"Where's Odin? Didn't he come ahead of us?" Magrun asked.
It was the same thought that had crossed Enkrid's mind. Odin was the affectionate nickname for Odincar.
He and Magrun were the closest of friends. His expression darkened even more.
"You were with him. Why are you asking me?"
Could anything be read from the clan head's face or tone? For instance, whether what he had just said was true. 'Impossible.'
Enkrid didn't believe that this man was incapable of lying like a fairy.
Just because he was the clan head didn't mean that every word he spoke was the truth. But could it be a lie?
'No.'
He couldn't read him.
That was the honest answer.
Since he couldn't, he naturally tried to discern any hidden meaning in the clan head's words. But there was nothing to read at all.
This was the first time he had experienced something like this. 'Why?'
He reanalyzed what he had sensed through his instincts and intuition. The process was brief—it was second nature to him now.
'There's nothing at all.'
No worry, no doubt—nothing could be felt or seen. The clan head's words carried no emotion.
"I sent you to bring Ragna back, and you return after having a grand time."
"Yes, it was quite the spectacle. So Odincar isn't here. The clan—nothing has happened?"
"Every day is the same. Why would anything be different?"
It felt to Enkrid like listening to an orchestra playing mismatched notes. Dissonance.
'Nothing has happened in the clan.'
But outside, there had been curses blocking the path, an attack by a mage, and encounters with unique monster variants.
And Scalers themselves—people had mentioned that they had never seen ones like these in the area before.
"There haven't been any issues with people coming and going from the village?"
Yohan had exchanges with three villages: a hunter's village, a retiree's village, and a broker's village.
People were always coming and going between them and the clan.
If there had been any trouble, those villages would have noticed something as well.
"From how you keep bringing up problems, something must have happened on your way here.And from the way Magrun's face hardened when he heard Odin wasn't here, it must be serious.The only recent incident I know of was when some village elders came up. Heskal handled their escort."
The clan head seemed completely oblivious to Ragna, Enkrid, and Anne.
The sheer pressure of his presence left Anne speechless, while Enkrid was too busy observing. 'Still, it's hard to read anything from his tone.'
But his perceptiveness was remarkable.
Just from a few questions and observing their expressions, he had figured out the situation and adjusted his answers accordingly.
And then, there was one man who ignored everything else around him and acted entirely on his own.
"I've come for the Sunrise."
Ragna announced his return like a prodigal son.
The clan head neither flinched nor showed any surprise as he responded.
"You know what you have to do in order to take it, don't you?"
"Yes, that's why I came before Father dies. That way, it'll have meaning."
To an outsider, it might have seemed like the moment a son abandoned his human duties. A scene of pure unfiliality.
But if this was normal in Yohan, then the clan head's nonchalant response made sense.
"Yes. That's how it should be. You've done well to come."
Was that really the right thing to say?
Even if the thought crossed their minds, they couldn't interrupt. This was clearly a matter of family and the clan.
"You insane bastard, so that's what this was all about? That's what you meant by taking
something?"
Greida had the normal reaction.
Magrun, still stunned, muttered, "Then where did Odin go?" as he looked at Ragna. The statement had been shocking enough.
As for Enkrid, he kept his mouth shut.
He knew nothing, and he was too focused on watching the clan head to do anything else. The man stood by the gate, not moving a single finger.
Then, at some point, he rested his hand on his waist, and Enkrid missed that brief movement. His attention had been diverted for just a moment.
The clan head tensed his muscles as if he were about to move his left hand using Will. Enkrid's instincts picked up on it immediately.
A perception honed by intuition.
"Your instincts are sharp."
The clan head spoke, and then he drew his sword. There was no awkwardness in any of his movements. It was as natural as hair swaying in the wind.
It was such an effortless draw that it compelled the watcher to simply observe.
There wasn't even the slightest sound as the sword was drawn, and in an instant, it was heading straight for Enkrid's forehead.
A normal person would have flinched.
But Enkrid didn't move.
He reacted only when the sword crossed the boundary he had in mind.
Ching!
His Samcheol was drawn, shooting upward like a flash of light. It lived up to its name—Flash.
At the same time, he calculated dozens of possible trajectories the clan head's sword could take. Reading and analyzing movements.
Hundreds of attacks could branch out from a single strike.
'If I try to calculate everything, I'll exhaust myself first.'
The transition to Wave-Cutting Swordsmanship was instantaneous. His Samcheol surged like a flash, cutting through empty air.
Clack.
The clan head had already sheathed his sword.
Enkrid twirled his own sword and slid it back into its scabbard.
Cling.
Aside from the sounds, their movements seemed nearly identical. 'But I lost.'
Enkrid knew he had been defeated.
The clan head hadn't even fully extended his sword, nor had he swung it. But Enkrid had.
'And that was exactly what he intended.' Would it be different in an actual fight? Fighting spirit surged within him.
Some people cowered when faced with a stronger opponent, but Enkrid had clawed and crawled his way here, even among those superior to him.
Even after becoming a knight, he had never indulged in a sense of omnipotence. He simply enjoyed, advanced, and dreamed.
So, he felt no fear.
"One round?"
Ragna wasn't the only one who disregarded the situation.
Grida and Magrun, understanding the implication of those words, briefly considered throwing these crazy bastards out.
The head of the household, however, merely twisted his lips into something resembling a faint smile.
If asked why it was only "resembling" a smile, it was because there was no trace of emotion behind it.
"You've brought an interesting friend, Ragna."
"He's the commander of the order I belong to."
"The order you belong to? So, he's above you, not just another knight?"
Normally, that statement would have carried a tone of surprise, but his voice remained utterly controlled.
'To be precise, it feels more like his emotions have been severed… But can't we just fight already?'
A bold thought, running parallel with his analysis.
"I welcome you. I won't refuse a duel, but judging by your condition, it doesn't seem like you're at your best. Shouldn't you recover first?"
"This is my best." Enkrid replied.
"You crazy bastard. Do it later. We need to find out where Odin went first." Magrun spoke, and Enkrid had no choice but to agree.
That said, he didn't believe anything serious had happened to Odincar Yohan. It was a simple deduction.
Would it really be possible to detain such a knight without causing any commotion? Furthermore, Odincar had traveled the same path they had.
If there had been a battle where he was killed or subdued— 'Could there be no trace at all?'
Impossible.
No magic or spell could seamlessly restore broken trees.
"Magic is all about change, but that doesn't mean it can do everything. If miracles were involved, Audin would be the one performing them."
That was something Esther had told him during their training. Then how had Odincar disappeared?
There was only one possibility. 'He disappeared voluntarily.'
With minimal information, Enkrid arrived at a logical conclusion.
Everyone else was too overwhelmed by the recent attacks and the sudden calm upon arriving in Yohan.
But if they viewed the situation objectively, anyone could have deduced the same.
"Come inside and explain the situation. Your guest should join as well."
The head of the household spoke and turned toward the house. His footsteps were eerily silent.
Despite being larger than Enkrid, he moved without making a single sound. 'Jaxen would be amazed.'
It was an extraordinary display of grace.
Even the sword on his belt didn't rattle, and whatever he had beneath his boots muffled even the faintest footfalls.
When facing him, he felt like a mountain, yet now— 'He feels more like an invisible mountain breeze.' Walking behind him, the thought came naturally.
"Is the head of the household strong?" Enkrid asked as they walked.
Grida, looking troubled, scratched her head before answering.
"One guy says he's here for the sunrise, another suddenly asks for a duel? You're all insane. And you're asking if the head is strong? Of course, he is. Even if there were three of me, I'd still lose."
Enkrid gave a small nod.
If there were three Gridas, he would have to fight seriously.
In other words, he would need to fight with the intent to kill in order to win.
Duel-wise, victories were easily decided, but that was only because Grida didn't care about winning or losing.
Magrun, on the other hand, hated losing.
But if someone were to bet gold on a fight between Grida and Magrun— 'I'd bet on Grida.'
Having experienced them firsthand, the difference was clear.
That was also why Magrun had survived after clashing with Rem.
If Rem had truly perceived him as a threat, his axe would have split Magrun's head in two.
"A stranger?"
"Been a while."
"Have you seen Heskal? He promised to watch my swordsmanship today, but he ran off to work again! So unfair!"
Looking around, Enkrid took in the people speaking.
The household village, nestled in a valley, didn't have many residents. Those standing along the path numbered fewer than twenty.
Among them, one woman stood out.
She wore armor made of thick iron plates covering her forearms, thighs, torso, and chest. 'Bigger than Teresa.'
When their eyes met, she tilted her head before flashing a grin.
At a glance, giants and humans looked similar aside from their size, but upon closer inspection, subtle differences became apparent.
Giants had larger facial features and an intimidating aura no human could match.
Just as humans could easily crush ants with brute force, giants exuded the presence of creatures that could just as easily crush humans.
"Whoa."
The woman spoke, mouth slightly agape.
Feeling her gaze, Grida raised a hand in greeting and commented to Enkrid.
"That's Ana Hera. The most beautiful woman in our clan—at least among our kind."
Enkrid had no interest in rating people by their looks, but common sense dictated that prominent cheekbones and protruding fangs were not typical features of beauty.
And more than anything, her neck was as thick as the average man's thigh.
Her flattened ears somehow enhanced her appearance rather than detracting from it.
"A giant."
Enkrid muttered, recalling Grida's earlier words and his own observations.
"You're too quick-witted to tease properly."
Grida seemed more at ease now that they were meeting the head of the household. Perhaps he had faith that the leader would handle everything.
Though they called it a village, most of the homes had vast open spaces, and in the center stood a towering structure resembling a castle.
It wasn't a true fortress, more of a grand mansion.
The head led them toward it, listening to Grida and Magrun's report. He didn't dwell on their words for long before responding.
"I believe he disappeared by his own decision."
It was easy to grasp when listening from the side, but when it was something concerning oneself, it was difficult to view it objectively.
Yet, the family head had managed to do so with ease.
"But why would Odincar do that?"
Magrun matched his pace with the family head and asked.
"That, I don't know either."
The family head answered simply.
"It seems our guest has already caught on, so why not share?"
"I planned to speak once we were inside. Well, or if asked."
The family head glanced briefly at Enkrid, but even then, it was hard to read anything from his gaze.
'A personality perfect for hiding things.'
Thinking so, Enkrid followed behind the family head.
"Who's there?"
As they reached the castle, a blonde woman approached and asked.
She wore an apron, but with his keen perception, Enkrid immediately noticed that the woman before him carried two short swords hidden beneath her skirt.
Not only that, but she was evidently skilled.
Even from the way she walked and the trained muscles visible on her arms, it was clear.
"A guest. This is my son."
"He's my son too, so of course I recognize him. You actually made it back? I thought you'd be wandering lost for the rest of your life."
The woman, presumed to be Ragna's mother, welcomed her long-lost son with words laced with tears.
Of course, in reality, not even a passing ant would have shed a tear, and the woman merely chuckled as she spoke.
"Finding the way is my specialty." Ragna responded to the greeting.
"Sure it is."
His mother raised her hand as if to welcome him. Cling.
Only, she unsheathed her swords as she did so.
With a blade in each hand, one might say she was greeting him with open arms—albeit with a pair of swords.