Chapter 745 - The Day I Once Dreamed Of
"Becoming a knight isn't the end."
At Enkrid's words, Fel lifted his head.
His cheek was bruised, and both arms hung limp at his sides.
The blows he'd taken to his shoulders and elbows had left his muscles twitching with spasms.
He couldn't even lift his arms.
The outcome of the training sword versus Idol Slayer match had been decided in an instant.
'Dodge and strike.'
That's the basic principle of swordsmanship.
He knew you had to use your footwork a lot to do that.
Fel understood this well, and yet, being on the receiving end made him doubt everything he thought he knew.
Instead of relying heavily on footwork, Enkrid read his attacks, parried them even faster and more powerfully, and struck back.
How did it come to this?
A blossom of doubt unfurled brilliantly in his mind.
And as soon as that doubt entered, Enkrid's words struck him deeply.
A knight isn't the end, but the beginning.
He might be considered one of the top fighters among the Shepherds of the Wasteland now, but not here.
Enkrid still wielded his sword every day, like a man possessed.
Everyone influenced by him had undergone relentless training.
That was the sight Fel witnessed every day.
After just one bout, his sense of omnipotence had dropped to a reasonable level, and Fel could now distinguish between what he could do and what he couldn't.
"What about Ropord?"
Among the things he could do, Fel figured he could easily beat up Ropord, at least at this point.
Fel went looking for Ropord, and it wasn't until the following day that Ropord entered the Dueling Hall of the Knights.
Of course, he, too, had broken through a wall to get there.
The difference compared to Fel was that, while Fel had been drunk on omnipotence, Ropord had completely bypassed that phase.
"There are monsters all around me."
Every single member of the Madmen Knights, including Enkrid, served as both an example and a goal to aspire to.
Ropord had observed them and considered what they had done, so he hadn't been swept up in any illusions of invincibility.
This came down to the difference in their personalities, not their abilities.
In truth, Ropord still couldn't perfectly distinguish what he was truly capable of, either.
In any case, both Fel and Ropord had now naturally learned to use Will, and so they still regarded each other as their greatest rivals.
"Barely managing to keep up, are you?"
Fel said with a savage grin.
"Says who to whom?"
"You, to me?"
"Who, me?"
"Ah, does it make you feel better to deny it?"
"Who, me?"
Fel and Ropord's banter felt strangely heartwarming.
Watching them cross swords was oddly comforting, too.
Of course, one soldier delivering a letter was a bit startled by the sight of their duel, but if you were entering the Knights' Dueling Hall, this sort of thing wasn't really shocking.
By now, they'd grown accustomed to scenes like Rem arguing with Ragna, Rem bickering with Audin, or Rem squabbling with Jaxen.
This sort of ruckus was almost routine.
The letter was from the Pioneer King in the east.
—Dunbakel didn't wash for a whole month and finally broke through the wall.
What was with this message?
There'd been a number of incidents in the east, but the gist of it was always Dunbakel.
Apparently, she was now being called the Golden-Eyed Lion.
The letter said she wasn't going to give up her position anymore, so if we wanted to visit her, we'd have to put in some effort.
That was basically the point.
'It's not like we were ever holding her back in the first place.'
If Dunbakel had decided to stay in the east, they would respect her decision.
As long as Anu wasn't forcibly keeping her there, there was no reason to chase after her.
Of course, they might ask about it at some point.
"Are you busy?"
After finishing the letter, Shinar came looking for Enkrid.
"If you're not, let's hang out."
But it wasn't really an invitation to play—just the fairy's usual way of twisting the truth.
The Fairy Village was calling Enkrid.
They said they had something to give me.
Before leaving, Enkrid glanced back to see Fel and Ropord sparring, testing each other's strengths at a manageable level.
Now that they'd become knights, their unique qualities had become even more pronounced.
Well, at least they wouldn't try to kill each other for real.
And this was the Knights' Dueling Hall—there would always be someone to intervene at the last moment, even if it wasn't him.
"Let's go, then."
"You've really turned into an interesting human being. My fiancé, that is."
Seeing him get up without hesitation, Shinar's eyes curved with amusement.
Enkrid wasn't sure why she was smiling, but a fairy's smile could steal a human's heart like the work of a thief.
Of course, Enkrid could take it in stride.
Becoming a knight meant his mental fortitude had grown, too.
If your heart wavers, your body follows.
Understanding this truth made it second nature to steady himself at all times.
Once Shinar guided him into the Fairy City, Woodguard Bran was the first to greet him.
Puff.
White smoke drifted from his lips. The tree was clutching a flame.
"Still smoking, are you?"
"It's a wicked thing. Once you start smoking, it's hard to quit."
After passing the tree fairy standing guard at the city's entrance, puffing on his cigarette, Enkrid noticed one of the fire-wielding fairy clans from before greet him with a nod and then follow at a distance.
And that wasn't the end of it.
All the fairies' eyes were drawn to him, one by one.
Enkrid was the hero who had saved the Fairy City, their idol.
Naturally, people were flocking to catch even a glimpse of his face.
"They really know how to spot greatness,"
Shinar remarked, glancing around at the crowd.
Maybe it was his imagination, but there was a note of pride in her voice.
"Doesn't anybody here have anything better to do?"
The group of fairies kept their distance, making soft rustling noises as they trailed after him from behind bushes and between trees, watching in wonder.
It might have been unnerving to some, but Enkrid took it in stride.
It was certainly better than being dragged into a ballroom and surrounded by dozens of Ladies.
At least here, everyone was keeping their distance and simply looking on.
Soon, the representative of the fairy clan stepped forward.
Enkrid once again realized he'd forgotten the name of the striking middle-aged fairy.
He remembered waking up to a similar scene after cutting down the One-Killer.
He managed to recall and asked,
"Ermen?"
"This time you got it right."
With a satisfied smile, Ermen nodded.
"Do you forget my name often too?"
Next to him, Shinar commented curtly, and Enkrid was reminded of old times.
This fairy had been mischievous back then just as now, but Enkrid himself had changed; now, he could take such remarks in stride.
'A lot of time has passed.'
He had more to protect now, but he'd also succeeded in safeguarding a great deal.
It would be a lie to say he didn't feel a sense of pride.
"Was it Janar?"
"Touché."
Shinar smiled at the joke.
Unlike before, the fairy smiled much more often these days.
"Here, take this."
Ermen had called Enkrid over to give him a gift.
The clan's representative handed him a folded piece of cloth.
As Enkrid accepted it and unfolded it, the fabric fluttered on the breeze with a soft rustle.
It was a deep green cloak.
'Is this… vitality?'
Enkrid sensed a kind of life force radiating from the cloak, similar to what you might feel from trees or leaves.
"As soon as we settled here, Dryus spun thread for months on end, pouring his heart into making this."
The dark green cloak shimmered with a soft, subtle light, as if it were absorbing the sunlight. Enkrid draped it over his shoulders. The cloak, which at first reached just below his thighs, lengthened on its own to wrap down to his ankles.
'It's a cloak imbued with magic.'
It automatically adjusted its length, and inside the cloak, the fresh scent of grass filled the air.
Simply wearing it made him feel as if he were taking a walk through the forest.
Usually, a cloak wasn't considered an essential tool for battle, but knights often found a use for them anyway.
Even the Crimson Cloak Knights used their cloaks to block spells.
Just a quick glance made it clear—this was a work imbued with care and devotion. Oddly enough, it brought to mind the boots he once received from the cobbler.
That craftsman had given the very best within his own abilities, just as the fairy clan was doing now.
"It looks good on you. Especially the color," Ermen said.
And so, the symbol of the order shifted slightly, from a navy-blue mantle to a deep green one.
Whatever their intention, the Step Pattern of the Border Guard had already been embroidered onto the cloak.
"What's this? Are we changing cloak colors now?" Krais asked as he passed by on the way back, and Enkrid nodded.
"That's how it turned out."
Meanwhile, three steps behind, Shinar was trailing along, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Green is love."
Shinar said this with a satisfied smile, clearly delighted to see him wrapped in the symbol of the fairies.
Receiving such a rare gift, and then later in the afternoon, Esther invited him to go explore the market together.
Since it didn't happen often, he nodded, and they took a walk around the stalls.
"There are smiles on people's faces. How curious."
Esther observed the humans.
When she lived in the forest, these were things she'd never known or noticed—now, she could see and understand them.
To her, it was clear that this city was filled with abundance.
"Hey, come buy something."
Just then, he spotted a giant manning a stall.
"What are you doing here?"
He also saw Seiki selling bundles of herbs and such.
For someone with saintly divinity, she was gathering and selling herbs.
Of course, Seiki had once lived as a Ranger, so for her, identifying and harvesting herbs was second nature.
"How long am I supposed to just sit around and get handouts when I'm perfectly fine? People need something to do."
A life spent idling, cultivating divinity, and just watching the stars from the mountain was certainly pleasant, but as they say, one must beware of boredom and not forget the virtue of diligence.
That was her take, shaped by her own thoughts and logic.
"Huh? Uncle?"
Just then, Enkrid ran into his long-lost uncle.
"Yikes."
He'd forgotten his uncle's name.
He didn't even look the same as before—his beard was neatly trimmed, his hair was cut short, and he seemed to have lost weight.
Still, that expression was unmistakable: his pupils losing focus, mouth hanging open.
Once, he had gone around boasting that if Enkrid was friends with Leona, the Trade Company Leader of Lockfreed, then he was the uncle of the Unyielding Knight.
He was also the merchant who used to harass the company led by Enri, only to end up getting thoroughly punished for it.
It was funny how he kept forgetting Ermen's name but never forgot Malton—though there's not much to be done about the way his mind was wired.
"Unyielding Knight."
At the words he muttered, Enkrid nodded.
"It's really good to see you again, you've changed a lot. Pocket money?"
Malton was living a different life now.
Gone was the venomous snake he'd once been; he was nothing like those poison-toads of the past.
"Yes, just say the word if you need any."
With his focus restored, Malton spoke.
"You've changed, you know."
Enkrid recognized him and nodded.
People change. It can happen.
From what he'd heard, Malton was now working as the head merchant for the Lockfreed Trade Company.
A head merchant led other merchants—that was the gist of it.
Among those roles, bundle trading was Malton's specialty.
"I visited that village as well."
Enkrid went on to share news from the Village of Hermits, which he had stopped by recently.
"They said you're always welcome, so feel free to come by anytime. They haven't forgotten your kindness."
It wasn't an exciting update, exactly, but it was a warm one.
From Dunbakel all the way to the Village of Hermits—today seemed to be a day filled with interesting stories from every corner.
"The apple pies just came out hot—would you like to take one with you?"
Later, as he passed by, he chatted with Allen, the innkeeper.
Vanessa, who had more wrinkles than before, sat on a chair out front and called out to him.
Several fruit sellers greeted him warmly.
The shoemaker grinned, saying it had been a long time since he'd seen him.
There was a time when I dreamed of days like this.
The apple vendor who would carefully cut away the rotten part and hand over a good apple.
The elderly waitress who used to roast potatoes over the stove and share them with others.
The old foul-mouthed woman, her back bent from years gone by, who once confessed she'd sold her body.
A mercenary fleeing fights and battles, yearning for peaceful days.
It was the kind of day when Enkrid, too, could walk around, exchange greetings, and go about his day in a place where all of them could find respite and smile.
Today, even swinging his sword had felt more enjoyable than usual, and the banter with Shinar was more fun than most days.
Esther, always the witch, spilled out all sorts of news about things she'd newly discovered.
Maybe you could call it gossip?
She certainly talked more than usual.
"It's a bit quieter than normal today. So, ta-da! Take a look—it's the plan for the Salon."
Krais seemed to be on the verge of realizing his dream.
He mentioned that, once a group of nobles gathered among the Border Guard, they'd need a place to congregate and make noise.
Leona appeared partway through, as well.
"That thing we brought in from the village we found this time—it's, actually, never mind. Let's talk about it later."
Beside her stood Kin Baisar.
"It looked like quite a few Ladies who had their sights set on you were letting out sighs."
There were quite a few stares as I walked with Esther, most likely from those people she'd mentioned.
The sunlight was bright, the clouds were just right, and the sky was blue.
When we returned to the Dueling Hall of the Border Guard, Ragna was there, teaching a group of ten soldiers.
Enkrid had shared a training system for cultivating knights, and Ragna was putting part of it into practice.
"Let's not just rely on intuition to fight today. Let's have a real match."
Sparring with Rem before dinner was fun, too.
I was drenched in sweat, and Rem's quick wit kept throwing off my calculations at every turn.
But I started embracing even those disruptions as part of my tactics.
"That's right."
Luagarne was impressed, and after the sparring session ended, I ended up having hours of discussion with her.
In a city full of things worth protecting, there are people to share it with.
This is the day I used to dream of.
And then, in my dream, the Ferryman appeared.
He made an offer.
"Not a future waiting with loss, resentment, and despair—today, filled with satisfaction and happiness, awaits you. Take your own life before you sleep. That's all it takes."
Yes, at this moment, even Enkrid found the Ferryman's offer tempting.
***
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