Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 803

803. Training fever

“You are bigger than Balrog.”

It was a sudden statement, so I couldn’t immediately understand it. The light from the lamp quietly illuminated the boat above the rippling river.

“I don’t think you’re talking about body organs.”

The boatman answered the question, half joking, half asking for confirmation. His tone was utterly serious. His words were delivered with determination, so it must have sounded serious, which was his current intention.

“The thoughts embedded in the leather are filled with a fighting spirit born from regret.”

Balrog left behind a regret as he died. That regret was condensed into the skin he left behind. For a moment, Encred recalled an old proverb from the West:
a demon, not even a tiger, had left behind a skin as he died.
Beyond these trivial thoughts, the ferryman before him came into view. How is the ferryman today? Or rather, what is the very existence of a ferryman?

‘complicated.’

It’s often said that there are simple people and complex people. Of course, if you look closely at the inner workings of people, they’re all complex, as is often the case with those who possess both intellect and instinct.
However, among them, there are those whose complexity is evident even on the surface.

‘It’s too fickle.’

The boatman is like that.

‘You say something different every time.’

The boatman was like that.
Even without really concentrating, thoughts began to flow naturally. Faces of the boatman I’d met and seen flashed through my mind. A fact I’d noticed before surfaced.
It was as if the fragments of a broken ship, sunk deep in the lake, were coming back together, one by one, to reveal its form.

‘The captain is not singular.’

The famous line from a novel that once took the continent by storm: “Humans are not singular.” This meant that humans exist not as biological entities but within social relationships.
However, the conclusion Encred was now drawing from within was even more intuitive.

‘There is more than one captain.’

He is a conglomerate formed by the fusion of many thoughts. As such, he is capricious, constantly changing his words, and his inner thoughts are so complex that it’s impossible to decipher them.
It’s only when his thoughts finally connect that we begin to discern something beyond.

Bam.

The boatman raised the hand that wasn’t holding the lamp and drew a downward stroke. The stroke wasn’t particularly threatening, but Encred recognized the line and turned to the side to avoid it.

“Up to there.”

The train of thought is cut off. The train of thought stops. The boatman was clever. No, I must say it again.
Today’s boatman was clever.
His gestures resembled swordsmanship. It was almost a trick, but it was enough to keep me interested.

“You don’t need to know any more.”

Encred agreed. It wasn’t a desire to know anything that drove him to it. It was simply the natural flow of thought, a product of past experiences and the captain’s actions.

“It’s a possibility…….”

The ferryman’s words seemed to linger deeply. The emotional regret contained in those three words—possibility—was truly profound, something one could sense without even thinking about it. Afterwards, the ferryman gradually moved away. More precisely, Encred felt his own body drifting away.

“Remember. And struggle. I’ll be watching with pleasure.”

The dream shatters. The river disappears, revealing a ceiling painted an unfamiliar white. This ceiling must have been made of thin sheets glued together with fish glue, secured with nails, and then mixed with a lime paste and a stone called chalk.
A fragment of a memory from a time when he worked on a construction site, hoping to earn some krona, clearly identifies where he is. He can easily overlook the dream and the boatman’s identity.
Knowing why the armor has no effect on him is enough, and the rest is unnecessary now.

* * *

Encred, waking up, filled his stomach with boiled duck and roasted duck eggs and stretched out in the royal training hall.
Those who were usually dedicated to training approached him, exchanging greetings or saluting him.
Encred was a knight commander recognized by the royal family. His position itself was prestigious. His reputation was even more astonishing. Up close, how handsome was his face?
Furthermore, this time, he had entered the royal family with the nickname “Demon Slayer.”
Everyone watched him from a distance. Encred,
however, was oblivious to the gaze of those around him. This had always been the case. Previously, he’d been criticized for lacking both skill and talent, and for lacking tact.
Now?
Awe and respect remained. No one dared challenge him. No one glared or envied him. He had now achieved a certain level of fame.
Of course, Encred didn’t even care. Even if there had been jealousy, he wouldn’t have given it a second glance.
He was focused on his own work. It was just as usual.
Luagarne repeatedly mentioned Encred’s greatest talent: repetition. He said that the diligence that allowed him to accomplish any task, regardless of the circumstances, was his greatest weapon.
When he suddenly improved through daily repetition, Luagarne marveled, but then realized it was the result of daily repetition.
Prock’s discernment is truly remarkable.

‘You can’t strain your arms yet.’

Encred repeatedly tightened and relaxed his lower body muscles. Meanwhile, Frock approached, his eyes rolling, and suddenly spoke.

“Let’s sort it out.”

There was no greeting, no check-up. As for her health, Audyn and Teresa had already visited in the morning.
Encred had become somewhat accustomed to the species known as the Prok. More specifically, she was accustomed to the Prok called Luagarne.
Even without puffing out her cheeks, the way her eyes rolled so intently suggested a surge of anticipation, a desire to stand them here and talk, even if it meant stabbing them in the foot.
Her desire and appetite were revealed more clearly than ever. Encred didn’t find that a bad thing.

“huh.”

He nodded coolly.
At the suggestion of organizing things here, Encred recounted the story he’d told on the way to Nauril, condensing it into a single, unified narrative. It was a rambling, disjointed narrative on the way. Luagarne recommended compressing, organizing, and aligning all of that within himself.
He’d done this while walking, but he’d also gotten a full day of rest, washed himself in warm water, and eaten well.
Now was the perfect time to delve into his inner self and establish something.

‘Minotaurs.’
‘Colony-level monsters and hordes of
demonic beasts.’ ‘Black lightning and wizards, Thornwood Fortress and its lord.’
‘Balrog’s Labyrinth, the knights he held captive, Oara, and Balrog.’

Even if we break it down into broad categories, it’s been quite a journey. And there’s been a lot to learn along the way.
In particular, the swordsmanship, which ultimately led to the elimination of the embers, is the result of unprecedented development.
And what about Indules, Will’s previous transformation?

‘It is people who use swordsmanship.’

There’s also a shift in the way the sword is wielded. The concepts of swordsmanship, once divided into the three categories of “Jeongjunghwankwaeyoo,” are now remixed, centering on the body.

‘Swing the sword you need at the right moment.’

All of this requires a sense of purpose.
Putting aside the repetition of the day, I organize and reflect on what I’ve experienced. It’s a review. Luagarne helped me with this.

“Show me.”

Encred immediately moved Will at the suggestion to subdue his opponent by creating a triple wall of pressure.

‘The embodiment of oppression.’

To elaborate, this involves holding an opponent back with momentum alone. Just as a mouse is powerless before a cat, it involves crushing the opponent’s mind with murderous intent.
Humans and other intelligent beings delve deeper into this. They go beyond simply exploiting the killing intent and even exploit the opponent’s subconscious.
With subtle movements like shifting the position of the feet and lowering the hands, the opponent experiences visions of their throat being slit.
The three oppressive walls also don’t deviate significantly from this principle. With gestures of the hands and feet, they present a wall that won’t easily crumble.

“……Great.”

Luagarne continued to exclaim in admiration. As the two continued to do so, Teresa, having recovered somewhat, joined them.

“I also learned a lot this time.”

After that, Lawford and Fel.
Rem sat to one side, watching. Saxon, as if in his usual position, had appeared, leaning against a pillar in the corridor surrounding the training grounds, arms folded.
His eyes, slowly opening, were fixed on Encred, but watching him quietly, it was like a painting. It seemed natural that several maids were whispering about him.
Ragna was swinging his sword, sheathed, at one side, attempting something. It wasn’t easy to discern what it was. Despite being told to rest, they had somehow gathered here.
Marcus, passing by, saw them and ordered a table set up here. It seemed obvious that they wouldn’t stop even for dinner.
Encred glanced at the captain of the Royal Guard, whom she had known for a while. He merely nodded, saying he had a lot to do, and quickly disappeared.
Dinner was served there, and everyone continued to demonstrate their movements and share until the sun set.
What is normal for some becomes special for others.
Even within the royal family, I shared what I knew to help each other improve.
But that was only to a certain extent. I didn’t reveal every detail, every essence of my skills. But they didn’t do that. They unleashed everything they had without hesitation.
To those watching, it all seemed extraordinary. For the mad knights, it was routine. One soldier, watching, found courage.

“Can I join you?”

The level doesn’t match. But the Mad Knights don’t attack their opponents with such things.

“Do you know just by looking?”

No, there was one guy who verbally criticized her. It was Rem. But she didn’t reject him. Since he’d already spoken, she even gave him some leeway.
So, even if he’d seen it, he wouldn’t understand, so she explained it to him.
Of course, the explanation wasn’t exactly friendly, but Rem had learned a lot from teaching Encred, so she could be a decent teacher.
Above all, the gap in skill between those currently at the royal martial arts training center and the madmen was simply too great. It wasn’t a big deal to give them leeway.

“Why are your feet so far apart?”

Rem blurted out. The Royal Guard soldier was terrified of this savage, but he spoke his mind. He couldn’t become a Royal Guard member without such guts.

“That’s how I learned it.”
“Don’t tell me what you learned, tell me what you know with your head.”

Now, it’s a fundamental skill I’d forgotten, a fundamental skill, but when you understand the reasons for it one by one, the fundamentals seem different.
It’s the best form of teaching for quickly improving your skills: changing your perspective. It was like telling someone who needs to go east but is lost, going north and south, that east is this way. It was a process of establishing a direction and opening up the path.
Of course, you have to walk on your own legs.
Rem found this fun, too. Her assault team within the Border Guard would start by beating up anyone who couldn’t even do this, but there was a different kind of fun to be had by gently coaxing them with words.

“Hey, what, you’re praying for your opponent to kill you? Relax your sword fingers? Use that to gently deflect his attacks? Yeah, try it. But if you can’t block it, I’ll split your head open.”

From Noble Hunter to Skull Crusher, Rem’s nickname had already increased by another. He
tried to appease them with words, but it wasn’t easy. Still, the soldiers held firm and persevered. This was a remarkable feat.
More precisely, Rem’s training methods were remarkable.
If some of Rem’s assault troops saw this, they would surely be possessed by their captain’s kindness and would be ready to take their axes.
Just one day after the Mad Knights arrived, the royal training grounds were ablaze with training fever. And it lasted until the moon rose. No one stopped or rested. But there was no coercion. They
went to work, rested, and participated in training of their own accord.
The Mad Knights were no exception. Those who needed to rest could rest.

“This chaos happened as soon as I got here.”

A blond man entered the corner of the training ground. He was wearing a thin, yet vivid red shirt and dark blue trousers. While the fabric itself was luxurious, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for everyday wear.
Who could call someone dressed like that a king?
The official audience was three days away, but the King of Naurilia had visited the royal training ground.
It was strange to see such a commotion, and since a close friend had arrived, he was just there to see his face.
It was also a particularly tiring night. He’d been dealing with a series of headaches for days.
Most of it was his own doing, but that didn’t make the hard work any easier.

“hey.”

Krang called Encrid. It was already nighttime. Moonlight illuminated the ground, and the buzzing of insects around the torch made a crackling sound.
It was also a night when many moths flocked to the flames.

“uh.”

Encred wiped his sweat and raised a hand to receive the king’s greeting. The king held up a flask of wine he had just retrieved from the royal treasury.

“Want to have a drink?”

This liquor, of which only three bottles remained in the royal treasury, was not brought out unless there was a grand celebration. It
was nicknamed “Gun-guk-ju.” Brewed at the nation’s founding, it earned its nickname because only a few bottles remained. Legend has it that the royal family’s patron deity, the Sunshine, imparted the recipe for its brewing.

“Good.”

Encred once again answered plainly. He wasn’t surprised by the king’s sudden appearance. There was no reason to be surprised by a close friend’s visit.