1090. Let no one die
Encreed spoke with his shirt off and wearing only shorts.
You can leave it there.
Encred’s room was not large. In a way, it didn’t even look like the room of a noble or a knight.
It was a room where he spent no time except for sleeping. After all, he usually spent most of his day in the training grounds.
Had no one stopped him, he might have even set up a table next to the training grounds to eat, rather than in the dining hall.
Everyone knew that Encred was a man obsessed with training and discipline. So, it was quite fitting that there was nothing there other than a horsehair bed, two wardrobes, and a table suitable for storing equipment.
On one side, something resembling a sturdy, long cord was visible; it was an object used to stretch and stimulate various muscles throughout the body.
It was a tool used to expand shoulder or back muscles by gripping it and pulling it from side to side.
Muscle training even in the room?
To be precise, it was training for flexible muscles.
Sinar knew that Encrid’s remark that she could leave it there meant to leave it behind and go, but she approached, contradicting the words.
She placed her clothes on the table and stepped right up to him. Encrid did not flinch. He simply looked down at her blankly.
Her hand traced Encrid’s chest. It was a place where the scar was particularly deep.
“Your life remains exactly as it is in your body.”
Encred’s body was covered in scars. Literally, they were densely packed. He never once easily overcame a day.
He moved forward toward the coming tomorrow rather than the imperfect present. That must have been the reason. The reason his body was so scarred.
Small cuts, deep gashes, even scars that twisted like earthworms. They were the traces of time and the footprints of his life that even Anne, a healer of unparalleled talent, could not erase.
Was it a medal for having barely survived, or was it pain I had to endure to welcome a new tomorrow?
As Sinar spoke, she raised only her right hand and traced the scars on his upper body one by one.
She, too, had realized something during this fight: that one’s past life becomes the source of one’s will.
To put it in fairy terms, one could say that a life lived so far must be upright and virtuous to harbor great vital energy.
“What will you do when the fight is over?”
The fairy asked, her hand resting on Encred’s chest. As she asked, she raised her head and looked straight into the other’s eyes with her green eyes. Encred’s blue eyes appeared black due to the shadows, but upon closer inspection, a blue light shimmered deep within the pupils.
Encred stood still, as if enjoying the fairy’s touch, and answered.
I don’t know.
His answer was simple. However, saying he didn’t know did not carry a negative connotation.
I simply expect that it will be a path I have never walked and a world I have never experienced.
What was his dream?
It was to become a knight.
What did he intend to do once he became a knight?
To end the war, to put an end to the fighting.
Now, if he erases the Demonic Mirror, if he defeats and kills the demons, will his wish come true?
I do not know. It is a path he has not traveled, so it is difficult to give a definitive answer.
He is simply a child who dreams of being a herbalist, dreaming of a world where he climbs mountains without the threat of monsters and demonic beasts.
He desires the daily life of an old woman peeling fruit while watching her grandchildren play in front of her house.
He wishes to see a farmer tilling the land outside the castle walls, his skin tanned by the scorching sun.
He wants to see a fisherman sailing the river to catch fish and feed them to his own children.
In a way, Encred’s dream was the very form that an individual could never achieve, yet he never once let go of his aspirations.
Is a dream a dream because it cannot be realized?
If one were to say so, if that were the way of life, he
would reject that way. The Will inside him swirled around his entire body. His eyes shone, bathed in the blue light of the early evening after the sun had set and the twilight had faded.
Just then, the sun was setting outside as well. She was a fairy who had seen the cool blue light of early evening in a human’s eyes.
A man who nonchalantly desired such a truly grand purpose, goal, and wish.
The fairy felt a sense of pride and dizziness at the same time. Just
as she had done since childhood, whatever she chose—whether objects or people—was never ordinary.
Still, this was the first time she had encountered someone as dangerous and attractive as the man standing before her now.
Igniculus.
It means “spark” in the fairy language. Since joining the Order of the Mad Knights, Sinar’s spark has never once gone out.
Aden.
I recall a connection from my childhood when I used to handle fire. I heard his voice—that is, the hallucination of Aden.
“Do as you please. Sinar, do not let the city bind you. Burn. Spark a fire. If you have breathed a soul into the extinguished fire, do as you please now. You may.”
It must be so.
The ambition of the man before me is truly immense.
His dream burned so intensely that it transcended mere sparks and became a raging fire.
To fight the Lord of the Demon Realm meant risking one’s life; even
if this current flame were to burn his very essence, the forest, the flowers, and his soul, he would not stop. No matter how perceptive one is, no one can read a fairy’s true intentions right now.
After all, fairies are a race adept at concealing their emotions and inner thoughts.
“I see.”
Sinar answered, withdrew her hand, remained silent for a moment, and then hugged Encrid once. She held him for quite a long time before pulling away. There were no words. She
had simply done it because she wanted to. Encrid, perhaps caught up in the atmosphere, did not push her away.
Although no words were exchanged between them, it was a connection between colleagues and individuals who respected each other, rather than a lovers’ embrace.
Anyone watching would have seen it that way. Of course, if Rem had seen it, she would have gleefully teased her.
* * *
“You said we were going to have a banquet, so why are you coming so late?”
As soon as they entered the place called a banquet hall, but more accurately named the dining hall of the Mad Knights, Rem scolded Encred.
Four large tables were piled high with food.
If you were going to say that, why didn’t you just wait without eating?
Rem wiped the pork seasoning from the corners of his mouth with a linen cloth.
“Is something on you?”
He wields a fork and knife with exceptional skill, yet he gets spice on his face. This is despite the fact that he is a knight, a hero of the West who practices the concept of sorcery, and a man possessing the power to slay demons.
But he was human. And because he is human, he has his vulnerabilities.
Encred knows this. That is why he needed time to rest. Rest was always important.
Not that he held this banquet solely for that reason, though.
It is a celebratory banquet held because, in Encred’s view, slaying a demon is a truly extraordinary achievement.
For the battles to come, for the tomorrow to which everyone risks their lives, and for the today that will never cease.
His Majesty the King sent wine.
Edin Molsen sat in the corner of the table and spoke.
“Alcohol has also been sent from Azpen, and I am simply curious to see which country’s master brewer will be chosen.”
Abnaier spoke from the seat right next to Eden. Although the two spoke without even making eye contact, their rhythm was so perfect that it seemed like prepared lines. It was the result of goods being sent from here and there, and the word that the devil had been killed spreading far and wide.
“Uh, the Mercenary King from the East sent some liquor, too. I heard a famous brewer from the East recently joined us.”
With Crys’s words added to the mix.
“This is great!”
Rem let out a gasp.
“Ow!”
Though not a wolf, Dunbakel let out a roar of joy.
Eat, drink, and rest. He attached no meaning to those simple actions. He simply rested. For today, at least for this moment, he could put aside his worries about the future.
You drink too.
Encred filled Krys’s glass with alcohol as well.
A devil might come right from outside the walls and attack.
Crys lowered his gaze to the glass in his hand and spoke. “Is it okay to drink this?” It seemed as though he was harboring some doubt.
Crys pondered whether his words were valid. His cool head answered. “A demon suddenly attacking?” That wouldn’t happen. It was merely a remark born of heightened anxiety.
Moreover, just in case such an event actually occurred, he had scattered scouts like a spiderweb across the safe roads.
If an army had advanced from the Demon Realm or a demon had made a move, he wouldn’t have missed them.
But what if he still missed them? Then it would mean the opponent had surpassed their wisdom and evaded their watch.
Yet, Crys had prepared for that very possibility, just in case. Despite all this, his worries were immense.
Just drink it.
Nurat nudged him in the side.
After contemplating for a moment, Kreis muttered.
Ah, I don’t know either.
He, too, brought the glass to his lips and gulped it down to empty it. However, not everyone drank until they were completely drunk. Everyone drank moderately and ate to their heart’s content.
“Mix the Wood Guard’s essence with the dew gathered by Dryuers. When the flames catch fire.”
Bran of Woodguard from the fairy city, who had arrived at some point, joined me and put down the wooden bottle I was holding.
It is the silk of the Fairy Tribe, ‘Sun of the Fields’.
The name was unique. When Encred took a sip, the taste was just as distinctive.
The first sip was cool and refreshing, like greeting the dawn, and the subsequent blend of rich sweetness and floral scents evoked a field in full bloom. It was simply superb.
But was this the only excellent drink?
From the East came a liquor called ‘Silver.’
Its taste was unique. It had a metallic flavor, like licking a blade, yet it wasn’t fishy; the mouth felt rough, as if chewing earth, yet it didn’t feel off-putting.
It was like some kind of magic that made one able to drink earth and metal.
“admiration.”
Even Esther merely nodded.
Was he drunk? Or was it because Sinar was discussing life while tracing the scars on his body? Or was it because of the fact that he had killed the Lord of the Mirror Realm?
Although the exact reason was unknown, Encred opened his mouth. In certain moments or situations, one is bound to act without a clear reason.
After all, complex and multi-layered reasons must have been mixed together.
“Things in the world are truly fascinating.”
The people who had been chattering loudly naturally listened to his words. This happened even though he hadn’t shouted loudly, nor had he used Will to mimic the Dragon’s incantation.
Two moons shining brightly beyond the restaurant window cast deep moonlight. There were lights blazing here and there on the walls, and the light sources Esther had cast into the air while intoxicated.
It was a space filled with elongated shadows
created by that dim light. Add to this the strong smell of alcohol from here and there, the scent of fruit that had been bitten into, the aroma of seasoned jerky, and the rich sweetness of marmalade.
If asked about the atmosphere, I would say it was somewhat dreamlike.
At first, just this once.
Encred muttered while drunk. He revealed his true feelings.
“Let’s just survive this battle, just the one right behind me, just the person standing behind me today. Then, the knight… that is the moment.”
He possessed a madness. He was obsessed with training and discipline. And he reveled in fighting. Judging solely by his habit of delving into swordsmanship, he deviated significantly from the path of an ordinary person.
But he, too, was human. Had he truly never experienced despair or frustration?
Had he reached his current state without any hardship or adversity
? Was that really the case?
It was a question no one could answer. Encred did not smile. This was neither a speech nor anything of the sort.
He simply spoke. However, it seemed even he had forgotten what he intended to say.
Just as he had started, his ending was completely random.
“Let no one die.”
Before we knew it, more than a hundred people had gathered in the banquet hall.
“Considering that, wasn’t that too dangerous a task?”
Seiki muttered. “I played a significant role in the saintess role this time.”
It means as long as you don’t die.
Finn muttered beside her. In her eyes, wandering the Pen-Hanil Mountains was just as dangerous as attacking the Demon Realm like now. After all, one only has one life.
If I step down, who will fill that position?
At the command not to die, one soldier asked, “When did this fellow come to join us?” He was the fellow who had once challenged Encred with a single spear. His name was Marco.
At Marco’s words, several high-ranking soldiers blinked. These were the ones who remained, prepared to face death. There were
those who had come to the Border Guard for a few gold coins, those who had sought to show off their prowess after hearing rumors of Encred, those who had wandered in search of a place to settle down, those who had been frustrated because they could not demonstrate their abilities overshadowed by their father’s aura, and those who had been soldiers of an enemy nation but had stayed for a while to have their skills recognized.
Everyone had changed after witnessing Encred’s life.
Clemen, who had fallen, suddenly slammed the pewter cup he was holding onto the table.
I will fill the gap.
His face was flushed red, indicating he was heavily intoxicated. Another soldier shouted back.
“me too!”
Some raised their voices. The banquet hall was seething with excitement.
