Chapter 700 - The Storm After the Calm
The calm before the storm was truly just that—calm—until the storm arrived.
And so was Enkrid at this moment.
'There's nothing in particular for me to do.'
It felt like something was about to happen, yet no immediate threat had surfaced.
Grida seemed busy, but that didn't mean Enkrid needed to go around stirring things up.
So instead, he spent the entire day swinging his sword.
He had done the same at Border Guard, but in Yohan, he did it even more.
Besides, this was the kind of place where such behavior was encouraged.
Rather than finding it strange, the people of Yohan marveled at how hard an outsider was willing to train and simply enjoyed the moment.
The things Enkrid taught were also fresh and engaging, leaving no reason for them not to be entertained.
After all, everyone in Yohan yearned for new techniques.
"Rest day is over! The fight begins!"
A boy shouted as he lunged at Enkrid, who was already stretching before dawn.
"You want to melt in the embrace of this beauty?"
A giant—hailed as Yohan's most beautiful woman, at least within Yohan—rushed at him with those words.
Beside her stood an elderly swordsman named Rhinox, letting out a raspy chuckle that was difficult to mimic.
"Hey, this is my home. You won't be able to fight using 'calculations' like last time in my yard."
There was also a swordsman who had spent days scouring the area, convinced that something was amiss within Yohan.
He suspected the clan leader but feigned nonchalance on the surface.
After disappearing for a couple of days, he suddenly reappeared, acting as if nothing had happened.
That was Grida.
"Your eyes have dark circles. Are you getting any sleep?"
"…My sleep has been rough lately. Maybe because it's been a while since I came home."
It was more likely that tension was gnawing away at her.
If you keep a bowstring pulled taut for too long, both the bow and the string will wear out quickly.
The same goes for people.
Knights may have thicker skin when it comes to stress, but they were human all the same.
And in the uneasy atmosphere lingering over Yohan, it would be difficult for even the best of them to rest peacefully.
Well, that is, if they were normal.
Enkrid, however, had been sleeping soundly, eating well, and resting just fine.
So had Ragna.
"You said you were going to retrieve the sunrise. So why don't you take it already?"
Enkrid threw the question at Ragna, who was lazily loitering nearby.
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Ragna turned his head toward where the clan leader might be.
Of course, he got the direction completely wrong—he was looking toward the path leading out of Yohan.
"Hm."
Ragna hesitated for a moment, an unusual sight.
Back when he was part of the Madmen unit, the precursor to the so-called Madmen Knights, he had blurted out whatever came to mind.
Now, he actually thought before he spoke.
It was oddly moving in a way.
As Ragna pondered over his words, a younger boy murmured beside them.
"My muscles are tensing up. This is working. Oh, this feels great."
During his training, Enkrid had introduced the Audin-style physical conditioning techniques to the people of Yohan.
Some of the younger ones adapted to it instantly, and this boy was one of those living testaments.
He muttered to himself while lifting a stone, his back muscles twitching.
His body was already well-developed enough that he quickly increased the weight he was training with.
Yohan had its own training methods, and Enkrid had learned from them.
But when it came to pure physical enhancement, Audin's techniques were unmatched.
Audin had refined and restructured the training methods of the Holy City Legion's martial monks, adding his own theories on top.
His genius was evident.
If Audin were here, he would likely be grinning with satisfaction.
"Excellent, brother! You're doing well! Sister! Have I mentioned it before? Your strength surpasses most men!"
He might have shouted something like that.
That was how well they had adapted to Audin's so-called 'torture.'
And since they were competitive and driven, they pushed themselves harder whenever they saw their peers improving.
With that kind of attitude, it was inevitable that they would grow stronger.
As Enkrid watched this, Ragna finally spoke.
"I was certain it was urgent, but I can't bring myself to care."
"Why?"
Enkrid asked because he genuinely had no idea.
But Ragna himself didn't seem to understand his own feelings either.
"…Good question."
His voice was calm, but to Enkrid, he sounded somewhat dissatisfied.
'Either that, or he's angry.'
Having vaguely answered, Ragna went back to swinging his sword.
Enkrid did the same.
Meanwhile, Anne was busy with something, fidgeting with her hands as always.
Every now and then, Enkrid glanced over to see what she was up to.
"Are you extracting poison from a corpse? Or did you keep an infected person alive to harvest the seed? Look. I'm right, aren't I?"
She turned to him and asked.
"You are."
Enkrid nodded, even though he had no clue.
There was such an intensity to Anne's presence that he couldn't help but respond.
Seated at a table she had dragged over from somewhere, she worked meticulously in a corner of the training yard.
Mixing liquids, pouring, smelling, and carefully handling substances with greenhide gloves.
From behind, all that was visible was her small back.
Yet her entire being was focused on her task.
Even without looking directly at her, it was clear that she was utterly absorbed in whatever she was doing.
Enkrid, with his keen senses, could feel the sheer force radiating from her.
'Will.'
That meant Anne was a genius too.
Enkrid arrived at this conclusion naturally.
"This much…"
Anne muttered, fully engrossed.
She didn't even seem to realize Enkrid was watching.
"I can do it. I will get rid of this cursed thing."
She murmured to herself repeatedly.
If someone looked into her eyes now, they would probably see them burning with determination.
"How many days has she been at this?"
Enkrid asked Ragna, who was keeping watch outside the lodging.
"Since the moment she arrived."
Ragna had been training nearby and rarely left Anne's side.
Enkrid nodded and was about to step outside when Ragna suddenly spoke.
"Said she liked me."
"…Rem did?"
"The mere thought of it disgusts me so much that I want to cut out his tongue."
"I apologize."
"Anne said that."
Enkrid recalled Anne, whom he had seen at Border Guard.
She frequently entered and exited the knights' training grounds at the slightest excuse.
Always grumbling about being busy, yet visiting often.
She would bring food, drinks, and sometimes even potions good for stamina recovery.
'But all of it went into Ragna's mouth first.'
Moreover, Anne always stayed closest to Ragna no matter what she was doing.
Krais knew it, Enkrid knew it, and even Rem was aware.
Anne liked Ragna.
Yet, Ragna was utterly oblivious.
That bastard wasn't just bad at finding his way; he was also terrible at noticing people's feelings.
"Now that I think about it, I was the same."
Ragna muttered in a voice too quiet for Anne to hear.
He was acknowledging that he, too, had harbored goodwill toward her kindness—but in a remarkably unromantic way.
"Not that I expect you to relay that to her."
"I'm just saying."
Some people might wish for their feelings to be understood.
Ragna's thoughts were simple.
For some reason, he didn't feel like going to retrieve the sunrise anymore.
Maybe that was why his chest felt tight.
Or maybe his illness had worsened.
Last night, he had coughed up blood in his sleep.
He had felt fine on the way here, though.
'Is the end approaching?'
Perhaps.
Maybe that was why he felt this way now—because his heart was fogged with uncertainty, making him want to lay bare other emotions with clarity.
"That doesn't mean I'm getting any closer to Anne."
Then,
"Unless the situation changes, that is." he murmured.
Enkrid nodded in response.
"Do as you will."
Saying he harbored goodwill but refusing to get close?
Right.
That was nonsense.
The kind of nonsense a crazy bastard would say.
Which meant there was no need to understand it.
Since their troublemakers squad days, Enkrid had long given up on deciphering Ragna and the others' thoughts.
So, instead, he stepped outside and resumed swinging his sword.
Dark storm clouds still loomed above, black as a towering wall.
The sky looked as if it had grown a pitch-black ceiling.
Could that really be clouds?
It seemed impossible.
Some people might have commented on it.
But Enkrid remained indifferent.
Sunshine would be preferable, but he wasn't about to start complaining.
He simply continued his sword practice.
And so he did.
The Ferryman never reappeared, yet his words lingered in Enkrid's mind.
Protect Anne.
Enkrid stripped away the irrelevant parts and relayed the message to Ragna.
Anne might be in danger.
Protect her.
They had already encountered monsters targeting Anne on their way here.
Ragna didn't question it; he simply followed through.
The days of pretending to be ordinary were over.
Enkrid had spent some time lost in thought.
Who had disrupted the household?
Someone had pulled the strings.
That much was undeniable.
Adding to that, someone had exploited a seemingly coincidental event.
That was as far as he got.
He did not waste time chasing answers.
It wasn't Enkrid's role to play problem-solver.
Even though he had seen and heard more than before, his stance remained unchanged.
"Lord, are you truly going to do nothing?"
One day, he saw Heskal confronting the lord after returning from the village of retirees.
Rhinox, too, had requested a private meeting with the lord, determined to push his own agenda.
But nothing changed.
Heskal, while sparring with Enkrid, sighed and muttered,
"Hah, if only the lord were a bit more proactive."
His focus in the duel had wavered, and his sword strikes lacked strength.
Enkrid retrieved Samcheol and replied,
"Are you suggesting he accept Schmit's proposal?"
"That would work too. The empire is vast, after all."
It was an empty statement, devoid of sincerity.
That was how it sounded.
Enkrid didn't understand the lord's mind.
But he did understand what Heskal wanted.
His eyes were full of ambition.
"Can I ask what it is you want to accomplish?"
Heskal's eyes held dreams and aspirations.
"I'll tell you later."
His words carried a smile, but Enkrid got the sense that whatever Heskal aimed for was nearly impossible to achieve.
Yet, he also knew Heskal wouldn't give up.
Perhaps it was the recognition of a kindred spirit.
***
"Damn it, there's no sign of Odincar."
Even after several days of searching through Yohan, they found nothing.
Magrun was nowhere to be seen, nor was Odincar.
Grida seemed restless.
That evening, an elderly woman named Mileschia came to see Anne.
She was a healer from Yohan.
"What is all this?"
After listening to a portion of Anne's research, her eyes went wide.
She exclaimed that it just might work, her excitement palpable.
As time passed, she greeted Enkrid in passing as well.
Then, one early morning, Enkrid was forcibly awakened.
Boom!
A lightning bolt struck, its deafening roar rattling his ears.
Kwoooaaaah!
Almost immediately, torrential rain pounded the ground like a relentless drumbeat.
He turned to look out the window, and the downpour was so heavy it seemed like sheets of metal were cascading from the sky.
It felt as if the ground might cave in under the assault.
"Enkrid of Border Guard."
Then, a voice called his name from beyond the door—someone he hadn't expected at this hour.
Enkrid stood up and immediately checked his equipment.
Samcheol, Penna, a short sword, a horn-handled dagger, fabric gauntlets, an undergarment gifted by the fairies, and over that, leather armor covering his shoulders and torso.
'I won't have time to put on the celestial armor.'
The rain would soak through and hinder movement.
He knew this from experience, and now he acted on instinct.
There was no reason to fully arm himself, but Enkrid carefully secured his gear before calmly opening the door.
Standing before him was the head of the household, drenched in rain.
"Follow me. Mileschia is dead."
Enkrid had no way of knowing what had happened, but the head of the household looked as if he had come to interrogate him.
"So, is this the part where I'm supposed to ask why?"
Enkrid asked while standing still.
Water pooled at the feet of the drenched head of the household.
His voice, devoid of emotion as ever, cut through the downpour.
"Just follow quietly."
Creak.
The door to the adjacent room opened.
It was Ragna.
"Who do you think you are ordering around?"
In the pitch-darkness, the flickering candlelight cast Ragna's shadow in sharp relief, making it waver like a living thing.
***
If you enjoy the series and want to get more chapters early, head over to https://payhip.com/Samowek
or head over to https://brightnovels.com/series/a-knight-who-eternally-regresses
[SHOP BEST BUY] - 50e - Every chapter translated - Latest WN-860 + daily chapters from monday to friday for a month
-KNIGHT - Cost 20e - Chapters 790-860 + daily chapters from Monday to Friday for a month
Please be sure to join the discord :)