A Knight who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: I Want to Live Too

“You’re going further ahead? This is madness.”

The rough-looking soldier sticking close behind Enkrid spoke up. After the initial ambush succeeded, the scouting unit, now led by Enkrid instead of Andrew, attempted two more ambushes.

The second battle involved a group of five soldiers, and in the third, they faced more than fifteen soldiers. Both were brutal.

In the second battle, there was a particularly skilled enemy.

In the third battle, the enemy simply had overwhelming numbers.

The number of surviving soldiers dwindled to seven. They had lost two more.

‘I can’t save more than this.’

No matter what, some things were just impossible. Enkrid knew he wasn’t a saint. Repeating today to save the three who had died would be like gnawing on fairy bones.

Thanks to Enkrid’s efforts, they had managed this much. Of course, the allied soldiers fought fiercely. One soldier survived but lost an eye.

Andrew had a cut on his face. He had his left cheek bandaged with linen—a wound that would be a proud scar if he survived.

Despite this situation, Enkrid headed deeper. It was like a reckless charge without considering a retreat. From a conventional perspective, it was madness.

The rough-looking soldier wasn’t lacking in skill or experience. Even in this situation, he hadn’t lost his sense of direction. He realized that Enkrid was heading toward the enemy’s stronghold. Seeing this, Enkrid nodded inwardly.

‘Not bad.’

He might fall short compared to Rem and other squad members, but he was still a valuable asset. With determination, he could at least become a platoon leader.

“From now on, we can catch our breath a bit.”

Enkrid said, causing the rough-looking soldier to frown.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“As I said earlier, disobedience…”

“Disobedience or not, if we’re on a path to death, I’ll find a way to survive, even if it means stabbing my squad leader in the back.”

This guy spoke too recklessly. What would he do if he survived and had to face everyone later?

He stared at him, but the soldier didn’t flinch. He was shameless. It made sense. A person’s life came first, not the mission. Especially someone like him, who was serving for a special purpose. Andrew’s life and his own were his top priorities.

Enkrid looked up to check the sun’s position, then stopped walking. Naturally, the allies also stopped. Everyone listened intently to Enkrid and the rough-looking soldier.

Enkrid spoke through the panting soldiers who were catching their breath.

“If we go back now, we’ll die. The enemy is swarming behind us like mad dogs.”

As he spoke, Enkrid loosened the guards on his hands. The leather-padded guards were useful, but wearing them for too long made his hand muscles feel crushed. Loosening them during a fight was dangerous, though.

“How do you know that? They shouldn’t even know we’re here. How could they have blocked our retreat already?”

The rough-looking soldier frowned as he watched Enkrid loosen his hand guards. He clearly didn’t like Enkrid’s nonchalant attitude. Enkrid had faced this moment dozens of times. It was a day he had repeated dozens of times. The enemy was numerous, and once they detected an ambush, they always cut off the retreat. Relentlessly. He didn’t know who their commander was, but they seemed desperate to hide their presence here.

It was always the same.

The allied soldiers crouched among the tall grass looked uneasy. They were following blindly, but hearing the conversation made them feel as if they were in the middle of a dangerous battlefield. Still, no one stepped forward. They just perked up their ears.

Enkrid glanced up again, calculating the time in his head. In three or four hours, darkness would fall. Then, the escape route would open. But first, he needed to convince these men to stay put.

Forcing them might work, but they weren’t the kind to be easily forced. Intimidation and violence had their limits here.

Ambush, retreat, ambush.

He had driven the squad relentlessly to this point, but now it was time to wait. Waiting brought doubts. He didn’t need to work hard to convince them.

“Don’t you realize it’s too late now?”

He was right. It was too late already. Turning back now was even crazier.

The rough-looking soldier bit his lip.

What kind of crazy bastard is this?

He seemed ready to say it but instead rolled his eyes and asked,

“You have a plan, right?”

Enkrid looked into his eyes, then at the surrounding allies, including Enri and Andrew. Their eyes were filled with doubt and fear. With their breath back, they had room to think, and thinking led them to realize how late it was.

Enkrid had no intention of giving a reasonable explanation. He couldn’t provide one, anyway.

How could he explain?

He had seen the future by repeating today?

To end this repeated today and move on to tomorrow, they had to follow him no matter what?

Who would believe that?

So, he could only say one thing.

“I want to live too.”

A short sentence, but it contained everything.

He wasn’t struggling to die.

The desire to live. It wasn’t just these soldiers who had it.

He needed to remind them that he was the same.

Of course, Enkrid could just repeat today if he died.

‘I won’t stagnate.’

No matter who the ferryman was. No matter how high and strong the wall in front of him was. He wouldn’t stop. For Enkrid, the repeated today was a mountain to overcome and conquer.

Therefore.

“Trust me. This isn’t a path to death.”

Without explaining, he sought their trust. He would twist this day with their trust and move on to tomorrow. The desire to live, repeated battles, the anxiety after excitement— people in such situations would grasp at straws.

For them, Enkrid’s short words instilled a deep sense of trust. He wanted to live and told them to believe. Also, they instinctively knew there was no other way.

What could they do here?

The enemy swarmed the tall grass. There seemed no way out. In such times, trusting someone was the only option.

“I really want to live.”

Enri muttered.

With those words, everyone looked at Enkrid and nodded. The rough-looking soldier remained calm, but he had no other ideas. Andrew was the most shocked. Beyond skill, Enkrid seemed like a person of great character. Right now, Enkrid looked like the future self Andrew had dreamed of becoming.

‘Calm even in this situation.’

He never gave up and earned everyone’s trust. How admirable.

“I believe in you too.”

Andrew said, his tone suddenly more respectful. It didn’t feel awkward. A fervent energy spread among the allies, reaching Enkrid.

“Then everyone.”

Receiving their gaze, Enkrid spoke.

“Stay low and quiet until my signal.”

With their trust, it was time to act. He led by example. He lay flat on the ground and held his breath.

Everyone followed Enkrid. They wondered what he was doing instead of running, but they had shared something intense moments ago. It was time to trust him for at least five minutes.

The rough-looking soldier watched a bug hop over his nose and disappear.

‘This guy is a master manipulator.’

His skill in handling people was remarkable.

Was this how he led the Troublemaker Squad?

It was a natural thought.

Rustling.

Then they heard grass being trampled. Everyone breathed carefully. There were signs of people nearby.

Not too close. The tall grass was like a dense thicket. Unless someone came right up, they couldn’t be found. It was a good hiding place. The sound of trampling grass came from all directions. It moved from front to back. They couldn’t see the situation, but…

If there was a bird flying above, it would see an amazing sight. The grass around where Enkrid’s group lay was shaking and moving. All the movement came from enemy soldiers.

However, they avoided the spot where Enkrid’s squad hid. Right now, the place where Enkrid had stopped was like an island of safety in a sea of enemies. Even with luck, it was nearly impossible to find such a gap among the moving enemies. It was like the goddess of fortune had not just kissed him but poured all her blessings on him.

Of course, this wasn’t luck. It was a trick he learned from repeating today endlessly. As the sound of grass trampling faded, Enkrid spoke again.

“Move out. Everyone, advance in single file.”

It was time to move. Enkrid straightened from his crouch and walked slowly until his numb legs recovered.

He thought how useful the sensory training from Jaxon was. Judging distance by sound and determining direction. It wasn’t a skill one could learn through ordinary training, but Enkrid had learned it while risking his life under an assassin and repeating today in the grass.

‘Passed the second target.’

After repeating ambushes and retreats, letting the enemy pass by. It was the second key to the escape route he had in mind.

Now only the third remained. That required time. Once his legs recovered, he increased the pace slightly. Everyone followed without complaint. They were all inwardly amazed.

No matter how they looked, the area seemed full of enemies. How did they avoid them so well?

Thinking back, the battles had been strange. They had attacked as if they knew the enemy’s positions. All the battles had started with allied ambushes. Thanks to that, they had fought from advantageous positions. In every battle, Enkrid was at the forefront, fighting fiercely.

He seemed like someone who didn’t care for his life. All the soldiers following him knew that he had fought risking his life. He had taken the most significant risks at the front.

In the quiet grass, a strange heat rose. It was the flame of survival burning in the soldiers’ chests.

Enkrid didn’t feel that heat. He was thinking of the next step.

‘So far…’

It had been smooth.

To be honest, it hadn’t been difficult. It shouldn’t have been. He had experienced this ‘today’ over fifty times. So it was the expected result.

Why had he experienced this ‘today’ over fifty times?

It was all for the next operation. They were a few, and the enemy was many. He didn’t know their intentions. There was only one thing he knew.

The enemy commander didn’t want anyone who approached here to leave alive.

At first, he tried to break through to secure a retreat. He failed every time.

Would it change with the squad’s help?

No way.

Then he changed his thinking.

‘What if something more troublesome than catching us happened?’

The sun was setting. The sky turned orange as twilight descended. As the orange light bathed the tall grass, it felt like entering an orange-lit lake. Today, the sky was clear, and the sunset was warm. The sun soon disappeared beyond the west.

Darkness fell. It was time to take the third target of Enkrid’s escape route.