Chapter 332

Esther thought to herself.

For decades—perhaps even centuries—she had expected to suffer under this wretched curse.

If luck had been crueler, she might have been stuck with a contaminated spell world for the rest of her life.

The mere thought was horrifying.

That was why she had been willing to do anything to break the curse.

It was the reason she had slept in Enkrid’s embrace.

Now, however, there was no longer any need for that. She barely did it anymore.

The tangled threads of the curse had finally begun to unravel properly.

Her luck had turned.

Facing Galaph, who wielded the power of grasping water, had helped her reclaim her lost senses. She had also devoured a few Spec Objects in the process.

Some of them had been exceptionally useful for her spell world.

Raiding Galaph’s personal research lab would have been ideal, but how long would it take to find it?

Besides, the man had been infamous for taking on multiple apprentices.

Whatever treasure remained in his lab would fall into the hands of those disciples—

And they would fight over it, steal from each other, and in the end, one survivor would claim it all.

Such was the greed of wizards.

A “harmonious brotherhood” among mages?

That was a fairy tale.

No wizard would seek truth or attempt to transcend human limitations without first succumbing to their own desires.

What nonsense.

"Ah, idiots."

She had once been caught up in that kind of mess herself.

But not anymore.

The thought of Galaph’s disciples tearing each other apart warmed her heart.

No, Esther was not a kind person.

She knew that about herself.

Perhaps she was more reasonable than most wizards—

Or maybe, in a place filled with lunatics, she only seemed normal by comparison.

The Mad Platoon was no different.

Her thoughts circled back, leading her to a singular realization—

Her curse.

She had spent so much time focused on it, but…

A curse didn’t only bring misfortune.

There were benefits as well.

She had never considered it before, but she had gained something.

For example, she had inherited the raw strength of a Lake Panther.

Of course, it was a curse, which meant it came with severe drawbacks.

And one of those drawbacks was turning out to be a huge problem.

"My body's shape-memory has changed."

A physical being—especially a wizard—only existed in the form their self-perception allowed.

Magic was tied to the spell world, the world of one’s own mind.

A wizard had to maintain a precise understanding of their body to preserve their physical form.

Otherwise—

The spell world would consume them.

They would become a vengeful spirit.

"Should I force it?"

If she exerted enough control, she could maintain a purely human form.

But if she made one mistake…

There would be no turning back.

So Esther made her choice.

She abandoned the idea of always staying in human form.

Living as half-leopard was fine.

She could figure out another way to solve this problem later.

For now, there was something even more frustrating.

"Stagnation."

Her spell world had stopped evolving.

Despite all her research, all her struggles to unravel the curse—

It had stalled.

It had ceased to progress.

That infuriated her.

So what could she do?

The same as always.

Wait for inspiration.

Refine her spells.

Polish the shape of her world.

She had seen someone break through their limits through sheer repetition.

Enkrid.

Thinking about him filled her with a strange certainty—

That she, too, would somehow find her way forward.

That frustration eased just a little.

It was odd—just remembering him was enough to lift her mood.

Having reached some semblance of clarity, she turned back toward the barracks.

Wrapped in a black robe, Esther walked through the military camp.

She was a beauty who stole every gaze.

Men always turned to stare.

But today, fewer eyes were drawn to her than usual.

"Hm?"

She wasn’t offended.

Just… puzzled.

Her steps quickened.

Soon, she found him.

Or rather—

She found Enkrid, destroying a barracks in the middle of a battle.

It was pure coincidence.

But then again, coincidence was simply the result of accumulated causality.

Enkrid had just repelled Teresa and Dunbakel with three consecutive Crushing Blows—

And was now pressing Rem with sheer pressure.

"You think this crap is gonna work?!"

Rem roared, swinging his axe over his head.

Boom!

There was no actual sound.

But to Esther's ears, it rang like thunder.

"Drumuller's Scythe."

A wind-compression spell that fired vacuum blades.

An exceedingly sharp, supremely fast cutting spell.

Wind, vacuum—

These were merely forms of pressure manipulation.

And what was the ultimate form of pressure manipulation?

Altering atmospheric pressure itself.

The moment Enkrid’s swordplay flashed before her—

Something clicked inside her mind.

Her spell world resonated.

The stimulation pulled her inward.

A wizard had no choice but to fall into their world when something new emerged.

If she meditated now, she’d just end up standing there blankly, drooling.

But so what?

This was an opportunity to weave something new into her spell world.

She could not let it slip away.

***

"What the hell is this?"

Kraiss sounded exasperated.

Enkrid, struggling to stay upright on shaking legs, responded.

"A spar."

What else was there to say?

Kraiss didn’t press further.

It was already done.

No point arguing over it.

The barracks wasn’t going to fix itself.

And Enkrid sure as hell wasn’t going to apologize.

Besides—

He was smiling.

Not mockingly.

Just… satisfied.

A subtle, relaxed smile.

Something about it made it impossible to scold him.

"A rebellion? You aiming to take my head and become the new lord?"

Lord Graham had clearly been through enough to start joking like this.

"Do you have to phrase it that way?"

Enkrid quipped back, turning his gaze.

And there—

He saw Esther.

Standing still, like a wax statue.

Just… breathing.

The surrounding soldiers had instinctively formed a ring around her.

No one dared touch her.

Because Esther was part of the Mad Platoon.

A leopard-shifting witch who casually wandered in just a robe, threatening to gouge out the eyes of anyone who stared too long.

A dangerous existence.

Enkrid approached her.

Her eyes were unfocused.

What’s up with her now?

He had no way of knowing.

It wasn’t like seeing someone’s swordsmanship often triggered revolutions in a wizard’s spell world.

And Enkrid wasn’t a wizard.

So there was no way for him to understand.

Esther was exceptionally sensitive about people touching her.

But Enkrid was the only one who could.

He picked her up.

Starting from the legs, lifting effortlessly.

Her body went limp.

Like someone who had fallen too deep into their own mind.

Was this what he looked like when he got absorbed in his own swordplay?

"Looks just like when you start drooling, Boss."

Kraiss muttered.

Enkrid didn’t bother speculating.

It was wizard business.

He had no clue what was happening.

She needed a bed.

But turning around—

He only saw the destroyed barracks.

"...Find us an empty one."

Graham stepped forward.

"If you want my position, just say so instead of trying to kill me."

When did this guy get so good at jokes?

Enkrid chuckled.

After unleashing everything he had learned—

He didn’t just feel satisfied.

He saw the next step forward.

"You’ve changed, Brother."

There was Audin’s praise.

"Not bad."

And Ragna’s murmured assessment.

"You’re getting decent."

Dunbakel had fainted.

Teresa had flailed around recklessly and ended up with her arm twisted by Audin.

It wasn’t broken, but she’d need at least a day of rest.

Enkrid laid Esther down in a makeshift bed and stepped outside.

Then, he went looking for Rem.

"Hell, did you grill and eat someone’s heart on the battlefield or something?"

That was how Rem expressed that Enkrid had improved.

"Do people in the west really believe eating flesh makes them stronger?"

"There are some crazy bastards who do."

Rem replied as he wrapped himself in a heated pelt.

His sweat had cooled.

Everyone had moved to the adjacent barracks.

Aside from those still inside, Rem was the only one outside.

That was odd.

He wasn’t washing up, nor did he seem to have anything to say.

Why was he lingering here?

Rem, of all people?

Instead of narrowing his eyes, Enkrid simply spoke.

"Rem."

"What?"

"Never mind."

Before the spar—before everything escalated—what had set things off?

Rem.

Enkrid could tell by instinct.

And Audin had dropped a subtle hint.

He hadn’t paid much attention lately, too busy dealing with people constantly seeking him out—

But Rem’s mood had changed.

Not exactly unstable, but razor-sharp.

Would asking about it yield any answers?

Maybe.

But even if he knew—what could he do?

"You gonna start talking and stop halfway? Don’t you know that’s the worst?"

Rem grumbled.

That sharp, dangerous edge in him had dulled— even if just a little.

Enkrid decided to skip the pointless back-and-forth.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Huh?"

"We’ll spar properly."

One-on-one.

His eyes said the rest.

A grin crept onto Rem’s face.

"Your head’s really broken, huh? You think you can take me alone?"

"Just don’t cry when you lose."

Enkrid retorted effortlessly.

Rem laughed.

"Fine.

Good.

I’ll make sure you cry instead."

A familiar exchange of fighting spirit.

As Enkrid walked away, Rem remained where he stood, gazing up at the sky.

The stars shone.

The warmth of the heated pelt and stone wrapped around him.

The sound of Enkrid’s footsteps faded, and Rem felt his mind settle.

A small smirk escaped.

What does that bastard know?

That thought crossed his mind.

What would he know—if anything at all?

Rem thought of that lazy, directionless fool.

"What the hell did you do while you were away?"

He asked in his head.

He sure as hell wasn’t going to ask aloud.

He had changed.

Rem had seen the difference.

That had been the real trigger.

The reason the air had felt so tense.

It wasn’t Ragna who had provoked him.

It was Rem.

He had seen it.

Enkrid would swing his sword differently now.

It was obvious just by looking.

A subtle shift in his entire presence.

Of course, you never truly knew until you fought.

A difference in skill wasn’t always clear—

Unless the gap was massive.

The problem was, Rem had reacted to that shift.

He had grown hypersensitive.

What if I use the sling?

Naturally, he started considering ways to fight Ragna.

That had triggered a chain reaction.

Ragna hadn’t ignored the challenge.

"You trying to get buried?"

He had provoked Rem right back.

And there was no way Rem would back down.

"I’ll smash your skull."

That had been the beginning.

Now, looking up at the night sky, Rem wondered—

"Am I paying the price for what I abandoned?"

A stray thought.

His mind drifted backward, further into the past.

He remembered the seer’s curse from when he left home.

"You forsake power, you reject your right?"

"Then you will pay the price."

"Yeah, yeah, I’ll handle it."

Rem had turned his back on those words.

The seer had clutched his chest and coughed up blood.

He had been furious.

Well, the past was the past.

And the present was the present.

Ragna was Ragna.

Rem was Rem.

"Damn stray cat."

Would things have been less annoying if that bastard Jaxon had been around?

They were all unbearable bastards.

But despite that, Enkrid’s presence was too strong to ignore.

This time, it had been Ragna’s shift that had stirred something in him—

A competitive spark.

But Rem decided to let it go.

"If it gets bad enough, I’ll just go back and take it."

The thing he had left behind.

The thing he abandoned.

If he retrieved it, Ragna would be nothing more than a speck beneath his feet.

***

The next morning.

After relocating to a new barracks, Enkrid began his morning training.

Audin had insisted that after observing for a few days, they would start proper training.

Even now, every morning, he was drenched in sweat, his limbs shaking.

What exactly did "proper training" mean?

Dunbakel, who had been watching the training, was already questioning everything.

"Should I just quit?"

Teresa didn’t say anything—

But her pupils trembled.

Audin’s training wasn’t normal.

But Enkrid took it in stride.

"Looking forward to it."

The sheer determination in his voice made Teresa and Dunbakel realize—

His resolve was unshakable.

And that fueled them as well.

A half-giant and a beastwoman.

Neither of them would fall behind.

"I won’t be left behind."

Dunbakel resolved.

"A wandering Teresa never gives up."

Teresa steeled herself.

Training ended, and Enkrid prepared for his spar with Rem.

But—

"Commander."

A messenger ran up to him.

"What?"

"You need to come immediately."

After dealing with Count Molsen, Enkrid had personally taken responsibility for the fallout.

Annoying, but necessary.

However—

Losing training time over it was a different matter.

"It’s a noble."

Which meant he couldn’t just tell them to piss off.

Even a non-hereditary noble was still a noble.

And that was truly a pain in the ass.

It was becoming increasingly clear that this was a problem he needed to solve.

A solution was necessary.

So he called for someone.

"Kraiss?"

Surely he wasn’t slacking off?

One thing was certain—

Enkrid had no intention of constantly being pulled away from his training and duels to deal with these people.

His stance was clear.

Kraiss appeared, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah?"

He yawned, then stretched.

Then, he grinned.

"I guess it’s time we started playing our hand, huh?"

Enkrid nodded.