Encrid knew that he could be quite daring at times, and the masked man before him was no different.
"How is it?"
The masked man asked, his name was Kdianath Rangdias Naurill, he was the King of the nation Encrid belonged to.
"Is there really a need to cover your face while moving around at night in a black carriage?"
"It just feels different, doesn't it? The mood."
Krang said as he lowered his mask.
There were several steps involved in getting him here, but the biggest factor was Krang’s will.
In terms of timing, the outcome and details of the war had been reported to Naurillia, and the first thing the King heard was that there were no casualties.
"Does that even make sense?"
Some, especially those who were secretly envious of Encrid, scoffed.
This was even before the rumors of him single-handedly stopping an army as the ‘Iron Wall’ began to spread. It was all incomprehensible to them.
"Wouldn't it make more sense if you said that four soldiers from the Border Guard became Knights and formed a new order?"
One of them unknowingly hit the nail on the head, but it was all just chatter among themselves.
The Royal Palace immediately dispatched a small delegation, consisting of about ten people, one of whom was Andrew Gardner.
"I was supposed to join the rear troops if a full-scale war broke out. But why did it end?"
His expression was a mix of joy, confusion, and surprise.
On the way, he had heard the growing reputation of Encrid, nicknamed the ‘Iron Wall’.
Even before, within the Border Guard, Encrid's name had been renowned.
Every lady showing off her beauty aimed for him, and even many merchants wanted to curry favor with him, while some wandering swordsmen even joined under him.
But the rumors spreading now were far beyond that.
If Encrid declared tomorrow that he was King, people would flock to him in droves.
At this point, he could establish a duchy or claim the throne if he wanted to.
The core of the rumor was this:
"Did he stop an army by himself?"
He didn’t kill them all, he just stared them down, and they stopped?
They said a wall appeared behind him, blocking the enemy. Some even claimed that when he drew his sword on the ground, light shot out from the crack, forming a wall of light that stopped the enemy army.
As rumors tend to be exaggerated, later stories even claimed that an army of angels wielding flaming swords descended and halted the Aspen forces.
The angel supposedly waved his hand, and people were flung into the sky.
Of course, it was nonsense. But there was some truth mixed in.
The fact was, Encrid had indeed stopped an army by himself.
"Is it true?"
Andrew wanted to dash off and see for himself, but first, he had to send back his troops. From supplies to accommodations, maintaining an army costs money, and he couldn’t burden the Border Guard with it.
Entering a city that had already spent a fortune on war preparations and asking for food and lodging wasn’t feasible.
If they had come as reinforcements, they would have naturally been supplied, but the battle had already ended.
Moreover, Andrew’s own pockets weren’t deep enough to cover the costs of staying in the city for long.
So, he sent his troops back and, in the meantime, received an official request from the palace to join the delegation.
Since he was nearby and already familiar with the situation, he was more than willing to join.
"Yes."
To Andrew's question, Encrid nodded plainly, and Andrew's pupils trembled wildly.
"How?"
"If you create a forest of Will, that will do."
Sinar, who was with them, answered, but naturally, it made no sense to Andrew.
"There is a message from the Capital, requesting that in a month's time, you leave from the Border Guard and come to the Capital to receive recognition for your service."
One of the envoys spoke cautiously, and Encrid nodded.
With that, the mission of the delegation should have ended, but one member of the delegation came to visit Encrid in the night. Naturally, Andrew was with him.
Encrid and some of his soldiers had already identified one of the envoys earlier in the day.
"Are you insane?"
Encrid couldn’t help but ask the visitor sincerely.
After much discussion, the core message was this:
"I'm not crazy. No one will know. And with the famous 'Iron Wall Sword' by my side, would I be in any danger? Aspen is busy trying to open all diplomatic channels and resolve its internal issues. I'd bet five silver coins that they’re too distracted to notice anything else."
"Isn’t that a bit cheap for a King?"
"The treasury’s running low. Part of the reason I came was to ask for more money."
Andrew rolled his eyes. Even he thought this was madness.
What kind of King fakes illness to sneak into a former battlefield?
And it didn’t even end there.
Hearing the rest of the plan, it seemed like it might be even more outrageous than Encrid’s ‘Iron Wall’ incident.
Of course, the fact that the King had come here had to remain a complete secret.
'This is insane.'
So, what was the only rational thing to do in this situation?
Stop thinking.
Since he knew Encrid, he became one of the five people privy to the King’s secret.
The only ones aware of Krang’s presence here were the Duke of Octo, who had fainted from dizziness when he couldn’t stop him, the Commander of the King’s guard, the Marquis of Visar, and Marcus Visar.
Ordinarily, the Commander of the royal guard should have been here.
"If you’re not at the palace, it’ll be obvious that I’m gone. I need you to stay and keep watch in secret."
Krang’s persuasion led him to come in the Commander’s place. So, he abandoned his thoughts and simply did as he was told.
During the day, he had even sparred with Encrid after a long time, and after hearing that he had become a Knight, he was surprised and happy. Now it was time to fulfill his duties as a nobleman and the King’s closest aide.
Krang had two reasons for coming here.
One was for peace negotiations with Aspen.
The other was literally to beg for a tax increase.
"I can't exactly ask the Border Guard to publicly request more coin."
So, he wanted them to send more tax revenue on their own.
"Still, Your Majesty, this isn’t something you should come in person for."
Naturally, Encrid wasn’t alone in this.
Krais, who was responsible for external affairs, was also there.
It was Krais who spoke from behind Encrid.
"If I come personally, they might be so moved by my sincerity that they cry."
"My emotions dried up long ago."
"Are you a sand type?"
There was a trend sweeping the continent lately, classifying personality types. One type was emotional and soft like moist soil, while the other was logical and dry, like sand.
"Yes, I’m pure sand."
Krais didn’t back down, but in the end, he agreed to send the taxes.
If Encrid wasn’t planning to proclaim himself King or suddenly swallow up Aspen, it was important to maintain a good relationship with Naurillia.
Due to the recent civil war, many of Naurillia’s trade routes were disrupted, and the royal treasury had been drained. Helping them now was the right thing to do.
Of course, he didn’t want to do it for free.
"You’ve heard of the Salon, right?"
Krais took the opportunity to secure a personal benefit from this official matter. He explained the role and usefulness of the Salon and asked Krang to visit once it was up and running.
"As much as you like."
Krang smiled brightly. If he could replenish the royal treasury, what wouldn’t he do?
He could even strip down and dance if necessary.
"So, you’re going to Aspen? Are you planning to start another full-scale war?"
Rem, the barbarian, had joined the conversation quickly, and Krang replied without a trace of concern.
"No."
"Then what?"
Encrid asked.
"I told him to come out."
"Told who?"
"The King of Aspen."
"You think he’ll come?"
"What if he doesn’t?"
Krang ended with a smile, answering with a question.
It didn’t seem like Krang had thought things through deeply, but in reality, he had calculated the aftermath of everything.
Would crushing Aspen be beneficial? Would it be worth organizing an army, marching, burning cities, and pillaging?
'Even if I could, I won’t.'
If the Border Guard were to lead the charge, the war could spread across the continent like wildfire.
Even if that didn’t happen, conquering an entire country wasn’t an easy task.
Should they take hostages and turn Aspen into a vassal state?
The pride of the Aspen people wouldn’t allow them to fall so easily.
'Wouldn’t rebellions flare up all over the place?'
Some nobles would side with them, but many wouldn’t.
The stability of the kingdom would be thrown into chaos.
The problem was that Naurillia didn’t have the capacity to handle such chaos right now.
They could use brute force to subjugate them.
Under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t even be an option, but with Encrid and his Mad Company, it became possible.
But completely subduing Aspen was a different matter altogether.
If they were prepared, they might try to swallow up the neighboring country too, but Krang didn’t think that was a good idea. Now was a time for stability.
'The best outcome would be for the King of Aspen to handle it himself.'
And ideally, he would do so in a way that perfectly aligned with Krang’s intentions. For that, he needed to meet him at least once.
Whether it ended in a threat or a negotiation.
That’s why Krang decided to take action himself, to arrange things behind the scenes with Aspen.
Politically, there was nothing better than pretending not to know while scheming in the background. There wasn’t.
So Krang sent a secret message to Aspen, requesting a clandestine meeting.
What if Aspen laid a trap? Then it would be a disaster, not for Krang, but for Aspen.
If Krang even slightly changed his mind, Aspen could be wiped off the map.
Of course, there was some risk in personally stepping forward, but Krang had judged that this approach was worth it.
'If things go south, I’ll just kill the King and retreat.'
He wouldn’t take unnecessary lives. But the king had responsibilities just by sitting on that throne.
That crown carried obligations, and the throne carried accountability.
It was a common saying about Kings.
So, Aspen’s King couldn’t complain even if he died just for sitting there.
The responsibility for defeat, the deaths of Knights, all of it ultimately fell on the King.
This was Krang’s belief, and people lived by their beliefs, didn’t they?
Krang was no different.
If Aspen’s King died, the country would be thrown into civil war.
Even if the Hurrier and Ekins families united to install a puppet King, the chaos would still come. It was inevitable.
Of course, if they could reach an understanding, that wouldn’t happen.
Even though it was a secret meeting, it was done in Krang’s name. They couldn’t disregard the weight of such a promise.
In any case, Krang had considered all of this.
Bold moves, ambition, a dialogue with the King of Aspen.
What he stood to gain wasn’t insignificant.
'It would be better if we could talk it out.'
If a civil war erupted in Aspen, and some hot headed idiots charged at them, it would lead to immediate war, and there would be casualties on their side.
Of course, if necessary, they would fight. If necessary, blood would be spilled. But that didn’t need to happen now, and there was no need to be caught up in a dying nation’s last desperate struggle.
Krang didn’t share all of his thoughts.
Encrid likely wouldn’t care much.
So, he kept his words brief and to the point.
"I just want to see his face. The guy who keeps challenging me."
It sounded like a crude reason for peace negotiations, but Encrid accepted it.
He knew Krang wouldn’t take action without careful consideration.
And so, the three of them set off.
Sinar, Jaxon, and Encrid.
Perhaps to prevent any assassination attempts or schemes, Jaxon and Sinar were brought along.
Along with them was Encrid, the hero of the recent battle.
This had been requested by the King of Aspen as well.
"If the man who stopped the army at the end of the battle comes with you, I will meet."
That was the message they had received.
And Andrew Gardner joined as their coachman.
There was no need for Rem or anyone else to accompany them.
On Aspen’s side, only the King and four others would come.
The core of the plan was this: Go in secret and meet in secret.
"Let’s go."
After riding in the carriage for a while, the group passed the Cross Guard to the west and continued on.
They passed the traces of the army's encampment, killing a few monsters and beasts along the way, and eventually saw a distant light in the night. It was the meeting point.
Encrid suddenly grew curious about the King of Aspen.
Just how much did this man love war that he kept insisting on fighting like this?
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.. 🤔