Eternally Regressing Knight-Chapter 542 - Now, Speak

Chapter 542 - Now, Speak

"Tsk, what a pity. Should've just left him behind."

"Hmph, survived, huh?"

"The Lord has yet to welcome you, Brother."

"Hmm, I almost forgot."

"Your arms and legs seem intact. If they're not cut off, you're fine."

"A frog and a human are not the same. Are you really okay, Sir Ragna?"

These were the words Ragna overheard just before losing consciousness.

As he mulled over who the last two speakers might have been, he concluded they were Luagarne and Ropord.

The one who said he forgot must have been Enkrid.

As for the first two, the barbarian and the stray cat, perhaps?

Skipping over his thoughts, Ragna opened his eyes and muttered,

"One hand is enough."

If the omitted context were to be filled in, it meant that even if all of them came at him together, he could handle them with one hand.

It was also an invitation, disregarding his injuries.

"There's really no need to cut off an arm."

He thought he had only blinked, but that wasn't the case.

The unfamiliar ceiling and a woman staring intently at him confirmed that.

The woman, Anne, who claimed to be a healer, was calmly grinding herbs in a wooden bowl as she spoke.

"Rest. For the next few days, eat well, rest, and take your medicine diligently."

Her firm tone was met with a nod from Ragna.

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Looking down at his limbs, he noticed they were tightly bandaged.

The pain lingered, but he felt much better than before he had collapsed.

"Where am I?"

"This is the infirmary, though it's a bit lacking. The medics here in the camp know little about medicine, and the alchemists making treatments are either self-taught charlatans or cling to a handful of crude recipes passed down as family secrets. Still, the good thing is, if I ask for anything, it magically appears."

Anne's words flowed effortlessly as she prepared the medicine.

Before the war, Anne had been assigned to the infirmary, a decision Enkrid had delegated to Shinar.

Shinar, of course, couldn't look after her directly, leaving Anne as the lone commoner amidst gatherings of noble offspring.

It reminded her of an old fairy tale—something about a commoner with magical powers attending a party and fighting back with a shoe after being humiliated.

The details were hazy, but that thought crossed her mind.

At least, among the people staring at her, there was no one looking at her with malicious intent or lustful eyes.

Even her brief status as a "commoner among nobles" lasted only a couple of days.

"Who did you say you were?"

"Anne."

A man with large eyes, likely Krais, had come by asking about the girl the commander had brought and had made arrangements for her.

When he asked if she needed anything, Anne had confidently replied:

"A room to myself, tools and equipment for research, books on alchemy, and if there's an alchemist in the city, I'd like to meet them."

Krais had asked, somewhat incredulously, what she was.

Anne had replied boldly, "A healer."

From that point, Krais began to take care of her needs.

Krais, being no fool, was well aware that most of the so-called alchemists either in town or among their guests were half-baked at best.

But rather than dismiss them outright, he supported them, hoping their research would eventually attract genuine talent.

Investing in Anne felt like another gamble, but he decided it was worth a try.

Her confidence and background as the disciple of the renowned alchemist Raban made her stand out.

Not long after, Anne received her own private laboratory and a treatment facility.

Her skills were recognized quickly.

While she was proficient in surgeries, bone setting, and healing, her main focus remained alchemy.

Anne understood her good fortune but also recognized her burning desire to advance her research and study.

It was this ambition that prompted her to speak so openly to Ragna.

Ragna, though the most gravely injured, was the only soldier in the infirmary.

Others were either lightly injured or celebrating the victory in town.

As Anne casually chatted with him, Ragna opened his eyes halfway, his response indifferent.

"Got it."

It was a reply that screamed disinterest.

"Uh, yes... I see," Anne stammered, slightly flustered.

She had expected some reaction—maybe even a spark of interest.

But Ragna merely closed his eyes again.

Anne watched him, feeling a strange sense of curiosity and irritation.

Who was this man who seemed utterly unimpressed?

***

"Now, speak."

The flickering lantern light cast deep shadows across Shinar's face, making her expression unreadable.

"Is it Will?"

Enkrid glanced at the figure sitting in the shadows beside her—the sly stray cat, Jaxen.

Only his glowing eyes were visible, giving him an almost ghostly presence.

"You sneaky bastard. Would it kill you to light a fire on your back?"

"I'm also curious about how you called my name, Brother."

Following Rem, even Audin posed a question.

Beside them were Teresa, Ropord, Fel, and Luagarne.

Not far from their lodging, Krais stood with his mismatched eyes, while Enkrid sat stroking Esther's back.

Naturally, she was still in her panther form.

Esther let out a low growl.

Lately, she hardly reverted to human form, as if she had decided to fully embrace her identity as a panther.

So, was this considered downtime?

The war was over, and their days were spent drinking, feasting, and indulging.

Rumors of the nickname "The Unyielding Knight" had been making the rounds.

It sounded slightly better than "Demon Slayer," didn't it?

As stray thoughts filled Enkrid's mind, he responded curtly to their questions.

"What about it?"

"Playing dumb now, huh? You're quite the sly one, aren't you?"

"They mean the time you earned that nickname."

"Didn't you use some kind of special trick when you called out to me, Brother Duckfoot?"

Audin had a peculiar habit of playfully changing the title he used before calling Enkrid "Brother."

Enkrid pieced together their questions.

While some, like Rem and a few knight-level individuals, seemed merely curious, others, like Ropord and Fel, had a sharper intensity in their gazes.

Luagarne, despite missing one leg, had taken a seat with a determination that suggested she would have crawled over if necessary.

Her eyes gleamed—not with the usual Frog's stare but with the wild glint of a giant.

They shone as if too much oil filled her sockets, spilling over into her gaze.

Enkrid recalled the events in question and replied, "I raised a barrier and infused it with intimidation."

It was all he could explain about the surge of Will, the heightened emotions, and the overwhelming omnipotence that erupted in that moment.

All he did was pour out his Will until it reached its peak.

"Damn it, is that even an explanation?" Rem grumbled, clearly frustrated by the vague response.

It wasn't exactly easy to understand.

"Hm, is that all?" Jaxen chimed in.

Even Enkrid, whose composure surpassed that of most knights, felt a flicker of irritation bubbling up instead of Will.

Criticizing him for being unable to explain it?

Especially from Rem and Jaxen of all people?

The nerve on these guys.

"How did you call me, Brother?" Audin pressed further.

Not only had he erected the barrier, but he had also summoned Audin using a similar outburst of Will.

What could he even say about that?

"I infused Will into my call," Enkrid replied in a more measured tone.

"I see," Audin said with a stiff smile, his expression forced and his eyes strained in an unnatural curve.

The reaction, whether it was Rem's mockery or Audin's forced understanding, was all the same to Enkrid.

"That's all I can explain," Enkrid added.

For a moment, he unintentionally felt how Rem, Jaxen, Ragna, and Audin must have felt when explaining their techniques.

Something that came naturally to them, but explaining it?

That was a different matter entirely.

Understanding this, he also recognized their attitudes as reasonable.

So Enkrid did as they often did.

"So, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Haha."

Surprisingly, Shinar burst into laughter at that.

Ropord and Fel appeared deep in thought, while Luagarne began muttering to herself in a dazed tone.

"With Will as plentifull as Uske's, one could block a road even if they couldn't build a wall alone."

Her words, in their way, captured the essence of what had happened.

It was, quite literally, the overwhelming scale of Enkrid's Will that had forced the situation into submission.

"Is it like casting fear over an enemy like spreading the shadow of Grime's wings?"

"Or like raising dozens of blades to threaten your opponent?"

"There's no need for multiple shields, Sister. You only need one to block the way. But that shield must be large, thick, and sturdy. Of course, the wall the Commander built was a bit softer than expected."

As Jaxen, Audin, and Rem shared their interpretations, Rem added,

"Well, that's true."

"A bit dull, though," Jaxen chimed in.

Each of them interpreted Enkrid's words in their own unique way.

In short, it was the domain of geniuses.

Audin even took the time to explain it to Theresa amidst the discussion.

Enkrid smiled as he regarded them, offering a blessing with his words.

"You're like offspring of four-legged beasts with human faces."

In simpler terms, he had just called them the spawn of human-faced dogs—a creative insult.

With that, Enkrid rose to his feet, brushing himself off.

Despite gathering here, he had other matters to attend to this evening.

He had come to see Shinar, but the meeting had taken this unexpected turn.

"It's time to go. Jaxen."

"Yes."

He wasn't leaving alone.

Jaxen rose silently as well.

"Shinar?"

"My fiancée who never ceases to amuse me with his laughter, yes, let's go."

The nickname "Demon Slayer" might have been preferable to the titles they threw around now.

As the three stood to leave, Rem declared he was heading to bed, and Audin left for his prayer time.

The others soon dispersed as well.

Once outside, the trio donned black cloaks, their appearance blending seamlessly into the shadows.

"Fits you well—three stray cats, huh?"

Rem sneered as he left.

Heading out at night in such attire wasn't planned, but it wasn't as though they could stride out in flashy, gem-studded armor.

That would only attract attention, not to mention beasts or monsters that were drawn to shiny objects.

This was, after all, a classified mission.

Enkrid, Jaxen, and Shinar made their way to the outskirts of the city, specifically in the direction of Greenpearl.

There, a black-painted carriage awaited them.

Inside sat someone who waved through the window as they approached.

The three climbed aboard, and the masked man inside asked, "How is it?"

"It suits you," Enkrid replied indifferently.

The carriage began moving, its destination the border near Aspen.