Capítulo 7: Chapter 7 - It was a triplet
Chapter 7 - It was a triplet
Unable to keep laughing any longer, Enkrid soon stopped smiling.
Seeing that, Rem grabbed Enkrid's wrist and quickly wrapped bandages around it.
"Stay behind me today. With your hand like this, you'd be dead in an instant. If the platoon leader finds out that this happened during sparring, he'd throw a fit."
"I'm fine."
"Fine? What do you mean by fine? With this hand, you'll die on the battlefield. Are you secretly planning to commit suicide? If so, I won't stop you."
It wasn't an unreasonable statement.
With such a hand, one could easily die on the battlefield.
However, it wasn't a huge problem for Enkrid.
If he died again, that was it.
Then the 125th morning would dawn.
'It's not boring though.'
He could end today's repetition.
Enkrid had not only trained in swordsmanship during the past days.
By repeating the day for the 124th time, he had also come up with ways to navigate through 'today.'
It is often said that when an ordinary soldier survives the first battle, it's due to luck—he has simply picked up a coin dropped by the goddess of fortune.
If one doesn't have exceptional talent, luck is often a key factor in staying alive.
In Enkrid's calculations, in order not to die, some luck was required at least a few times.
'But I can't rely on luck alone.'
Enkrid didn't need to do that.
He knew what was happening on the battlefield, especially the things around him.
Therefore, he could prepare and anticipate.
On the 124th today, Enkrid died again from a thrust to his neck.
His palms were in such a state that he couldn't even properly parry with his sword.
Still, he didn't want to waste even a single day, so he took in the thrust of the enemy and endured the pain.
He did it.
"It's going to hurt. But I'll show mercy."
As the enemy spoke, Enkrid endured the sharp pain of the blade through his throat.
Something caught in his tongue, and before he died, he spat out a broken molar.
The pain came from having clenched his teeth tightly.
Yeah.
It wasn't something boring.
He spent the repeated day meaningfully, and so it was even a bit enjoyable.
But, no matter how one tries to justify it...
'I don't want to die.'
There's no way dying would be enjoyable.
Especially when he had to die at the hands of a perverted bastard who enjoyed inflicting pain on others.
If he could end it, he would.
The moment he realized he was trapped in another repeated day, Enkrid had made that decision.
And then...
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The 125th morning arrived.
***
Enkrid got out of bed and grabbed Rem's shoes, shaking them off.
"What are you doing? Those are mine."
"I know. They smell awful. If I throw them at the enemy, the smell alone will take down fifty of them."
"Why are you being so annoying this early? Did you have a good dream or something?"
A bug fell from Rem's boots.
Enkrid squashed it with his foot.
"I saw it entering this morning."
"...T-thank you."
Rem chuckled and fixed his boots.
With Rem behind him, Enkrid pulled back the tent flap and stepped outside.
The dawn had just broken, and the sight of the blue from the early morning mixing with the yellow of sunlight was visible.
The busy sentries were too preoccupied with stirring their pots.
Newly awakened soldiers rubbed their eyes, either grumbling or silently getting to work.
"Stop banging on it. I'm going to crack your skull."
"Who drank themselves to sleep yesterday?"
It was from the back barracks.
"Shut up. If they catch you drinking, you'll be disciplined."
"Shut your mouth."
It was a conversation between the sentries and some of the soldiers who had drunk too much the previous night.
Listening to that, Enkrid turned his head slightly to look at the drunk soldier's face.
It was the squad leader of a different unit, and the guy had a good mother.
On the 66th day, in order to remember that day, Enkrid had talked to him and pretended to be friendly for no reason.
"Aren't you on morning duty?"
"Do it yourself."
While glancing back, Enkrid suddenly said to Rem.
"Why me?"
"You should do it at least once. I've done it more than five times for you."
"Are you counting that kind of thing?"
"Yeah, just yours."
"Why just mine?"
"Because you're annoying."
Over the 125 days, Enkrid hadn't been able to scratch Rem even once.
But there was no resentment.
If there were any feelings, it was only gratitude.
Anyway, Rem would do it.
Letting Rem take over the morning duties was the pattern that had the highest survival chance and the best conditions to start the day in the repeated days.
"Alright, damn it. I'll do it."
After moving his body roughly to warm up, he didn't feel the chill of the morning air.
While twisting his body this way and that, Enkrid stayed in front of the barracks.
One by one, the soldiers began to step outside.
The first was Jaxen, a diligent member of the squad.
He gave a brief nod when their eyes met.
Enkrid responded with a slight nod of his own.
Several others followed suit.
Enkrid, squinting as he came out last, caught a soldier with his half-closed eyes.
"Big Eyes."
"Hmm?"
Nickname "Big Eyes," real name Krais Olman.
A handsome squad member.
Despite being called a fool, he was one of the squad's members, though still the only member with less than average combat ability.
To put it more precisely, he would get pummeled if he fought Enkrid.
"Sigh, why? Early morning is torture for high-class personnel like me."
Krais grinned, his face still free from sleep, looking as good as he always did.
He had a handsome appearance that might catch the eyes of those interested in men.
"Get me a few things."
Krais tilted his head in confusion at Enkrid's request.
It was unusual for Enkrid to ask for something like this.
"Did you want to learn something new? Or is it alcohol? No women, though. I can't bring one at this time."
Krais was the squad's black-market dealer, who could get almost anything.
"Do you think I'm looking for a woman?"
"No. Then what do you need?"
"Five throwing knives, oil-treated leather, a large needle, deer leather gloves, and finally, about ten white flowers and a handful of alum."
As Enkrid mentioned the leather, he roughly estimated its size with his hands.
It was large enough to wrap around an adult man's torso.
"...I don't know what you're planning with all that."
"Can't you get them?"
Krais looked at Enkrid for a moment before nodding.
"There's nothing I can't get. But, no matter if you're a squad leader, it won't be free. You know that, right?"
"How much?"
"Seventeen silver."
What a scam.
The five throwing knives would cost a silver or two at a forge.
Of course, if the price of iron was high, it could go over three coins, but generally, that was the case.
Besides, Krais wouldn't be bringing in pure steel-made items.
Still, he would at least get some usable knives.
As for the leather, the price depends on the quality, but he wouldn't be bringing top-quality stuff from famous workshops.
The only part that would cost more silver here was the needles and deer leather gloves.
Those definitely requires at least three silver, no matter how much you haggle.
The white horse flower? Well, you can get that for just a few pennies if you head to the village.
As for the alum, if there's a leather workshop nearby, you can get that without spending much.
Enkrid was knowledgeable in these areas, but he didn't argue.
First of all, the first reason was that they were within the unit, meaning it was something hard to get unless you were Krais.
The second reason was the somewhat ambiguous price of seventeen silver, which was probably the optimal value Krais had set.
There was another reason.
"Do you think I can get it right after breakfast?"
"Are you telling me to skip breakfast?"
"You haven't been eating well anyway."
"True, but, um, I'm guessing the squad leader doesn't have enough, right?"
Krais made a round shape with his thumb and index finger.
"Not right now."
Although he saved up his salary, he'd spent it all on a new sword recently.
Now, he was broke.
Once the battle was over, he would get his pay, but if he asked for it now, he'd be treated like a deserter.
"This is troublesome."
Upon hearing Krais's words, Enkrid smiled.
It was the kind of calm only someone with strong faith in their position could show.
"Lend me five krona."
Krais typically didn't trust people easily.
But with Enkrid, it was a different story.
'He's the squad leader, after all.'
Enkrid had never been the type to do anything foolish, and above all, he was the one who had saved his life.
Krais pulled out five krona and handed them to him.
Enkrid, spinning the clinking coins in his hand, headed straight to the nearby barracks.
Inside, he found a few men already gambling, setting up their game early in the morning.
They were the kind of soldiers who preferred gambling over the night watch or sleep.
When they saw Enkrid, their surprised eyes quickly turned into questions after recognizing his face.
"Hey, isn't that the 44th Squad Leader?"
"You're up early, huh?"
Krais, seeing that, was impressed.
He disliked gambling.
He hated the idea of losing hard-earned money to chance, but more than that, he disliked the idea of relying on luck to gain something.
If you lost, the money you had worked for would vanish in an instant.
He thought gambling was something for people who didn't know better.
But Enkrid was joining in.
"Can I join too?"
"Here?"
It was the night watchman from the barracks next door.
He looked around briefly, then nodded in agreement.
"Sure."
There was always room for a sucker at the table.
As Enkrid crouched to sit down, Krais grabbed his sleeve.
"Are you going to throw away my five kronas here?"
Krais's eyes were still a little bleary, but they were sharp as they looked at Enkrid.
'He must have made quite a few women cry.'
Enkrid thought to himself and pushed Krais's wrist away.
"If you lent it to me, it's my money now."
With that, Enkrid took his place at the table.
The gamblers shifted their positions to make room.
"Do you know how to play dice?"
One soldier, who was rolling dice made from pig bones in a wooden barrel, asked.
"If the same number comes up, it's double. Bet on higher or lower numbers, and you win what you bet. Right?"
Enkrid glanced over their shoulders, having seen this game a hundred times.
He knew it well.
There were three dice.
The total was 18.
So, he just needed to call either higher or lower than 9.
The one sitting in the center was the dealer.
Enkrid would roll the dice while the others placed their bets.
"Let's get the first round going."
It was a quick game to pass the time before breakfast.
The stakes weren't high.
The minimum bet was five krona, and the maximum was two silver coins.
Enkrid placed five krona on the table.
"Lower."
"Higher."
"Lower."
"Lower."
"Higher."
"Higher."
"Lower."
In less than ten minutes, Enkrid's hand was holding two silver coins.
The charm of dice games is in the speed.
It was a fast-paced, high-energy game where the bets came thick and fast.
They played that way.
At first, Enkrid just paid attention to the numbers that came up, curious to see if the dice would always roll the same way.
Despite the repeating day, things around him subtly changed, so he wondered if the dice were different every time.
But he knew better.
The numbers on the dice were always the same.
"Looks like the goddess of fortune must have kissed the dice today."
As Enkrid's hand held more than ten silver coins, the dealer soldier said.
"Isn't this cheating?"
Normally, another soldier would speak up, but the dealer spoke for himself.
"Cheating? Nah, I'm just lucky today. It's like the goddess is whispering in my ear."
Enkrid shrugged off the suspicious looks.
They couldn't say anything.
The dice were rolled by the dealer.
Even if there was some cheating involved, it was hard to call it out.
By now, Enkrid had started to bet along with them, subtly influencing the game to his advantage.
"Cheating? You're the one rolling the dice."
"Are you muttering some kind of incantation?"
"Wouldn't put it past him."
"Normally, you'd keep playing after winning big. No stopping just because you're unlucky."
A soldier who had won some money from Enkrid chuckled.
The dealer, having understood the situation, kept playing a few more rounds before calling it.
"Last round. We're out of time."
Soon, it was almost time for breakfast.
***
Enkrid spun the ten silver coins in his hand.
He had started with five krona, and now he took all those guys' money.
"This was fun. It's the last round, so how about we go all in with the ten silver coins and go? I want to clean out and head out."
The maximum bet was usually five silver coins.
The dealer furrowed his brow, thinking there was no reason to accept Enkrid's offer given his high success rate today.
"Well, then let's match the amount and call it quits."
Before the dealer could reply, Enkrid spoke again.
What were the odds of three dice coming up the same?
The soldier rolling the dice had never seen it happen in his life.
It was something he'd only heard about in stories.
So, Enkrid's comment was a joke, implying that he'd lose the silver coins and leave.
At least that's what it sounded like to him.
The dealer rolled the dice with a loud clatter, making sure not to risk any mishaps.
"Let's see."
With a smile full of expectation, the dealer opened the dice container.
"...What the hell?"
"Looks like the goddess of fortune is truly with you."
"Seriously, is this even real?"
Everyone, except Enkrid, was shocked.
The dice came up all threes.
It was a triplet.
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