was it an idea anyone could have? Perhaps. But it was meaningless unless put into practice. Krais was a capable man who could coordinate and accomplish all of this.
"You're back?"
They were in front of the Border Guard's gates. Krais waved his hand, and beside him stood the Elf Company Commander, who had rushed in like the wind to fight and then immediately left the battlefield.
"You're late, fiancé."
"You're late."
Even Frok Luagarne was there. Encrid wondered why she was here when she was supposed to have left with the Queen. Finally, the Battalion Commander and Castellan stepped forward. Approaching right up to him, he dropped to one knee and spoke.
"I greet the General."
Encrid blinked. "What general?"
"General?" Rem asked as well.
Ragna also looked at Encrid. Audin, too, looked curious. Only Sachsen remained expressionless, lost in his own thoughts.
"Ah, have you not heard?" The Battalion Commander, who used to speak to him casually, asked politely.
Encrid shook his head.
This was Krang's doing. He might have bestowed a medal, but to just send him away without any proper reward? A hero of the nation? His only close friend? Krang would never do that. He had sent a messenger ahead before Encrid could even reach the Border Guard.
"We declare Count Molsen's territory, the Border Guard, Martai, and a total of five cities and their surrounding lands as territories under the direct control of the Kingdom, and we send a general to rule over this region. His name is Encrid."
While everyone else was dumbfounded, only Krais understood. Without even granting him a title of nobility, Krang had placed all the lands that would yield Krona directly into Encrid's hands.
Knowing Encrid would be indifferent if asked to accept it, Krang had simply thrown it at him.