Bang!
Encrid reflexively swung Aker.
It was in a diagonal slash from below to above. In a fleeting moment, Encrid saw Rem smiling.
With a loud explosion, dust spread between them in concentric circles. The shockwave caused a few spectators to fall backward onto their backsides. Their eyes met through the clash of axe and sword.
Blue eyes and gray eyes.
"You blocked that?"
Rem asked.
There was a wildness in his smiling face. It was filled with a violent energy, as if he was about to tear into his throat.
"Was I supposed to just take it quietly?"
Creak.
As Encrid responded, his foot slid back slightly. A stone caught under his heel cracked with a thud.
Though they exchanged words, neither relaxed their strength in the slightest.
Rem was inwardly impressed.
The axe strike just now was, to put it simply, similar to the way Oara swung her sword.
The technique was different, but the force behind it was the same.
It was the blow of a Knight.
And Encrid had blocked it. With a Knight's strike? No, Rem recognized the skill Encrid had displayed in the momentary exchange.
He had raised his sword to absorb the force, let some of it flow through his solid wrist, and bent his knees and ankles to take the rest.
He had blocked Rem's axe strike, which had the force of a Knight's blow, by mixing physical strength honed through training with a delicate technique.
Normally, his wrist would have shattered, with bones piercing through the skin.
The strength of his solid wrist and muscular armor compensated for any gaps in the technique.
This was more impressive than the Knight's strike.
With his current condition, he wouldn't easily be overpowered even in a fight against a ghoul.
How could Rem not be impressed?
"Ah, please don't die on me."
Rem said, smiling again, his canines seeming to have grown longer than before.
Then, the axe disappeared from Encrid's sight. The foresight he had been using to see a step ahead was now blocked.
It was obvious that panic would lead to disaster. It was the first thing he learned on the battlefield, just before dying. He held on with boldness, and the Heart of the Beast began to beat.
Encrid raised Aker vertically.
He heightened his senses to the point where he could find a thin needle dropped on a sandy beach.
It was a sensory technique.
His instincts, sharp as a blue blade, found the axe. It was above and to the left.
Encrid half-stepped back with his right foot and swung his sword upward.
Before his elbows were fully extended, the blade of the sword met the axe head.
Clang!
Another loud crash echoed.
In that moment, Encrid twisted his sword to try to coil around and strike, while Rem, who had slammed his axe down, extended his leg.
His leg flew like a spear. Rem's leg, like a blade, struck Encrid's abdomen with the sound of air exploding.
Bang!
Had it hit properly, his insides would have been destroyed in one blow.
Encrid barely twisted his body to avoid it. But instead, part of his armor was ripped as if it had exploded.
The armor made from beast hide was nothing but rags after being kicked by Rem.
Even though it hadn't even been scratched by most sword strikes, it was torn apart here.
"Yaho!"
Rem shouted. He looked intoxicated by something. The axe turned into a beam of light and came flying again.
Encrid reacted once more.
He unleashed the Heart of Great Strength, bringing his sword down with force. It was a technique he had refined and ingrained in his body through repeated practice.
It was a weapon parrying technique.
He swung his sword at an angle similar to the opponent's attack, deflecting it and subtly altering the trajectory, mixing both the Flowing Sword Technique and the Heavy Sword Technique.
Thud!
The axe and sword collided again. However, this time the impact was reduced. Encrid felt the weight in his hand had lightened considerably.
It happened simultaneously with the sensation.
Instead of the axe blade flying toward his neck, another blade came flying at him.
Whoosh!
Encrid tilted his head back, seeing the line where the air had been sliced where his neck had just been.
In Rem's left hand was a dagger that had appeared at some point. It was a western-style dagger called a Karam Bitt.
Encrid could see Rem's face faintly behind the dagger he held in reverse grip. The blade obscured his mouth, but his eyes were visible. The upturned corners of his eyes gave the impression of a smile.
Stopping meant death.
The Encrid who would have closed his eyes before the terror of death was no more. He immediately swung his sword down.
Connecting point to point. The downward strike of his sword turned into a white lightning bolt.
"Hiyah!"
With a scream that sounded like a wild roar, Rem met the white lightning with an upward slash of his axe from below.
* * *
The result of the duel? He lost.
But it wasn't a complete defeat, he resisted with all his might.
"How was it?"
Encrid answered while peeling sweat, dust, and strands of hair off his face.
"It was decent."
Whether he won or lost, his demeanor was always confident. This wasn't a life-or-death fight but a sparring match.
And he had learned something. No, he had seen something extraordinary.
Why didn't this madman have any preparatory moves?
"They call it feather-axing. It's a bit different from when you use toys."
Rem laughed, spinning the axe in his hand. It looked light to the eye, but having faced it, Encrid couldn't take it lightly.
If Rem called the Lewis Mountain axe a toy, the person who made it would probably be heartbroken, but Rem seemed elated.
It was like he was drunk on victory, despite having beaten Encrid so many times before.
"I am the warrior Rem!"
"The greatest sorcerer, you say? Enough with the flattery."
"Another round? Challenge me as many times as you like."
"Hahaha, are you confident? What obvious nonsense is that?"
"Feather-axing isn't something you can learn just by trying. You'd have to learn sorcery first, but forget it. Sorcery wouldn't be of any use to you anyway."
With both hands on his waist, Rem chattered away by himself to this extent.
Encrid hadn't said a single word, but Rem just kept on rambling, seemingly thrilled.
Why does he keep tilting his head toward the sky?
"Lua."
"Yes?"
Frog, who was often overwhelmed by a sense of dread these days, answered Encrid's call.
"Where's the nearest temple?"
Encrid thought Rem's head must be broken from stuffing sorcery into it. He was far too excited. A good hammer to the head with Audin's healing method seemed necessary.
"Hahahaha."
Rem was still laughing heartily. Was he really that happy about beating Encrid?
Encrid thought it was understandable to wonder that.
Even though he had lost, he didn't tremble in defeat.
He simply reflected on what he had learned and reviewed it.
It was his usual attitude.
"Hahaha, now, let's go again."
"Sure, let's learn one more trick."
"Only one? I'll teach you twenty moves. Ahem."
Rem lifted his nose even higher.
If they stood face-to-face, all Encrid would see was Rem's chin. He seemed half-mad before, but now he seemed completely insane.
That day, there were three more sparring sessions.
The twins, who had been watching, were in awe of Encrid as he kept charging and rolling on the ground until the edge.
Luagarne shivered and kept rehearsing what she would say to Encrid.
Dunbachel looked at Rem with a grave expression, worried that this excitement would soon affect her as well.
"You lost, didn't you? Wait, I'll come and slit your throat!"
Rem roared.
He had been talking about searching for sorcery for days, so why was he roaring only now?
Enri had thought that Rem wasn't normal when he had seen him before, but now he was sure: he was just a madman.
A lunatic with no need for any other descriptors.
"Captain, isn't Rem a bit dangerous?"
He whispered cautiously to Encrid, and he responded with a question of his own.
"Are you a noble by any chance?"
"Huh? No, of course not."
Why would a noble be out here hunting?
"Then it's fine."
Why is it fine?
"Nobles don't get bitten often."
Encrid's final remark made Enri frown. He couldn't quite understand what he meant.
Encrid wasn't thinking clearly either, as his mind was preoccupied with many things.
Rem's axe work was completely different from anything he had encountered before.
'How did he do that?'
There were no preparatory movements, yet the power behind his strikes exceeded even the Heart of Great Strength.
Though he claimed to have received sorcery power, his strength had increased, and his speed had quickened beyond the norm.
His observation skills, his instincts, everything was enhanced.
Yeah, it's like a Knight with a Will.
That much was clear. But what about the axe that came flying with no preparation?
That was what had blocked his foresight.
There was no time to maneuver the fight with tactical mind games.
It wasn't easy to deduce everything just by thinking it through.
Even when trying to infer the process from the outcome, it wasn't simple.
Just because you see Oara's swordsmanship doesn't mean you can imitate it perfectly.
It was like that.
You couldn't copy Sinar's precise swordsmanship just by watching it.
After pondering and analyzing it, Encrid had a vague idea of how Rem's axe work functioned.
He swung it thoughtlessly.
Because it was the same as before, Encrid had been able to notice.
'He doesn't think and move, which is why his attack trajectory isn't visible.'
He simply swung and smashed as he saw fit.
What gave him the confidence? His instinct for battle.
'Once his mind decides, his hand immediately follows.'
His immense strength allowed him to swing the axe in his hand like a twig, giving his opponent no time to react as the axe came crashing down.
All his axe strikes were like that. No, his hands and feet were like that too.
His entire body was a weapon. Could simply learning sorcery make someone like that?
'There's no way.'
There had to be time spent honing the body, moments of mastering technique, and on top of that, sorcery was added.
Sorcery was just a tool to help Rem do what he wanted.
And Will? Will was probably the same.
Just having the Will didn't mean everything he thought would come true. The body had to move, actions had to be taken.
Encrid added what he learned from Rem to the realizations he had reached earlier.
The three duels they had today wouldn't be the last. There would be more to learn, and such moments awaited him in the future.
Encrid couldn't help but laugh because he was so thrilled by that prospect.
"Hahaha."
Unable to contain his joy, he laughed out loud.
"Khhuhuhu, you stray cat, here I come."
Next to him, Rem leaned back and laughed as well.
"Gurururu."
Beside them, Luagarne shivered and puffed out her cheeks.
"Nyaahaha."
And nearby, dirty beastwomen laughed together. Since they were all laughing, she laughed too. There was no anxiety. She didn't think Rem would do anything to her. Everything was fine.
Enri watched them, wondering if trusting Encrid to take the lead was the right choice.
'Is this really okay?'
He didn't know. The die had already been cast.
As he laughed, Encrid checked the blade of Aker with a smile.
Thanks to Rem's brute force axe strikes, Aker, known as one of the finest swords, now had three chips in its blade.
He would need to find a good whetstone and diligently grind it.
"But is it really okay to just give him the bow?"
Calming down from the excitement, Rem asked casually.
The bow given to Enri was a precious item, but it was also a gift.
"He saved my life, so the giver will understand."
Encrid replied while oiling his sword with flaxseed oil.
He wasn't suited for archery, had no dreams of it, and wasn't trained in it. He didn't know nothing about shooting, but it wasn't something he needed.
If he could give it as a life debt, nothing could be better.
Enri had saved his life after all.
"So, when are you leaving?"
"At dawn tomorrow."
Encrid replied, then washed up, laid down, and slept.
After a good sleep, he prepared thoroughly in the morning, packing emergency rations.
Enri, who had stayed behind with a velopter, bowed his head.
To Enri, the velopter, which he had purchased with all his savings, felt like a symbol of luck. This velopter had sensed the scent of luck and led him, which ultimately saved Encrid.
"I'm glad we got to meet again."
"We'll meet again, won't we?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. If things go well, I'll stop by the Border Guard, yes."
The former hunter Enri had cut his hair short and now had a decent appearance.
"But why are you here, Enri?"
Rem asked just before it was time to leave. Enri just chuckled, and Encrid honestly told him about his current state.
"He was dumped."
"Oh."
Rem nodded. So, he was rejected.
"….Captain, being rejected by a widow was just a catalyst. After traveling around, I decided that organizing a caravan would be a good idea."
Enri continued, but no one was really listening.
He had become a man who found a new purpose through the pain of rejection.
"Well then, I'm off. Twins, help Enri out."
The twins nodded, and Rem looked at Ayul.
"Don't forget to send word if you die."
Ayul spoke to Encrid, who was standing behind Rem. Encrid, feeling a bit troubled, carefully chose his words and replied.
"Does Rem look like someone who would die so easily?"
"I'll just go have some fun."
Rem responded to Encrid's words in an extremely light tone.
Though the tone was light, the emotions behind it were not shallow. Both were cheerful.
There was no sadness, no pain, no misery. No anxiety about parting.
They believed they would meet again and that they would each do what needed to be done in their respective places. That kind of trust existed between them.
Ayul nodded and gave Rem a hug.
"I'll name the child myself."
"Give it a cool name."
"Yeah."
Whether it was friendship, love, or understanding, Encrid couldn't quite define their relationship.
He only thought of more realistic measures.
If things didn't go well, they could always come to the Border Guard and live.
"I've got a lot to do in the West."
Ayul replied, without a hint of a smile. She really did have a lot to do.
First, she had to solve the food problem. After all, they had burned everything down while calling on the bird of desire.
"Let's go."
Rem took the first step, and Encrid, Luagarne, and Dunbachel followed behind him.
It was time to return.
* * *
"What is this?"
The chieftain of the Nares Tribe asked as he looked at the pile of smoked ham, dried fruits, and vegetables in front of him.
The merchant who had transported it, with his escort warriors behind him, replied.
"It is a gift from His Majesty, the wise and benevolent King of Naurillia, as well as from the Rockfreed caravan under the Border Guard."
"Why?"
The merchant blinked.
Why? Because they told him to send it.
He nearly died getting here.
The merchant replied with a grumpy expression.
"General Encrid sent a letter."
Encrid had handed letters to those traveling between the West and the continent, and Krang and Krais had taken care of his requests.
He had asked for food to be sent, and so it was. Of course, everything was carefully calculated and considered.
The chieftain understood the situation and began to cry again.
He had been crying a lot lately, but it was justified. The situation warranted it.
Though summer was ending, they were not in a position to return to a nomadic life. Starvation awaited them.
There was a chance people could die of hunger.
The sheep would eat all the grass if they stayed in one place, so they needed to move. And along the way, they would also have to gather feed for their grazing cattle.
If they didn't, they would suffer even more next year, knowing that they would have to slaughter their sheep and cattle along with their velopter.
But now, that wasn't necessary.
"His Majesty hopes to establish diplomatic relations through this gesture, and we ask that you accept."
"Let's do it."
The chieftain nodded while crying. The merchant wondered why a grown man was crying so much.
In the future, the chieftain would be buried in the sacred grounds, and his tombstone would bear the words 'The Weeping Chieftain'.
But that was a story for a distant future.
And so, the chieftain wept again today.
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