Chapter 656: This Isn't a Joke, Is It?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 656: This Isn't a Joke, Is It?
"Did you say it was the Beast's Heart? Teach me."
There was once a man who had asked to learn in such a blunt manner.
Rem had expected him to die within a month at the latest. When the next battle was a fortnight away, Rem figured he would surely fall then.
Ragna had no interest in him. As long as the man didn't bother him, that was enough. Ragna only planned to stay with this troublemaking squad until it was time for him to move on.
Though, even he did not know when that would be.
The lost swordsman, who had yet to find his purpose or his desires, only truly began to walk after he met Encrid.
Until then, he had been a carriage without wheels. A child whose growth had stagnated. A stone statue frozen in time.
Only after he began to walk did Ragna develop a will of his own.
And the starting point of it all was that squad leader.
To Audin, Encrid had once been no different from a messenger sent by God, though that perspective had shifted by now.
‘He is no messenger, but merely a human being living his life.’
There are such people in the world. Realizing this alone had wrought a great change within Audin.
‘For what matters is one’s mindset.’
It was fine now if an immediate answer did not come when he questioned God.
‘What do I fight for?’
It did not have to be noble. It did not have to be holy. There was no need for his purpose to be so lofty as to command respect.
However, only those who could believe in themselves would remain unshaken.
Even if one wavered, it was no sin; if one made a mistake, they could correct it; and if they thought it was too late, they could simply start moving now.
Even if he could not hear the words God spoke to him, the Lord’s will had permeated his being.
The beginning of all of this was that crazy squad leader.
"Does reciting that make your mind a bit more at ease?"
When Teresa had first asked him that, Audin replied:
"Not particularly."
"Then why do you read it?"
"It’s interesting."
"Interesting?"
"Yes, I read it because it’s interesting, Sister. Please, say what is on your mind."
Teresa had poured out her worries.
"Do you think the world is trying to crush you? Do you believe the giant’s blood mixed in your veins will eventually eat away at your reason, turning you into a monster drunk on instinct? Is that why, if you must eventually die, you want to die by Encrid’s blade?"
These were the words he had spoken to Teresa. And while they were addressed to her, they were also words Audin spoke to himself.
Wandering the battlefield with his divinity sealed—was what he desired life, or death?
In the midst of that uncertainty, the person he saw was the man named Encrid.
A madman tightrope-walking on the cliff of death.
"What is it that drives you so, brother?"
"Huh?"
"What do you fight for?"
"I want to become a knight."
It was a simple dream, neither hidden nor embellished.
Only then did Audin realize, for the first time, what he truly wanted to do.
‘Lord, did You watch over him?’
While each was lost in thought, Sachsen lightly dropped down from the roof.
"I see no other way but to kill him. Though even that seems impossible right now."
The master of the assassin guild, Dagger of Geor, and the master of Dawn Dew.
Anyone who knew Sachsen’s true identity would understand how extraordinary his words were. For he had admitted with his own mouth that, for now, he had no way to kill Encrid.
Had his subordinate and lover heard this, she would have told him to stop joking.
They had all been pushed back and defeated. Whether they openly admitted it or not, they had all conceded in their hearts.
Though they were people who habitually struggled against even the slightest hint of defeat, amusingly, none of the three showed any sign of displeasure. Sachsen was no different.
Before them stood a man who had enabled them to forge and walk a path paved not with blood, blades, and poison, but with life, vitality, and dreams.
A fellow who by all rights should have abruptly died and vanished had become a knight, and now he had returned after vigorously wielding his sword to slay a demon.
Slaying demons, slaying cultists, and realizing something within those trials to reach where he was now.
"So, how does it feel?"
Sachsen asked again. Not only the four of them, but Ropode and Teresa were there as well. Under the watchful eyes of these six, a panther standing tall on all four legs could be seen next to the roof where Sachsen had been.
With a sharp clink, Encrid sheathed his sword and raised one hand to his head. Everyone waited for him to speak.
Becoming a knight was astonishing enough, but now he had taken a step ahead of even his own subordinates.
They wanted to ask how it felt to have reached this moment. They were all of one mind. They looked at him with a single purpose.
Instead of competitive rivalry, a warm expectation filled their eyes.
Scratch, scratch.
Encrid twitched his eyebrows and, with a noncommittal attitude—more accurately, looking around blankly while scratching his head—said:
"This isn't all a joke, is it?"
No one could find their tongue.
What did this bastard just say?
If this had been a provocation, it would have been an incredibly sharp blade. A vein popped on Rem’s forehead, and Ragna clicked his tongue.
Audin quietly began to pray aloud, ‘Lord, shall I send one to You?’ while Sachsen, at some point, had gripped his Silence Dagger.
Rem asked.
"……Should we just kill him?"
"No need for all four of us to attack at once. Two will do," Ragna replied.
Since Encrid’s departure, their relationship had deteriorated to the extreme; they didn't just project killing intent at each other, but people had even whispered that one of them might end up dead.
Their respective subordinates had already drawn blood once.
While fostering competitiveness helped improve skills, every light had its shadow. Excessive rivalry was bound to lead to accidents if those above did not keep it in check.
This was even truer for hot-blooded young soldiers.
Among them, Rem’s subordinates—whether young or old—were without exception the hot-blooded sort. Not that Ragna’s subordinates were any tamer, making clashes inevitable.
It had been a serious enough issue that Krais had to step in and coordinate their activities to prevent the two units from crossing paths, yet now, the leaders of these two discordant units were in perfect agreement.
"I’ll draw his attention from the front, and the wildcat can plunge a blade into his back. Simple," Rem said.
"Sounds good. You take the left? I’ll take the right," Ragna responded.
"Take whichever side you want. I just need to draw his attention."
"Got it."
Rem and Ragna were in perfect sync. If Krais, who had watched them with a racing heart in Encrid’s absence, fearing they might actually kill each other, were to see them now, he would feel a mix of joy and sorrow.
If they could get along this well, why on earth had they been so eager to tear each other’s throats out until now?
After nearly killing each other during a spar, the atmosphere had grown so chilling that there was truly nothing Krais could do.
In Encrid’s absence, the Mad Knights had also been quiet.
Though everyone trained their respective subordinates and remained active, they lacked their former vitality. To be precise, the density of that vitality was different.
One could say problems were scattered everywhere, but Krais, knowing the root cause of all these issues, had merely managed things to prevent any major disasters.
In truth, all that was needed was for Encrid to return.
"Let’s talk again later. This is too awkward."
Encrid spoke in earnest after seeing his subordinates’ reactions. It still hadn't sunk in. He thought that Rem, Ragna, and even Audin had held back. And he wasn't entirely wrong.
"Any further than that would be a fight to the death. Though even in such a fight, I can’t guarantee I’d beat you right now."
Luagarne, who had been watching, read Encrid’s mind and spoke. If it came down to measuring skill and deciding victory, they would truly have to fight to know, but one could feel it just from the atmosphere.
Rem, Ragna, Audin, Sachsen. None of the four could guarantee victory.
"There is a gap between my senses and what I’ve perceived. So, let’s talk again after I’ve polished things a bit."
Normally, he would have had to visit Eitri as well, but it seemed he needed to organize his thoughts first to properly share his experience.
Thus, as soon as Encrid returned, he roughly unpacked his things and began to swing his sword.
In a way, it was classic Encrid; in another, it seemed foolish. He was throwing his body into training simply because there was a discrepancy in his senses.
Yet, it wasn't an unpleasant sight.
"Hey, you directionally challenged bastard. I shall personally act as your guide. Join me in training."
Rem’s eyes crinkled. Seeing his leader’s madcap side always got him excited. That relentless madman.
"I was about to say something similar. Follow me to the mountains."
Ragna was of a similar mind. He wanted to clash with Encrid again right away, but if he did, he wouldn't be able to hold back the way he did when fighting that bastard Rem.
He had no confidence he could stop without drawing real blood. A mere spar could not defeat the current Encrid. That was the conclusion.
‘Why am I excited?’
Ragna was intoxicated by a thrill he had never felt before in his life. He wanted to swing his sword and throw himself into insane training right this instant.
Audin adjusted his clothes as he watched the two. He, too, would pack his things and move. He planned to postpone his subordinates’ training for a while.
"Sister Teresa."
At Audin’s call, Teresa, who had been watching the situation with a complex mix of surprise and joy, asked in return:
"Can I be of help?"
"You can."
Audin took Teresa as his training partner. Though she herself was unaware, in Audin’s eyes, Teresa’s potential was beyond surprising—it was extraordinary.
Upon hearing the news of the Apostle’s death, Teresa felt a momentary surge of emotion, but she quickly calmed herself.
She had long since ceased to be Teresa of the cult; she was now Teresa of the God of War, Teresa of the Mad Knights. That served as an anchor in her heart, holding her steady so she would not waver.
The four of them enjoyed seeing how much Encrid had grown, but that didn't mean they were happy about being caught up to. But was being caught up to the end of it?
"If you do nothing because you think it’s too late, nothing will ever happen."
It was something Encrid said often. And it was true. Thus, they were filled with the drive to push forward again as much as they had been caught up to.
"I have someone to introduce to you later, so let me know once you’ve settled down," Audin said.
Encrid, who was refining his senses alone, nodded and replied: "Understood."
He had returned, yet daily life remained unchanged.
Afterward, Krais came to find him, and Encrid asked what needed to be asked and conveyed what needed to be conveyed.
"A cultist army? If such a thing existed, a report would have come up long ago. Ah, of course, there are plenty of instances where people suspected of being cultists hide their identities and sneak in. Not long ago, Captain Vengeance even mentioned he almost died. It is difficult to catch every single one of them."
There was no cultist army sent by the Apostle of the Advent, who had kept blathering even when only his severed head remained after death. Even if they had actually invaded, he wouldn't have worried, but he had believed the words at the time; it seemed they were purely meant as a provocation.
"But what did you say is coming?" Krais asked again.
"Elves."
"And what did you say to watch out for?"
"Tell them not to get startled and attack when they see walking trees."
"...Do we have time for an explanation?"
"I expect they’ll come into view of the Safe Road in two days at the latest."
As if to prove those words, Zero approached and added further explanation. Krais listened to it all, nodded, and asked in return:
"So, in short, a massive tree is walking over, so we should be careful?"
"Not careful—just don’t get startled," Encrid corrected him.
Krais resolved not to be surprised for now.
‘I’ll save the surprise for when I see it with my own eyes.’
Postponing emotions allowed one to see reality. Rather than suffering from anxiety and groaning helplessly, grasping the reality and responding to it was only natural for Krais. Thus, managing his mind by putting off his emotions was his specialty.
‘An elven city.’
‘The elven spring filled with hot water feels great to soak in.’
‘Their food consists purely of fruits and leaves, so even during the initial settlement phase, there will be no shortage of nuts or fruits.’
‘And such an elven city is migrating here in its entirety.’
Trees migrating on foot. Is this for real? No, let’s fold away the emotions here. Now is not the time to be surprised. Postpone the surprise for later.
It was indeed a shocking enough matter to warrant resolving to do so once more. Krais focused once again and organized his thoughts.
‘They are excellent archers, and their unique walking trees serve as a sturdy castle wall in themselves. Instead of monsters, elves live in that forest, which is brimming with vitality. Or, in elven terms, filled with essence. They have outstanding artisans, and the fruits they treasure invigorate the body when eaten.’
‘There are also those specialized in alchemy, and they are the Dryas; and since there are also the tobacco-smoking Woodgards, don’t be too surprised.’
Yes, an elven city is coming. In its entirety.
‘Then, what are the benefits?’
What would be the good of accepting them as neighbors? What problems could arise? The benefits were calculated before the problems.
For starters, it would be no different from gaining a natural castle wall to the south. Since a forest inhabited by elves, rather than monsters, was said to act as a wall blocking monsters and demonic beasts in itself.
‘Trade.’
On top of that, there were things to be gained if they bartered with them. Encrid hadn't spoken with any particular intent, but Krais had heard more than enough of what he wanted.
‘They have outstanding artisans, and if they use fire, they will need metal. Since it is a migrating forest, there cannot possibly be any ore veins inside it. Metal could be an extremely valuable trade item for them.’
Grain obtained from farming would also make a decent trade condition. Aside from fruits and leaves, grain harvested from farming would be rare for them. This was a fact he had learned from observing Sinar in the past.
That was what they could give. Then, what could they obtain?
‘Anne.’
She was a healer and an alchemist. According to Anne, the ingredients found in an elven forest were like treasures to an alchemist.
"Grab any healer and ask them. If they could obtain elven spring water, it would go beyond a treasure—it would be something they’d kill each other to get."
For some unknown reason, whenever Anne had a break, she would come to the Mad Training Ground to take a nap. He didn't know why, but she was a peculiar woman in everything she did.
Did she say fatigue washed away better here? Wondering if she had a crush on Encrid, Krais had told her about the Gold Witch and the Black Flower, but she had only snorted in response.
"I wouldn't take him even if you gave him to me."
Everyone had different tastes, so it wasn't something to argue about.
‘Not just the elven spring water; from an alchemical perspective, it is practically a city overflowing with treasure.’
As soon as the calculations began, reality loomed before his eyes.
‘It’s a gold mine.’
And one where there was no need to even calculate profitability. Though he didn't know the reserves, there was no need to hire separate laborers to mine the gold.
‘We can simply give them what they need instead of spending Krona to hire miners.’
It was a gold mine operated through trade. While real gold wouldn't literally pour out, it held just as much value.
"Is this a windfall?" Krais muttered.
That was indeed the conclusion.