1054. Camping and Drowning
“Haha, of course I don’t believe such things. There is no misunderstanding.”
Before Encred could say anything, Sinar spoke with a fake laugh, his eyes gleaming as if he were an investigator uncovering a secret. The sight of him smiling with only his mouth slightly parted, while his eyes remained the same, was truly chilling.
You don’t believe me.
While I was thinking that, Yongin, who had trudged over from one side, said
“I don’t believe it. You are full of distrust and suspicion.”
It is the skill of mind reading. Even after hearing those words, Sinar gave another fake laugh as if nothing had happened. It was the sound of laughing with choppy pronunciation, “Ha, ha, ha.”
“You mean there was a good vibe with the Emperor of the Empire, too?”
Esther asks. A Star Child or a Star Witch.
Judging solely by her abilities, she is a sorceress who would be one of the foremost among those roaming the spell world.
She was now prying into past events, and meaningless ones at that.
Is that right?
I ask again.
“No, that didn’t happen.”
A good vibe? There has never been. Although I received the Emperor’s favor, she didn’t see me as anything romantic.
If you ask how I know, I would say it’s because I’ve been battered by all sorts of things since I was young. Even during my days as a mercenary, I was constantly hit on.
Because of that, I was even stabbed out of the blue in the middle of the night. No, actually, it happened many times. Thanks to those damn jealous bastard men.
Do not covet my love.
A guy I had never even seen before barged in at night and stabbed me in the stomach. A cheerful female mercenary had fallen for Encred at first sight, and he was the one targeting her.
Should I call it an assassination of pure love? Had I been just a little unluckier, I might have limped for the rest of my life, but I narrowly avoided being stabbed in a relatively good spot.
Come to think of it, he had gone through all sorts of trouble because of women.
It wasn’t like this at first, but every time that happened, Encred distanced himself from women a little. This was especially true for women he couldn’t handle.
He could handle any emperor or princess of any empire now, but for now, the fight against the Demon Realm was his priority.
Distrust, suspicion.
Temares read someone’s mind once more. This time, it was Esther.
“That is how a witch feels.”
“Why are you here?”
Temares blinked a few times at Encred’s question. His expression seemed to imply, “Why are you asking the obvious?” And the words that followed were exactly that.
Where you go, I go. It is my duty.
The duty of a Dragon Knight takes precedence over justice and desire, and disregards the rules and order of the world.
Therefore, Temares’s words just now were no different from saying he would pursue them until death.
This Dragon Knight will be of particular help when fighting the Demon Realm. Based on previous battles, his skill is second to none within the Knights.
What did Crys say again when he saw Temares?
“Yongin? Isn’t it a gift from the Goddess of Fate, given because it was unfavorable?”
Well, I did say something like that.
Let’s combine this with practical training on the way.
Temares said. He also now roughly knows what Encred wants.
“I came up with and developed a few new technologies.”
“Let’s go together.”
The answer came back immediately. It was the moment when dawn was slowly breaking. Yongin, who had lemon-colored hair, saw his hair slowly return from dark blue to its original color. He smiled and nodded. Isn’t this a very satisfying outcome?
“I’ll go with you. There’s no misunderstanding, though.”
Here, a fairy speaks.
“Watching a good current flow helps with magic.”
Esther adds, “
Did Crys try to stop these two from leaving, too? They weren’t the type
to listen even if he tried. In a way, weren’t they the most stubbornly disobedient ones in the Order of the Mad Knights?”
“That’s absolutely right, yeah. Exactly. Of course. I’m the one who listens the best.”
If Rem had heard this, he would have agreed. Encred nodded in agreement.
After all, Rem wasn’t the type to listen to advice, he didn’t actually have a lover hidden in the Beast City, and it was a journey with a clear purpose.
“Let’s see how lovely she is. Yes, I am indeed curious to see if she will win with her figure, just like that Emperor.”
Sinar muttered in a whisper. In the past, it would have been barely audible, but Will, whose purity had increased, needlessly snatched up her words.
As their eyes met, Sinar spoke with the same expression as usual.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
You sound like you don’t care whether I listen or not.
“Tch.”
Dunbakel clicked her tongue beside her. Even though she had given up hope, if they had left alone this time, something unexpected might have happened.
Though she hadn’t even bothered to bathe in lavender oil, she didn’t think it was absolutely necessary to wash before
setting out. After all, wouldn’t washing become pointless if you sweat on the road? Dunbakel was a person who valued efficiency when it came to washing.
As the slowly rising sun brightly illuminated everyone’s faces.
Aren’t you going?
Esther asked, and Encred set off with only a small backpack slung over his back.
Since they had decided to go, Encred talked about swordsmanship and spells the entire way, and even taught Dunbakel the knack of using life force.
In doing so, he pondered the difference between a fairy’s spirit and life force.
The Dragon Man said that whether such power is called Will or something else, it all boils down to one thing.
Just then, the concept that the boatman Jitte had mentioned emerged from the Dragon Man’s lips.
“Manifestatio Vigoris, they say. I just changed it to make it easier to write and say.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“I don’t know. Some of Yongin’s memories are passed down from generation to generation.”
Yongin is a solitary being. However, that does not mean he receives nothing from his predecessors.
Encred and others also learned this through Temares.
“Yongin inherits a part of the memories of the ancestors. Rather than personal memories, perhaps it is best viewed as the passing down of a certain power? That would be the best concept. To be precise, it would be more accurate to call it a part of experience rather than memory, but this is a term not found in human language—it is called ‘Abita.’ If I were to express it in human terms, it would be something like ‘traces left by the ancestors.’”
Temares spoke as he tidied up the sleeping quarters. Talking about this and that, they had walked for a full day. They had set off at dawn, stopped briefly to eat jerky for lunch, and then continued walking.
It was a forced march that even a seasoned merchant couldn’t handle, yet three of them were knights and one was a witch.
Esther had transformed into a leopard before they even set off and followed along. If she got tired, she could simply climb onto Encred’s shoulder.
On the first day, the witch didn’t get tired either. Even for her, this was just a leisurely stroll.
While he was tending to the sleeping quarters and campsite, Dunbakel twitched his nose and suddenly sprang out.
The path they were currently walking on veiled slightly southeast of the Border Guard. They had left the Safety Road from the start and were passing through a forest called Tenuis, which served as the boundary with the East.
When viewed from above, this forest stretched vertically like a fortress wall, forming the boundary with the eastern part of the continent. It wasn’t a particularly large area in the context of the continent as a whole.
Still, it would take a considerable amount of time to walk it on foot.
“for a moment.”
Dunbakel spoke and walked into the darkness of the forest. Not long after, she returned holding four rabbits in her hands.
Let’s eat meat.
They say that if Westerners are trained hunters, then Beastmen are natural hunters.
She fully demonstrated the characteristics of her race.
“Give it to me.”
Encred took it, removed the entrails, skinned it, and drained the blood. All those movements flowed as naturally as water.
He was skilled at this task thanks to the days he had spent immersed in field cooking in an attempt to learn swordsmanship.
Sinar, who had been putting the tree nuts he had brought into his mouth, stepped away briefly to pick a few fruits.
They were figs and black berries, which looked beautiful in late summer.
Blackberries are a fruit that energizes the body.
Speaking, she took a few broad leaves from her bosom, wove them together to form a bowl, and placed the fruit she had gathered inside.
Looking at it this way, it seemed like a grand meal. Anyway, we lit a bonfire, skewered finely chopped meat to grill, and ate the fruit. Given the amount of food we ate, it wasn’t abundant, but it was a delightful meal for the palate.
We used the salt and spices Encred had brought to get rid of the gamey smell of the meat.
The weather is damp.
Sinar said. Just as she predicted, it was a damp day that Frock would love. Just when it seemed
the rain that had been falling for days was finally stopping, it had come back like this. It was as if
God were playing a trick on them; this year’s seasonal rain did not pour down all at once but instead drizzled down for an entire month. And such weather was the perfect environment for a drowning man to run wild.
Slang.
A few dark shadows rise from one side of the forest. Although the exact cause has not yet been revealed, the monster that appears only on rainy days is the Drowned One.
Whether it is truly born from the eggs of fly monsters, or summoned from contaminated puddles,
its skin is rotting and sagging, and its swollen, bursting eyes are unfocused. Its claws are poisonous, and its movements are rather sluggish.
Therefore, for an average trained soldier, taking on one alone was no big deal.
That is not to say it was easy, though. They have no fear and no reason. Consequently, they attack everything in sight, whether knights or anything else.
Ughhh.
It sounded like a shout forcibly squeezed out by a soldier whose strength had failed. That drooping voice had the effect of inducing discomfort in the listener’s ears and draining all strength from their body.
Naturally, no one here would be swayed by such a thing.
It was while Esther, transformed into a leopard, gazed at the approaching monster with lake-like eyes. Encred spoke as if nothing were wrong.
“Dunbakel.”
“Yeah.”
Suin stood up, circled roughly around, and struck the drowned man’s neck.
Then, he kicked away the dead body. Esther, who had transformed from a leopard into a human, snapped her fingers.
“It is a spell that makes any monster, whether a drowner or whatever, feel uncomfortable if it comes near.”
“Then, shall I heat up the air?”
Sinar spoke and summoned a small fire lizard onto her hand. Perhaps
having formed a deeper bond with the salamander while rescuing Encred earlier, she displayed such a feat. As
the lizard emerged from her hand and circled the area where the party was staying, the air warmed up and dispelled the humidity.
Although the heat had not yet subsided, strangely, the air warmed by the salamander did not feel unpleasant.
“Then, sweet dreams, my fiancé.”
“Sleep well, my Enki.”
“It is time to sleep.”
“We have to go quite a bit further south, not toward the Eastern Expedition Zone, so we will have to camp for a few more days.”
After finishing their respective remarks, they wrapped the fairy cloaks around themselves. Thanks to the cloaks imbued with vital energy, there was no need for separate sleeping bags or blankets.
As they infused the cloaks with energy to harden them, a firm core formed that was soft yet provided solid support. It was just as comfortable as a bed.
Training Will like this throughout his sleep would certainly be a good method of discipline.
“Dunbakel.”
“Why?”
“Practice breathing life into your cloak and go to sleep.”
“……You’re a real lunatic.”
Even as she said that, Dunbakel faithfully followed Encred’s words.
No matter what anyone said, she was also one of those who had fallen for her captain.
That night, Encred had a dream.
“Why? Did you think I wouldn’t come out anymore?”
A boatman appeared in my dream. And he didn’t even wear a robe; he stepped forward with a familiar face.
“Primahild.”
“Wow, what an honor. You haven’t forgotten my name? I thought you had forgotten everything—not just my name, but the time we spent together. I thought you were the kind of person who forgot women from the past so easily.”
The mocker was still quick-witted. She smiled as she spoke and spoke on her own initiative, without being asked.
“How did I get out of here? Hey, I still have this much strength. I may not be Jitte or any other idiot, but I’m fine. Besides, you guys are heading to the City of Beastmen right now. It’s a place where my influence is immense, you know.”
So why did it come out?
“So why did I come out? You bastard, I came to get revenge because you forgot me and met a new woman, and I resent you.”
If Temares had been here, wouldn’t he have immediately told me it was a lie?
“Yeah, that’s a lie. Make sure you take that kid Dunbakel to the temple.”
Primahild said with a sly smile.
“Is that important?”
“Well, I suppose it’s the duty of a warrior who has protected the Beastmen in his own way.”
“I was on my way anyway.”
“Right, I just came to emphasize it again because it seemed like you had forgotten.”
After saying this much, Primahild’s body began to scatter like mist.
“Tch, the time limit is up. Anyway, see you again.”
The dream seemed as though it would end, but it did not. In the place where Primahild had vanished, a boatman draped in his original robes and holding a purple lamp greeted Encred on a ferryboat.
He looked at Encred in silence, then uttered just one word.
Consider it twice and think it through three times.
I didn’t know why, but I felt a sense of goodwill in those words. Well, it might just be the boatman’s trick, though.
Encreed had just decided that he wanted to help them fulfill their dreams as well. The dream ended before he could answer.
When he opened his eyes in reality…
Whoosh.
Rain poured down. At the same time, spine-chilling roars of monsters could be heard from all directions. As if they had been waiting for this sudden downpour, a horde of drowners swarmed in.
Encred sprang to his feet in an instant. His body was already feeling stiff to begin with.
It was as if the perfect crowd had gathered for his early morning workout.
