Eternally Regressing Knight-Chapter 546 - It Will Be Fun

Chapter 546 - It Will Be Fun

What the king of Aspen said now also implied that he would accept Krang's proposal.

The small details were tasks for the officials, and although the relationship might change in the future, the beginning was promising.

This was something no one expected, but Krang had aimed for this very situation from the start.

What if the Empire, the South, and the Holy City-State all sided with Aspen?

'Then I can just have Aspen on my side, can't I?'

It was a much faster method than breaking down each of those three factions one by one.

Of course, it might not work.

If the king of Aspen turned out to be the biggest fool in the world, there was nothing to be done.

'That's impossible.'

Looking at the attitude Aspen had taken so far, Krang could see that they had tried to assert their will despite various pressures.

And the king's current behavior showed his worth.

The king of Aspen expressed his gratitude, and Enkrid nodded before speaking.

"Doesn't that sound just like the words of a charlatan?"

It was a joke directed at Krang, and anyone from Naurilia, including Andrew, knew that Enkrid enjoyed making jokes.

Of course, no one expected it in this situation.

"Didn't you say you two were friends, one a king and the other an ally?"

The king of Aspen, Argus, seemed briefly flustered but quickly responded with calm.

"I feel deceived as well."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because this friend of mine says he'll do something, but there's no plan. Just saying 'I will do it' without any responsibility. What kind of reckless statement is that?"

Enkrid's words made Krang, Jaxen, Shinar, and Andrew all stare at him intently.

"Is that something you should be saying?"

Krang couldn't hold himself back and interrupted.

It wasn't surprising.

There was a man born with little talent who, despite that, had declared he would become a knight.

What did anyone expect?

There was no need to ask what would happen.

He had shown with his actions that he had chosen a path.

Every single day, not a moment was wasted without swinging his sword, even cutting down sleep and eating time.

He lived like a madman.

A plan?

For someone like that?

"Still, it will be fun."

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Instead of answering Krang's remark, Enkrid turned to the king of Aspen.

Fun?

It seemed a distant idea to Argus, the king of Aspen.

But hearing those words now made his heart pound.

It would be fun, he thought.

Yes, it would be fun.

He had been born into the royal bloodline, given the title of the chosen one.

But had he ever truly acted like a chosen one?

He had dreams, but fulfilling them was a duty.

He never felt joy from it.

He simply thought it was something he had to do.

But now, hearing the ambition of the king of Naurilia stirred something in him.

It felt like going back to the time when he first fell in love, feeling the passion again.

Talking to Enkrid made that happen.

His energy surged wildly, something he hadn't felt before.

"When I go back, I'll boldly declare that I've rejected the vassalage proposal and secured part of Green Pearl. Will this affect your reputation?"

Argus asked as he looked at Krang. Krang, looking at Enkrid with a dumbfounded expression, quickly returned to his usual demeanor and smiled before answering.

"Do I look easy to deal with? I don't think so."

The two kings, without hesitation, reached out their hands and shook them.

"If I die, all of this will be meaningless."

The king of Aspen said.

"Don't die. Eat well and live long. If you think you're going to die from a sword, at least ask to be saved."

Krang retorted.

While the two kings exchanged blessings or curses, Enkrid silently called for the frog.

The middle-aged woman and man from Aspen were whispering to each other, overwhelmed by the atmosphere and Krang's charisma, unable to say anything, feeling awkward.

"Abnaier, what happened to him?"

Enkrid asked.

"Why do you ask about him?"

"Will he die for the defeat?"

Krang had said something before they arrived.

"That's not for you to concern yourself with."

Frog responded, maintaining a formal tone, as Abnaier was someone deserving of respect.

Honestly, no one in Aspen who was capable of thinking would dare speak carelessly about the knight who had blocked the army.

Especially Frog, who remembered how Enkrid had sent him back.

In fact, some of the hero stories of Naurilia that had spread to Aspen had been spread by Frog himself.

It was a somewhat funny story, but even some Naurilian nobles, who only heard the rumors from afar, still believed that the incident had been exaggerated.

Enkrid's reputation was even higher in Aspen than in Naurilia.

He had personally faced his enemies, so they understood his value.

That was something Enkrid also applied to Abnaier, the man he had faced.

"Is there something I can request in exchange for victory?"

Enkrid asked while looking at Krang.

Krang nodded.

This was a request granted with the king's permission.

Everyone turned their attention back to Enkrid.

They wondered what nonsense he would say next.

"Go ahead," Argus said.

"I know that Abnaier is the main culprit who started this war. Once the two nations reach an agreement, such an unruly man can't just be left alone. Therefore, I suggest that we immediately escort him to Border Guard. He must be held accountable."

Krang listened to Enkrid's words with a stiff tone, feeling something unfamiliar.

Why did it feel so?

He realized that Enkrid had clearly memorized these words.

The middle-aged woman and the priest from the temple behind Argus frowned.

Abnaier had been imprisoned for his defeat and would probably not survive.

He was someone they did not want to keep alive, having always been a schemer in support of the king.

Previously, they couldn't kill him due to Barnas, but this time they intended to finish him off.

He was always the one proposing that the kingdom stand alone.

Enkrid's words, though blunt, were also in stark contrast to the previous conversation, making his intent clear.

"You want him dead, don't you? If you send him, we'll deal with him."

No one here misunderstood Enkrid's meaning.

"What's this!"

The priest tried to intervene, but Argus raised his hand to stop him.

"Let it be. That man was a hawk who pushed for the war relentlessly."

It was not true.

Abnaier was moderate.

But what did that matter now?

This was the magic of Krais.

"If Aspen does not make any sudden moves and maintains decorum, we might request the strategist's capture.

Why?

Because, if left alone, he will surely die.

If Your Majesty is set on making Aspen your ally, it would be wise to take that man with you.

If there is chaos in Aspen due to internal struggles, he will definitely die.

If we want to save him and protect him, it will only worsen your position. It would be better for us to take him."

They say a wise man recognizes another.

Krais may not have been a sage, but he was aware that Aspen's commander was no ordinary person.

He had predicted this situation, and perhaps even if it wasn't like that, he knew that the king of Aspen would reject this request on his own.

More importantly, bringing Abnaier with them had two benefits.

Enkrid could see that much too.

First, without him, Aspen's best strategist would be absent, making it harder for the war to reignite.

Second, if Abnaier were brought to Border Guard and treated well, it might ease the antagonism between the two kingdoms over time.

They could just bring him to Border Guard, feed him, give him drink, and let him sleep.

'What a strange man.'

Enkrid was amazed by Krais, who had anticipated several moves ahead.

Krais, though, had once been in awe of Enkrid when the knight had blocked an army, exclaiming, "Can a knight really do such a thing?"

But to Krais, Enkrid was the more impressive one.

"Well then."

With that, the meeting ended, and they returned the way they came.

The moonlight still shone on the ground, and the stars proudly displayed their beauty. It was as though the moon and stars were dancing in the night sky.

As Enkrid briefly glanced out the window, he saw a shooting star streak across the sky.

"Shinar Kiraheis, do you still hold to your duty?"

Inside the returning carriage, Krang casually started a topic Shinar did not want to address.

Enkrid gazed at them both. Shinar, still expressionless, answered.

"I have never forgotten my duty."

Enkrid didn't know, but Shinar had been a great help to Krang even before he became king, and there was an oath between them.

Krang didn't ask because he wanted to avoid his own words.

Seeing Sinar stay so close, it seemed unnecessary, which is why I spoke up.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it is."

Enkrid, watching, then spoke.

"What is that? The task."

"It's not something my fiancé needs to know. Every woman needs at least one secret to maintain her mystique."

If we're talking about mystique, wasn't Esther second only to Sinar in Boder Guard?

Her beauty, otherworldly and unparalleled even among fairies, was a subject of awe in the city, especially since she always appeared with an expressionless face, adding to the mystery that spread far and wide.

"It's something like a fairy's duty."

Krang answered instead.

It wasn't really an answer, but there was no need to press further if they didn't want to speak about it.

Enkrid let it slide as he always did.

The black carriage continued on, returning to Boder Guard, and only then did Andrew finally relax a bit.

"Phew, I'm alive."

Andrew, the head of the Gardner family and a key figure among the royalists, couldn't help his tension when dealing with a madman.

And there was one more madman here.

"Your body seems stiff; how about a spar?"

It was early in the morning before the sun had risen.

Instead of resting after the long journey, Enkrid suggested a spar.

"Is this normal?"

Andrew asked, and Enkrid responded in a serious tone.

"If not when everyone else is sleeping, when will you swing your sword?"

"I'll swing it after waking up."

Though Andrew was a training enthusiast in his own family, even he wasn't keen on this idea.

Enkrid didn't press him any further.

He just said it to get Andrew moving, seeing his body stiffened from the journey.

The next morning, Krang called for reinforcements from one of the Duke of Okto's estates in the city of Zaltenbuck, located beneath the capital.

Boder Guard's own guards went out to meet the Zaltenbuck escort on the way, easing Andrew's burden.

"See you at the palace."

Enkrid nodded in response to Krang's farewell.

In about a month, when Boder Guard's repairs were completed, they would head to the palace to receive recognition for their battlefield contributions.

After Krang left, the busywork fell to Enkrid's subordinate, Krais.

"We can't afford to fight over the border, so we need to set up at least something resembling a wall."

Krais spoke, and immediately set to work.

A wall was built between Boder Guard and Aspen, but it was barely higher than a grown man's waist.

"Is this really a wall?"

The commander from Aspen's border defense remarked, looking at the makeshift structure.

He was positioned just far enough away that he couldn't touch it but could reach it with his feet if he stretched.

The commander from Naurilia raised his shoulders and replied.

"Yes, that's what they say."

It was the situation where everyone pretended not to know the reality.

They'd say they drew the border and that they'd live on their own lands, farming peacefully.

But if irrigation and a new village were built right beside it, what would happen?

Young men and women, eyes meeting, would inevitably arise, and during tough times, mutual aid would occur.

Of course, this would take time, but for now, both Naurilia and Aspen had bought time in this negotiation.

A few days later, the transport carriage carrying Abnaier crossed the border.

Since it was a prisoner transport, he was locked in a cage, but there were blankets and food to show he wasn't being mistreated.

When he arrived at Boder Guard, his situation hadn't changed much. Well, a little bit.

He was no longer in a filthy prison but locked in a proper room.

Was it a relief to be alive, even if he had to give up his life for the peace agreement?

'What kind of man is he?'

Abnaier couldn't help but admire the actions of Naurilia's king while wondering about the face of the person who had orchestrated his escape.

He could already tell from the situation how clever the person who had taken him was.

Two days after arriving at Boder Guard, Abnaier overheard two stoic soldiers greeting someone at his door.

"Did you come?"

"He's inside."

The lock on the door, designed to be locked from the outside, clicked open.

The guards and the visitor exchanged a few more words.

"Why was it locked?"

"Isn't he a general from the enemy country? We were told to lock him up."

"Let him be. Anyone who can escape from here isn't going to be stopped by a lock."

A young voice spoke, and the door squeaked open with the sound of ungreased hinges.

Abnaier barely raised his head, sitting comfortably on a soft sofa.

The young man, who looked no older than a younger sibling, entered the room, followed by a woman with a strikingly attractive appearance.

"I'm fine, thank you."

It was the first meeting with the man who had repeatedly given him trouble.

The man, who Abnaier didn't yet realize was Boder Guard's strategist, continued speaking.

"You're the strategist?"

"Ah, it's nothing special. I just did what I could because I was worried."

The conversation was short, but Krais's tone remained friendly.

After revealing he was the strategist, Krais simply said he came to see Abnaier's face, and before leaving, placed his hand on the door handle and looked back.

"Are you planning to escape?"

"...I have nowhere to go."

Abnaier realized that Krais was probing his emotions with the sudden question.

He could tell Krais wasn't just anyone.

The two exchanged a brief laugh.

Abnaier thought some small trust or sympathy had formed between them.

He had no other choice—returning home meant death, so where else could he go?

After Krais left, the guard outside increased.

"Didn't you say he wouldn't escape?"

Nurat asked.

"Yeah, I said that, but you never know."

Krais, with his paranoid nature, was always anxious.

He didn't see a reason to trust anyone, so he kept Abnaier locked up for his own peace of mind.

Though Abnaier noticed that after their conversation, the guards around him increased, he knew there was nothing he could do.

Krais was just being Krais.

Even if the situation had turned in favor of peace, it didn't mean Krais would trust anyone right away.

Abnaier was helpless.

As for Krais, he would continue to keep a close watch on him to alleviate his unease.

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Many thanks to azuring for proofreading the Chapter