1061. Humble Warrior of Salvation
thud.
It was a head heavier than a rock. As it fell, stone fragments flew in all directions, and the head rolled to one side before coming to a stop. The eyelids covering the vertically split snake’s eyes moved a few times. That meant the snake had blinked.
The head was one thing, but blood was on the verge of gushing out like a waterfall from the severed body.
‘ah.’
Topi was in a hurry. If the venomous monster’s blood soaked the stream, it would be quite a struggle to restore the water quality here.
Worried, he was about to push the creature’s body aside when the demonic knight let out a sharp breath, sheathed his sword, and caught the snake’s body with both hands. For a moment, his body appeared to have grown slightly larger. Encred, having puffed up his muscles to the fullest, clenched his teeth with such force that muscle fibers were visible near his jaw, lifted the snake’s body, and threw it.
humming.
It wasn’t thrown fast, nor did it fly far, but it was surprising. After all
, being skilled at slashing with a sword is a different matter from lifting and throwing a boulder thirty times larger than one’s own body.
Even if he pushed it away by catching the fall and deflecting it, it was no different from pushing a collapsing fortress aside.
You are full of energy, my fiancé.
Upon seeing that, the fairy marvels as if nothing is wrong. Toffee could not close his mouth, which had been gaping open for a while.
What did I just see?
He, too, is a hero. That means he is the foremost among the beastkin warriors. His understanding of martial prowess, which far transcends the limits of common sense, is deeper and broader than that of other warriors. Naturally, he knows that there is someone above him, and that this is not his limit.
He also knows that to other beastkin, his swordsmanship must appear as an absurd feat.
Yet, right now, he felt as though he had become an ordinary beastkin. That feeling came naturally to him.
How could he not feel that way, having witnessed such a scene right before his eyes?
Are you going to throw that?
It was like a myth of pushing a mountain with bare hands.
The blood flowing from the snake’s body ruins the water source. That was why it had been removed. The man named Enkrid had let the blood flow toward the ground rather than the stream, but he didn’t seem to like that either.
Yeah, if left like that, the ground will probably get damaged too.
The sea serpent monster’s blood was full of poison, so the ground was already turning a deep black.
Just then, the witch stepped forward. She took out a palm-sized piece of cloth and threw it near the snake’s neck.
Not bad.
As she muttered this, the handkerchief attached itself to the severed area of the snake. She wondered what it intended to do with it, but soon the blood oozing from the severed neck was sucked into the cloth presumed to be the handkerchief, leaving not a single drop of blood on the ground.
The handkerchief sucked up the blood with a slurping sound, as if water had been poured onto parched, cracked earth.
The witch used her hand, looked up at the sky once more, and turned her gaze to the severed head of the snake.
Enki.
She called my captain.
“know.”
Encred also saw the eyes rolling around on the severed snake’s head. When it blinked its eyelids, it looked like it was dying, but now it was a perfectly normal eye observing its surroundings.
It was the trick of a demon, and one living in the Realm of Darkness at that.
“Why are you guys here?”
The serpent spoke. To be precise, it was the demon controlling the serpent who spoke. Instead of considering the circumstances or other factors, Encred guessed the suspicion and mood the demon was harboring and answered him without a moment’s hesitation.
Of course I knew what you were doing and came to stop you.
Was that so?
Dunbakel was fooled for a moment, but it was not a case of mind reading. Temares lowered his head and grinned. It was a natural smile.
Am I laughing?
And so, he is surprised once again. Since this happens often when he is with a friend named Encrid, he is surprised repeatedly.
Sinar and Esther knew that Encrid was teasing them. However, Tofi fell for it completely.
Ah, to save us.
It is a deep misunderstanding. It was not Encred’s intention.
“……Who said that? Pure White? Or a necrophiliac?”
He had come here purely by chance, but there was no need to be honest. Encred raised his right hand, bent his index and middle fingers halfway, pointed at his eyes, then turned toward the other person and spoke.
“No matter what you do, I am watching.”
The devil has toyed with the continent for decades, even centuries. So, isn’t it okay to tease him a little like this?
“Do not be arrogant. You mere mortal.”
With those words, the light vanished from the serpent’s eyes. Perhaps it was the devil’s wisdom to anticipate that talking further would only provoke anger without yielding any results. After all,
retreat is the best tactic in difficult situations.
No blood flowed from the serpent’s neck. Had the poison-filled blood flowing from the sea serpent also been the devil’s trick?
Encred was quietly assessing and understanding the situation. Esther had used a spell object to capture the sea serpent’s blood within the spell world, and with a little more effort, she extracted the poison that had seeped into the air, water, and earth and burned it.
Regenerating fire, fire is uncompromising self-righteousness.
Esther utilized the flames she had realized upon seeing the otherworldly phoenix while rescuing Encred.
While purification might have been Audin’s specialty, identifying and erasing the poisonous gas spread by the sea serpent was something she was capable of as well. Whoosh!
Flames rose from her hand, scorching and burning the poison.
Sinar also intervened. She dipped her hand into the water, scattering the vital energy she held within her body. The vital energy possessed by a fairy is pure and clean. It would cleanse the remaining poison from the water. If
there were a few exceptionally talented individuals among the Dryuers in her city, she could handle the situation more efficiently, but for now, this was Sinar’s best option.
Emptying and filling up again is the cycle.
As she did so, she recalled the fundamentals of her swordsmanship. Had he come to resemble Encred after calling him his fiancée so often?
Suddenly, she recalled the principles of swordsmanship. If humans wield will, fairies wield vital energy.
My vital energy is based on the cycle of the four seasons.
You do not lose your vital energy just because you let it flow a little. If you try to catch the rain when it rains, you will gain nothing but a few drops of moisture on your body, but if you cup your hand and wait, water will collect.
It circulates.
“Replenish the vital energy you have lost. The place where the surrounding air was clear, the river water was clear, the trees were sturdy, and the sweet scent of fruit filled the air was as brimming with vital energy as a city of fairies.
” Dunbakel stared intently at Esther and Sinar and spoke.
“Why go to such lengths? They’re going to use a few precious fruits and figure it out on their own anyway.”
“Will we just stand by and watch Suwon fall apart? The beastmen will figure it out on
their own. Of course, they must have a means saved up as well
.” Sinar quietly repeated the word “cycle” to himself, then turned his gaze to look at Dunbakel. “It wasn’t said out of any particular complaint.
The cycle includes the principle of the world where if you treat someone rightly and justly, that kindness returns to you.”
I save Enki and cherish him.
Just as he had saved himself.
Kindness circulates. That is what a cycle is. To add one more thing, I spoke for the sake of the foolish yet pure Suin who pouted his lips as if dissatisfied.
This is where you were born.
Dunbakel neither blinked his golden eyes nor gave a specific answer.
Esther replied with only the back of her head visible. She had just started to enjoy handling flames.
However, that did not mean she did this solely for fun.
It is a favor. A light one.
It was exactly as it was said. It was an honest and straightforward answer.
Dunbakel offered no response. He simply sought out his god,
filled with gratitude for everything: the fact that those two cared for him, that the Border Guard had become his home, and even that he had met a person named Encred.
O Creamhart.
The Goddess of the Warrior speaks of revenge, but revenge is always a concept with two faces.
For forgiveness always accompanies revenge.
Dunbakel simply nodded. That was his entire response to the gratitude. Regardless
of what the three were doing on one side, Encred had roughly grasped the situation.
To be precise, he couldn’t detect everything the demon was doing, but he had definitely figured out one thing.
Apart from the Demon Realm, these devils project their power and will here and there.
Their purpose is unknown, but there is a history of what they have done. And I know that their existence is of no benefit to those who have made this continent their home.
Come to think of it, the cultists and the monster colonies were clearly the result of someone’s intentions.
I also suspected that someone might have brought all the famous monsters of the Pen-Hanil Mountains there as well. It is a guess, but one that is close to certainty.
As I eliminate the hordes of monsters living in the mountain range.
One day, it will come to an end. Perhaps one day, several woodcutters will cut wood alone, avoiding beast droppings, and fairies will settle beneath the mountain range, fully enjoying the forest’s spirit.
There will also be explorers climbing the mountains despite their lack of skill in swordsmanship.
Once the monsters running rampant in the East disappear, Anu will be able to achieve his desired goal more easily.
The King of the East’s dream was to see the end of the world, and before that, to thoroughly explore what lay in the land called the East.
Encred was sorting out these thoughts when a sobbing voice reached his ears.
“……For our sake.”
Tofi, whose misunderstanding has deepened, looks at Encred with a choked voice. Are rabbit shapeshifters naturally prone to tears?
Come to think of it, maybe all shapeshifters are like that. Dunbakel seems to cry quite easily, too.
“Ah, warrior of salvation.”
Excited, Tofi shouted in a tearful voice, as if singing. Then, kicking the ground repeatedly as he approached, he held out both hands clasped together toward Encred.
In beastkin society, this gesture signifies that he is willing to become his slave, representing respect, reverence, love, awe, and adoration.
Encred did not show any sign of bewilderment. Although he did not know the exact meaning behind the gesture, he had roughly figured it out through Tofi’s reaction.
If asked why he wasn’t flustered despite knowing the meaning, it was because he understood the reaction of the beastkin standing before him.
I overheard them provoking the devil from the side.
That was easy to misunderstand.
Judging by Dunbakel, Beastmen are simple beings. Not all Beastmen are like that, but generally they are. If humans are a species that imitates and accepts everything, fairies are laid-back, and dwarves are stubborn, then the defining characteristic of the Beastmen species is simplicity.
Of course, not every species lives strictly adhering to its own racial traits.
Unique individuals exist everywhere. Just as there are Frogs who make jewelry and giants who sell goods.
In any case, Encred took note of the simplicity of Beastmen once again.
“They unhesitatingly lay down the lives of eight elders.”
He did not ask to be spared, to go kill first, or to come back if there was no other way to soothe his mind.
There was not a single such question. He simply offered his neck.
I don’t know if I should call it pure.
Or perhaps I should say they are naive.
Maintaining a life of wariness and exclusion rather than interaction with other species must be due to the characteristics of this species.
“Thanks to such innocence, it would be difficult to do business with a calculating merchant whose eyes are red with greed to secure their own gain.”
A fairy would wait three days or a month until the conditions she wants were met, causing the merchant to pace anxiously, but a beastman is not like that.
You’re easily deceived and fall for it.
They will likely try to break into a deal, even if it means putting on a show. There will be many looking to exploit weaknesses and profit. It is a simple prediction, but I am convinced of it.
The reason for excluding those around him since the time of King Seonjo.
It is because they are people who are truly easy to deceive and easily deceived. It is because that is an instinct imprinted in their blood.
Whatever the case, Encrid intended to say it was a misunderstanding. That she hadn’t come for that reason.
Dunbakel noticed Encrid’s expression and realized that what she had said earlier was a lie. She was different from ordinary werewolves. Still, she was the type heavily stained by the grime of the secular world. It wasn’t that she smelled stale, but she was, in any case, a werewolf who knew how to live.
We didn’t fight for that reason, so there’s no need to go that far.
It was a remark made because he had been secretly concerned about the hero Tofi for some time, but Dunbakel’s words ended up going completely off the mark, contrary to his intention.
Tofi knows that Dunbakel came here for revenge.
Abandoned child.
Tofi knows Dunbakel. That is why. Regardless of Dunbakel’s intentions, Tofi thought that the Demonic Knight had simply not gone out of his way to tell Dunbakel the noble purpose he harbored. After all, what would Dunbakel understand even if he did tell him?
Tofi had grown up with Dunbakel, and thanks to the memories they shared during their childhood, his thoughts easily gravitated in this direction.
So you fought alone, harboring that resolve without telling anyone.
Topi reached a conclusion. It was the sound of the misunderstanding deepening.
“Hey, no.”
Dunbakel spoke again, but Topi had no intention of changing his fixed mind. His
attitude was that Sinar, Esther, and Temares could do whatever they wanted.
Ah, I don’t know.
Dunbakel also gave up quickly.
It’s really not true.
Encred spoke once again, but Toffee was only more impressed.
“Humble Warrior of Salvation!”
Moreover, the words describing him had increased.
If he denied it one more time, would he become some kind of salvation hero whose humility had reached its peak?
That was a bit unpleasant to hear.
