A Knight Who Eternally Regresses-Chapter 217: Proposal and Then

The moment Zimmer’s foot left the ground and he rushed forward, his body blurred like an afterimage. It was an astonishing speed.

It reminded Enkrid of the charge of a knight.

But it wasn’t the level of a knight. That was certain.

Zimmer raised his sword at an angle. He put force into his wrist and forearm, bracing himself like a solid wall. It was a defensive style somewhere between formal swordsmanship and the heavy sword style.

Clang!

Zimmer’s Esterk blade struck the surface of Enkrid’s sword, which he had twisted to meet the blow. Sparks flew, and Zimmer’s sword was deflected sideways. Zimmer immediately pulled his sword back.

Naturally, Enkrid wasn’t pushed back by strength. He didn’t budge an inch. Zimmer, with his sword caught, was forced to step back.

‘A naturally light body.’

A body trained to its extreme, wearing no armor and relying solely on the thrusting strike—everything about Zimmer’s movements suggested he had discarded excess weight.

The sword was thin and narrow. The weapon appeared lightly modified, and even his boots seemed lighter than usual.

Enkrid understood all of this with just one strike.

Zimmer’s tactics became clear to him, and in that instant, Enkrid realized that this would not be a long, drawn-out fight.

Having seen what Zimmer did right in front of him, Enkrid knew he could do the same.

He didn’t need such equipment or tricks to accomplish it.

With that in mind, Enkrid made his move.

He shifted his left foot back and thrust his body forward. It wasn’t the same as Zimmer’s, but it would look similar—a thrust aimed directly at his opponent.

The Heart of Might erupted in him, channeling power from his toes, through his ankles, and up his thighs.

As he performed the thrust he had learned from the first battlefield, the force built up.

Boom!

He launched forward, the air tearing apart as Enkrid’s focus narrowed to the sword and its wielder.

Zimmer also tried to thrust his sword. To Enkrid, everything felt slow—the sword thrust, the shift of Zimmer’s weight forward.

Enkrid knew his blade would reach Zimmer first.

But Zimmer wouldn’t stop. Enkrid knew that. So with his right hand, he thrust his sword into Zimmer’s shoulder and with his left, he drew his second blade and struck at Zimmer’s Esterk sword—specifically at the middle of it.

It was a defensive style timed perfectly with the strike.

To Enkrid, the exchange of blows felt like a series of moves flowing smoothly. To the soldiers watching, it would seem like an astonishing feat.

Thud!

Zimmer tried to charge, but before he could retreat, Enkrid was already upon him. The sounds of thrusting and striking followed in quick succession.

And that was the end of it.

To the soldiers, they couldn’t even comprehend the exchange between the two.

All they saw was Zimmer with a hole in his shoulder, collapsing to the ground.

“Ugh.”

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

The half-broken sword blade, struck in the middle, spun in the air before falling to the ground with a thud.

The thin, straight sword was meant for thrusts, and as expected, it wasn’t well-suited to a lateral strike.

That was a technique of the heavy sword style—“Weapon Destruction”—performed with Enkrid’s left hand.

Enkrid didn’t celebrate his victory in the duel.

He simply asked,

“More?”

He raised his gaze and spoke.

General Olf quickly responded.

“Surrender.”

It was almost the surrender of all of Martai.

And it was a battle that could not help but spread the name of Enkrid.

Hooah!

A delayed cheer erupted. The soldiers of Martai paled at the sound of the cheer from their enemies.

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The surrender of their commander meant that some of them would not escape execution.

The cleanup was Marcus’s responsibility.

“Everyone, drop your weapons!”

The commander shouted to all directions. It was the proclamation of the war’s end.

Thud, thud.

Amid the heat of late summer, rain began to fall.

Despite the clear sky, it rained.

It was the Summer God’s prank.

Sunlight filtered through the rain, and Enkrid stood, sword in hand, visible to all.

The soldiers of Martai and even the Border Guard’s soldiers all turned their gaze toward him.

He was the man who had led this battlefield, torn through it, and brought it to an end.

His name was Enkrid.

***

“Will you die? Will you surrender?”

Marcus left the choice to Olf. The eastern man Olf chose life.

“I will surrender.”

Killing him was a burden in many ways, even for Marcus. There was still much to be gained from a man like Olf.

‘Well, I feel like I’m eating for free.’

Marcus showed his swift and decisive nature even in handling the aftermath.

“I was the captain of the royal guard.”

Without stepping forward, he looked at the one who had just surrendered and spoke.

“Kill him.”

“...Huh? I surrender! I surrender!”

“The royal guard, without a single rebellion, is lowering their head from the start?”

Marcus was cold. There wasn’t even a hint of a smile. He criticized the enemy, but it seemed as though he wasn’t addressing the enemy directly.

Only then did he calmly pronounce the death sentence.

“This kind of law...”

Thunk! Crack!

The first battalion commander took action himself. With a mace, he struck the man’s neck. It was a one-hit kill.

The head of the man hit the ground with a thud. The unnatural angle of his neck and the strained muscles caused his head to loll to one side, creating a grotesque scene.

“Talk too much.”

It was at that moment, when the enemy troops were filled with unease.

“Zimmer, was it?”

Marcus called for Zimmer, who was bleeding from a shoulder wound.

The battalion commander, glancing briefly at Enkrid, whispered so only Zimmer and Enkrid could hear.

Of course, Jaxson or the Fairy Company commander might have heard if they listened closely, but Marcus had whispered just enough to keep it between them.

“How is it? He seems like a man not worth killing.”

The question wasn’t directed at Zimmer, but at Enkrid.

Enkrid understood Marcus's intent.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to kill him.”

Marcus, lowering his voice, responded, and Enkrid answered quietly in return. Marcus nodded vigorously and then raised his voice, shouting loudly for all to hear.

“Indeed, you know how to acknowledge your opponent! Your heart is broad! To beg for the life of a man you fought with—how noble!”

‘Beg? When did I beg?’

Enkrid found it absurd.

Marcus, unlike when he was asking, continued to speak loudly, making sure everyone could hear.

“I will accept your plea! You’ve led the battlefield to victory, and now you show mercy even to the enemy general. You are the greatest soldier I have ever seen. Am I wrong? What do you all think?”

His final question was aimed at the soldiers. It was a show of praise.

Even after the overwhelming victory, with the rain drizzling down, the sunlight filtering through the gaps, and the sound of the flag flapping, some of the soldiers who had missed their chance to cheer finally shouted.

“We won!”

That short, brave cry quickly turned into a roar from the entire army.

“The flower of the battlefield is!”

“Infantry!”

“The flower of the Border Guard is!”

“Madmen!”

Enkrid couldn’t help but laugh softly.

‘Those absurd chants seem to get weirder every time.’

It felt like there was some consistency, though.

“We lost.”

Zimmer mumbled as he motioned for the enemy soldiers to gather.

“Don’t resist. Don’t die in vain.”

Normally, intercity conflicts ended with capturing the enemy commander and exchanging him for a ransom or other demands, but this was different.

It was a complete defeat.

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

“My name is!”

“Enkrid!”

Waaah!

As the soldiers' cheers rose, the citizens of the city, filled with anxiety, glanced around cautiously. Many were busy peeking through window slits or door gaps.

Those with less courage didn’t even dare look outside.

It was common for soldiers to turn into thieves after the city fell.

Who would stop them if they began looting the entire city?

If looting truly began, it wouldn’t just be property lost—rape and plunder would spread throughout the city.

The atmosphere of unease seemed to cover the whole city.

Some citizens considered picking up a club or some other weapon, but it would surely be a death sentence.

“Zimmer, in your honor, this city will now be subordinated to the Border Guard. Do you think it would be a problem if we leave only a few troops behind and withdraw the rest?”

Marcus was one of the most politically skilled men among the central nobles.

He knew how to win the trust of others.

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

Zimmer blinked. What was he trusting? If some troops were left behind, Martai's forces would increase, right?

Honor? Was he being asked to trust in honor?

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

Marcus whispered as he took a few steps back. Enkrid, standing alone with black hair, came into view. He was the man who liked to announce his name on the battlefield.

Zimmer didn’t like how he looked. He wasn’t unattractive, but it was excessive. He was needlessly handsome.

“He’s the Mad Platoon commander. If our forces take out their frustration on the soldiers, they’ll do the same to the citizens this time.”

Trust usually requires faith, but if there’s no faith, it can be created naturally.

When one is cornered with no choices left, trust and faith come automatically.

“Yes, I swear on my honor.”

Zimmer promised.

“We will withdraw.”

Marcus spoke and immediately began taking care of the business.

Enkrid stepped back. On the way to withdraw, he learned that the frontier defense forces would stay behind in the city.

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

Torres came over and started talking non-stop. Some of the main forces from the defense also came and spoke with him.

One of them, Hyo-un, exchanged some casual words with Enkrid.

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

He said this with a joke, then turned to talk to Ragna.

Enkrid replied he would continue training and moving forward.

Hyo-un wasn’t being serious. He was as bad at joking as the Fairy Company commander.

“So, what? The battalion commander said this city will be handed over to our commander?”

Kraiss, who had been listening, nodded.

“It seems like they plan to fully integrate this city with the frontier defense forces. Honestly, I like the way this man thinks. Marcus didn’t just form an alliance with the city—he conquered it.”

Torres glanced at Kraiss.

“Does he always call the battalion commander’s name so casually?”

“Don’t worry, he makes sure there aren’t any subordinates around the battalion commander when he does it,” Kraiss replied.

This wasn’t really the issue, though.

Whatever, it didn’t matter.

Torres nodded casually and said,

“You should become a knight. I’m going to become the next commander of Martai.”

That meant he was aiming to rise to the very top of the frontier defense forces.

Just saying that was a result of Enkrid’s influence on him.

That’s why Torres felt compelled to add,

“Good luck.”

With that, the conversation ended. The troops withdrew, and for the time being, the frontier defense remained in the city.

After the withdrawal, Enkrid rested. He hadn’t had a proper rest since attacking the Black Blades.

“What did you say was as important as training, brother?”

Aoudin’s words, which he always repeated.

Rest was just as important as training.

The soldiers were still excited. For some reason, there were even people sneaking around near the Mad Platoon, but Rem was watching them carefully.

No one dared come any closer.

Enkrid rested for two full days. Aside from some light training, he allowed his body the rest it needed.

After a long time, he woke up without any dreams. As he sat up, he saw a fairy with green eyes.

“...Is this a nightmare?”

Enkrid muttered.

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

“Ah, so it’s real.”

A fairy-style joke. As Enkrid asked what was going on, the fairy looked at him and said,

“Finish your training and go see the battalion commander.”

“Yes.”

Was that why she had come in the early hours? It was impossible to understand the fairy’s thoughts.

With her stoic expression, making jokes about wet dreams, Enkrid couldn’t help but think,

‘An unnatural beauty and an even more unnatural personality and sense of humor.’

After the fairy left, Ester stretched and rubbed his eyes with his front paws. It was a cute sight.

“Good morning.”

“Grrr.”

After greeting Esther, Enkrid began his training. When the sun was starting to rise, he was preparing to head out when Rem appeared, yawning widely.

“I’ll handle that beast.”

It wasn’t a question or even a request—it was just a statement.

“Why?”

“Leave him alone, and he’ll just be a useless creature eating away at our rations. Is it better to just let him go die on the battlefield? Well, if you’re hoping for that, go ahead.”

“Are you just making an excuse to beat him up?”

At those words, Rem closed his mouth. Seeing him momentarily speechless reminded Enkrid that, sometimes, even Rem could be human.

“...No, the captain accepted him into our unit. I’m... I’m just going to train him personally.”

It was clear that Rem wanted to make an excuse to beat the man. Enkrid understood, but he simply nodded nonchalantly.

The beast looked like he had nowhere else to go, and the fierceness in his eyes reminded Enkrid of himself. So, he decided to accept him, though Rem wasn’t wrong.

If left alone, the beast would likely be killed somewhere.

“Aoudin, ask the beast’s opinion. If he still wants to stay, then leave it to me.”

If not, Enkrid would consider passing him on to another unit.

“Understood.”

Aoudin, who had been training alongside him in the morning, wiped the sweat from his brow. This was their usual routine.

Whether they had fought for their lives the day before or not, they began their training again the next day. This was their life.

Enkrid said this and headed toward the battalion commander’s office.

As he walked, thoughts began to creep in.

‘Am I really a platoon commander now?’

Was he now responsible for managing the soldiers under his command?

Before, he wouldn’t have even considered it. He had been too busy getting dragged along.

But now?

He had formed battle formations and even given out orders.

Just as he had changed, so had his men.

Strategy and tactics were becoming a headache. It seemed easier to just go with the flow, taking things as they came.

“You’re here.”

The guard at the office greeted him with a nod, and Marcus’s voice rang out from inside.

“I’ve been expecting you.”

Enkrid acknowledged the greeting and entered the office.

“Did you fight on the front lines?”

The guard must have been involved as well. Standing at the front lines, there had been no time to look back.

The excitement from the battlefield still lingered.

The guard’s words and the looks from the soldiers passing by spoke volumes. Many were filled with admiration, some of them even boasting about their own exploits, and one madman even said he was going to turn Enkrid’s deeds into a song.

If no one had stopped him, Enkrid would have smashed that madman’s skull in.

That soldier was awful at singing.

The victory celebrations had not yet begun.

They had decided to rest for two days, then feast and drink.

Until then, the command had been to rest freely.

“Ah, you’ve arrived?”

Marcus smiled warmly as he greeted Enkrid.

“Yes.”

There were no officers or the Fairy Company commander around.

Marcus, still smiling, spoke.

“Have you ever considered becoming the commander of the Border Guard?”

He asked, his voice casual, yet it was an unexpected proposal.

Enkrid was taken aback by the offer.