Bab 84: Chapter 249 -Because I Could
Rem stared blankly at the human and the horse.
What was going on here?
Petting a beast close to becoming a monster?
'Won't it bite?'
Even if it did, it wouldn't be a calm bite, so he was particularly worried.
Enkrid's hand touched the horse's head, petting it, and the horse remained still, feeling the touch.
Watching all of this, Rem was stunned.
There was definitely monster blood mixed within that horse's body.
Even without any magical explanation, it wasn't hard to tell.
The sharp fangs sticking out, the subtle scent of flesh emanating from its body—everything about it was saying so.
And yet, Enkrid was petting its head and saying,
"You've done well."
He was soothing it?
Rem thought about it carefully. Was he really trying to make friends with it? Was that what was happening?
Would a horse tainted by monster blood really listen without biting?
And even if it was becoming a beast, why was Enkrid not cutting it down, but doing this instead?
Was it really enough to hold out like that, even if it was half-turned?
Rem didn't know. He'd never seen anything like this before. What kind of beast could endure monster blood and resist becoming a full monster?
It was worrisome, but the creature in front of him was just one monster, and besides, its leader was a strange person too. So, Rem just watched.
While Rem blankly observed the interaction between the human and the half-monster beast, Audin sought divine guidance.
'Father, am I to understand that this monster too is overcoming its fate?'
Audin, more than anyone present, was in awe.
Is fate a predetermined path? Is it something unchangeable?
There were times when he felt this way.
When he stood as an Inquisitor, when he saw the eyes of those who had died by his hand, when he heard the high priest declare those who were not heretics as heretics:
"That is their fate! The fate our Father has determined!"
At that time, he didn't think the words were true. But he couldn't shatter the chains of fate, nor could he break those shackles.
'Father, what must I do?'
Under the burning sun, he prayed. He recited the hymns. And so, Audin nurtured his disbelief.
Later, he saw the one who would break the very disbelief he had cultivated.
That person was Enkrid.
Watching and getting to know him, Audin was conflicted, but he also gained strength to move forward.
And now, he saw the human and the beast rejecting the immutable truth.
"In the name of my father, by his will, I dedicate my life."
The chant flowed from his lips.
Divine power surged, and a headache struck, but Audin smiled, enduring the pain and murmuring the hymn.
Teresa, who had heard the song beside him, found herself unknowingly listening closely.
It was a voice like the gentle warmth of the sun, something she'd never felt while in the embrace of her previous life.
'A song.'
The deep voice entered her body, striking her heart.
As she watched Enkrid and the horse, and heard Audin's hymn, Teresa felt her heart trembling.
She couldn't help but reflect on her life.
Her life had begun and ended with the cult.
What was she to live for now, as a newly reborn self?
She thought she was to live for battle again.
That was all she believed.
But now, no. Teresa felt a sense of emptiness within herself. It felt as if a hole had opened near her heart.
Yet, she wasn't sad or tormented.
"My father said, whether full or empty, it is all within oneself."
After finishing the short song, Audin recited part of the holy scripture.
Those words resonated deeply with Teresa's heart.
Jaxen merely watched the situation unfold.
What was that horse? What was the leader doing?
In the midst of this, a stray thought crossed his mind.
'Is he taming even beasts now?'
Was this the appropriate role for the Company Commander of the Madmen?
Jaxen simply observed.
A human placed a hand on the head of a horse.
That moment left an impression on the hearts and minds of many.
Enkrid felt a strange sense of kinship. It was a bizarre situation.
'Why is this so troubling?'
This monster was drawing his attention too strongly, both his gaze and his thoughts.
Why? Was it because the beast was resisting becoming a full monster? Maybe. He saw his own past reflected in it.
Suddenly, Esther came to mind. Hadn't she said something about how, on the battlefield, they had been surprised that they hadn't followed along?
A sorcerer who transformed into a leopard and rampaged.
At first, he had just thought she was a beast.
The first connection they'd formed was when they saved each other's lives, and a bond had formed between them.
But what about now?
There was no such exchange with the wild horse in front of him.
Despite that, Enkrid still felt a sense of affection.
He placed his hand on the horse's head, but the horse only lowered its head, not enjoying the touch.
It just stared at him.
The blue eyes were clear and sharp, while the red ones flickered like flames.
Enkrid spoke from his chest, not his head.
"Do you want to come with me?"
The horse snorted.
As if it had understood, the horse stamped its hooves. It seemed to be a sign of agreement.
There was no conversation between them.
There was no time between them.
They had simply encountered each other, and recognized one another—that was all.
Enkrid saw the half-monster horse.
The horse, on the other hand, was merely facing the strange human who had suddenly appeared.
"…Are you going to take that one?"
Rem asked from behind.
"Yeah."
Enkrid answered, giving the horse's mane one more stroke before turning around.
The wild horse behind him was close to a monster, but his actions carried a certainty that it wouldn't attack him.
"Well, hell, this is even surprising to me."
If even Rem was saying that, what would others think?
"In the temple, it was said that no matter how small, every creature has something in its heart. Love life. Love it as much as you kill."
Audin, as a disciple of the War God, spoke.
Jaxen merely watched indifferently.
Teresa, for some reason, felt a moistness in the eyes behind her mask.
What's with them now?
Enkrid tapped the horse's head.
"It'd be nice to go together, but if I'm going to hold some sort of funeral, I'll need to find the body."
He was referring to Dunbakel. This was separate from taking in the wild horse.
Enkrid hadn't forgotten about Dunbakel.
"I'm assuming she's dead?" he added.
Upon hearing this, Rem snorted in disbelief, then immediately pulled out his axe.
"If she isn't dead, I'll just kill her myself."
Was Rem speaking with certainty, or hope?
Enkrid didn't know. No matter how sharp his senses were, even Rem, the barbarian, was good at hiding his true intentions.
"The forest is vast."
Even if she were alive, finding her wouldn't be easy.
"If she's alive, it's easy enough to find."
Rem spoke, then took a deep breath, swelling his chest up twice as much.
Enkrid observed, and Jaxen raised a hand to cover his ears.
Enkrid attempted to block the horse's ears, but the horse stepped back, as if to say it was fine. Enkrid quickly covered his own ears.
Then, Rem expelled the air he had gathered in his chest with a shout.
"Dumb—beast—!"
It was a roar that seemed to tear the air apart.
A thunderous shout, a skill in itself.
It felt like thunder was striking.
The forest trembled as if in response.
Hee-heeing!
The clever horse stumbled, and startled winter birds flew into the sky with a loud sound.
Caw!
From far away, a crow seemed to respond to Rem's shout.
It sounded like it was telling him to be quiet.
Even though Enkrid covered his ears, his head still rang with the sound.
"Foolish barbarian."
Jaxen, whose senses were the sharpest, spoke with a rare frown.
"Couldn't you have warned us first?"
Enkrid muttered, "Didn't you notice?"
"So?"
"If we shout in the forest, something will come running."
Enkrid considered that it wasn't a bad idea.
More than that…
"Ragna will come looking for us too."
They had to find Ragna, the soldier who had gotten lost and was a poor swordsman at best.
"Let's go look for the foolish beast-woman."
Rem said, and Enkrid nodded.
They had already killed the monster leader; now it was time to move on.
As Enkrid turned to leave the wild horse behind, the horse didn't follow. Instead, it stared at him.
"Aren't you coming?"
It spoke as if it were human. It was strange, but when Enkrid placed his hand on its head, there was some sort of communion.
He thought the horse would understand him. It couldn't understand language, but its meaning would come across.
The horse snorted.
It shook its head, then stomped the ground a few times. Then it turned its body, gesturing toward the rear.
The stomping seemed to indicate it would wait here.
The direction it pointed toward—what was it for?
The forest, kind as it was, was vast. The path the monster had carved through the forest was near the border between the forest and the plains.
As winter approached, the brown grass that had turned with the season stretched over the wide plain.
In the distance, Enkrid could see a group of wild horses. It wasn't just one or two.
There were dozens of them, at least.
Upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
Monsters and beasts were common on this continent.
For survival, it was only natural for them to live in groups.
Just as humans formed villages, towns, and communities.
Even a small village typically had over fifty households, with walls erected for defense.
Enkrid felt a strange sense of kinship, something akin to it. It was a peculiar situation.
"Why does this keep haunting my thoughts?"
The wild beast was drawing his gaze and mind far too much.
Why? Was it because of resistance to the Beastification? Perhaps. It might have been because he saw his own past reflected in its form.
Suddenly, Esther came to his mind. Hadn't she once said that they wouldn't follow because they were startled on the battlefield?
A wizard who could transform into a leopard and rampage.
At first, he had only thought of her as a beast.
The first time they had some form of mutual understanding was when they had saved each other's lives, and then a bond had formed between them.
But what about now?
There had been no such exchange with the wild horse before him.
And yet, Enkrid still felt a sense of affinity.
"Were you the leader?"
The ones left behind were its subordinates, its family. Was it that it couldn't leave them behind?
It didn't seem like that.
Then what?
Thud.
It stamped the ground again. It was an unknowable thing. Enkrid decided that, instead of searching for Dunbakel and returning to Marta, he should turn back to this place again.
"Wait, the subordinates come first."
Enkrid spoke, and the half-beast horse stopped.
It seemed to be waiting.
'First, Ragna.'
Find him, then find Dunbakel.
"Rem. Shout."
He entered the forest and Rem shouted again.
"Meh-der-ree-geel-chee!"
He was doing it on purpose, of course.
"Shouldn't you just call their names?"
"No way."
Rem had his freedom. Enkrid let it go. Finding Ragna was easy.
As they shouted, a few dumb beasts came rushing, but before they could approach, Theresa's sword melted them away. Their bodies were sliced and scattered, like melting butter.
It looked like winter snow melting in the sunlight.
Caw!
The dreadful shrieks echoed as the beasts came rushing, and Theresa blocked their bites with her shield, striking downward with her sword.
The body of the one she struck burst open, leaving a dirty trail on the ground.
The next one flew away after being hit by the shield, its body pierced and hanging limply.
It would still be alive, but Theresa swung her sword and split it vertically.
With her giant blood mixed into her body, her sword, shield, and blade made quick work of the beastmen.
At first, there was just one, then several more followed.
But were they really so stupid to keep rushing this way?
Wasn't it obvious they'd die?
Could they not feel fear, even though they were monsters full of malice?
The reason soon became clear.
"It was a shortcut."
It was Ragna. It seemed he had met the retreating beasts and had blood splattered all over his armor.
He must have been frustrated, as he had removed his helmet, holding it in one hand, while black blood dripped from the sword in his other hand.
Ragna had no injuries.
He had sliced through the fleeing beastmen who had happened to be running this way.
"Fool, goat-shit fool, dog's balls fool, you'll die lost all your life."
Rem greeted Ragna with joy, and Ragna immediately returned the greeting with his sword.
It was a light swing.
Before long, Rem pulled out his axe and blocked it.
Clang!
The blades of the sword and axe met, exchanging pleasantries.
"I dug you a grave while you were lost."
Rem said with a grin.
His mood was unusually fierce.
Ragna was no weakling, so a fierce fire flared up between them.
Why were they so fierce?
Enkrid thought he knew the reason.
"Why aren't you looking for Dunbakel?"
He had noticed the absence of his student.
Rem was surprisingly fond of those he had trained.
It had been his own decision to rush across the battlefield, trying to save those he saw potential in.
"He knew she had potential, even though he always beat her half to death."
In fact, most of those who owed their lives to Rem didn't know it.
Enkrid had only realized this after gaining a better understanding of people.
"Crazy barbarian."
Jaxen muttered.
And then, just then...
"I have blood coming from my ears."
A voice echoed from above.
It was from one of the ones they had been searching for.
A beast-woman with a torn forehead, blood clotted on her brow, and similar wounds on his thighs.
"Stupid beast."
Even though the forest was vast, with Rem's chaos, it seemed like it could be heard anywhere.
Eventually, his ruckus had worked.
Dunbakel came down from the trees. Stepping on the ground with a soft thud, she seemed to have no major injuries.
"Why are you here? I was planning to kill the leader and return on my own."
Enkrid nodded when he heard that.
It seemed that Rem had taught her well enough that her tone was becoming similar.
"Well done."
Jaxen responded, and Audin only laughed.
After being called a stupid beast, Rem flashed a soft smile and said,
"When we return, we start again."
That remark made Dunbakel's face twist.
Why? She truly had planned to kill the leader here, hadn't she?
She was a beast. She was confident in her fights in the forest.
Her purpose had been to shift the battle's terrain to her advantage.
She had another reason, though, which was to follow Enkrid's lead.
She had been saving her allies, after all.
Enkrid turned to face Dunbakel and spoke.
Without wasting time with indirect questions, he asked directly.
"Why did you do that?"
He was referring to her using herself as bait to save their comrades.
Dunbakel blinked before she spoke.
"Because I could."
It wasn't a profound expression of faith or will.
Enkrid actually liked that answer.
After that, Dunbakel added a word that Enkrid hadn't expected to hear.
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