CHAPTER 61

Encrid gathered the dead bodies in one place and waited for the patrol.

"This is part of the job too."

He muttered to himself as he handled the corpse of a half-blooded fairy.

As he fumbled to lift the assassin, a peculiar sensation met his fingertips.

It was near the chest. As he followed the sensation with his fingers, it extended to the side.

When he opened the cloak, he saw a sheath for whistling knives strapped to the body. Inside were four remaining whistling knives. These were not common items.

'I almost forgot.'

They are excellent weapons.

He had just learned how to throw them.

Having them would prove useful. He had experienced the power of the whistling knives firsthand.

He took the sheath with the knives and, while he was at it, thoroughly searched the others' belongings, picking up some Krona and other valuables.

Besides the whistling knives, there was a pouch containing some powder and other unknown items.

It emitted a peculiar smell that suggested it should not be handled carelessly.

If it was a poison that could be absorbed through contact, there would be no immediate antidote available.

Moreover, he was already averse to using poison, making this item all the more burdensome.

Encrid left the poison pouch behind.

Later, it was no surprise that the patrol who discovered Encrid was utterly shocked.

After all, the Troublemaker Squad Leader, who had disappeared during duty hours, suddenly reappeared with five corpses.

"What is this!"

At first, they were so startled that they pointed their spears at him.

"Spies."

Encrid explained briefly. It was enough.

"I recognize this guy. He came in four days ago, claiming to be a peddler's errand boy."

One of the patrol soldiers, holding a crossbow, pointed at one of the dead men.

A peddler, meaning a merchant carrying goods that could be slung over the shoulder and moved around.

It was a suitable disguise.

"Didn't you check his identification badge?"

"We did, it was well-crafted."

A meticulously forged identification badge.

Could such things be made so commonly?

Probably not.

Afterward, one of the soldiers, using the tip of his spear, searched the belongings of the half-blooded fairy and grimaced at the sight of a head-split corpse.

While Encrid stood waiting on one side, the 4th Company Commander, a Fairy, appeared.

She inspected the dead assassin's belongings and soon spoke.

"He carried poison. He indeed was an assassin."

After inspecting not just the poison but also the body shape, they reached their conclusion.

Encrid calmly explained the presence of the assassin.

And that was the end of it.

Throughout the wait, the patrol soldiers gave him suspicious looks, but the misunderstanding was brief.

"You took down five? One of them seemed to be quite skilled."

"These three are Jack, Bo, and Rotten."

One of the patrol soldiers spoke up. Jack was good with a spear, Bo was agile, and Rotten was regarded as a formidable warrior among the soldiers.

Three such soldiers, a half-blooded fairy assassin, and a soldier with a crossbow.

He faced all of them and wasn't severely injured.

Just a few scratches.

"...By yourself?"

A patrol soldier asked, forgetting the presence of the Company Commander beside him.

He was that surprised.

"Somehow."

Encrid replied and looked at the Company Commander. The Fairy Company Commander said nothing. Her expression didn't change.

She just stared at Encrid with her usual jewel-like green eyes.

"Understood. Return to your post."

"Yes."

He saluted and turned to leave. As Encrid walked away, the Fairy Company Commander spoke.

"You left your post, so you'll have to make up for it later."

A strict remark.

To think she would bring up leaving the post in this situation.

The three patrol soldiers exchanged glances. Encrid, on the other hand, silently nodded.

"Yes, understood."

The Company Commander is a superior. Arguing would only be a waste of breath.

There are those who strictly adhere to military laws and regulations within the unit.

The Fairy Company Commander didn't seem like that type, but...

When she says something like that, it's a subordinate's duty to comply.

No point in resisting.

"Then."

Encrid finally walked away from the scene.

Two days later, two border guards came looking for Encrid again.

Inspecting scenes within the city fell to the border guards, so they were there to investigate.

Encrid cooperated fully.

"They attacked suddenly."

"Did you leave your post knowing something?"

"No, I didn't. The two seemed strange, but I just wanted some fresh air."

"Leaving your post ended up uncovering spies? These two seemed to be killed in one strike?"

"They attacked outright."

"But you managed to subdue them without getting injured?"

The questions from the two border guards were sharper than expected, but Encrid remained calm.

Since he was the only one who survived among those who had directly encountered the assassins, it was understandable.

"Yes, I was lucky."

"If you're lucky twice, you could bring down a wall. It means there was that much difference in skill."

One of them made a half-hearted joke.

They weren't doubting Encrid. It would be ridiculous to suspect the person who had been ambushed.

Moreover, the border guards had already conducted a thorough background check on Encrid.

This was done when they tried to recruit him to their unit.

"You've done well."

"I heard you got promoted? Congratulations."

"Yes, thank you."

Both were of higher rank than him. The ranks within the border guard were originally like that.

"You really don't want to join us? It's a shame, with your skills."

As they finished the investigation and were about to leave, the short-haired guard spoke.

"No."

His curt response left them speechless.

"Oh, alright."

Encrid returned to his quarters.

As he opened the door, something suddenly dropped from above his right side. He instinctively dodged to the side. After dodging, he lowered himself further and rolled. He barely managed to avoid it, and some of his hair got cut off.

Barely avoiding the incoming object, he looked to see what it was.

"Oh, you passed the ambush test!"

Rem was grinning and speaking. The culprit was the axe Rem had swung.

"Rem, you crazy bastard."

It was enough to make him curse.

Encrid's cut hair floated down gently.

Had he been a bit slower, the axe would have left a mark somewhere on his neck.

A bleeding mark, a scar.

"Don't worry. I only intended to cut a bit of your hair even if you didn't dodge."

"Don't even talk."

There are many madmen in this world, but a few of the truly insane ones were in his squad.

Encrid had realized this long ago, so he wasn't even angry.

"With assassins coming after you, it's time to learn how to avoid ambushes, don't you think?"

"Nice excuse."

Encrid shook his head.

"I think it's time to cut your hair, isn't it?" Rem said casually.

It was indeed time to trim his hair. His bangs were starting to obscure his vision.

When he faced the half-blooded fairy, he had been in a state of heightened concentration and was too focused on his tactics to notice, but now it was becoming a nuisance in daily life.

"Please do it." Encrid said. It wasn't Rem who stepped forward, but Krais.

"Alright."

Krais was surprisingly good with his hands.

While the others could handle swords and axes skillfully, they would make a mess of someone's hair.

"I'll trim the bangs a bit shorter and tidy up the rest." Krais said.

His tools were a short knife, scissors, and a horn comb.

"That'll be ten coins."

"That's expensive."

"My skills have improved. If you don't like it, you can go to the city barber."

He didn't want that. The barbers in the city were expensive and less skilled than Rem.

There was no reason to pay double the price.

Instead, city barbers were better known for their wound care, attracting injured people more than those seeking a haircut.

"Alright, let's start."

Snip, snip.

The sound of cutting hair soon reached his ears.

He sat in a chair right in front of the barracks entrance. White snowflakes began to fall from above.

Rem, who was watching, grumbled.

"Looks like devil's dandruff."

When it snowed, they'd be busy clearing the training grounds and drainage ditches for a while.

It was a task that fell to everyone equally.

Neither Rem nor Ragna could escape this labor.

If they didn't clear the snow, it would cause a mountain of problems.

"I dislike this." Ragna said, wrapping his shoulders in a blanket.

"It's certainly cold." Jaxon agreed.

"No matter how much you warm your body, this kind of cold is hard to bear, brother." Audin said, joining them.

Why were they all out here watching?

Although it should feel less cold when it snows, today the temperature has dropped noticeably. Sitting outside made his lips turn blue.

"Ah, my hands are trembling. If I make a mistake, I might cut your ear." Krais said.

Krais, who was cutting his hair, spoke.

"I can hear you."

"That means I'm concentrating."

Krais warmed his hands with a moderately heated stone and focused on cutting Encrid's hair.

Encrid, watching the falling snow, pondered about the spies.

'How did they get in?'

The one who came in as a peddler had forged identification papers.

The half-blooded fairy had infiltrated secretly.

The Border Guard city was harder to infiltrate than expected.

Forging identification papers was a serious crime.

Both tasks were not easy to accomplish.

Moreover, it was odd that Jack, Bo, and Rotten had turned into spies.

'Where did all three come from?'

He felt like he had heard it somewhere.

"You know the three who died this time?"

Encrid asked. Krais nodded, then realizing he was behind Encrid and not visible, answered.

"Yes, I do."

"Do you know where they were from?"

"Jack was caught pickpocketing and was serving his sentence, Bo was guilty of insulting a noble."

"A decent guy, then."

Rem commented at the mention of a noble' insult, and Encrid chuckled.

"Indeed."

Rem pretended not to hear, and Krais continued.

"Rotten used to be a guard for some merchant guild."

"Which guild?"

"It was a guild that went under a while ago, I think."

All three had joined around the same time, within a year. Krais, being well-informed, knew a lot.

'If someone intentionally planted them…'

Forging identification papers, knowledgeable about the city's back doors, and familiar with crime.

Could such a group be common? Within the Border Guard, a few places came to mind.

The largest among them.

'The Thieves Guild.'

Though called a guild, it was essentially a gathering of individuals involved in various crimes.

A year ago, there had been a complete turnover of its members.

He recalled hearing about this somewhere.

When he asked Krais, he confirmed that there were such rumors, but he couldn't dig into the details.

Encrid's gaze shifted to Jaxon.

"Do you know anything about the Thieves Guild?"

It was a direct question. Jaxon silently stared at Encrid.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you might know."

The reason was clear.

Starting with learning how to throw knives and honing his senses, Encrid was smart enough to piece things together. Even if there was no explicit intent, he could roughly guess Jaxon's background.

A thief, an assassin, or a related profession.

Or something similar.

That's why he asked.

Jaxon remained silent for a moment.

Encrid signaled Rem with his eyes to stay silent.

Ragna, as usual, looked on with half-closed eyes.

Audin quietly waited with his hands clasped, seemingly anticipating an answer.

Snip, snip.

Krais broke the silence as he continued trimming Encrid's hair.

"I'd like to know too. Do you think the assassination attempt on the Squad Leader originated from there?"

Krais was perceptive. It was reasonable for those who had directly experienced the situation to have suspicions.

Especially those capable of critical thinking.

Krais was quick-witted. Having lived among the lower classes, he likely knew a lot.

Thus, Encrid's suspicion was justified in Krais' view.

Jaxon finally spoke.

Encrid expected him to ask for something in return, but he didn't.

"There was a turnover about a year ago. I don't know what happened after that. All my connections were cut off."

It was worth investigating.

Encrid thought so.

"All done."

Soon, Krais announced, and as he finished cutting his hair, the snow began to fall heavily.

"Ah, I really hate this."

"Same here."

"I agree."

"Brother, it is a trial from the gods."

"It's really annoying how much it's falling."

These were comments directed at the falling snow, in order, from Rem, Ragna, Jaxon, Audin, and Krais.

Encrid watched them and then spoke.

"I'm thinking of establishing a mission with the authority of a Squad Leader, where we go out immediately instead of clearing the snow."

At those words, the ears of the five perked up.

Ten eyes looked at Encrid like hungry wolves.

It seemed they would do anything to avoid shoveling snow.

"First, I need to get the Company Commander's permission."

Encrid said, brushing the hair off his face.

"Go on, then."

"What are you still doing here?"

"This way."

They were all urging him to go quickly. Encrid thought it was best to act while the idea was fresh.

He didn't want to go back to the barracks and be pestered by those intense glares from the five of them.

Encrid, melting the accumulated snow to wash the hair off his face, immediately headed to the Company Commander's tent.

"You got a haircut. But why are you here? Another ambush?"

Was the ambush remark a joke?

The Company Commander's words made Encrid hesitate.

"That's not it."

"Then?"

"I suspect the Thieves Guild. I want to investigate."

The Fairy Company Commander lived alone. She spoke while looking at the falling snow through the window, her hands behind her back.

"What do you mean?"

"I want to undertake a mission on my own initiative."

"Hmm."

The Fairy Company Commander, with her hands still behind her back, asked while looking out the window.

"It's not just because you don't want to shovel snow, right?"

"That's not it."

It was half the truth, but the other half was also true, so he had no qualms.

"Alright."

The Fairy Company Commander granted permission.

"You need to be careful. The criminal guilds in the city are quite adept at working with those above."

As she spoke, she raised her right index finger to point at the ceiling.

In this military city, there wasn't a mayor but a battalion commander, and the battalion commander wasn't the only authority.

There were also several nobles dispatched from the state to handle administrative duties.

They were the key power figures in the Border Guard.

"It won't be good if you fall out of favor with them."

Politics coming from a Fairy's mouth felt strange, but Encrid took the advice.

"Yes."

"When you leave, avoid the torches and take a wide path around. This is my room. It would be troublesome if a fire broke out."

There were short torches in the commander's quarters, making the air pleasantly warm.

"Yes, I'll be careful."

Even as he responded, Encrid thought he would never get used to the Fairy's jokes.