Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 818

818. The House of Gold Collapses, but the Indomitable Remains

The man was eloquent. He knew how to tell engaging stories. Encred found his tale quite amusing. She felt
like throwing him a few copper coins.
Storytellers need patronage, after all.
Of course, the author wasn’t here as a storyteller.
The gist of his story was clear.
In the Demon Realm, each demon had built up its own power. Instead of revealing their true names, they were given nicknames.
While these nicknames were likely intended to display their power, they were also used by those who knew them with a sense of respect.
The Burning Crow, the Promiser of Abundance, the Passionate Companion, the Pure White Destroyer, and the Distrustful Loner.
These were five of the six demons that ruled the Demon Realm.

“And even the father of the dead.”

The merchant’s smooth speech permeated everyone.

“He is also called the Gate that Ends Life. His name is widely known throughout the continent, isn’t it?”

There was a group called the Devil’s Womb, a name given to them after they failed to gather wizards and form a group called the Tower of Wisdom.
Through them, demons and twelve Balrogs burst onto the continent.
It was a massive event, as devastating as the summoning of the fire-breathing, otherworldly Salamanders by the cult known as the Demonic Realm.
All six demons were now interested in humans.
Balrog was a scoundrel. Despite being a demon, he was a heretic with a different agenda.
That Balrog was dead. By human hands.
That’s why the demons of the Demonic Realm were interested in the identity of the one who set the fire.
As soon as Balrog died, Chrys had unleashed several of the worst imaginings, but this was relatively mild.
Chrys spoke to the merchant, whose eyes were clouded by the fat on his cheeks and cheekbones.

“So the reason you came here is to make a good offer to the captain?”

The merchant nodded immediately in response.

“Yes, that’s right.”

The nod was almost cheerful.
Christ narrowed his eyes. He frowned. That merchant wouldn’t have blurted out something like that unless he was half-mad.

‘why?’

If imagination has become reality, we must now grasp its true nature. We must deduce the other party’s intentions. We must understand why the devil acts.

‘Even if it is a being beyond human perception.’

Still, there had to be a reason. Christ remembered the reason they had come here in the first place.

‘Balrog’s death was a shock to the demons residing in the Demon Realm.’

A demon of struggle, a battle-monger who collects souls.
These were the words used to describe the Balrog.
A peculiar species that, even at the cost of sacrificing a portion of its own power, splits its soul, scatters fragments of its self, and roams around collecting souls.
That’s the implication conveyed by the merchant’s words.

‘That Balrog is dead.’

The news that had not spread widely across the continent because Encred had not made a fuss was spread widely within the Demon Realm through some means.

‘Shocking.’

Does that mean their reaction is normal?
No.

‘Even if the one who lit the fire is exceptionally skilled, is there any reason to employ him?’

I think about it over and over again. From stories I’ve heard from merchants, to speculations, to the realms of my imagination.
I synthesize everything to deduce the context. All of this happened in an instant.

‘During the war.’

The demons in the Demon Realm are not on good terms with each other just because they are neighbors.

‘Each establishes its own territory and excludes the other.’

What if they were fighting like Naurilia and Azpen?
What if, in the midst of all this, a powerful force emerged from a small, previously unnoticed city, capable of influencing the battlefield?

‘What if the captain was on Azpen’s side, not Naurilia’s?’

Victory or defeat may have been decided.
The war between demons will likely not differ much from the continental one.
The battlefield will be decided by a small number of elite, exceptional individuals who transcend the norm.

“hmm.”

Chrys nodded. His thoughts were finally gathered.
This was why they had come to Encred to offer to recruit him.
They would accept the man who killed Balrog as one of their own.

‘You might want not only the captain, but the knights themselves.’

While he was lost in thought for a moment, the merchant said:

“Human life is finite. According to my master’s will, I will be granted eternal life. They say even rolling in filth is better than heaven. Eternal life, I find it an attractive proposition.”

Before discussing duties and obligations, they discuss compensation.
Normally, it would be absurd to scoff, but when the price is unimaginably high, people waver. The merchant knew this, and that’s why he spoke.
The wizard, seeing it as his time to step forward, was about to speak, but before he could, Chrys spoke.

“barely?”

The merchant’s story cooled the heated atmosphere. Chrys poured cold water on it. He
promised eternal life, promising to put him at the forefront of the war between demons, a war in the Demon Realm.
Of course, the merchant hadn’t realized Chrys knew that much.

“……Eternal life is not that far off.”

The merchant spoke. He was momentarily speechless, his words almost like a tantrum. What he held most dear was worthless to the other person. At first glance, it was unpleasant.

“hmm.”

Christ’s attitude remained unchanged. He crossed his arms and shook his head slightly. He didn’t like it.

“If you wish, I can certainly give you more than just eternal life. If you need it, I can even give you enough gold to fill a room…”

The merchant’s confidence faded, his words trailing off. If he could just lure someone with Crona, there was no need for him to come.
Why worship the so-called demons?
Because they grant things normally unattainable:
eternal life, or a beautiful appearance.
Crona’s value here isn’t great. At least not to the merchant. Can you buy time with your overflowing Crona? No. Therefore, it’s worthless.
All he wants is to return to his youth and live forever.
But…

“hmm.”

The man’s wide-eyed frown widened. His ears perked up.
What was that reaction?
The merchant, perplexed, spoke. What was coming out now was the instinct of a lifetime spent as a merchant.

“How much is a room? If you need it, I can build you a house with gold bars.”

I’m not saying I’ll build a house out of gold. I’m just saying I can give you that much krona.
No one would miss that.
Christ’s arms relaxed and his eyes widened.

“Oh.”

Chrys’s cheeks flushed, as if he were drunk.
At this rate, wouldn’t it be okay to participate in a local war as a mercenary at least once?
Even if the Border Guard grew into a trading city and earned gold, there were still many places where it would be spent.
The military expenses alone, just to maintain the army, were dizzying.
But the gold house that the generous man mentioned would remain a complete profit.

‘One mercenary job, one gold barn.’

The devil is a devil in his own way, so wouldn’t it be worth making a deal?

cook.

Nurat, his lover and bodyguard, poked Chrys in the ribs.
Captain Garrett, whom he had served before, was a different breed, but this man, his lover, was even worse.
His gaze clearly suggested he was about to strike a deal with the devil.

“greatness.”

Chrys glanced at Encred with a cough. His face showed no interest in Crona or anyone else.
Chrys found that incredibly disappointing.

‘You can just trick them a little, take all the money you can get, and then send them away.’

Wouldn’t it be better to just pretend to let things slide?
Instead of fighting as a mercenary and giving it his all, it would be better to appropriately sow discord.
Of course, demons aren’t easy.
If you make rash assumptions based on human intellect, you might suffer a crushing defeat. Chrys knows that too. He simply momentarily lost himself in a delusion of regret.
The gold house crumbled in Chrys’s mind.

“Why are you doing that when you know you’re not the type of person to move like that?”

Abnayer noticed Christ’s intentions and whispered.

“It’s not a bad offer for you. If not eternal life, what do you desire? Land? Is this continent what you desire? If so, I’ll give you the entire continent. I’ll give you the omnipotent authority to do whatever you want.”

This time, the man with the greatsword spoke.
It was a grand proposal. If he could make the entire continent, the pinnacle of all intelligence, including the empire, he could make him their king.
Encred still showed little interest. If they made him king,
did that mean he would become king? Was it the arrogance of the demons in the Demon Realm?
Or was the demons’ power truly enough to defy the continent?

‘Both.’

Encred saw it that way.

“What good is eternal life or the earth?”

This time, the wizard steps forward. He knows what the two are proposing is meaningless.
Those called demons call themselves quasi-gods. They are on the verge of becoming gods.

‘What I truly desire is the truth.’

To reach that truth, we must become God, an omniscient and omnipotent being.

“I will show you the way to become a sage.”

The wizard said, “There’s no better offer than this. The power of that force, the power to subdue the Balrog—all of this speaks volumes.”

‘That man is moving upwards.’

The further you go, the more thirsty you’ll become. What if someone showed you a shortcut?

“I have come by the command of the ruler with goat horns, who is called the flaming raven.”

The sorcerer’s voice was resonant, adding a sense of solemnity. It was a sly remark, but when used appropriately, it could resonate deeply with the heart.
Encred turned and asked the man with the greatsword.

“One is a flaming crow, the other is a golden devotee, and you?”
“A passionate companion is with me.”

Encred nodded and asked again.

“Why should I keep you alive?”

The implication in these few words is one.

“……Rejection?”

The wizard was surprised. Shouldn’t he at least be thinking about it?
And what about Esther? She’s a wizard, so she must have other thoughts. Esther was just repeating her thoughts over and over again, refusing to even meet his eyes.
They didn’t know Encred. They didn’t know what he wanted, they didn’t know his dreams.
He wanted to become a knight.
He wanted to be the sword and shield that protected his back.
He wanted to end the war and erase the magic mirror.
Even with each passing day, his spirit wouldn’t wear down. That was the person before them
. They didn’t know that.
Somewhere, Encred heard the boatman laughing.

“Eternal life? A god? Ah, so this is when you use the expression ‘plenty of crops’. It’s a Western expression.”

The laughter of Suin, who lives a true eternal life repeating today, will naturally be mixed with anger.

“Can I kill you now?”

Dunbakel, unable to bear it any longer, asked, and the wizard shouted.

“I am not the true self. What you sent here is a part of yourself. Killing me is meaningless. Therefore, you will regret this for the rest of your life.”

The wizard spoke, then paused, about to cast a spell. Suin, who had approached him, laughed and kicked his chin with her heel. He
placed his hand on the ground and spun around, a truly natural sequence of movements.

pop!

The head exploded above the neck. Black blood sprayed into the air, then transformed into small insects.
It had sprung up the moment Encred gestured for permission.

-I will make you regret it!

The sorcerer’s voice still lingered. This, too, was a trick. Esther waved her hand absentmindedly. She had scattered many things on this land.
Among them were several spells designed to prevent other sorcerers from performing their tricks.
One of them activated, severing the sorcerer’s magic. One of Esther’s bracelets crumbled and scattered like dust.

‘The skill is still there.’

Esther judged so.

-You, child of the stars. Have you forgotten that there are many who seek to tear your existence apart?

This was a threat, but it was also a flimsy tactic.
As the wizard’s body disintegrated into dust, the man with the greatsword raised his sword, but it was meaningless.
Fel and Lawford, who had returned, stood on his left and right.

“See, I told you it was weird?”
“Who said what?”

Fel was first, followed by Lawford, who each threw a word before severing the greatsword’s two arms. One went from bottom to top, the other from top to bottom.
The two lines were similar yet drawn differently. Their skill was also exceptional, so the man with the greatsword couldn’t respond.
While Encred and the others were fighting the Balrog, they too had fought the monsters and the souls it had collected. In other words, they too had risked their lives, overcoming and enduring to reach this point.
It was only natural that their skills had changed.
The warrior with both arms severed spat out blood. The blood gushed out like flames, drawing the shapes of two eyes and a mouth in the air. They were as large as a human torso.

-Are you serious about this?

Encred’s insight revealed the presence of his opponent. It was different from the magician’s earlier trick.
It was a pressure that could only be seen by a demon. It made the air heavy, and a single breath seemed to incinerate everything in the area, whether people or buildings.
The force was truly imposing. True to its demonic name.

“uh.”

And Encrid answered cheerfully and lightly.

-Okay, see you later.

The demons dispersed and vanished.
The merchant looked around, his eyes fluttered, and his gaze changed. He muttered something incomprehensible, and then black soot began to rise from his body.