CHAPTER 49

"Victory."

"Damn it, we won!"

"You Aspen bastards!"

Victory brought cheers.

Cheers brought heat.

Heat brought madness.

The rising heat intertwined and swept across the entire battlefield.

When does the greatest achievement on the battlefield occur?

When you chase down the fleeing enemy. Naurillia bit fiercely at Aspen's tail.

"Uoooh!"

The joy of victory swept over the allies before they could mourn the dead.

It was natural for a hint of madness to show.

Just a few days ago, they were nearly annihilated. The fear of death brought by the fog was still deeply engraved in their hearts.

And now, standing on the battlefield with that fear, they had achieved an overwhelming victory.

"Long live the Red Cape Knights!"

"Long live Naurillia!"

The squire did not reveal his name.

Instead, the name of the knights' order was exalted.

"Long live the Red Cape Knights!"

That cheer, that heat, that madness.

At the forefront of the battlefield, receiving all the cheers, stood the one at its center.

Fwoosh.

The squire, waving the symbolic red cape, raised one hand in response to the cheers.

"Uoooh!"

Among the soldiers intoxicated by the victory, there were some shedding tears of joy.

Everyone was shouting cheers. Everyone was intoxicated by the madness. Watching this, Encrid quietly muttered.

"Me too."

No one heard him, but within those words was his long-held dream.

The madness and heat spread, making Encrid's heart race.

The end of the battle, the last night on the battlefield.

Although many had died, Encrid felt elated.

He recalled the words of a fencing instructor from the big city who was missing three fingers.

"A guy who eats with the sword despite having no talent? There are two types. One who enjoys the battlefield, or one who enjoys killing. Oh, there are three types. There are also those who live without any thoughts."

'I guess I'm the type who enjoys the battlefield.'

The cheers were enviable. He had the desire to stand in front of them. More than just swinging a sword, he wanted to carve through the battlefield.

The reason he honed his martial arts wasn't solely because he was enamored with the sword.

Encrid thought about what he had done in this battle.

All he did was struggle to survive.

In the end, he did earn some merit by tearing the flag and breaking the sorcery medium.

'That too was just a desperate struggle to survive.'

The sudden surge of elation brought back Encrid's dreams, and with them, the ambitions and desires he had forgotten due to his lack of talent.

'Knight.'

He would become one. He was determined to become one.

This was a moment of reaffirmation.

"It's annoyingly loud."

Rem, who wandered the battlefield without a thought, said as he picked his ear.

He didn't seem to enjoy the battlefield or the killing. There was no sign of elation in him.

Next to him, Ragna yawned.

"Isn't it over now? Can't we retreat tonight?"

Yeah right, retreat tonight. This guy must be one of those thoughtless types too.

Jaxon was wiping his sword blade with leather. He was already tending to his sword.

He didn't speak or show it outwardly, but did Jaxon enjoy something about this too?

Who knows. He was always good at hiding his true self.

"Wow, the battle just ended like that. I wonder if it would sell if we made it into a story or a song?"

"Do you know how to make songs, brother?"

"No. We'll have to get another bard to do it."

"It's a scam to make a song about something you didn't even witness."

"Scam? That's a dangerous thing to say. It's not like that at all, Audin."

It was a conversation between Big Eyes, who thought they could even sell the battlefield, and a religious squad member whose intentions were unclear.

On the day Encrid tore the flagpole, he heard that the religious squad member's whole body was drenched in red, as if he had bathed in blood.

That means he fought ferociously.

Though he seemed quiet and calm, he possessed tremendous power.

I don't know why he stands on the battlefield.

As his thoughts continued to spiral, Encrid imagined his squad members in his place.

'If it had been Rem.'

It wouldn't have ended with just piercing and tearing the flag.

The same would apply if it had been Ragna, Jaxon, or the religious squad member.

They all would have fought better than he did.

'Next time, I'll do better.'

As the elation from the battlefield tightened around his heart, it only fueled Encrid's desire.

On the night the battle ended, the command distributed alcohol and food.

There was salted rabbit meat, venison, and a large oak barrel filled with strong liquor.

"Alcohol, alcohol!"

Rem and Ragna were ecstatic about the alcohol.

"I only drink wine."

The religious squad member refused the liquor, and Jaxon didn't touch alcohol at all.

"Women are better than alcohol."

He would say such things without hesitation. Despite talking like this, women were still drawn to him. Why was that?

'It must be the face.'

Even Encrid found women attracted to him without any effort, thanks to his face.

In addition, his well-trained, sharply defined muscular body was a weapon that captured women's hearts.

"This is cheap alcohol. I'm not drinking it."

Big Eyes had a refined palate.

As night deepened, the battalion commander entered the tent.

"444 Squad Leader?"

Encrid rose at the sound of someone calling for him.

Everyone was starting to prepare for sleep as the heat of the night had cooled down.

Due to his injury, Encrid hadn't touched any alcohol. Thanks to that, there was no mishap of failing to recognize the battalion commander's face.

"An injured person drinking? An injured guy drinking? Drinking while being hurt?"

Rem scolded him.

"It's better to refrain. You need to recover first."

Jaxon also advised against it.

Ragna silently shook his head.

Big Eyes snickered at Encrid.

They were truly a squad of lunatics.

When Encrid went outside in response to the battalion commander's call, the battalion commander, reeking of alcohol, waved off his salute.

"They say the flag was the sorcery's medium? And you were the one who tore it."

It sounded like they had found the one who made a significant contribution to the battle by breaking the sorcery.

Crackle, crackle.

Sparks flew into the air from the lit campfire.

"Yes."

Encrid replied calmly.

"There will be a reward when we return. Well done."

The battalion commander patted Encrid on the shoulder. It was quite a remarkable acknowledgment.

This was the first time he had spoken with the battalion commander since becoming a squad leader.

That showed how significant Encrid's actions were.

He had changed the course of the battle.

However, only a handful of people knew this.

To be precise, only the command knew.

The credit for overcoming the sorcery in this battle would likely go to the command.

He didn't mind.

Instead, the reward would be substantial.

'I'm not disappointed.'

Normally, he should claim the credit for what he had done.

'It was a desperate struggle.'

Seeing the knight, no, just a squire, had changed his perspective a lot.

He felt he had gained more than what these small merits could offer.

"You look good."

After the battalion commander patted his shoulder and left, Encrid was about to re-enter the tent when he heard footsteps tapping on the ground.

"Who's there?"

Turning his gaze to the source of the sound, he saw eyes resembling emeralds. Seeing them at night gave him a somewhat eerie feeling, like seeing a ghost.

A beauty beyond human.

It was the Fairy Company Commander.

"They won't give a half-hearted reward for tearing the flag."

If that was all she had to say, the company commander turned to leave. But then, he turned his head slightly and spoke again.

"Aren't you going to salute?"

Encrid belatedly made a motion of pressing down a weapon with his left hand, and the Fairy Company Commander waved his hand dismissively.

"Enough. I'm leaving."

What kind of Fairy is that?

When the company commander left and Encrid entered the tent, Rem was lying on his side, resting his head on his arm.

"Squad Leader, don't leave me just because you're getting popular."

"Are you drunk?"

"I'm not drunk."

It was just a joke. The night was deep. Encrid closed his eyes and reflected on what he had seen and felt about the squire.

There was much to do once his body healed.

* * *

Upon waking up, the Naurillia infantry battalion headed for the Border Guard.

After four days of marching, they could finally face the fortress city walls of the Border Guard.

This city, with its long walls and three large watchtowers built on a basin higher than other areas, stood tall.

This was the last bastion against the Duchy of Aspen.

The frontier fortress, Border Guard.

* * *

The appearance of the squire from the Red Cape Knights had the potential to change the dynamics of the battlefield.

Until now, the reason the skirmishes on the Green Pearl Plains were maintained on a small scale was due to an unwritten rule to not deploy the knight order's forces there.

In this situation, the Kingdom of Naurillia had played its trump card by sending the squire into battle.

Naurillia had broken the unwritten rule.

Even though the one on the battlefield was in the process of transitioning from squire to sub-knight, crossing the line was still crossing the line.

"Those damn bastards!"

The King of Aspen erupted in fury. His eyes turned red and veins bulged on his forehead.

"Send ours out too!"

But it wasn't possible to send them out immediately.

It was winter.

Starting a war in winter would cause severe declines in national power for both countries.

If a full-scale war, rather than a skirmish, was anticipated, it was necessary to rally national strength.

Moreover, Aspen's main forces were currently away on another mission.

To fight properly, Aspen also needed time.

At the end of the war, even if the enemy was so enraged that their heads seemed ready to explode like a volcano, if winter approached, they had to hold back.

Naurillia had likely anticipated this and deployed their forces at the war's end.

Conversely, Aspen had read the timing of winter's approach and deployed their sorcerers.

However, while the sword prepared by Aspen was blocked, the dagger prepared by Naurillia had sunk deep into their arm. It hurt. Badly enough that they might lose the use of one arm.

"At least put diplomatic pressure on them. Deploying knights on the battlefield is clearly an issue."

The Duke, known for his martial prowess, couldn't let this go. Though he didn't shout, his voice simmered with anger like boiling water.

The Duchy of Aspen was a nation supported by three major families.

Duke Aspen.

Hurrier of military power.

And Ekins of administration and affairs.

Diplomacy was the responsibility of the Ekins family.

Minister Ekins was in a difficult position.

It was because of the letter sent from Naurillia.

The fact that the letter arrived around the same time as the deployment of the Red Cape Knight was proof that Naurillia had prepared a perfect excuse.

The letter stated that General Frog, affiliated with Aspen, had appeared in enemy territory, and in response, they had dispatched their knight.

The reason seemed plausible. Too fitting.

Why, of all times, did General Frog have to go there?

Frog had always been a free spirit. These issues had been possible ever since they put him in a soldier's uniform.

'Even if it wasn't the general, they would have found another excuse.'

Ekins was no fool.

Naurillia had not impulsively sent their knight.

General Frog had become a convenient excuse, but even without him, Naurillia would have found a suitable pretext.

In conclusion, Aspen was outmaneuvered and that was the end of it.

The start of all this was because the sorcery had been disrupted.

If the Fog of Annihilation had succeeded, the skirmishes on the Green Pearl Plains, which had been dragging on for a long time, would have been a great victory for Aspen unless a true knight appeared.

Ekins recalled the report that a single enemy soldier had ruined the sorcery.

'Are they blaming the failure on a single enemy soldier after failing to maintain their defenses?'

Does that even make sense?

Everyone involved in this matter would have to take responsibility.

The sorcerer had been found dead after retreating.

Whether it was a passing bandit or not, they had cut the sorcerer and his guards all in half.

'Nothing is going right. Nothing at all.'

"Hey, are we just going to let this slide?"

The king shouted, forgetting his dignity.

This autumn, a bold move strongly advocated by Ekins had backfired.

The battlefield of the drawn-out skirmish had ended with Aspen's defeat.

* * *

Ten days later, Encrid felt that his body had fully recovered.

So as soon as he got up, Encrid immediately sought out Rem.

"Rem."

"What's up?"

Rem, who had just returned from his watch duty, stood in front of Encrid.

"Let's have a bout."

"A what?"

"A sparring match."

"...Didn't you just recover?"

What does that matter?

His body was itching to move right now.

Encrid conveyed his intent through his expression. If that was a skill, it was indeed one.

He expressed his inner thoughts using only his eyebrows and the corners of his mouth.

"Let's do it. If you want to, you should. You might get beaten up again."

"Bring it on, you arrogant foreigner."

"Oh, this time you want your leg broken?"

Rem responded to Encrid's taunt with a smile. The two soon headed outside their quarters.

Watching this, Ragna agreed with one thing Rem had said, even if he didn't understand the rest.

Among all the madmen he had seen, the squad leader was the craziest.

Despite his lack of talent, he always got up and picked fights.

Less than thirty minutes later, Encrid reopened the door to the quarters.

"Ragna, come out. I will rid you of your laziness."

The squad leader was excited. Even though there was a crust of dried blood near his temple, his expression was bright.

"Alright, alright, let's do it."

Ragna didn't waste his energy arguing. It would only take a few bouts.

This was their daily routine.