Eternally Regressing Knight

“I don’t think you’re looking to die.”

The bandit leader spoke. In the midst of all this, his words seemed like an attempt at persuasion.

He suggested that Enkrid join them in their banditry.

Ah, and maybe serve them at night, too?

Enkrid wasn’t sure. His thoughts were fragmented. His memory, especially of these moments, was hazy.

All he could see in front of him were the bandits, looking like nothing more than dogs.

They were like rabid dogs, grinning and laughing.

Their mouths stretched unnaturally wide, reaching all the way to their ears.

Everything in front of him blurred.

The bandit leader, the one who looked like a dog, approached with his tongue flicking in and out.

They had already been subdued. Under normal circumstances, it would have been time to wait for the next chance.

As long as he didn’t die, tomorrow would come. Another opportunity would arise.

But when he thought of tomorrow, his gaze fell on the body of the child and he heard the bandit leader’s voice.

He thought the leader said something else, but Enkrid didn’t hear it.

The last thing that stayed with him was the sight of the bandit leader undressing the dead child.

“Why take off his clothes?”

Enkrid thought, struggling against his blurred thoughts.

Then, with a sharp pain, he grasped the blade of a broken knife. The handle had been removed.

The edges of his palm were torn, blood dripping, but no one would suspect the blood came from his grip on the sharp edge.

With that makeshift knife, he thrust it forward.

It sank deep into the bandit leader.

Crunch.

He twisted the blade.

Snap!

The bandit leader swung a punch. Enkrid’s body flew through the air and crashed to the ground.

His shoulder twisted painfully. His left arm hung uselessly by his side.

Enkrid lifted his head to see the bandit leader, clutching his stomach with one hand.

The leader’s dog-like features disappeared, revealing his true face.

“You want to die that badly? Fine, die.”

“Ger, now.”

Enkrid’s tongue uttered the spell. It was as if he could hear Ger swinging his axe behind the bandit leader, even though he was already dead.

The bandit leader flinched, startled, and rolled forward.

Of course, Ger wasn’t alive. He had died. A dead man swinging a sword would only be an undead.

A zombie or a skeleton soldier would be the only ones capable of such a thing.

Enkrid smirked as he saw the leader’s eyes flash with murderous intent.

In his haste to move, the leader’s wound opened further, and blood began to pour out.

“You won’t die easily.”

He thought to himself. He never truly lived a decent life to begin with, did he?

It suited him, though.

Enkrid was indifferent. He had done all he could. If someone came close, he would just bite.

That was his plan now.

‘What a strange feeling.’

It was like a sick joke. Like a dog. Like madness.

He had failed to protect the kid, who had died before she could fulfill her dream. His two comrades were dead. The villagers were all dead. Now, he was going to die too.

“What the hell did that guy think he was doing?”

One of the bandits muttered.

“You have no faith,” Enkrid answered flatly, just as usual. Hearing that, the leader and his men confirmed that Enkrid was definitely insane.

In a situation like this, who talks like that?

It was clear that Enkrid had suffered a severe head injury when he was younger.

Bang.

Then, a sudden sound.

A head flew through the air, blood pouring out, and a lifeless body fell to the ground, decapitated.

It was the guy who had been undressing the child.

Whoosh, bang, swoosh, crack.

The other two, who had been standing by, seemingly waiting their turn, had their necks sliced clean off.

Nothing was clear. It was all too fast to see.

“What the hell, fuck!”

The mercenary group? No, even if they had returned, it would have been pointless. This was unbelievable.

It was as if the wind had come and sliced off the necks of several men.

It was that fast. Invisible. Then, a voice came from the direction of the bandits.

Standing there, among them, was someone who had appeared out of nowhere.

The person wore a hood that covered their entire face, leaving only their eyes visible. Enkrid could tell that this person was a woman dressed as a man.

But none of that mattered.

“Those who touched my village, is it you?”

The woman dressed as a man, with a longsword slung over her shoulder, spoke.

She wore black leather armor and appeared slender overall.

Despite her frame, her swordsmanship was brutal.

Cutting off a person’s head is no easy task. Even now, there weren’t many who had their necks severed instantly.

Yet, she sliced through the necks of three burly bandits with ease, even though they had the upper hand.

“It’s you, right?”

With incomprehensible words, her sword moved, and with each swing, another body hit the ground.

Enkrid swallowed the blood flowing from his split lips and gasped for air.

He had been struck in the lungs during the fight, causing internal damage.

It wasn’t enough to kill him, though.

After taking so many blows, he had learned which injuries could threaten his life. This much he could endure. He wouldn’t die.

Ignoring the pain, Enkrid watched the woman with the sword wreak havoc.

“Kill him! Arrows!”

Whoosh!

A few arrows flew at her, but they were pointless.

Her movements were too fast to track. All Enkrid could see were the villagers’ reapers, who were his own reapers, falling one by one.

“You’re upset over losing just one rabbit you were roasting?” the bandit leader shouted.

The woman answered with her sword. She cut through with a swift motion.

“Foolish insects. You should’ve thought before attacking.”

There was no hesitation or mercy in her hands. She sliced, stabbed, and killed without a second thought.

Enkrid watched as the remaining bandits fled, before he collapsed, overwhelmed.

He had lost too much blood and his injuries were severe.

“Do you know someone with blonde hair, red eyes, and a lazy demeanor, about this height?”

She asked, though he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

The woman glanced briefly at him as he lay unconscious.

Their eyes met, and she spoke.

“If you don’t know, don’t bother.”

Enkrid had heard that she had left after receiving a few gold coins from the villagers.

It wasn’t in exchange for saving them. She took what was given and attached no significance to her actions.

She hadn’t been there to save anyone.

She just cut down those who got in her way as she passed by.

That was all.

When Enkrid regained consciousness, he joined the villagers in burying the dead.

Ger and Pitt were buried, as was the child.

“Why did you do that?”

It was as if the dead child was asking.

Standing alone between the graves, Enkrid answered indifferently.

After recovering, he earned the nickname “The One Who Let His Comrades Die.”

It had been a fight where he gained nothing and protected nothing.

But it was a fight he couldn’t back down from.

***

“You don’t like what they’re doing, do you? You want to strike them. It feels like if you run away, you’ll lose. Ah, and that’s something you can’t stand.”

Her words were completely indifferent. There was no change in tone or pitch. It was the epitome of apathy.

“Yeah.”

“How can you say that so nonchalantly?”

“I’m just a cold fire kind of guy.”

“Ah, I see.”

Krais gave up.

If he could have persuaded him, they wouldn’t have come this far.

Enkrid stood up, memories of that day surfacing once more.

“I’m not going to say ‘let’s run.’ Just tell me. Really, why?”

It felt like the same question the kid had asked as an echo from the grave.

“Because I want to.”

It was the same answer Enkrid had given back then.

What is a knight?

They were those who kept their oaths.

Enkrid grew up hearing stories and dreaming of them.

That dream, from childhood, had evolved into the dream he held now.

To Enkrid, knights were those who kept their oaths and never betrayed their hearts.

He had often found himself in such situations since then.

Maybe it was luck, or perhaps the blessing of the goddess of fortune.

But he had barely survived.

Then, he had received a charm in a mountain village that made him relive the same day.

“Who knows how things will turn out?”

So, he would do what he had to do. He would follow his heart and keep his oath.

“Ah, so in the end, you’re going to protect our backs? If you leave now, half of the Border Guard’s people will suffer, right? Some might die, and there’ll be heretics too. There’ll be chaos. You’re going to protect that, right?”

“No, it’s just that I don’t like the way they look.”

“Seriously! No, it’s about protecting people!”

“You’re still speaking so informally.”

“Fine, fine. Alright, let’s just say that’s what’s happening.”

Krais genuinely gave up. Enkrid smirked.

Yeah, he wanted to protect them.

That was his responsibility and duty.

If he couldn’t protect those behind him, then what was the point of swinging this sword?

What could he protect in the future, who could he protect?

If he couldn’t even take responsibility for his own back, then he couldn’t do anything. That was Enkrid’s oath.

“May the Lord’s blessing be with you.”

Audin prayed without a smile.

Ragna silently cleaned and oiled his sword.

Jaxen had already stepped away.

Teresa and Dunbakel said nothing.

Esther didn’t need to say anything.

The leopard didn’t seem to care what they were talking about.

“Seriously, are you all crazy?”

Krais muttered, but no one, including him, seemed like they were planning to leave.

The night passed, and Enkrid judged that he couldn’t use his right arm just yet.

Well, he’d use it if he had to, but for now, it was on hold.

His shin injury surprisingly wasn’t as bad as he thought.

‘Just as long as I don’t move too much.’

In the middle of the night, Audin asked.

“Shall I heal you?”

Enkrid was quick to pick up on things. Luck often followed him, but he had survived many situations because of his quick instincts.

Because of this, he had a general understanding of what would happen when Audin used his divine powers.

Above all, should he force him to do something he didn’t want to do?

Should he sacrifice something of a loyal, bear-like soldier just to heal his arm a little faster?

“Enough.”

He pushed it away. Audin, hearing this, smiled again.

Late at night, a strategy meeting was held. There were many urgent matters to discuss.

“We have to retaliate. We need to force the enemy to reveal their numbers first.

We hold on for one more day, then we fight on the third day.”

Graham nodded as well. He was thinking of when to deploy the heavy infantry, while Krais was imagining all the ominous things that could happen on the battlefield and methodically breaking them down one by one.

By the time morning approached, Krais’s eyes were dark from lack of sleep.

“Staying up all night is the enemy of your skin.”

Krais grumbled but continued to think hard.

The battle resumed early the next morning.

“Kill them all!”

Lykanos shouted as he charged forward.

“We must hold on. Stay intact.”

Krais spoke, and Enkrid followed his instincts, moving to the front line, the vanguard.

Enkrid only held his sword in his left hand.

“Hold on!”

“The pain that can’t kill me!”

“Will only make me stronger tomorrow!”

The distorted rallying cry fell back into place.

Before the battle could fully start, a group of spear soldiers rushed toward Enkrid, aiming for him.

Lykanos watched from the back. The gleam from the single eye of the man who had become half-blind flickered, but it didn’t reach Enkrid’s gaze.

Enkrid held on again that day.

He wasn’t dead, but he couldn’t move forward without straining himself.

As Enkrid held on, the morale of his allies soared.

The injured could not stop the mad unit.

Moreover, Enkrid’s subordinates hadn’t fully joined the fight yet.

They were still keeping their last move hidden, fighting cautiously.

“Kill them all!”

“F*cking bastards!”

Amid curses and shouts, the soldiers fought on.

Enkrid, too, didn’t die, but he allowed three strikes to his abdomen.

It had been intentional.

Fighting with only his left hand, his movements were twisted and strained.

The armor he had obtained from the explorer’s grave was a treasure. He trusted it.

Thud, thud.

Enkrid patted his belly and laughed.

“Feels solid.”

Such crazy talk, truly.

Krais sighed deeply, his face showing his frustration, as he spent a second day in the camp.

The next morning.

“Is this really necessary? Really?”

His face and arms were covered in small scratches, and his body was a mess.

It was the result of yesterday’s battle.

He didn’t care; a bit of ointment would heal it.

But it didn’t look good, and that’s why Krais said it this morning.

“They keep hitting and running. Trying to block them feels pointless.”

By exposing his belly, he had taken two of their necks.

One with the serpent sword, the other with a heavy sword strike.

“Let’s stop talking.”

When the battle resumed, Enkrid saw something unexpected.

“Ughhh!”

A child, barely able to scream or shout, had appeared at the front of the battlefield, among the enemy ranks.

Not just at the front—this child had stepped right into the arrow’s path, standing well within range of the incoming arrows.

It wasn’t a bandit, nor a noble of the Tarnin House, nor a cult member.

It was a familiar face. A child Enkrid vaguely remembered.

A child from the Border Guard. A child who had been protected within the territory, one he had sworn to protect.

“It’s a gift! You little sh*t!”

Lykanos shouted from behind. Even as he spoke, there was no real expectation in his voice.

It was a petty trick to break morale.

“Vengeance.”

Enkrid’s call immediately made Vengeance understand.

“Don’t shoot!”

Vengeance shouted, and the archers lowered their bows. The enemy archers didn’t fire either.

The child ran. With trembling legs, the child somehow managed to approach.

Enkrid took a few steps forward.

He was prepared to block any arrows coming from behind with his shield, which he held in his left hand.

The child kept running, determined, until they reached Enkrid.

And then, a flash!

Light erupted from the child’s abdomen.

And then…

“Is this really necessary? Really?”

Enkrid woke from his reverie, hearing Krais’s exasperated remark.

The day had begun.

It was the same day he had experienced yesterday.