CHAPTER 72

Since it was an easy choice, Jaxon was chosen.

When it comes to missions, it's best to go with the most capable person.

In the Troublemaker Squad, Jaxon had taken on the most missions.

That means he has a lot of experience. Therefore, many people seek him out.

It goes without saying that his keen senses are beneficial for guarding.

Compared to other squad members, the likelihood of friction with the person being guarded was also low.

"Of course."

Jaxon nodded as if it was the obvious choice, while Rem caused a fuss, unable to understand.

Ragna then said that he also found it strange.

Audin asked if it was against the will of the gods.

Naturally, Ragna and Rem started arguing.

When Jaxon provoked Rem from the side, Ragna stepped back, and Rem and Jaxon began fighting.

Encrid tried to stop them repeatedly, and eventually, he told them not to even look at each other.

"If you're going to spar, do it with me."

Encrid added this final word and ended the day by sparring with each squad member in turn.

They might have felt mentally exhausted, but this was a typical day for the Troublemaker Squad.

Above all, Encrid, who had endured long years swinging his sword despite his lack of talent, found this trivial.

If he had been mentally affected by this level of stress, he would have long ago put down the sword and picked up a plow.

"The Squad Leader is something else."

Krais gave a thumbs up, praising the Squad Leader's mental strength anew. Encrid gave a slight nod in response.

The escort mission was tomorrow.

It was a matter of succession within a mid-sized merchant group and a guarding task within the city.

Three people were assigned.

The Fairy Company Commander, Encrid, and Jaxon.

There was no need to move from early dawn. The person they were guarding was entering the city around noon.

* * *

The next morning, after a good night's sleep, Esther was in his arms.

"Why did you act like that yesterday?"

With sleep still in his eyes, he asked, and Esther tapped his chest with her hand.

He didn't know what she was angry about, but it seemed like a signal for reconciliation.

"Okay, have a good day lounging around."

What did Esther have to do anyway?

At night, she would crawl into his arms to sleep.

In the morning, she would roll around and wake up lazily.

Sometimes she would go out, probably to catch and eat mice near the city.

Though he didn't provide regular meals, he often gave her jerky as a snack.

Surprisingly, all the squad members took good care of Esther.

Especially Krais, who was very attentive.

"Lake Panthers shed their claws when the time comes. If you take them then, they won't complain."

Just like shedding fur, they shed their claws. So Krais had a logical reason for being kind to her.

"You rascal, you rascal."

"Prrrr."

Finding it cute and amusing how she turned her head primly, he scratched the top of her head a couple of times before getting up.

It was time for breakfast.

"Let's see how well you do without me."

Rem was on breakfast duty. He glared, and seeing this, Encrid reflexively extended his fist.

Thud.

Rem blocked his fist with his palm.

"Does it not matter if you go out with a broken arm? Challenging me from the morning."

"No, it was reflexive when I saw your face."

"That's even more annoying."

That was understandable.

Even though he said that, Rem didn't pick a fight.

After all, it was a mission day.

If they got injured, they wouldn't be able to perform their duties.

For breakfast, they had a dish made of thinly pressed and grilled pork tenderloin mixed with boiled potatoes, and it tasted terrible.

"It's good for your body. Meat strengthens your muscles, brother."

The Isolation Technique is about building the body, and the completion of building the body is eating.

Encrid reluctantly ate, knowing how important it was to eat well, even without Audin's advice.

After heating up his body using the Isolation Technique during the remaining time, it was time to depart.

Encrid washed himself at the well and gathered his equipment.

He wore the leather armor he had acquired from raiding the Gilpin Guild before.

It only covered his torso, but it was thin and elastic, so it wasn't uncomfortable.

As he strapped on the sheath for the whistling knife over the armor, Jaxon, standing nearby, asked.

"What's that?"

"I picked it up after killing an assassin."

"Resourceful."

Is that what it's called?

In any case, he thought it was a pretty useful tool, so he kept it.

With weapons of this kind, the more he had, the better.

After donning a thick gambeson, he was fully armed and stepped outside.

He walked alongside Jaxon to the inn within the city. Throughout the walk, Jaxon explained how to listen well and see well.

And then added,

"You're dull."

He never forgot to add a comment like that.

Encrid still didn't mind.

He had always known he was dull.

When they arrived at the intersection centered around four inns, the Company Commander was already there.

"Has the escort arrived?"

Encrid gave a brief salute and asked.

"Not yet. They'll be here soon."

There were rumors that the person they were to escort had a rather difficult personality.

This information came from Krais.

Ever since taking over the guild, his ears seemed twice as sharp as before.

"They came to decide on a successor, didn't they?"

While he was curious about how difficult this person could be, he wasn't too worried. It's rare to find a troublemaker at Rem's level.

Try spending just one month with the Troublemaker Squad.

Any troublemaker would seem endearing in comparison.

Encrid was at ease.

Jaxon didn't think much of it. To him, a job was just a job.

Guard for three days. Once the succession meeting within the merchant group was over, the job would be finished.

They just needed to ensure safety within the city.

Since he had already processed this in his mind, there wasn't much to think about.

The Company Commander watched the back of Encrid's head and recalled why he had brought him along.

The Troublemaker Squad Leader, this man, had been a target for assassination by Aspen. This was proof that he had a clean background.

Above all, he liked the way he handled the Thieves Guild and his subsequent actions.

He maintained the bribes.

He transformed the criminal guild into an information guild.

Thanks to this, there was no friction with the battalion commander.

He knew that eliminating the criminal guild would cause problems, but he let it happen anyway.

If the bribes stopped and the higher-ups made an issue of it, he had plans to deal with it.

But this Squad Leader didn't even let that happen.

"Things have turned out differently than expected, but..."

Even so, it wasn't bad.

The Company Commander, waiting for the escort to arrive, opened her mouth.

"Were we ever that close?"

Encrid, who had his hand slanted on the sword grip, seemed to freeze for a moment.

Like a well-made statue, he slowly turned his head and asked.

"What do you mean?"

"If it's loud enough for me to hear, you should already know, right?"

"It's a misunderstanding. Just a rumor. Lately, things have been quiet with little work, so some folks are killing time with trivial gossip."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Then, we have no relationship at all?"

"It's just a superior and subordinate relationship."

"I see."

He had to dismiss it as trivial talk. Rumors really do spread far and wide.

"Ahem."

Jaxon cleared his throat beside him. Glancing over, it seemed like the corner of his mouth was twitching. He was holding back laughter.

"Is this funny to you?"

He mouthed his question silently.

'I'm not laughing.'

Jaxon mouthed back his response.

The Company Commander was a Fairy. She could read the silent exchange between them with just a sideways glance.

Lip reading was not a difficult skill for a Fairy.

"It seems you were in a difficult situation."

"No, I wasn't."

Encrid replied immediately.

"You seem to be in a difficult situation."

"No, I'm not."

"Then did you enjoy it?"

Why was she doing this?

"No, I didn't."

His answer was oddly drawn out.

It would have been nice if he had laughed after saying that, but he remained expressionless.

Moreover, he didn't even make eye contact, staring off towards the city instead.

'Fairy jokes.'

He still wasn't used to them.

"They're coming."

Encrid was saved from his predicament by Jaxon's remark.

The escort was in sight.

Thud, thud.

As the carriage approached, the ground trembled.

Encrid thought dealing with the escort target would be much easier than dealing with the Company Commander.

"That was fun."

He heard the Company Commander whisper behind him, sending a chill down his spine.

Even with a cloak lined with heated leather, he felt a shiver.

Soon, the carriage stopped, and someone got out.

It was a bit different from what Encrid had expected.

'Not a greedy toad with puffy cheeks.'

Instead, it was a woman with a beautiful appearance. She had long blonde hair and brown eyes with a hint of red.

She was strikingly beautiful.

The sound of boot heels hitting the ground was sharp. The woman, having descended from the carriage, looked directly at the Fairy Company Commander and said,

"Please take care of me."

There was no need for an introduction about the escort coming from the standing army.

From that point on, she only spoke with her own entourage.

The middle-aged woman beside her, presumably her nanny, merely conveyed the escort target's wishes.

The blonde woman was said to be just twenty years old, and it was unclear if she had a peculiar personality.

'You have to talk to her to know.'

Having never made eye contact, there wasn't much to say.

"This job will be easy."

Jaxon said. Encrid nodded in agreement.

He had wondered if she would come alone for an escort request, but there were five swordsmen assigned as merchant guards.

Three carried shields, and two had slender rapiers.

Encrid applied what he had learned.

"Age, posture, positioning, gaze, all of these are information, brother."

As Audin had said, he sketched out their physical forms based on their posture and made guesses.

'Is it correct?'

He wasn't sure. Frog might gauge an opponent's skill instinctively, but humans couldn't, requiring knowledge and experience instead.

"It comes with practice, brother."

Audin had said, but it wasn't something that could be mastered overnight.

He wasn't impatient. Encrid focused on observing them calmly.

Among the five, there was one left-handed person, and the screeching of the chair when one of them sat down indicated that they were wearing heavy armor.

However, no one was wearing chain mail.

It was winter, the harsh season known as the end of the four seasons. Wearing metal armor in such cold weather? There was no reason for it.

Especially for those walking behind a carriage for an escort, thick gambesons would be more suitable.

And they were wearing those.

His experience and common sense, combined with what he had learned from Audin, matched up.

Assessing their skill by their equipment and posture.

It wouldn't be accurate every time, but...

'All five.'

They seemed less skilled than the frontier guards. In terms of soldier rankings, they were below elite.

Encrid reaffirmed his conclusions.

'Not bad.'

Judging skill by posture and equipment, something he hadn't dared to do before.

Feeling his growth, Encrid relished the joy of progress today as well.

This joy never got old.

It was always new and thrilling.

Improving in combat skills and martial arts.

The exhilaration continued. It was enjoyable. Truly, incredibly enjoyable.

Even though there might not be a need to draw his sword and fight in this mission.

The joy came from applying what he had newly learned and understood even while sitting.

"Would you like to play an interesting game?"

Jaxon's suggestion caught his interest. It was an amusing idea, no, a training method.

"It's a game called 'Matching Sounds'."

"Let's do it."

Rem, like Ragna and Audin, was passionate about teaching. It was a cold, hidden flame of passion that wasn't immediately visible.

It was impossible not to notice.

He was the one benefiting from that passion.

So, it wasn't really a suggestion for a mere game.

Encrid's guess was correct.

Jaxon's proposal was a training method to hone the Sense of the Blade.

Of course, it wasn't an easy method.

* * *

"The sound of tongue clicking."

Jaxon said, and Encrid frowned.

"You're late."

Escort duties were generally dull. Moreover, this was the Border Guard.

It was obvious why they called the three of them even though there were personal guards from the merchant group.

If someone attacked despite the Krona payment for escorting, it meant they were ready to confront the Border Guard standing army as well.

The Border Guard was under the King's direct control.

Touching the kingdom's soldiers within the royal territory?

Even the renowned Rengadis merchant group, known for their blank promissory notes, would hesitate at such a burden.

"The third man at the left table."

How could he know so precisely just by listening?

Encrid felt like he had reached the point where he had eyes on the back of his head.

It was a simple yet challenging game.

Jaxon would speak, and Encrid, focusing on the surrounding sounds, would guess.

"The sound of sharpening a knife."

The kitchen? No, higher than that.

Encrid activated his Focus Point skill.

Sweat dripped down his forehead. Despite the warmth from the fireplace heating the interior, the area around Encrid felt chilly.

"Upstairs."

"The direction is correct. What floor?"

The inn they were in had three floors.

Should he guess? No, that wouldn't be training.

"Room 102."

Jaxon provided the correct answer. The key to this game was timing. You had to speak at the right moment.

After a few rounds, the Company Commander approached.

"Let me join."

She was a Fairy. Her senses were far superior to those of a human.

Encrid thought she seemed even more skilled than Jaxon.

"The sound of inserting and drawing a short blade, repeatedly."

Another question was posed.

Encrid kept missing.

The Fairy Company Commander answered without even taking a breath.

"In front of the inn entrance."

"The sound of breathing while covering the mouth."

How on earth did she know that?

Encrid was bewildered, but the Fairy Company Commander continued to answer correctly in her smooth voice.

"Outside the window."

"The one holding his breath while seated."

"Under the right table facing the entrance."

"The one stealthily glancing around."

"Behind you."

Halfway through, Encrid began to tilt his head in confusion. The questions had stopped being about sounds at some point.

Their escort target was the successor of the merchant group.

The merchant group had brought their own individual guards.

They had taken over a section of the main hall of the inn as if they had rented it out.

And then,

"Expect an attack."

"I agree."

The moment Encrid understood the conversation between Jaxon and the Fairy Company Commander,

Jaxon stood up and pushed back his chair.

Thud! Smack!

"Ugh."

Encrid saw the man hit in the thigh by the chairback Jaxon had pushed.

A look of surprise and a knife in his hand, a black-coated dagger.

The sound listening training had kept his senses alert.

Encrid saw Jaxon and then turned his body around. He saw a man holding a dagger.

He was about to stab.

Seeing Encrid suddenly turn, the attacker was startled, his eyes widened, and for a moment, he froze.

In that brief window, Encrid reached out and grabbed the man's wrist.

Crack.

He twisted it outward and raised his opposite elbow to a right angle.

"Ugh."

The man, whose wrist was twisted, was helplessly pulled forward by Encrid.

Encrid then drove his elbow into the center of the man's chest.

Crack.

The man's chest bone broke, and he dropped the dagger. Encrid caught the falling dagger and ducked. He threw the dagger to where he had been standing. The dagger flew through the air and stuck into a wooden pillar with a thud.

An observer might have thought it was a close call.

But Encrid had anticipated it. He had dodged it easily.

'Who knew this would be so useful?'

During the assassin's attack at the barracks, it was Krang who was targeted, but the assassin had to go through Encrid first.

Every time, he barely survived.

By repeating today.

Later, he faced the whistle dagger of a half-breed Fairy assassin. This was a recent event.

This too, was repeated today.

What someone might experience once or twice in their life, he had experienced countless times through repetition.

In other words, it was the sum of all the experiences he had gone through.

Now, he could easily counter this type of attack.

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