1030. Preparation
It is a unique perspective.
Jitte cheered him on again. His first lesson was a single question. Afterward, he woke from his sleep once more, pushed away the flames as he climbed, met a bird, and died.
How many times had he repeated that?
He had spent so many days that counting seemed meaningless. Dying with a burning sensation. Enkrid felt as though he had fallen into a new labyrinth within a labyrinth.
Wasn’t it supposed to be fine if we just did things the way we usually do?
Believing that, they gradually guided Will to change. The Knights of the Empire all nodded in agreement as well. Apart from the expectations for his growth, they confirmed that the path they were currently taking was not wrong.
Is that right?
Prima Hilt’s question contains the answer.
I asked because you were wrong.
He pondered deeply. The three boatmen, who had appeared one by one without warning, knew nothing of boredom. They looked around Encred and spoke only of what they needed to say from their own standpoints.
“Watch closely.”
“If you’ve thought it through, produce a result.”
“Still haven’t given up? Fine, hang in there, my baby. If you keep burning to death, there’ll be a certain thrill to that burning.”
Leaving Primahild’s snickering laughter behind, Encred thought and swung his sword. Although there was still no progress, he somehow climbed the mountain toward the Phoenix.
“What do you want? The destruction of the continent?”
It wasn’t exactly a joke; it was just for a change of pace. Stopping the day that had been repeating itself, Enkrid asked Zion as if spitting it out. ”
What is this boatman’s wish?” Zaiden, who had longed for peace, wanted to meet his deceased wife, child, and adoptive father.
In a way, escaping this curse itself was his wish. However, even if he were freed from the curse, there was no telling whether his wish would actually come true.
Zion Bant, the pessimistic boatman, blinked slowly three times and replied.
“Why are you coming at me like that? I don’t care about the destruction of the continent.”
“Then what is it?”
Zion hesitated for a moment.
Well, um.
Still, perhaps because I spent quite a bit of time here, I found the answer.
It is to break free from the curse and forget everything.
He desires a true death. He wishes to leave his suffering behind. Because life was so painful, oblivion became his fervent wish.
His life was truly not easy. He wanted the rest of closing his eyes at any moment.
It is fine if he leaves nothing behind. It is enough to simply end this life. This is the dream of the pessimist boatman, Zion Vant.
It would be truly cruel to him to harbor vain hopes only to be thwarted. The harshness of the life he endured while alive had not given him this kind of patience.
“okay.”
Enkrid ended up answering that way. Next, he turned his gaze to Jitte.
My friend is tied up here. My wish is to save him.
He could have lived as a boatman without any trouble. Because he was a Dragon, a solitary walker, he harbored no tragedy or misfortune like others. Judging by
the fact that he declared saving his friend as his goal, he must have already made it his duty when he was a Dragon.
Thanks to Temares, I now know a fair amount about the Dragons. Suddenly, I thought of a comrade who might be outside today’s curse.
Nothing bad will happen.
Naturally, I was concerned about the outside world, but now was not the time to worry about others.
I knew that Jitte’s friend was not one of the boatmen I had met so far. Of course, it wasn’t the other two who had just revealed themselves, either. Considering that, isn’t there too little intimacy
between them? Is there some sort of loyalty formed from living confined for so long?
“Are you going to ask me too?”
Primahild asked, with the staff slung over her shoulder. They had already repeated the cycle of dodging, hitting, blocking, fighting, and exchanging questions over and over again. This time, she was asking about a wish.
“Is this liberation from a curse?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it. Well, people call this a curse, but it’s bearable. It’s better here than where I used to live. The pain is a bit hard to endure, but it’s bearable. And the appearance of a new mortal adds a fresh touch.”
She is the opposite of Zion. Having survived the Dark Ages, she laughs off even the hardships of being a boatman. Though not genuinely.
Then, what is her wish?
The extermination of things called demons.
He spoke while slamming the stick down. His attitude was one of neither needing nor caring for a response.
The sparring continued. Encred turned his body and unleashed a heavy sword imbued with vortex—rotational power.
The sword, now gaining speed, tore through the air. If there were a castle wall ahead, it would smash it; if there were a giant, it would split it in two.
That was the nature of his sword strike. The stick struck it twice, altering its trajectory. It possessed
overwhelmingly superior speed and strength, and an eye that read the direction of the fight.
All of this stemmed from extraordinary senses, physical strength, and experience.
Setting experience aside here, why was he being outmatched in senses and physical strength?
It was just like fighting the blonde swordsman. The purity of the Will swirling within his body was different. If this side was a sandcastle built with water, the other was a castle built of stones. It was a difference that could not be overcome by mere instantaneous changes in nature.
Moreover, Primahild was a weasel-like beastman. He had better reflexes and athletic ability than any other prisoner.
It is like the difference between a fine horse and a donkey.
It felt like the difference between a newborn giant and a human.
Still, I endured. Using the skills, experience, and tactics I had accumulated, I dodged her staff. When an opening appeared, Enkrid spoke.
That is the best dream I have heard so far.
He is roughly the same as himself. Is that why he is cheering for himself?
“But it’s not going to happen, because I want to do it with my own hands.”
“You’re an optimist.”
The Worrier called out to him. I wondered when it had been, but when asked about his wish, Primahild’s eyes shone with a golden light. She spoke, her eyes gleaming.
“This is getting serious. Don’t butt in. You’ve already made up your side, and you have no choice.”
“Hey, if you met me with a healthy body, you’d be dead.”
Shion also intervened, but Primahild ignored her.
For some reason, Shion and Jitte had lost some authority, while Primahild still possessed it.
“Encred, you cute little brat, did you think I was rooting for you?”
Wasn’t it?
“Don’t answer with your face, you mortal. Ah, let’s say again, you mortal who is absolutely killer-looking.”
Encred stared at her.
“If you can’t escape from here, hand your body over to me.”
The boatman made a suggestion. This was a very special case. Half of it was a spirit, and this place had one foot in the other world.
She intends to achieve her goal, even if it means twisting a curse. In terms of sheer willpower, she was second to none.
“But what if I win?”
Encred asked. It was, how should I put it, an old habit to speak in such an arrogant and cocky tone at a time like this.
“I will give you everything. If you want, I’ll even be your bed partner in your dreams.”
“I’ll decline that.”
“If it’s not fair, no one will agree.”
Jitte intervened.
“Uh, so I intend to proceed fairly. Achieve a transformation of purity. I will help. I will help with all my might, so be bound here in the end and hand over your body.”
It is a statement expressing conviction that even if a change in purity is achieved, one remains bound to this present day. The conditions of the bet were simple:
help with all your might, but if you ultimately fail to break free from this present day, give up.
“receipt.”
Encred replied, ”
I tend not to stand bets like this.” The words slipped out before he knew it. Primahild couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into genuine laughter.
“Hahaha, you funny bastard.”
It was a cheerful attitude.
He would achieve it no matter how many times he repeated today. Encreed charged toward his goal.
Purity isn’t something you change little by little.
We realize things while dying, and learn anew while moving our bodies.
“Think carefully. Usuke is a river that never stops. Let’s say you try to change the color of the river. Can you change it little by little?”
As promised, Primahild did her best.
That’s right.
Will’s density is variable, but his purity is not. It simply exists in that very spot. The answer became clear. He faced a twinkling star once again.
Vague concepts flashed clearly through his mind, followed by Primahild’s teachings.
Clumsily realizing something resembling an answer, putting it into practice, and repeating today once more. What might have been a tedious moment for others was a continuous stream of joy for Encred.
A euphoria that transcended the pain of burning to death drenched him. It was to the point where even the boatman marveled, thinking, “This bastard is truly insane.”
* * *
Esther’s heart believed he was alive, but her head considered reality.
Did he die?
It was inevitable that such a question arose. Only half a day had passed here, but how much time had passed where Encred was taken?
The time gap is large.
She intentionally fell into a semi-conscious state to glimpse the other world. It is filled with starlight. There are so many that it is impossible to even count each and every one of them.
Where could it be?
How long would it take to examine those countless stars one by one, enter them personally, and find the single person who stayed within?
If luck is on my side, I might find Encred’s corpse, but if the Goddess of Fate turns her back, I will wander for a lifetime.
I never learned how to give up from him.
This is what Sinar is saying from outside. Although Esther is observing the world through her fluid form, she has not shut off her hearing, so she could hear the voices from the outside. The
party is forming a circle with Esther at the center. Rem sat with his knees raised, resting both arms on them and gripping an axe. The axe in his hands dangled precariously. He
is resting in the optimal posture. It is as if he has finished preparing to get up and fight anywhere, however, if things go wrong.
Saxen stood opposite Rem, with Esther at the center. Although he was in his usual posture with his arms crossed, Saxen was just as ready.
Sinar looked at Esther and sat down, folding his cloak to make a chair, while Temares lay down beside him.
Watching them all, Krang thought that if things went wrong, they would do whatever it took to go see Encred.
The same goes for me.
“Taeyangsu, do you… do you not possess the power to traverse dimensions?”
Though words were of no use, she asked the power residing within her. No answer returned. Instead, the tattooed part of her forearm stung.
It seemed to be telling her to shut up with her nonsense.
Esther merely appeared to be lost in deep thought. She remained seated and repeated what she had been doing.
It was a readiness to seek him out at any moment, whenever the signs appeared.
“Let’s get something to eat. Stew—no, not stew. Something easy to hold and eat.”
Krang said. The Royal Guard poured water over dried meat powder or jerky to make it palatable.
“Oh, I’m hungry too. Make sure I get some.”
Rem spoke while seated, which was to be expected. Although he said so, his gaze was fixed on Esther, and he showed no intention of getting up from his seat.
I said let’s eat together.
Krang gestured as he spoke. Food was distributed to everyone. Saxen also took some and filled his stomach. One
couldn’t possibly say he had lost his strength because he hadn’t eaten at the most critical moment.
Krang considered sending a messenger to the Border Guard but decided against it.
Esther is here. She is the sorceress Encred trusts the most. In other words, if the witch before him cannot resolve this…
I’ll just grab the Emperor by the collar.
It is a trap set by those bastards, the Lords of the Demon Realm. Instead of dousing themselves in oil and jumping into the flames, they have set up camp outside the fire.
Whether it is the Emperor’s fault or not is irrelevant. I intend to order Encred to be brought in by any means necessary.
What if that still fails? What if it is impossible even if the Emperor sacrifices his life?
It will be sad, difficult, and you will feel irritated and angry, but…
My friend, I will carry on your legacy.
After finally erasing the Demon Realm and wiping out the war through a meeting with the Emperor, I will bestow upon you the title of Knight of the End of War and engrave your name and title on the obelisk.
Don’t leave me only one way to honor and remember you.
Krang desperately wished for it. In the meantime, Esther opened her eyes. Her completely motionless action drew everyone’s attention, as if she had suddenly risen from her seat and was dancing. Rem
, who had been chewing on jerky, stopped. A piece of the jerky he had been eating poked out from the corner of his mouth.
Sinar, who had been crunching and swallowing nuts, also stopped, and everyone let out a quiet breath.
“preparation.”
Esther said. No one asked what kind of preparation it was, what had to be done, or how it had to be done. Since it was called preparation, she simply prepared.
