Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 809

809. Kill with hatred

“Ugh.”

The assassin, hiding in a market alley, leaped upwards to escape the poisonous cloud. Hooking his fingers on the wall, he climbed onto the roof of a brick house. A cold wind brushed his neck.
A question arose within him. Suddenly, wind? And a cold wind?

‘In the middle of summer?’

Before I could even raise my head, a cloudless blue sky appeared. The sun was shining brightly.
The assassin fell, head up, a red line drawn across his neck. Blood from his fallen neck stained the roof of the station, which was covered with straw and stones.

“What, what is it?”
“Whoa.”
“What the hell.”

Only then did screams and fierce sounds ring out from all directions.

Beep!

A soldier standing guard and maintaining security on one side blew a whistle. The sound of the whistle drew four soldiers on patrol.
Meanwhile, Saxon, on the roof of another building, stabbed an assassin in the side with his dagger, slicing open his heart. He then thrust his Silence Dagger into the forehead of another assassin, whose eyes were peeking out of a window.
Three men were dead, yet the other assassins failed to locate Saxon.

“Don’t stop one.”

Krang whispered urgently. Encred placed Krang behind him and spoke.

“Saxony, leave one alone.”

Krang spoke in a whisper, and Encred’s voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it was fine. The arrow
exploded, creating chaos, and the screams and startled cries echoed throughout the area, but the focused Saxon would have already heard them.
Indeed, things went as Krang had planned.
There were five assassins, and the most stealthy of them all, leaping over a wall, gained an opening to open his mouth.

“For the true royal family!”

He shouted, reaching out. A short arrow burst from his sleeve.
Encred didn’t stop it. After telling him not to, Krang tugged at his collar, telling him to leave it alone and that he’d handle it. He didn’t
know what he was after, but he knew there was a drawing Krang had drawn.

‘If it doesn’t work, just pull it out.’

Above all, he had the luxury of drawing his sword, even at the last moment.
Encred’s eyes, focused so intently, saw a red glow sweeping across Krang’s entire body.
The red light, rising as swiftly as a flying arrow, formed a shape and swirled around Krang’s entire body.

‘order?’

Similar, yet different. It didn’t smell like a spell. Rather, it smelled like a cloth dried in the sunlight on a clear day.
The red light emanating from Krang’s body caught the arrow the assassin had fired.
The light formed a shape, like a beast’s paw.
Of course, it all happened in an instant. Only Encred, with his concentration, could see it clearly; a normal person wouldn’t even be able to recognize it.
The beast’s paw grabbed the short arrow. That was the end. The arrow imbued with the Poison Cloud spell was nullified, and it snapped. The assassin threw himself forward, firing the arrow. Would the arrow, blocked just now, still work?
He anticipated this, drawing a span-long dagger and lunging, but the forelimb extended from Krang’s body and struck the assassin in the head.

Bang.

His neck snapped, and his torso tumbled sideways. The one with the broken neck became a corpse. That’s how the last assassin died.
Seeing this, Krang threw off his hood and pulled out his cloak, which he had hidden inside his large robe. A
faint crimson glow etched its form across his back.
Four legs and a mane wrapped around his neck like a blazing flame. The form, though vague, stood behind Krang,
as if insisting that he needed permission to kill this human.
This time, it wasn’t just for Encred’s eyes. Now, it was for everyone. He had revealed himself for that purpose. The intention was clear.
Krang’s red cloak fluttered in the wind.

“Is there anyone who is still dissatisfied with my rule?”

His appearance drew the attention of those around him. At first, a few people simply opened their eyes wide in surprise, but their reactions quickly spread like black ink in clear water.

“Listen, you people.”

And Krang demonstrated his special talent. After drawing the attention of the astonished crowd, he delivered a speech on the empty market floor, piercing their ears with his message.

“All this is due to my own incompetence. I admit it.”

The content of his blunt, concise speech wasn’t particularly important. Instead of pouring his heart and soul into it, Krang was composed.
From the moment he began to speak, seemingly captivating the attention of those around him, his demeanor remained constant. He was calm and solemn.

“I will not allow demons and thieves to rule.”

Encred didn’t know what Krang was after, but he knew one thing for sure.

‘To show you.’

Krang’s purpose was to show me the shining beast behind him.
No, not a beast, but a divine beast.
Even if it was only for a moment, the strength and speed with which its forelimbs moved rivaled that of a knight.

‘Let’s say it’s a light gesture of reaching out to block an arrow.’

I felt like I wanted to fight him once. It was a natural progression. When you see a good opponent, it doesn’t matter whether they’re human, giant, frog, or divine beast.
Krang’s speech was short and concise. Then, turning around and seeing Encred, he spoke.

“No. Now I can tell just by looking at your eyes. You only react when your life is in danger.”

Krang smiled and shook his head.
At the news of the attack, some of the security forces formed a formation around the king.
The Royal Guard, emerging from the inner castle, formed another layer of defense within the security forces.
Krang instantly cut off the spark of interest in Encred’s eyes. Judging by his intuition, Krang was as quick as anyone.

“ah.”

Krang laughed at Encred’s regretful sigh. This guy really doesn’t change. And at this level, he should be able to dream such outrageous dreams.
Well, he felt the same way.

“Solar water?”

Encred asked.

“uh.”

Their conversation was loud. The surrounding royal guards and the keen-eyed security forces could all hear.
After all, hadn’t they just shown it to me?
The murmur of the people gathered in the distance brought to mind words like “Sunbeam,” “Guardian,” and “King, protected by the royal family’s god.”
Perhaps they’d planted a trap to spread such rumors.

“Wasn’t that just a legend?”

The founding story, featuring three knights and the sun, was nothing more than a story. Krang shook his head.

“no.”

Encred blinked once. Krang wanted to answer all his friend’s questions.

“Only those of royal blood are eligible, and under that qualification, they can receive the power of the divine beast and still receive protection if they do not die.”

The tattoo was proof that the sun was there.

“You could have died in the process?”

It’s a power incomparable to those that simply grant you what you want. Some relics even grant their power in exchange for a person’s life force.
Some nefarious magicians have even created such spell objects.
So, wouldn’t the protective tattoos, where the divine power resides on the skin and protects, come with a price? Probably not.

“The weak-willed, the ones who seek power for their own gain—well, according to royal legend, such people die, but from what I see, all they can do is endure nightmares for about three days.”

They say men are creatures who keep on bluffing even when they’re about to die.
In reality, he probably wasn’t just holding on. But there was no need to ask for details. Even if it was a royal secret, I’d tell you, but I wasn’t even curious.

“Now we’ve buttoned up the first button. Oh, and this isn’t the end.”

Revealing that he was protected by the Sunsoo was the beginning. Encred didn’t ask any more questions. He
foolishly assumed she’d tell him. Whatever it was, Krang’s eyes still shone.
Even if the types were different, Krang had likely experienced the same hardships Encred had. Even now, after overcoming all of that, his gaze remained unchanged.
That cleared all Encred’s doubts.
However, there was one thing.

“Are you sure you can’t?”
“Oh, I said you can’t.”

The only thing I was a little disappointed about was the match with Taeyangsu.

* * *

“This is so disastrous.”

Chris, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, spoke and Marcus nodded.

“right.”

Disconnection refers to the act of dividing relationships between people. Because the sun protects Krang, he was nicknamed the Sun King, but the reality of assassination attacks left him with nothing.

“Another rebellion?”
“I heard the queen has returned?”
“No, it’s the queen’s child growing up somewhere, and it’s the local lord’s trick of putting him in the lead.”

All sorts of rumors circulated.
Encred, who spent his days playing in the training grounds, heard all of this. Several of the commanders he spent time with also heard these rumors, but their reactions were firm.

“His Majesty will take care of it. If necessary, he will call for me then.”

Trust and faith—those were the things Krang had built up in them.
Some nobles might have wavered, but the royal shields within the training hall remained unshaken.
Encred took a sip of the expensive tea, a favorite of Marcus’s. It was said that tea leaves grown only in certain regions, fermented for a long time, would develop a unique fragrance.
I’d heard it a moment ago, but I’d let it go in one ear and out the other, so I couldn’t quite recall. The tea had a bitter yet subtle sweetness and savory flavor, and the fragrance was as elegant as flower petals floating in clear water.
It wasn’t bad. While he drank, Kreis continued speaking in a calm tone.

“The aristocracy can’t afford it. Even if they did, why would they be after the throne? A queen? A queen’s child? Nothing like that. It’s just a rumor. Even if they did, for the aristocracy to do something like this now would only be detrimental. There’s no benefit. And the aristocracy I know isn’t one that acts without profit.”

Those who lead and lead a family have a duty to provide for their families. Andrew once said something similar. Responsibility comes naturally.

“And a rebellion? Against the current monarchy? Why?”

Thump.

Christ rapped his fist on the table. The gesture was so light it didn’t even shake the teacup, but Marcus’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Be careful.”

I can’t stand to see my precious teacup and tea leaves fall to the floor. It’s like a drinker spilling fifty-year-old liquor.
Kreis nodded in apology and continued.

“With the opening of trade routes, life is more comfortable than ever. Does that mean the aristocrats’ bread has gotten smaller? Not at all.”

Encred looked at Marcus’s office. It was more decorated than before. There were more furniture, too.
More specifically, it appeared to be for storing tea leaves and cups. While it was a luxury, this was considered modest.
Nauril was wealthier than ever before.

“Moreover, he maintained public order in the capital and created a safe road around it, suppressing attacks by thieves, demons, and beasts. This was an unprecedented feat among all the kings of the past.”

Encred was largely responsible for that achievement. Marcus’s gaze swept over him. The blue-eyed man with black hair nodded absentmindedly. ”
Not interested.
” Marcus took in his condition at a glance.
“That’s right.” Encred was vaguely listening, recalling what Krang had said. “Half of what Krang did came from the big-eyed guy in front of me?”

‘Some of them will be Abnayer’s opinions again.’

If you were to choose the most exciting person in the Border Guard recently, it would be Abnayer.
He’s been pursuing various projects and ideas in the Border Guard that he couldn’t in Azpen. He said that Azpen itself is changing as a result.
He also said that he finds that quite satisfying.
Regardless of Encred’s reaction, Kreis continued steadfastly.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have created this problem in the first place.”

Marcus asked.

“How?”
“By making the nobles constantly check each other, be on guard, and fight.”

The words were casual, but their content was as sharp and bloody as the clash of swords.
There was no room for talk of nobles fighting each other to check the king.
Rumors spread because life was so peaceful, so they didn’t let that happen.
How? By exploiting the noble factions to foment conflict. Perhaps it was a way to prevent a major war with small skirmishes.
However, this wasn’t what Krang wanted. Kreis knew this, and that’s why he spoke.
Who would say anything if a few shacks where the poor lived were burned to make way for carriages?
The poor were powerless, so they couldn’t speak.
The nobles who ran businesses through carriages profited, so they just stuck their tongues to the roof of their mouths and kept their mouths shut.
Normally, setting those shacks on fire wouldn’t have caused anyone to blink, but Krang didn’t.
The path he walked was arduous and difficult. That’s why it was the royal road. That’s the path Krang desired.

‘Dream, hope.’

In an age where such things are useless, those who pursue such things are truly fools. Therefore, Krang is a fool.

‘Me too.’

Encred also knows that what I hope for is vain. Despite this, he continues forward. And, even if only slightly, the world is changing.
The Christ before my eyes is proof of this.
In the past, he would have been a nitpicker, arguing about this or that, but now he unhesitatingly follows Krang’s will, his own.

“So why did you come?”

Encred asked. Christ hadn’t called him. He’d just come.

“I have come to punish those who dared to mock the salon.”

Christ’s eyes lit up. They glowed with hatred for those who exploited his dreams.
The rumors threatening the royal family originated from the salon. It was said that the southern swindlers were running wild there.

“It’s a southern masterpiece.”

Before we parted ways, Krang had said that all of this was the work of the Southern Lichtensteiners. And they were using the salons to carry out their schemes. The capital’s salons had been taken over by the Southerners’ schemes.
This infuriated Kreis.

“Kill with hate.”

The angry salon enthusiast muttered.