CHAPTER 24

"The wind is blowing this way right now, right? But you see how these short grasses are lying in the opposite direction and forming a circular pattern?"

Enri stepped on the base of the tall grass. In doing so, he pushed aside the tall grass to reveal the ground covered in shorter grass.

Seeing the tracks in the grass, Enri started to speak fluently.

"I see it."

Encrid replied, carefully inspecting the ground.

Now that it was pointed out, he understood, but if he had been told to find it on his own, it would have been difficult.

This place was called the Tall Grass Meadow.

Looking around, it was a symphony of green.

A bard travelling across the continent once named this nearby plain the Green Pearl in the height of summer.

It meant the Green Pearl.

Among them, the tall grass meadow appeared deeper, like the depths of the ocean.

No wonder.

This cursed grassland was not a pleasant place for humans to wander through.

If you weren't careful, the swaying grass would smack you in the face and eyes.

Bugs would cling to you from all sides.

Crickets and grasshoppers would jump out and scatter, and occasionally you'd spot frogs in the waterlogged areas.

Seeing the frogs reminded him of Frog, who had once kicked him.

Of course, Frog claimed they were entirely different beings from actual frogs.

In fact, if you killed a frog in front of them, they wouldn't react. But threaten to crush their hearts, and they'd come at you with fury.

'One hit to the side.'

He reflexively blocked, but just one hit knocked him down.

How much time would it take to match Frog's strength?

Not now, but maybe one day he could fight Frog.

He doubted it. There's no helping it. Just because you don't give up doesn't mean you don't doubt.

But there was no time for doubt.

He'd rather swing his sword one more time than waste time doubting.

Encrid shook off the negative thoughts as soon as they came.

There was no time to worry about such things.

It's foolish to waste energy on something you can't solve right now.

With that in mind, he listened to Enri's explanation again.

This soldier, a former prairie hunter, was inherently positive.

Even if the squad leader did some stupid things, he would just go along with it.

Encrid didn't need to tolerate it either.

He was used to just going along with things.

Even in this situation, Enri displayed his hunter's skills, continuously examining various things.

It was interesting to listen to.

"There's not much animal dung here. Why is that?"

Enri tilted his head in puzzlement.

"Is that a problem?"

Encrid asked, pushing away the long, thick blades of grass that kept drooping over his head.

"This grassland may seem like a worthless weed patch to humans, but in reality, it isn't. For those creatures that rely on this grass as their staple, this place is like a natural treasure trove, so there are usually many traces of animals. But now, it's rare."

Few animals. Why? Encrid, who had been half-listening, plucked a grass bug off his cheek with his fingers.

It wasn't a leech, but it had something protruding from its mouth, trying to suck his blood.

Seeing the bug and the grass that obstructed his view, he felt a sudden urge to grab a sharp scythe and chop it all down.

"Shh, you're talking too much."

The scout squad leader said, looking back.

He frowned at the sight of a cricket passing by in front of him.

But he didn't complain.

'This is unexpected.'

He had suggested coming here, so Encrid expected him to be annoyed and complain.

Though it was called a symphony of green, upon closer inspection, there were many spots where the grass had faded to a light brown.

Signs that autumn was approaching.

In winter, this lush grassland would disappear as if it were asleep, leaving only traces.

Then, when it got warm again, the tall grass would grow back, nourished by the dead grass.

This happens every year, repeatedly.

'Die and grow again.'

Was it the law of nature?

Then what was happening to him?

The repetition of today.

Even if he tried not to think about it, the thoughts kept swirling in his mind. There was no helping it.

He couldn't just brush off the repetition of each day as unimportant.

However, Encrid had firmly decided on his course of action.

'Use everything I can use.'

Then this is no different.

He didn't think of it as a blessing.

Even if it were a curse, nothing would change.

While they were walking through the grassland for quite a while, someone tapped Encrid on the shoulder.

It wasn't Enri.

It was the soldier who had been sticking close to the squad leader.

"Our squad leader may seem immature, but please understand. He has his reasons. He needs to prove himself, but being sent to places like the scouting unit, he's frustrated."

What was this all of a sudden?

"You're a squad leader too, right? I'd appreciate it if you could forget about that asshole comment."

What an odd timing.

Thinking that, Encrid roughly accepted the apology.

What good would it do to get upset while on a mission together?

There was no need to get upset anyway.

Encrid still had the same thought.

Rather than wasting energy on this, he would spend a little more time on training.

"Alright."

"You're generous, squad leader."

The soldier who said that smiled. He had faded blonde hair and a face that looked like he was good at fighting.

In other words, he was the opposite type of Big Eyes.

To put it more simply, he was ugly.

He nodded and turned his attention back to his surroundings.

He habitually focused on his hearing.

At that exact moment, an unusual sound caught his ear.

Rustle. Hiss! Crackle.

The training he had consistently done since learning from Jaxon paid off.

'The sound is different?'

The ten scouts walked closely enough to see each other's backs, though not quite shoulder to shoulder.

The sound of them pushing through the tall grass was now familiar.

But the sound they just heard was different.

It came from farther away.

It was definitely the sound of someone moving through the grass.

Amidst that, there was the hissing of an animal and the sound of grass being trampled.

People. 

It certainly wasn't their allies.

The tall grass meadow itself wasn't valuable land.

Its significance lay in the fact that the enemy territory was beyond this cursed grassland.

However, once you emerged from the tall grass meadow, you were immediately on open plains with no cover.

Therefore, moving through it wasn't a smart move.

Did this mean the other side had a squad leader just as foolish as theirs, sending out scouts?

"There are others besides us."

Encrid said. The soldier in front, with the tough-looking face, blinked.

"What?"

His expression asked what he was talking about, frowning and tilting his head.

"I think I heard it too."

Enri chimed in from the right.

"What?"

When Encrid stopped completely, the scout squad leader, who had been leading, stepped back and approached to ask.

"The enemy."

As soon as he said it, understanding it was a different matter.

Ping! Thud!

Before they could fully register that there were enemies, the enemy's attack hit first.

"Argh!"

The squad leader fell back as a short arrow lodged into the head of the soldier at the front.

He pinpointed the direction from the sound.

His eyes scanned the shape of the arrow.

'A bolt.'

A short arrow, good for close-range use. Not something used with a longbow.

'A crossbow.'

The conclusion was immediate. As soon as the soldier at the front had a hole punched in his head, Encrid spoke up.

"Get down!"

At the same time, he grabbed the squad leader by the collar and pulled him down.

"Ugh!"

The squad leader let out a groan.

As they pressed close to the ground, the sound of desperate cries followed.

'Front, right, left.'

Even if they lowered their stance to avoid the first volley, death was inevitable.

So what needed to be done?

They had to run. Pick a direction and break through. Then, don't stop.

Encrid, with his belly almost touching the ground, threw himself in one direction.

Rustle!

The grass parted, revealing his movement to the enemy.

Naturally, countless crossbow bolts flew towards him.

"Foolish!"

Enri shouted in surprise. It looked like a suicidal act.

Whizz.

Half of it was luck, but Encrid managed to dodge most of the bolts.

One struck his left shoulder, but he could now see the enemy.

The enemy had cut the tall grass to create some space to move.

Through the grass, he saw someone in green clothing holding a crossbow.

As soon as he saw them, he drew his sword.

'At any time, from any stance.'

Execute the best attack.

He acted as he had been taught.

He pushed off the ground and closed the distance. The enemy tried to reload the crossbow.

It was a mistake.

As soon as he was within striking distance, Encrid planted his left foot and thrust with one hand.

The tip of his arming sword pierced through the air, grazing the enemy's neck.

The sharp blade sliced through the thin skin of the neck.

Blood spurted from the cut, soon gushing out in thick streams.

The soldier clutched his neck and staggered, then collapsed.

Encrid didn't stop.

He immediately darted to the left.

It wasn't a distance for bolts. A spearhead came flying toward his chest.

Encrid pretended to charge, then stopped, letting the enemy's spear stab into thin air.

He saw the infantryman's short spear and the eyes of the soldier wielding it.

Eyes filled with a strange mix of excitement and surprise.

The eyes of a soldier on the battlefield.

Crossbows, short spears, green-dyed clothing.

They were equipped for an ambush.

He absorbed the information in an instant and moved forward, swinging his sword horizontally.

The spearman retreated to avoid the sword's arc and thrust the retrieved spear again.

Encrid, seeing the spear thrust toward him, pivoted on his right foot instead of dodging.

He spun half a turn in place and thrust his sword again.

A seamless blend of evasion and attack, combining offense and defense in one strike.

His sword pierced the enemy's torso. He felt a heavy resistance in his grip.

The enemy's armor was thick, padded fabric.

With sufficient strength and skill, and a sharp blade, it wasn't hard to penetrate.

"Grrr."

The enemy soldier, with the sword embedded in his abdomen, dropped his spear and grabbed Encrid's sword with both hands.

Blood flowed from his hands as they were cut by the blade.

'I can't pull it out immediately.'

Short thoughts, quick actions.

That's the iron rule for surviving on the battlefield.

He let go of the sword held by the enemy and picked up the spear from the ground.

Swish.

Meanwhile, another enemy soldier swung his crossbow like a club.

Thanks to his crouched position, the crossbow just grazed over Encrid's head.

The arming cap he wore instead of a helmet got caught on the end of the crossbow and was flung off.

As the cold air touched his scalp, he felt a refreshing chill.

Encrid thrust the spear he had picked up into the visible foot of the enemy who swung the crossbow, adorning his foot with a brutal decoration.

Thud!

"Aaaargh!"

Pain triggered screams. Screams draw attention.

Thus, screams serve well to demoralize the enemy soldiers.

He then grabbed the opposite knee of the enemy whose foot was speared and twisted it backward.

Crack!

"Aaaargh!"

It was a technique he learned from a devout squadmate.

It was extremely clumsy, but this wasn't the time to worry about that.

Encrid drew the shortsword from the fallen enemy's waist.

Then, standing up and adjusting his stance, he pressed the shortsword tightly against the neck of the soldier whose foot was impaled.

"Grrr!"

Before the enemy could resist, he smoothly pushed the blade in and pulled it sideways.

Squelch.

He felt resistance as the blade sliced through flesh.

The sound of blood bubbling filled the air.

The soldier, clutching his neck, crumpled to his knees.

Breathless, Encrid knelt behind the dying soldier, using his body as a shield, and caught his breath.

'One side down for now.'

They were surrounded on three sides.

One side was left open.

Now, if things went south, they had a chance to escape.

"...You're supposed to be the lowest rank soldier?"

Enri said, suddenly behind him.

"Yeah."

Encrid replied, catching his breath, as Enri shook his head.

"You call these skills the lowest rank soldier?"

"Damn it, I'm an idiot."

Meanwhile, the scout squad leader uttered something foolish.

What was he thinking?

"Stay back, don't step forward."

The tough-looking soldier blocked the squad leader.

There were four of them left alive.

The rest of the scouts were dead.

Immediately in front of them, there seemed to be over twenty glaring enemy soldiers.

"...What the hell."

One of the enemy soldiers, from Aspen, spoke. He looked at Encrid in shock, then at the pile of dead soldiers.

Three of their soldiers were dead.

Encrid didn't care whether the enemy was surprised or not.

As always, he just found the best move he could make in the current situation and executed it.

The crossbows were still a threat.

The enemy numbers were high.

He had lost his sword.

"Run!"

It was time for the Valen-Mercenary tactic: retreat.

Without hesitation, Encrid turned and ran.