Chapter 934 - Who Shall I Kill?
It had been a while since the two had seen each other. They had more than enough topics to discuss.
"If the Border Guard were to harbor ulterior motives, you wouldn't be able to respond, and leasing military force could lead to unreasonable situations, right?"
Enkrid replied to Leona's explanation.
"We really speak the same language. How about quitting as the Knight Commander and coming to work as my Vice Guild Master?"
"Wouldn't your current Vice Guild Master be terribly hurt?"
"What can he do about it? We're talking about the Commander of the Madmen Knights joining us."
The two met each other's eyes and chuckled.
The soft, breathy sound of their laughter was pleasant.
A few jokes acted as a seasoning to fill the gaps in time.
The two chatted about this and that.
Even as a Guild Master, Leona wasn't the type to spare her own body.
If necessary, she frequently led the caravan herself.
This trip was one of those times.
"Do you know what the Tree of Paradise is?"
Enkrid searched his memory.
It felt like an eternity since he had last visited the West.
This was one of the side effects of Today's curse.
Leona opened her left hand and used her right index and middle fingers to mimic digging into her palm as if it were dirt.
"Gopher nuts?"
Seeing the gesture, he barely managed to pull the memory out and answer.
Leona nodded.
"I heard they recently succeeded in cultivating gophers in the West."
She dusted off her hands with a clap.
Her eyes sparkled the entire time she spoke.
Like an excited child who had found a precious treasure, she continued.
"The drinks made from the Tree of Paradise taste incredible. We're going to supply them to inns and cafeterias."
Good goods sell for a good price.
That is the foundation of trade.
A miner is captivated by precious iron, a chef by rare ingredients.
And a merchant is captivated by anything that turns into gold coins.
Just like Leona right now.
"So you're going to negotiate in person."
The fact that the Guild Master was moving personally proved she placed considerable weight on this matter.
"We loaded up some gifts, too."
The scale of the caravan wasn't small.
There were over eight cargo wagons trailing behind them.
However, not all the gifts were material goods.
The West always lacked grain.
They were bringing the fundamental methods to improve the land, ways to store grown crops, farming techniques, blueprints for waterwheels and windmills, and the secrets to laying waterways.
They had more than enough to share.
Of course, all of this would only be meaningful if crops could properly grow in the Western soil.
"It's not something that will happen overnight."
It was a fact everyone knew.
Thanks to the opened trade routes, people were no longer starving to death, but that was only true in the central regions of the West.
The ethnic minorities on the outskirts still lived rough, harsh lives.
What they needed wasn't immediate grain, but a way to survive in the future.
As Enkrid fell into thought, Leona shrugged and added.
"So, what's this about you going around killing all sorts of ridiculous things? It's an unbelievable feat. If bards took your name out of their songs right now, half of them would have to find new jobs."
You could say the entire continent was screaming the name of the Madmen Knights.
Thanks to that, the letters he received from ladies, including nobles, had increased tenfold.
Leona treated him as a close friend now, just as she always had, and Enkrid liked that.
Enkrid gave her a condensed version of his fights in the South, also including the Beelrog fight.
He put special effort into the story of Weird Eyes spreading his wings and taking flight.
"That's amazing."
Leona didn't hide her awe.
She rarely had the chance to speak simply as Leona the person, rather than as a Guild Master.
She enjoyed this time, too.
That was why she knew her boundaries.
She didn't view Weird Eyes merely as a beast.
She didn't throw out questions like, 'If he breeds, won't all the foals be pegasi?'
According to the letters, a few nobles in the capital were spouting nonsense about buying Weird Eyes.
Enkrid just wondered if they would still say such things to his face.
She laughed out loud at some stories and nodded along in agreement at others.
They say the boredom of travel is cured by chatter.
Perhaps this was one of those times.
They rode in the carriage during the day and prepared to camp after sunset.
They could have stopped at a city, but they were used to camping as they moved along the Stone Road.
The Stone Road was built to detour around cities to keep monsters away, making it difficult to find towns along the way.
However, since it was designated as a safe route, guard posts were stationed intermittently, fully stocked with the equipment and supplies needed for camping.
The caravan workers were beyond accustomed to it; they expertly pitched tents, set up cots, and built fires.
They got everything done in a flash.
They looked as trained and battle-ready as any army.
Over a hundred people were traveling together, yet hardly anyone was resting.
The field tent they set up was quite cozy.
"It's thanks to Krais."
Leona said as she tied the tent flap shut, answering his remark about it being cozy and warm.
"Krais?"
"The heating stones that friend of yours distributed have been a huge help for winter travel. It would be great to sell them as they are, but he said they aren't for sale yet."
According to Leona, that was the case.
Curious about what a heating stone was, Enkrid looked closer and saw it was an improved version of the new ore created by salamanders.
The mechanism involved placing five stones on a fireproof net in the center of the tent to radiate heat.
He really was resourceful.
It hadn't been long since the ore was discovered, yet he had already found places to use it and even refined it.
'Even the way it's processed into that shape...'
The fireproof net was also woven from monster leather.
'Didn't he say he also opened trade with that Human village in front of the Demonic Realm?'
Krais had pulled strings to ensure people and merchant caravans frequented every place Enkrid had been.
He shared the profits gained from this with everyone.
If only one person's belly is full, it means nothing.
They say salon culture only flourishes when everyone has some breathing room.
"Because those are luxury goods."
Krais had said that with absolute conviction.
He truly was an amazing guy.
Enkrid warmed up his body just enough to avoid breaking a sweat.
It was difficult to wash since the guard post didn't have a well.
Even if they dug a waterway to make one, the area around the Border Guard in midwinter was so cold the well would freeze over immediately.
On the first night of camping, Enkrid lay down and fell asleep.
He dreamed.
"Now, who shall I kill?"
It was a voice full of twisted joy.
It was a nightmare that began with the Ferryman's question.
The moment of falling asleep is never consciously perceived.
Therefore, whenever he dreamed of the Ferryman, he always felt as if he had been suddenly dragged onto the boat.
He had definitely closed his eyes in bed, but it felt like he was opening them in a completely different place.
If that place was the boat, he was so used to it by now that there was no reason to panic.
'This isn't the boat.'
Enkrid checked his surroundings.
It was a bridge.
A swaying bridge—more precisely, a flimsy suspension bridge that wouldn't be surprising if it snapped at any moment.
Beneath his feet were wooden planks, supported diagonally by thick, twisted ropes.
'Is there a cliff below?'
It was a bit strange to say that.
Because of the purple fog in front and behind him, he couldn't see anything.
All he could perceive was the bridge, and the black river flowing somewhere far below.
The Ferryman was hovering above Enkrid's head.
Without his boat, he floated in mid-air holding a single lantern, and opened his mouth.
"Now, who will you kill?"
The Ferryman asked.
The corners of his mouth stretched wide from ear to ear, forming a deeply unpleasant smile.
It was out of arm's reach, but the distance was only about five steps.
They could see each other's faces perfectly clearly.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
Enkrid asked with genuine curiosity, as he always did.
If you're going to smile, isn't it better to smile pleasantly?
Making a face like that wasn't going to scare him anyway.
"It is a sign of my amusement. Look behind you."
Enkrid obediently looked back.
Beyond the veil of fog, a lumped figure was visible.
Its fingers twitched, and its body trembled.
If asked who it was, he would have to answer that he didn't know.
He could tell it had a face, hands, and feet, but its features weren't clear.
The fog cleverly obscured the face and distinguishing physical traits.
It felt like looking through a sheer cloth where only the silhouette passed through.
The blunt figure was crouched on the ground.
Was it looking this way?
It certainly seemed so.
However, one thing was certain.
'It's someone I know.'
He also knew it was someone close to him.
He didn't know who it was, but it was someone close?
It sounded like a contradiction, but it was what his intuition told him.
The moment he realized this, a sense of loss reared its head.
Regardless of his resolve, losing an acquaintance was painful.
This was the start of the nightmare.
"Look at the other side."
Enkrid's gaze shifted forward.
He saw another lumped figure there.
Crouched in a similar manner.
Enkrid knew that once he took a step from where he stood, he couldn't come back and cross to the other side.
This was the law, the rule, and the predetermined fate here.
"This is the law, the rule, and the predetermined fate."
The thought that arose in his mind was repeated aloud from the Ferryman's mouth.
"One will remain. Your hand will only reach one."
The Ferryman, his mouth stretched wide, said again.
'I cannot turn back.'
One will remain.
Enkrid did not walk.
He stopped right there.
The dream ended quickly.
He woke up around dawn.
He opened his eyes out of habit, as it was his usual time to rise.
The moment Enkrid got up, he reached out and grabbed his sword.
He had placed it right under his bed before sleeping.
"I've named it 'Night Stroll'. You can take it with you for now."
Aetri's words came to mind.
It was a sword with a blade darker than the broken Dawn.
It was the item Aetri had handed him when he said he was leaving.
What was fascinating was that it felt just as sharp, just as excellent, and just as undeniably an Inscribed Weapon as Dawn, which he had wielded before.
'And yet, it's only a temporary sword.'
Perhaps it proved just how massive Aetri's ambition had become.
As he gripped the hilt, the sense of loss lingering from the nightmare slowly dispersed.
Enkrid spent the second day as if nothing had happened.
During the day, there was light sparring and training.
Occasionally, the caravan guards would approach him to ask for pointers.
Rem slept during the day and slept during the night.
He acted like a man recovering from a battered body, preparing for a fight.
***
"Isn't this a bit boring?"
Dunbakel commented on the leisurely journey.
Naurilia had poured its heart and soul into clearing out the monsters and beasts roaming the interior of the continent.
That effort had also affected the Stone Road heading West.
Furthermore, the West had also set their minds to this task.
You could say they had joined hands to eradicate every threatening element along the routes.
It was a quiet, peaceful, and boring road.
Just a few years ago, such an atmosphere would have been unimaginable.
It wasn't completely devoid of tension, but compared to the past, it was overflowing with leisure.
"Alright, let's make good time today, too!"
Leona shouted from the front.
The road was peaceful.
A journey without bandits, monsters, or beasts was originally supposed to be this uneventful.
When night fell again, Enkrid had the same dream.
"Now, who shall I kill?"
The Ferryman asked.
It was the same question as yesterday, accompanied by the same smile.
Behind that terribly unpleasant face, Enkrid recalled a previous version of the Ferryman.
Specifically, he remembered the words of the Ferryman when it had appeared in the form of a woman.
"If you had to choose one of two options, what would you do? It is time to solve a dilemma, mortal."
At that time, the female Ferryman had called it a dilemma.
This nightmare was an extension of that dream.
Except for the areas obscured by fog, it was only a five-step distance in either direction.
Enkrid didn't take a single step toward either side.
"So you intend to kill both."
The Ferryman giggled.
Listening to that laughter, Enkrid woke from the dream.
"Good morning!"
"Well, did you have a good dream?"
"Isn't this a bit boring?"
Leona started the day with a glowing face, surprisingly radiant for someone sleeping in a field tent; Rem tossed out his words with half-sleepy eyes; and Dunbakel looked like she was itching for action.
"Yeah."
He had the nightmare again on the night of the third day.
It was the exact same dream.
Enkrid didn't take a step this time, either.
The fourth night was the same.
He opened his eyes on the bridge where the nightmare began, but this time, the dream didn't continue.
Instead of smiling, the Ferryman narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"You are lucky. You should have withered and died by now."
Before the words even finished, Enkrid opened his eyes in reality.
'Why?'
One side of his head felt heavy, like he had been jolted awake from a light sleep.
The reason he woke up instantly hammered into his ears.
Roooooar!
It was a roar twice as loud as any ordinary beast's shriek.
He grabbed his sword, threw on his gear roughly, and rushed out, just in time to see a shadow's head explode with a pop before collapsing.
It was under the dim moonlight.
The thud of the falling torso and its general shape made the identity of it explicitly clear.
'A giant.'
No tents were collapsed, and no one was hurt.
The giant that had just fallen had charged blindly, only to get its head blown off.
There was no need to ask who had burst that head.
"Did you leave something here? Why the hell are you giant bastards always throwing a fit?"
A shout rang out.
While there was no exact line dictating 'this is the West' from here on, they had just crossed the boundary where it could roughly be considered Western territory.
They had walked quite a distance after receiving supplies from the safe-route guard post.
The one who took down the giant was the Westerner who had picked up his axe in a foul mood after receiving a letter from his wife.
Rem, standing with his weight shifted to one leg, rested his axe on one shoulder and swiftly wound up the sling he had been spinning in his left hand, tucking it into his coat.
"Die, all of you."
Rem charged forward just like that.
You could say he lunged the moment he pinpointed the location of the giant group.
The reason he acted so recklessly was likely because he trusted the two left behind.
Despite the ambush, Leona didn't panic and guided the workers and personnel to the center of the camp.
"This way!"
It was a smart move.
Even if there were a few guards and workers, the main fighting force here was himself, Rem, and Dunbakel.
Leona gathered the people in one spot to make it easier for these three to protect everyone.
Thanks to pitching the tents around the supplies in the center when setting up camp, using the wagons as a barricade was also an excellent countermeasure.
"Dunbakel."
When Enkrid called her name, the beastkin bounded over as if popping out of nowhere.
"What?"
"Focus on taking out the ones that enter a certain radius around the central tents. Right now, over there."
In terms of perception in the dark, the beastkin possessed sensory organs superior to Enkrid's.
Moreover, her sense of smell was outstanding even among beastkin.
Before his words even finished, Dunbakel moved.
The giants were closing in, forming a circle around the caravan, and a few of them were taking massive strides inward.
Dunbakel lunged at one of them.
Bang.
Kicking off the ground with a loud thud, Dunbakel's blade sliced the back of the giant's knee.
Then, like a squirrel climbing a tree, she scaled the giant's leg and severed its neck.
Thwack!
The sound of the neck being severed was similar to an axe chopping into a massive tree.
With two strikes, a giant collapsed to the ground.
The massive body sprawled out with a heavy thud.
In the dim moonlight, dark red blood pooled on the ground, threatening to form a pond.
"What about the Captain?"
Having dispatched one, Dunbakel shouted her question.
Enkrid realized that over the past few days, a lot of frustration had unconsciously built up inside him due to the nightmares.
Even if he tried not to care, it was a dream specifically designed to grate on his nerves.
Instead of answering, Enkrid shot off in the opposite direction of where Rem had charged.
"Ah, seriously, why do I always have to defend?!"
Dunbakel grumbled from behind, but Enkrid ignored her.
He focused his Will on his hearing.
Giants are a species opposite to Fairies.
They are beings that find it difficult to move silently or hide their presence.
Finding where the group of giants was gathered wasn't a difficult task.
'Tactics?'
Their movements smelled like it.
While encircling the caravan, they were amassed in two specific locations.
One was where Rem had attacked, and the other was on the opposite side.
'Strike from the front, draw their attention, then strike from the back.'
Simply charging with brute force would normally be enough to crush a caravan like this, but attacking sequentially from front and back made it difficult for the defenders to respond.
It was a tactical movement.
They were a trained group.
***
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