A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

Chapter 327

A roar erupted behind Rem, Teresa, and Audin.

It was only natural. News from Green Pearl’s garrison had swept through the Border Guard like a storm.

The hero who had defeated the Black Blades, cultists, and Azpen had returned.

It would have been stranger if there hadn't been cheers.

Enkrid saw something like flower petals falling above him.

Not many—just a scattering of dry petals.

He spotted the ones who had thrown them.

A few children and some women.

One child and one woman in particular looked familiar.

The child's eyes sparkled as they stared at him.

Didn’t they say they wanted to be an herbalist?

Since it was winter, they must have

And yet, there was that one knight who had swung their sword at him.

That knight had left, looking relieved.

Kraiss had felt relieved, too—but he had also been on edge, waiting for the possibility that the knight might change their mind and come back.

The thought had squeezed his chest with anxiety.

How many knights did Azpen even have?

Three at most?

And yet, one of them had come all the way here just to cut down Enkrid?

It was hard to believe.

So he needed to ask.

How had he escaped?

He wasn’t a knight.

He hadn’t seen through the enemy’s plans beforehand.

He had walked into the trap.

Could luck have been enough?

Unless Lady Luck herself grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of there...

It didn’t make sense.

Kraiss had always been a realist.

His mind cut through fantasy and wishful thinking.

Luck alone couldn’t explain it.

His eyes shone with genuine curiosity.

Enkrid had no reason to hide the truth.

So he answered plainly.

"Instinct."

Silence fell.

A winter wind howled through the barracks.

Rem was the first to react.

He started chuckling.

"Pfffft.

Knew it."

The others followed suit.

"…Instinct?"

Kraiss tilted his head, while Audin began to pray.

"Oh, Father, was it You who guided him?"

Dunbakel scrunched her nose and asked with genuine curiosity,

"How do you train something like that?"

Of course, no one had an answer.

Teresa simply stared at Enkrid.

Since meeting him, he had never once lied.

Which meant this was the truth.

It was incredible.

Could someone really escape a battlefield like that on instinct alone?

Despite her injuries, a hunger stirred inside her.

She wanted to pick up her sword.

She wanted to stand across from him with her shield raised.

As her fighting spirit flared,

"Sister."

Audin’s voice came, gentle yet firm.

He placed a hand on her shoulder.

A silent warning: If you don’t calm down, I’ll beat the hell out of you.

Teresa knew she wasn’t in fighting condition.

And she had no desire to be pummeled by Audin.

She wasn’t a beast.

She was only half-giant.

"Yes, I know.

Drifting Teresa will restrain herself."

Referring to herself objectively, she acknowledged the moment wasn’t right.

Meanwhile, Ragna had dozed off in a corner.

He had listened for a bit, but now he was back to his usual self.

Even after hearing his own name in the cheers earlier, he remained the same—

indifferent to the world.

Kraiss, deep in thought, finally spoke again.

"Tell me more."

It wasn’t something that could be summed up in one word.

So Enkrid explained.

And Kraiss understood.

"You're talking about a sense of danger… a feel for the battlefield?

That kind of thing actually works?"

He murmured.

Enkrid silently nodded.

It does. But it wasn’t easy.

To develop that instinct, he had to die in countless different ways before it truly settled into his body.

That wasn’t something to complain about.

Hadn’t he gained something valuable from it?

During the half-asleep journey back, Enkrid had been busy sorting through everything he had.

And from that, he had learned even more.

"That’s incredible."

Kraiss’s eyes gleamed, despite there being no gold at stake.

That was a rare thing.

He wasn’t usually interested in anything without coin involved.

Days passed quickly after Enkrid’s return.

There was talk about holding a banquet, but there was too much work to do after the battle.

First, they had to deal with the bodies.

Both the fallen soldiers and the beasts had to be taken care of.

Wolf-beast pelts could fetch a decent price if skinned properly.

It required tanning, but luckily, the Border Guard had an entire leatherworking guild stationed there.

Still, it was a lot of work.

They had to deliver compensation to the families of the dead, bury or burn the bodies.

For a while, the fires outside the fortress wouldn’t go out.

Greyham genuinely wanted to host a banquet, but there was no time.

Letters arrived without rest, and now, unexpected guests were showing up.

Among them, two particularly important visitors had come specifically looking for Enkrid.

The problem was—

"He can’t see them right now."

Greyham broke into a cold sweat at his aide’s words.

"...Why?"

"The soldiers are blocking them.

They said he mustn’t be disturbed."

Shit.

Greyham decided to stall for time.

If those maniacs started acting up, there’d be no stopping them.

Better for him to handle this here than deal with the mess they’d make.

Being the fortress lord was really no easy job.

"Sigh."

For just a moment, Greyham missed the days when he had been just a heavy infantry captain.

A weary sigh escaped him.