Chapter 71: Rumors Spread on Wings of Light
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: Rumors Spread on Wings of Light
"Your form is finally looking decent, Brother."
"At this level, your basics are solid enough."
"You won't be dying to some stray blade. Your reactions aren't bad. I'd say you've finally reached that threshold."
"Heh, seeing as sparring with you is finally getting fun, has the sword finally become an extension of your hand? Has the beast's heart ripened as well?"
These were the words of his squad members.
Without even having to chew over their meaning, they all pointed to one thing: he had improved.
To Encrid, 'improvement' held a very special meaning.
It was the thread that would sew his dreams together, the moonlight illuminating the dark night, and the dawn that ushered in the morning. A single ray of light had seeped into his faded, torn dream, becoming the foundation upon which he could rebuild.
A knight is a title built on honor and completed through skill.
Encrid did not want to become a knight-level mercenary or warrior; he wanted to be a knight.
If asked why, he would be hard-pressed to find an answer. There was something tickling his chest, a feeling that wouldn't readily come out of his mouth. If he had to make up a lie, he could, but he hated the thought of it.
In these matters, Encrid was a stubborn, old-fashioned man.
The injustices he had witnessed during his mercenary days were part of the reason he couldn't give up on his dream, but they weren't the sole reason.
Why is a dream a dream?
'Simply because I desire it.'
He wanted to hear the cheers of others. He enjoyed the hours spent honing his swordsmanship. He liked chatting with those around him. He also wanted to meet those who had ignored and discarded him in the past and show them exactly how much he had changed.
It was a complex, tangled web of desires. The human heart is never simple.
For Encrid, the culmination of those desires boiled down to a single word:
'Knight.'
It was his dream. Even if his skills were still lacking and the road ahead was long, now that a path had opened, he wanted to walk it.
Therefore, building honor was a necessity. Moreover, he wanted to test himself.
'How far can my sword take me?'
Though he called it sparring, he only ever fought his squad members all day. On the battlefield, he had defeated Mitch Hurier, passed his promotion match, and survived an assassination attempt by a half-elf—but the man he was then was different from the man he was today.
Encrid clenched and unclenched his fist.
'I want to fight.'
He wanted a moment to solely swing his sword and prove his worth. Under the soldier grading system, he had become a Senior Soldier. However, even among Senior Soldiers, there were tiers.
It was a competitive spirit and boldness born from his growth—a desire to verify his skills through real combat.
It was just then that a request came in.
What’s more, the Company Commander was coming along. It wouldn't be an easy task.
'But why is the Company Commander personally getting involved?'
That was Encrid's question. And he wasn't the only one wondering.
Although the Company Commander's only intention was to drop by on her way, it was indeed a strange sight to the other platoon leaders. It was especially bizarre to the 4th Platoon Leader, Encrid's direct superior, who should have been the one delivering the request in the first place.
It was a mere coincidence, but some people were simply incapable of seeing a coincidence for what it was.
* * *
The Border Guard Standing Army often lent its military force to the territory's residents and merchant caravans. This stemmed from one of the two major policies established by Naurilia.
One was the soldier grading system. The other was the Soldier Mercenary System.
It allowed soldiers, rather than mercenaries, to carry out requests. Alongside the grading system, it was one of the kingdom's most successful policies.
"If it's the Border Guard Standing Army, they're trustworthy."
The fact that such praise was common spoke volumes. The Soldier Mercenary System was naturally bound to receive enthusiastic support from locals and merchant caravans. Mercenaries were rough and unruly, but soldiers were disciplined and faithful to orders. On top of that, their fees were cheaper than those of large mercenary guilds.
"Isn't escorting us for the territory's security a given? Don't you think demanding Krona for every single thing is a bit much?"
Occasionally, a caravan leader would grumble, but once they used the escort force even once, those complaints vanished.
The Border Guard Standing Army fought in localized skirmishes twice a year. They were a unit from a military territory bordering the battlefield. In a place of constant killing, the incompetent were naturally weeded out, so the overall standard of the soldiers was exceptionally high.
Cost, skill, and safety. With high satisfaction across all three fronts, it was rightfully called a successful policy.
The Company Commander securing a request was just another instance of this.
'But why her?'
However, everyone couldn't help but wonder. A request of this level was hardly something a Company Commander needed to handle personally.
The platoon leaders all had eyes and ears. Though they kept their mouths shut for the sake of self-preservation, they knew their Company Commander's skills were far from mediocre.
'She might even hold her own against the Border Guard Captain.'
The Border Guard Captain was the strongest in the Border Guard. The Battalion Commander was just passing through, so he was out of the equation.
'She could probably take down the Heavy Armor Company Commander.'
The Elf Company Commander had already proven her combat prowess on the battlefield.
"I will take this request," she had said, taking one of the request sheets.
When a superior stepped forward, what could they say? They had no choice but to agree.
"Why are you personally stepping forward?" the 4th Platoon Leader had asked.
"I'm taking the troublemaker squad leader with me."
That was her answer.
A single request—what was the big deal? The problem was the person she was taking. Encrid, the Sorcery Breaker, who had now become a Senior Soldier.
The 4th Platoon Leader had risen to his position solely through his quick wits and ability to read the room. As the Elf Company Commander walked away, he racked his brain, retracing the past.
Reading the room required information. Being slow to grasp a situation would negatively impact one's promotion. For the sake of his future, he faithfully recalled his memories.
'Didn't they say she went to see him at the Medical Tent, too?'
The Elf Company Commander had personally visited Encrid right after she took office. Since then, they had met privately several times. Meanwhile, she barely ever had private meetings with the other platoon leaders; they were lucky if she even gave them a proper reply.
The Company Commander had even intervened in Encrid's promotion match. The 4th Platoon Leader had witnessed that scene himself.
'It was when he was fighting the Border Guard member.'
To the 4th Platoon Leader's eyes, it had looked as though she stepped in to protect Encrid from danger. Furthermore, on a day of heavy snowfall, the Company Commander had ordered only the troublemaker squad to go outside. They hadn't returned until morning, after all the snow had been cleared.
'And they even brought back Thermal Leather.'
Where had they gone, and what had they done? It was only described as a classified operation. Since it was reported directly to the Company Commander, even he didn't know the details. He had also heard that she sparred with him one-on-one in her private training ground.
Why would she do that?
The Medical Tent, the private meetings, the promotion match, the snowy day's mission, the sparring, and now this request. All the pieces of information merged, forming a conclusion in his head.
The 4th Platoon Leader got goosebumps at his own deduction. Of course, it was completely off-base—a series of foolish misunderstandings—but he smelled the thick scent of conviction in his hypothesis.
Thus, a thought naturally arose.
'Could those two...?'
The platoon leader pictured the elf and the troublemaker squad leader standing side by side. It actually seemed like a pretty good match.
"Nah, there's no way, right?" he muttered to himself.
"What's that, sir?" a subordinate standing next to him asked. They were on a boring guard duty.
The 4th Platoon Leader cautiously shared his theory. If the subordinate had dismissed it as nonsense, it would have ended there.
"...Whoa, holy crap."
The subordinate's reaction was strange. His pupils dilated. He, too, seemed utterly shocked.
The Border Guard wasn't a small territory, but rumors spread fast. Especially since certain rumors were faster than winged horses. The idle folk in the unit, particularly the women managing the bathhouse and preparing meals, absolutely lived for this kind of gossip.
Through them, the rumor grew wings of light and quickly began to spread throughout the base. In less than a day, there was practically no one in the unit who hadn't heard it.
* * *
"Squad Leader! I heard you're going to be a father soon? Is it true?" asked Krais, who had returned to the base after three days.
Where on earth did this go wrong? Encrid tried to think, but there was no way for him to know. The rumor had already mutated.
At Krais's words, Rem clutched his stomach and cackled beside him. He laughed so hard that his Thermal Leather slipped, exposing his bare feet.
"Pfft, khaha! Right, right. A father indeed. Big-Eyes, did you hear about the mother too?"
"W-well, yes. I was wondering what kind of rumor this was. I had my doubts. I figured the baby part was an exaggeration, but when did you seduce the Company Commander? As expected of our squad leader."
As Krais gave him a thumbs-up, Encrid grabbed his thumb and forced it back down.
"It's a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?"
"Someone started a weird rumor."
The 4th Platoon Leader had started it, but Encrid had no idea. Even Krais, who had recently become quite adept at handling information, didn't know. If they set their minds to it, finding the source wasn't impossible, but it wasn't worth the effort. It wasn't like his life was in danger.
"Hmm, it wouldn't be bad. Keeping her as a companion and making her your swordsmanship teacher," Ragna chimed in.
What the hell was inside that bastard's head? Sometimes, it seemed like he had something even worse than Rem in there. Was he suggesting using marriage as an opportunity to improve his swordsmanship?
"Pffft, kiiiii..." Rem, who hadn't stopped laughing, was now making noises resembling the screech of a demonic beast.
"Don't get too attached. You'll suffer if you get dumped later," said Sachsen, who was folding his clothes in the corner.
'Is me getting dumped already a foregone conclusion?'
Wasn't the premise terribly flawed?
"Blessings, Brother."
They were all teasing him, fully aware of the truth. They all knew Encrid's daily routine; his schedule was far too packed with training for him to be trysting with anyone.
"Forget I said anything."
It was just a pointless rumor. Thinking so, he reached his hand out to Esther.
Hiss!
Today of all days, Esther rejected his touch.
"I'm not Krais," Encrid spoke in a wronged tone, but Esther only glared at him sharply before stretching out on the Thermal Leather. She had been buried in his chest all day, so why the sudden attitude?
"Looks like she's jealous. Give her some comfort," Rem commented from the side, then clutched his stomach and burst into mad laughter again.
Rem was, without a doubt, a crazy bastard.
"Ah, thanks for the laugh. So, when are we leaving?"
"Where?"
"The escort mission. I heard you can only take one person."
"And?"
"Naturally, you should go with me."
Rem rustled his leather and pushed himself halfway up, proudly pointing to himself with his thumb. As he stood, the Thermal Leather draped over his shoulders flared out wide before settling over him like a cloak.
"Are you acting like this just because I teased you? Let's think about this rationally, Squad Leader. That icy bastard Sachsen over there? If the client says one wrong word, there'll be chaos. Do you really want to see a sly wildcat clawing at the client?"
Are those words really coming out of your mouth?
Encrid was dumbfounded, but his expression remained unchanged. His attitude said: Go ahead, say whatever you want.
"The lazy bum won't have any interest anyway."
Ragna rarely volunteered for requests unless he was forced to.
"And are you really going to take Big-Eyes? It's not like you want to increase the number of people you need to protect."
This was true. Krais was never an option to begin with.
"The big guy... sure, let's say he's useful. But what if he starts muttering prayers right next to the client? All day long? I don't think the client would appreciate that very much."
"The big guy" referred to Audin. For a barbarian from the western frontier, Rem sure had a remarkably smooth tongue. His silver tongue made it sound as if Rem was the only option left.
However...
'You're the biggest problem.'
Why had he assaulted his superior officer in the past? Because of his temper. If protecting the client meant beating them up, then sure, Rem might be fine. He might even be a decent choice.
But what if he couldn't beat them up? What if the client had even a slightly nasty personality? There was no way he could pair Rem with a client. Disaster would strike within half a day. Unless he wanted to pay a massive penalty fee instead of completing the request, Rem was the absolute last person he would choose.
"Not you. Absolutely not."
He spoke firmly, without even needing to catch his breath.
"...Wow, I'm actually hurt. Especially when you said 'absolutely.' What are you going to do about leaving such a scar on a grown man's heart?"
"Still, no."
"I'm going to rebel."
Encrid ignored him. Rem always spouted nonsense anyway, as if he had gravel rattling inside his skull. He looked around the barracks.
"Well, if you insist..." said Ragna, whose eyes briefly met his.
What a joke. If he took Ragna, he'd be lucky if the guy didn't just sleep through the entire mission. It would also be a pain to wake up a guy who loved his morning sleep so much.
'And I can't send him anywhere alone, either.'
Because he would get lost. Ragna had an unbelievably terrible sense of direction.
The remaining choices were two: Audin and Sachsen. There was no need to hesitate.
"Alright," Encrid said. "I choose you."