"Ah, Krang."
While walking along, Encrid suddenly spoke.
"Hm?"
Pel responded.
"I left without even saying goodbye."
"Humans are creatures of forgetfulness; it happens."
Luagarne remarked.
"Yeah."
Encrid nodded as he continued walking.
They hadn’t brought horses. While Cyclopean[breed] horses could handle it, the journey involved crossing mountains and rivers.
The chosen path wasn’t a well-maintained road, but it was the fastest route.
Everyone was more than capable of taking care of themselves, even without following main roads.
Besides, the number of monsters in the area had recently been significantly reduced, making the journey relatively safe.
Even if it hadn’t been, no creatures nearby posed a real threat to this group.
As the clear day passed with the sun high overhead, it felt unusually warm for winter.
It was about half a day since they had left the Border Guard. Having started before dawn, they had continued walking as the sun rose and could keep going for several more hours.
Naturally, they would prepare to camp when night fell.
"If you fall behind, I’ll leave you."
Luagarne, unusually, joked with Pel.
"Do I look like someone who has spent their life in a Knightly order, eating rations and following orders? Shepherds value walking more than swordsmanship."
As a former Shepherd of the Wilderness, Pel was confident in his walking ability. There had been times when he had to constantly drive his flock forward.
Especially since those sheep were far from tame or docile, Pel—and Luagarne as well—were skilled at traveling on foot.
"True."
Luagarne was a Frog, and Frogs were naturally better suited for travel than humans.
With preserved food easily replaced by dried insects, their load was lighter. Their robust bodies could withstand most injuries.
While they required more water than humans, walking along rivers, an essential skill for any seasoned wanderer, wasn’t an issue unless traveling through a desert.
The most critical rules of wandering were: never travel alone, and avoid unmaintained roads.
Encrid’s group had ignored two of these rules but could afford to do so.
Encrid adjusted their direction as the sun began to set, veering southeast as they walked.
The path to the Fairy city involved descending while keeping the Pen-Hanil Mountains behind them.
From the perspective of the Border Guard’s central location, everything from the former lands of Count Molsen to the northern city renamed ‘Knoll’s Lament’ was to the north.
The Pen-Hanil Mountains also lay to the north.
From a geographic standpoint, the mountain range formed a ceiling, which led some geographers to call it the ‘Roof Range’ or ‘Ceiling Mountains’.
It was said that the range’s wind patterns made this region colder than others, though such specifics were of little interest to Encrid.
Most people simply lived with the weather, whether cold or warm.
Encrid, too, had a similar outlook.
He was traveling there because the destination had been identified, not out of any concern for the geography or why the Fairy city was located there.
In any case, heading south was necessary.
The first day passed uneventfully.
Encrid used his free time to train, while Luagarne and Pel sparred. Watching them, Encrid gave a small remark.
"You’ve improved."
It wasn’t directed at Pel. Luagarne’s skills had noticeably advanced.
"I overcame the pain that cut through my flesh."
Luagarne replied with a smile.
It showed. Earlier, during their sparring match, Pel had brought his sword down in a vertical slash—a strike he had carefully prepared by briefly hiding his blade behind his back.
Luagarne countered by raising her left arm and stabbing her loop sword at an angle.
Neither had actually landed their strikes on each other’s arms or necks, as they weren’t fighting in earnest.
At their level, sparring needed to stop short of actual injuries; otherwise, one of them would surely get hurt.
"I’m better in real combat."
Pel grumbled.
Encrid nodded in agreement. Pel’s swordsmanship was indeed geared toward real battles, though it lacked finesse in tactical play.
‘Even so, his discipline seems strong.’
Though he didn’t enjoy mind games, he instinctively knew how to counter them—a skill likely honed by his daily sparring with Lawford.
In terms of pure tactical skill, Luagarne was second only to Lawford. It was natural that winning a sparring match would be difficult for Pel.
Encrid set a small goal for the Fairy city visit.
‘I’ll help Pel address his weaknesses.’
It was a gesture of goodwill, even if Pel might not see it that way.
They had eaten breakfast at the Border Guard and lunch on the move with preserved rations.
"Did you know about this new seasoning? Did you bring it on purpose?"
Pel marveled at the spiced jerky.
"I didn’t. Krais prepared it."
"Ah."
Pel nodded. Krais was meticulous in preparing travel supplies, often adding thoughtful touches that made people appreciate him.
It seemed Pel felt the same.
Both Encrid and Pel had been too busy training to notice the new sauce that had taken the Border Guard market, and even Martai, by storm.
They’d only heard rumors of it.
Dinner was a more elaborate affair. They used a pot to fetch water from a nearby stream, added dried vegetables like carrots and squash, and threw in pieces of a Fortune Fish.
Once the soup started to boil, Encrid sliced a hard bread into cubes and tossed them in.
"What’s this?"
"Improvised rations."
"When we were mercenaries with little to eat, we’d boil water and toss in whatever stale bread we had to make something edible."
It had been a long time since Encrid had prepared camp meals, and while his skills weren’t exceptional, the food wasn’t terrible.
"This isn’t bread, it’s practically dough."
Pel, initially skeptical, took a bite of the soup and its contents. He paused, then exhaled sharply like a battle cry.
"Kehah!"
"I’ll make a better stew with beef tomorrow, so just eat this for now."
"I thought you said you weren’t good at cooking?"
It sounded like praise.
"I said I only know how to make a few things."
Encrid replied nonchalantly.
"Better than bugs?"
Luagarne chimed in.
"Is that even a question?"
Pel responded, looking incredulous.
"Should I offer you some?"
Luagarne held out dried larvae, but Pel declined without much reaction.
"No thanks. I understand it’s valuable food when supplies run low, but for now, I’m fine."
He resumed eating the soup, scooping up the softened bread—or dough-like pieces, and savoring them.
"It clings to your palate."
Pel gave a thumbs-up repeatedly, muttering that this might even be a talent.
"Good."
After dinner, the group set up camp. They didn’t need a cave, just a large tree and a spread-out cloak sufficed for bedding.
Meals on the second day were similar.
Breakfast and lunch were preserved rations.
The spiced jerky was flavorful but would only last another two days before running out, after which they’d have to switch to salted jerky.
The salted variety, though not bad, couldn’t compare to the heavily spiced one.
Still, no one in the group was likely to complain about their food.
On the second day, they passed near a site where they had once fought a harpy swarm.
The once foul-smelling and eerie atmosphere had completely transformed.
"Welcome."
The previous time, they had bypassed this area, but now there was an outpost.
A soldier clad in thick gambeson greeted Encrid with a salute.
As Encrid visualized the area, he noticed that three outposts formed a circular perimeter around it.
The center likely lay just beyond a small hill.
‘The water supply here isn’t ideal for a city, but it might serve well as a temporary market.’
Recent trading cities had been increasingly utilizing overland routes alongside waterways.
‘Setting up a field market around here would be smart.’
Such an idea would have been unthinkable in the past.
The nights were once filled with monsters eager for a feast, so the notion of an unfortified field market would have been ludicrous.
Basic tents and wooden fences could only keep out wild animals at best.
However, the situation had changed.
The Border Guard Reserve had wiped out the monsters in the area.
Periodic patrols and established outposts made monsters or marauders a rare sight.
Banditry was effectively nonexistent in the Border Guard domain.
Even the stupidest criminal wouldn’t steal in a land where hauling bricks for a day could feed them well.
Of course, the world wasn’t devoid of lunatics who would form bandit gangs or brotherhoods.
But even they couldn’t openly operate here.
That said, it wasn’t as if no monsters ever appeared.
In deep winter, ice demons sometimes emerged, and yetis occasionally descended from the Pen-Hanil Mountains.
But for now, peace prevailed.
Peace forged with swords, strength, politics, and plenty of Krona.
Could it be called artificial peace?
Perhaps not. Behind the soldier, Encrid spotted a group of four merchants walking together.
They didn’t seem bothered by the presence of three armed individuals, including a Frog.
In the past, anyone meeting armed travelers on the road would have fled instantly.
‘They wouldn’t have even traveled in groups of four back then.’
The merchants were chatting incessantly, boasting about narrowly escaping danger and mixing tall tales with their adventures.
"We’ll prepare for you to stay at the outpost tonight."
The soldier offered, but Encrid shook his head.
"We’re in a hurry. Everything quiet?"
"No incidents during my shift. However, there’s been talk about Giants lately. Just a precaution."
"Giants?"
"Some traveling merchants claimed to see a Giant snoring under a tree. Others said it looked them in the eye and commented on their mismatched eye color."
The soldier, clearly a diligent outpost commander, gave a thorough report.
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Encrid patted the soldier on the shoulder, earning a proud smile in return.
"Thank you!"
To the Border Guard Reserve, Encrid wasn’t just a superior responsible for their land, he was a hero.
A Knight who rose from the bottom to earn his position.
It would have been natural for some to envy him, but that time had passed, and his status had grown too significant for petty jealousy.
Perhaps it was his reputation or personal character, but Encrid had the respect of most soldiers, whether old or new.
"Farewell."
"May fortune guide you."
By chance, their journey south resembled an inspection of the outposts.
It was an interesting sight.
These were the results of the sword he had wielded.
"Shepherds traditionally defend themselves, but this method doesn’t seem bad either."
As they crossed a dry plain and approached two hills, Pel commented, deep in thought about what they’d seen earlier.
"Let’s spar."
Encrid responded to Pel’s musings.
"Now?"
"Now."
It was sunset, with the winter sun already setting early. Pel nodded and carefully readied his sword.
Encrid was in the process of formalizing his swordsmanship, and he chose one of his techniques.
‘Iron Wall is for blocking.’
A strike delivered with full force aimed to end the fight in one decisive blow.
Drawing from his recent insights, Encrid employed a technique from the Valen Mercenary Sword Style.
Valen Mercenary Swordsmanship.
‘Intimidation without a blade.’
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