“In Balaph-style combat, your footing is unstable on a bed. So, what must you do to be comfortable?”
Audin asked.
Enkrid thought deeply before answering. The two men on the narrow bed were perfectly serious.
“Use strength?”
At first, he thought he was learning the knack of throwing a punch in a deliberately narrow and uncomfortable place.
“No. You can't. A bed is a place for lying down. We will practice techniques for when you are lying down.”
A bed is a place for lying down, he said. After the first combat training session, Enkrid realized that Audin washed more often than he’d thought. Even when his head was stuck in an armpit and all his limbs were pinned, there was no sour smell.
On the narrow bed, they moved their hands and feet, twisting and grabbing joints to subdue the other. No, he was the one being subdued.
“The bed is narrow. Use quick movements rather than complex ones.”
It was learning. It was teaching. It was a sip of water for a thirsty man wandering the desert.
To Enkrid, that’s what it was. And so, he focused with more than just an attentive ear. Of course, they were tricky techniques to use in a real fight.
But he had used them here and there while traveling around on requests. For instance, when grabbing and twisting the wrist of a vagrant pickpocket.
"Now that Gilfin calls himself the Guardian of the Night, it seems the number of vagrants is increasing, don't you think?"
A pickpocket caught in the act would have their wrist cut off. He looked young. Twelve years old at most?
So Enkrid handed him over to the Gilfin Guild. He heard later that the boy got a spirited thrashing. But that was surely better than having his wrist cut off.
Besides that, he always tried to utilize the techniques wherever he could. But there would be no better opportunity than this. The moment his knife-hand met the company commander’s, Enkrid stepped back with his right foot.
With his left foot forward, if he pulled his right foot forward to where his left foot was, bent and then straightened his knees to kick off the ground… It could become an explosive charging step. Using the elasticity of his whole body, he shot his right hand forward.
A thrust.
He executed it with a knife-hand, but its essence remained unchanged. It was just like when he had saved Krang. When the company commander had torn through the flap of the medical tent, Enkrid had been holding a dagger, but now it was just his hand.
The company commander reacted just as she had back then. She swung her right hand from inside to out, striking Enkrid’s wrist. The gesture knocked the thrust off course.
The company commander’s foot kicked at Enkrid’s heel. Back then, he had been helpless.
Not anymore.
Just before his foot was kicked, he lifted it to dodge and, with his posture still off-balance from the knife-hand thrust, he pivoted on his left foot and pushed forward. What was the biggest difference between himself and the Elf Company Commander?
‘Weight.’
"You identify your opponent's weakness and crush them with your strength, Brother."
Enkrid followed Audin's words. He didn't clumsily exchange blows; he overwhelmed her.
"Ugh!"
The company commander let out a short groan. She kicked Enkrid’s thigh with the sole of her foot. Enkrid endured the impact and finally pinned the company commander under his body.
As he pinned her, he grabbed her wrist and pushed it outward, then wrapped his own legs around hers. The company commander was now on her side, her left hand caught stretched out in front of her, her legs tangled and her limbs bound.
“I believe I've won.”
Enkrid said, catching his breath. The company commander only turned her head. They were close enough for their breaths to mingle.
Soon, she opened her mouth.
“Human proposals are quite different from those of elves.”
Her breath smelled of flowers. Another elven joke. Staying pressed against her like that, he could see the Elf Company Commander's lips.
They certainly looked soft, but…
“…It’s not. It's not like that.”
Enkrid tried to break the hold and get up, but this time, the company commander wrapped her legs around his waist. He staggered for a moment, but his core strength was excellent and the Elf Company Commander was light, so he held his ground.
“You have a strong back.”
Was it the listener's fault for not taking the company commander's words at face value? Or was it the speaker's?
‘No point in dwelling on it.’
“Please get down.”
The company commander, who had been half-hanging off him, got down. Then she stood up straight and dusted herself off. Dust had gotten on her from rubbing against the floor of the training yard.
The company commander slapped her own rear with her palm to brush the dust off her pants. She was wearing tight-fitting pants today, which made the posture look rather peculiar depending on how you saw it.
“You've improved.”
“Yes, I have.”
That was the single sentence she uttered next. Enkrid readily agreed. Hadn't he started this to show his true skill?
Seizing victory by exploiting a momentary opening, a weakness in his opponent. The Balaph-style grappling mixed in. It was all proof that his skills had improved, so he could agree with the company commander’s words.
The company commander paused for a moment, a very brief moment. Then she spoke.
“For now, I'll just say I'm sorry I couldn't stop it.”
He tilted his head at her out-of-the-blue remark.
“Just know that the platoon reinforcements will be assigned within the day.”
Enkrid was about to ask what she meant, but he stopped himself. The company commander had already turned and was heading inside. Would she tell him anything if he pressed her?
It didn't seem likely. From the sound of it, it was something he would find out naturally over time anyway.
‘She said she was sorry she couldn't stop it.’
He understood it was some kind of order from higher up. When it came to being perceptive, Enkrid was quite decent. It was a necessary tool for surviving with his clumsy skills.
‘I’ll find out soon enough.’
He decided it was better not to worry about it. Rather than worry about pointless things, it was better to swing his sword one more time.
The battalion commander was replaced. It was understandable. This wasn't a battlefield of small, localized skirmishes, but one where an all-out war had been declared.
The events of the previous battlefield led to an expansion of the war. The fight had grown larger. Thus, the battalion commander had to be someone specialized in combat.
“My name is Marcus.”
Battalion Commander Marcus. A man who once aspired to the rank of knight, but ultimately failed to overcome the wall of talent. Having served in various units after a stint in the frontier garrison, he was a key officer under Sir Cyprus.
He had no interest in the foolish things the previous battalion commander had done.
“The main forces are the frontier garrison and the Turtle Heavy Infantry, I suppose? The other grunts are just for filling the ranks, aren't they? Formulate a strategy accordingly. You can do that, right?”
He was a man with nothing but war on his mind. And the rumors circulating within the unit had reached his ears.
“The troublemaker squad leader? A Platoon Leader now? Peculiar. They say he was lucky?”
This was after he had received a full report on all that had happened. It didn't seem like something that could be dismissed as mere luck. Anyone would have thought so.
But Battalion Commander Marcus went a step further.
“That luck… how about we test it one more time?”
It was just one soldier. If he was sacrificed, so be it. But if the Goddess of Fortune truly favored him and kept him alive, there was no reason not to use that.
And if it wasn't luck? Would he die? Even so, he was just one soldier.
Either way, it wasn't a loss. This was the full story behind what the Elf Company Commander had said. That she was sorry for not being able to stop it.
“Send him.”
It was the formation of a unit for intelligence and covert operations. A direct order from the battalion commander. There was no way to stop it.
‘I hope he comes back alive.’
It wasn't because she truly thought of him as a partner, like in her jokes.
‘Such a talent.’
His background was clean, and he was connected to Krang. There was what he had asked of her, and she herself thought it a waste. His skill, his spirit, his courage.
She liked everything about the young man.
Therefore.
‘Come back alive.’
All she could do was hope.
“This isn't just a support mission.”
Enkrid knew Rem was just as quick-witted as he was. This mission had come down while they were handling various other requests. An order came down to cross the Pen-Hanil River north of the Border Guard and scout the surrounding terrain.
Enkrid pictured the map in his head. East from the Border Guard was the Green Pearl. Above that was the Pen-Hanil River.
And if you crossed the Pen-Hanil River and headed northeast, you'd find a city. Cross Guard, a fortress city of Azpen built for purely military purposes. The mission's destination was the location of Cross Guard.
So, on the surface, this was a terrain scouting mission.
‘But in reality, it’s intelligence gathering.’
A note was added that detailed instructions would be provided after crossing the river.
“And they singled out just you, chief?”
Jacksen, who had been reviewing the mission orders beside him, furrowed his brow. Is this a troublesome job?
Yes.
Enkrid knew it was. What's more, it wasn't the kind of job that should have come to him.
‘So this is it.’
What the Elf Company Commander said.
“Why? Terrain scouting? Rumors are flying about an all-out war, so where are you going?” a new Squad Member said.
It was a familiar face to Enkrid.
Enri.
A soldier who was once a prairie hunter. He thought Enri had said he wanted to go back to the plains after the last battle. He was still in the city.
“Even if I wanted to go back, if an all-out war breaks out, living on the plains would be impossible anyway.”
That was the reason. Besides him, two others had joined. Andrew, the once-immature Squad Leader, had now become a real Squad Leader.
Next to him, of course, was Mac. So three new people had joined, and officially, Andrew was now the Squad Leader of this unit. Of course, it was a formation that had no chance of being accepted by Rem and the other squad members.
There were only nine of them in total; what was the need for a Squad Leader? And who would listen to him anyway?
“If it's this kind of mission, I think I'd be better suited for it.”
Enri said.
“It is because this is not simple terrain scouting, Brother.”
Audin said with a gentle smile, and Enri’s shoulders flinched. It was a natural reaction for anyone seeing Audin for the first time. A giant man speaking in a soft tone with a smile.
It was incredibly awkward because the sight of his intimidating fists and bulk filled one's vision. He would need some time to get used to it.
“A direct order from the battalion commander? Can't we just ignore it?”
Ragna, who had been loitering nearby, threw out a thoughtless comment. If you ignore it, that's insubordination, you bastard. Normally, he would have thought he'd gotten screwed over.
Anyone could see it was a high-risk mission. An enemy fortress city where an all-out war was about to break out. Just getting near it was an adventure in itself.
‘Is the objective to receive information from a spy inside the city?’
Enkrid roughly guessed the mission's objective. It seemed plausible. It was a necessary task.
Someone had to step up. Usually, it would be right to use specialists for this kind of mission.
‘Seeing as the company commander said she couldn't stop it…’
It meant the battalion commander had personally stepped in. That must be why the battalion commander's seal was stamped on this.
“What do we do?”
The Platoon Leader who came to deliver the mission order said hesitantly, glancing around.
“What is there to do?”
Enkrid didn't hesitate. It was a job that had to be done anyway.
‘If it’s a real fight.’
He would always welcome it. More than anything, he was at a point where he had reaffirmed that by doing his best in any task, there would be new things to learn, master, and realize. In fact, his heart was pounding with excitement.
What exactly would happen? Was this a wall given by the ferryman? Or was it just another event passing by?
Was it the result of coincidence? Or a moment of inevitability, born from an accumulation of his past deeds? None of it mattered.
If something blocked his path, he would simply strike it down and move forward. That was Enkrid's life.
“I accept the mission.”
At Enkrid's words, the expressions of all the squad members soured.
“I'll have to follow him.”
Ragna said, but that wasn't an easy thing to do either. The battalion commander's intentions weren't clear, but an additional order stated that all squad members except Enkrid were to wait under the command of the new Squad Leader. Judging from the order.
‘He left behind those who are sure to be active on the battlefield. And singled me out.’
He himself had no idea what thoughts led to such an order. Who would have known? That based on the words "a soldier followed by luck," he had done the crazy thing of putting that luck to the test.
This battalion commander, Marcus, was not normal either. Which was to be expected.
"The officer mad for war," was the nickname that followed Marcus.
He was a man who would do anything to win. And Enkrid was just the beginning.
“Don't worry. I'll take care of it and come back.”
There was no chance of dying. As long as today repeated, as long as he accepted overcoming that today as a matter of course. As Enkrid said it casually, Rem's eyebrows shot up.
“Take care of it yourself? Youuuuurself? You think you can do that? You're still a long way off. This won't do. Special training today. Special training!”
Ragna, Jacksen, and Audin's reactions were not much different from Rem's. “Have you caught the rhythm?”
“Let's learn how to stab someone from behind.”
“Hoho, it seems the time has come to learn the Balaph-style bed combat more deeply.”
Andrew, who was standing there, glanced at everyone before opening his mouth.
“Now, I'm the Squad Leader, so I think everyone should follow my orders.”
It was an order from above. Andrew wasn't being arrogant like before; he was trying to follow orders. That was all.
“You've got to be kidding me!”
Rem snapped.
It was his usual fit.
Nothing special.
He shot forward and immediately struck Andrew on the head. His fist was so fast it was invisible. He had rushed in and struck before Andrew could even react.
Thwack.
Andrew's eyes went vacant as he was hit on the head, and he collapsed sideways. Mac, who was next to him, caught him.
“What?”
Seeing the fallen Andrew, Mac looked up as if to protest. That was Rem's response. Assaulting a superior officer.
The title that followed Rem's name. Rem glared, and Mac looked at him for a moment before checking that Andrew was only unconscious, then spoke.
“I didn't say anything.”
What could he do? The difference in strength was this great. Clumsy resistance would only be met with violence.
He already knew that. That's why he hadn't wanted to come here. But he couldn't stop Andrew from volunteering.
‘Hah.’
Life sure is twisted.
Mac lamented.
Enri, watching the scene, became certain.
‘Run your mouth carelessly, and you die.’
Only then did he feel like he understood why this was the troublemaker squad. He had come here only looking at Enkrid, but now he was starting to feel a little regret.