Chapter 57

It was a sudden question.

However, Jaxon was never one to be flustered.

As always, his face was expressionless.

Jaxon hesitated for a moment, as if he was about to speak, but then stopped. He appeared to be contemplating.

Encrid, with his arms hanging at his sides, quietly waited for Jaxon to speak.

There was no point in rushing him.

The contemplation was brief.

Soon, white breath emerged from Jaxon’s mouth and spread into the air.

“The Whistling Knife, once known as the Silent Rain Blade.”

As he spoke, Jaxon scratched his cheek. For someone who hesitated to speak, he continued smoothly.

“The Silent Rain Blade, it means it’s that fast. So fast that it’s hard to track with the human eye. That’s why it’s difficult to counter. Most people die without even knowing what hit them. That’s the kind of weapon the Whistling Knife is.”

“If one has to face it?”

Is there a way to avoid an assassin?

Probably not. It didn’t seem like there was.

This was an opponent who had meticulously prepared.

They had utilized spies planted among the allies and thoroughly prepared for the kill.

At least, that’s how it seemed to Encrid at the moment.

He was in a situation where his limbs were bound by chains and he had to be dragged along as the opponent pulled.

It was time to find a way out.

“If one has to?”

Jaxon tilted his head. To him, it sounded like a peculiar question.

“If one has to.”

Encrid emphasized once more. Jaxon looked intently into Encrid’s eyes.

Encrid didn’t avoid his gaze either.

Blue eyes and reddish-brown eyes met in the air.

Jaxon seemed to be asking with his eyes.

‘Why is that necessary?’

Encrid ignored it.

Jaxon, a man of equivalent exchange, was someone who sold the necessary information. He wasn’t someone who asked ‘why’ to his opponent.

Jaxon soon hardened his expression and spoke.

“This information won’t be cheap.”

“The more expensive, the better.”

He was sincere.

After all, ‘today’ was unlikely to be the last ‘today.’

When morning dawned again, the value of the information Jaxon was sharing would diminish significantly.

It would become something Encrid already knew, at least for him.

Jaxon’s expression hardened. He seemed somewhat frustrated.

Encrid ignored even that.

Right now, Jaxon’s feelings were the least of his concerns.

“Before you hear the sound, you need to watch the hand movements. Everything hinges on the hand movements.”

Jaxon succinctly explained the countermeasure.

Don’t be deceived by the sound; when you hear it, it’s already too late. Capture the opponent’s movements with your eyes.

“You mustn’t lose sight of your opponent for even a moment. Especially if they are a top-tier assassin who knows how to throw invisibly.”

The Whistling Knife’s most notable feature was its paper-thin blade.

Sharpening the blade repeatedly was crucial, ensuring it could pierce even a well-made steel breastplate.

If the person throwing it was skilled enough, it could indeed penetrate steel plates.

He added that depending on their skill, they might use multiple thin blades stacked together.

Jaxon described two main ways to throw the dagger.

One was to swing the hand broadly to increase power.

The other was to throw it without showing the action.

“You’ve seen me throw a dagger, right?”

Encrid asked. He had once been obsessed with perfecting the skill of dagger throwing.

“Yes, it was like skipping stones.”

With a single remark, Jaxon dismissed Encrid’s skill.

He implied that throwing a stone would be more effective than a dagger.

A stone could at least cause an impact, whereas the dagger might not even hit its mark.

‘Harsh.’

No matter how stoic Encrid was, Jaxon’s words were sharp enough to pierce through his composure.

It didn’t feel like a dagger to the heart.

But it did feel like it had lodged somewhere in his forearm.

“Why don’t you teach me how to throw properly?”

Encrid, feeling a bit annoyed, spoke out bluntly.

“Then teach me. I’ll add this to the list of deals.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you not want to?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to. For Encrid, who was always driven by the desire to learn, this offer was like an oasis in the desert.

Always thirsty for knowledge, Encrid immediately nodded.

“No, I like it.”

“Let’s start with how to hold it.”

The lesson time was short as it was almost time for patrol duty.

At most, half an hour.

In that brief time, Encrid saw Jaxon in a new light.

“Without practice, it will be meaningless.”

How to hold and throw a thin blade, a hand axe, and a heavy dagger.

Each grip and throw was different.

There was so much to learn.

As he turned to leave for patrol duty, Jaxon spoke.

A small but firm voice.

“Don’t create situations where you have to face them. That comes first.”

He had been subtly grumpy the whole time, but ended with concern.

Encrid suddenly thought about what he had given these people.

‘Be kind without a reason.’

It wasn’t a romantic relationship, nor had he ever thought of having a deep friendship with them.

Yet, Jaxon, Rem, Ragna, and other squad members seemed to take care of him as if he were a child left by the water.

‘No, that’s not it.’

In battlefields, fights, or other missions, they never tried to follow him, so he wasn’t like a child left by the water.

It was a needless thought.

“Sure.”

He had no intention of creating such situations. Avoiding them wasn’t always possible.

“Is the Squad Leader on duty? I heard you’ve become a senior soldier? Ah, damn, congratulations.”

It was Jack. And of course, Bo was with him.

“Let’s go.”

He plunged into the waves of today once more. The bone-chilling cold air swept over him, but wearing an extra layer of clothing made it feel like he was donning a thousand layers of armor.

The thick clothes and the exercises he learned from Audin helped warm his body.

The cold felt much more bearable.

“I can’t sell it for that price, damn it!”

In the always bustling market of today.

Encrid used a merchant’s shout as a benchmark.

It was around this time.

When the scolding shout of the leather merchant was heard, a rag-clad half-blood fairy would appear.

At the same time, Jack and Bo flanked him on both sides.

Encrid had no intention of spending another day in vain.

Of course, he had a plan for today as well.

Thud. He tripped Jack’s foot with his left foot.

“Huh.”

Jack, who was on Encrid’s left, fell forward. As soon as Jack fell, Encrid drew his sword from his right waist. It was a dagger known as a guard sword.

A weapon with a wide, thick blade that could also be used as a shield.

Ching, scratch.

“…Crazy!”

Bo exclaimed in shock from the side. It was understandable.

The broad blade of the dagger Encrid drew had just cut Jack’s neck.

“Grrk.”

There was no final scream to speak of. Jack, whose throat was cut, fell to the ground, clutching his neck and struggling.

Blood flowed onto the floor.

People who saw the fallen Jack screamed.

“Ahhh!”

“Oh no!”

The crowd of merchants retreated in an instant. No one wanted to be hit by a stray blade.

In the midst of it, Bo flinched. Encrid didn’t allow Bo any movement. The broad blade in his hand moved again.

An overhead strike aimed at the collarbone.

Clang!

“You bastard!”

Bo drew his dagger to block. It was a thin, thrusting weapon.

If things went south, he could have used it to stab Encrid in the side.

Encrid pressed down on the blocked blade and pushed Bo back.

He bought himself time and shielded his heart with the broad blade, turning his body.

All of this happened in just a few breaths.

Had he not been prepared, it would have been enough time to fluster him into inaction.

‘Up to this point.’

Everything went according to plan.

Encrid’s gaze met the assassin’s.

The man threw back the hood of his ragged cloak.

His appearance was oddly unsettling. Curiosity and interest gleamed in his eyes.

Then it began again.

‘Not the sound, but the hand.’

He shut his ears and focused all his attention on his eyes, predicting the next move based on visual information.

This was the countermeasure Jaxon had taught him.

Thump!

Encrid expected the opponent to aim for his heart. If not that, then his head.

His concentration turned into a beam of light, transforming into a blade.

However, he couldn’t see where that blade would strike.

Thus, he shielded his heart and turned his head.

The whistling dagger the opponent threw struck his right forearm.

With a searing pain, his forearm muscle was shredded, and his fingers lost their strength.

The nerves were damaged, and it was a critical injury that would be impossible to heal without divine intervention.

“Heh.”

A hollow laugh escaped him.

It was an unexpected blow. Shielding his heart made his hand a target. Rather than piercing the shield, the attacker took out the one holding it. It was a unique perspective.

‘He’s no amateur assassin.’

The already realized fact imprinted itself on his mind once more.

Whistle.

The second whistle sounded, and the dagger embedded itself in his heart.

Did this bastard have some deep-seated grudge against Frog?

It seemed like he wouldn’t be satisfied until a dagger was stuck in the heart.

“Cough.”

He coughed up blood. It was a sudden gush. Kneeling on both knees, he supported himself with only his left arm, casting a shadow over his head.

“You’re an interesting one. A persistent lover never…”

“…lets go of his prey.”

Encrid mustered his last bit of strength to steal the words from his opponent.

When he looked up at the half-blood fairy, he saw a bewildered expression.

With his mouth half open, the fairy couldn’t finish his sentence and stammered a one-word question.

“You?”

Surprised? Of course.

This guy always acted like he anticipated everything. Encrid wanted to see his expression break.

He was satisfied.

“See you again.”

Though the assassin wouldn’t remember, Encrid was speaking of today, a day he remembered.

From that ‘today’, he was suggesting they meet again.

The assassin was taken aback by Encrid’s words.

“Was it a trap?”

The half-blood fairy looked around.

Hiring a top-tier assassin to kill a mere soldier seemed excessive. It made sense if it were a trap. The thought that his opponent might have a plan to survive because of the “see you again” remark crossed his mind.

But it was all a misconception.

There was no trap.

With a thud, Encrid’s head slumped.

Another day ended.

The ferryman appeared once more, mocking him again.

‘Does this bastard have nothing better to do?’

Encrid thought as he faced today once more.

“Ugh, it’s so damn cold.”

Rem’s whining voice was heard from the morning.

“Move around to warm up. It helps.”

Encrid took the words from Audin and said them first.

Then he got up and started stretching.

A body that’s warmed up is better than one that’s stiff. That much was certain.

In this respect, Audin’s exercises were definitely helpful.

As he began to stretch, Audin came over and asked,

“Where did you learn that?”

‘I learned it from you.’

But he couldn’t say that outright.

“From a passing monk.”

Audin had said that the origin of the exercises he taught was from a temple.

In other words, it was one of the ways priests trained their bodies.

More precisely, it was likely the training method of monks who used combat and martial arts as a means of training.

“You learned it well.”

Audin chimed in, stretching again with the exercises.

“When it’s cold, don’t you know it’s best to just huddle under a blanket? Why don’t you go and get us some heated leather or something? Now that you’re the Squad Leader, you should solve your squad members’ cold problem.”

As Encrid lightly retorted to Rem’s grumbling, Jaxon returned.

“Let’s talk.”

Encrid took Jaxon away abruptly.

“Hey, where are you going without me!”

Rem was still grumbling behind them.

“I want to learn how to handle the Whistling Knife.”

This was one of the things Encrid had learned from repeating today.

Instead of trying to convince people with elaborate reasoning, it was better to straightforwardly ask for what he needed.

“Where did you hear about that?”

“When you wander around, you hear and learn things. I want to learn it.”

“What’s the price?”

“Anything you want. I can even give you a blank check.”

Famous merchant guilds sometimes issued promissory notes.

One of the most famous stories involved the largest merchant guild on the continent, Rengardis.

The only son of the Rengardis guild master joined a monster subjugation team out of adventure.

The Rengardis family, upon discovering this, set out to find him.

By the time they found him, he was already in mortal danger.

The Imperial Knights, who happened to be passing by, saved him.

In gratitude, the Rengardis family issued a blank check to the Imperial Knights.

Whatever amount they wrote, the guild would cover it.

This famous story became an idiom.

Offering a blank check now meant offering anything except one’s life.

Jaxon’s brow furrowed.

“That’s not something you should say lightly.”

“I want to learn that much.”

Encrid replied sincerely.

He wanted the Whistling Knife that the half-blood fairy wielded. He wanted to learn it. His desire was boiling over.

Seeing the look in Encrid’s eyes, Jaxon nodded.

There was a fire burning within.

A fire that would break and burn anything it touched, a fire called desire.

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