Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 589

589

“Is there any ominous feeling coming?”

Encred had never taken the captain’s warnings lightly.

He always listened to what he said and never ignored it. As always, Encrid was serious.

“Are you really coming this time?”

As two questions came up in a row, the boatman stared at him blankly. If he was swearing with his eyes, Encred wouldn’t have noticed. But today, the boatman’s gaze was devoid of emotion.

The boatman was more gray than usual, like a doll without emotions, a mask carved from stone.

The purple lamp light shone from below, splitting the light from the nose to the forehead, and the face, which was in shadow, looked like it might appear in a dream, if only based on its appearance.

If you look at it that way, this very moment is no different from a dream.

Whether it was a dream or reality, Encrid was not frightened by just seeing the opponent’s appearance.

So I’ll just say what I have to say.

The boatman answered Encred’s question.

“I don’t want to let today be a day of regret.”

Although he had no emotions, his speech pretended to be kind, so his speech sounded like a child imitating an adult, or like an adult imitating a child.

For a long time, their gazes crossed in the air.

Encred sat on the bowsprit, staring intently at the helmsman, but it was difficult to read anything from his gaze.

So I just spoke with all my heart, as I always did.

“really?”

It was pure curiosity. I didn’t know if it was really ominous or if it was just trying to scare me.

If the boatman were a regular boatman, he would have shown some opening and wavered at the unexpected reaction, but today’s boatman was like a rock.

He neatly ignored Encred’s words.

“I’ll give you two choices.”

He said only what he had to say. Encred listened. Listening seriously was his specialty. He didn’t feel embarrassed if the other person didn’t respond.

The boatman put the lamp down on the table and spread out two fingers. His grey fingers had dull milky nails. The light from the lamp cast a shadow on the middle of his fingers.

He spoke with his forefinger straightened and his index finger bent.

“One is to find a rock right now and hit your head on it and die.”

What does that mean? It was the same as when I dealt with Overdeer.

He was telling me to stop and enjoy the moment. Of course, that was nonsense, so the boatman continued talking.

“So you will be able to enjoy a day as abundant as today. You will be praised by travelers passing by, you will walk with the sun and the wind as your friends, you will fall asleep looking at the moon and stars, and you will be able to share a few jokes with your companions. You will be comfortable, you will be able to rest comfortably.”

Encred didn’t say anything like, “If I had wanted a day like this, I wouldn’t have come this far.”

The boatman would already know, so he just stared blankly. That was the answer. The boatman continued speaking without waiting for an answer, as if it was obvious.

“The second is to turn around. Go back and prepare to face a wall. Not now. Face a different wall, not this one.”

What should I say about this?

Advice? Advice? It was definitely something like that. The boatman was more serious than when he spoke about the sword.

Encred looked into the boatman’s colorless eyes. Were the black eyes like those of a monster? Probably not. When he focused, the boatman’s eyes began to take on color.

It was a dull gray, but if you could distinguish the pupils, you could read something like the look in their eyes. What was revealed there was concern. Unless your senses were damaged, that’s how it looked.

But this was a dream, and the boatman could only show what he wanted to show. Encred remembered the boatman saying something similar before.

And although he told himself that he would not remember what happened in his dream, Encrid did not.

I can’t remember everything the boatman said from then until now, but I haven’t forgotten the main idea.

That’s why I knew that today’s captain was very different. He had never shown even a shred of concern before.

There were only words with a clear purpose. It was a little different this time. It wasn’t telling us not to go over the wall, but rather guiding us on a good path, saying that it would be better to wait for another wall, not now, but for the future.

Is it bad? No. It could have been a good way.

If the front is blocked, it’s smart to take a detour.

“If you go forward, you will regret it.”

The boatman’s dull gray lips moved up and down.

This is something I always say.

Since this was a world of dreams or images, the meaning was conveyed as is without any vibration of air along with the voice.

What the boatman gave us was a fork in the road. He gave us two choices, and he even showed us which way to go.

And it didn’t matter to Encred whether the captain had any concerns or whether his words were more correct.

It wasn’t pride or stubbornness.

Tomorrow is always uncertain. That is why life is beautiful and enjoyable. Encrid sincerely thought so, so he did not believe that today, which was repeated, was eternal life.

That might be the difference between the world the boatman sees and the world Encred sees.

Therefore, I will not follow the captain’s words.

If he says something because he has seen the future, I will not follow it even more.

Even if tomorrow is harsh, it will be like that.

That’s how Encred has lived so far.

“Thanks for the advice.”

Encrid said and woke up. It was a morning with pouring winter rain and a loud thud.

A thin fog greeted him, and the temperature dropped sharply, making it even colder than yesterday. When he blew his breath, white smoke flowed out from his mouth.

“If you’re cold, should I hug you?”

Next to him, Luagarne roughly kicked away the wet bonfire and spoke. Encred blinked several times. After thinking about what he had heard for a moment, he answered.

“Do you get along with Shinar too?”

“Indeed, it is just as the fairy said. I said that would be the answer.”

Luagarne laughed, puffing out her cheeks. She said that the trip they were taking together was quite enjoyable.

Even though it wasn’t a very long journey, this prok said so.

I didn’t particularly dislike Encred either. It was a fun time for me.

What did the boatman say? If you are going to live with such worries and concerns, then listen to the boatman’s words and stop today.

But that wouldn’t happen, so I just forgot about it and moved on.

It occurred to me that Encrid, who had exchanged a few words with Luagarne, was inwardly impressed by Sinar. Even though the fairy was not present, she had relayed her joke through someone else’s mouth.

What a great talent this is.

Fairy jokes were not a fad or an epidemic. Aside from Sinar, only two people told such jokes: Esther and Luagarne.

You said you wanted to come together.

Shinar has been very busy lately, as the surrounding cultists have been hiding in the forest and performing strange rituals. That’s why she’s not here.

She always took responsibility for the work she was given. It was the same when she was a company commander and when she was asked to save Krang.

Once she took on a job, she did it right.

Is that a will? Of course. Encred thought he was lucky. He thought there were only crazy but good people around him.

I never thought that people gathered around me because of me, but that was something that was difficult for me to know.

“Let’s go our separate ways.”

Encred spoke and continued walking with his cross guard. The rain soon stopped. When the rain stopped, a picture-perfect blue sky appeared. Around noon, the sun began to shine warmly.

I suddenly thought of Audin. I feel sorry for him, but the sunlight today was warmer than the sun.

The two walked diligently and arrived at the Cross Guard. Seeing the battlements and walls, they remembered the time they had been there before.

The Thorn Witch, Finn, Torres, and the Werewolf Pack.

Back then, you had to use your strength to get over the wall. You had to repeat the process to open the way. But now, you can open the gate just by walking.

Kkudddddddd.

The oiled wooden doors with iron frames opened to the left and right, and inside, a group of soldiers were seen moving a pulley.

There is nothing like a moat, but the walls themselves are thick. Looking at the battlements, Encred thought that climbing the walls now would be much easier than before, since his physical abilities had changed from before, but he could see that it was different from before.

They had sharp, thorn-like objects driven into the battlement.

It has become a blade-shaped battlement.

It was something he had done after being hurt before, but Encred also knew that it was Abnair’s action.

“There is a saying that you should only raise the fence after being attacked by a ghoul. It is so obvious, but shouldn’t you raise the fence even after being attacked? If you don’t do it after being attacked, aren’t you just going to be attacked again?”

This is what Abnayer said, and Encred wholeheartedly agreed with it.

If you don’t move because it’s late, nothing will happen.

Because it’s important to act, sooner or later.

Encred entered through the open gate and took a quick look around.

A few stood out: a group of robed men milling about among the shack-like houses lined up haphazardly within the walls.

A clear sense of alertness was felt from them.

After ascending the knighthood, Encred’s intuition became sharper and more sensitive than before.

I could feel that just by looking at it.

‘wariness.’

I also noticed people who seemed to be the owners of the shack, but they were all dressed in shabby clothes, thin and poor, and were staring at me absentmindedly.

These were eyes that wondered what was happening, but what I felt there was another emotion.

‘Anxiety.’

There were also several people carrying swords here and there, and the gazes of some of them were staring intently, with a clear meaning behind them.

‘curiosity.’

Or maybe it’s a sense of pride.

There seemed to be a smell of tobacco throughout the city, along with a mixture of wariness, anxiety, and curiosity.

In fact, there were some people who were biting and burning cigarettes right next to the gate.

“welcome.”

Encred saw the one who greeted him. It was a man with narrow eyes and a snake-like appearance. That was his first impression.

Christ spread the word that the Border Guard standing force was going to the Cross Guard due to social issues.

It was a deliberate act, and there were several intentions involved. The biggest one was to build up a cause. It conveyed the message that the problem of socialism was something that the entire continent had to take action on.

That was the reason why they stood up boldly even though they were outwardly enemies, regardless of whether they formed an alliance behind the scenes.

Is this why you heard the news?

Anyway, the snake-eyed man came to greet Encred and said he was an administrator who worked right under the mayor.

There were three swordsmen who followed him as escorts, but their skills were not that great. Encred could tell their level at a glance.

“How did you know and come out in advance?”

As Encred spoke with a moderately polite tone, Snake Eyes spoke with a smile.

“I told you to let me know as soon as the Border Guard comes.”

Who? Are these the ones standing on the wall?

There were a few people with bows on the wall, but they didn’t look very sharp.

Well, it didn’t matter where I heard it.

“It is an honor to serve you, Your Majesty.”

Encred didn’t reveal his identity. Even though his reputation was widely known, it was difficult to figure out who he was just by looking at his appearance or attire.

Although his external features were known, his portrait had never been painted or his appearance was never described in detail.

Besides, if you sleep out and wander around, even the most handsome face will start to look dirty.

Encred was like that now too.

It would have been difficult to distinguish them by their clothing because they would often change their armor.

This time he wore a blue cloak and grey scale armor underneath, but he had torn off his shoulder armor because it was difficult to move his arms.

The only equipment he had, the same as before, was a pair of leather gauntlets on his hands.

This one wouldn’t even tear easily. It was made from leather bought from a giant merchant at the Border Guard Market, and Eitri shaped it for me. While he was making it, Eitri said that the material was good.

“You know me, don’t you?”

Encred let out a whisper.

“How could you not know the knight with black hair and blue eyes?”

Snake Eyes smiled and answered. Encred nodded. He didn’t particularly like Snake Eyes’s whiny behavior, but he couldn’t say anything about it.

You can’t go around beating up people just because they annoy you.

“I will guide you to the mansion.”

“Okay. An inn is enough for us.”

Encred politely declined. Then, looking into the snake’s eyes, he said he understood and walked towards the inn, offering to guide him.

I turned around without even being embarrassed or asking why.

The three swordsmen who came out as escorts were the same. They followed along obediently, as if they were supposed to do the same.

The place he guided me to wasn’t a shabby building, but a musty smell tickled my nose.