Chapter 94

Under the subtle moonlight of a waxing night, Encrid had just come in after washing up following the usual training.

Even though the days were getting warmer, the nights were still cold, causing steam to rise from Encrid’s shoulders as he entered the quarters.

In two days, they would cross the river for a terrain scouting mission, but the intensity of the training remained unchanged.

There was no reason for it to change.

No matter what awaited them ahead, the fact that they had to build each day towards tomorrow remained constant.

Encrid’s routine was the same as ever.

Just as the ferryman had described, a monotonous grind.

Returning to the quarters, Enri, who had been talking with Krais, approached but then stopped.

His eyes landed on Encrid’s bunk.

Esther had already made herself comfortable on Encrid’s bed.

Even if she played with her magic book, when it was time to sleep, her place was always there.

Esther was lying on the bed, her head resting on her forepaws.

Her gaze briefly shifted to Enri and then back to her paws.

It meant she wasn’t interested at all.

Enri treated the Lake Panther with caution.

He didn’t dare to pass too close by.

They said Lake Panthers were revered as guardian spirits on the Green Pearl Plains.

With the bed between them, Enri raised his voice a little to ask.

“Have you ever received Pathfinder training? I noticed you seemed to know a bit about it before.”

No, he hadn’t. He barely knew how to find his way.

However, he understood why Enri was mistaken.

‘I learned all that from him.’

There was no need to feel embarrassed. The other party couldn’t remember.

Once, Enri’s knowledge had helped him in the tall grass of the Green Pearl.

He had learned a few things from that repeated experience.

Encrid scratched his forehead and replied.

“Not at all.”

“Then, do you know the path upstream?”

If it was north of Pen-Hanil, it was close to the northern region.

He had never been there, even while working as a mercenary.

“Even though the ground is slowly thawing with spring, it’s still quite firm. I’ve traveled that path a few times. Would you like me to share what I know?”

Enri was a thoughtful person. Was it this personality that made him a hunter?

Or had he become like this from living as a hunter?

He was the type to consider everything and do what was most needed at the moment.

Because of this, he naturally blended into the unit.

He had just gotten up after talking with Krais.

Even Rem didn’t particularly hassle Enri.

Besides Rem, others either ignored him or didn’t bother him.

“A hunter, huh? Looks like you’ve been around.”

Rem spoke while sitting on the bed, sharpening his axe with a whetstone.

He cast a glance to one side, where Andrew and Mac were.

It was a corner of the quarters.

Andrew flinched under the gaze, then straightened his shoulders.

“Cut it out.”

Encrid warned Rem.

“What, are you showing favoritism now? Taking care of the new guys? That’s how you get a new wife and neglect the old one, then get stabbed in the back.”

Doesn’t make any sense.

And who’s the old wife and the new wife here?

“Crazy bastard.”

Encrid dismissed Rem’s personality and lifestyle with a single word and approached Enri.

Enri didn’t dare get close to Encrid’s bed because of Esther.

“Growl.”

As he passed the bed, Esther nudged Encrid’s thigh with her paw and growled.

That pawing seemed to tell him to finish up quickly and get to bed.

“Are you jealous too?”

It wasn’t just Rem causing problems.

There was a strange atmosphere in the quarters.

It started after Enri, Andrew, and Mac joined.

This squad wasn’t called a bunch of troublemakers for nothing.

There wasn’t a welcoming vibe for newcomers.

Encrid didn’t force the integration.

He knew it wasn’t something that could be done at will.

Besides, he didn’t think it was necessary for everyone to move as one.

In battle, everyone fought for themselves.

Trying to synchronize would just lead to an early death.

Everyone took care of their own lives.

That was the only guideline for the Troublemaker Squad.

“It’s quite tense.”

Enri had said that, cautiously observing the mood right after joining.

But did he realize this was a better atmosphere?

Previously, when new members joined, the atmosphere had been truly hostile.

Some of them ignored Encrid, the Squad leader.

Those people always ended up with broken bones or serious injuries a few days later and were sent back.

Sometimes it was Rem’s doing.

Other times it was someone else’s.

‘Mostly the work of the squad members.’ Encrid thought.

Encrid had a sharp intuition.

This time, it was a relief.

These were all familiar faces, and for some reason, they seemed to like him.

At least there wouldn’t be any broken bones or people being sent away.

It was just a guess, but it seemed plausible.

“There are a few things to watch out for upstream of the Pen-Hanil River. You’ll handle most of it on your own, but it’s better to know than not. Do you know about flat stones? There are a lot of them upstream…”

What Enri shared was all practical knowledge.

Things he had experienced and learned, tricks passed down from previous generations of hunters.

All flat stones, except those with a yellowish tint, would explode if heated.

There might be venomous snakes hiding under yellowish stones.

There were sections where the river’s depth increased, and the current became faster.

He couldn’t memorize everything in one day, but knowing even a bit made a big difference.

Listening and memorizing bit by bit, it was soon time to get some sleep.

At some point, Mac had taken the spot next to him.

He leaned in and whispered.

“I have a favor to ask.”

It seemed like the rest of the squad, except for Ragna who was on duty, turned their attention to him.

A warning from his sixth sense.

‘Should I tell him to leave it alone?’

What would happen if he just let it be?

He might come back from the mission to find Andrew and Mac worn out and withered.

“Please put in a transfer request for me.”

Mac spoke up despite the fierce gazes.

“Hmm, brother. It’s easy to come in, but not so easy to leave.”

It was Audin. This was a joke. Teasing reactions was a tradition in the Troublemaker Squad.

But for the listener, it was hard to tell if it was a joke.

Mac mumbled, “Were they listening the whole time?”

Before Rem could say anything, Andrew stood up and shouted.

“Looks like you don’t like me, so come at me! No matter what anyone says, I’ll learn under the Squad leader, no, the Platoon leader. I’m not leaving!”

Such bravado. The spirit of a young soldier, even too young.

Was that spirit welcomed?

“I’ll go first.”

Rem stood up abruptly, holding the axe he had been sharpening.

He made a show of licking the axe blade.

“Where should I cut you?”

Watching this, even Encrid felt a chill.

The appearance of the foreigner, his grayish eyes, his tone—all of it felt genuine. If someone challenged him, they would likely lose an arm at the very least.

“If you go first, does that mean I have to deal with some weakling? I’ll go first.” Jaxon said, shaking his head. This was the first thing he had said to Andrew since he joined.

“Brothers, you know I don’t kill. I just give a good beating. So, I should go first.” Audin added.

All three were eager. Mac, seeing this, grabbed Encrid’s sleeve and shook it.

“Damn it, stop them. What’s with these guys? Why did Andrew say that?”

Encrid needed to stop this before Mac started crying. He couldn’t bear to see a grown man tear up.

“Enough.”

But this seemed like a good sign.

Rem wouldn’t bother with someone he didn’t care for.

‘Where should I cut you?’ actually meant he was willing to spar.

So, it was a friendly gesture.

Jaxon, who usually ignored others, speaking up was also a friendly gesture.

Audin was the same. If he wasn’t being friendly, he would say something like, ‘Brother, restrain yourself.’

If they didn’t like Andrew, they wouldn’t even joke around like that.

How to explain this?

“Hey, kid. I’m a bit busy right now. Let’s wait until our Platoon leader goes on a mission. We’ll have plenty of time then. Even if you cry about wanting to leave, I won’t let you go.”

Rem said with his usual eerie smile.

Andrew’s face turned pale, but he didn’t back down.

Was it courage or recklessness?

“Come at me anytime! I’m Andrew of the Gardner family. I won’t back down!”

Encrid wasn’t the only one who saw the determination in Andrew’s eyes.

Krais shook his head.

Enri took a step back, watching.

Rem created an atmosphere of fear with a grin.

Audin just muttered, “Brother, calm down. It’s something you’ll go through anyway.”

Jaxon, expressionless, examined the two’s bodies. He whispered quietly.

“Maybe I could cut off a few fingers.”

The fact that he might be serious was even more chilling.

Encrid spoke up.

“Don’t hurt him. He’s a fellow squad member. We’ll be heading to the battlefield soon.”

It was both a warning and a request for assurance.

He couldn’t completely stop them.

Nor did he have the power to.

“Keep it quiet if you’re going to spar.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll start by cutting out his tongue.”

“Enough with the jokes.”

“Come at me! Come on!”

It took so long to calm down the panicked Andrew that it was past bedtime.

After Encrid managed to settle the situation and went to bed, Esther crawled into his arms and nudged his chest.

It felt like she was scolding him for being late, so Encrid stroked her forehead with his finger and said,

“Sorry.”

The panther purred and burrowed into Encrid’s embrace, providing a comforting warmth.

Encrid wasn’t entirely free from worries about the future.

Especially when the ferryman occasionally uttered dreadful words in his dreams.

It happened again tonight.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he saw the dark, winding river.

“Be trapped and wail, for your cries will be my sustenance and joy.”

Cackling!

How could anyone laugh like that?

Being trapped in ‘today’ was distressing and frightening. What if he couldn’t move forward to the next day?

The mere thought of it made his chest tighten with anxiety.

But what could he do about it?

Encrid shrugged off the nightmare upon waking.

That was the end of it.

“Whatever is going to happen will happen.”

He had to do what needed to be done.

The path ahead remained the same.

“Good morning.”

Waking up early at dawn, Encrid muttered to himself and began another day.

Starting with the Isolation Technique, followed by Valaf-Style Martial Arts.

Then sparring with Rem, sword training with Ragna.

Practicing emitting killing intent and honing his sixth sense with Jaxon.

“In some situations, intuition can be a dangerous weapon. If the opponent knows how to deceive well, you might just fall for it.”

That was Jaxon’s advice. How to avoid that?

It remained unchanged.

Train, experience, and refine through real combat.

Andrew, Mac, and Enri managed reasonably well as long as Encrid was around.

From what Encrid could see, even though their methods were harsh, it seemed like the entire squad was showing some sort of goodwill.

For those on the receiving end.

‘It must be quite tough’’ he thought.

Maybe there would be something to gain from it.

Just as he had.

Two days passed like that.

“Let’s go.”

At dawn, Encrid walked past the sleeping squad members and stepped outside the quarters.

It was the day to cross the Pen-Hanil River for a terrain scouting mission.

It was a direct order from the Battalion Commander.

Failure would be troublesome, but success would bring a corresponding reward.

The new Battalion Commander was known for such things.

Krais had eagerly shared the information.

“They say Marcus is a war fanatic. But he always rewards those who achieve merit and punishes those who commit crimes. In a way, he’s like a monster created by the military policies of the Kingdom of Naurillia.”

To those who achieve merit, a fitting reward.

To those who commit crimes, an unforgiving blade.

He was a commander who perfectly matched the Kingdom’s military.

So, what was this mission they were embarking on? What was its purpose?

‘Is this a punishment?’

Or an opportunity?

Encrid considered it an opportunity.

To prove himself and build his reputation, whatever the task.

That was what he desired, wasn’t it?

“We will meet again.”

Before passing through the city gate, Encrid joined the group for the river-crossing mission. More accurately, he met them as he joined.

The person appointed as the Platoon leader for this mission was Torres of the Border Guard.

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