Chapter 281 -The Black Blade Excels in Politics (3)

"Big Eyes."

Enkrid called out to the muttering Krais.

Blink.

Krais blinked, looking at him.

What is causing this anxiety?

It's because he's been beaten down since childhood. One wrong step, and you either die or get a wound to match it.

'I heard there are some who aim for your ass when they feel like it.'

Scratching, Enkrid scratched his cheek.

The world doesn't accept those who are untainted.

The pure are easily corrupted.

If you spill ink on a blank canvas, you can't erase it. Krais is no different.

To avoid the worst outcome, he always predicts the worst.

When pushed into a corner, Krais' head stops. It doesn't function properly.

He knew this from experience, especially from when he almost died standing cluelessly on the battlefield.

Enkrid knew this because he had seen it before. This guy's head is broken again.

It's all just speculation, but it would be easy to convince him if it were true.

"Shut up. If you want to fight, fight. If you're going to die, die."

Dunbakel spoke up, her straightforward tone and attitude cutting through the air.

It probably bothered her. He spoke as though everyone was going to die immediately.

Well, that could have been the case.

Getting hit by a blind sword on the battlefield and dying? Isn't that too common?

Enkrid knew that too.

You could die, but you could also survive.

Not everything goes the way you want. You just try your best to make it happen.

For that, Big Eyes was necessary.

To be precise, he needed a Big Eyes who wasn't broken.

"That fool's entranced. Let me slap him to bring him to his senses."

Rem, lying on his side like a caterpillar, spoke up.

Winter had turned the barbarian into a caterpillar. It was a scene they saw every year.

It was a seemingly reasonable suggestion, but violence wasn't necessary.

They had already tried it.

Even when they slapped him on the battlefield, he couldn't snap out of it.

Audin, standing by, folded his hands and spoke.

"Pray. If you pray, everything will be fine."

Of course, praying wouldn't solve anything.

Even if they used divine power, they couldn't fix Krais' current state.

Fortunately, Enkrid knew the method and took action.

His mouth opened.

"Hey, if things go south, we'll all run."

"...Eh?"

Krais stopped blinking, looking at him in disbelief. His trembling legs also stopped.

"If things go as badly as possible, it wouldn't be hard to take you out and run. Rem or the others, no need to mention them. Do you think the rest are going to die here?"

What he needed to give Krais wasn't fear, but reassurance.

The fingers that had been lingering near his lips, wondering if he should bite his nails, dropped down.

Krais turned his head sideways.

His gaze swept from Rem to Ragna, Jaxen, and Audin.

No matter how he thought about it, he didn't think they were going to die.

What about Teresa?

The half-giant muttering about being a wandering Teresa, wearing an iron mask in the barracks, was she going to die easily?

Lastly, Dunbakel, well, she might die, but...

"It doesn't matter to you if the beast-woman dies."

Enkrid's words slipped in at just the right moment. The anxious mind that had been spiraling from considering the worst began to come back to its original state.

His vision cleared. The fog blocking his view dissipated.

The trembling legs, the uncertain hands, all stopped. The blinking eyes began to sparkle like usual.

The trembling pupils returned to their normal position, and focus was regained. At the same time, the eyes with light brown irises softened into a smile.

"Ah, right. Well, Dunbakel, hang in there. You've got to hang in there if you want to survive."

He spoke with a smile.

"Should I kill you first?"

Dunbakel pulled out her claws in a flash.

"Rem, the beast-woman is bothering me."

"So what?"

It was the usual Krais again. The Big Eyed Krais had been scolding Rem for how he could do this to him, but when the caterpillar squirmed and seemed ready to rise, he hid behind Enkrid.

"Captain, aren't we going to the military meeting? Graham, the battalion commander, is going to lose his head."

"Yeah."

"Let's go together."

"Mm."

Enkrid left, taking Krais with him.

Among the remaining ones, Audin was the first to laugh and speak.

"The squad leader brother is truly fascinating."

When did he realize that prayer alone doesn't solve everything?

It wasn't when he was working as an inquisitor.

The beginning of everything was here, on the battlefield and in the barracks. It all started with one person.

He was someone who didn't back down, someone who knew how to look around.

His sword wasn't for him alone.

"What is a knight?"

What is a priest? What is a servant of the gods?

A sudden realization led Audin deep into thought.

Among the members of the unit, no one was concerned about the battles or wars to come.

Who's coming at us? Then we'll just fight.

Most people used their heads in such simple terms.

And so, Rem, like a caterpillar, quietly sank into his afternoon nap.

Ragna pulled out his sword again.

It seemed like he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer.

He hadn't seen the captain training like a madman.

He had only seen a few words soothe Krais and watched him go.

That was all. Still, there was something he could feel. Something indescribable tickled his chest.

Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

Teresa, too, felt the urge to fight rise within her.

"I want to fight."

For now, it didn't matter whether it was Enkrid or not. The blood of the giant was pulling her to the battlefield, and the changing air seemed to ignite every nerve in her body.

"Whatever."

Dunbakel still seemed indifferent, but oddly, it felt right now. Jaxen, as usual, remained expressionless, though inwardly, he agreed with Audin's words.

"An interesting person," he thought.

Esther had already sneaked into the barracks and was curled up in a corner, watching everything unfold. The one most surprised by Enkrid's mysterious aura was Esther. A single word from Enkrid had restored clarity to the minds around her. What she had said could have been a spell, or something similar.

Kyar.

Esther licked her paws, a habit from when she was in leopard form. She stretched out her front legs, laying down and feeling the warmth from her fur comfort her body.

The change in the atmosphere of the territory was something every soldier in the company could feel. No, it was evident throughout the entire barracks. But nothing had changed. Those who would flee from the coming battle had already left.

It became immediately clear when they entered the military conference room.

"It looks like there are empty seats."

Commander Graham had reorganized the heavy infantry company into an independent unit under his command. He appointed Paltor as the first company commander and filled the second and third company positions, which allowed Vengeance to become the third company commander.

He had previously recruited a large number of soldiers, so the reorganization allowed for more flexibility.

Vengeance, the newly appointed third company commander, immediately noticed that many people from the previous meeting were missing.

"They fled."

"What?"

"They took their things and ran last night," Paltor answered, as he was currently responsible for maintaining order within the territory.

"Were they let go quietly?"

Vengeance asked, his anger rising. Was this really how they were handling it? Shouldn't they have been killed or disposed of? Nobles abandoning the territory in times of crisis was unforgivable.

"They fled freely," Paltor confirmed.

Vengeance's motto was to repay a grudge tenfold. He couldn't let such scum go unpunished.

At his words, Paltor's eyes narrowed. Was he being questioned? The tension in the room grew, and it felt like a spark could ignite the situation at any moment. Then, a clear voice broke the silence.

"We should just let them go."

It came from behind Enkrid. All eyes turned to Krais, who believed it was pointless to waste time on trivial discussions.

"If things go wrong, the commander said he'd get us out," Krais added, showing confidence. He didn't fear death; at the very least, his safety was assured. Even without the commander, he had already planned an escape route. Still, imagining the worst-case scenario made him uneasy.

"It's an absurd thought," he admitted.

He had imagined a pack of wolves guarding an escape tunnel or an assassin waiting to kill him under orders from the Black Blade. But now? It didn't seem as frightening.

"Do you think the three of them will cooperate?" Vengeance suddenly asked, bringing the conversation back to the heart of the matter.

The conversation circled back to the beginning. Enkrid found Krais' straightforward approach unique.

"If there's someone undermining internal unity, they should be dealt with swiftly. Didn't Commander Marcus want to expel them?"

Vengeance didn't know; he wasn't particularly sharp, but he was persistent and loyal.

"That's true," Graham said, nodding. He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. He turned to Krais.

"You're from the independent unit?"

"Krais," Krais answered. Enkrid's independent unit was well-known for its strength, and Krais, though overshadowed by that strength, was a face only those who truly knew him would recognize.

Graham knew him, but only by name. He had paid attention to Krais' comment and now turned to him for clarification.

Krais spoke matter-of-factly.

"Aspen won't act immediately. It would cost them too much to destroy everything at Green Pearl."

"The commander stationed at Green Pearl has already requested support," Graham added, but Krais stood up beside Enkrid.

Without Marcus, the situation was dire. Krais needed to take action to avoid the worst-case scenario. At the very least, he needed to understand what the military leadership was thinking.

"They didn't seem to think much," Krais muttered. At the very least, they weren't using their heads.

Graham had done his best. He had gathered the troops, spread rumors to maintain morale, increased patrols, and used scouts. Any soldier caught spreading rumors or causing trouble was immediately punished with clubs.

It wasn't just about maintaining order; even now, improvised squads were watching the surroundings. Otherwise, they were just waiting.

"The commander at Green Pearl is likely saying this because Aspen is right in front of them. But the real issue is here," Krais added. "Also, I don't think those three will get along."

The meeting shifted back to Krais' words. Enkrid pulled up a chair and sat down.

Vengeance sat next to him.

"Who's that guy?"

Vengeance asked. Enkrid, arms crossed, replied.

"Krais."

"Wasn't he the one who used to sell stuff on the side?"

To Vengeance, Krais seemed like a soldier who made a few extra coins through underground dealings.

"That's right."

Vengeance furrowed his brow in deep thought, eyeing Krais with a stubborn expression. He was probably trying to figure something out.

Most people like him had that kind of attitude.

Graham and Paltor only deepened their frowns. They were sharp, after all.

"The fact that those three aren't getting along means they're all keeping an eye on each other. When that happens, what we need to do is make ourselves look a little bigger than we are."

It was time to show the enemy their strength.

Had they been spooked by the Black Blade, the social circle, or Aspen's threats?

If they had, they'd just be easy prey for those creeping in.

But what if they were sharpening their teeth? What if they were hiding their weapons and waiting to strike?

"They won't attack recklessly."

"What can we do by buying time like that?"

Krais blinked his big eyes at Graham's question. He smiled softly, dimples appearing as his lips and eyes curved gently. It was a smile that had won over many women before.

"Gather real combat experience. And maybe we'll be able to take down the key players too."

What was Krais thinking? Enkrid thought this was a necessary plan.

Real combat experience.

There were those who had been forged in battle, tempered like steel through training.

Their combined strength wasn't weak.

Marcus hadn't just dismissed the Black Blade's forces lightly. He knew that taking down that noble pig was just a matter of time.

However, many of them lacked battlefield experience.

The Border Guard, for example, was a military unit that had been formed under Enkrid's command. They were strong from brutal training but lacked combat experience.

Krais knew this well.

The only flaw was their lack of battle-hardened veterans.

There were soldiers who had survived the battle with Aspen, but many had come in from mercenary work or had joined after hearing about the Independent Unit's exploits.

There were still many new recruits with little experience on the battlefield.

This was a battlefield where people died easily.

'We need to know our weaknesses.'

It was a matter of covering those weaknesses and fighting with strength.

It was like swordsmanship. Enkrid thought as he listened. It's one thing to know that you should hide your weaknesses and show your strengths, but it's difficult to actually put that into practice.

In situations like this, it wasn't common to find someone who was thinking clearly.

On the continent, most tactics boiled down to brute force or sending in spies.

Krais, however, was taking things a step further.

If they lacked experience, they would gain it.

If there were weaknesses, they would eliminate them.

"We'll split the unit into two. A day unit and a night unit. The day unit will fight, and the night unit will rest. Then, the night unit will fight, and the day unit will rest. We'll alternate fighting, but not engage fully."

"…So you're suggesting small-scale skirmishes?"

Graham asked, his tone serious. It might have been the exhaustion speaking.

"If we jump straight into a large-scale battle, the losses will be heavy. Before that, we need to 'prepare.'"

Krais placed his hand on the table, fingers spreading as he pointed to one side of the military map.

"We'll fight here. Then we'll retreat to here."

He wasn't just giving ideas; Krais spoke clearly, as though everything was already decided.

Enkrid was drawn into the plan, realizing what needed to be done.

In small-scale skirmishes, Enkrid wouldn't be needed.

More specifically, the Independent Unit wouldn't need to act.

"The fairy unit and the Madmen unit will move separately."

Krais had imagined the worst-case scenario in detail, letting the fear and uncertainty consume him. That fear was based on information, and from that, he predicted what would happen next.

As he spoke, a strange intensity started to fill the room. It was the first time Krais was actively involved in planning a unit's operations, but there was no hesitation in his words.

"I'll add one more thing: there's something the commander needs to do."

Krais turned to Enkrid with his final remark.

Enkrid nodded.

Whether it involved wielding a sword or going out to slay dozens of beasts alone, he was prepared to do whatever was necessary.

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TL here! Thank you for reading!

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