The way back was similar to when they came.
Watching the crackling bonfire, camping, occasionally sparring with Rem.
Encrid focused on repeating what he had learned and reflecting on previous realizations.
Would realizing something instantly make things fall into place? That wasn't the case.
'How can I use Will at every moment, even while sleeping?'
It required some thought. Pondering, trying different methods.
Not everything goes as one wishes, but there was no need to rush either.
It was a night spent camping. Sitting around the fire with faces illuminated by its glow, the moon, stars, and the brightness of the night.
"The Sky God will shed some water in no more than three or four days."
Rem said.
In common speech, that meant it was going to rain. It was the time when the seasons changed.
A period when the intense heat faded and the seasonal rains poured down.
For a few days, the rain would drizzle intermittently, then suddenly pour down in torrents.
The downpour was still a little ways off.
"Ugh, rain."
Dunbachel disliked the rain. It wasn't that she had hydrophobia, she just hated water.
It was a matter of preference. Most beastmen avoided washing, but Dunbachel seemed worse.
They had finished sparring, crossed a small stream on their way, cleaned dishes, and even had a quick bath.
They could have stopped by Thousand Bricks, but camping was a better choice on their way back.
There was nothing uncomfortable about it.
Luagarne had taken care of her own meals, and Dunbachel diligently caught animals.
She even caught a large deer once, so they feasted.
With Rem and Encrid handling the cooking, the camp meals were surprisingly good.
"Did you send someone to the west?"
After the talk of rain, Rem asked across the campfire.
"Because food was running short."
Encrid said as he sliced off a piece of the roasted deer thigh he caught the day before and ate it.
Thanks to the salt and spices from the west, the meat had become savory and flavorful.
It made Rem realize once again how thoughtful Encrid could be.
He had always been like that since he was a Squad leader.
Not only did he handle the bothersome tasks, but he always started by respecting others.
'He always listened well to people.'
Was it just because he endured well that he became Squad leader?
That wasn't it.
Encrid knew how to listen to others.
Whether it was his own words, a stray dog, a wandering cat, or even a religious bear.
Even now, it was the same.
Under the night sky, with the stars and two moons above, sitting by the campfire late at night.
It was a day when there were no monsters to be seen, no physical exertion, no sparring, just cleaning up and sitting quietly.
After some silence, Rem asked about sending someone to the west. Encrid said he had sent them with a lot of supplies.
By now, they should have arrived, and the chief was probably crying by now.
The chief had always been a sentimental person since childhood.
And then.
"I'm thinking of heading back first."
Dunbachel suddenly said. Encrid listened without dismissing it.
Rem reflected on how he had beaten up the beastwoman the day before under the pretext of sparring.
'Does she want to stop being hit?'
He wanted to dismiss it outright, saying no way, but Encrid spoke first.
"Is that so?"
His attitude was as if it was no big deal.
Her white hair, golden eyes, and the reddish tint from the firelight shaded the beastwoman's face.
One light was from the campfire, the other from the moon that was shining brightly tonight.
There was no wind, so the campfire's sparks rose straight into the sky.
Crackle, crackle.
It was a cozy night, with the sound of burning wood.
"I'm thinking of heading east."
Dunbachel continued.
"Why the east?"
Encrid asked as he turned the deer leg skewer by the fire.
Dunbachel wasn't particularly good with words. She also didn't choose them carefully.
"I feel like I can learn something under the King of the East."
She wanted to learn more.
Who would understand those words better than anyone else here?
Really?
Isn't staying here enough?
There were many things one could object to, but it was clear Dunbachel had been thinking about it for a while.
Maybe she had been pondering during those moments of idleness.
Perhaps.
"Do as you wish."
Encrid made brief eye contact with Dunbachel and nodded.
"Do you think there won't be anyone nagging you there?"
Rem added.
"It's not because of the nagging. And I'll be back."
To flee, to run away, to survive by leaving behind the days she had rejected herself.
It was about proving something.
Proving that she wasn't wrong, that she was born, that she had lived, and that she deserved to continue living.
Dunbachel only knew how to fight. So, she had to be good at it.
But it wasn't just about being good and that being the end.
The reason for all of this, the motivation, was entirely due to Encrid.
As a beastwoman, she had initially seen this man as an object of desire. She thought it was because she wanted to leave offspring, but that wasn't it.
She wanted to be respected, not for her skill, but for something else.
And now? Did she still feel the same? No, Encrid was no longer a target of desire.
To Dunbachel, Encrid was an unwavering light.
The problem was that her fighting skills weren't enough.
If all she could do was fight, and she was weak, what use would she be?
Was she still hoping to prove her worth as a 'woman'?
'I hate that.'
Dunbachel was honest with herself. Prove herself as a woman? Not now, at least.
Her experience in the city of Oara had helped her grow.
That was why she was leaving. There was a monster in the East who had risen to the rank of a Knight as a beastman.
Dunbachel instinctively knew.
The King of the East was a beastman, and he would be the best role model to follow right now.
She would learn his techniques no matter what. Even if she had to steal them.
By leaving here, she would climb higher.
The King of the East and that harsh land would serve as her stage.
Her short-term goal was to face death and somehow survive.
Then she would return, stand beside her motivation and stimulus, and prove herself.
Encrid's dream was grand and towering, seemingly impossible to achieve.
Even if it ended in failure, she would become a sword at his side.
That was Dunbachel's long-term goal. Proving herself through that was her path.
"Yeah, right."
Rem said mockingly.
"Stubborn barbarian."
Dunbachel didn't hesitate to express her true feelings.
"Yeah, come on, let's fight. A spar, huh? Let's go."
Rem clenched his fist and tried to stand up.
"Leave it."
Encrid stopped him. Rem wasn't really planning to beat her up. Dunbachel's little tantrum was something he could tolerate this time.
"The road to the east is long."
Encrid explained the way as far as he knew. Dunbachel had her own plans.
"I'll stop by Martai to resupply."
"Sometimes you actually use the thing on your shoulders."
Rem was impressed.
"Yeah, unlike some people."
Dunbachel ended up getting a smack to the head.
Encrid chuckled.
"It's a bad habit to laugh when others get hit."
Was it since Oara?
At some point, Dunbachel began to openly say what was on her mind.
"If you do that in the east, I'm sure there'll be plenty who want to kill you."
Encrid voiced his concern honestly.
"If I can't even speak my mind, I wouldn't be going to the east."
Dunbachel's resolve was firm, she wasn't going to be swayed.
"Right. If you have a path you've chosen, it's right to walk it."
Luagarne added while stirring the campfire.
Crackle, crackle, the embers shot up into the sky and faded away.
Some dreams were like those embers.
They briefly illuminated the vast, dark night sky, then vanished.
But just because one knew this, just because the end seemed visible, didn't mean there was a reason to stop.
And so, Encrid supported Dunbachel.
Whether she went east or anywhere else, if it was something she wanted, then that was the right thing to do.
Night deepened.
The two humans wrapped in wide cloaks, one beastwoman, and one frogman laid down by the fire. It was time to sleep.
Everyone lay down, feeling a certain warmth and encouragement. The moonlight was especially beautiful and bright tonight.
If someone were painting this scene, it might resemble a pastoral moment in an idyllic picture.
Amidst this warmth, Rem spoke while lying down.
"Hey, dumb beastwoman, want to die? It's your turn to stand watch."
Dunbachel groaned and got up.
"Forgot."
"Great accomplishment."
"It's not, but anyone can forget."
"…You're not wrong, but why does it make me want to hit you?"
"That's because you have a violent nature. You won't be satisfied unless you beat someone up."
"Rem."
Encrid, after stopping Rem's hand from reaching his axe, closed his eyes.
Even after being threatened with death moments ago, Dunbachel hummed a tune.
Crackle, crackle, Dunbachel's hum mixed with the crackling of the campfire.
It was a good lullaby.
* * *
When is the prime of an ordinary human?
For Giants, it's said to be from birth until death.
For Frogs, it's said to be when they are most faithful to their desires.
That was true.
Luagarne had recently felt that her combat style and overall skills had improved somewhat.
Humans have short primes, but their flames burn fiercely.
For Fairies or Dwarves, the term prime has no meaning, but for humans, with their short lifespans, it does.
To be more precise, for humans and beastmen, the prime of life is usually the period of youth.
For those who rely on their bodies, the peak time is generally between twenty and thirty.
At most, it extends until forty.
So, does no one grow after thirty?
'Of course, they do.'
Therefore, Luagarne judged that everyone's prime was different.
The proof was right in front of her.
Even in his mid-thirties, Encrid had grown, shining more brilliantly than ever.
For those who had reached the stage of a Knight, there needed to be a different standard for their prime, and by that time, who knew how Encrid would develop further.
That was still enough to make Luagarne's 'something' beat faster.
"How delightful."
She said as she walked.
"What is?"
Encrid asked.
Instead of answering, Luagarne began to teach.
Even though her skill lagged behind the man in front of her, there was still much to teach.
"Do you think all Knights are the same?"
When Luagarne asked this question, Encrid's eyes lit up.
It was an interesting question. He wasn't particularly curious about what was delightful. That was something to ask later. If she didn't want to answer, it was fine not to listen.
"They're different, I'd say."
Encrid answered.
That was his experience.
"A Knight of the Quill documented something. Would you like to hear it?"
The Knight of the Quill was a historical figure famous for writing and reciting poetry. He was also an eccentric who was more passionate about teaching literature than teaching the sword.
"I'll listen."
Encrid's pace slowed a little. The story began.
Even Rem, walking with them, perked up his ears.
It sounded like an interesting tale. There was also the question of how it differed from sorcery.
"When someone becomes a Knight, what do you think is the biggest difference they feel?"
"Their vision."
Encrid answered immediately.
His perspective had changed, that much he had noticed.
Things had looked different when he was a Junior Knight and now.
Day by day, it was something he continued to learn and feel.
Although he loosely referred to it as sight, it was about perceiving the world differently, from all senses, including the sixth sense.
Rem nodded in agreement.
"Based on that, the first standard to define a Knight is their vision. It's called foresight."
It was the ability to see one step ahead.
In other words, it referred to the ability to read the opponent's intentions and perceive their movements.
Although they called it foresight, it fundamentally referred to the sense of reading one's opponent.
Thus, foresight and insight were used interchangeably.
"After the eyes, it's the body, the ironclad."
Luagarne glanced at Encrid's side as she said this.
The part of his side that had been torn open by Rem's kick.
Encrid's body was unnaturally sturdy, even for a human.
He had beaten it into shape with brutal training. It was Audin who had taught him that method.
"The ironclad refers to the hardening of the entire body through Will."
Rem nodded again. Sorcery had a similar aspect.
"Next comes steadfastness, strong legs."
Several other concepts followed.
Insight for proper vision, the ability to harden at a moment's notice, legs of iron.
Then came expansion, transmission, word-bonding, time.
Expansion was the seamless distribution of Will throughout the body.
Transmission was the act of sending Will to another place.
Word-bonding meant Will could be imbued in speech, something that even made Rem frown and shake his head slightly.
Time meant walking in a different time altogether.
Even after hearing it, much of it was hard to fully understand.
Encrid was in that state.
But Rem understood most of it, even if a few things were still vague.
"It's something you can't explain in words. You have to experience it to understand."
Rem added as they walked.
The subtle sensation of omnipotence and the delicate control gained afterward were things words couldn't capture.
Encrid nodded quietly.
Listening to all this, he still felt that roaring flame burn inside him.
He would become a Knight.
That's what he had strived for, what had driven him to this point.
"And the author wasn't certain about two things."
"What are those?"
Rem asked.
So far, the story seemed plausible. Everything he had heard so far didn't seem far-fetched.
The author had said he was a Knight, so it made sense.
"There's a stage where Will neither runs dry nor is exhausted. It's called Usque. And there's another stage where what one possesses is entirely different, called Indules. Those are ancient words."
Rem dismissed it, but Encrid took note of every word.
So far, what he had realized was this.
Talent or not, he had to climb each step one by one.
And among them, he had already begun training in foresight and ironclad.
"The training method taught by that religious fanatic in your unit, right? That method has been used for generations to forge the strength of paladins. It's amazing you learned it."
Luagarne continued.
Encrid and Rem both knew roughly where Audin had learned it.
Where else could it have been? Based on his actions, it was easy to guess his origins.
"Go on."
At a crossroads, Dunbachel left.
There was no way she'd get killed by monsters on the road.
Even if Rem had beaten her up, Dunbachel's skills were enough that she might be seen as a monster in a small town.
Her ears were sharp, so even while sleeping, she would remain alert. She'd be safe traveling alone.
"Go ahead."
"If you die on the way, you won't be coming back."
"Walking the path you choose means it's truly your own step."
Encrid, Rem, and Luagarne saw Dunbachel off with these words as she waved and turned to leave.
As Encrid and the others continued walking, they reached what could be called the lands of the Border Guard.
Encrid, having received land while being called a General, stepped onto it. Ahead of them was a construction site.
Walls were being built, and a new town was rising on what had once been empty land.
Cut stones, groups that seemed to have come from the mason's guild.
Next to them, soldiers had pitched tents.
Drip, drip.
As the rain began to fall, the group quickened their pace.
"It's been a while since it rained."
Luagarne seemed delighted. Though she wasn't a creature frog, she was a Frogman who loved the rain.
Encrid realized fall had arrived.
The lower temperatures and the falling seasonal rains.
Those were the things that greeted him upon his return.
[T/L: Please support me AND read further chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans.]
[T/L: Subscribe for a membership on my Ko-Fi page and receive 15 extra chapters upon joining, along with daily updates of one chapter.]
[Additional Info: If anyone is facing the issue of payment on Ko-Fi, please contact me on [email protected]]