Chapter 426: Anu, King of the East
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 426: Anu, King of the East
While Anu, King of the East, had ostensibly come to the Border Guard for Martai, he naturally harbored another motive.
"Is Naurilia crazy, or is the newly crowned king the mad one? I’ll have to see for myself. But first, I want to look at the face of this 'Demon Slayer' fellow."
Anu was a hero who had made a name for himself at eighteen by slaying a lion on the eastern plains. Before he had even turned fifty, he had gathered his people in those same eastern lands to found a nation.
He had one particular habit, however.
Whenever he spotted someone promising, he felt an irresistible urge to drag them back to the East. It was a case of pure, unadulterated greed for talent.
Not that it was necessarily a misfortune for those he "recruited."
"Do you regret becoming my brother? Then you're free to leave!"
After all, his jovial, larger-than-life personality was arguably the greatest on the continent.
Once he brought them over and they weathered various trials together, they eventually became Easterners themselves. They fell for his charm and grew intoxicated by his ambition and his dreams.
His dreams were grand, lofty, and even absurd, yet he was actively turning them into reality.
Thus, up to the present day, it was safe to say that Anu's influence had touched every corner of the eastern frontier. From the age of eighteen until now, he had poured every moment of his life into pioneering the East.
Anyone who knew his life story and met him in person had no choice but to acknowledge his charisma.
'Though he is a bit stubborn and headstrong.'
His dark-skinned adjutant, Asaluhi, adjusted his turban and sighed inwardly. No matter what anyone said, he respected his boisterous, straightforward king. Asaluhi believed his duty was to cover the blind spots his king left behind.
"Let's go. Let's see this fellow whose dream is to slay demons."
By now, the rumors about Encrid had spread in a slightly distorted fashion, but the King of the East held no prejudice.
A fellow who's absolutely obsessed with killing demons, is he?
Well, why not?
Martai was merely an excuse. He was clearly itching to scout talent. Although the king had been frantically busy due to several recent incidents in the East, he was currently in a lull. The timing was perfect.
After arriving at the Border Guard and entering the city under a suitable pretext, finding this "Encrid" fellow was child's play. Slipping into the training ground deep inside the barracks wasn't particularly difficult either.
"Are you saying he accepts sparring requests? From anyone at all?"
At Adjutant Asaluhi's question, the soldier eyed the two warily, but he made no move to stop them by force. Since a mere soldier couldn't stop anyone who had made it this far anyway, the general had issued a direct order: Do not block them. Let them through.
Whether they were assassins or challengers, if a common soldier couldn't stop them, there was no point in throwing away lives.
Of course, there was a footnote stating they wouldn't be stopped unless they really wanted to fight, but soldiers itching for a fight were exceedingly rare. The soldier opened his mouth to let them pass.
"That is correct, sir."
Anu laughed heartily and walked right in. The soldier didn't lift a finger. If he had been a raw recruit, it might have been different, but he was a seasoned veteran. After all, these two had already bypassed Frok and Meelun, the guardians of the city.
The general had also warned them: if you aren't confident you can lay Meelun flat, you shouldn't even dream of picking a fight.
"Indeed, a lad with extraordinary spirit," the king muttered to himself as he brushed past the soldier, walking forward without hindrance.
Watching his retreating back, the soldier thought that, for some reason, the man looked incredibly excited.
The king stepped into the training ground.
'Amusing.'
A wave of interest washed over him.
The moment he had briefly let a fraction of his presence slip while looking at the Demon Slayer, the youth had instantly flared with competitive spirit. It was a fighting spirit he hadn't felt in a very long time—and such a clean, upright battle aura at that.
Normally, he wouldn't have made a move right off the bat, but the sheer momentum the youth displayed stirred the king's heart.
"I don't know myself anymore."
To be precise, the youth's stubborn, unreasonable attitude had tickled his fancy. And so, he had made his move.
*
And that was how the Mercenary King of the East came to stay with the unit.
'Now, let's see.'
The king eyed the members of the unit, his greed flaring up again and again.
First, Rem.
'His natural instincts are superb.'
The way the man wielded his twin axes was far from ordinary.
Anu called those he acknowledged his "brothers," a custom originating from his early days in the East when his band operated under the name of the Ocher Hood Brotherhood. The term had stuck ever since.
Even among his brothers, such skill was rare—though not entirely unprecedented.
The East was a harsh land, no less dangerous than the Demon Realm. But then, wasn't that the nature of uncharted territory? Giant monsters appeared with alarming frequency, and there were beasts far more perilous than them.
If that were all, they would be lucky. There were flying demonic beasts and even vile demons that toyed with humans. In any case, the East was the East, and yet Rem was a conspicuously outstanding warrior—the kind of talent rare even there. And he wasn't the only one.
And what about the fellow named Audin?
"Let's test our strength!"
When they had suddenly locked hands to test their raw power during a spar, Anu had been shocked.
'He's stronger than a blood-skinned bear!'
Anu was inwardly amazed. Above all, this human-shaped bear named Audin didn't fight by relying on brute force alone.
'I've seen plenty of strong bastards, but...'
When Anu had tried to subtly twist his wrist, Audin had countered with a remarkably delicate technique. Brute strength was one thing, but to possess such refined skill alongside it?
He was a powerhouse who would rank among the very best even among Anu's brothers.
And then there was the swordsman, Ragna.
A person with exceptional talent is called a genius. This kid was, without a doubt, a genius. A pure, heaven-sent mass of talent. He was the type who could grasp the core of any technique shown to him and mimic it perfectly on the spot.
His fundamentals weren't lacking, either. The swordsmanship he displayed with his black greatsword was both swift and heavy. Any half-baked knight wouldn't stand a chance against him.
All of this whetted Anu's appetite, but it wasn't entirely shocking.
Exceptional instincts. A thoroughly tempered body. Terrifying talent.
They were rare—truly rare—but not things he had never encountered. Thus, there was no reason to be utterly astonished.
But just because he wasn't astonished didn't mean he didn't covet them. There was also a beastman with incredible potential, and the half-giant, Teresa, was just as alluring.
Even the others, like Ropode and the shepherd Pel, possessed talents that made his greed rear its head.
'Amusing.'
Anu felt a thrill of excitement once more.
There was even an anomaly among them.
"A mage, too."
Esther, in her human form, had completely ignored the king after a single glance. She didn't even acknowledge his presence, utterly devoid of interest.
While all of this was incredibly fascinating, there was something else that intrigued Anu even more. There was the man who led them all.
'Defeat.'
What did it mean to lose?
Warriors of a certain caliber were invariably prideful. They were all the same in that regard.
Rem, Ragna, and Audin should have been no exception to this rule. Yet, what was this?
'What is wrong with this fellow?'
A single man was completely overturning all that negative energy.
"Are you available to spar?"
To lose was to have one's own strength denied. Before competitive fire could even spark, a sense of defeat would usually set in. It was a feeling that lingered in the heart, gnawing away at one's soul like a demon's whisper.
Such was the nature of negative emotions.
This was especially true for those who had been thoroughly crushed before him. Anu had humored the youth's stubbornness, but he hadn't done so gently.
He had utterly shattered every technique the youth threw at him. And yet...
"Are you busy?"
He kept coming back, again and again.
Defeat gnaws at one's very being—especially for those of high caliber.
But not this man. Anu didn't particularly care for the concept of an "Associate Knight," but even by that standard, the youth was exceptionally skilled.
Even compared to his own brothers, wouldn't this youth rank within the top ten? Yet, a warrior of such caliber didn't care in the slightest about losing.
'Does he have no pride?'
Or perhaps he possessed something far greater than mere pride.
Anu recalled his own past defeats. They had never felt good, but he had never had the luxury of dwelling on them.
Because he had to keep moving forward. The youth before him was the same.
Anu caught the scent of a kindred spirit.
"Let's do it. Let's spar."
King Anu nodded. The youth, completely unbothered by the prospect of defeat, raised his sword.
Encrid lost, and Anu won. It was a foregone conclusion, yet...
"My thanks."
Such were the words of the defeated. Looking at the burning desire and passion in his eyes, it wasn't that losing didn't affect him. Rather, he was simply chasing a far grander dream.
"I am going to pioneer the East," Anu said.
Encrid stared intently at him, absorbing his words.
"Let's have a proper chat next time." Anu laughed heartily.
He couldn't help but think how exhilarating it would be to drag this entire bunch back to the East with him.
*
Within a few days, the reason for the King of the East's visit became glaringly obvious to everyone.
"Your skills are incredible! How about walking the path of exploration with me?"
He was shamelessly coveting talent, and he didn't even try to hide it.
Rem blinked at his words. He was currently carving a log chair from a thick tree trunk he'd chopped down, trying to get used to his newly forged axe. With every swift swing, the raw wood was sliced and shaved away. Sawdust and wood chips piled up around his feet.
Anu could tell just by watching him craft a simple wooden chair.
'This bastard's axe-handling...'
At first, he had thought it was a style he'd seen somewhere before, but the more he watched, the more he realized the youth possessed an extraordinary, innate sense.
"If I'm so great, then what does that make you?" Rem asked in his usual casual, disrespectful tone. Whether his interlocutor was a king or a knight, Rem couldn't care less.
"Are you really trying to compare yourself to me?" Anu replied, shaking his head. How could anyone compare themselves to him?
"Somehow, you sound even more obnoxious than our captain," Rem grunted.
"...Asaluhi, is this an insult? Is this the crime of insulting royalty?"
It was a joke, of course. Even if Anu had thrown a fit claiming it was treason, Rem wouldn't have given a damn.
'I need to go to the West.'
Rem resolved once again. Without his sorcery, he felt a heavy pressure preventing him from swinging his axe first, no matter what openings the King of the East seemed to show. It irritated Rem to no end.
Sure, if he fought with his life on the line, he wouldn't just roll over and die, and he had certainly learned a thing or two from their spars. But it still left a sour taste in his mouth.
'I have to go to the West.' Rem reaffirmed his decision.
The king was no fool; he knew exactly how to play to people's desires. While he traded banter with Rem, he offered Ragna the very thing the youth yearned for most.
"We often have to find new paths in the East. Why don't you come and help us?"
"Do you need a pathfinder?"
"Of course we do."
"Finding shortcuts and forging new paths is my specialty, but I'm busy right now."
Once Ragna dug his heels in, he could be even more stubborn than Rem. Having resolved not to listen, Ragna's mind was currently as unyielding as Audin's fist—pure steel.
Yet, the king was tireless. He went around making similar pitches to everyone. When he saw Dunchabel, he even threw out an incredibly bold proposal.
"Do you want to be my daughter?"
"Why would I?" Dunchabel shot back in Rem's signature blunt style.
"Or do you want to be my wife? I'm sorry, but I have no need for a companion," Anu teased.
"What are you even talking about? I hate old men," she scoffed.
The King of the East wasn't the least bit offended. He merely roared with laughter.
Everyone shared a similar sentiment: What kind of crazy bastard is this King of the East? But the one who took it best was Krais.
"Your Majesty, King of the East! Is that true? Is there really gold piled up like mountains in the East?"
The king laughed heartily once more.
"I don't need you, though."
The kind of person Anu wanted was clear: someone who could fight.
Adjutant Asaluhi remained perfectly calm, clearly used to his king's antics.
*
Ragna watched the two who had just finished sparring in front of him.
'Just by shifting the tempo, a mundane thrust can look like an extraordinary technique.'
What was a technique, after all? In the end, it was merely a means to pierce and slash whatever stood before you.
Ragna sank deep into contemplation. His talent was far beyond outstanding; it was peerless, supreme. It was highly doubtful whether anyone on the continent possessed a greater gift for the sword than he did.
The battles he had witnessed and fought lately had vigorously stimulated his innate genius. He was a man who could grow even without a catalyst, so what would happen now that a massive catalyst had appeared right before his eyes?
He recalled, discarded, and re-evaluated everything he had ever learned. Ragna lay on his cot, staring out the window.
This was only possible because the training ground of the Mad Independent Platoon was directly adjacent to their quarters. Although it kicked up quite a bit of dust, Encrid had insisted that the proximity made it perfect, and Krais had anticipated this and designed the barracks accordingly.
Thanks to this layout, Ragna could lose himself in the way of the sword while watching the training ground. However, because of this very structure, anyone looking at Ragna from the outside would assume he was just lazily sleeping.
"Look at that bastard slacking off again. I wondered how long his motivation would last," grunted Rem, who had finished his log chair and was now starting on a table.