Chapter 69: I Dreamed of Embracing a Woman (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: I Dreamed of Embracing a Woman (2)
Encrid had a dream.
There was a flower garden, and there was a woman.
"I'll be imposing on you for a while, so keep that in mind."
She possessed a mysterious charm. Even for Encrid, who rarely spared a glance for women, she seemed like someone who wouldn't be easily forgotten.
The dream was chaotic.
One moment it was a flower garden, then the Black River appeared, then a ferryman, then the woman—and suddenly, a panther.
Why are you showing up here? he asked inwardly.
The panther merely shook its head and turned away sharply, as if sulking. Finding the gesture incredibly cute, Encrid couldn't help but scratch the crown of its head with his fingertips.
Purrrr.
He had heard that the Lake Panther was a ferocious beast, but at moments like this, it was no different from a common cat. It let out a pleased rumble, the sound vibrating warm and familiar against Encrid’s ears.
Then, he briefly opened his eyes, but the line between dream and reality was incredibly blurry.
In his arms lay the woman he had seen in the flower garden and by the Black River.
Naked, at that.
When he blinked, the woman vanished, and the crown of the panther's head appeared. It must have been a dream after all.
Even so...
A heavy sensation lingered in his arms. A scent and warmth that couldn't possibly belong to a small panther remained, leaving him with a strange, lingering feeling.
The dream felt too real.
Then, drowsiness washed over him again, and Encrid didn't bother fighting it.
*
When he woke up in the morning and opened his eyes, the panther—which never left his arms before he woke—was nowhere to be found.
"Pan—Esther."
Encrid, who had been about to call out casually, remembered the name he had given her in his sleep.
Then, he saw the Lake Panther. She was standing tall and straight, moving in the corner of the room. She was hidden so perfectly in the shadows of the quarters that it would have been hard to spot her without looking closely.
The owner of lake-blue eyes and ebony-black fur.
She padded softly across the floor and sat down primly in a corner, resting on the leather laid out for her. Naturally, it was thermal leather.
Overnight, we've gone beyond comfortable to downright luxurious.
To think even a mere panther was grooming its claws on thermal leather. On top of it lay some jerky, though whether Big-Eyes or Rem had left it there was unclear. The panther casually sliced the jerky with its claws, popped a piece into its mouth, and began to chew.
But why did he feel so empty?
Was it because the small beast that warmed his chest in the morning was gone? Or was it because the dream had been too realistic? He felt as though he could draw the naked body of the woman from his dream if asked.
Of course, having absolutely no artistic talent, it would turn out a complete mess. But that was how vividly it remained in his memory.
She certainly was beautiful.
Her beauty was extraordinary, rivaling even the otherworldly looks of the Elf Company Commander.
"What are you thinking so hard about?"
"I had a dream, and it's just so vivid in my memory."
Esther stared at Encrid. The panther's gaze was peculiar.
When she had spoken her name in the dream, her intent might have lingered more strongly than expected. For someone with weak willpower, that alone could have caused mental damage.
So, what should she do? Should she try to find a way to help, even in this panther body? The panther grew serious.
"What kind of dream was it to make you look like that?" Rem asked, lying wrapped like a bedroll in his leather blanket.
"Are you a caterpillar?"
"That's right. I'm a caterpillar. A caterpillar with nothing but a big mouth. So feed me breakfast. Otherwise, this fragile caterpillar will starve to death."
This bastard was definitely half-insane. Encrid let Rem's words go in one ear and out the other. He was a guy who deserved to be ignored.
"So, what was the dream?" Rem asked again.
Encrid scratched his chin and replied, "It was a strange dream."
"Strange?"
Rem tilted his head. Since only his head was sticking out of the blanket, he made all his expressions using only his face. It was quite a talent, in its own way.
"I saw a naked woman."
"Cough! Hack, hack!"
Hmm?
Encrid's eyes turned toward the panther. He saw the beast coughing repeatedly, as if a piece of jerky had gotten stuck in its throat.
"Esther?"
The panther kept its head pressed against the floor, ignoring his call.
This was the panther that had exuded mystery from the moment they met. The beast among beasts, the master of Greenpearl. The panther with lake-like eyes. Such a ferocious beast was now drooling on the floor and hacking.
"Ack!"
It was to the point where he wondered if it might actually choke to death.
"In all my life, I've never seen a panther choke to death on jerky," Rem remarked. "So, was she pretty?"
She was incredibly beautiful. But Encrid didn't answer. What was the point of saying it? It was just a dream, anyway.
"Aren't you being too sluggish just because it's winter, Rem?" Encrid said as he stood up.
Once he stood, there wasn't a single part of his body that didn't ache. Just moving was painful. But he knew from experience that staying still at times like this only made the body stiffer.
Not that he needed intense training. In the past, driven by impatience, he would have pushed his body even harder. But he knew now that would only break him further. Ever since he realized that, he kept to his limits.
And he wasn't as impatient as before.
Rest is also a part of training.
It was a saying countless swordsmanship teachers had repeated. If he loosened up his body moderately today, tomorrow would be a bit easier. The monk gymnastics he had learned from Audin would be enough.
"So, I asked if she was pretty."
"Why do you care? It was just a dream."
He gave a half-hearted reply and went outside. Today was cold as well. Though his entire body ached, he began to warm up.
His mind wasn't cluttered. Rather, after rolling around in a sparring match, things had become clear. It had always been a question: What must I do next?
They say that for those with talent—the so-called geniuses—the path reveals itself even if they don't seek it. Finding what they immediately need and what they lack is a talent in itself.
Then what about those without talent? They try this, and they try that. That is where time is wasted. The starting line is different.
So a great teacher was necessary. The presence of a teacher who could pinpoint one's shortcomings was always like a treasure. This time, the Elf Company Commander had played part of that role. Now, the remaining gaps had to be filled by someone else.
"Audin."
Audin always came outside in the morning. The cold? He wasn't the type of person to care about such things. There was a reason people around him called him the Praying Bear. It surely wasn't just because of his size.
"Yes, Brother. Is it not a fine day?"
A biting wind whipped between the two. The Border Guard was located in the northernmost region of the Pen-Hanil continent, meaning it was an exceptionally cold area even by the continent's standards. Thanks to the overcast sky, the surroundings looked mottled despite it being morning.
But Audin was naturally this kind of man. If the sun rose, so be it; if it rained, so be it. Though he refrained from saying "good morning" on snowy days.
"Indeed," Encrid replied.
What did the weather matter? Actually, it was a fine day. Any day spent learning something new was indeed a good day.
"Teach me wrestling."
Encrid was always the same. He did things the way he always did. His purpose and will were clear. Because he had always treated his squad members this way, they had built the relationship they had now.
Audin tilted his head. To him, this fellow was truly a unique individual. Seeing how much his skills had improved in just a few days, Audin wondered what kind of luck allowed him to achieve such a feat.
To Audin, Encrid—the squad leader—was a blazing flame. A flame that burned its surroundings without even realizing its own body was consuming itself. And because of that, the flame lit up and warmed everything around it.
When Audin had wanted to turn away from everything in the world, when he was practically half-resigned to his fate—that was when he had first joined the unit and met this man.
"What are you doing right now?"
It was their first meeting. Encrid was swinging a club in front of the barracks. It wasn't just any club, but three water-logged pieces of wood bound together with rope.
"Strength training."
Would strength really increase so easily just by swinging something heavy? It might, but it wasn't an efficient method. He would be lucky if he didn't ruin his body in the process. Audin thought he would quit in a few days.
Encrid did not. Every single day was the same. Whether he was heading to the battlefield, on duty, in the rain, or in the snow. Even if he had to cut into his sleep, he swung his sword.
Audin recalled himself back then. Exhaustion and ruin—those two words could paint a picture of his state at the time. Exuding a heavy gloom, he had asked: "Your skills are terrible, so why do you do that every day?"
"If I keep doing it, I'll get better."
There wasn't even a hint of offense on Encrid's face. Just like a calm answer to a peaceful question, he replied and went right back to what he was doing.
Watching that, Audin felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck his head. How can he be like that?
What drove him? What kind of faith did he possess? There was no scent of religious faith. They say that effort is also a talent, but if one has no innate gifts to begin with, effort is not something that can be sustained.
Encrid was that kind of person. A man betrayed every day by his daily efforts. A man who, despite being betrayed every single day, still stepped forward every single time.
What are you?
From then on, Audin observed the squad leader constantly. As he kept watching him, the reason for his own despair began to feel truly trivial. For faith is not something practiced in expectation of a reward.
That day, Audin began to pray once more.
"Brother, you will ruin all your joints at this rate."
After that, he began to guide the squad leader's training little by little. Audin could read the human body. It was fair to say he had an eye for talent on par with Frok's. If Frok was called the Talent Reader, Audin could be called a Body Reader—one who assessed the body and understood its level of conditioning through the power of acquired effort and talent.
In his eyes, Encrid had to put in twice the effort of others just to build his body. His natural skeletal structure was like that. The quality of his muscles wasn't very good either.
But would he give up? No. The squad leader he knew was not that kind of man.
"We must start by building your body. Will you be alright?" Audin asked, even as the biting winds continued to howl.
Ever since the day he watched the squad leader and offered his prayers again, he had always considered it a good morning. Except for snowy days, of course.
"As much as it takes."
"It will be painful."
"I don't mind."
Because it will be better than dying. Encrid thought so.
"It will hurt."
"No problem."
It would hurt less than being stabbed countless times and dying.
"What I am about to teach you from now on is not monk gymnastics. It is a technique I developed myself. It is called the Isolation Technique."
The name sounded ominous, but Encrid also thought it sounded promising. Since he was going to learn, it was only right to learn it properly. These were the words of the person with the finest martial arts skills among his squad members—no, among everyone Encrid himself had ever seen.
"Isolation Technique."
The Beast's Heart, the Blade's Sense, Single-Point Focus—and now, the name of the fourth technique.
"It will be a training of understanding with your mind and executing with your body, Brother."
"Yeah."
"Then, let us begin."
His tone was calm. Encrid nodded as if it were only natural.
And then.
"Uggghhhh."
Groans, rather than screams, began to leak from one side of the training ground.
"This is only the beginning, Brother."
Encrid wondered if the entity Audin prayed to every day was actually a devil. The gymnastics they had done before were literally just a warm-up. Audin kept calling this the basics.
"We will build strength in your muscles by lifting weights based on flexibility. Let us begin."
Audin kneaded various parts of his body, then made him assume a bizarre posture. It was a posture that literally felt like it would tear his muscles apart. Why did lying face down with his heels pressing against his buttocks make the muscles in the front of his thighs feel like they were ripping?
Audin personally grabbed Encrid's legs and pressed down. To Encrid, Audin's hands felt like shackles made of steel. Such was the unyielding strength. Lacking an innate understanding of the body, Encrid had to learn the movement of the muscles physically.
"It will be easier if you just accept that you will die a couple of times."
He was already thinking exactly that. It was a continuous sequence of truly horrific pain. To the point where he wondered if it would be better to just die like this.
"Krrgghhh."
Strange groans began to escape Encrid's mouth.
"It is alright. I know your limits, Brother Squad Leader."
Why do you know my limits? Was Audin actually a crazy bastard? The thought naturally crossed Encrid's mind.
Yet, deep down, he was pleased. Because he looked forward to what he would gain through this suffering, Encrid smiled even as he groaned and writhed in pain.
"Seeing your expression, you seem to have room to spare."
No, I really don't...
Audin, the devil's priest, disassembled, split, and tore Encrid's body multiple times that day.
It was a day in winter, at the end of the four seasons.
This was after spending three whole days building flexibility.
"Lift it."
What followed was performing restricted movements while holding heavy stones.
"Inhale, exhale. Control your breath. Draw air into your stomach. You must use abdominal pressure, Brother."
The Isolation Technique was not a skill used in combat. It was a technique to reconstruct one's own body.
For a fortnight—for a whole fortnight—Encrid endured, feeling as if he were defecating blood. Then, it became somewhat bearable.
When another fortnight passed...
"It is manageable now, is it not?"
It wasn't as difficult as before. There was no pain like that initial stage. The beginning had been brutal, but it was worth it. Because after another fortnight—a total of one month—the changes in his body began.