"Tch, that's unfortunate. I could have just left it behind."
"Hmm, he survived."
"The Lord has yet to welcome you, brother."
"Hmm, I momentarily forgot."
"Your limbs are fine. As long as they're not cut off, you're fine."
"Is a Frog the same as a person? I wonder if you're alright, Sir Ragna."
Just before he passed out, Ragna heard such words.
Thinking about who the last two might be, they seemed like Luagarne and Lawford.
The one who said he forgot midway was probably Encrid.
The first was a barbarian, and the next, a stray wild cat.
Ragna, skipping the intermediate thought process, opened his eyes and said,
"One hand is enough."
If you put together the omitted words, it meant, even if you all come at me, one hand is enough.
So, regardless of his injuries, he was telling them to come at him.
"No need to cut off your arm, though?"
He thought he had closed his eyes for a moment, but it wasn't so. The ceiling was unfamiliar, and a woman he'd never seen before was staring at him intently.
It was Ann, who claimed to be a healer. She looked at the blonde Ragna quietly and said,
"Rest. For a few days, you need to eat well and take your medicine regularly."
Her tone was firm.
Ragna nodded to her words. Looking at his limbs, they were wrapped in bandages, and he felt pain, but he was much better than before he passed out.
"Where am I?"
"In a treatment room, though it's still a bit lacking. The so-called medics in the barracks don’t even know basic medicine, and half of the alchemists who make healing potions act haughty using some formulas they learned by watching over someone’s shoulder. The other half babble nonsense about ancient heirloom recipes. But there is one good thing, if you ask for something, it comes out like magic."
The woman, Ann, was crushing some herbs in a wooden bowl as she rattled on.
Before the war began, Ann was assigned to the medical corps. Encrid had left her under Sinar's care, but Sinar couldn't look after her personally.
So, Ann ended up like a commoner participating alone in a gathering of noble offspring.
What do you call this?
There was an old story similar to this. A commoner woman with transformation magic falls in love with a prince and tries to woo him with a shoe.
In that story, after the woman was brutally ostracized at the party, she became furious and fought using her shoes as weapons. Afterward, there was a saying that if you don’t have a weapon at a party, you can use your shoes as weapons.
Though the details were vague, that thought crossed her mind.
At least the fortunate thing was that while people stared blankly at her, no one tried to assault her or looked at her with lecherous eyes.
Being in the same situation as a commoner for two days was more than enough.
"Who did you say you were?"
"I'm Ann."
A man with big eyes came and asked who the kid the Captain had brought was, and gave her a place to stay.
When he asked if she needed anything, Ann nodded and opened her mouth.
"A room to stay in alone, equipment and tools needed for research, and if possible, books about alchemy. Also, if there's an alchemist staying in the city, I'd like to meet them."
At her bold request, Krais asked what exactly she was.
Though a bit taken aback, Ann confidently said she was a healer. After that, the man with big eyes began to take care of her with a welcoming attitude.
Krais wasn't a fool, he knew that most of the people gathered in the city or those who were invited were fraud-alchemists.
Even though half of them were frauds, it was still better to support them rather than drive them out.
Supporting these kinds of people would eventually attract real alchemists or researchers.
After all, you have to bait the hook to catch the fish, right?
Still, there was a bitter feeling in his heart.
It felt like tossing a handful of silver coins into a well for nothing.
These crazy alchemists, after receiving silver coins, should give something in return, but they were all somewhat clumsy. It was in this situation that Ann appeared.
"A disciple of Alchemist Laban?"
"Yes, particularly in developing medicines and healing diseases..."
"Understood."
After that, Ann's life became peaceful, and everything she needed was provided.
The only thing she could ask for now was a great teacher, perhaps?
But that was just greed.
In terms of skill, there probably weren’t many alchemists as capable as Laban.
Even for potion-making, Laban’s potions were quite reputable.
A potion, considered an immediate remedy, was often called a second life on the continent.
In fact, some potions were sold under the name ‘Second Life’.
These potions could be categorized into two types: one imbued with divinity, sold exclusively by holy nations, and the other, developed through the secret knowledge passed down by certain alchemists. Naturally, the former was more effective and safer, though expensive and limited in number.
However, some potions from reputable workshops in the latter category were also well-known and sold well.
Since Laban had researched potions with Ann, Krais believed that Ann was capable of developing them.
Although she could heal people, perform surgeries, and even set bones, her primary expertise was alchemy.
Even if she were a fraud, the basic principle of investment is trust, so Krais provided her with whatever she needed.
Ann soon had her own private research lab instead of being in the infirmary, and a treatment room was set up accordingly.
Her abilities were naturally recognized.
Even when she was with Laban, people often called her a genius.
It would be great if all talented people could seize opportunities and grow like this, but of course, that wasn’t always the case.
Some could fully develop their talents, while many others simply lived and died without realizing their potential.
In that regard, Ann knew she was lucky. But her desire to research and study healing further fueled her ambition, making her wish for even more.
It was in this situation that Ann met Ragna, which led her to speak freely.
Aside from Ragna, who was seriously injured in this battle, there was only one soldier with a sprained ankle and the Lord.
The Frog didn't need her care, so that was the full extent of it.
The Lord, once his body had somewhat healed, left the treatment room, saying he was tired of it, and the soldier with the sprained ankle didn’t even need to be in the treatment room in the first place.
So, the only one lying there with serious injuries and awake was Ragna.
There were others with minor colds, but the entire city was celebrating now. With the victory and titles like ‘The Impenetrable’, the city was buzzing.
There wasn’t a single soldier lying down unless they were severely ill.
Anyway, this was the situation, and since Ragna's appearance appealed to her, Ann began to talk.
Ragna, hearing her talk, lazily opened his half-closed eyes and said,
"I see."
It was a response that clearly showed he had no interest at all.
"Uh, yes, right."
Ann was a little taken aback. Usually, when a girl as pretty as her showed interest, wasn’t it normal for a guy to be excited?
She thought so to herself, but in truth, Ann had never experienced any romantic development with anyone.
Her knowledge of relationships came solely from books.
Ann stared blankly at Ragna’s sleepy eyes and his greasy blonde hair from not washing.
If he cleaned up and dressed nicely, he would look quite decent. Right now, though, because he was injured, hadn’t washed, and hadn’t eaten properly, even his skin looked dry.
"My name is Ann."
"I see."
Ragna, already having lost interest, gave a half-hearted reply and closed his eyes.
Ann, looking at Ragna like that, felt her heart race.
What’s with this guy?
Even if he wasn’t interested, wasn’t it common courtesy to at least introduce himself after hearing someone else’s name?
She almost spat out a curse she had learned during her training under Laban, as well as during her travels across the continent.
But to Ragna, the chattering girl in front of him didn’t even register.
He closed his eyes again.
Though he had already seen the outcome of the battle, one scene kept gnawing at his mind.
Just before he used a broken sword as a crutch to head back to the camp, Ragna had seen what Encrid did.
‘What was that?’
A wall of Intimidation had stopped the enemy.
It was the first time he had ever seen such a manifestation of Will.
If his body were a little more intact, he would’ve immediately gone to ask him, but Ragna knew that his body wasn’t in normal condition.
Now was the time to rest.
* * *
"Now, speak."
The faint lamplight illuminated only half of Sinar’s face, casting deep shadows on her features.
"Was it Will?"
Encrid glanced at the person sitting beside her, completely shrouded in darkness.
That sly stray cat, Jaxon. Only his eyes glimmered in the darkness, as if he could disappear at any moment, his presence so faint.
"Sneaky bastard. Light a fire on your back."
Whoosh.
Rem reached over to the extinguished lamp and lit a candle.
As the lamp and the brazier ignited, the room brightened significantly.
In one corner, the hide of a bear beast hung on the wall, dry grass covered the floor, and on top of that lay a gray carpet. There was a wooden desk, and a peculiar bed built at head height along one wall.
It was Sinar’s room.
When Sinar had invited Encrid to discuss the iron wall he had displayed, the others had followed along.
It didn’t really matter where they gathered. After all, Sinar didn’t spend much time in her room.
"You should be careful with fire."
Sinar said as she watched Rem light the fire on his back. She didn’t know why, but Sinar was always cautious about fire.
"No one’s going to die from a fire here."
Rem replied nonchalantly, snorting as he nudged Encrid’s elbow.
"Come on, spill it. What did you do?"
"I'm also curious about the way you called my name, brother."
Following Rem, Audin chimed in. Next to him were Teresa, Lawford, Pel, and Luagarne.
No, even right outside the barracks, Odd-Eye was there, and Encrid was stroking Esther’s back. Of course, she was still in her panther form.
Esther purred.
Lately, she had stopped walking around in human form, as if she had decided to remain a panther permanently.
It was, in a way, a peaceful time.
The war was over, and the days were spent drinking and feasting.
In the meantime, rumors about him being called the ‘ Sword of Iron Wall’ were floating around.
It had a slightly better ring to it than ‘Demon Slayer’, didn’t it?
With these stray thoughts, Encrid responded to their questions with short answers.
"What?"
“Playing dumb, huh? You’re quite the expert at it, aren’t you?”
"Talking about when they gave you the nickname 'Iron Wall'."
"Didn't you use some special technique when you called for me, brother? The slippery-footed brother."
Audin had a habit of creatively changing the title before ‘brother’ when he spoke.
Encrid gathered their questions. Rem and a few others who had reached the level of Knights were simply curious, but Lawford and Pel’s eyes were different.
Especially Luagarne, who, despite missing a leg, had dragged herself here with the will to occupy a seat.
Her eyes were like those of a Giant, not a Frog. It seemed like her eyes were so full of oil that they were glistening even in the sockets.
Recalling the situation from that time, Encrid spoke.
"I built a wall and mixed in Intimidation."
It was nothing more than unleashing an overwhelming Will, a heightened surge of emotion, and channeling it until it overflowed.
"Shit, is that supposed to be an explanation?"
Rem grumbled in frustration. It made no sense at all.
"Hmm, that's all?"
Jaxon threw in his own comment.
Even among Knights, Encrid’s composure was something rare. However, he now felt his frustration surge, something akin to willpower but entirely different.
Being rebuked for not being able to explain?
Rem and Jaxon had no right to talk like that.
"Brother, how did you call me?"
It wasn’t just the wall, when Encrid had called Audin, he had unleashed a similar Will.
How could he explain this?
"I poured willpower into my shout."
Encrid replied more cautiously this time.
"I see."
Audin smiled, but his expression looked somewhat stiff. His eyes were strained, the forced smile not reaching them.
Rem's grumbling and Audin’s expression were essentially the same.
"That’s all I can explain."
Encrid repeated.
He also unintentionally felt what Rem, Jaxon, Ragna, and Audin must have felt when they were asked to explain their techniques.
It was something you just did, but when asked to explain, it became perplexing.
And because he understood their feelings, he recognized that their reactions were justified.
So, Encrid did the same.
"What more do you want?"
"Haha."
To his surprise, Sinar burst out laughing.
Lawford and Pel were deep in thought, and Luagarne started muttering as if in a trance.
"If one could do such things with Will, it wouldn’t be possible to build a wall alone, but with enough power, one could block a path with large stones."
In a sense, she had grasped it correctly. It was a matter of sheer willpower pushing through.
"Like how Grime’s wings cloak fear."
"Or like raising multiple blades to threaten."
"You don't need to carry several shields, sister. One large shield can block everything. But that shield would have to be quite big, thick, and solid. Though, the wall the Captain built was a bit soft."
Rem, Jaxon, and Audin each gave their interpretations, and Rem chimed in again.
"That’s true."
"It was a bit of a dull blade."
Each of them interpreted what Encrid had said in their own way.
In other words, it was the realm of geniuses.
Audin, in the midst of this, was even explaining things to Teresa.
Encrid smiled, watching them, and blessed them with words.
"You sons of beasts with human faces and four legs."
In short, it was a creative insult likening them to the offspring of human-faced dogs.
With that, Encrid brushed himself off and stood up.
They had gathered here by chance, but tonight he had work to do. He had come to meet Sinar for that purpose, but things had turned out this way.
It was a commission from Naurillia.
"Let’s go. Jaxon."
"Yes."
He wasn’t going alone. Jaxon silently stood up as well.
"Sinar?"
"My laughing, unshrinking fiance, yes, let's go."
Perhaps the title ‘Demon Slayer’ would have been better.
As the three of them stood up, Rem also moved, saying he was going to sleep, and Audin left, saying it was time for prayer.
Everyone else began to move as well.
As they stepped outside, they donned black cloaks, making them look like shadows moving through the darkness.
"Looks good. Three stray cats?"
Rem sneered as he left.
Was it by coincidence that they had ended up wearing black clothes at night?
Of course, they weren’t going to stride out in gleaming armor adorned with jewels.
Attracting beasts or monsters that were mesmerized by shiny things or revealing their movements in the night was not the plan.
After all, this was a confidential mission.
Encrid, along with Jaxon and Sinar, headed toward the outskirts of the city, specifically in the direction of the Green Pearl.
There, a black-painted carriage awaited them. Inside the carriage, a man was already seated.
He waved his hand from the window.
Once the three boarded the carriage, the masked man asked,
"How is it?"
Encrid responded indifferently.
"Looks good."
Soon, the carriage began to move. Its destination: the border, toward Aspen.
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔