A Knight who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Fortune and Misfortune Come Unexpectedly

Finn and Torres went in first to report. Torres would handle the general report, and Finn would assist with the rest.

Enkrid only needed to submit his return report. That brought him to the front of the lodging. There, an unexpected figure appeared.

It was Gielpin.

His clothes were torn in various places, and his face was covered in blue bruises. One of his eyes was half-swollen but seemed to be healing, and he was limping.

Judging by his appearance, it didn’t seem like his leg was broken.

“Let me take a look.”

Enkrid checked him out and noticed that it looked like Gielpin had sprained his ankle.

“I’m fine,” Gielpin replied, though his voice subtly betrayed his anxiety.

Enkrid nodded.

“What happened?”

This was someone under Kraiss’s management. Naturally, if something had gone wrong with Gielpin’s guild, that would explain his current state.

“They came,” Gielpin answered.

“Who?”

“That damn frog bastard who used to cozy up to the old guildmaster.”

Ah, Frog.

There was no need to search his memory for this. Yes, there had been talk that Frog would come once spring arrived. It seemed like that time had arrived.

Though, wasn’t it a bit too early?

“Explain.”

Enkrid decided to hear the story first.

If Kraiss were dead or if it were truly urgent, Gielpin wouldn’t be standing here explaining. He’d have dragged Enkrid with him right away.

Kraiss had been eating and sleeping in the city for six days now. Spending a week outside the squad’s base was nothing new for Kraiss.

Especially since—

“They’re saying it’s almost time to deploy.”

With so much to prepare. Starting from early in the year, handling food supplies and all sorts of errands.

Many people sought out Kraiss—not only soldiers, but even officers. This brought Kraiss many conveniences in return.

And so, it had been six days. He wanted to wrap up all his business before the deployment if possible.

More than anything, ever since he took control of Gielpin’s guild, counting the Krona he earned had become an increasing joy.

With all this, did he really want to return to the squad?

“Let’s see how much I’ll make today.”

After all, to open his own salon later, he’d need a lot of Krona. Making as much as possible now was the best course of action.

Recently, he had earned quite a commission from the items the Squad Leader had sold.

“Wonder if he’ll bring back any more finds like that.”

It’s not every day that a sorcerer hides in the sewers. How often would something like that happen?

“It’s lunchtime. Let’s grab something to eat.”

Around noon, Kraiss had called for Gielpin, and they were having lunch together.

The lunch was a dish made of ground whole wheat. It was some sort of noodle dish, with thin noodles coated in olive oil and tomato sauce.

Not bad, all things considered.

“So, did you block off the basement of the cobbler’s shop?” Kraiss asked while clattering his fork.

“It’s all been blocked off,” Gielpin replied after swallowing the noodles in his mouth.

The idea was to try to act as the city’s night watchmen, even if they couldn’t claim to be Guardians of the Night.

For that reason, Gielpin’s guild handled areas the standing army couldn’t reach, such as the task of sealing off the cobbler’s basement.

The army didn’t bother with such matters, having already taken what they needed. They left the tunnels behind, though the Squad Leader had been the first to loot them.

In any case, the point of being part of the night watch was clear.

Aside from taking money from drifters who wandered into the city, they needed to give the impression of protecting the citizens who lived in the city.

The effect? Naturally, it had been positive.

Whether collecting protection fees—

Or distributing taxes.

Especially when gathering information—every city resident had become Kraiss’s ears.

“If we play our cards right, we might even be able to root out all of Azpen’s spies.”

Once Gielpin’s guild absorbed all the surrounding guilds, that seemed likely. Still, it wasn’t something they could rush into. Kraiss mulled over his plans while eating, his eyes glazed over.

“Military strength can be tied to the Squad Leader.”

When the Squad Leader moves, it would provide the catalyst for his subordinates to move as well. Each subordinate’s desires were clear, so persuading them wouldn’t be difficult.

“What about the number of people under management?”

There was a slum in the Border Guard. While some of its residents had given up on life and were just lying around, there were others still fighting tooth and nail to survive.

“We’ll take a few from the slum.”

Absorb the smaller guilds and their low-level members as well. If Kraiss had any certainty in life, it was his eye for people.

Maybe it was thanks to growing up tumbling through life from a young age.

Back in the days when he begged for food, he could immediately tell who would give him something if he asked. Of course, it had taken hundreds of beatings to learn that skill.

The moment he realized that talking to the wrong person could get him beaten to death, his instincts blossomed.

“This could actually work.”

Perhaps it should be called the Back-Alley Guild Consolidation Operation?

Given about a year—or maybe less than half a year to establish the foundation—he could completely dominate the back alleys.

Assuming everything went according to plan. But no plan ever comes without its variables.

This was one of those variables.

Bam!

They say fortune and misfortune come unexpectedly. It was true for Kraiss as well. Someone burst through the door to the mansion’s reception room.

It was a figure wrapped in a thick cloak. Kraiss didn’t even wonder how the man had gotten here.

Nor did he ask who he was.

There had been a dozen guild members guarding the mansion. Now, two of those who had been guarding the door were lying on the floor.

‘Are they bleeding?’

There was no blood pooling on the floor. They didn’t seem dead. At least, that’s how it looked. Kraiss quickly grasped the situation and accepted the sudden misfortune.

His sharp mind raced, and his eyes darted around.

“Right this way,” he said, finishing his assessment.

“You don’t even know who I am, yet you’re so quick to react. I like it.”

The monster inside the cloak shrugged. His movements caused the cloak to ripple. His voice was harsh and raspy, as though his vocal cords had been damaged.

“It didn’t seem important,” Kraiss replied calmly.

“You’ve got good instincts.”

As the man spoke, he shrugged off his cloak.

And beneath it—

The man was wearing armor reinforced with iron over his heart. A Heart Armor.

“…Ah.”

It was difficult to recognize Frog by appearance alone. And yet, Gielpin recognized him.

It was Frog, the man Gielpin had spoken of—the death god who appeared whenever spring came around, leaving a white scar on his neck.

‘Isn’t it too early?’

Hadn’t they said he wouldn’t come until much later in spring?

“Where’s the old guy?”

“He got tired of this place and went up first.”

Kraiss smoothly replied to Frog’s words. Meanwhile, Gielpin was drenched in cold sweat. If he said the wrong thing, he’d be the next one to go “up.”

The fear of death loomed over him. This was the terror that overwhelming strength inflicted.

In such a situation—

“Have you eaten?” Kraiss asked nonchalantly.

Frog twisted his lips into a grin.

“You’re a funny bastard.”

As Frog spoke, he moved, and Gielpin tried to resist but got beaten.

It only took three blows. If Frog hadn’t held back and had drawn his weapon, it would’ve ended in one strike.

Kraiss didn’t resist, yet he was also struck.

“Humans only listen after they’ve been beaten. That’s my philosophy. Now, tell me the name of the bastard who killed the old guildmaster.”

After thoroughly beating him, Frog grabbed Kraiss by the collar with one hand and lifted him up.

Kraiss’s mind raced. Which of his squad members could handle a monster like this?

Rem, Ragna, Audin, Jaxon—

Which of their names should he mention? Who should he send him after? The moment Kraiss laid eyes on Frog, he was already considering all these questions, so there was no hesitation.

Cough, “You could’ve just asked. I would’ve told you,” Kraiss said.

“I don’t like that. I prefer to beat someone up first before listening.”

‘You crazy Frog bastard.’

Contrary to what he thought, Kraiss smiled and replied, “I see.”

“It was the standing army of the Border Guard. The one who killed him was named Ragna.”

“And why are you here?”

“I’m the acting guildmaster. Standing in for him.”

“Interesting. Very interesting. Hey, you, bald guy.”

Gielpin didn’t even know how he had been knocked down. All he knew was that his eyes hurt like hell, and his thigh was numb, making it impossible to stand.

“Y-Yes?”

“Go get Ragna. Then I’ll let this guy go.”

Gielpin looked at Kraiss.

“Go. Bring our real guildmaster.”

Gielpin quickly caught on.

He was being told to find someone capable of killing this Frog bastard. But Frog wasn’t stupid.

Even if he couldn’t distinguish between lies and truth, he could tell that this small, pretty-looking human man was plotting something.

Frog made his decision.

‘I’ll kill that guy.’

And then chain this one up.

The old guildmaster who had managed this place was dead, so a new one was needed.

Communicating with the homeland to arrange anything would take too much effort, so he decided that local procurement was the way to go.

If things went wrong? Well, escaping with his life wouldn’t be an issue.

“How many days has it been since Kraiss was captured?”

Enkrid scratched his nose and asked.

“Three days.”

“And my squad members?”

“They’ve all conveniently headed to the battlefield.”

“Even Rem?”

“I’m not sure. I only heard he wasn’t here.”

“And Big Eyes? Have you confirmed if he’s alive?”

“I just checked a little while ago.”

“Did they break all his limbs?”

“…What?”

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter if they left him intact.”

Enkrid mumbled to himself, nodded, and stood up. Enkrid and Gielpin had been sitting on the edge of the squad’s base, crouched in a corner talking.

As Enkrid stood, Gielpin craned his neck to look up at him, wondering what he was doing.

Shouldn’t they be heading out to rescue Kraiss immediately?

Enkrid spoke again.

“I’ll go file my return report first.”

“Should I wait?”

“No. Frog’s at the mansion, right?”

“Aren’t we going right now?”

Going right now? That didn’t seem necessary.

If Frog had wanted to kill Kraiss, he would’ve done it long ago. But the fact that Kraiss hadn’t had his limbs broken after three days—

‘Means he’s holding up well.’

Kraiss’s intention was clear too.

He was asking for any squad member to be sent. That’s why he had mentioned Ragna’s name.

Sure, they could’ve brought Rem, Audin, or Jaxon.

But why had he specifically mentioned Ragna, the hardest to summon—someone who was lazy and had no sense of direction?

Because Kraiss was calling for anyone who could help.

‘The only problem is, I’m the only one left.’

Enkrid hadn’t expected the entire squad to head for the battlefield without him. Kraiss couldn’t have predicted it either.

The fact that the Troublemaker Squad had gone to the battlefield without him, following someone else’s orders, was quite surprising.

Whoever managed to get them moving must’ve been impressive. They’d be lucky if they didn’t die from the blood pressure spikes caused by trying to manage people like Rem and the others.

“Go back and tell them to wait another day.”

Gielpin’s face contorted at those words.

“The guildmaster will die.”

Of course, Gielpin would react this way. He was satisfied with his current life. Being more like a night watchman rather than a Guardian of the Night suited him just fine.

Fewer headaches, more peace of mind. It was comfortable, truly comfortable. Sure, Kraiss was obsessed with Krona, but he was fair.

That’s why Gielpin wanted to keep this peace intact.

He was no longer the Gielpin who would’ve abandoned everything and run before Frog showed up and shattered the guild.

Now, he had something to protect.

“We need to go,” Gielpin insisted.

But Enkrid shook his head.

“Go tell them to wait one more day. Ragna will come.”

With that, Enkrid turned around and left. Gielpin still had no other options. He, too, turned around.

He had to deliver the message.

If he didn’t, Frog would tear the guildmaster to pieces. He certainly seemed capable of doing that.

Gielpin moved, trying to reassemble his shattered peace.

‘God, please.’

A man who didn’t even believe in God found himself praying. Enkrid headed back toward the squad’s base.

“How many days has it been? What’s going on? No one’s said anything,” a soldier guarding the base asked as Enkrid walked by.

‘Loyalty, huh.’

Enkrid thought of Gielpin. Did the standing army really control the back-alley guild? With a bit of bad luck, he could be sentenced to death for it.

So, of course, Gielpin couldn’t say much. But he still wanted to protect what was important to him. That sentiment had been clearly conveyed.

“Damn it all.”

Enkrid gave a vague answer and went inside the base. Another day wouldn’t be the end of Kraiss. He could tell that from the attitude of the enemy.

‘Doesn’t seem like he’s a fool.’

Frog was notorious for being simple and brutish. But just like every person was different, so too were Frogs.

There were clever Frogs, stupid Frogs, and even meticulous Frogs. The same was true for Elves, Dragonkin, and Giants. Of course, setting aside the traits that were specific to each race.

‘If I have time.’

If there was no urgent need to go right away. Enkrid flexed his fist and walked. He wasn’t an idiot.

This “today” had taught him something.

‘I’ve gotten better.’

Otherwise, he’d have been dead long ago at the hands of the Lycanthropes or the enemy commanders.

But he had even slain a sorcerer. Wasn’t that proof that his skills had improved?

So, could he handle Frog?

Last time, when he fought the Stabbing Freak, one kick had shattered his ribs and sent him flying.

But now?

‘Feels like I could do it.’

It wasn’t baseless confidence. Even though Kraiss had asked for a squad member, not him.

‘Frog, Frog, Frog.’

He was definitely someone worth fighting.

Preparation was key.

While he wasn’t badly injured, he was tired. After all, he had pulled two consecutive all-nighters.

On the way back, he’d caught a bit of sleep and had rested enough, but he wasn’t in perfect condition.

So.

‘Submit my return report and rest first.’

That’s what Enkrid decided. If there was no option to let Kraiss die, he’d have to deal with Frog.

It was a headache, to be honest. However, Enkrid felt a strange excitement about the situation.

‘Strange. Very strange.’

Normally, would he have been scared? No. Rather than being afraid, he would have fought even knowing he’d lose. He couldn’t just watch one of his own die. That’s how Enkrid had always lived.

But before, he would’ve taken the first step fully expecting defeat. Now, he didn’t know whether he’d win or lose.

“The Company Commander?”

When Enkrid entered the base, he noticed a lot of people were missing.

There were reports that the Elf Company Commander had taken the Troublemaker Squad and headed out as the advance team.

So it had been the Elf who took them. That’s why Enkrid had to report his return to another company’s Squad Leader.

“You’re the only one left from the independent squad. So, are you going to join them soon?”

It was someone he was familiar with.

“I’m tired, so I’ll join in two days.”

“Alright, if you can, go quickly. There seem to be some issues on the battlefield. There might be a second deployment.”

The Squad Leader rambled while shaking a dispatch.

Enkrid nodded and left.

He unpacked his gear in the empty barracks, soaked in hot water, then crawled under a cozy blanket and fell asleep.

If Frog killed him and made him repeat today, he’d need to be in the best condition possible.

Enkrid fell asleep quickly.

A deep, peaceful sleep without any dreams. When he woke up, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, washed his face, and ate some meat for breakfast.

“You’re eating well so early in the morning,” the cook remarked, shaking his head.

After chomping down on the meat, Enkrid practiced the Isolation Technique. It was a good way to aid digestion and warm up the body.

After that, he sharpened his Longsword and counted his remaining Whistling Daggers. He had two left. He hadn’t managed to retrieve the ones he threw.

‘Wonder if that guy could make more?’

He thought of the city blacksmith and examined the blade in front of him. It was in decent condition.

No cracks.

There were a few chips, but it was still fine. The blacksmith had said that a blade gets damaged when cutting down a sorcerer, but this one was holding up better than expected.

Maybe it varied by sorcerer.

After finishing his preparations—

Nyaa!

“Where have you been?”

Esther had appeared. Enkrid thought she had left, since she hadn’t been around for a while.

“Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, Enkrid headed outside once again.

“Meow!”

Esther hissed behind him, as if to say, “Where do you think you’re going without me?”

“Want to come? Just remember, you’re only here to watch.”

At Enkrid’s words, Esther jumped into his arms. Feeling her warm body, Enkrid began walking.

His destination was the mansion where Kraiss was being held.