A Knight who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Snake, Alcohol, Flower, Knife

It was only a superficial reason to not want to die. Enkrid, repeating ‘today’ over and over, felt a different kind of fear. The fear that he might settle for this, that once today passed, such an opportunity might never come again. The desire to stop right here. That desire was a terror to Enkrid.

‘Was this really what I wanted?’

To settle for today is to lead a life of obsolescence. A life that cannot advance. It is only natural for humans to look forward to tomorrow. Moreover, Enkrid was a human who dreamed of tomorrow with his modest talents. There was a logical and valid reason for that.

‘I’ve learned all there is to learn.’

Continual training here wouldn’t yield much more. If that’s the case, it was time to move towards tomorrow.

‘What happens if I survive?’

Would this just end? He pondered over it countless times. To put it simply, he didn’t know. He didn’t know what would happen after surviving.

‘If I can move forward.’

Let’s move forward.

Wasn’t it a life he had lived forever? More than anything, Enkrid needed certainty. Could he truly face tomorrow with what he had gained by repeating today? It was unknown. Hence, he was challenging it. A challenger’s mindset was everyday life for him. Today would be a long day. He would have to utilize everything he had accumulated.

“How did you do it?”

“Luck.”

“Are you saying that it was just luck?”

As soon as he stepped out of the tent, Kraiss’s eyes widened more than usual as he asked back. The dealer friend who had rolled the dice was astonished. He didn’t go into a frenzy saying it was impossible. He was the one who had rolled the dice. Thanks to that, Enkrid was able to get up and walk out easily. It wasn’t something to be guilty about. He had never cheated. Just like a cheap soothsayer imitating, he just knew all the numbers the dice would spit out.

“I’ll buy you a beer in the village later.”

A soldier who had made a profit thanks to Enkrid patted his shoulder and passed by.

“It really was luck. I have no talent for gambling.”

Enkrid turned his walking direction as he spoke, and Kraiss followed closely.

“If that’s being untalented, then all the talented folks must be buried underground.”

“Sometimes luck follows you.”

“…If luck follows you twice, your pockets won’t just be full, they’ll burst!”

As they walked, Enkrid handed over seventeen silver coins.

Clang.

The sound of silver coins clashing made Kraiss grab his pocket. Having received them, Kraiss moved on, saying, ‘Okay, I’m not one to know.’ Then suddenly, he stared intently at Enkrid with his large eyes.

“I figured it out.”

What?

Enkrid asked with his eyes. Continuing with a broad smile, he said.

“Are you trying to hit on the commander coming tomorrow? With flowers? But then, wouldn’t roses or lilies be better than white steed flowers?”

Gambling aside, the requested items seemed to be of a strange kind.

“…Will it work?”

What goes through this guy’s head? There were rumors that a new company commander coming tomorrow was a woman. Yes, it had been said that a woman was coming. But would she fall head over heels just because of a bouquet? It wouldn’t even work on a country girl. Of course, having a face like Kraiss might work. But still, would it? At best, it’d break even, and at worst, it might lead to an immediate execution for insulting a superior.

“The Squad Leader looks quite good when dressed up.”

“Do you always ask so many questions when asked to fetch something?”

From now on, would he have to run till he sweat on his feet to fetch the items by lunchtime? Enkrid spoke with his eyes, and Kraiss understood. Turning his body around, Kraiss moved briskly.

He had to, or it would be trouble. Although it had been done a few times before, depending on the time Kraiss took to fetch things, Enkrid too would have to hustle.

Now was the time to rest. Enkrid leisurely ate his breakfast. A soup containing finely crushed barley and wheat, hard bread, and dried meat made up the morning meal. Meat was served only once every three days. Fortunately, today was the day. If not, in the repetitive days, he wouldn’t even have seen meat. Usually, he would have dissolved the bread in saliva, but today he crumbled it into the soup. After mixing, the broth thickened just right. When he put it in his mouth and chewed, it had a chewy texture but was still bland. After tearing and mixing the dried meat, the seasoning was just right.

Enkrid chewed thoroughly. The meal became energy for movement. Regardless of skill differences, a soldier who had eaten well showed a difference in combat power compared to one who had starved for days. Warm broth went down his throat and settled in his stomach. After repeating this a few times, the bowl was empty.

“Tasty? Does exploiting the labor of a comrade taste good?”

Rem approached grumbling.

“Very.”

“It’s good if you’re not picky. I’ve never seen a guy who’s picky about food last long. We have such a guy in our squad, don’t we?”

“It seems that friend is still doing well.”

“Any moment now.”

Rem, who had been spewing venom about his squadmate, soon picked up his bowl and moved on. It was time to diligently wash the bowls after filling his stomach with the soupy mix of bread and dried meat. Enkrid took out a cloth soaked in oil and carefully wiped his sword, then wiped it again with a dry cloth. The newly acquired sword was neither made of renowned steel nor crafted by a famous smith, but it was quite usable. Its balance was good, and its blade was sharp enough. It could slice through thick cloth armor or thin leather armor just fine.

After finishing the sword maintenance and stepping out of the barracks, Kraiss appeared. Turning his head from side to side, Enkrid called out to him.

“Big Eyes.”

Kraiss approached with a bundle in his hand.

“Here.”

The bundle was, of course, the items Enkrid had requested. As expected, it contained five poorly purified throwing knives. The quality was poor, but they were wrapped with properly oiled leather chunks and a large needle.

“I barely managed to get the deer leather gloves.”

Enkrid rubbed the blade of a throwing knife with his finger as Kraiss spoke. Indeed, that was the case. There was only one glove for the left hand, not a pair.

“So here.”

Kraiss returned a coin.

“The deer leather gloves were calculated as two coins.”

Big Eyes was always sharp about money. It was a known fact. He could have argued and received it, but that would have taken time. It was better to focus on today’s tasks. There wasn’t much time for anything else. The white steed flowers he had brought were withered.

“You’re not confessing with them, are you? Couldn’t get the fresh ones.”

Swindler. Enkrid nodded. This was within expectations. Who in the middle of a battlefield would manage to gather ten fresh flowers?

“Instead, there are twelve.”

A swindler with some conscience, at least.

“And here.”

Kraiss extended a small pouch. Opening it, Enkrid found rice inside. Probably, if the deal had gone sour, Kraiss would have feigned difficulty in obtaining the rice and later claimed he managed to find it just in time. Transparent trickery, but Enkrid didn’t mind. He had obtained everything he needed.

“Good work.”

“But what are you really going to do?”

Kraiss was quite curious about what this well-liked Squad Leader would do.

“Sew and maybe brew some alcohol.”

That was why Kraiss could only tilt his head in confusion. Suddenly sewing? And why brew alcohol?

“Well, okay.”

Kraiss asked no further and left. Enkrid securely placed the knives at his waist and threw the rest into the tent. Then, he strode forward. His destination was already set. Walking non-stop towards the outskirts of the barracks, a soldier saw Enkrid walking and shouted at him.

“Hey there, what’s up? The Squad Leader? If you’re going to relieve yourself, don’t go there.”

“Why?”

“Some guy peed there yesterday and got bitten by a snake. A viper. It’s not a very venomous one, but he’s been scratching his body all day.”

“I’m in a hurry. I’ll be quick.”

“I’ve said my piece.”

It wasn’t something to actively discourage. The soldier just let Enkrid go.

‘Unless he’s incredibly unlucky, he should be fine.’

The soldier thought this as he turned away from Enkrid. Enkrid walked at a moderate pace, looking around. The outskirts of the barracks, designated for relieving oneself. Several pits emitting a foul smell were among the large trees, thick with dry leaves. Enkrid avoided the stinky area and scattered the rice. Then he squatted in a spot without grass and picked up a fallen branch nearby, whittling the end with a throwing knife. Using the blade like a saw, he repeatedly scraped the branch and forcefully pushed the blade outwards, shaping the end of the branch. After several cuts, the end of the branch split into two, resembling a spear.

To an outsider, it might look like he was just passing time, but his intentions were different. While working on the branch, Enkrid kept an eye on the dry grass. It wasn’t long before the rustling of the grass signified movement. Snakes dislike rice. It was natural for the snake to avoid the area where he had scattered the rice. Snake hunting had been an occasional activity for him. A decent viper could be sold for a good price. Once, when he sold a snake to a drunkard in the city, he had asked what it was used for, and the lush had laughed heartily.

“Haven’t you ever drunk snake alcohol? If you haven’t, don’t talk.”

A hearty drunkard he was.

Sh-sh-sh.

A creature wriggled through the dry leaves. It had a brown body with a suitably angular head. Enkrid pressed down on the neck area with the end of the branch.

Poke.

He mixed in a stabbing motion he had learned. The snake couldn’t escape. He then smacked the back of the snake’s head with the knife handle to knock it out.

‘One down.’

He repeated the process several times After scattering the remaining rice, he continued until no more snakes appeared. It didn’t take long. The job was done before the sun had fully crossed the sky.

Enkrid had caught five snakes.

One by one, he grabbed the mouths of the snakes and pressed them against a thin leather pouch. The frightened snakes dripped venom from their venom glands. He repeated this five times and then stuffed the remaining snakes into a thick leather bag.

“Constipated? I was about to check if you really got bitten by a snake because you weren’t coming out.”

It was the same soldier who had warned him earlier. He looked serious. He seemed genuinely concerned.

“Thanks to you, it was a quick job.”

Enkrid said and walked briskly.

Right behind Enkrid’s barracks, the Squad Leader of that section had been doing piecework sewing since childhood. This buddy had decent craftsmanship, having learned sewing over his mother’s shoulder, and his skills were not bad.

Thinking he couldn’t live by sewing alone, he enlisted. Moreover,

‘He terribly loves alcohol.’

That’s what Enkrid knew about the sewing Squad Leader. Enkrid threw the chunk of leather in front of the hungover Squad Leader.

“Got a moment?”

His complexion wasn’t great, but his sewing was really useful. He had done it a few times before. Even if he threatened to report to the company commander about his drinking, he would do it, but then the sewing would be sloppy.

“Make some hand, knee, and elbow guards with this.”

“Why should I?”

The Squad Leader scowled. A natural reaction, given they usually had little interaction. It was too urgent to spend time persuading. Even if he started right away, it would be a close call to get it before the battle.

“Want some hidden booze, right?”

At those words, his complexion changed, and his eyebrows twitched.

He looked like an angry boar. In fact, his appearance did remind one of a wild boar. With such an appearance, having delicate sewing skills.

“This will make for a killer drink.”

Saying so, he casually dropped the bag of snakes he had caught. The snakes danced wildly on the leather. A frenzied dance.

“It’s snakes.”

He said without even looking inside.

“Ever tried snake alcohol?”

At that, the Squad Leader nodded as if it was obvious.

“Did you know that it’s fucking good?”

Enkrid hadn’t tried it. but thanks to a hearty drunkard, he knew.

“If you haven’t tried it, you don’t know the taste, right?”

He reiterated, and the Squad Leader vigorously nodded.

“I’ll give you the snakes. Just make this for me.”

“How did you know I’m good at sewing?”

“I heard the company commander talking the other day.”

There was no such incident. The buddy had told him himself when drunk.

Well, it wasn’t important.

“Damn, blabbermouth.”

Even as he grumbled, he grabbed the needle. It was a fair trade.

“Then, please.”

“Shit. Okay, got it.”

The fellow soldier’s eyes didn’t leave the squirming snake pouch. He really liked snake alcohol. Enkrid returned inside the barrack, gathered the remaining items, and moved to the place where he had sparred with Rem. No one spoke to him. It was times like these that being in the Troublemaker Squad was advantageous. It also helped make them ostracized, residing behind a small hill where few people passed.

Enkrid, wearing deer leather gloves, crushed the white steed flowers with a stone until their white petals turned dark green. He repeated this until the mixture was right, then added the snake venom.

Originally, the venom of this snake only caused itching. However, mixed with white steed flowers, it was different.

It was the 77th ‘today’ when he had been paralyzed by this venom, and the enemy soldier who had giggled in front of paralyzed Enkrid had spilled the beans on how to make it.

What’s so good about making this, he had thought. So he had made it a few times, and it was pretty decent. After crushing the flowers and mixing the venom, he smeared the sticky green liquid on a flat stone over the blades of his throwing knives. The knife gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting a dull dark-green light.

‘The preparation is done.’

Bang! Bang!

“Squad, assemble!”

Just then, a loud call came from within the barracks. It was a well-known routine to Enkrid, repeated many times.

It was the assembly call for battle orders.