1073. When playing, have fun without thinking about anything
“Didn’t that crazy Suin drink too much?”
“Come out, demon! Kill the demon! Catch the demon! Hunt the demon!”
Dunbakel returned shouting words like that. That was what Fel had said upon seeing him.
Encred understood Dunbakel to some extent. To her, the children living in the Beast City were no longer strangers, and the existence of demons targeting them must have been truly unforgivable.
Furthermore, throughout the journey back to the city, Encred filled the void left by the vanished sense of omnipotence with confidence.
Is that really your best?
If you get into the habit of breaking your limits now, you will become stronger. It all started with a relentless drive born of a simple thought.
Primahilt did not leave behind just a single artifact weapon. What she left behind was the Ego Sword, and the self trapped within the sword was a collective of the beastmen’s minds.
Zing.
At Encred’s words, Dunbakel’s sword wailed. The blade, neither long nor short, was a single-edged sword, an excellent weapon whether used for thrusting or slashing.
A few loops hung from the scabbard, suitable for wearing on the wrist, and a chirping sound rang out with every step Dunbakel took.
Matching the blade’s buzzing, a crimson light seeped into Dunbakel’s eyes. Shall one call them golden eyes?
It was a color beautiful enough to make any shameless gem collector be desperate to gouge out his eyeballs on the spot. A blazing fire burned within the shining pupils.
My limits are still far off!
She attacked again and again.
It was to the point where Sinar complained that she had no time to chat with her fiancé on their way back home. She attacked when she woke up, attacked while she was sleeping, and attacked while she was eating.
Encred indulged Dunbakel’s desires completely,
striking her head with the blade and kicking her in the abdomen to send her flying to one side.
“Squeak.”
Dunbakel, having coughed up blood, recovered in half a day and attacked again.
Why did her will shine so intensely? There was no need to ponder or question it deeply.
It was because she desired the extermination of all demons. It was because she wished for that very thing. If those bastards calling themselves Lords of the Demon Realm were to hear this, they would surely rant and rave, asking how a worthless beastman dared to dream such a dream.
Or perhaps they wouldn’t even bother to engage with her?
Whatever the case, Encreed was serious. Regarding Dunbakel’s wish, her own goal, and ultimately, the tomorrow she had to face.
Touching moments should not be repeated, but savored in their entirety. They must be preserved as memories. Only then will they not fade. You should look forward to the unknown tomorrow ahead rather than dwelling on the past.
The boatman’s words came to mind time and time again. His words were encouragement, an acknowledgment that the path I had traveled was right, and a regret for the years I had spent trapped in the present.
Nothing would change without someone’s support and acknowledgment, but it would surely be of some small help on the path toward my goal.
“Let’s go to Dunbakel, to exterminate the demons.”
With that in mind, Encred cheered for the stinky Suin all the way here.
“……Are you planning to create a berserker who trembles at the sight of a demon and fights until death?”
Sinar said this.
“Hmm, shall I summon a spirit that eats away at anger?”
Esther made this suggestion.
“Is your intention to fill her with the flames of rage and make her die like a demon? You are hiding your true intentions, so they cannot be read.”
Yongin spoke, groping for the inner thoughts veiled like fog. Encred, however, continued as he had always done.
“devil!”
If Dunbakel leads the singing.
“destruction!”
Encred accepted those words and set off on his feet to reach the Border Guard.
As soon as he arrived, he found himself shouting to go catch a demon.
Encred did not admit his guilt, but Kreis had already realized it and immediately soothed Dunbakel.
“Alright. Let’s go catch the devil. We should grab something to eat before we go.”
It was Crys’s job to soothe the madman.
What on earth were you doing on the way here?
Crys turned only his head and mouthed the question, but Encred did not answer. He didn’t think he had done anything particularly special.
He had simply cheered for the Beastman’s wish.
“Are you half-crazy? No, have you decided to go completely insane? Or is madness contagious?”
Upon hearing the story, Rem said everything she wanted to say and burst into laughter, while the others simply accepted it.
As they shared what Encred had brought from the City of Beastmen and talked, Dunbakel also gradually regained her senses.
She realized that she couldn’t set out to catch a demon with nothing but a single sword. What a Beastman had to do after that was obvious. As soon as she regained her composure, she looked for Theresa, Roford, and Pell.
“Hey, from now on, call me Noona. If you guys go around getting beaten up, this Noona will pay you back. Hey, you lumpy, you can call me Unnie too.”
Dunbakel learned a lot from watching Enkrid. In particular, he properly learned how to seize the initiative. If he were to take them one by one here, it would look ridiculous, wouldn’t it? So it was only natural that such words were spoken.
“Ah, come all three of you.”
With Encred staring intently, Rem let out a puffy laugh.
“Will you let it be?”
Sinar asked. The fairy’s skin shone brighter than before after spending a day in the Fairy City immediately upon her return. She
had said she would convey something she had realized to the Fairy City, and it seemed she had awakened to something more during the teaching process.
Since simply resting well and washing well wouldn’t make one’s skin glow, the vital energy flowing through the fairy’s entire body was filled with a haughtiness more than ever before.
Encred sensed this aura from the fairy and replied.
It doesn’t look like it will tolerate being left alone.
Saxen, Ragnar, and Audin also became spectators. No matter how evident the difference in skill may be, one cannot gauge a person’s full ability by their appearance alone.
Moreover, a life-or-death battle is not decided by skill alone. This is true even for a knight.
Theresa spun her newly received shield around her left wrist before snapping the handle with a sharp click.
Her shield had a handle and was designed to be attached to a gauntlet. Naturally, its power differed depending on whether it was simply attached or held in the hand.
In her other hand, she held a battle hammer; its head was slightly larger and its body a bit longer than an ordinary hammer. While the overall color was pitch black, a faint gray and gold hue emerged when reflecting the sun.
It was a weapon made of ash gold. It was the purest variety brought from Uber. Among dark gold, the one that is exceptionally heavy and has a slightly different color is called ash gold. It would be fair to say that this ash gold was the reason why dark gold was given the name “Trial of God.”
That amount of gray gold would have cost enough Crona to buy a fortress, so did Kreis pour in all the gold coins he had?
Or maybe Edin came and created a lot of spare cash.
Enkrid, as always, sharply hit the nail on the head. Well, since he didn’t say it out loud, no one really acknowledged it.
As he had suspected, Edin Molsen was to blame. His proposals and strategies, which went beyond simply running administration smoothly to taking economic position into account, brought great benefits to the city of Border Guard.
While Kreis focused on other matters, Edin handled the administration, and his sister, Rosalind Molsen, oversaw road projects and trade routes.
Because of this, Rosalind grew very close to Leona. On top of
that, Abnaier helped Kreis concentrate on his own work by controlling the deployment and training of the city’s troops.
In any case, these were all just side stories. The hammer in Theresa’s hand was merely one of the results of all these events. It
was not simply heavy; it was a weapon made by mixing wrought iron with a different texture of heavy metal. That, too, was a masterpiece by Eitri.
It is said that the left is punishment and the right is trial.
Theresa casually introduced the weapon she was holding. Having taken Audin as her mentor, she had adopted a similar style, wielding a hammer and shield in each hand as her sacred weapons. Although
her fighting style and tactical applications had completely changed from before, that was now an advantage. After all, the Theresa Dunbakel knew no longer existed.
“His name is Jinhong. He’s an Ego Sword, so he talks a bit.”
Dunbakel tapped the sword slung diagonally over his back and spoke. The loop hanging over the scabbard let out a clear chirping sound.
You know mine, right? The city wall.
Roford drew his sword. It was a weapon characterized by a thick blade resembling an iron club. Contrary to its appearance, it was a very sharp blade.
Pell now handles the Idol Slayer perfectly. If he so desires, the Idol Slayer does not bite a person’s soul. He revealed the blade of his sword. It seemed everyone was ready for a showdown.
“Can I kill that?”
Pell looked straight ahead and asked. It wasn’t a question directed at anyone in particular. It was closer to a lament.
It was as if the kids went crazy every time they followed the Master outside and came back.
“Phew, these bastards. I told you to call me Noona.”
Dunbakel’s eyes sank low. Encreed had been observing the stance of the beastman he had chosen as his sparring partner all the way here.
He bent one knee to the ground and gripped the sword hilt, which was slung diagonally across his lower back, in a reverse grip.
Even though Dunbakel had provoked them, they might have attacked one by one; however, Theresa, Roford, and Pell naturally joined forces.
Encreed felt that it was Roford who had subtly positioned himself to direct the attack from between the three. Even now, he had set up a formation where three faced one opponent.
‘why?’
This is because he has a wide field of vision, a quick grasp of the situation, and exceptional mental agility in tactical matters. In any fight, the starting point is securing a favorable position; setting aside physical factors, this also implies that the one with the justification fights better. In this respect, Lawford has secured the justification as well.
“This is not a sparring match; it is a phantom beating, an education, a teaching, and a rod of love to fix the mental state of the sisters who have returned after a long time.”
Encred nodded unconsciously. To think
they started with a strategy that made it look natural, rather than cowardly, for three people to take on one opponent.
There were quite a few eyes watching. The Mad Knights’ training grounds were always frequented by many. Moreover, it was broad daylight. It was past noon. It was hot, but perhaps the kind of moment that is good for training.
After all, they were the Mad Knights and those who defended their training methods; there was no one who would get dizzy from the heat, even if their whole body was drenched in sweat and their skin was burning.
“……You talk too much.”
Dunbakel was pushed back slightly in momentum. However, that does not mean his stance is disrupted. Enkrid did not teach Dunbakel that way.
“Punch me and fight.”
Encreed initially predicted Dunbakel’s victory but gave up.
They wouldn’t have been playing around, either.
Just as Rem, Ragnar, Audin, and Saxen didn’t play, Theresa, Roford, and Pell probably didn’t play either. Who did they hang out with while I was away?
The stale smell is determined to die.
This is what Rem said.
The guys who survived my blade won’t lose over there.
Ragnar added,
“Did the two of them take turns pounding it?” Just as he was thinking this, Audin let out a laugh.
“Haha, they are the ones who withstood my punch.”
… … Did everyone but Saxony get involved?
Ting.
Saxony, who had come over at some point, spoke.
“Assassination skills are a declaration of the will to kill at all costs; thanks to that, don’t you think the shortcomings of those three have been somewhat filled?”
Saxon’s tongue stretching is one of the expressions of satisfaction.
This bastard pitched in, too.
Encred had already forgotten that he had provoked them before leaving. It was simply the fact that he had gone this far that a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
Would he be able to withstand facing these four simultaneously?
Even if he poured out everything with pure Will, would all four of them survive?
He was curious. Extremely curious.
Encred watched the sparring match between Dunbakel and the three, filled with burning curiosity, anticipation, and hope.
For the extermination of the devil.
Dunbakel muttered and lowered his stance. Soon, the four clashed, and Dunbakel lost.
“Hey, two, just the two of you, bring it on!”
Three was a bit overwhelming. It might have been different if we had fought with our lives on the line, but this is just a sparring match.
“You’re saying he’s causing such a fuss as soon as he arrives?”
Kreis shook his head repeatedly from behind, noticing when he had arrived. “Ugh, these people are crazy for fighting,” he muttered, clicking his tongue.
“Shouting for the extermination of demons is fine, but not right now, Captain.”
And, for some reason, he spoke to Encred.
“What?”
“I know you want to storm in right now, but not right now.”
Needless to say, Encred had no intention of insisting on invading the Demon Realm immediately. Who would wage war like that?
“No. This is war. You can’t just do whatever you want.”
Crys enthusiastically tried to stop him.
I have no intention of doing that.
Encred answered.
“You mean there isn’t any?”
“Yeah.”
“Uh, um, then I guess I should have taken my time with the preparations.”
“Prepared?”
“Huh?”
“What did you do?”
“Huh?”
Kreis blinked and kept asking back. Then, his eyes briefly lost focus before returning.
“What did you do?”
“Ah, um, nothing special.”
Kreis raised one hand and scratched his chin. He looked troubled.
“It’s nothing special?”
Encred asked back. Crys thought for a moment, then opened up completely.
“I executed this plan after considering a means to summon a demon entrenched in the Demon Realm. The probability of success isn’t high; I was just laying the groundwork. It still requires more preparation and isn’t perfect. It is, after all, a strategy I arbitrarily devised to suggest that we summon them one by one and strike, should someone suggest an immediate raid. If it doesn’t work out, I can simply back out.”
How many demons were left in the Mirror of Evil? There
are four: the Burning Crow, the Pure White Destroyer, the Loner of Distrust, and even the Father of the Dead.
So, what Crys is saying now means he has devised a means to draw out one of the four.
Let’s talk about it later.
Enkrid said.
“yes?”
Kreis was even more surprised that he wasn’t questioned immediately.
Let me have some fun.
Encred’s words about playing didn’t really mean eating, sleeping, and resting.
He could not suppress the anticipation that had been
welling up inside him for some time. Before anyone realized it, the four of them—Rem, Ragnar, Saxen, and Audin—had taken their places in the training grounds.
Because when I play, I want to have fun without thinking about anything.
Encred spoke and walked toward the net.
