"You always have someone by your side."
It was the ferryman who hadn't appeared in a while, rowing through the rippling river, with a violet lamp and a blurry face.
Today's ferryman had one eye closed while the other remained open.
Encrid reflected on the words the ferryman had just spoken.
Someone by my side? Of course, there's someone. What else could there be? Is this some kind of hint?
Then another thought crossed his mind.
Had anything the ferryman said ever really been helpful?
It didn't seem like it.
Mostly, the advice was always to run away or give up.
Encrid let the ferryman's words go in one ear and out the other.
He was about to ask if rowing on the river had made the ferryman lonely, but he kept his mouth shut.
It was bearable. Saying everything on your mind wasn't honesty, it was lack of tact. So, he kept silent.
"You're never alone."
The ferryman repeated.
Encrid cast his gaze far into the distance, beyond the ferryman and across the river.
He couldn't see anything.
Everything was indistinct, limited to the range illuminated by the lamp's light.
Within that circle of light, there was only the ferryman, the boat, the oars, and Encrid.
It was a landscape as monotonous as the scenery of the western wilderness.
Only the black river stretched endlessly.
Encrid pulled his gaze back from the distance and looked at the ferryman again.
Would he start his one-man show again?
"Loneliness will engulf you."
It felt like the ferryman had said something similar before.
Still with one eye closed, the ferryman stared back. Encrid watched him intently for a moment. Their eyes met. Colorless eyes and blue eyes.
After a brief silence, Encrid spoke.
"Is it the ominous friend you mentioned before?"
Everyone had moments they simply couldn't hold back.
This wasn't about tact.
Hearing those words, his tongue moved on its own.
It was like when someone gifted with sword talent sees a clumsy swing and instinctively parries it.
The ferryman remained silent.
He seemed angry, but he said nothing more.
The dream ended.
Encrid opened his eyes. The same old tent.
"You're awake?"
He saw two eyes staring intently at him.
Though some veins in the eyes were tinted purple, the deep brown gaze was warm.
They were youthful, untouched by the harshness of life, and full of innocence. Above the eyes was a smooth forehead, and the harmonious combination of nose and mouth formed a decent face.
Even now, it was cute, but it would grow into remarkable beauty someday. The child named Ziba.
"Didn't you sleep?"
Encrid asked, eyes still half-open, and Ziba smiled brightly as she answered.
"I woke up early."
Encrid wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, whether he was a totem or some protective charm, but he knew his presence weakened their curse.
Now, the Geom Nares, who had once been unable to move, was up and about, and Ziba was even playing with the other children.
Hira had said it would take a few more days to fully recover, but the Geom Nares claimed he could fight in his current state.
He wasn't perfect, but he could move.
Though the eldest sorcerer still hadn't woken up, and that was a concern, there was nothing Encrid could do about that.
Just like the ferryman said, there were many people around now. It had been just Rem, Dunbachel, and Luagarne when they came.
"You're really diligent, aren't you?"
Geom Nares commented, wiping away sleep, while nearby, Hira was packing a cigarette with leaves even early in the morning.
Luagarne, who had been part of the original group, and Dunbachel, rubbing her sleepy eyes, also stirred awake.
"What are you all doing?"
Just then, Rem came in.
What had that bastard been doing since dawn? He had leaves and thorns stuck all over him.
"Where have you been?"
Encrid asked, pushing Ziba's forehead, and Rem raised his left hand.
The faint morning sunlight made it easy to see.
He wasn't mistaken.
"Flowers?"
In Rem's hand was a bouquet of white and red flowers, tied together with what looked like stems.
"These only bloom around this time of year."
"Flowers, huh?"
"Yeah, Ayul likes flowers."
There was no shyness or awkwardness in his demeanor. Rem was always Rem, confident and composed.
Encrid realized why this bastard hadn't found the giant despite wandering around for days.
He had been picking flowers.
"You said you'd be back quickly, and now you're stopping here first?"
Ayul said, entering the tent.
"I just stopped by on my way."
"Sure, of course."
Her tone was sharp, but there was no trace of her usual murderous intent. Seeing the flowers in Rem's hand, the corners of Ayul's eyes softened slightly.
Her expression seemed happy, joyful. At least, that's how Encrid saw it.
"See you later."
Rem said, turning to leave, but Ayul grabbed his arm tightly.
Ayul couldn't leave Rem alone. Had she searched so relentlessly because she couldn't take her eyes off him for even a moment?
It seemed like she was going to kill him, not with an axe, but with something else—maybe with the bed, their bodies, and heat.
They were likely to bring forth new life under that thick leather tent they called home, on a mat woven of straw and dried grass.
Another child, like Ziba, would be born.
But wasn't this supposed to be a crisis?
Encrid wondered to himself.
Hadn't Rem said things were strained between him and Ayul? Yet, they were back to being close in no time.
"That bastard seems pretty carefree."
Geom Nares voiced what Encrid was thinking.
Still, it was a pleasant sight.
When all this was over, it seemed Rem would stay.
Ayul appeared to be steering things in that direction, and Rem seemed to want that too.
Having a child meant settling down, right?
Would he settle down? Should he try to hold onto him?
No, he wouldn't.
He wasn't the kind of man who could be kept, nor did he have any intention of doing so.
A man's body should be where his heart and mind are.
"Dunbachel, come out."
Encrid said as he stood up. It was time for morning training.
The early sunlight bathed the surroundings.
Something left behind by Oara, something accumulated through past experiences.
Encrid didn't feel any significant change.
But
'I can strike them down.'
Even if there were three identical giants, he felt it wouldn't be a problem.
* * *
Luagarne sat and reflected on the dream she had last night. The dream had left her feeling deeply unsettled.
"It's been a while."
A familiar face had appeared, but it was during a moment she least wanted to remember.
If there was anything as important as desire and lust to a Frog, what would it be?
They pursued spiritual love.
For that reason, there were times when Frogs would even choose a human as their spiritual partner.
Of course, it wasn't something that happened often.
After all, it was rare to find someone so beautiful both inside and out that they could captivate a Frog.
But inexperienced Frogs sometimes made mistakes. Like the first man Luagarne had dated.
Because of that, the second man she dated was a wonderful person, thanks to what she had learned from her first experience.
"Lua, what do you think lies beyond?"
Her lover had asked, while looking at a map of the entire continent.
Being a Frog, Luagarne replied in a very Frog-like manner.
"Do we really need to know?"
At that time, her goal wasn't to explore the unknown.
She was a skill enthusiast. Her goal was to master all sorts of combat techniques.
It was during this time that she had fallen for someone at first sight.
A man who shone just by being there.
It was said that his ancestors had Fairy blood, though she wasn't sure. His looks were certainly striking.
"Hahaha."
Laughing loudly, he had said.
"It's fine if you don't know."
He never forced anything.
"I'm going to make a map. One that covers the entire continent."
His work was to study and survey places where no one had ever set foot.
Though he wasn't a great swordsman, he had companions who shared his vision.
Mercenaries, ex-thieves, retired soldiers. Even Frogs like Luagarne.
There were more than ten of them.
All of them wandered, each for their own purpose or profit.
They would excavate ruins or move based on commissions.
Such work continued.
But how easy was it to explore the unknown? Some left.
"You need money to do anything. What's the point of wandering around penniless?"
There were harsh criticisms as well.
His finances were always tight because he lived for a cause rather than profit.
The nobles who had promised to sponsor him often backed out.
Yet the man would always laugh as he sent his critics away.
"People all think differently. Everyone has different values. I can't force them to stay."
He had every reason to be bitter, but he never was. That wasn't the way he treated people.
Then it happened.
Before they reached the eastern frontier, an epidemic broke out nearby.
Luagarne was reminiscing about her first lover, the son of a ghoul, at the time.
She had been quite inexperienced then.
She had chosen him based purely on looks, but he was someone who gambled in her name.
Who would dare mess with a gambler backed by a Frog?
Every word he spoke was a lie.
In the end, he was a crazy bastard.
Luagarne had broken all ten of his fingers to knock some sense into him.
He had wept, snot streaming down his face, and promised to quit gambling. But three days later, he was back at the gambling house.
His fingers hadn't even fully healed.
She didn't kill him. He wasn't worth it. Just a pretty face.
Her second lover was a man of virtue, with grand dreams.
That man couldn't simply pass by the plague-ridden area.
"This is bad."
While trying to find the source of the disease, he discovered that someone had intentionally caused it.
"People will die if we leave it alone."
He had a naive sense of justice, and Luagarne had her own arrogance.
She had been confident that, no matter the danger, she could protect her man.
She should have stopped him.
"Lua, I'm sorry."
Her dying lover had said. With her arm severed while trying to protect him, Luagarne didn't even have time to shed tears.
Their enemy had been a cultist. It was a tragedy.
"Have you heard of Hualin's Dog?"
The cultist had summoned dozens of black, smoke-like hunting dogs.
Amid a city ravaged by the plague, Luagarne had tasted despair.
"Chase the heretics!"
The army from the holy city had swept in and cleared the area.
Luagarne had survived thanks to them.
Afterward, she devoted herself to hunting down cultists.
She had vowed to eradicate the Cult of the Demon Realm.
But that goal didn't fulfill her desires. A Frog's ambitions weren't driven by vengeance alone.
She had found a new purpose.
'The unknown stirs the heart.'
Experience had shifted her goals. Her desires had taken a new direction.
The death of her lover replayed over and over in her mind.
Even after waking from her dreams, the pain lingered.
It hurt. It ached terribly. She placed a hand over the spot, though the heart armor she never took off even when sleeping protected it well.
'It feels like it's going to shatter.'
Negative thoughts kept flooding her mind. In the end, everyone would die, everything would burn and be gone.
Though Frogs were mentally tough, that didn't mean they were invincible.
There were days like this.
It was just one of those bad days.
Luagarne's thoughts wandered, flicking through disconnected memories until they arrived at the present.
"Hah!"
A sharp cry pulled her back to the present.
Her focus returned, her round pupils looking forward. There, she saw a man with black hair, drenched in sweat.
A man displaying skills far beyond the rank of a Junior-Knight. It was a true mystery.
'How could he display the will beyond the rank of a Junior-Knight? How?'
The process didn't make sense. Only words like luck or divine intervention came to mind.
But when she looked at the man before her, such notions vanished.
Encrid simply swung his sword. Without pause, he reflected on what he had learned and repeated it.
He never seemed to tire, always doing the same thing.
Even though yesterday's Encrid and today's Encrid were different, his actions remained the same.
He proved himself through his actions, through his life.
He simply swung his sword. Watching him cleared her mind of distractions.
For the past few days, something had been subtly bothering her, and she had been on edge.
She had even noticed traces of soot, but wasn't sure if they were from cultists. Still, the unease compelled her to speak up.
"I think I might have seen traces of a cult... or maybe not."
Encrid paused mid-swing and turned his head.
Lowering his sword, Aker, and standing with his back to the sun, he replied.
"I see."
He didn't seem to care.
It didn't matter whether it was a cultist, their mother, or their father. What difference did it make?
If they were enemies, they would be cut down, that was all.
That's what he was swinging his sword for right now.
After another night, Luagarne's mood improved.
Two days later, a group of warriors gathered with the Geom Nares at the front.
"It's time to fight."
He said, as one of the warriors raised his axe.
"For the soul of the West!"
"For the soul of the West!"
They all shouted and raised their weapons. It was time for battle.
The number of gathered warriors didn't quite reach two hundred. Just over a hundred and fifty.
Among them were Rem, Encrid, Dunbachel, and Luagarne.
Since everyone was going to fight, they couldn't just sit this one out.
And Encrid didn't see any reason to drag this battle out.
Even though the chief had said he could wait and come with the main force, Encrid ignored the advice and stepped forward.
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