A Knight who Eternally Regresses - Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Bonehead

Having closed the distance, Enkrid intended to finish things with a single strike. He raised his sword, but something struck Enkrid’s face.

It was a heavy blow, as if he had been hit by Rem’s fist. Falling on his back, Enkrid felt another heavy impact on his head. Instinctively, Enkrid tucked in his chin and rolled to the side.

Thud.

Again, something unseen, some sort of formless shockwave, struck the spot where he had just been. There was no filthy sewage there, but damp clods of earth sprayed up, splattering his face.

Enkrid squinted, his eyes darting around.

‘I can’t see.’

It had to be a spell. It was an obvious assumption. He saw the disembodied head, its mouth agape. Who else could pull off such a trick?

“You dodged it, huh? You’re just making things harder for yourself. It won’t hurt if you stay still.”

The wizard waved his hand dismissively. Unable to see, Enkrid had no way to defend himself. He rolled to the side again.

A sharp blade of wind whizzed through the spot where he had just been. Of course, Enkrid had no idea what it was. He only knew it was some sort of spell.

‘What do I do now?’

Over the years, Enkrid had encountered many sword instructors, and they all said the same thing whenever the topic of wizards came up.

“Wizards? There’s only one way to deal with them.”

“Run. Don’t look back, just run.”

“Don’t engage them. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life in agony, unable to live or die.”

“If you’re lucky, you’ll die. If you’re unlucky…don’t even think about it.”

Some of these instructors were well-known, which only served to emphasize the danger of wizards and their spells. On the other hand, the Troublemaker Squad had a slightly different view on wizards.

“Shoot them with an arrow.”

That was Rem.

“Kill them when they’re not looking.”

That was Jaxon.

“If you absolutely have to fight, just get up close, brother.”

A typical response from Audin.

And Ragna?

“If you cut them, they’ll die just like anyone else.”

The conclusion was clear. It was best to avoid wizards. But if you absolutely had to kill one, Ragna’s advice was probably the best.

‘If you cut them, they’ll die just like anyone else.’

So that’s what Enkrid decided to do. Running away wasn’t an option. If he left this wizard alone, the man would just keep doing the same thing. People would be torn apart like old rags, left in tatters like a worn-out mop.

The image of the shoemaker and his daughter flashed through Enkrid’s mind. If he did nothing, they would be the first to die.

The shoemaker and his daughter. Although their relationship was one-sided, Enkrid had watched over them for dozens of days. Even without any real interaction, they had prepared meals and worried about Enkrid, who had lingered at the crossroads.

Not that they knew of Enkrid’s struggles. There’s no way they would know. But that didn’t matter. Even if no one knew, if there was something worth protecting, Enkrid would protect it.

That was the dream he pursued, the path he chose to walk, and the destination marked by the signposts he followed.

“Come on now, don’t run away. Be good, it won’t hurt.”

The wizard snapped his fingers. With a sharp click, a light appeared above the sewer. It was far brighter than a torch. Thanks to the light floating above his head, a shadow spread across the ground beneath him.

The wizard neither smiled nor grew angry. For him, this was just a job. Watching the wizard, Enkrid focused even more, fully opening the door to his intuition.

The wizard didn’t care about Enkrid’s movements. To him, his opponent was just a test subject, a bug, a hunk of meat. That’s how Enkrid appeared in the wizard’s eyes.

When the wizard moved his hand again, another formless shockwave flew out.

Bang!

‘How fortunate.’

That’s how it appeared to the wizard. Enkrid had just barely dodged the spell by leaping to the side. Enkrid was now moving based on a strange sensation.

‘I can’t see.’

Just because it couldn’t be seen didn’t mean it wasn’t there. This small realization came to him.

Could he sense it?

He combined his concentration and intuition, just as he predicted the movements of the wolf beast.

This time, he watched the movements of the necrophilic wizard, predicting his next move and trying to sense whatever came next.

Enkrid did just that.

The wizard shaped the wind into blades and hurled them. The blades of wind twisted and flew from three directions simultaneously.

Sharper than the Reaper’s scythe, these spells could easily slice through the enchanted cloth armor Enkrid wore. Enkrid rolled to the side and dodged them.

“Dodged again?”

The wizard muttered, his hands moving rapidly. In response, invisible shockwaves and blades continued to target Enkrid. Enkrid dodged them all. It wasn’t due to luck. It was due to his senses which had gone beyond the realm beyond the five senses, the domain of intuition.

Half-lidded eyes, ears twitching at every sound, skin prickling with goosebumps. Everything about Enkrid was attuned to the wizard’s tricks.

All the while, he searched for a way to kill his opponent.

In cold logic, a single throw of the Whistling Dagger could have ended it all. If cutting would kill, then piercing the neck or head would surely do the same.

‘No, that’s not right.’

It was pure instinct. His intuition told him that a dagger wouldn’t be enough. Then what was the best choice? He wasn’t sure if this was natural or not.

But for now, he was relying entirely on instinct to avoid the wizard’s spells. His opponent was doing some fascinating things with magic.

‘But if I just think of them as arrows or blades…’

If he considered the wizard’s attacks like blunt weapons or swords wielded by enemy soldiers…

‘Are they truly threatening?’

No. He could avoid them. In fact, Mitch Hurrier’s sword was sharper. So, Enkrid dodged. He could dodge. If the Whistling Dagger wouldn’t work, it was time to recall Audin’s advice.

‘Get up close.’

Dodge, and then push off the ground in a single burst. The wizard’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You bastard!”

The wizard was startled. This man had dodged unseen magic and charged at him, sword raised. The soldier’s blade was now within a threatening distance.

Enkrid’s range, it was the range of a swordsman.

Whoosh.

As the longsword’s blade fell towards his head, the wizard shouted desperately.

“Devour!”

Powerful mana and incantations combined to manifest into reality. The wizard’s words became reality, and his power took form. It was a spell that only a wizard who had experienced deep and dark realms could see.

The spell manifested.

Ordinarily, the wizard’s spell should have severed and erased a portion of Enkrid’s internal organs. It wasn’t a spell that could be dodged by mere instinct.

But nothing happened.

No, something did happen.

“Gah!”

The wizard was stunned. The spell that should have manifested was reflected back at him, hitting him with a jarring impact.

Through his eyes, the wizard saw the interior of the black leather armor beneath Enkrid’s enchanted cloth armor, cut by the wind’s blade.

It was black leather armor, an item brimming with the scent of magic.

“What… What are you wearing?”

“Something nice.”

Enkrid answered as the wizard’s gaze fell on his armor. It seemed as if whatever trick the wizard had pulled had been thwarted.

Enkrid was quick to catch on. And his hand was just as quick.

Swish!

The blade cut through the air. The descending steel was a sword forged by blacksmiths, men who shaped metal with the hammers and fires of their trade.

Crunch, crack!

The head was severed and shattered. He felt some resistance as the sword struck, but Enkrid pressed down with all his might. As the wizard died, he lamented his misfortune.

‘I still had so much left to do! Bamilot! Bamilot!’

He tried to summon his creation, the one he called Bamilot. Of course, he failed. The dead could do nothing. A wizard was no exception. No delusion after death could affect reality.

“What a shame.”

Enkrid kicked the dead wizard’s body aside.

Then he removed the tattered gambeson, which had been torn in multiple places. He couldn’t wear it any longer. It was too damaged to even be used as a rag.

He didn’t feel a sense of accomplishment.

There was barely any relief from surviving. A threat to his life? Sure, it had been there, but he had overcome it. All he felt was that he had done his job. He had killed the one who needed killing. That was all.

‘Before I clean up…’

This guy probably set up various spell traps. Maybe he had hidden something valuable here and there. Being cautious of triggering any other traps, Enkrid searched the area.

Eventually, he found a thick brown book, a pouch with five Krona coins, a black wooden staff, a few blue and white stones, and a pair of brown gloves.

Enkrid took everything. The rest was just some unknown herbs and other things he didn’t recognize.

Everything else seemed too unsettling to try and take. Enkrid was wiping his sword and preparing to leave when the blade snapped in the middle with a sharp crack.

“Damn it.”

A sigh escaped him. It wasn’t as if he had used the sword too roughly. He had felt a strange resistance when he had cut down the wizard.

Was that the cause? He couldn’t be sure. Either way, he would have to buy another sword with the Krona the mad wizard had stashed away.

‘Should I get it reforged?’

It was made of Vallerian steel, so it might be worth fixing. Enkrid turned and began to head back. His abdomen throbbed and his head ached from taking several shockwaves, but it was bearable.

As he walked, Enkrid hadn’t taken more than ten steps before he stopped and turned back.

“It won’t go out?”

He had assumed the wizard’s trick was a spell. But the light above his head remained. Furrowing his brow, Enkrid looked up to see a glowing stone floating in the air.

‘A floating magic tool, huh.’

It reeked of Krona.

‘Well, what the hell.’

It was just a stone, about the size of a fist. Leaping up, Enkrid snatched it, and it continued to emit light in his hand.

It would at least serve as a good substitute for a torch on his way out. Enkrid started walking again, retracing his steps. Sometime later, a black panther-like figure descended to the ground.

‘Dodging magic by instinct?’

Esther was shocked. She had never imagined there would be someone with such a skill. Of course, the wizard’s skills were rather poor.

Then she realized something new.

‘It’s only natural that there are things I don’t know.’

She hadn’t exactly lived a life of traveling the world. If anything, she had lived in seclusion. So it wasn’t surprising that there were people with such abilities out there.

In any case,

‘I’ve struck gold.’

Esther was always eager to explore magic and devour knowledge. There was a time when she had even stolen a few grimoires from other wizards out of curiosity. Esther rummaged through the items with her claws and scoffed.

‘Pathetic.’

That’s how it seemed to her.

The real treasure wasn’t these items, but something else. It was the creature the wizard had called Bamilot.

A creature made from the corpses of beasts, monsters, and humans, designed to enhance the physical abilities of the wizard. It was commonly referred to as a Flesh Golem by wizards.

It was a creature that triggered a primal sense of disgust in humans, but to wizards, it was an incredibly useful monster.

Esther strained herself, sharpening her claws to inscribe a magic circle on the Flesh Golem’s forehead.

The black earth and the world of fire. It was a ritual to summon a creature from the world beyond, one that Esther’s inner world was connected to.

The dead wizard had been a fool. If he had awakened the golem from the beginning, Enkrid would have stood little chance.

Not that she would have just stood by and watched. The process of inscribing the magic circle ended. Through the ritual, one world connected to another.

The Flesh Golem’s entire body began to disintegrate, breaking apart and crumbling into dust. It was being transported to another dimension connected to Esther’s inner world.

Nothing remained where the golem had stood except for the marks on the ground. The panther-like creature panted heavily. Esther was exhausted. She had drained every last bit of her remaining mana.

All she wanted now was to return to her quarters and rest. But she couldn’t leave without marking this moment. Esther decided to name the wizard who had created the Flesh Golem, a name that she would not forget.

“Bonehead.”

He was the most idiotic of all the wizards she had ever observed.

“There was a wizard in the sewers beneath the city?”

“Yes.”

“And you killed him?”

“Yes, I did.”

Enkrid was indifferent, and so was the Company Commander. After verifying the situation, the Commander left, and Enkrid washed up and checked his equipment.

He had planned to volunteer for the beast extermination mission, but his sword had broken. Finding a new one was now his top priority.

“…What were you up to?”

When Enkrid stopped by the barracks, Rem asked him.

“I fought a war with some boots.”

“What, is that shoemaker making Ego Boots? Are they that tough?”

Rem’s words were half-joking, half-surprised. Ego Boots were a playful reference to Ego Swords, which were swords that could think for themselves, a concept rooted in legend.

Not just Rem, but everyone else was giving Enkrid a look that asked what had happened.

“I should go report in first.”

The Company Commander would be back soon. It wouldn’t do to get caught slacking off.

“What about Esther?”

Before heading out, Enkrid looked around and asked. Audin, who was in a corner, answered.

“She disappears often. But she’ll return to your side by evening, brother.”

It was a reassurance not to worry. After all, she was an intelligent, even cunning, panther. No one would easily harm her. Enkrid returned to the Company Commander’s office, and shortly after, the Commander arrived.

“I found the spell traps and the dead wizard.”

“Yes.”

“A potential threat beneath the city.”

“Is that so?”

“You did well.”

Enkrid, still wary of the Commander’s humor, saluted. He placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword and bowed his head. Afterwards, he returned to the barracks and explained the situation to his squad, who were all surprised.

“Why was there a wizard down there?”

“Hmph, so cutting them down really does work.”

“In the sewers?”

“You did a good deed, brother.”

Even Enkrid had no idea why a wizard had been down there. Even though he wasn’t injured, the fatigue had built up, so he took two days to rest before trying to get his sword repaired, only to be met with complaints from the blacksmith.

“This thing is completely busted. I can’t fix it. What did you do? What? You cut down a wizard?”

The blacksmith gave Enkrid a strange look, clearly skeptical. Enkrid decided not to talk about the wizard. It wasn’t something the citizens needed to know about.

There had been a threat, but it was gone now. Even if no one knew, Enkrid found some satisfaction in having protected them, so he had no major complaints.

“Even if that’s true, do you think I’m some master craftsman who can forge a weapon to stand against spells?”

The blacksmith was well-known in Border Guard City, but he wasn’t exactly a renowned craftsman across the continent.

Just about that level.

When Enkrid shook his head, the blacksmith replied.

“Then you should stop doing things like this. I can’t use this again. A good sword? I don’t have one right now. Want me to make you one? I don’t have any Vallerian steel, so it’ll have to be regular iron.”

Vallerian steel wasn’t easy to come by.

“That’s disappointing.”

“Wait a few days. My schedule’s messed up because of the beast problem, but I’ve got a contact bringing in some Noir Mountain pig iron. You know it’s expensive, right? You’d better bring plenty of Krona.”

The blacksmith said this while holding out his palm.

It was an enticing offer. Noir Mountain pig iron was several times stronger than regular pig iron. If used for weapons, it wouldn’t quite be a legendary sword, but it could be one of the finest and most expensive weapons a blacksmith could craft.

In some ways, it was even rarer than Vallerian steel. Naturally, Enkrid felt excited. He was leaving the blacksmith’s shop when a familiar voice called out to him.

“Hey, hey! Soldier!”

He was in the middle of the market. The man who had called out to him was half-walking, half-running as he approached, holding out a worn pouch.

It was a fairly large pouch, easily capable of holding a pair of boots.

“Here.”

“What’s this?”

“Your shoes were worn out. Take these.”

It was the shoemaker. He didn’t know it, but Enkrid had already observed him for dozens of days from the hole-riddled shoemaker’s workshop.

“Why?”

“When someone gives you something, just take it. No need to ask.”

The shoemaker grumbled, clearly embarrassed, and turned away. Enkrid couldn’t help but chuckle. The shoemaker had no idea what Enkrid had done. He was simply grateful that the task had been completed.

A pair of boots.

Killing a wizard with strange hobbies might seem like a small reward. But the boots were new. They were meticulously crafted, with not a single flaw.

That was plenty.

Enkrid took the boots and returned to the barracks. The next day, even though it was unfamiliar, Enkrid strapped on Ragna’s spare arming sword and set off to kill some beasts.

No one could argue with the fact that the thing he needed most now was experience. A sense of urgency was building up inside him as well. He wanted to quickly internalize the experience he had gained from exploring the wizard’s lair.

He was more motivated than ever.

“Am I imagining things, or are you way too excited about going to kill some beasts?”

Rem, who was accompanying him, laughed and said as much.

“No, you’re right. I’m excited.”

Enkrid responded to Rem as he always did.

And he meant it.