Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 690

690. Between familiarity and unfamiliarity

‘Right upper arm, left abdomen.’

Encred read the woman’s plan, presumed to be Ragnar’s mother. The sword in his right hand slashed down and the sword in his left hand stabbed. The two swords moved in the same rhythm. It was fast, but the rhythm was not even.
Therefore.

‘be easy.’

It was easy to block and dodge. Ragnar chose to dodge rather than draw his sword.
Ragnar’s body moved to the side without even seeming to lift his foot. The knight’s reaction speed easily surpassed human common sense.
A normal person would be surprised by just the brute force of a prow, surprised by the movements of a water man, and terrified by the strength of a giant. But
if he had become a knight, there was no reason or need to be surprised anymore.
Now that he could use similar strength and movements as them, that’s why.
Just like Ragnar now.
His mother’s blade followed Ragnar’s movements, bending at a right angle.
It was still easy. One blade stabbed and one blade cut. It felt monotonous.

‘No, it’s not easy.’

I don’t know if it was because Encred was in a position to train, or if my discernment had improved over time, but I could vaguely see the hidden intentions in the swordsmanship.
The two blades moved at a certain angle, and that forced several movements on the opponent. For
example, the sword in the right hand stabbed downwards, aiming for the collarbone, and the sword in the left hand slashed diagonally outward. It felt like cutting the entire abdomen and arm.
If I had moved sideways to dodge, I would have been stabbed instead.
The twin swords were nimble and fast. In terms of speed, they were comparable to anyone else’s.
Thanks to that, there was no room to take other movements.

‘Moreover, there is no unnecessary movement at all.’

Ragnar has two choices here: draw his sword and block, or retreat. Put some distance between you.

‘If it were me, I’d grab both wrists.’

Since Ragnar would have the upper hand in brute force, he would take advantage of his advantage.
According to Luagarne’s tactical thinking, that would be right.
After grabbing both wrists, he would strike the bridge of the opponent’s nose with his forehead.
Why did he make this choice?

‘It’s hard to predict what he’ll do if he steps down.’

Simply blocking the option would have allowed the opponent to continue the offensive.
That was the decision I made, and at the same time, I knew what my mother was doing.

‘Forced movement.’

If Aker’s Web was a swordsmanship technique that entangled the opponent’s movements and reduced their options, then
this one was a swordsmanship technique that set a path from the beginning and pushed the opponent back.
It was a similar but subtly different swordsmanship style.
Ragnar mixed three options, including Encred’s method.

‘If possible, you can make multiple selections at the same time.’

If he could, then so he did. Ragnar
drew the shortsword he had brought with him and blocked one of the swords, then tried to grab her right wrist with his left hand, and he raised his right knee and aimed for his mother’s chin with the tip of his foot.

Ting.

Mother’s blade returned to its original position as soon as it met Ragnar’s short sword. Her body was thrown back, so Ragnar’s kicks and hand gestures were nothing more than grabbing the air and kicking.
Mother’s golden hair, braided behind her, swayed left and right. From her clothes to her hair, it seemed as if she was moving violently.

“Hmm, son, have you changed a bit?”

The fluttering apron covered her abdomen and front legs as she moved back and forth at high speed. In the meantime, the scabbard attached to the outside of her thigh was visible.

‘Here, even when cooking, you hold a sword.’

No matter how I looked at it, the knife in my mother’s hand didn’t look like one for kitchen use. It was
a bit longer than a short sword, and the blade was thicker. However, the blade also seemed thin compared to the thickness.
It was probably a custom-made sword, somewhere between a gladius and a short sword.

‘No, it’s an engraved weapon.’

Correct your thoughts.
Here, even when cooking, you carry a engraved weapon.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time, so wouldn’t it be natural for things to change?”

Ragnar showed a level of positivity he had never shown before. He seemed to be okay with being attacked.
It was something he had not shown before leaving home. Ragnar’s mother was a little touched.

“Yeah, I knew you’d come back sometime.”
“I didn’t come back, I came to get the sunrise.”
“Sunrise? You said you’d give it to me?”

The mother turned her head slightly towards the father who was standing behind her.

“no.”

Ragnar’s father shook his head.

“You’re motivated, son. It’s good to see you.”

His mother turned her head back and said with a smile.
This house is very positive.
Encred thought back to the situation just a little while ago. It was a short fight, but wasn’t it full of fun?
What’s more, he learned something.
Not all swordsmanship in the world can be divided into ultimate, sustain, and omnipotent.
In other words, it’s impossible to distinguish everything with just instinct and calculation.
The swordsmanship Ragnar’s mother showed him a little while ago was like that.

‘conversion.’

She went back and forth between calculation and instinct. She was not an omnipotent being. She was not balanced in the center, but tilted left and right like a seesaw and then came back.

‘Extreme speed here.’

Encred named his swordsmanship Flash, but the true nature of swordsmanship is optimization of thought.
It is like reducing the number of dependent variables for just one moment.
The swordsmanship that Grida showed me comes to mind again. To be exact, it is a calculation destructive method, but it is actually something that cannot be used at all in real combat.
To use it in real combat, Encred himself should assume a perfect defense like when facing a one-hit kill and make minimal movements. However, Grida’s movements were too big for that.
So it is not for real combat.
In that sparring with Grida, he was someone who repeatedly thought rationally in battle, and Grida, in turn, played the role of disrupting that thinking.
That is why he decided not to give her a chance to disrupt her thinking.

‘Making the best choice possible when you have limited options.’

That’s a flash.
It’s not that it’s slow just because it’s defined like this, but if we’re talking purely about the speed of the blade, the swordsmanship that Ragnar’s mother just showed was more surprising.

‘High-speed thinking using a quick sword?’

There must be more hidden skills than what is visible. I can’t wait for that.
That’s why I unconsciously kept gripping and releasing the Samcheol grip.

“What a belligerent guest.”

Ragnar’s mother said after seeing that. Encred was about to open his mouth, but was interrupted.

“Don’t do that.”

It was a warning.

“……I followed Ragna.”

Encrid wanted to join right away, but he heard Grida’s warning.
Magrun intervened and added.

“I’m Encred from the Border Guard. You’ve probably heard about the Mad Knights from the Broker’s Village.”

My mother blinked a few times and answered.

“Oh, that? A heartbreaker?”

Encred’s heart wavered for a moment, but he held on.

‘Why is that nickname even here?’

He questioned for a moment, but soon gave an ordinary answer as if nothing had happened.

“Who gave you the news?”

If we catch that bastard, we’ll know where the rumor came from.
Probably ninety-nine out of a hundred, it’s Shinar.
Now Encred knows how widely Shinar spread the rumor.
She spread the rumor that the crazy commander of the Border Guard was best at breaking women’s hearts.
If this continues, children passing by will mention this nickname, and maybe one of the bards will compose a song.
Furthermore, the wizard who studies in the forest with his back to the world might know my nickname right away.

‘No, it went too far.’

It was not the time to lose your mind.
Encred continued, looking at the clear eyes looking at him.

“The rumors are exaggerated.”
“There’s no smoke without fire, and judging by your face, it doesn’t seem to be a lie, but if you only listen to the rumors, there are rumors that Gaju is an eight-armed monster, so it can’t be true. I’m Alexandra Zaun. Welcome to Zaun.”

Although she may seem ordinary at first glance, we just confirmed her extraordinary nature.

“You have eight arms, more than I do.”

The man next to him spoke, and his wife smiled brightly. Despite being a middle-aged woman, she had few wrinkles and looked incredibly youthful.
When you become a knight, aging tends to slow down.

‘That means he reached the level of a knight at a young age.’

It was peculiar. The husband couldn’t read the emotions and his wife seemed ordinary, but this person was also difficult to read.

“If you are of a high standard, it is natural to hide your intentions.”

Didn’t Saxon say the same thing?
I know what he meant.
Excellent observation is in the realm of insight, and excellent insight can be close to mind reading.
So, conversely, those with excellent insight know how to hide their own.
Whether it’s calculation, instinct, or sense, this attitude that makes it difficult to read one’s mind is something that is acquired reflexively.

‘Otherwise, the fight between Lawford and Pell wouldn’t have been possible.’

If one side knows the other side’s intentions and the other side doesn’t, wouldn’t it be easy to win or lose?
Even if you know, there are attacks that you can’t block.
Well, that’s what it is.

“We already had guests and were preparing a meal, what a coincidence. I didn’t know this would happen, but the portions are generous. Come with me. First, wash up.”

Jawoon was a small castle, and there were only a few people who served her separately. I could see a few maids and servants standing behind her.
They all seemed to have a big heart, and even though they saw her wielding a knife, they had an indifferent expression.

“I will guide you.”

Then he stepped forward, and the head of the household, his wife, who identified herself as Alexandra, nodded.

“Yes, the location is the same.”

Before I knew it, I had put the black road away. I missed this one too because his hands were so natural.
He put the sword back away while we were talking, so I guess you could call this a skill.
I can’t say that even the smallest gestures are extraordinary.

‘It’s definitely unusual.’

The head of the household looked at Encred, Ragnar, and Anne in turn and spoke.

“See you later. Dinner today will be fun. It’s been a while since there were so many people.”

The tone was not even pleasant, let alone full of anticipation.

“This way.”

Then he nodded and showed respect to his mother and father and led the group.

“I have a place to stop by for a bit.”

Magrun was left halfway through.
Anne spoke only after she had been a long way from the gaju and his wife.

“I was going to say that I came to treat your illness, but you look really scary. You’re Ragnar’s father.”
“Is that so?”
“They don’t look alike at all.”

Ragnar nodded at Encred’s continued words.

“They’re adoptive parents. It’d be weird if they looked alike.”
“Huh?”

It was the first time I heard it.
When Encred turned his head to react, Grida turned around and spoke.

“I’m an adopted daughter too. You didn’t know that? Well, that kid isn’t the type to talk about things in detail.”

Ragna didn’t really respond and just looked around. It had been a long time since he had returned home. Some of the memories that remained in the corner of his mind were awakening and he was feeling nostalgic.

“If I go this way, it would be my room. Is it still the same?”

Although it is called a castle, it is a structure that is no different from a large mansion. A few pillars lined up were the boundary line between the inside and outside.
It was not very large, and the place Ragna pointed to with his finger was a hallway leading to the right.
In other words, it was the path leading to the inside.
To the left was the exterior with a small garden.

“There’s only the master’s bedroom there. It hasn’t changed since the last time.”

Ragnar tilted his head at Grida’s words.

“I’m a little confused.”
“Is that a little?”

He said it was absurd, but this much was expected. Even though it was the place where he was born and raised, it had been a long time since he came back. It was normal for Ragnar to get lost.

“The bathroom is over here. There’s no bathing assistance. Jawoon is originally a person who has to take care of his own affairs. If he doesn’t do his duty, he won’t be given anything. Oh, and I’ll bring you clothes.”

Bread doesn’t fall from the air just because you swing your sword. There must have been some form of organization here that kept the group going.
It seemed like they were only keeping a minimum number of employees and doing the rest themselves.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been able to wash with peace of mind.”

Anne said.

“You wash with me.”

Then, Anne and I went to another bathroom separated by a wall. When Encred went inside, he saw a large wooden bucket filled with water and a stove where he could boil water on one side if he wanted.
There was already water boiled, so steam rose from the top of the stove, and a large bathtub came into view.
Ragna couldn’t find his way, but it wasn’t a problem with his memory, so he picked up a wooden bucket and started mixing hot and cold water as if recalling an old memory.
Seeing that he was not only taking care of his own but also Encred’s, it seemed that this was Ragna’s house.
The bath preparation seemed to be a mixture of familiarity and unfamiliarity.

“What is sunrise?”

Encred asked Ragnar, looking at him like that. He had not washed properly for a long time, so his body smelled musty.
That must be why he told me to wash up before eating.
Ragnar answered while putting a bucket of water into the bathtub. His voice was mixed with the splashing sound.