A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

Rem was darting around the banquet hall like a shepherd dog, and Audin had taken the role of a hunter, setting traps and spreading rumors, but Enkrid couldn't care less about such things.

Too many people were looking for him.

The space around him was densely packed with people. So many of them.

It felt like it was time to use the Wavebreaker Blade here.

The crowd was truly surging toward him like a wave.

Enkrid received greetings from countless nobles.

Among them were some whose faces he barely recognized, but the vast majority were complete strangers.

Ah, there was someone amusing in the middle of it all.

A guy who had been scheming behind a merchant when Enkrid entered the capital approached him.

"I won't do that again."

Wasn't he the one who operated a few small trading companies under his wing?

A noble who stayed in the capital without overseeing any particular city.

He held no official position within the royal palace, but sometimes served as a trial agent, building a name for himself that way.

The capital was full of nobles like him.

Some of them, despite having fallen from grace, just hovered around other nobles' banquets.

Others, not much better than fraudsters, used their noble status to carry out schemes.

Crang couldn't completely eliminate such types, but he managed to control them to a certain extent through natural self-regulation.

In short, letting them live in a way befitting their title.

'Wasn't it said that the royal family secretly bought titles for this reason?'

Buying the titles of those who had walked down the wrong path, after failing to maintain their status.

If they were robbed by force, it would cause noise, so it was resolved with silver and gold coins.

The idea felt very much like something Kraiss would suggest, and when asked, it turned out it was upon his advice.

"King Eyeball said that anything solvable with krona is the easiest to deal with."

That's what Crang had said with a laugh.

"I agree."

Enkrid had nodded at those words.

It was part of a conversation they had while traveling back and forth to Azpen.

No matter how much gold one had, it couldn't stop a sword at one's throat. So if something could be solved with krona, it was indeed the easiest solution.

It was one of Kraiss's favorite sayings.

The noble who ran the trading companies wasn't desperate enough to sell his title yet. Should it be said he had some business sense?

And though his methods were poor, his intentions weren't entirely rotten.

Crang's royal palace was never affluent, so the krona donated by such nobles was indeed necessary.

"If you get caught doing that again, I'll cut off one of your four."

At Enkrid's casual remark, the noble who backed the merchant companies turned pale.

It was a pleasing sight, that bloodless face.

"Four what?"

The noble asked.

"One of your arms or legs."

"Ah. Those four."

"Yeah. Those four."

Regardless of noble dignity, the man backed away, trembling. His legs seemed to be shaking, but he didn't collapse.

The noble before Enkrid was neither a monster nor a great villain.

Thus, it wasn't a big deal or something worth fussing over.

There were lords in this world who would simply kill anyone who entered their domain and only keep the goods.

At least, in Naurillia after the death of Count Molsen, there weren't any of those types.

Rumor had it that if you went down to the southern borders of the great nation, you'd find plenty of men whose true nature—bandit or lord—you couldn't tell.

Enkrid had personally encountered plenty of such types when he worked as a mercenary and guide.

Compared to those scumbags, swindling a few bumpkin merchants was almost cute.

Of course, if he dared repeat it, he would indeed have to sacrifice one limb.

Enkrid had said it himself, and while it wasn't a sworn oath, he would honor his own words.

He always had.

As a spot opened up around Enkrid, yet another noble would approach, and Enkrid's current task was to exchange a few perfunctory words with them.

And so he did.

It was tedious but not painful.

Physically and mentally, this wasn't something that could exhaust him.

There had been worse times, like being stuck all night at a banquet as some noblewoman's living jewelry.

Compared to that, this was paradise.

Of course, swinging a sword from morning till night would be even more satisfying.

"I've fallen for you!"

Every now and then, a brave noblewoman would appear.

"I decline."

And Enkrid would promptly turn them away.

With Kin Baisar, who claimed the title of the most beautiful woman in the capital, standing at his side, it took considerable courage for anyone to approach.

"The reputation of Kin Baisar, the most beautiful in the kingdom, isn't for nothing, huh?"

"...Don't say things like that."

Enkrid couldn't even remember since when he had started speaking so casually with Kin.

But somehow, it felt natural. Both in their conversation and actions.

He heard that recently, Kin had set up a workshop within the Border Guard and was dedicating herself completely to her work.

Because of that, young noblemen from the capital would visit the Border Guard nonstop.

Only to then see Esther or Shinar.

"Ah, so that's what true heavenly beauty is. An angel has descended."

It was said that the nicknames Black Flower and Golden Witch spread to the capital because of this.

Not that Kin particularly wanted to hear it, but the brats who came to gawk would often mutter things like this:

"The most beautiful woman in the capital is Kin, but the most beautiful woman in the kingdom is the Black Flower and the Golden Witch."

It wasn't something Enkrid cared about, but it still left a bad taste.

And hearing it directly from Enkrid, the one who was closest to those two, just made it worse.

So he spent time on such trivial matters, and while catching a brief breath, Enkrid spotted Rem, surprisingly fitting in at the banquet.

"Did you know? At the Border Guard, if you're a woman—whether human or beastkin—there's this crazy tomcat who'll lose his mind over you?"

Holding a glass, Rem struck up conversations as if he had done it countless times before.

The intent was obvious, but at least he wasn't snapping anyone's neck here.

Тhat was a relief, in its own way.

Given the current situation, it would have been strange if anyone dared to pick a fight with Enkrid's group.

Enkrid's gaze naturally drifted to Audin, who had set himself up in a corner, smiling gently as he explained he wasn't a bear beastkin and didn't have a hobby of tearing people apart.

He followed up with stories about a gloomy tomcat-like brother at the Border Guard and a mad youngest sibling obsessed with blood, blaming his unvirtuous tongue for such tales.

Enkrid, being sharp, easily caught on.

Rem and Audin weren't even trying to hide their intentions.

It was painfully obvious what they were doing.

At least for now, Rem and Audin's hearts were united.

Was it worth calling it a good sight?

At the very least, it kept the banquet's mood pleasant.

Crang had said he was sifting through the nobles to find the decent ones.

He had sharply pointed out the reason Azpen had fallen:

"An environment where you have no choice but to rely on religion, and two families strong enough to check the king.

There's no way you can do anything freely in a place like that."

"And you think you're different?"

The royal family of Naurillia, too, had long been under the influence of the Holy Nation and the god of the scales.

Separating politics from religion might be a goal for a king, but it would be extremely difficult.

Even the slightest misstep could lead to a holy war under the banner of separating church and state.

Crang had said outright that he didn't ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) even dream of separating the two.

"Yeah. I'm different."

When asked how, the answer he gave left quite an impression.

"A friend who shares my will and a knight stands by my side."

At moments like this, Crang could speak so easily without a hint of shame. But it wasn't wrong.

Enkrid had become a knight, and Crang's goal was the same as his own.

Standing beside him, speaking quietly, Crang turned toward the others and said,

"Don't torment him too much. Otherwise, he'll grow sick of the word banquet itself."

At that, a young and polished nobleman, around Andrew's age, offered a string of compliments about the king's wisdom and greatness before asking,

"Your Majesty, then what is it that you seek to do now?"

In Naurillia, there were the New Noble Faction, the noble groups who outwardly looked independent but secretly pledged loyalty to the royal family, and then there were the blatant Royalists.

When peeled back, they were all Crang's people, but on the surface, he had divided them.

There were many reasons for that, but Enkrid, who had no interest in political games, didn't bother listening in detail.

Anyway, when a member of the New Noble Faction spoke up, Crang placed his cup down with a tak against the table.

Since it was a standing party, there were no chairs; everyone remained on their feet.

In the center, Crang drew the attention of the surrounding nobles with a simple gesture and the rhythm of his breath.

Should it be called a natural talent? The ability to pull people's eyes toward him.

Catching the mood perfectly, Crang spoke.

"For the time being,"

For the time being?

Naturally, Enkrid turned his gaze to him.

Rem and Audin, who had been chattering, also looked this way as the room grew relatively quiet.

Drawing in the majority of the room's attention, the royal heir smiled and opened his mouth.

"My goal is to eat well and live well."

It seemed absurd, given how seriously he had built up the atmosphere, but those with sharper minds immediately understood.

It meant he intended to focus on internal stability.

As people were eating, drinking, and watching, a group entered the banquet hall.

They were draped in long robes, and the bold grape cluster patterns embroidered on the fabric made it clear they were priests of the God of Abundance.

As soon as they entered, Audin silently slipped away onto the balcony.

Unless one paid careful attention, it was the kind of movement that wouldn't even register when passing by.

Enkrid noticed Audin using stealth to slip out, but he didn't say anything and instead scanned the newcomers with his eyes.

Among the priests exchanging brief greetings with the nobles, one approached Enkrid.

Clearly a high priest, judging by his attire, demeanor, and the aura he exuded.

The priest wore a smiling face, radiating what seemed to be benevolence, but something about the laugh lines around his mouth and the wrinkles at his eyes felt strangely artificial.

"May timely rain and warm sunlight dwell upon you, bringing abundance to your body and soul."

Had Audin been here, he might have responded with some appropriately polite words, but since he wasn't, there was no choice.

"May abundance and peace be with you."

Enkrid replied in a plain, measured tone.

Come to think of it, Audin used to call con artists posing as priests "frauds" and would personally snap their bones without hesitation, but when faced with real priests, he would deliberately slip away.

The reason? Enkrid had never tried to find out, so of course, he didn't know.

"I am Enkrid of the Border Guard."

"Who in this land does not know that name?"

The priest spoke with an unchanging smile, though Enkrid didn't particularly like his face.

Still, he didn't spit in the smiling priest's face either. He just accepted it for what it was.

However, upon seeing the long, clear scar on the priest's exposed forearm and the way he walked, Enkrid realized he was not an ordinary priest.

His body bore the unmistakable signs of hard training.

"May the sun of abundance shine upon the hero,"

the high priest said, praising the deeds Enkrid had accomplished, before stepping back. The group of priests following him quickly retreated as well.

The banquet continued late into the night and ended quietly.

The next day, strange rumors began to circulate—rumors about a fugitive and heretic.

It was a story about a priest who had betrayed the god he served, abandoned a figure like a father, and fled.

A heretic, depending on how one saw it, was even more persecuted than a cultist.

It wasn't hard to figure out who the rumors were about.

They said the heretic had gained bear-like strength through deviant faith and had a physique to match.

It was clear someone had deliberately spread these words.

Enkrid, however, didn't care whether rumors spread or not, so he simply set out on the road back to the Border Guard.

"Pay it no mind. It's all nonsense,"

said the captain of the guards, who had an almost fanatical devotion to Enkrid, personally seeing him off.

Since all the greetings had already been exchanged at the banquet, there was no need for any more formalities on the way out.

Pulling at the reins, the captain spoke again.

"That merchant bastard won't be pulling any tricks again."

"What? You killed him?"

Rem asked from behind.

The captain just smiled and didn't answer.

Even without asking, it was obvious the merchant had been made to suffer, if not killed.

"Make way! The Iron Wall Knight of the Mad Platoon is coming through!"

There was no real need to shout so loudly, but the captain did anyway, and the path cleared.

Everyone staying in the capital watched Enkrid as he departed.

From Demon Slayer to Iron Wall Knight.

He was a supreme hero born of Naurillia.

Regardless of a few nobles sharpening their blades, to the ordinary people of the kingdom, Enkrid was something more than a hero.

"Blessings upon your journey,"

someone said, and soon everyone echoed it.

People wearing coifs and straw hats took them off and bowed their heads.

When Enkrid had entered the capital, it had been quiet.

But now, as he left, nearly half the people of the city watched him go.

There was no room left in his ears for gossip.

It was on that journey back, the horses' hooves clattering on the ground and the autumn sun wrapping around their entire party, just as they were leaving the city behind, that Audin spoke to Enkrid.

"That heretic is me."

It was a confession.