The drizzle was too thin to be called autumn rain. It was more fitting to say it was still late summer.
The rain stopped abruptly, as quickly as it had started. It wasn't quite like rain had fallen, nor like it hadn't—somewhere in between. The ground hadn't even gotten wet yet. The sky was darkening again, making it seem like more rain might fall.
"Who goes there?"
Just the three of them had crossed the border of the territory when a group of soldiers blocked their way.
It was clear that Krais hadn't been slacking off. The disciplined posture of the soldiers in front of them showed it.
There were soldiers who, at a glance, seemed like they would let people pass for a few coins, and then there were soldiers who radiated strict military discipline. These were the latter.
Their stance as they held their spears was proof enough.
The muscles of their forearms, exposed under their short linen sleeves, hinted at traces of Audin's training.
They were fully equipped, with short swords hanging at their waists.
Encrid only had to glance at them briefly to take all this in. It seemed his observational skills and thought process had sharpened compared to before.
"What's this? Enki?"
A woman in lighter attire among them called out, recognizing him. Sweat was beading on her forehead, and she was holding something like a parchment.
It was Leona, the leader of the Rockfreed Trading Company.
"...What are you doing?"
Encrid asked, curious at her appearance.
"Work."
Leona replied with a smile. It seemed they were building a new city.
When he explained that they had just returned and were on their way in, Leona nodded, and Rem leaned forward from behind Encrid, his face full of excitement, beaming with expectation.
"I see, I wonder how those punks under my command are doing."
Rem's excitement made him more talkative. When he mentioned this, Leona wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve and looked straight at Encrid.
Even though Rem had said they were under his command, he didn't actually have subordinates, so it was likely he was referring to his Company members.
"I haven't been near the Border Guard in a while, so I don't know."
That made sense.
There was plenty of work to be done right here. It looked like they were expanding the city starting from the Border Guard, which was no easy task.
When establishing a frontier city, the first step was to build palisades, marking the territory while fending off monsters from the surrounding area.
Why?
Because if monsters suddenly attacked while trying to build a city, they'd be doomed.
And it would be troublesome if the land became waterlogged after a heavy rain.
There also needed to be farmland nearby to support the people who would live in the city. After all, not everyone can live off trade alone.
People talk about 'trade cities' like it's a magical solution, but how many cities on the continent survive purely on trade?
In a kingdom with both feudal and centralized rule, there were royal territories, and the kingdom did pour resources into them.
'But a city has no real purpose unless it can sustain itself.'
So, this city was likely built with the goal of self-sufficiency.
However, this area wasn't close to any farmland, and the forest nearby had once been home to centaurs.
While a forest could be a valuable resource for some, it also provided a perfect environment for monsters to thrive.
It seemed they had decided to clear a portion of the forest, even if they didn't intend to wipe it out entirely.
A huge pile of logs was stacked as high as the stones beside them.
This clearly wasn't something that had been done overnight.
Encrid looked around.
It was obvious that they had committed to this project.
He was curious about what Krais was planning.
"This city is called Rockfreed."
Leona said with a smile. It explained why she was here, sweating and directing the project herself.
It was a trading city run by her own company.
Something like that.
Behind her, Mathis nodded in recognition.
"You've returned?"
He looked older than before, with a few more wrinkles. Standing next to him was a young swordsman Encrid had never seen before.
The way he stayed close to Mathis suggested he was his apprentice. It seemed the Rockfreed Trading Company had more fighters than one might expect.
Though not as formidable as the Border Guard.
To Encrid, it was no big deal, but from an outsider's perspective, the Border Guard was a terrifying military force.
"Oh, General?"
Thanks to Leona, the group of soldiers recognized Encrid and saluted him.
"Yeah, you've all been doing well?"
Rem smiled easily, patting the soldiers on the shoulder.
The soldiers stood in formal posture, saying nothing.
Clearly, someone had told them about Rem.
There must have been a warning to just ignore the gray-haired guy with the axe.
That warning was probably to tolerate whatever the gray-haired bastard did.
Encrid instinctively knew this, though he wasn't entirely sure.
After all, he had once assumed Rem had mixed blood from the continent and had been wrong. He had learned his lesson back then.
Verification is always necessary.
Even though he was rarely caught off guard, he had learned new things as well.
'Everyone has a weakness.'
It was an experience that made him admit that.
He had once almost died in the desert, only to survive, wandering back with a shattered mind, repeating the same day over and over. He could never forget what he had learned from that experience.
'Anyone can let their guard down.'
So, admitting that and knowing that even if a breach in defense occurs, one must move swiftly afterward. In other words, it's what happens after a mistake that matters most.
Anyone can stumble, but not everyone gets up immediately.
But is getting up quickly always the right answer?
'Leaving room for possibilities, then decide and act accordingly.'
This kind of judgment should accompany the first use of Will that a Knight learns.
Encrid found his way even in small matters.
It was a good habit.
An old habit, but one that had only recently begun to bear fruit. A kind of talent he possessed.
The habit of insight and self-reflection had been part of his nature for a long time.
For instance, there had been a similar self-reflection when he had been stabbed by a child and left with a hole in his stomach while wandering the continent.
'Do I really have any talent?'
And he learned the method for finding an answer back then.
You figure it out by throwing yourself into things.
Even now, he was doing just that. He sought to confirm whether his insights were correct.
"Did someone warn you to be careful?"
Rem continued patting the soldiers' shoulders as he passed, and Encrid followed behind, whispering.
One soldier rolled his eyes and responded.
"Training Instructor Sir Lawford."
The instructor was called 'Sir'. It might have been because he was a Squire, or perhaps out of simple respect.
The title 'Sir' often carried that meaning of respect.
"I'll see you later."
Encrid said to the soldier, then waved his hand at Leona.
Leona, in turn, asked bluntly.
"Do you plan to marry me?"
Encrid blinked in surprise, stopping in his tracks, but Leona continued without blinking, her face impassive.
"Just kidding."
Had she been hanging around with Sinar lately?
Encrid wondered, as he passed through the construction site, making his way toward the Border Guard.
After walking for some time, the walls of the fort finally came into view.
If they had been riding, they would have gotten there quickly, but walking would take a bit longer.
At his current pace, Encrid calculated that he would arrive before noon, just before the sun rose too high.
It was relatively close for the distance between two cities.
There must have been a reason why Krais was building a new city so close by.
The rain began to fall again in soft, steady drops, and by the time they reached the walls, it had become a proper rainstorm.
"General?"
It was Vengeance, Platoon leader. Or was he a Company Commander now?
He was standing atop the wall. He must have recognized Encrid from a distance, though it wasn't surprising, since Vengeance had always had good eyesight.
Encrid glanced at the faces of the soldiers standing guard on the wall. He saw some familiar faces, though quite a few were new to him.
The area in front of the wall seemed somewhat busy.
People were lined up to pass through the gate, while others had set up tents nearby, seemingly living there.
He could spot a few Fairies and Dwarves here and there. There were quite a few people.
Steam was rising from some spots under the tents. It seemed they were settled in, cooking and eating.
Though he only glanced briefly, they didn't look like they were living in poverty.
"Come on in."
Vengeance was courteous.
Personally, Encrid had saved his life, and officially, he was the highest-ranking officer in his unit.
As Encrid passed through the gate, people craned their necks to see.
Who was this man who passed straight through?
However, no one blocked or questioned him.
Seeing that Vengeance himself had come down to greet them, along with Rem and the Frog following behind, it was clear no one would dare interfere.
The dark-haired man walking in the lead had an unusual appearance, and his presence was formidable.
At this point, Encrid's Will naturally spread around him, a sign of his growth.
As he walked through familiar streets, Encrid noticed how much had changed in just a few months.
First of all, there were far more merchants selling things.
The Border Guard had always been a key location for merchants, so this wasn't too surprising. And the barracks had grown.
The walls were wider, and new buildings had sprung up, towering toward the sky.
"Were these put up in a rush?"
Even Rem seemed surprised, commenting as they walked.
How had the place grown so quickly in such a short time?
To an outsider, it might have seemed like Krais was a wizard.
But the truth wasn't so grand.
When Krais undertook construction or projects, he cut out all unnecessary steps and dealt directly with the stonemason and craftsman guilds.
When nobles typically started a project, they passed the work down to subordinates, who in turn passed it down to guilds, with various fees being taken along the way.
Of course, this made the process slower and more expensive.
"Let's settle the guilds within the city."
Krais had told Graham, the Lord responsible for the Border Guard, and then had simply carried out the plan.
No one could object, nor was there any reason to.
Moreover, people had flocked to the area, drawn by Encrid's reputation.
"Isn't that General the one who stopped Aspen and took over Martai and the old Molsen territory?"
That's what half the guild leaders asked, full of curiosity.
Whether it was the Stonemasons' Guild or the Craftsmen's Guild, it was only natural that people would gather.
At first, it had been fighters coming to test Encrid's skill, then nobles who wanted to take advantage of his future, and then merchants interested in trade routes. Now, even skilled artisans were showing up.
Krais gathered those artisans and set them to work.
Of course, that wasn't all.
"Each overseer will be fully responsible for their work. I'll give you the right to select five people under you. Use them however you see fit, and I'll pay half the fee upfront."
Krais selected one skilled person, and that person in turn selected five more skilled people to work with, thus keeping the process efficient. He even established an inspection team.
The inspection team wasn't for finding and nitpicking mistakes.
They were there to fix things when problems arose.
Krais had formed the inspection team like a guild alliance, ensuring that things that normally wouldn't work got done.
"Why isn't this working?"
"We need glue, but the hunters' guild is selling hides at too high a price, so we can't proceed."
"Well, that's the right price. Do you think it's easy to get monster hides?"
In situations like this, Krais would move his army.
He'd launch an impromptu monster hunt, not to sell the hides at a discount, but to trade them through the hunters' guild, stabilizing prices in the process and swiftly resolving issues.
That's why everything had progressed so quickly.
And now, in front of Encrid stood the reason for the new barracks.
Rem, after briefly commenting on the new barracks, went straight inside.
A wide training ground greeted them.
At least twenty soldiers were sweating as they trained.
Despite the rain, they were all shirtless, completely absorbed in their training.
To Encrid, Rem, and Luagarne, it looked like training.
To those doing the exercises, it probably felt more like torture.
What kind of training was this, stripping down and crawling, running in the rain?
Most of the soldiers on the training ground had similar thoughts.
"Captain!"
At the front, standing on the platform under the only bit of cover from the rain, Lawford called out.
He called out to Encrid cheerfully.
Encrid waved back, while Rem stepped forward.
"Where's that directionless bastard?"
Rem was already in combat mode.
His right hand hovered near his waist, already gripping the handle of his axe.
If Ragna appeared, he looked ready to throw his axe without hesitation.
They had sparred countless times on the way here.
Encrid still didn't know who would win if Rem and Ragna fought.
Rem, with his enchanted axe, was clearly on par with a Knight. He had shown something similar to Intimidation through his sorcery.
Was it fear-inducing sorcery?
Rem's question, full of anticipation, made Lawford laugh awkwardly.
"Is something wrong?"
Encrid asked.
Despite the sudden arrival of their group, the soldiers continued their grueling exercises without pause.
Their discipline was impressive, likely due to repeated demonstrations of superior strength.
"Well..."
Lawford scratched the back of his head as he answered.
"He went out for a walk and hasn't been seen for four days."
Ah.
"Is he crazy?"
Rem couldn't hide his shock.
Why would someone who couldn't find his way go out for a walk?
"Where did he go?"
Encrid asked calmly.
"He said he was just going to take a look inside the mountain range."
"Why did you let him go alone?"
"He said he'd kill anyone who followed him."
He must have been stubborn about it. No need to even see it to know.
But could Ragna really have died after getting lost? Of course not.
But had he really gone to the mountains?
If he had left the barracks, he could have entered the eastern lands by now.
Then again, four days wasn't quite enough time for that.
Encrid dismissed any worry.
Ragna wasn't the type to die so easily.
"What about the stray cat?"
"He left temporarily to deal with an issue in another city."
"Ah, damn."
Rem grumbled.
Two others were missing as well.
That was probably why Lawford was here.
"Krais is at the city of Green Pearl."
Krais had apparently transformed the Green Pearl's outpost into a fortress city and named it after the place.
"Sir Audin and Lady Teresa are fasting and praying in the mountains."
Encrid didn't seem surprised.
Those two were always unpredictable. He figured they'd return when they were ready.
Instead, he noticed something different about Squire Lawford.
His aura had changed since Encrid last saw him. He seemed stronger, more capable.
Naturally, Encrid's attention was drawn to him.
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