Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 519

519
Encrid stood up from his seat.

“then.”

“Come back in three days.”

Aitri spoke without even turning his head.

“i get it.”

Encred wasn’t the type of person to care about manners and didn’t particularly want to be seen off, so he just walked away without a care in the world.

As I left the forge, the air felt noticeably colder. It seemed as if the hot air and heat were gathering to further heat up the forge.

On his way back, Encred passed through the market again. He could have used the regular carriages on the carriage road built on the outskirts, but he decided to just walk.

I wanted to walk, and I was also aware that I didn’t have a single coin in my pocket.

It’s not like I can just get on a carriage and introduce myself as ‘I’m the General of the Border Guard, a demon slayer, and a close friend of the King.’

Above all, the image of Aitri and Prok lingered like an afterimage, and something made my heart pound. That’s why I wanted to walk more.

The market was still crowded. The giants selling things were still there.

“If you can’t pay the amount I set, get out.”

Several merchants standing in front of the giant got angry, but no one attacked him. That would have been expected if he had a head.

No matter how skilled the Border Guard guards are, they won’t be able to intervene faster than a giant can blow his head off.

The giant’s fist was much closer than the guard.

Is it brave to be angry? Or is it stupidity? It’s more likely that he’s angry because he thinks the giant is a merchant.

If the two met outside the city and traded alone, the group of merchants would never provoke the giant’s anger.

And apart from that, the giant merchant didn’t seem to be very clever in his dealings. Judging by his general appearance, he completely ignored any attempts at bargaining.

“Why are you so stubborn?”

Encrid, who was passing by, stopped and asked.

The giant glanced at the merchants who had left their seats, then glanced at Encred.

Doesn’t this kid have anything to do? Why is he wandering around like this in broad daylight? Is he some kind of host who picks women’s pockets?

The giant opened his mouth as he was thinking about that.

“I bring things that no one else can get.”

His pride was evident in his words.

Encred waited for the giant’s next words. He naturally lowered his hands, looked straight into the giant’s eyes, and took a calming breath as if he was listening. This was the element that moved the giant’s mood. It wasn’t common to find someone who listened to people so seriously and in detail.

I didn’t mean to tell anyone, but since I had already brought it up, I decided to do so.

“In my opinion, a good merchant knows how to get good stuff.”

I’m not confident in bargaining, but I can get something special. Because I’m a giant? No, I do it because I want to.

“I’m not good at making things, but I can help you find what you need to make something special. It’s my job to give the right thing to the right person and get paid for it.”

The talking giant’s eyes were bright. The brown eyes reflected the sunlight and made him look like a merchant full of ambition rather than a red-blooded demon.

The giant, who had never been agitated when merchants cursed or when someone picked a fight, now seemed a little agitated.

Why? Because you’re saying what you really want.

“I will become a knight.”

Encred used to say the same thing.

It was the unbearable boiling that made him like that. It made his blood boil.

In the giant’s form, Encrid saw himself.

“See you later.”

“Carry Kronana with you.”

“I’ll definitely see you again. That time, I’ll have a big-eyed friend by my side carrying Crona in his backpack instead of his pocket.”

I was sincere.

“Or so.”

The giant chuckled. Encrid answered and turned around to head towards the barracks.

As I walked, my pace gradually slowed down.

Dreams, longings, passions.

Those things were rolling around in my head like a tangled ball of thread.

But why do I think this way?

As I was walking, gathering my thoughts, I saw a little boy sitting on the side of the road. He was staring at me intently, so I recognized his gaze.

The child was of a small stature, with a head barely touching Encred’s chest, and was wearing clothes that were worn and torn.

He was standing a long way from the gate guarded by soldiers.

Now fourteen? Fifteen? She didn’t look old. She had freckles on her face, her hair was a thick, dark red that, if properly managed, would take on a bright red hue, and her eyes were light brown.

The child who had been crouching stood up from his seat, not even wiping the dirt off his bottom, but still staring at Encred.

“If it was a coincidence, then the god of alchemy must have helped, but if not, then it seems like my efforts have paid off.”

Encred was walking with the child, making eye contact, when the child spoke to him. The voice was thin and shrill, so Encred knew that the little girl was a girl.

Actually, I knew it from the beginning just by looking at the body shape.

Encred stopped walking. His voice was clear and bright, and his words had more power than they seemed, or rather, he spoke with authority.

“Do you know who I am?”

Encred asked casually.

“Lord of the Border Guard.”

The child answered.

It’s probably a better title than demon slayer.

Above all, he recognized me at first glance. An assassin? He didn’t look like that. He didn’t have any life in him, and judging from his body shape and posture, he didn’t seem to have learned anything.

It wasn’t like it smelled like an order.

Could this even be some kind of trick? Perhaps, but Encred’s intuition said otherwise.

This kid literally came to me.

“Did you find me? Why?”

The kid thought he was really lucky. Why? Because he didn’t believe he would meet this guy just because he came to the Border Guard.

I had settled down here in case I was lucky enough to have a chance to speak to the powerful.

He even loitered around in front of the barracks, but it didn’t look like they would let him in.

She could see theft in the soldiers. She knew from experience that tricks did not work on such soldiers.

In fact, there was no trick to use.

But I couldn’t just give up on everything, so I sat down and thought about what to do.

To put it in words, it was a rather long story, but the child had come this far. After wandering around in search of hope, this was the only path left.

In vulgar terms, it would be no exaggeration to say that I had risked my life, body, and soul on gambling.

I ended up here because I was lucky with that gamble.

It’s not easy to find a merchant who takes pity on a girl among the upper ranks heading this way.

I received help from a giant merchant along the way, and went through various things to get here.

“To hold you accountable for killing my teacher.”

Did you originally intend to kneel and ask for help?

At first, I thought that way, but when I actually faced it, these words just came out.

My innate temperament may have had an influence, but more precisely, it was because the Lord of the Border Guard stopped in his tracks, looked straight at me, and listened intently at my every word.

Some days I felt like I was going to burst into tears, and some days I thought it was right to just live life however it came to be, but I eventually got here.

Oh my god, thank you.

The child gave a silent thanks.

If luck hadn’t been on his side, he would have already become a corpse, rotting away in a corner of the wasteland or a valley somewhere.

The child’s mischievous behavior proved that the journey to this point had not been easy.

My fingernails were broken, and my shoes were worn out and had holes in them where my thumbs were.

There was a musty and unpleasant smell, but the girl spoke without paying any attention.

“I know you killed the alchemist Laban.”

“who?”

It was a name that Encred didn’t remember. Even if he had heard it before, it was too late to forget.

Just because you have a good memory doesn’t mean you remember everything.

The girl explained, and Encred listened. Why didn’t he ignore her? Her bright voice, her confident attitude, her uncharacteristically straight speech, all caught his keen senses. She didn’t look like an ordinary child.

After hearing the explanation, I was able to figure out who the alchemist Laban was.

A crazy bastard who used to do human experiments under Black Sword.

But he was a crazy kid who had skills.

Encred also added the modifier of a crazy bastard who raised several disciples.

In reality, the girl was destined to become Laban’s concubine when she grew up, but Encrid was her benefactor who changed her fate.

And the girl was only sixteen, but she knew.

That is, I knew that Encred was my benefactor.

However, it is true that I suffered greatly because my teacher died suddenly. Above all, I was unable to finish the studies I wanted to do.

“I have the potential to be the best healer, but now I don’t have Crona and no one to teach me, so I ended up selling my body. Do you have any intention of taking responsibility for my actions?”

The girl spoke confidently. The freckles on her face caught my eye. Her face was also washed awkwardly, as if she had washed it somewhere.

I could see dirt here and there on his neck. He probably didn’t have the heart to wash anything but his face.

Is that dirty?

It didn’t seem that way to Encred’s eyes.

More than that, the girl’s eyes captured his attention.

Because it’s attractive?

It wasn’t like that. It was eyes filled with longing, like burning flames.

“I can be a great healer. I don’t want to deal with divinity.”

The child raised his head and spoke. His chin was lifted, and his shining brown eyes looked at Encred.

“Explain it.”

“… … Are you really telling me?”

It was on the street. There were no chairs, no refreshments, and one side was looking disheveled while the other was walking back with mixed feelings, but that wasn’t important.

“Yeah, tell me.”

The child raised his head and began to talk.

What a therapist is, why you need one, what you’re going to do next, what your goals are, and how you’ll benefit from it.

Some were clumsy, some were amazing.

Yeah, I was amazed by Encrid.

The child spoke passionately and I felt inspired by his enthusiasm.

And the moment he felt that, Encred felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Shining eyes, the eyes of one moving towards something.

That’s the kind of eye you have.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time I’d seen eyes like this.

I saw it on Prock a little while ago.

I saw it just before from the craftsman named Aitri.

Encred thought of those who had such eyes.

Starting with the boy who dreamed of becoming an herbalist, Rem, Ragnar, Saxon, Audin, Lawford, Fel, Esther, Dunbaker, and Teresa.

They too looked at themselves with those eyes at some point.

And then what came to mind was Asia.

“I actually gave up halfway. I thought that if my brother and I just ate one meal a day, that would be enough. But I guess that wasn’t the case.”

A thought he had after seeing Aura’s back.

What did Asia’s eyes look like back then?

The orange-haired knight’s eyes were burning. They were full of passion and longing. They filled me with the will to move forward once again.

That was what it looked like.

‘Then me?’

How are you now?

Were you satisfied for a moment?

No, that’s absolutely not it.

It wasn’t satisfaction. But I guess I was unconsciously satisfied, realizing that I had become a knight and had sufficient skills.

I didn’t think this was the end, but at least I felt like my dream had come true.

Was it because something you had only dreamed of was now within your grasp?

Wasn’t it just a matter of saying with your body that it wasn’t that, that this wasn’t the end, by doing what you had been doing consistently?

Watching Rem and Ragna fight made you want to get on the same level as them, and now that you can do that, are you satisfied?

You said you would protect the people behind you, so are you satisfied that you can now do that?

Are you relieved that you could give strength to those who discuss their dreams?

A tremble, a small tremble, shook Encred’s entire body.

A tingling sensation started at the tips of my toes, surged up my body, past my chin, and reached my crown of my head, piercing my body like lightning.

At some point, I closed my eyes and opened them again. I still recognized that the sunlight was different, the wind was different, and everything was different, but there were some things that didn’t change.

And there was also the ego sword that pushed him to become like this.

Aker’s words flashed through my mind.

-I’ve already learned it from all over the place, so it’s no fun to teach it.

-I could tell you the tactics separately, but where did you learn them first?

-Do you receive separate instruction from other knights?

-Am I just unlucky?

-It’s already a finished dish.

-Will will slowly get better with time.

All the words implied that he had overcome his limitations and achieved success. He held onto himself like that. This was not a famous sword, but a demonic sword.

The conclusion has been reached.

“You little punk Aker.”

Encred chanted.

-Hey, it’s a misunderstanding.

Aker vibrated.

It was a sword that contained a will. It couldn’t have been made just for the sake of chatting.

So this might be useful, otherwise I’d really just throw it into the deep end of a valley.

A decision made in jest while dealing with a giant merchant could become a reality.

The eyes of a giant merchant, the eyes of the craftsman Eitri, the eyes of a jeweler Prok, and the eyes of a child with a bright voice who wants to become a healer.

And countless others he had seen.

Encrid felt the sensation of breaking out of a hard shell.

“Yes? Aker?”

The child asked back, suspecting that the man in front of him might not be Encred but just a crazy person.

Why is this kid suddenly acting like this?

“That’s just a lie, and I’ll take responsibility for it. But don’t rush in and say you’ll marry me.”

“… … Your dream is wild. Do you think all women will fall for you just because you have a pretty face?”

“Okay then.”

Encrid spoke and turned around, but the girl spoke from behind him.

“My name is Anne. What are you going to do if I just leave?”

“Follow me.”

Anne followed Encred.

Encred entered the barracks and left Anne in the care of Sinar.

“Please find someone to feed and wash me and leave me alone.”

“You brought your daughter from outside and then immediately left her with me?”

“Let’s put the fairy jokes aside.”

If Esther saw Encred’s expression now, she would probably say that his eyebrows had returned to normal.

Literally, Encred’s loose eyebrows returned to their original state.

Sinar felt the unique atmosphere that Encred had. So, it was back to how it was.

The lifeless tree became a furnace that caught fire again.

“Be careful with fire.”

Sinar said.

Encred heard it, but passed by quickly. His steps were more urgent than that.

Sinar opened his mouth as he looked at it.

“Who is it? If it’s a daughter, she will be jealous of her stepmother.”

For a moment, Sinar was in a good mood and joked with someone other than Encred. The moment Anne realized she was alone, she wondered if it had been a mistake to decide to go to the Border Guard.

“Am I too big to be called your daughter?”

“I see.”

Sinar quickly understood and nodded.

“Then a concubine?”

“Absolutely not! I like a guy with a more laid-back vibe. And if he’s not blond, I’m not into that.”

Anne was young, but had definite tastes.

“Welcome.”

Sinar spoke with sincerity. Not all women fell in love with Encred, but it was still welcome news.