Chapter 217

Zimmer’s foot left the ground, and as he dashed forward, his body blurred like an afterimage. It was a terrifying speed.

It reminded one of a Squire’s charge.

However, he was not at the level of a Squire. That much was certain.

He raised his sword diagonally. With strength in his wrist and forearm, he stood firm like a solid wall. It was a defensive stance somewhere between the Correct Sword Technique and the Middle Sword Technique.

Clang!

The tip of the Estoc struck the flat of Encrid’s sword, which he twisted and extended out. Sparks flew, and the sword in Zimmer’s hand was deflected to the side. Zimmer immediately pulled his sword back.

Encrid, of course, was not overpowered by strength. He did not budge an inch. Zimmer, with his sword repelled, stepped back.

‘A naturally light body.’

A body trained to the extreme, charging forward with a thrust, he did not even wear armor for this one strike.

His sword was thin and narrow. His weapon seemed to have been modified for lightness, and even his boots appeared lightweight.

He had grasped all this in a single clash of swords.

Recognizing Zimmer’s tactics at a glance, he knew this wouldn’t be a prolonged fight.

Encrid saw what Zimmer had done right before his eyes and knew he could do something similar.

He could do it without any special equipment or tricks.

In that case, he would just do it.

He pushed his left foot back and thrust his body forward. Though different, it would look similar to the thrust his opponent had used.

He opened the Heart of Great Strength, channeling power from his toes, through his ankles, and up his thighs.

Using the thrust he learned in his first battle.

Boom!

He kicked off the ground and shot forward.

The air tore, and Encrid, fully immersed, saw nothing else.

All he could see was the sword and its wielder.

Zimmer also tried to thrust his sword forward. To Encrid’s eyes, everything appeared slow. The way he extended his sword, even shifting his center of gravity forward.

Encrid knew his sword would reach the opponent first.

Even so, the opponent wouldn’t stop his sword. Knowing this, he thrust his sword into the opponent’s shoulder with his right hand and drew a second sword with his left, striking the middle of the Estoc.

A defensive move with perfect timing.

To Encrid, the exchange seemed sequential, but to the soldiers watching, it was an impressive display of skill.

Thump!

Zimmer rushed forward and then immediately recoiled as Encrid lunged at him, the sounds of stabbing and striking following in quick succession.

And that was it.

The soldiers could barely follow the action between the two.

All they saw was a hole in Zimmer’s shoulder and him collapsing to the ground.

“Ugh.”

Zimmer swallowed his groan. He was a man who could endure pain.

The broken half of his sword, struck in the middle, spun through the air before planting itself in the ground with a thud.

It was a thin, straight sword meant for a single thrust. Naturally, it was weak to lateral strikes.

It was a Middle Sword Technique known as ‘Weapon Breaker’. And Encrid had done it with his left hand.

Encrid did not celebrate his victory.

He simply asked.

“More?”

General Olf quickly responded.

“Surrender.”

It was as good as Martai’s complete surrender.

Moreover, it was a battle that would undoubtedly make the name Encrid known.

A belated cheer erupted. The faces of the Martai soldiers turned pale at the sound of their own commander’s surrender. Some of them wouldn’t be able to avoid beheading.

The aftermath was Marcus’s responsibility.

“Everyone, drop your weapons!”

The commander shouted in all directions. It was a declaration of the end of the war.

Drip, drop.

Rain began to fall amidst the late summer heat.

It was a clear sky, yet it rained.

It was a prank by the summer God.

Sunlight shone through the rain, highlighting Encrid holding his sword.

Not only the soldiers of Martai but also those of the Border Guard Reserve Unit watched him.

The man standing amidst the summer God’s prank was visible at the end of everyone’s gaze.

He was the man who had led, fought, and ended this battle.

His name was Encrid.

“Do you choose death? Or imprisonment?”

Marcus left the choice to Olf. The man from the East, Olf, chose life.

“I choose imprisonment.”

Killing him would have been a burden for Marcus in many ways. There was still much to gain from a figure like Olf.

‘Well, this feels almost too easy.’

Marcus showed a swift hand in handling the aftermath.

“I was the head of the guard.”

Seeing the man who had surrendered immediately without even stepping forward, he said,

“Kill him.”

“…What? I surrender, I surrender!”

“A Guard Captain who bows his head without a single act of resistance?”

Marcus was cold. Not even a common smile appeared. He criticized the man, but it didn’t seem directed solely at him.

Then he calmly pronounced the death sentence.

“This can’t be…”

Crack! Snap!

The commander of the 1st Company took action himself. He struck the man’s neck with a mace. It was a single, fatal blow.

The man’s head hit the ground with a thud. His neck, twisted and extended at an unnatural angle, left his head lolling to one side.

“You talk too much.”

By the time the enemy soldiers began to feel uneasy,

“Was his name Zimmer?”

Marcus called out to Zimmer, who was bleeding profusely from his shoulder wound.

The Battalion Commander glanced at Encrid and spoke in a whisper. It was a voice meant for Encrid and Zimmer alone to hear.

Of course, someone with keen ears like Jaxon or the Fairy Company Commander could hear if they listened, but it was whispered nonetheless.

“What do you think? He’s a man too valuable to kill.”

It was a question directed at Encrid, not Zimmer.

Encrid pondered Marcus’s intent.

“I don’t think there’s a need to kill him.”

With Marcus lowering his voice, Encrid replied quietly as well. Marcus nodded significantly at his answer and then raised his voice, speaking loudly and clearly.

“Truly, you know how to recognize an opponent! You have a broad heart! To beg for the life of a man you’ve crossed swords with.”

‘Beg? When did I do that?’

For Encrid, it was a bewildering situation.

Unlike when he was asking, Marcus still spoke loudly enough for everyone around to hear.

“I will accept that request! Not only did you lead us to victory, but you also showed mercy to the enemy commander. You are the best soldier I have ever seen. Isn’t that right? What do you think?”

The last question was directed at their own soldiers, a form of praise.

Despite the victory, the overwhelming display of power, the falling rain, and the sunlight peeking through, some soldiers had missed the timing to cheer.

At that moment, some finally shouted out.

“We won!”

That short and brave cry quickly turned into a cheer from the entire army.

“The flower of the battlefield!”

“Infantry!”

“The flower of the Border Guard!”

“Madmen!”

Encrid couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘That absurd chant is getting weirder, isn’t it?’

It seemed somewhat consistent.

“We’ve lost.”

From below, Zimmer murmured and gestured behind him, gathering the enemy soldiers to one side.

“Do not resist. Do not die meaninglessly.”

Typically, battles between cities involved capturing the enemy commander and demanding ransom or other forms of compensation, but this time was different.

It was a complete and utter defeat.

The city had fallen, and it would be a war recorded in history books.

“My name is!”

“Encrid!”

“Yaaaaah!”

As the soldiers’ cheers grew louder, the anxious citizens of the city watched cautiously. They locked their doors and didn’t come out, peeking through windows and cracks in doors.

Those with less courage didn’t even look outside.

It was common for soldiers to turn into bandits after a city fell.

If they started looting the city, who would stop them?

If looting began, it wouldn’t just be property that was stolen, there would be rapes and robberies all over.

Fear seemed to engulf the entire city.

Some citizens thought about grabbing anything they could to fight back, but that would likely cost them their lives.

“Zimmer, I ask for your honor: this city is now under the control of the Border Guard. Do you see any problem with withdrawing most of our troops and leaving only a few behind?”

Marcus was a master politician even among the central nobility.

He knew how to win over his opponent.

“If you promise, we plan to withdraw immediately today.”

Zimmer blinked. What was he supposed to believe? If they left only a few troops, Martai’s forces would be greater.

Honor? Asking about honor?

“If you have other thoughts, look over there.”

Marcus approached and whispered. Standing a few steps back was a man with black hair, standing alone. His name was Encrid, a man who enjoyed revealing his name on the battlefield.

His appearance was highly displeasing. Not handsome, but excessively good-looking.

“He’s the Madmen’s Platoon leader. If you vent your anger on our troops, they will take it out on all the citizens this time.”

Trust requires faith, but if there is no faith, it can be created.

If cornered with no options, trust and faith will naturally arise.

“Yes, on my honor.”

Zimmer promised.

“We will retreat.”

Marcus spoke and then efficiently handled the subsequent tasks.

Encrid stepped back. On the way back, he heard that the Border Guard Garrison would remain in the city.

“Hey, I guess we won’t see each other often now.”

Torres came over, chattering away. A few members of the Guard’s main force also came to speak.

Among them was a friend named Hyoun, who exchanged a few trivial words with Encrid, saying things like,

“Next time, I’ll defeat you, so don’t slack off in your training.”

He spouted such nonsense and then went to talk to Ragna.

Encrid responded that he would continue to train and progress.

Hyoun wasn’t being entirely serious. This guy’s joke-telling skills were as poor as a Fairy’s.

“So, what did the Battalion Commander say? That this city will now be handed over to our Captain?”

Nearby, Krais nodded.

“It seems they want to fully integrate this city with the Border Guard Garrison. I must say, I admire Marcus’s ambition. He didn’t just secure the city’s cooperation, he took over the entire city.”

Torres glanced at Krais and asked,

“Does he usually speak so casually about the Battalion Commander?”

“Don’t worry, he always checks to make sure there are no Battalion Commander’s aides around.”

Isn’t that missing the point?

Well, it didn’t matter.

Torres nodded roughly and said,

“You become a Knight. I’ll try to become the next commander of Martai.”

This meant he aimed to reach the top of the Border Guard Garrison.

Saying such things was itself thanks to Encrid’s influence.

Because of that, Torres felt the need to say,

“Good luck.”

That was the end of the conversation. They retreated, and the Border Guard Garrison stayed behind for a while.

Right after the retreat, Encrid washed, rested, ate, and slept.

Since the Black Blade Bandits attack, he hadn’t had a proper rest.

“What did you say was as important as training? Brother.”

It was Audin’s favorite saying.

Rest was as important as training.

The army was still excited. For some reason, quite a few people were lingering near the Madmen Platoon, but Rem was there for a reason.

No one came closer than that.

He rested thoroughly for two days. Besides some simple training and drills, he gave his body a rest.

After a long time, he slept deeply without any dreams and woke up to see a Fairy with green eyes before him.

“…Is this a nightmare?”

Encrid muttered.

“If I appear in your dreams, it would be a wet dream.”

“It’s reality, then.”

It was a Fairy joke. As he got up, asking what was going on so early, the Fairy looked at him and said,

“Finish your training and then go see the Battalion Commander.”

“Understood.”

Had she really come this early just to say that? The Fairy was truly inscrutable.

Seeing her stoic face making jokes about wet dreams, Encrid couldn’t help but think every time he saw her.

‘Her beauty is otherworldly, and so are her personality and jokes.’

After the Fairy left, Esther woke up and rubbed her eyes. The way she rubbed them with her front paws was adorable.

“Good morning.”

“Kyaar.”

After greeting Esther, Encrid began his training. As the sun was about to rise, Rem appeared, yawning with his mouth wide open.

“I’ll take care of that beastwoman for a bit.”

It wasn’t a question or a request for permission, just a statement.

“Why?”

“If left alone, she’ll just be a parasite eating up rations. Wouldn’t it be better to let her go die in battle? If that’s what you want, I can arrange it.”

“Are you just looking for an excuse to beat her up?”

At that, Rem fell silent. Sometimes, seeing him at a loss for words reminded Encrid that he was, after all, human.

“…No, the Captain accepted her into our unit, and I, personally, will train her. What do you mean by that?”

It was indeed an excuse to beat her up. Encrid knew this but nodded indifferently.

The beastwoman seemed to have nowhere to go, and the determination in her eyes reminded Encrid of himself. That’s why he accepted her, but Rem wasn’t wrong either.

If left alone, she would likely get killed somewhere.

“Ask Audin about the beastman’s will. If he still wants to proceed, then leave it to him.”

If not, Encrid planned to transfer her to another unit.

“Got it.”

Audin, who had been sweating through morning training alongside Encrid, nodded. This routine was familiar to them.

Whether they had fought on the battlefield the previous day or risked their lives in combat, they would be back to training and rolling the next day.

Having said that, Encrid went to find the Battalion Commander’s office.

As he walked, he had a thought.

‘So, I’m a Company Commander now, huh?’

Would he have to start managing his subordinates?

Until now, he couldn’t really say he had been managing them. It was more like he had been dragged along.

But now?

He had formed a formation on the battlefield and even issued something akin to commands afterward.

Just as he was changing, so were they.

Strategy and tactics—such troublesome thoughts. It seemed simpler to just go with the flow in each situation.

“Let them know I’m here.”

Nodding to the guard in front of the office, Encrid spoke. The guard opened the door and said,

“It was an honor to fight alongside you.”

This guy must have fought too.

Standing at the forefront of the battlefield, there hadn’t been a chance to look back.

The excitement of the battlefield hadn’t yet worn off.

The guard’s words and the admiring looks from soldiers passing by confirmed it.

Some were sharing their own tales of valor, while one crazy guy even said he would make a song about Encrid’s deeds.

If others hadn’t smacked him on the head and stopped him, Encrid would have done it himself.

The guy was a terrible singer.

There hadn’t been a victory celebration yet.

They planned to properly rest for two days, then eat, drink, and celebrate.

Until then, everyone was told to rest as much as they wanted.

“Oh, you’re here?”

Marcus greeted him with a smile.

“Yes.”

Neither the adjutant nor the Fairy Company Commander was around.

Marcus, still smiling, said,

“Have you ever thought about becoming the Battalion Commander of the Border Guard?”

It was an unexpected proposal.

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