章 8: Chapter 173 - Speaking with Eyes
What was the original wall?
'Enduring injuries and surpassing the leader's game.'
The leader was surprisingly fast and wielded a poisoned dagger.
'A fight where even a graze would determine the outcome.'
A fight where victory or defeat could hinge on a single scratch.
It almost felt like the wall had been prepared just for him. The reaction time of seeing and responding, the coordination of the body moving the moment the eyes recognize it.
Without mastering this, it seemed impossible to win.
Enkrid thought of the opponent as a wall, and then added a slight variation to it. You could call it a sort of cheat.
'What if we face it without injury?'
Though stamina would be exhausted, there were ways to manage it.
In addition, most of the people in the pioneer village wouldn't have to die.
Enkrid did it this way.
Now, it was time to confirm the result that would follow his actions.
To put it simply, Enkrid needed to check if he had crossed the wall or if he had simply wasted his time.
The confirmation was easy. He just needed to wait for time to pass.
So, the conclusion:
'I'm not going back.'
Blink, blink, blink, blink.
No matter how many times he blinked, it was the same.
The night was deep, and the time to return had already passed.
Thus, he had crossed the wall.
"What are you doing?"
It was Krais's voice, watching from the side.
He was lying nearby. He was also the owner of the voice that Enkrid had been hearing earlier.
What a world, what a situation, ha, am I just unlucky this year?
Muttering like that, he then asked Enkrid what he was doing.
"I think I'm having good luck this year."
"That doesn't seem like a wrong statement. If your luck had been bad, you probably wouldn't have made it back alive from there. But why are your eyes like that? You look like someone possessed by an evil spirit. It's scary, so let's not do that."
"Oh, is that so?"
With that, Enkrid blinked a few more times.
While blinking, he thought to himself.
Was it possible to get through the day using this shortcut?
Or was this the original path?
Or was it simply a matter of overcoming the so-called walls?
He didn't know. In fact, it was all an unknowable mess.
From the very beginning, it had been a series of inexplicable events that led him to this point.
'Will it come up in my dreams tonight?'
What if he asked the ferryman?
He didn't expect a nice answer, but it might be better than not asking at all.
In the end, it was all meaningless.
Wasting his mental energy on such things was pointless. If that's the case, he might as well swing his sword once more.
Squish!
In the middle of his thoughts, Esther, who was in his arms, pressed against his chest.
Perhaps because of the joy she got earlier, she hadn't left his chest since returning.
Even when bathing, they had shared a hot wooden tub filled with water that some of the workers had prepared.
"Kyarha."
She seemed quite content, letting out a sigh that sounded more like a hiss of steam rather than her usual sharp cry. She pressed her weight against Enkrid's chest, purring softly as she dozed off.
He had carried her out of the bath, worried she might drown, though it wasn't likely she would.
In any case, Enkrid finally realized that the day had passed completely.
He had crossed the wall and survived. Today had been a day of learning something new based on his instinct for evasion. Tomorrow had arrived.
"Is it already tomorrow?"
He muttered, intoxicated by the night, the moonlight, and the wind.
"It's still midnight."
It was Luagarne's voice, who had returned, his whole body covered in dirt, with bits of leaves clinging to him, backlit by the moon.
"You're back?"
Enkrid had been wondering when Luagarne would return, and it seemed he had come back after getting through a full day.
Luagarne had been unaware of the attacks from the monsters and beasts during that time.
"I ran far beyond the quarry. The one you mentioned, the heretic, was right. He ran away."
Enkrid and Luagarne exchanged the conversations they had put off.
Then, Luagarne revealed that he had lost the heretic.
"You lost him?"
Frög? He lost a human? Just a human? Even if it was a heretic priest? Frög, of all people, lost a human?
The words appeared in Enkrid's eyes, flashing repeatedly before disappearing.
Luagarne felt an odd sense of displeasure rising within him. Driven by that displeasure, his mouth opened without thinking.
"Well, it was understandable that he lost him."
"Oh, I see. Right."
He must have let his guard down, or maybe Frög was a bit of an idiot. That could be why he was still here. If not, he would have returned to the capital already, wouldn't he?
"Pardon?"
"It seems like your eyes are saying something else again."
"Me?"
Enkrid responded with his usual calm demeanor.
He was just looking, but his eyes were saying something different.
Frög was a bit of a fool, but his observational skills were sharp.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Never mind."
It was true that he had lost track of the situation. He probably hadn't meant to call Frök a fool. His gaze had been rather disrespectful, but it wasn't intentional.
It was true, though. He had missed something.
But still, it felt strange.
"It's probably someone connected to the beasts and monsters."
Enkrid spoke, and Luagarne nodded in agreement.
"The ones that retreated today might not scatter after all."
Luagarne also nodded at this.
If the heretic priest was involved, he could very well take the place of the colony's leader.
The monsters and beasts that had attacked weren't the legendary kind, and Noll was merely a lower-level beast.
Lower-level beasts were typically stupid.
Among the lower-level beasts, there were ghouls.
If you consider that ghouls are said to lack brains, then Noll wasn't very smart either.
They tended to fight in groups and strike from behind, but that was about it.
If it was just one Noll and one ghoul, it would be easier to deal with.
Of course, if these beasts were armed and organized like an army, that would be a different story.
"So that's why the Gnolls were so well-armed. The heretics must have prepared them. That means they might come back tomorrow."
Enkrid concluded, and at that moment, Luagarne thought Enkrid's eyes seemed to be saying something else.
'This happened because you missed it, didn't it?'
"Your eyes…"
Luagarne was about to say something when, at just the right moment, Doichi Fulman approached.
"They didn't just retreat, did they?"
Doichi had been lingering nearby, and hearing such an important conversation, he couldn't stay quiet.
"I think so."
"Why?"
Doichi's follow-up question made Enkrid briefly glance at Luagarne.
Afterward.
"The mastermind behind the monster group is still out there."
"Mastermind? Yeah, something felt off."
Doichi nodded. It made sense.
An armed group of monsters.
The abnormal number of monsters and beasts that had gathered.
Additionally, among the allies, especially among his subordinates, there were individuals who resembled spies.
"Oh, the missing adjutant was a heretic."
Enkrid's addition was quite a shock.
'That guy?'
Doichi shook his head. He was trying to clear his mind of unnecessary thoughts.
"I sent a pigeon, but it'll take at least a week for reinforcements to arrive. There's no support nearby."
It wasn't the time for a half-baked mercenary group to step in. Even if they could call mercenaries, using them for such a large-scale battle would completely wreck Krona.
Let alone gathering that many mercenaries was a difficult task in itself.
Doichi only had one option.
Requesting support from the nobles who backed the village.
He had already sent a pigeon, but it seemed unlikely that reinforcements would arrive in less than a week.
"It might take a week."
Enkrid muttered under his breath. It was a near-whisper, so it didn't seem like something he wanted anyone to hear. His eyes were distant, as if lost in thought.
Doichi didn't try to interpret the meaning of those words. He had too many things to worry about.
He'd have to rush to the wall defenses right away.
If the retreating monsters were connected to the heretics, he'd have to prepare for spell attacks as well.
If they were heretics, they might use curses that drained the mind.
Heretics were unpredictable in their actions.
Some of them, when they enter the mountains, end up controlling the villages as if they were gods.
Most importantly, if the heretic had remained, he would have to anticipate what commands he would give to the Gnolls. That, too, had to be prepared for.
"I'll handle the heretic."
Luagarne spoke to Doichi. For Doichi, it was a reassuring thing to hear.
"Thank you."
Doichi said it sincerely.
Luagarne, who had spoken, looked at Enkrid.
Between his black hair, his deep blue eyes were gleaming with a strange light.
'He should clean up the mess he made himself?'
That thought crossed Luagarne's mind.
Grrr.
The corner of his eye twitched, but there was nothing to say. He had indeed let the heretic escape.
Still, catching someone who uses summoning magic alone was never an easy task.
He probably hadn't experienced facing summoning magic. For someone who only fights with steel, it's almost impossible to handle. Without the help of magic, blocking or deflecting summoning magic was incredibly difficult.
"Why the long face?"
Enkrid's eyes were still sharp and clear.
Luagarne felt it wasn't worth conversing with those blue eyes. He figured that if the heretic didn't give up on the village and brought monsters and beasts back the next day, he would prove himself then.
"So, no sparring today?"
Luagarne asked, as he stepped forward.
"I had Esther do something, and this is the result, so today's difficult."
Enkrid said while gently petting the leopard's head that rested on his chest.
There wasn't really anything else to add.
"Right."
Luagarne simply nodded, then left to wash up. He noticed a stream as he walked by. It seemed like the place to go. Frogs were naturally fond of water.
He felt like diving into the cool stream.
"Do you think they'll hold up?"
Krais asked as he watched Frogs leave.
Enkrid, who had been standing idly, tilted his head.
"Hold up?"
"Aren't the Gnolls coming back tomorrow?"
"Oh, they will."
His demeanor was distant, his tone flat, but his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere.
What's up with this squad leader?
Krais shot a look with his eyes, and Enkrid didn't hold back. When he acted this way, it was best to deal with it at the start.
Thunk.
Krais, who had only propped himself up with his upper body, was kicked hard in the chest.
"Ugh!"
Krais rolled to the side from the hit.
"What's the deal?"
"Didn't his eyes seem a little strange?"
Enkrid said, and Krais knew very well that once his squad leader made up his mind, he would push forward without hesitation.
More importantly, Enkrid's intuition was just as sharp as his own.
This was Enkrid noticing the silent message conveyed through the eyes. Usually, he would respond with some playful banter, but when he didn't like something, he knew how to take action. Just like now.
"Eyes."
"Yes, I'll keep them open properly."
Enkrid seemed satisfied at last.
It was time for bed now. It would be good to get a good night's rest and prepare himself for tomorrow, so he could be at his best.
He had applied some ointment to the cuts and scratches.
His muscles were a bit sore, but a good rest would fix that by morning.
'I wonder how well Frogs, provoked, will fight.'
That was a question that lingered on his mind that night.
While Enkrid slept soundly, Doichi Fullman, his subordinates, and the other villagers were going through a night between heaven and hell.
"Didn't they say they retreated?"
"Are they coming back?"
"They're connected to the heretic? Oh, sun's master, my lord."
"Look after us, my lord."
"Ugh, the demon is coming. The demon!"
The terrified ones were crying and babbling.
The faithful were praying.
The calm ones were reflecting on the danger of the situation.
The leaders were focused on what needed to be done immediately.
Everyone was attending to their own worries and responsibilities that night.
Most had no choice but to spend the night awake. The sentries kept watch through the night and into the dawn.
Thanks to Enkrid's efforts, they managed to hold on for the day.
Doichi, watching from the sidelines, thought that without Enkrid, the battle would have been over.
He watched how Enkrid fought.
He knew he couldn't replicate what Enkrid had done.
It was all the result of a series of unfortunate circumstances that led to a fortunate outcome.
Otherwise, who would willingly throw themselves into a swarm of monsters alone?
A day passed, and at the break of dawn, the vigilante guarding Enkrid's house saw the hero with the dark blue hair step out.
It was a later start than usual for Enkrid.
He emerged, stretched, and drenched in sweat, continuing his training.
Isn't that a bit excessive? Should he really be expending so much energy?
Worrying, the vigilante spoke up.
"Don't you take a break, even on a day like this?"
He had pushed himself yesterday, and today there was still no telling what would happen.
Enkrid nodded at the vigilante's words.
"I had a good dream."
Hmm? Wasn't he just asked if he was resting?
Enkrid only replied with his own words, focused and continuing his training.
After that, Frogs appeared.
"A good dream, huh? You were thrashing around. A lot."
"I must have been sleep-talking."
It was a conversation between Frogs and Enkrid.
The vigilante had nothing more to say, so he stepped back.
Soon after, the leopard and the soldier with the large eyes appeared.
The soldier with the large eyes yawned, and when his gaze met the vigilante's, he lowered his head slightly.
The vigilante responded in kind.
Finally, the female ranger appeared.
"Phew."
She exhaled loudly as she came out, and from her walk, it was clear something was off.
"Why are you coming out?"
Enkrid asked upon seeing her.
"I need to shoot my bow."
The female ranger replied.
"Forget it."
"They'll be coming again today, won't they?"
"Probably."
"If they come, it's a good thing."
Enkrid said, followed by Finn and then Frog.
The vigilante had a hard time following their conversation.
"It's a good thing if they come."
In the midst of it all, Frog repeated the same words once again.
There was strength in his words.
Momentum, energy, determination—those kinds of things.
Just looking at Frog made the vigilante's knees tremble.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As the vigilante's manhood shrank momentarily, the emergency bell rang, reaching everyone's ears in the village.
Wasn't it always true that the worst situation imaginable would come at the worst time?
Or was it that the things you least want to face always seem to come right before you?
It almost felt like both of them were saying the same thing.
"It's the Gnolls!"
A messenger from the front shouted as he ran.
It was time for Doichi's defensive plan, which had been prepared through the night, to begin.
Enkrid also moved.
His body was loosened, and now all he needed was to grab his equipment.
The two swords had already been cleaned by Krais before going to sleep.
Blood had been wiped away, and they were polished with oil made from animal fat.
The armor was fine, though a bit of the chainmail inside the leather had gotten bent. But this was nothing unusual.
The throwing daggers might be a bit lacking, but today he could focus on wielding his sword. That was the preparation complete.
"Then, what about you, Luagarne?"
Enkrid called out to the Frog as he put on his armor, and the Frog nodded.
It was time to make up for his mistakes and show the arrogant-eyed Enkrid his worth.
"Go."
Luagarne replied, and soon the group moved out. Finn came along too. If he couldn't help, at least his goal was to watch.
Krais let out a heavy sigh, muttering that his luck wasn't great, but since nothing could change, he kept moving quickly.
Though they didn't know what would happen next, it was certain they had to face it together.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The emergency bell rang nonstop above their heads.
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