A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

Make Rem the vice-captain?

"I formally request the withdrawal of this improper appointment."

Jaxon would say that.

"Since the Lord does not permit it, I shall personally carry out His will."

Audin would clench both fists and step forward.

And Ragna—

'Would probably start swinging his sword without a word first.'

So the title of vice-captain was out of the question. Enkrid completely ignored it.

After a few more words, Rem opened up. He didn't seem to have anything to hide.

"Once the Demon Realm in the west is wiped out, everyone'll figure out how to live on their own. By then, you'll be doing whatever you want too, Captain. And me? I'll grow old, smack my wife's butt, get smacked a few times myself, and watch my kid mess around."

Rem, for once, looked calmly toward his own future.

"You don't plan on dying somewhere along the way?"

Enkrid asked again, intrigued. The way Rem fought, he didn't exactly look like someone who thought about tomorrow. His whole aura screamed that.

But on the inside, it was different. Rem dreamed of the future. He wanted to end the Demon Realm and spend his life with a wife and child.

Enkrid suddenly realized—

Even if Rem never said it, he probably longed to see his wife again. To see the child she bore. Was there something he could do to make that happen?

There must be. With that in mind, Enkrid looked at Rem again, and Rem answered the semi-joking question.

"Die? Who, me? Of course not. I'm not dying."

The smirk tugging at Rem's mouth made it seem entirely true. He wasn't going to die.

That certainty brimmed with confidence—

Manifested as Will—

It exuded from him in waves.

Strictly speaking, Rem wielded sorcery more than Will, but to Enkrid, they felt similar. Rem himself had said sorcery and Will weren't much different when it came to strengthening the body.

"Yeah, right. Off you go, then."

"Sure. Why're you talking nonsense?"

As Rem headed off toward the forge with the training tool, Enkrid reminded him not to push Eitri too hard.

"Do I look like the kind of person who bullies people?"

If he didn't nod now, Enkrid would have to rip his conscience from his gut and toss it out. And a man dies when his insides are pulled out.

He still wanted to live. He still had work to do. So he couldn't allow that.

"Yeah."

He nodded firmly.

"Unbelievable."

Rem grumbled, and Enkrid moved on—to Ragna.

It was a question similar to the one he'd asked Rem. What do you want? Is the knight order really where you belong?

Ragna was a genius. The most gifted person Enkrid had ever seen. His talent had blossomed. He had found his path.

Even if he couldn't always decide which road to take, his sword had direction. You could tell just from a sparring match—his blade held no doubt, no hesitation.

Ragna spoke.

"I intend to go as far as the sword can take me. For that, I need worthy opponents. I'm too lazy to go looking for them. But if I stay by your side, Captain, I think they'll come to me."

Was he serious? Yes, he was.

Ragna wasn't the type to lie or say things he didn't mean.

"That's why you're staying in the knight order?"

Because he couldn't be bothered?

It wasn't shocking. Ragna had always been like this.

Then, like Rem, he mentioned being vice-captain. Even if Enkrid was the heart of the order, he said someone still needed to lead from the front. He even gave a somewhat passionate speech, which didn't suit him at all.

When Enkrid said there was no such title, Ragna didn't lose steam.

"If there's no vice-captain, then shouldn't I be the First Sword?"

He furrowed his brow and said it in a serious tone. First Sword. The Sword That Greets. A completely made-up position.

He was seriously considering his role—even though he didn't have to be in the order at all.

"There's no such thing."

"Why not?"

"Because it doesn't exist."

"I see."

Getting him to give up was easy. The fact that he, of all people, was showing motivation was honestly baffling.

Madmen weren't called mad for nothing.

Jaxon gave a short reply when asked.

"Interesting. That's enough for me."

That was it. There was probably more behind those words, but Jaxon wasn't the type to speak it aloud.

He just looked at Enkrid with an unreadable gaze.

There was a hint of unspoken meaning in those eyes. As if to say: Why are you even asking?

"I can't force people to stay in the order if they have their own desires."

Enkrid didn't hide it—he just said it plainly.

"Indeed."

Jaxon gave a faint smile.

Enkrid merely shrugged. If he'd been born with mind-reading powers, he might've tilted his head at what he saw in Jaxon's thoughts.

Jaxon had almost said, If even one person quits, I'll hand over my whole Carmen collection.

From a step back, the truth was obvious. This knight order revolved around one man. But everyone had their own goals and desires.

The one at the center was so large, so encompassing, that all those wills could coexist. No one wanted to leave.

That was Jaxon's conclusion.

Instead of revealing that, he made a small request in a mild tone.

"I don't need a title, but if you insist, I'll accept vice-captain."

"No, that position doesn't exist."

Did the three of them plan this together? Why were they all saying the same thing?

Enkrid repeated that there were no positions besides captain. Jaxon simply replied, "Yes, understood."

He didn't seem that eager anyway. Maybe he'd already predicted Enkrid would say that.

Audin and Shinar were scheduled to travel with him, so he'd ask them on the way. After that, he met with Rophod, Pell, Lua Gharne, and Teresa.

There were also requests to meet from people claiming to be from the Empire—

But outside of training hours, Enkrid spent his time speaking to his knights or visiting Eitri. That alone kept him busy.

And there were still minimum responsibilities he had to fulfill, as Kraiss kept reminding him.

He was responsible for a vast territory now. Some decisions required his personal approval.

On top of that, Graham would stop by occasionally to ask for guidance. He also oversaw training for his ambitious soldiers, including the ones named as the honor guard. He was swamped.

So he decided to ignore all the people from the Empire or the southern powers. Their intentions were clear anyway.

Just like that blind old man who had once left a letter claiming Enkrid was a cultist—

It was always, "Come to the Empire and we'll give you this," or "Come south and we'll ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) give you that."

The next person he met in his whirlwind schedule was Teresa.

"I like it here."

Was there any need to ask for more?

Teresa answered anyway.

"Singing makes me happy. Fighting is fun. I learned there are joys in the world I didn't know about until I came here. I've learned the Lord's teachings in a new way."

All of it—because of you.

She didn't say the last part. She didn't have to. He'd understand.

Enkrid nodded. Judging from the look in her eyes, this was the moment he was supposed to nod and pat her shoulder.

But how could he know what was truly in Teresa's heart? He wasn't some god.

So he let it be. She did look genuinely happy.

Honestly, Teresa was one of the happiest-looking people around him these days.

Whether it was hanging out with Audin, praying, singing, or wandering the city—

She clearly enjoyed every bit of it.

"I am a shepherd of the wilds. That will never change, not even in death. But for now, I want to sharpen my lacking talents here."

Since when had Pell become so polite?

Even his words made it sound like he was asking to stay.

Was this change for the worse?

Didn't seem like it.

He was working harder than ever.

He trained with Rophod, even socialized with him.

"Yeah, sure."

So a nod was the appropriate response.

And when the day came that Pell returned to his life as a shepherd, Enkrid wouldn't stop him.

"It's an honor."

Rophod didn't even wait to be asked—he just nodded.

"You belong to the Red Cloak Order though, right?"

"Oh, I already quit."

Probably not something to say with a big smile—

But Rophod smiled anyway.

He deeply respected everyone here—Enkrid, Ragna, all of them.

To him, these were the richest days of his life, richer than anything he'd lived before as a border guard.

So of course he stayed.

"If you kick me out, I'll remain as a squire. If that doesn't work, I'll stay as a soldier."

Rophod said, and Enkrid replied.

"Stay in the knight order. As a quasi-knight."

He'd made it all the way to squire in the Red Cloak Order. He was no average guy. Still, did he need to be so dramatic about it?

Next up was Lua Gharne.

"Wouldn't it look good to have at least one Frokk? Especially a beautiful Frokk?"

Enkrid nodded. He'd admitted before she'd become prettier.

"Right. A beautiful Frokk knight. Not bad."

Do Frokk even have the concept of knights? Not really, but there were records. She'd never seen one herself, though.

After talking to everyone he needed to, Enkrid made a bold decision.

"You're in the knight order too."

This was said to a horse.

"Whinny!"

Odd-Eye reared up and neighed.

What the hell is this thing?

Enkrid had only said it half-jokingly after the horse kept glaring at him.

Was it waiting to be told to join the knight order?

After drinking sacred spring water, it acted more human than ever.

It ran across fields all day, killed monsters by kicking or biting them, and seemed to toy with them. Sometimes, it felt smarter than people.

"Well, fine. Make that spring water worth it."

At those words, Odd-Eye's mismatched eyes shone with different colors.

The damn horse exuded Will, expressing its determination.

It seemed to say:

I won't let you down.

'It was just a joke.'

Why is everyone so fired up?

"You may call me the magic knight Esther."

After that, Esther showed up and said this, and Enkrid nodded again.

Odd-Eye couldn't talk, so fine. But Esther? He had to ask.

"Why are you staying in the knight order?"

She was a witch. She had no reason to stay here. Her priorities weren't saving people or serving a country.

Truthfully, few of the people here stayed out of loyalty to any nation.

"A mage is one who seeks. Right now, I am fulfilled by seeking you—and the world. So I have no intention to leave. If you worry I'll leave too easily, I'm willing to make a pact or contract."

Maybe she thought the question implied doubt. She spoke in one breath.

Even offered a pact, a contract, showing her sincerity.

"No contract. It's not necessary."

Enkrid knew full well. You can't keep someone close through force. How could someone forced to stay give their all?

There was no point in keeping someone half-heartedly.

"Good. Then I'll stay. As a magic knight."

Esther giggled softly as she spoke. It was a rare sight—different from Shinar's smile.

Esther didn't laugh often. But apparently she could laugh adorably.

That quiet chuckling, shoulders shaking slightly, was strange to hear.

Both the smile and the sound felt odd.

It reminded him of a squirrel. Should he ask her to try transforming into one next time?

No—he held his tongue. He didn't want to see that gentle laughter vanish in an instant.

"Hmph. Well then, I'm off."

Esther mumbled something about how a magic knight with a black flower might look, and vanished.

And just like that, the knight order was set.

Enkrid was the commander.

Under him: Rem, Ragna, Jaxon, and Audin as the core. Dunbakel might return and stay if she wanted. Teresa paired with Audin. Rophod wanted to train under Ragna. Jaxon preferred solitude. Lua Gharne and Pell were both part of the honor guard and the knight order.

That was everyone.

Nothing fancy was needed.

Under the autumn sky, amidst the wind, the clouds, and the sunlight— Enkrid organized his thoughts and looked at the two remaining people.

He still had two left to ask. The two walking right beside him.

The first was the quiet, composed fairy.

"Will you join the knight order?"

Shinar looked at Enkrid. Her green eyes met his directly. They were hard to read—emotionless, unreadable.

But Enkrid had heard her speak with Crang. He knew something then.

Unlike the others—

She had a goal. A final purpose.