One couldn't keep smiling forever, so Enkrid soon stopped. Seeing this, Rem snatched Enkrid’s wrist, pulled a bandage from his tunic, and wrapped it tightly.
“Stay behind me today. With a hand like that, you’re just asking to die. If you say this happened while sparring, that bastard Platoon Leader will raise all kinds of hell.”
“It’s fine.”
“What do you mean, it’s fine? You’ll die if you go to the battlefield with this hand. Is your future ambition suicide? If so, I won’t interfere.”
He wasn’t wrong. Going to the battlefield with a hand like this was a good way to get killed. However, it wasn’t a big problem for Enkrid.
All he had to do was die one more time. Then the one hundred and twenty-fifth morning would dawn.
‘It’s not like I’m tired of it.’
Because it would be a chance to end this repeating day. Enkrid hadn’t been simply training his swordsmanship all this time. While repeating the day one hundred and twenty-four times, he had also devised a way to overcome ‘today.’
When an ordinary soldier returns alive from their first battle, they say he picked up a coin dropped by the Goddess of Fortune. It meant that without exceptional talent, luck played a big part in keeping one’s life. By Enkrid's calculations, he would need that kind of luck several times over to avoid dying.
‘But I can’t rely on luck.’
Enkrid had no need to. He knew what would happen on the battlefield, especially around him. Therefore, he could be ready for it.
Therefore, he could prepare. On the one hundred and twenty-fourth day, Enkrid once again died with his neck pierced by a thrust. His palm was such a mess that he couldn’t even properly meet the blade.
Still, not wanting to waste a single day, he burned the enemy lancer’s thrust into his memory. He held his breath and endured until the very end. He did just that.
“This must hurt. A mercy.”
He endured the searing pain of the blade in his neck while listening to the enemy lancer's voice. Feeling something in his mouth, he spat it out just before dying; it was a broken molar. It happened because he had clenched his jaw tight from the pain.
Yes.
This was not a tedious affair. He had spent the repeating days valuably, so it was even enjoyable in a way. But no matter what reason he attached to it.
‘I don't want to die.’
There was no joy in dying. Especially not at the hands of a perverted bastard who enjoyed the suffering of others. If he could end it, he would.
Enkrid had resolved to do so the moment he realized he was trapped in a single day.
And so. Clang! Clang!
Clang!
The one hundred and twenty-fifth morning dawned.
Getting up from his spot, Enkrid first picked up Rem's boots and shook them out.
“What are you doing? Those are mine.”
“I know, they reek. If you threw these at the enemy, the foot odor alone would take down fifty of them.”
“Being such a bastard first thing in the morning, did you have a good dream or something?”
Thud.
A bug fell out from inside Rem's boot. Enkrid crushed it with his foot.
“I saw it go in this morning.”
“... Well, thanks.”
Rem chuckled and put on his boots. Leaving Rem behind, Enkrid pushed aside the tent flap and went outside. The sun had just begun to rise, and the scene was a mixture of the blue of dawn and the yellow of the sun’s rays.
The last watchmen, moving about busily, were banging on pots. Soldiers just waking up were rubbing their eyes and groaning, or silently going about their duties.
“Dammit, stop banging. My head’s gonna split.”
“Then who told you to get wasted and pass out yesterday?”
It was from the tent behind them.
“Will you shut up? We’ll be disciplined if they find out we were drinking.”
“Bullshit.”
It was a conversation between the last watchmen and the soldiers who had been drinking last night. Listening to it, Enkrid casually turned his head back to look at the face of the drunk soldier. He was a Decurion from another unit, and also a Squad Leader.
And that man had a good Mother. On the sixty-sixth day, to remember that day, he had struck up a conversation with that fellow and pretended to be friendly.
“Isn’t it your turn for morning duty?”
“You do it for me.”
While looking back, Enkrid suddenly said to Rem, who had followed him.
“Why should I?”
“You could do it just once. I’ve covered for you more than five times.”
“Are you so petty that you were counting?”
“Yeah, just yours.”
“Why only mine?”
“Because you’re annoying.”
In one hundred and twenty-five days, he hadn't been able to land a single scratch on that bastard Rem. He held no resentment, though. If there was any feeling, it was only gratitude.
In any case, Rem would do it. Having Rem take care of morning duty was the pattern that had the highest probability of survival and allowed him to start the day in the best condition, out of all the countless repeated days.
“Fine. Dammit, I’ll do it.”
Moving his body to warm up, he no longer shivered in the chilly morning air. Even as he stretched, Enkrid did not leave the front of the tent. One by one, the squad members stepped outside.
The first was Jacksen. He was one of the more diligent squad members. Jacksen met his eyes and gave a nod of greeting.
Enkrid gave a slight nod in return. After several more came out in a line, Enkrid grabbed a squad member who was coming out last, his eyes half-closed.
“Big Eyes.”
“Hm?”
His nickname was Big Eyes, and his real name was Krais Olman. He was a squad member with a pretty face. And while the 444 Squad was said to be a collection of misfits, he was the only member with below-average skills among them, whose fighting prowess was otherwise exceptional.
To be more precise, he was a guy who would get beaten to a pulp even if he fought Enkrid.
“Haam, why so early in the morning? For a high-class talent like me, waking up this early is torture.”
Krais said, yawning so wide it looked like his mouth might tear. He hadn't even wiped the sleep from his eyes or splashed any water on his face, but he was still quite handsome. The kind of looks that would attract the attention of men with such inclinations.
“Get me a few things.”
At Enkrid’s words, Krais tilted his head. He was puzzled, as this was not a person who would normally make such a request.
“Did you take up smoking? Or booze? Women are a no-go. Even I can’t bring one in at a time like this.”
Krais was the unit’s black market dealer who could get his hands on anything.
“Do I look like I’d ask for a woman?”
“No. Then what do you need?”
“Five throwing knives, oiled leather and a large needle, a deerskin glove, and finally, about ten white horse flowers and a handful of alum.”
When talking about the leather, Enkrid gestured with his hands to show the size. It was large enough to wrap around an adult man’s torso.
“... This is a collection of things that makes it impossible to guess what you’re planning.”
“So, you can’t get them?”
Krais looked at Enkrid for a moment, then nodded.
“There’s nothing I can’t get. But even for the Squad Leader, it’s not free. You know that, right?”
“How much?”
“I’ll need seventeen silver coins.”
A swindler, I see. Five throwing knives would cost one or two silver coins at a blacksmith. Of course, when the price of iron spiked, it could be more than three, but that was the usual price.
Moreover, the ones Krais would bring wouldn't even be made of pure steel. Still, he'd probably get blades that were at least usable. Good quality leather could cost whatever one asked, but it’s not like he was getting leather destined for a famous workshop.
The only things here that would cost a bit were the needle and the deerskin glove. These would certainly cost at least three silver coins, no matter how little you paid. As for the white horse flower, you could get it for a few pennies if you went to a village.
The alum could also be obtained without spending much money if there was a leather workshop nearby. Enkrid was knowledgeable about these things, but he didn’t argue. First, this was inside the barracks, meaning they were things hard to get without Krais.
Second, the price was an odd number, seventeen, not a round one. That was likely what Krais considered a fair price. There was another reason as well.
“I can get them right after breakfast, right?”
“You know that means I have to skip breakfast, right?”
“You didn't eat well anyway.”
“Heh, that's true. But, hmm, as far as I know, the Squad Leader isn't exactly flush with this, is he?”
Krais made a circle with his thumb and index finger.
“I don't have it right now.”
He sometimes saved his pay, but he recently spent it all on a new sword. He was broke right now. He would get paid after the battle, but asking for it now would get him treated like a deserter.
“Tsk, this makes things difficult.”
In response to Krais's words, Enkrid showed a smile. It was the kind of composure only a person with a solid plan could show.
“Lend me five bronze coins.”
Krais didn’t usually trust people easily. But it was a different story if that person was Enkrid.
‘Because he’s the Squad Leader.’
The Enkrid he had seen so far was not someone who would engage in foolishness. Above all, wasn’t he the man who had saved his life? Krais took out five bronze coins and handed them over.
Jingling the coins in his hand, Enkrid headed for the tent right next to theirs. As he went inside, he saw men who had started a game early in the morning. It was a dice game with the last watchman and three or four others who preferred gambling over morning sleep.
Their surprised eyes turned to Enkrid, and upon recognizing his face, they showed a look of inquiry.
“What? Isn’t that the 444 Squad Leader?”
“You're quite diligent, this early in the morning.”
Seeing this, Krais was impressed. He hated gambling. He hated getting fleeced by a cheat, but even if not, he disliked the very idea of betting his hard-earned money on luck to increase or lose it.
Winning was nice, but once you got a taste of it, you would get hooked on gambling. And if you lost, the money pouch in your hand would just vanish into thin air. In Krais's view, gambling was a game for fools.
And Enkrid was joining such a game.
“Can I join?”
“Here?”
It was the last watchman from the next tent. He rolled his eyes, glancing at his gambling buddies, then nodded his head.
“Sure.”
A sucker was always welcome anywhere. As Enkrid was about to squat down, Krais grabbed him by the collar.
“Are you going to waste my five bronze coins here?”
Though there was sleep in his eyes, his large, bright eyes stared at Enkrid.
‘He must have made quite a few women cry.’
Enkrid thought so as he grabbed Krais’s wrist and pushed it away.
“Once I’ve borrowed it, it’s my money now.”
Saying so, Enkrid finally took a spot. The gathered gamblers moved their butts to make room.
“You know how to play dice?”
A soldier who was rolling dice carved from pig bones in a wooden cup asked.
“Same numbers pay double, bet on low or high and you get what you bet. Right?”
He had seen it fleetingly over their shoulders, but he had seen it one hundred and twenty-five times. There was no way he wouldn't know. There were three dice in total.
The sum could be up to 18. So, you just had to call a number higher or lower than 9. The guy sitting in the middle was the dealer. He rolled the dice, and the others placed their bets.
“Alright, let’s start the first round.”
It was a quick game to enjoy before breakfast was ready. The stakes were not high. A minimum of five bronze coins, a maximum of two silver coins.
Enkrid bet five bronze coins.
“Low.”
“High.”
“Low.”
“Low.”
“High.”
“High.”
“Low.”
In less than ten minutes, two silver coins were in Enkrid's hand. The charm of a dice game is its speed. It was a game played for the fun of going at it bang, bang, bang in a short amount of time.
And that's what they did. At first, Enkrid memorized the numbers that came up for fun. Would the dice really show the same numbers every day?
It was a repeating day, but the things that happened around him were often subtly different. And so he knew. The roll of the dice was always the same.
“Looks like the Goddess of Fortune didn't just drop a coin, she must have planted a kiss on you.”
The soldier acting as the dealer said once Enkrid's winnings exceeded ten silver coins.
“Isn’t this cheating?”
The dealer said what the soldier right next to him should have.
“Cheating? My luck’s just good today. It’s like the goddess is whispering in my ear.”
Enkrid brushed off the suspicious gazes nonchalantly. They couldn’t argue. The one rolling the dice was the dealer.
Even if it was a setup, this was just too much. Moreover, after a while, they had even started betting on the same side as Enkrid and profited from it.
“Cheating, my ass. Your wrist is the one rolling the dice.”
“I thought maybe you were casting some damn spell.”
“As if.”
“On other days, you kept playing even when you were winning like crazy, right? No stopping just because you have bad luck.”
A soldier who had made some money thanks to Enkrid chuckled. The dealer said he understood and, after a few more rounds, spoke.
“Let’s make this the last round. We're out of time.”
Breakfast time was approaching. Enkrid rolled ten silver coins in his hand. He had started with five bronze coins and ended up like this.
All of it was the dealer’s money.
“It was fun. It's the last round, will you take ten coins? I'd like to clean you out and go.”
The maximum bet was originally five silver coins. At those words, the dealer furrowed his brow. Looking at Enkrid's accuracy today, there was no reason to accept.
“Then I'll bet on a triple and be on my way.”
Enkrid continued before the other could answer. What were the chances of three dice showing the same number? Even the soldier rolling the dice had only seen it a few times in his life.
And he had never seen it in a real game. The only times were when he was messing around by himself. Therefore, Enkrid was just messing around, as he said, and was about to give back all the silver coins he had won.
At least, that’s how it sounded to his ears.
Poke.
From behind, Krais poked Enkrid in the back. Krais mouthed the words.
‘Are you crazy?’
No, not at all. Enkrid was not crazy.
“Ten silver coins on a triple.”
“... Alright.”
Clatter!
The soldier shook the dice and slammed the cup down loudly on the ground. This was to prevent any mishaps that might occur from a gentle roll.
“Let’s see.”
The dealer soldier, showing a smile filled with anticipation, lifted the dice cup.
“... Wow, fuck.”
“The Goddess of Fortune is with him, she really is.”
“Damn it, is this even possible?”
Everyone gathered was shocked. Everyone except Enkrid.
Three dice.
They were all the same.