Chapter 55: Where Does Persistence End?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55: Where Does Persistence End?
It truly was no big deal.
After all, patrolling the territory was a routine chore. At its most frequent, it was a rotating duty that came up three or four times a month.
Besides, where was this?
The Border Guard.
As a territory under the King’s direct jurisdiction, it was a peaceful place where even the slightest disturbance was not tolerated. It wasn't for nothing that the major merchant guilds chose it as their preferred trading hub.
Although it was a frontier territory in the far east of Naurilia, bordering Azpen and situated closest to the battlefield, its public security was second to none. This was thanks to the massive garrison, which kept patrols running day and night.
The heart of the Border Guard was centered around a well, surrounded by four inns. The crossroads where these four inns met served as both a plaza and the local marketplace.
Since the territory was built in a basin, heading toward the outskirts revealed a gentle slope leading downward, with a river flowing past the base of the northern ridge.
The Pen-Hanil River.
It was the primary water source that sustained most of the surrounding territories. Farmland lined the riverbanks, with farmhouses scattered here and there. The river had flooded this summer, collapsing a section of the levee, and a crowd of laborers was currently working diligently to rebuild it.
Most trouble arose between people. While they occasionally patrolled the farmlands or dealt with monsters, today's duty was a simple market patrol.
"I'm Jack, and this is Bo."
Since patrols were conducted in three-man teams, two soldiers had joined him.
Encrid, Jack, and Bo.
The three of them were on their way to the market.
"So that fog was sorcery? Ptu! I almost kicked the bucket because of those Azpen bastards, but I survived thanks to you. Much obliged!"
Jack spat phlegm onto the ground as he spoke. Swaggering along with his infantry short spear, he didn't sound particularly grateful.
Encrid nodded indifferently.
"I almost went to the grave without even getting to spend the krona I saved up," Bo added, offering his thanks as well. He was a soldier with a remarkably light step.
Encrid recalled Big-Eyes mentioning before that Bo was quite talented.
But I feel like I've heard of this combination somewhere before...
No specific memory came to mind. Since it didn't seem important, Encrid didn't bother trying to remember.
The three walked toward the market, and the atmosphere was pleasant. Though Encrid didn't say much, Jack and Bo belonged to the same squad. The two of them chatted away, constantly praising Encrid.
"A senior soldier... your skills must be incredible. Damn, we should spar sometime. Let me see what a senior soldier can do," Jack said, tapping the butt of his spear against the ground.
"Sure."
Encrid never refused a spar. He believed that no matter who his opponent was, there was always something to be learned.
"It's a promise, then. Damn."
Jack habitually laced his speech with curses.
"Squad Leader Andrew was singing your praises to high heaven, saying you even succeeded in the scouting mission," Bo chimed in, also flattering Encrid.
"I was just lucky."
"And humble, too." Bo practically gave him a thumbs-up.
No one disliked being praised, and Encrid was no exception. The two kept up their endless, grinning chatter as they walked.
They reached the edge of the market, passing a few single-story buildings as they stepped inside. On one side, someone was selling freshly picked wildflowers. On the opposite side, tanned hides and leathers were on display.
From far across the market, opposite the entrance Encrid had used, the rhythmic clanging of metal echoed. It was the sound of a blacksmith's forge. Even though it was located on the outskirts of the market, the ringing of iron striking iron faintly tickled his ears.
"Look, if I sell it for that price, I won't make any profit at all!" a merchant argued loudly.
"Freshly baked bread today!" a boy standing by the roadside called out, beckoning customers to his shop.
Rumble, rumble.
Carts rolled back and forth through the center of the market. It was chaotic, but markets were always like this—a familiar, bustling sight.
"These dried apples are delicious."
As Encrid walked, his eyes met those of a merchant selling an assortment of dried fruits.
"No, thank you."
The merchant quickly turned away.
It was just an ordinary day. Once his shift was over, maybe he would coax Sachsen into a spar. Or perhaps hanging out with this fellow Jack as soon as they returned would be fun, too.
The weather had grown significantly colder, making his body stiffen. It was better to keep moving than to stand still.
"Shall we walk a bit more?"
"Sure, sure."
Jack and Bo closed in beside him. Just as he wondered if they were crowding him because of the cold—
A child clad in rags approached from ahead and suddenly collapsed forward. Encrid reflexively caught the child—
—and felt a sharp, burning pain.
He tried to twist his body away immediately, but his muscles, stiffened by the cold, reacted too slowly. If he had managed to twist even slightly, he might have avoided the worst, but the dagger tore ruthlessly through his entrails.
Immediately after piercing his gut, without pausing for breath, the blade plunged repeatedly into the area around his heart.
Excruciating pain assaulted his brain. Just as a scream or a groan was about to escape his lips, someone muffled his mouth from behind with a thick cloth.
The market was bustling—busy enough that even if someone stumbled and fell, people would just assume it was nothing out of the ordinary. On top of that, Jack and Bo shielded Encrid with their bodies.
"Whoops, looks like you've had a few too many in broad daylight," Jack joked loudly.
"I'll say," Bo chimed in.
What the hell is wrong with these bastards?
For Encrid, it was a succession of utterly incomprehensible events. The final blow was delivered by the child who had stabbed his stomach and heart.
"The Persistent Lover never forgets."
It wasn't a child. Beneath the rags, large ears and eyes that shone like jewels were visible. It was a peculiar appearance. One eye was green, the other brown.
Odd-eyed. Because the green eye was as clear as a gemstone, the brown eye looked incredibly dull by comparison. It was like dirty oil mixed into clean water. The skin was mottled like a calico cat, with deep wrinkles etched around the mouth and eyes. Individually, the features were quite pretty, but gathered together like this, they evoked a strange sense of revulsion.
A Half-Elf.
Encrid recognized the opponent's identity. Not that it changed anything. With his mouth gagged, blood poured onto the ground. Encrid's arms were pinned; Jack and Bo gave him no room to move.
"Farewell," the Half-Elf spoke. Judging by the wrinkles on his face and his manner of speech, he was no child, though his build was only that of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy.
I really didn't see this coming.
An assassination. And by the Persistent Lover, no less.
Wasn't that the name of Azpen's independent company? Their reputation for persistence was well-known, but to send an assassin after the war had ended?
They are absolutely out of their minds.
Considering the krona and effort required to dispatch a single assassin, doing all this just to kill a mere soldier was definitely insane. From the victim's perspective, it was incredibly infuriating.
When Encrid tried to throw his head back with all his might, the person muffling his mouth tightened his grip.
"Let him go. It looks like he has something to say."
Was it an elf's intuition? The small, elderly Half-Elf managed to read Encrid's mind. Soon, the thick cloth binding his mouth loosened.
"Did Azpen send you? Are Jack and Bo spies?" Encrid asked, swallowing the searing pain that flared up.
"Something like that."
"Who's behind me?"
"You're dying, and you still want to know that?"
"It'd be a shame to die in ignorance. I'll be waiting for you in hell."
"Rotten."
The last word was whispered from behind.
Rotten? He knew this name too. Jack, Bo, Rotten. Weren't they all scouts?
As death approached, his mind spun rapidly, and the memories naturally flooded back. The reason he had been sent on the scouting mission at the Greenpearl battlefield... they had said Jack broke his arm, Bo broke his nose, and Rotten was bitten by a snake.
These bastards all skipped out on the scouting mission on purpose?
"Son of a..." A hollow laugh escaped him.
"Persistent, wasn't it?" the elf said, then slipped aside like a shadow. He darted nimbly toward the outskirts, weaving through the crowd before vanishing into an alleyway.
Jack and Bo also subtly released their grip and slipped away. Rotten, of course, did the same.
Exchanging those few words had drained every ounce of Encrid's energy. He didn't even have the strength to scream. Not that he would have even if he had the strength.
Instead, as he collapsed, he struggled to look behind him. Because even though they said it was Rotten, he thought it might be someone else.
But what did Rotten look like again? He couldn't remember his face.
The moment he realized looking would be pointless anyway, Encrid let his body go limp. Blood trickled from his mouth, and his insides felt as if they were being poked with a hot iron. Pain saturated his body, and blood soaked the ground.
The cold wrapped around him even more intensely. His body shivered violently.
Those bastards... if they were going to kill me, they should have finished the job properly.
Bleeding to death like this was the worst. It would have been better to go in one clean stroke.
"Kyaaaah!"
A passing maid screamed at the sight of the pooling blood.
That was the end. Encrid closed his eyes and met his death.
*
Eyes snapping open.
Another morning, opening his eyes once more. As he bolted upright, Rem, wrapped tightly in his blanket nearby, asked:
"A nightmare?"
"No. I just wanted to start the morning with some energy."
"It's bloody cold today," Rem grumbled.
Although a large bonfire was lit in the barracks' training ground and the night watchmen brought heated stones into the quarters every night, that alone was far from enough to withstand the cold. If they had krona to spare, they would have bought furs or magic heaters. But a mere soldier didn't have that kind of money.
Honestly, they didn't even need a magic heater. A magic beast's hide that emitted a gentle warmth would be perfect. But even that was an expensive luxury. In short, it was all a pipe dream.
"Krais, aren't you cold?"
"I am. Extremely," Krais replied.
Rem asked Krais for no particular reason. Big-Eyes was the only one here who had plenty of krona.
"How about a magic heater?"
"Us, using something only nobles use? You're getting greedy. Why don't you just try becoming a noble starting tomorrow instead?"
"Huh? Do you want a massage with an axe blade?"
"Resorting to violence at the drop of a hat is a bad habit. Squad Leader!" Big-Eyes appealed to Encrid to end the conversation.
"Stop picking on him."
Having nipped the barracks bullying in the bud, Encrid turned his gaze toward the religious fanatic squad member who was rising and showing off his muscles. His name was Audin Pumrei. For some reason, this muscular soldier had ended up in the troublemaker squad.
Today was an exceptionally cold day. Sachsen was out on overnight leave for some reason, but Rem, Big-Eyes, and Ragna showed absolutely no intention of leaving their beds. Even wrapped in blankets, it was freezing.
"Squad Leader, since you're up, bring us some of those stones."
Having even a few stones heated overnight in the bonfire would make things a bit more bearable.
"Sure."
Even as he answered, Encrid didn't move. Instead, Audin stepped out of bed, strode over, and spoke.
"Brother, if you stay in bed just because it's cold, your body will stiffen. You can overcome the cold by moving your body to generate heat. Now, follow my lead."
"Piss off. Before I chop you to pieces and warm myself with your blood."
"That is not good, Brother. Those words could offend the listener."
"Offend you? Then it's a success. That was exactly my intention."
"Do you wish to go to heaven, Brother?"
Truly, a consistent man.
Encrid, who would normally have intervened by now, watched Audin in silence before speaking.
"You mentioned before that there's a training method to preserve body heat, right? Teach me."
Audin, who had been staring intently at Rem, turned his head.
"Do you mean the bare-handed training method?"
It wasn't that Audin didn't feel the cold. But it was true that he endured it relatively better than the others. Audin had mentioned before that it was a training method to keep the body from stiffening even in the cold.
He didn't know why, but it had suddenly come to mind just now. It seemed like it would be useful. He couldn't exactly jump up and down in place to warm himself up. Learning a training method to keep his body from stiffening seemed like a good idea.
It was impulsive, but also entirely natural. After all, Encrid was a man who thirsted for learning.
"Yeah. That one."
"Teaching you is no trouble at all. Do you have the time?"
"For now."
"It shouldn't take more than a day or two to grasp the basics. It's not difficult."
Audin smiled, seemingly pleased that Encrid wanted to learn. Seeing Encrid immediately square his posture to begin, Rem muttered from his bed:
"Hey, Squad Leader, the stones. I'm freezing."
Ah, he had forgotten. Encrid brought the stones first.
He still had two hours before his shift. It was the perfect amount of time to eat breakfast and train his body. And so, Encrid did just that. The bare-handed training method was a succession of pain, but it was highly practical.
Then, he went out on patrol once more.
"How is it that I'm on duty with you guys?"
Someone had clearly pulled some strings.
"Ah, damn, it's an honor. Getting to patrol with the Sorcery Breaker," Jack replied.
Encrid nodded.
Having prepared himself beforehand, this time when they entered the market, Encrid glared at the elf kid before he could even draw near. Jack and Bo tried to grab his arms, but Encrid threw punches to both sides.
Thud, crack!
Jack took a hit to the jaw, while Bo reflexively dodged. Bo was fast; he quickly stepped aside and slipped away. As he did, Bo reached for his waist. A shortsword was strapped to his hip.
The elf was still some distance away. In that case, he had to deal with Bo first. Encrid also gripped the hilt of his longsword.
Draw and swing. He focused, sharpening his Blade of Senses with boldness as his weapon.
At that exact moment—
Whoosh!
He heard a strange sound. He tried to dodge, but the incoming projectile was faster.
Thud!
Encrid's breath caught instantly. Looking down, he saw the tip of a blade buried near his heart. It was a throwing dagger, completely devoid of a hilt or any ornamentation—nothing but a double-edged blade. Even among throwing knives, this kind of weapon was incredibly difficult to handle.
"The Persistent Lover never forgets its prey."
The elf, who had closed the distance unnoticed, whispered before slipping away.
Even though I was prepared...
He hadn't anticipated a thrown weapon. Even if he had, the skill behind the throw was so masterclass that it would have been difficult to block.
Encrid closed his eyes, realizing he needed a foolproof countermeasure.
And so, his third "today" began.