"Have you worked him so hard that he's gone crazy?"
"Oh, what work did he do and how much? Why would he go mad? Even I find it absurd enough to laugh, so I understand his feelings."
The child was saying this because the man, who was not only the head of the city but also the master of the Border Guard's territory and the head of the Knight Order, had just betrayed those Temple guys.
In response to Encrid’s question, Krais looked at Avnair as he replied.
They couldn't understand the shift in Avnair's emotions.
Seeing him suddenly laugh like that made him look like a madman.
After letting Encrid in, Krais headed towards Avnair.
After all, he wasn’t the type to be dissuaded easily, so Krais couldn’t complain to the Captain, but deep inside, a strong feeling of anxiety was brewing.
It was the same as always. He was the type to envision the worst-case scenario no matter the situation.
‘If things are going this way…’
As anxiety surged, Krais’s keen mind began working even faster.
‘If the Holy Nation doesn’t resort to force, what will they do first?’
What can they do to interfere, hinder, and annoy?
If it were him, he would do whatever it took to influence this area.
His mind raced wildly with worst-case scenarios.
Simultaneously, Krais also thought of the preparations needed to counter such actions.
He had roughly drawn up a plan. Still, wouldn’t it be wise to verify it?
In such a situation, having a strategist more skilled than himself was one of the comforting elements.
"Avnair, would you mind listening to see if this is right?"
Krais shared his plan. He spoke without pause, leaving no room for Avnair to interrupt.
Krais had already prepared various things, anticipating that Encrid might cause trouble at any time.
Among them was a plan for how to provide support if suddenly a demon descended and they had to engage in a full-scale battle.
After all, Encrid might go out and provoke a demon before coming back, right?
‘Isn’t it possible?’
Although it was rare for a demon from the Demon Realm to invade the continent, Krais considered it a possibility.
It was one of the ten worst nightmares Krais had ever imagined.
"You dream in remarkable detail, don’t you?"
His lover, Nurat, once commented that he was quite over-the-top, but nevertheless, he made his preparations.
Conflict with the Temple was comparatively simpler than a demonic descent.
It was indeed crazy.
"Why do you even ask me if you’ve already decided everything?"
When Avnair interrupted mid-explanation, Krais scolded him.
"Focus a bit, would you? Does this look like someone else’s business to you? We’re doing this for everyone’s benefit. What if the Temple plays some trick here, and everyone ends up starving and miserable? Hmm? Is that good for Aspen?"
"No, I didn’t mean it like that..."
Avnair tried to defend himself, but Krais kept scolding him before he let out a deep sigh.
"Anyway, this is how we’re going to do it."
Avnair listened roughly to Krais’s plan, keeping it in mind before asking the question he had genuinely wanted to ask.
"Aren't you resentful of him?"
Even though Krais was anxious and kept glancing around, he continued to work.
Avnair found it fascinating, wondering how he could accept this so casually.
Was there anyone on the continent who would stand up to the Holy Nation like this?
Even the southern kingdom’s king would not dare to do such a thing. Perhaps the Emperor of the Empire, but...
Krais spoke with a nonchalant attitude, neither smiling nor crying.
"No, I’m used to it. In fact, the original name of this Knight Order was the ‘Troublemaker Squad’."
To Avnair, that name seemed fitting.
However, just as the title of ‘Order of Madness’ must have sounded strange when people first heard it, the word ‘troublemaker’ didn’t quite suit a Knight Order’s name.
"I’ll be holding a meeting in a few days, so you should attend as well, Avnair."
With that, Krais swiftly walked away, appearing to have numerous things to take care of. Though there was irritation in his steps, there was no resentment—he simply looked as if he was doing what needed to be done.
In the city as a whole, the sentiment seemed the same.
Many people had heard the news, but the amount of worry and concern was minimal. It was very minimal.
"He’s back."
"Is training starting again tomorrow?"
Some worried about the intensity of training that the Iron Wall Knight would enforce now that he was back.
“Phew, leave, leave. I’d sell my soul for a vacation.”
There were also soldiers, looking half like ghouls, who were just begging for a break.
"Please, spar with me!"
And then there were others, boldly asking for a match with the returned Knight Captain, who was also the hero responsible for the territory.
"You have returned, sir!"
Even the lord came out to greet him with a welcome.
This man’s skill only shone in his later years?
Though Junior-Knights were uncommon, it was now more common to see them than before.
Various groups across the continent were revealing the powers they had kept hidden.
The world had changed, and at the heart of this transformation was the Iron Wall Knight.
The remarkable thing was how the lord’s own growth was heavily influenced by Encrid’s presence.
His mere existence motivated everyone around him, and those who didn’t give up or back down all made progress.
In some ways, it was a marvelous mystery, almost like magic.
But this was reality, and since everyone accepted it naturally, perhaps this event was easily overlooked as well.
There could be no greater wonder than this.
And because of this, every group across the continent was on the verge of revealing its power.
In a sense, everything Encrid had done was like a signal flare announcing that those who had previously refrained from using their strength would now have to reveal and fight with it.
‘A new world, huh.’
As the dynamics of the continent shifted, Avnair felt something like that. The wind blew, scattering his hair.
From Aspen to Naurillia.
From prisoner to the present.
The winds of change were blowing.
A glimpse of the future—a future where nothing was certain.
Lost in thought for a moment, Avnair returned to the present and looked ahead.
He saw the elderly lord moving with a fierce determination, eager to spar.
As the lord, he should be worried, right?
Yet he seemed completely unconcerned about his conflict with the Temple.
While not every member of the city might feel the same, outwardly, they all seemed united.
No one questioned what Encrid had done.
There was likely only one reason.
Everything he had shown until now proved his worth.
"Ah."
Although Avnair had understood this intellectually before, it was only now that he felt it deeply in his heart.
They hadn’t lost merely due to a lack of strength.
While he had always known this, seeing and experiencing it firsthand etched it deeply within his heart.
‘I lost.’
But despite the loss, he felt neither despair nor defeat. This was Avnair’s current state of mind.
His heart raced, and he looked forward to tomorrow.
* * *
“What did you just say?”
As soon as he returned, Encrid conveyed Audin’s words to everyone, including Rem and Ragna. This was something he needed to share quickly.
“Audin said that when he returns, he’ll beat each of you up a few times.”
Encrid summarized and repeated what he had said earlier.
“Who’s going to beat whom? That bear of a youngest brother is going to beat me?”
“If you call him the youngest one more time, he probably will.”
At Encrid’s words, Rem picked up his axe and smirked.
Who’s beating whom?
Even if the kid got close in a close-quarters fight, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
For someone like Rem, distance control was a basic skill. Passing the level of a master and rising above a Knight was no joke.
Those at this level never easily allowed their preferred fighting range to be compromised.
So Audin, that youngest cub, didn’t stand a chance. He was just a bear, hard enough to be annoying to hit.
“Talking nonsense, aren’t you?”
Rem spoke again, knowing Audin’s limits well from their previous sparring sessions.
“From what I see, that bear of a man is a step above you all.”
Sinar chimed in from the side. In truth, you never know who will win until you fight, but you can often gauge a few things from appearances.
The intensity of the Divine Power within him and the amount of it served as the basis of Sinar’s judgment.
Although you couldn’t predict the outcome of a life-and-death battle, in a sparring match? If he couldn’t swing his axe with full force?
Hearing the Fairy’s words, Rem’s eyebrows twitched, a face one makes when hearing something unpleasant.
Would that Fairy lie? The probability was low.
Furthermore, Encrid wasn’t the type to joke about this sort of thing.
“Really?”
Rem asked again.
“Really.”
Encrid nodded solemnly.
Rem felt that this was the truth.
Especially since Encrid was incredibly serious when it came to swordsmanship and martial arts.
He wasn’t someone who would lie about this.
Next to him, Ragna, with eyes a bit wider than usual, asked.
“Who?”
“Audin.”
Encrid answered kindly.
“Who?”
Ragna repeated the same words in the same tone.
“He said he’d be back in a few months at the latest.”
Encrid replied calmly, knowing only those who needed to hear it would listen. He also knew that these guys couldn’t be unaware of what he had realized.
Hadn’t they all sensed that Audin was hiding something?
Even Pel and Lawford knew.
In truth, they had all noticed it to some extent.
And to add, they knew Audin would rather die than reveal his full potential.
They had tormented him under the guise of sparring enough times to know this.
So, had he finally broken free of his shell?
Even after hearing Encrid’s words, Lawford, Pel, and Luagarne remained unfazed.
The same went for Jaxon. Although he couldn’t say he got along particularly well with Audin, he didn’t have any real issue with him either.
They both respected each other’s boundaries in their own way.
But Rem and Ragna were different.
They teased Audin endlessly and tormented him. They even made him play the youngest sibling for a while.
Recently, there had been rumors about Ragna being the youngest, mad for blood, but until then, they had teased him relentlessly as the youngest cub.
At least, outwardly, that’s how it appeared.
Rem gripped his axe and stood up. Hadn’t he grown a bit lazy in his training while enjoying his new toy—his troops?
Yes, he had. Now, he wouldn’t have time for that.
“Don’t look for me for a while.”
Fortunately, luck was on his side. Recently, he had found traces of strange monsters in the Pen-Hanil Mountains, shapeless beings resembling spirits.
He thought he might be able to convert them into spells.
He didn’t know how yet. That was something he’d have to figure out from now on. But it had suddenly become urgent.
Originally, he had planned to take his time, but now he couldn’t afford to.
In the West, they often said, "trying to catch the sunlight when it’s setting."
It was similar to the phrase "a fire has been lit under your feet."
It was also called “chasing the twilight” in a shortened form, like “dark dawn”.
In any case, it meant he was in a hurry.
“Tell that Big Eyes guy that my unit is on leave for a while!”
He usually didn’t go out much once the weather turned chilly, but he showed his determination by packing himself with heated stones and leather in his tent.
Watching him, Encrid nodded and asked.
“Sparring later, then?”
“Let’s meet in a few days.”
It would be crazy to go to the Pen-Hanil Mountains alone, but this was Rem.
“I’ll bury your corpse properly if you die.”
Encrid raised his hand and said, and Rem smirked as he replied.
“Playing with those religious guys and now you’re bringing blessings too? Why don’t you just offer a prayer while you’re at it?”
“If you need it, I’ll do that too.”
“Ah, just go away, can’t you see I’m busy?”
This was rich coming from someone who had been oiling his axe and warming himself by the fire in his quarters before Encrid arrived.
Ragna silently gripped his sword, moved to a corner of the training ground, and began swinging it.
Swish. Swoosh. Wham.
Each swing of his sword made a different sound.
Seeing the two of them, Encrid felt a surge of motivation.
There were things he had realized on his way back that he wanted to try.
As usual, he returned and resumed his routine.
Swinging his sword, training, strengthening himself—that was his routine.
“Do you plan on bringing back a new girl every time you go out? A collection? Or is it that face?”
At one point, Esther, who had transformed into her human form, approached him and spoke.
“I feel the sorrow of an unpopular man welling up. It’s not my face, it’s that the child needed a place to stay.”
Encrid replied in a way that Esther couldn’t fully understand.
Although he thought he had forgotten, the words Seiki had spoken lingered deep in his heart.
Since arriving at the Border Guard, Seiki had quickly adapted and was now following Sinar around.
Sometimes she would leave behind a simple suggestion to train together, and she seemed excited by the sight of the mountains, plains, and new terrains.
Are all Highlanders like Seiki? Is exploring and studying new terrains something they enjoy?
Is she special, or are all Highlanders like that?
As he entered the city, he recalled Seiki’s words.
“I want to live in the mountains for the rest of my life. It’s not that I don’t want to associate with others, it’s just that I like living like that. Hunting, eating delicious food, sometimes counting stars, basking in moonlight, drinking—living like that.”
It was a lifestyle she learned from her grandfather. She wanted to live that way, repeating morning and evening every day until she died of old age.
Can one ascribe great meaning to such a life? Probably not.
But he could feel her genuine desire for such a life.
Is it right to dismiss it as simple or modest? Certainly not. Must every dream change the world?
Of course not.
Must every dream be accompanied by difficult trials?
Certainly not.
Must every dream transform a person’s life?
No, that’s not necessary either.
“I know my desire might change. My grandfather repeatedly told me I know too little and lack experience. He said my wish to live as a mountain person might come from my youth and lack of understanding. But if my thoughts change, shouldn’t I think about it then?Anyway, that’s how I want to live. Just as I said.”
These were the words of a child who loved the moon and stars, mountains and stones, waterfalls and streams, the freshness of spring, the warmth and sunlight of summer, the coolness and abundance of fall, the cold and the pure white snowflakes of winter.
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