Clouds covered the sky overhead again. The sunlight that had been subtly shining disappeared without a trace.
The outskirts of Zaun were cliffs, and behind them stood precipices like walls.
If the weather had been good, the scenery that would have been spectacular looked like a fragment torn from someone's nightmare due to the dark and hazy sky.
Against this backdrop of nightmare fragments, Enkrid held his sword and looked at Heskal.
Heskal stood in a somewhat unusual stance, with a gauntlet equipped with a small shield made by some principle held in front, and his right-hand sword hidden behind the shield as if concealed.
Not leaving coincidence as coincidence.
Why had he thought that?
It began with a question that arose from listening to what the ferryman said. He always spoke of the future.
'Does the ferryman know the future?'
What he showed sometimes became reality and sometimes didn't.
No one could determine the future. Speaking of the future changes the present. It was the prophet's dilemma.
If you don't speak, you can't prove it, and if you write it down somewhere and look at it after it happens, that becomes a record, not a prophecy.
But if you open your mouth and speak, does that become prophecy? Those who hear prophecies know the future, so they don't act according to the prophecy. Therefore, the future changes, so the prophecy becomes incorrect.
This was precisely the prophet's dilemma, and the ferryman couldn't escape from that dilemma either.
'The ferryman doesn't know the future either.'
Yet he spoke as if he could see the future. How could he do that?
If you wear a mask, you can hide your face and impersonate someone else.
Masquerade balls are enjoyable because you don't know the face behind the mask.
That's why masquerade balls are filled with people dressed up elaborately. Some appear in forms previously unimaginable through their adornment.
The ferryman wasn't seeing the future but was adorned to appear as if he could. He probably changed masks according to need.
'What if he observed situations and spoke to match them each time?'
Not leaving coincidence as coincidence.
That was what Enkrid had figured out.
However, you needed broad vision to do that, as it was impossible with narrow sight.
'You must know the unfolding situation to change coincidence into intention.'
His thoughts freely opened paths and connected to reach the swordsmanship he was now displaying. Thoughts entangled like spider webs ran toward one conclusion.
Why had he fixed instinctive swordsmanship in the form of counterattack?
Because it was natural. There was no other path. So he did that.
'So why?'
He needed a clearer path. He had to look more closely at the process.
He repeatedly asked and pondered answers. He had to find the reason. A genius might do it naturally without knowing, but Enkrid wasn't a genius.
Therefore, he had to know everything one by one.
The difference between doing without knowing and doing with knowledge was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth. At least for Enkrid.
The answer came without much difficulty. It was also the result of pondering for several days.
In other words, he already knew the answer.
Because you had to accept the situation first and then react. That was why it was used only for counterattacks.
'A sword that utilizes coincidence.'
It was the third swordsmanship following Wave-Blocking and Flash.
Same as before.
If the meaning, implementation method, and training method were established, it could become a swordsmanship.
Was it easier this time since he'd done it twice before?
Not a chance. Creating swordsmanship was like opening a new world.
Nevertheless, the goddess of fortune visited again today. Then was this purely luck? No. It was intention.
'I accept even that fortune into my intention.'
This was the meaning contained in the swordsmanship. To establish it:
'Making it appear as if all luck flows toward me.'
The implementation method was utilizing everything that happened by coincidence, and the training method was experiencing various situations by fighting and fighting again hundreds and thousands of times, learning to respond in all situations.
'But is experience alone the only answer?'
A small question arose. This part would be where the swordsmanship could develop. Though it wasn't something to argue about now.
Learning through experience was what Enkrid had done countless times until now. The training method was already embodied, so he just needed to establish the implementation and training methods.
Enkrid did so by utilizing the coincidence called Heskal.
Heskal thrust out the shield in his left hand without warning, blocking Enkrid's view. While blocking his sight, he also showed signs of moving his body to the left.
Enkrid reflexively struck out with his sword. Tri-Iron's blade drew a short trajectory and hit the shield. Pushing it away along with the shield was difficult. Heskal was as strong as a giant. Moreover, his skill in employing techniques was excellent.
Clang!
The moment he hit the shield, Enkrid felt the force flowing in one direction. The shield deflected the power carried in his sword.
Heskal, who had shown deceptive tactics to make him recognize movement to the left, appeared from the right.
Thrusting the shield forward to block vision, pretending to retreat left, then stabbing with his sword from the right.
The movement was simple and the tactics even simpler, but it was a deadly move because he possessed brilliant wit to drive situations to this point and excellent skill that could disturb Enkrid's senses.
Tri-Iron, which had hit the shield, flowed to Heskal's left—Enkrid's right—so the return trajectory was too long. Since it was difficult to block by pulling the sword back, it could be said he showed an opening.
The blade flew in. And Enkrid, as if he had been waiting only for this moment, pulled back his sword and struck the tip of Heskal's thrust with his pommel as if he had been waiting.
If the blade was hard to bring back, he could block with another part.
Clang!
So accurate was it that without deviation, they met and a thunderous sound rang out.
"Are you planning to damage the tip of my sword?"
Heskal said as he retreated.
Enkrid also clenched and unclenched his grip, which was ringing from the impact, as he answered.
"An imprinted weapon's blade wouldn't be damaged so easily."
"Did you intend it?"
Nod.
To the question that came without even a breath, Enkrid nodded.
All coincidences also into intention.
Of course, he hadn't intended it. He was caught off guard.
'This is the fang.'
The fang Heskal had hidden was deadly.
'Deceptive sword.'
That was the fang he hid. He put calculation and driving opponents to the forefront, then killed opponents with just one deception.
The victor wins and the defeated dies. It was the world of those who wielded swords. Heskal was strong. That was certain.
And though unintended, the Sword of Coincidence Enkrid had just shown was Heskal's natural enemy.
He aimed for openings through deception, but the Sword of Coincidence turned even those openings into intention.
Of course, not just anyone could do it.
'To casually do something that requires at least thousands of experiences...'
Heskal had exceptional discernment, so he somewhat grasped and understood the feat Enkrid had just shown.
That's why he had such thoughts.
That it was something possible only with countless accumulated experiences.
Making coincidence into intention? Easy to say. But it was impossible without countless real combat experiences of being stabbed and cut by swords.
It seemed like something possible only by fighting diligently for about a hundred years, finding appropriate opponents each time.
"Outstanding talent."
Heskal muttered.
Enkrid lowered his sword and caught his breath, then half-closed his eyes.
While pondering swordsmanship and sparring, another thought suddenly occurred to him.
It was a thought that connected as if suddenly fitting puzzle pieces together.
Since the swordsmanship he'd been pondering connected with the current situation, it was also a naturally untying knot.
He looked back at what had happened until now in his mind.
Looking at the complexly tangled situation simply, and also looking at it unraveled. It wasn't difficult. Some things were more clearly visible because they were seen from the outside.
'If it's intention disguised as coincidence.'
One assumption was possible.
'What if targeting Anne wasn't intentional?'
Why did they target Anne? Why did they drag out time? Was Anne threatening? How did they know to target Anne?
What if the one who dragged out time and the one who targeted Anne were different?
Not all questions were answered.
But he seemed to know the answers to several.
'They saw Anne by coincidence. But it was a familiar face, and they judged she would be a hindrance. So they tried to kill her but failed.'
The opponent's malice was clear, but it couldn't be called persistent.
'Just a thrown move.'
That was the answer that came out now.
"Were you watching?"
Meanwhile, Heskal opened his mouth. It wasn't directed at Enkrid.
"It's been a while since I've seen someone so serious while swinging a sword."
It was the family head. He was the one who spoke while standing blankly beside Anahera.
"Is that so? It was enjoyable. Enkrid of the Border Guard."
Heskal exchanged a few words with the watching family head and nodded to Enkrid.
He had learned much from him. Enkrid also nodded. It was a gesture of gratitude.
He really learned a lot here.
"Your body?"
Heskal asked the family head again.
"Put aside your worries. I'll take care of my own body."
Heskal worried about the family head's body, and the family head maintained his emotionless attitude as always.
That was the end. The family head left and Anahera said it was her turn and charged forward.
She was at quasi-Knight level, but in terms of strength alone, she was comparable to a Knight.
Giants were originally a species that could beat hundreds of humans to death.
The nickname "Red Blood Monster" wasn't attached for nothing, so originally she should have caused incidents due to boiling fighting spirit—specifically incidents involving beating people up or beating them to death—but she had adapted to Zaun.
When asked the reason:
"Because it's fun."
Not all humans are the same, nor are all fairies or Proks. Giants are the same. What made her overcome the fighting spirit flowing in her blood would be curiosity and drive for improvement.
"I'm going to become a Knight."
Anahera declared.
"It won't be easy."
Enkrid spoke while creating a bump on her head.
He made it by hitting with the sword's flat. If he had cut with the true edge or black gold side, Zaun would have lost one giant beauty.
"That's what makes it fun. I want to fight better. I want to fight stronger guys too."
Was it a combination of fighting spirit and drive for improvement?
He also understood why she could do that. Living and sparring within Zaun, he could understand better than what he'd learned from Grida, Magrun, and Odinkar at the Border Guard.
Part of it was because they didn't particularly hide things, and part of it was because Enkrid was now opening one world, so his vision had broadened.
Zaun was based on this premise:
The premise that you couldn't embrace everyone in one category.
They respected individuality and helped them achieve what they wanted. They taught, sparred, shared training methods, and taught techniques.
'A system for geniuses.'
That was the swordsmanship Zaun pursued.
And Enkrid was establishing a system for the mediocre.
'The path is different.'
Speaking specifically of this place's system, it was fair to say he'd learned everything there was to learn. Whether techniques or anything else, these people all based everything on the talented.
Because that was the core.
Once you knew the core, minor techniques or training methods could be figured out by following logic.
'It's not a path suited for me.'
Naturally, talent became a standard, but:
'Those lesser than that should also be able to rise.'
That was the path swordsmanship should take. By Enkrid's standards.
Though he didn't shout that he had defeated even Anahera and proudly brought down Zaun, everyone subtly acknowledged Enkrid's skill.
Heskal, who had been watching from one side, approached and asked:
"How is Zaun?"
"Good."
Heskal was old. He was at the level of an advanced Knight who wielded Will throughout his body, so it wasn't clearly apparent, but...
It was certainly an age when physical strength and reflexes would decline and deteriorate.
Becoming a Knight didn't mean you could hold onto departing time.
'Slowly, but he's aging.'
Everyone had a period of maintaining their prime.
A Knight's prime was long. Even becoming elderly, physical strength didn't easily deteriorate.
But that didn't mean it was eternal.
Heskal seemed older than expected.
Yet he still lived energetically, traveling between surrounding villages. Everyone said he was a man who would do anything for Zaun.
"Yes, it's a good place. But wasn't the family head's attitude somewhat disappointing?"
"Are you talking about not sparring often?"
"Not that."
Enkrid couldn't understand the intention behind Heskal speaking to him like this now.
Badmouthing the family head behind his back just because they'd grown somewhat close and speech had become casual? Or was it something else?
"Zaun has a system for training techniques, but lacks a system for opposing external pressure. It's something the family head should handle, but he doesn't."
"Is such a thing necessary?"
Enkrid asked back.
"If you came from the Border Guard, wouldn't you know better? Can you stay just because you want to stay, and stagnate just because you want to stagnate? Zaun's power is great. You must know why Schmidt keeps persuading us to enter Empire territory, right?"
They had crossed swords and conversed. Heskal also knew the man before him wasn't stupid.
Well, what Heskal said was similar to talk that had once come from the Naurillia Kingdom too.
It was right after the Madmen Knights were established.
That the Border Guard's power was too great. Therefore, they should either scatter the Madmen Knights or send them to battlefields.
Arguments also arose that they should be incorporated into the kingdom's knight orders following the Red Cloak Knights.
Enkrid only knew this because he heard about it later.
Every time such talk arose, Krang cut it down decisively.
"Has Sir Enkrid ever had his sweat wiped while training in swordsmanship? Then how can you force loyalty to the royal family?"
He supposedly said this to the nobles.
It was a time when some nobles thought the Madmen Knights weren't mad enough yet.
Of course, those who faced them directly had such words sink in.
Anyway, Heskal's argument was like that.
"Zaun must change. It must somehow change before bigger waves come. When it rains, shouldn't you take shelter under a roof?"
That was his argument.
Not everyone was the same as Heskal.
"Zaun has power, right? Yes, it has power. So if we establish an autonomous defense system, that's fine. It would be better if that method was somewhat aggressive. I'm talking about bringing in talented people from outside. The Empire saw us bringing talented children to teach them and imitated it, so why shouldn't we imitate the Empire? The Empire attracts talented people from across the continent and spares no effort in army training besides that. It would be better if we were more active too."
This was Rynox's opinion. Though his words were somewhat unorganized, it was because he'd lived a life where swords came before words.
Heskal was definitely better at speaking.
They said the family head, even after hearing both their opinions, still remained silent. Just silently nodding his head.
His intentions were unknown.
Looking at the two, Alexandra only said:
"You both love Zaun. I do too."
Enkrid looked at the sky full of dark clouds. Looking at that sky, he saw it was strangely similar to the current situation.
"It looks like a storm will hit soon."
Just as Alexandra had once said.
The calm before the storm seemed to envelop Zaun.