Chapter 196 - If a Banquet Has Been Prepared for You, Isn't It Right to at Least Have a Taste?
They simply started a fire and placed a pot over it. It was a field meal, so there was nothing grand. It was just dried meat and fruit, cheese, and water mixed with wine. Everyone ate and drank.
Enkrid was tearing off a piece of the seasoned jerky he had brought when he noticed a pair of eyes staring intently at him. It was the beastkin.
'Does she want some?'
Seeing the desire in her eyes, she seemed to be quite hungry. Come to think of it, she probably hadn't eaten properly since she was captured. Whether he killed her or let her go, shouldn't he at least make sure she was fed? She was so hungry that a light shone in her eyes. A golden light.
'No need to be stingy.'
How big of a deal could one piece of jerky be? Enkrid tore off a long strip of jerky and sat in front of the beastkin. When he pushed it into her mouth, her eyes went wide.
"Eat up."
Dunbakel mumbled. The harmony of salty and sweet flavors that spread through her mouth stimulated her brain. At the same time, she looked at the man in front of her. After observing and observing again, something akin to admiration had begun to form, surpassing envy and jealousy.
'If I had lived like this man.'
What would it have been like if she had lived diligently? She also felt a sense of envy. It must have been luck to have such great subordinates around him. If that luck had come to her… Why had she been born like this from the start? Why was she born in such a state, only to be abandoned?
It would have been better if it had ended with just being ostracized. Then she would have risked her life for her village. How wonderful it would have been if she could have died like that. If she could have departed into Krimhalt's embrace…
Regret, jealousy, admiration, and remorse. At the end of that complex mix of emotions, a piece of jerky was in her mouth. As she chewed and swallowed, he also offered her a waterskin. She thought it was water mixed with wine, but the refreshing scent of apples filled her mouth.
"It's apple wine."
Why is he treating me like this? Dunbakel thought it might be to seduce her, but she couldn't be sure. However, it was a moment of choice. Should she speak, or should she not? She was at a crossroads.
Dunbakel made her choice.
"There will be a Black Sword ambush," Dunbakel said, seasoning still on her lips. If he asked how she knew, she planned to tell him about the marker.
But Enkrid simply looked Dunbakel straight in the eye and said, "I see."
After that, Dunbakel thought Enkrid would make some move, but he was surprisingly quiet. He just went back to his meal and posed a few questions to the noble who was also a pawn of the Black Sword.
"How do you know the way?" Being an envoy for the Black Sword bandits and knowing the way were two different matters. Enkrid brought up something even Marcus hadn't bothered to dig into.
Vansento twisted the corner of his lip. With a face that was clearly sneering, he said, "You don't need to know, commoner."
Is it a habit to add 'commoner' to the end of his sentences? Then again, he himself wasn't such a great noble lord. Regardless of his thoughts, Enkrid nodded as if he understood. In truth, that wasn't the important part.
Enkrid looked at the bodyguard in black. He had been watching the escort's gait, gestures, attitude, and positioning. He had seen him a few times in the city, but seeing him out here, he could tell for sure.
'He seems pretty good.'
Rem, Ragna, Jaxen, Audin, and even the elf company commander. These days, he had more than enough sparring partners, but none of them gave off a feeling like this. His feet would be light, and his hands would be fast. He probably favored short weapons. His throwing skills were likely excellent as well.
Half of him wanted to see the opponent's unique techniques, and the other half was a subtle thirst. A spar is a spar, and a real battle is a real battle. The thought came to him as he watched the man chew and swallow a thin piece of bread and drink some water.
'I want to fight him.'
His gait and gestures were intriguing.
'How far will my swordsmanship work?'What should I keep in mind when facing him?How do I catch up to his steps?
Enkrid was not a genius. Just by looking, a means to counter his opponent didn't just pop into his head. However, he had the experience of hundreds, perhaps over a thousand, sparring sessions, so he could come up with a countermeasure based on that experience.
'If I cut his thigh,' his feet will freeze up. Then he would have sealed one of his opponent's specialties. From the moment he had spotted that unique habit, Enkrid had wanted to fight him.
Perhaps because he felt that gaze?
"Annoying," the bodyguard in black said, lifting his head after drinking a few sips of water and eating a small piece of bread.
Enkrid, who was at the end of his gaze, opened his mouth. "Me?"
"Who else?"
A strange wind passed between them. If one was showing a subtle fighting spirit, the other was revealing killing intent and displeasure. The one revealing killing intent, the bodyguard in black, sat with his hands clasped on his knees.
They were a group gathered in the shade of a suitable tree. Amidst the sound of two horses' footsteps as they roamed the meadow, nibbling on dry grass, and a cool summer breeze, the escort's mouth opened again.
"It's a time when one's confidence in their skills is at its peak."
Enkrid inwardly agreed. He had been feeling an emotion that could be called confidence lately.
"But you have to be careful. You have to choose your opponents well."
That was also true.
"Aren't you at the top-class level of the pathetic soldier ranking system?"
...That was not.
"You shouldn't risk your life with foolish acts, should you?"
It wasn't anything new to Enkrid. When had someone not underestimated him? It had happened countless times. What's more, hadn't Krais said it before he left?
"Marcus has a tendency to hide the commander's achievements. It seems he's after something."
He had hidden and concealed it. If so, it was understandable that the opponent would misunderstand. However, there was also a point of disappointment.
'His eye for talent.'
He had recognized his opponent, but his opponent had not recognized him. In truth, this was natural. Enkrid had clawed his way up from the bottom to get where he was. He didn't have the habits of someone who had gained their skills in a single burst. Arrogance and conceit were the words farthest from him. All that remained was the intensity of a man who had climbed up, feeding on defeat. In other words, on the outside, he just looked like he was moderately skilled with a sword.
"He's spouting a load of bullshit," Rem said, seeing this.
The noble Vansento, hearing Rem's words, also opened his mouth.
"Shut your mouth, you foolish savage. Are you showing off that you grew up without a mother?"
A line had been crossed. The words, like a blade, shot out and stabbed Rem. Enkrid thought it was too late to stop him now. In fact, he also thought this was far enough.
The bodyguard in black had intended to talk him down appropriately. In any case, it would all be over after they ate and traveled for half a day. They were all going to die at the hands of the Black Sword members waiting in ambush. Originally, he had considered fighting them himself, but…
'One of them would be fine.'
But that Rem fellow and Ragna, both of them… he wanted to avoid fighting them both at the same time. Enkrid was nothing to him. Who was he? He was a man whose skills were among the best of the Black Sword members. He had learned from an equally excellent teacher.
It was in that moment.
"Shut your mouth, you foolish savage. Are you showing off that you grew up without a mother?"
Vansento spat out his usual venom. Enkrid had to stop Rem again, but there was no time, no moment.
Hwoong, THWACK!
A sound of something cutting through the wind was followed by a heavy, gruesome sound. The bodyguard's head turned. He kept his head turned for a while, trying to accept the situation.
"Gurgle, grk."
A person with an axe blade embedded in their face cannot speak properly. That is a given. Furthermore, it would be difficult to survive. If you survived with your face half-split, you wouldn't be a human, but a ghoul, wouldn't you?
'Even a ghoul would die if its face was split like that.'
The small, precious something inside his head flowed out from between the vertically split skull, and blood gushed out. The moment he was hit, one of his eyeballs popped out and rolled to the side. The force of the axe blow had sent him flying back a few steps, and a corpse could be seen lying on its back.
His name was Vansento, a member of the Black Sword, the envoy of this mission, and a noble.
"Well, damn. He had a harsh way with words," the savage named Rem muttered, wiping his hand as if to brush something off.
"What, what is this!" the bodyguard finally said, jumping to his feet in surprise.
Heeeeeigh!
At the sudden commotion, the two horses tied to the carriage cried out in alarm. Dunbakel also gasped in shock.
'He killed a noble?'
They had just barely gotten out of sight of the Border Guard, and just over half a day into their journey, the envoy and the person they were supposed to be escorting was dead. At the hands of the man who was supposed to be his escort.
"Ah, he did it." Enkrid's impression was simple and ordinary.
"'Ah, he did it?' You crazy bastards," the bodyguard said. He wasn't the perceptive type. At least, that's what Enkrid thought.
Ragna was indifferent. He just asked Enkrid, "Are you going to handle this alone, sir?"
"I'd like to."
"Do as you please."
Rem walked over as if on a stroll and pulled out the axe he had thrown. Below the axe, which came out with a plop, was the dead Vansento. The trash who had taken the Black Sword's gold. What was the reason he couldn't easily kill him, even knowing he was trash? Because he was a noble. The status of a noble was a shield, even if it was a non-hereditary baronetcy. If this was revealed, that man named Rem would be hunted for the rest of his life. To take such a gamble… The bodyguard's thoughts became complicated.
"What are you looking at? You want an ornament on your head too?" Rem said as his eyes met the bodyguard's.
"He's mine." Enkrid rarely showed such greed.
"Ah, I know. If I didn't, I would have already taken care of that one," Rem said, wiping the blood from his axe on the dead Vansento's silk clothes as the corpse twitched.
The bodyguard, watching this, opened his mouth. "This is still within the Border Guard's patrol area. What if a patrol comes by?" For him, it was a natural question.
"They're not coming, the patrol," Enkrid answered curtly. He already knew where and how the patrols were conducted. He had heard everything from Vengence, who also served as the patrol captain.
"They're not coming?"
Only then did the bodyguard in black realize that this was not an impulsive act.
'Was this the plan from the start?'
Enkrid drew his sword with a shing. The sword, reflecting the sunlight, scattered light. Seeing the tip of the sword pointing at him, the bodyguard also drew his weapons. Two black daggers, drawn without a sound. The bodyguard held both in a reverse grip, blades pointing down, and reflexively took a stance.
'Reinforcements are half a day away.'
It was time to forget about the dead Vansento and find a way to live. How could he survive? That Enkrid fellow had said he would face him alone. Rem and Ragna didn't seem interested.
'Go for a quick victory and run.'
He was confident in his footwork. For that, there were things he needed to do.
"You knew the patrols weren't coming. So, this was your plan, wasn't it?"
Enkrid shrugged his shoulders.
"As long as no one sees, it's fine, is that it?" the bodyguard said, slowly moving his feet. It seemed he was trying to get the sun at his back. Enkrid also took a step in response.
The bodyguard stood in his desired position. To be precise, a position where the carriage was at his right rear. He threw the dagger held in a reverse grip upwards with a flick. Enkrid reflexively raised his sword. As he was about to react to either a throw or a charge, the bodyguard, having thrown the dagger upwards, waved his right hand. With that gesture, two throwing knives flew backward.
It was quick sleight of hand. He had thrown the weapon in his hand to draw his gaze, then thrown the knives from his waist.
The two knives flew with a ping and embedded themselves in the horses' necks.
Prrrrr! Heeeeeeigh!
The horses cried out in pain. They tilted to the side, blood gushing. Their cries echoed loudly. The knives were embedded so deeply that they couldn't be saved even if one tried. The bodyguard had calculated that without horses, they wouldn't be able to chase him. All that was left was to push past Enkrid, who was guarding the front.
Catching the dagger he had thrown in the air with a thwack, the bodyguard lowered his stance and kicked off the ground. He closed the distance at a terrifying speed, instantly entering within the sword's range. It is often said that in a fight between a long weapon and a short weapon, the long weapon has the advantage. But if the distance is closed like this, the short weapon has the advantage.
'Got him.'
With conviction, the bodyguard crossed the daggers held in a reverse grip and slashed. The timing of the left and right was staggered, aiming for Enkrid's wrist and neck. Enkrid deflected one blade with the bracer on his wrist, and dodged the one aimed at his neck by tilting his head back. It was a feat possible only because he had seen it clearly and calculated the timing.
In that state, he raised his knee, and the man who had already come in close had no room to dodge. The bodyguard hastily raised his own knee to block.
THWACK!
"Ugh!"
'What kind of strength is this?'
Just one blow, a single knee kick, made his shin ache. And that wasn't the end of it. For a moment, Enkrid's figure disappeared, and then he felt a sharp presence from his side and ducked his head.
Ping.
His broad-bladed guard sword, which he must have drawn at some point, grazed the bodyguard's hair. A few cut strands of hair scattered in the air. The bodyguard, without even a moment to catch his breath, thrust both daggers forward.
Hwoong!
The thrust cut through empty air. After that, he couldn't even properly sense Enkrid's attack. It was a blow that used his forearm like a scythe, striking down from above.
PAK! KWANG!
It struck him squarely in the back of the head. The bodyguard, who had been in a low stance, smashed his forehead into the ground.
Enkrid didn't hesitate. He pointed the tip of his sword down and plunged it in.
Puk!
After making a second mouth below the back of his head, he pulled it out, and a stream of blood gushed out like a fountain from the newly made mouth. Enkrid stepped back and flicked his sword in the air. Droplets of blood from the sword splattered on the ground.
"You don't look happy. Was it not fun?" Rem asked, seeing this.
Enkrid answered honestly. "It was too bland."
His speed was slower than the gnoll leader's. His strategic sense was inferior to the spirit in the cursed sword. He didn't have any brilliant moves either. He was better than that beastkin, but it was difficult to say he was overwhelmingly superior. Because of that, he felt as if he had taken a dump and not wiped properly.
"What was your name?" Enkrid asked in that state. Naturally, it was not a question for Rem or Ragna.
Soon, the beastkin answered. "Dunbakel."
Enkrid, staring at the surprised beastkin's golden eyes, asked out of disappointment, "How many are in the ambush force?"
If a banquet has been prepared for you, isn't it right to at least have a taste? Enkrid was serious. And Dunbakel no longer had a choice. These were clearly crazy bastards.
"It will be a small elite. They will be in a prepared ambush, so it's unlikely they sent anyone weak."
At those words, Enkrid did not smile, but his eyes shone. Rem grinned. And the man named Ragna simply looked at Enkrid and opened his mouth.
"Why did you give him the distance, sir?"
"To lure him into a false sense of security."
"Not bad."
As if he never got tired of it, even in this situation, he was talking about swordsmanship. No, he was so nonchalant about the murder of a noble that it was actually bewildering.