A Knight who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Set It on Fire

‘It seems like setting tents on fire has become my specialty.’

Enkrid thought this as he clung to a tree, explaining the simple plan. None of the squad members added a word; they just listened. At this point, they were akin to arrows which had already been shot, following an inevitable path.

Enkrid soon moved.

“I’ll go first.”

He stepped quietly, making no noise. Eventually, he crouched and crawled on the ground.

The squad watched as Enkrid crawled. The plan was simple. Create a diversion on the east side and strike from the west. Mack and the remaining squad members were to create the noise. Enkrid, Andrew, and the ex-thug soldier were excluded from making noise.

“I’ll do it.”

Mack volunteered to draw the enemy’s attention without complaint. Mack’s sudden change in attitude didn’t surprise Enkrid. It was good to have a cooperative soldier.

Mack quietly stretched and picked up a stone, throwing it with force. The stone hit a guard on the head.

Thud!

The stone bounced off the helmet, and the guard yelped in pain.

“Damn it!”

“What’s going on?”

The four guards turned towards the noise. Enkrid held his breath, watching them.

Words were unnecessary.

“Intruder!”

A guard shouted, causing a commotion. Enkrid seized the moment to move closer to the tent but was spotted.

“Caught you, rat.”

He wasn’t surprised. He had learned from repeating this day many times.

‘I can’t do this alone.’

A spear-wielding soldier glared at him from beside the tent. Before the enemy could charge, Enkrid stood up, shaking the dirt off his chest. Without a war cry, the guard thrust his spear at Enkrid.

Enkrid watched the spear’s path closely and dodged.

But he didn’t just dodge. He gambled with half his life, trusting the heart of a beast to give him the boldness for this madness. As he dodged, he advanced. The spear grazed his shoulder, narrowly missing him. Heat flared from the scratch on his shoulder.

In return, Enkrid closed the distance. He slashed upward with his sword. The guard tried to block with his spear but Enkrid had hidden a knife in his left hand, stabbing it into the guard’s collarbone.

Thud!

Bone and flesh parted as the knife sank in.

“Ugh!”

The guard groaned. Enkrid headbutted the guard’s nose.

Thud!

The guard couldn’t even groan, collapsing backward. It was the Vallen mercenary sword technique, the Three Sword Style.

The first strike was a feint, with the real attack being the knife and headbutt. He had risked his life, charging at the spear to get close. He took down the guard.

But they had been discovered, and setting the tent on fire seemed impossible now. Behind the fallen guard, another soldier appeared with a torch and a sword.

The scarred man looked formidable. His gait and demeanor revealed he wasn’t a novice.

“Pathetic.”

He clicked his tongue. His steps were confident despite the ambush.

“Finally, it took you long enough.”

Enkrid muttered. The scarred man frowned at that.

Whoosh.

Behind the man, flames erupted. The tent was on fire.

“Put it out!”

The man shouted. Enkrid used this distraction to charge. He pushed off the ground with his right foot and planted his left foot firmly.

“Everything starts with the feet.”

Rem and Ragna, two of his squadmates, always emphasized this fundamental of swordsmanship.

Enkrid followed that advice. Pushing off the ground, he closed the distance quickly. In an instant, the man holding the torch and sword loomed large.

The man was looking back. His guard was down. Enkrid thrust his sword. With his whole body’s momentum behind it, he enacted the thrust that had killed him countless times.

Swoosh.

The blade cut through the air and reached its target. It was over in an instant. This was his best thrust ever. Of all the repetitions of today, this was the pinnacle. Enkrid believed he had killed the man.

In his heightened state of focus, time seemed to slow. Everything moved slowly— his sword and the man’s hand. In this slow world, the man’s hand moved. His sword shot up from below.

Thud!

Enkrid darted past the man, clutching his side. The man turned back around, raising an eyebrow at Enkrid.

“Arrogant bastard.”

The man looked furious. Anger was not the problem. The problem was his impressive sword skills.

‘In that moment?’

The thrust had been perfect. As perfect as could be. Even Rem would have struggled to block it with anything but his whip-like axe.

But this man had dodged it. Though he had a light cut on his neck, it was barely a scratch.

Meanwhile, the man’s counterattack had sliced Enkrid’s side. It wasn’t deep, and no bones were hit. He wouldn’t die from it, but…

‘I was overconfident.’

And yet, this was the result. Enkrid had repeated today countless times.

And still…

It felt like there was a vast river between him and the man. The man could easily cross the river to stab and cut him but Enkrid could only dip his toes in. There was a clear difference in skill.

So what could he do?

He had never fought only weaker opponents.

Enkrid steadied his breath and gripped his sword. If this was today’s turning point, he would give it his all. Despite the daunting difference in skill…

Nothing would change.

For others, a daunting gap might feel like despair, a cliff. For Enkrid, it felt like a staircase. A staircase he would climb one day. Thrilling excitement filled him from his toes to his chest.

How could repeating today be a curse?

He would eventually beat this formidable foe.

He would. He wouldn’t settle for today.

So he felt exhilarated. Enkrid’s feelings showed on his face.

“Are you laughing?”

The man’s face twisted in anger. Enkrid’s thrill was met with the man’s fury.

“I’ll tear you apart and feed you to the dogs.”

Enkrid sensed his impending death. He couldn’t win against this opponent now.

But he wouldn’t go down easily. Enkrid braced himself for pain. He did not retreat as he gripped his sword and steeled his resolve.

Whoosh.

Behind the man, the flames roared higher. It was as if a dragon was breathing fire. The entire tent caught fire.

Sparks flew everywhere. Desperate voices could be heard from the tent.

“You bastards! Put out the fire!”

“Someone poured oil, commander!”

“The torch stand fell!”

They were doing well. Enkrid had caused two distractions for this fire. Once with Mack and the squad and another with his body.

Andrew and the ex-thug soldier had set the fire. The ex-thug soldier had used his skills from when he caused trouble in the city.

“The flagpole is burning!”

Someone shouted from near the tent. A man with strange facial tattoos yelled.

“Commander! Do you not know what’s important now?”

He scolded the man facing Enkrid. Enkrid stepped back. Despite the skill difference, he wouldn’t die easily. The man knew this. Enkrid could hold out until the fire consumed the tent and flagpole. Enkrid didn’t know why the flagpole was so important.

He only knew one thing. It was valuable to the enemy. More so than the lives of a few soldiers.

“I’ll get you next time.”

The man, an Azpen squad commander, glared at Enkrid before turning away. He decided it was more urgent to deal with the arsonists than to fight Enkrid.

Enkrid sighed in relief. He felt like he had narrowly escaped death. Dying, no matter how many times he repeated today, was something he never got used to.

That was a curse. To face that terrible moment repeatedly. Of course, the pain and suffering were not Enkrid’s main concern.

As long as it helped him move forward. As long as it improved his skills.

Why wouldn’t he endure it?

“We need to go.”

While keeping watch, Andrew spoke up from behind. His face was covered in soot.

“Retreat.”

Enkrid commanded and moved. The ex-thug soldier followed. While running, Andrew pulled out a whistle and blew it.

Tweet, tweet!

Two long whistles, and Mack led the remaining squad members to them. Enri was bleeding from his arm, and there were no more soldiers following Mack. The squad of ten was now halved.

But Enkrid’s escape route had opened.

“The enemy is busy. There shouldn’t be a large-scale pursuit, right?”

Mack asked, implying this had been Enkrid’s goal. Mack’s forehead was bleeding, proving how tough their escape had been.

“Probably not.”

Enkrid replied, running.

Blood still flowed from his side. He thought the wound wasn’t deep, but without stopping the bleeding, it wouldn’t heal. For now, he just pressed his hand against it and ran. From now on, it was an unknown today, so Enkrid kept an eye on the rear. The enemy was hot on pursuit. Five soldiers chased them.

“Damn lunatics!”

They were relatively unscathed. Though their faces were sooty, they had no visible wounds. The five were enough for Enkrid, Andrew, and Mack.

Enri had a hole in his stomach, and he was stumbling, probably from blood loss. The squad’s ex-thug soldier was supporting him, making it hard for him to fight properly.

“Damn it, we’re all going to die at this rate! Get a grip!”

The ex-thug soldier scolded Enri, but he didn’t abandon him. Enkrid’s side wound worsened as he fought the pursuers. Still, he wouldn’t die from it.

Mack killed two of the pursuers, but in doing so, he got a gash on his thigh. He quickly wrapped it with a linen bandage and didn’t fall behind. Andrew seemed to have improved dramatically in just a few battles.

‘No, that’s not it.’

Enkrid realized Andrew hadn’t suddenly become skilled. The intense battlefield had brought out his latent abilities. Andrew’s fierce swordplay killed two pursuers quickly. Without that, they might not have escaped. Or it would have been much harder.

Andrew’s initial cheek wound had reopened, and blood was seeping through. They were all battered but still alive.

Following Enri’s lead, they ran through the night. Eventually, Enri, barely conscious, spoke up.

“If we head west from here, we’ll reach the plains where foxes and snakes live. They won’t chase us there.”

The Green Pearl plain was home to various wildlife, including foxes and snakes. However, there were many venomous snakes, making it dangerous.

“If we go there, we’ll get bitten by snakes before the enemy catches us.”

Mack said. Enri weakly smiled and replied.

“There’s a boundary where foxes and snakes overlap. I know it. It’s a hunter’s path.”

Enkrid looked at Enri, who was pale but smiling. Leading them while in that state was remarkable. Everyone looked at Enkrid for a decision.

“It’s that way.”

Enkrid moved without hesitation. He pondered other things as they ran.

‘That commander…’

The enemy commander’s image lingered in his mind. If that commander had appeared in earlier attempts, Enkrid would have been too busy dying.

But this was the first time.

Perhaps the situation had escalated to the point where the commander had to intervene.

‘Or maybe not.’

Now that he thought about it, he had heard that voice before.

During previous attempts, when he had snuck into the tent being guarded by soldiers, he had seen a strange scene.

Flags and poles. A basin with strange smoke, and a man with facial tattoos.

Was he doing some kind of ritual?

But the reaction had been too extreme.

“Catch him!”

The man had panicked when Enkrid kicked the pole. That’s when he realized the poles were significant. And then someone had slashed his neck from behind.

“What’s this guy?”

That voice seemed familiar. Lost in thought, Enkrid followed Enri’s lead until dawn.

The sky turned blue, signaling the start of a new day. They reached the recon base by morning. They were met by the recon squad leader.

“What the hell happened to you?”

The leader asked immediately. Enkrid knew there were more urgent matters to address than explaining. They had several wounded. They would report on the way back.

For now, surviving was enough.

“Phew, I’m going to pass out now.”

Enri said from behind. Enkrid didn’t reply.

There was no point in talking to someone who had already fainted.