A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

“A monster colony in Martai.”

When monsters gather and form a group, that’s called a colony.

Battalion Commander Marcus said, and Encrid decided to move immediately.

He heard just before departure that Dunbachel had gone to that place, and since they were going, they decided to go quickly.

They heard it was quite a threatening number of centaurs.

“Let’s ride horses. When will we get there if we run?”

It would be faster to ride individually as horsemen rather than using a carriage.

The problem was whether they could ride horses.

“Are you worried about me? I’m Rem. Rem.”

Everyone had at least some riding experience. No, they knew how to handle horses properly.

Of course, Encrid also knew how to handle a horse.

When there was no need to use a sword, he often acted as a coachman.

He was surprisingly not bad at handling horses.

“You’re good at riding.”

That applied to Ragna as well. He even made a simple comment when he saw Encrid handling a horse.

Good at riding horses?

Then, did that mean he lacked in other areas?

Encrid nonchalantly replied.

“Don’t take the lead. Just follow the person in front of you.”

You always had to be cautious with someone who couldn’t find their way.

Audin and Jaxon were also familiar with riding, and Krais was no exception.

“If you can’t ride a horse, you can’t carry a lady behind you, can you?”

His purpose was clear. He even mentioned learning equestrian skills from a noble in Krona.

Indeed, he seemed to handle horses the best.

The half-blood Giant was the problem, though.

“A sturdy packhorse would be good.”

She chose a really sturdy packhorse.

It wasn’t fast, but it was said to have excellent endurance.

Recently, with the increase in trade, various supplies had come into the Border Guard.

Among them were horses.

They couldn’t be called warhorses yet, but they decided to select a few people skilled in training horses to properly manage a stable.

Thanks to that, a fenced area was set up in the quality pasture of the Green Pearl Plains in front of the territory, and they started raising horses.

One of the rewards from the recent war with Aspen was acquiring that plain.

Raising horses there would make it possible to train cavalry.

Originally, the Border Guard had horses used by messengers and packhorses. Now, they were starting to raise them in earnest.

Marcus provided a few of those horses.

“You know it won’t be easy, right?”

Marcus asked just before departure.

Encrid nodded.

Monster Centaurs.

Listing the dangers could go on forever.

Colony in itself was dangerous. It wasn’t just a group of monsters.

Even ghouls, when forming a colony, meant there was a unique leading entity, and such unique monsters were always a threat.

Among them, centaurs, when forming a colony, were more threatening than knoll packs.

The problem with knolls was their rapidly increasing numbers, but they were still infantry.

He had never seen a knoll charging on horseback.

Centaurs were naturally mounted.

‘In terms of using something like strategy, they’re the worst.’

What happens when a skilled cavalry unit uses strategies similar to humans?

Even if their number exceeds fifty, it would be overwhelming.

Of course, the Border Guard had to roll up their sleeves and help.

Now, they were in the midst of properly opening the eastern trade route.

After all, the current cavalry had come through that trade route.

Well, there were other purposes as well.

It could also display the friendly relations between the two territories.

Martai was a territory that would become a bridgehead for eastern trade, and if an invasion war broke out from the east, it would be the minimal safety measure to stop them.

From the perspective of the Border Guard, there was every reason to regard Martai as an ally and brotherly territory.

So, the news they heard immediately upon arriving in Martai was not of the pleasant kind.

“Dunbachel went into the forest and went missing.”

Plus, there were monster groups camped on the plains in front of the forest.

Should it be said that this was outrageous?

They had heard that the Centaur colony was a problem, but that wasn’t the only issue.

It wasn’t just a simple colony.

“The situation is pretty nasty.”

Torres approached and said, his head wrapped in bandages.

For three days, they had been fighting monsters.

There were more than a few severely injured.

The number of dead soldiers was not small either.

They heard it was in the dozens.

Zimmer was also limping.

“We got caught in a dirty situation.”

These were the words of the former Border Guard Commander, who was now the Lord.

Encrid climbed the city wall and looked at the monster group positioned on one side.

Was the problem that there were more than a hundred Centaurs?

This was a problem, but the biggest problem was something else.

“When the leader screams, everyone freezes.”

Torres said he got his head smashed because of that. A guard’s head also burst from the leader’s club, killing him instantly.

More than fifty soldiers had died?

Although the current strength of Martai’s forces was unknown, it was a severe blow.

Even this was considered fortunate.

Thanks to the efforts of Zimmer and a few of the most skilled members of the Border Guard, it was managed to this extent.

Encrid tried to ask about the situation and grasp it but decided against it.

So the problem was those centaurs.

Encrid remained expressionless as usual.

He didn’t think deeply about the Dunbachel problem.

This was a battlefield.

‘Life and death are inevitable here.’

If that was the limit, so be it.

However, one question remained.

‘Why?’

Wasn’t it a situation where she could have easily escaped, leaving the soldiers behind?

Among the commissioned soldiers were the brothers Lucci and Richie.

Encrid had an excellent memory and remembered most of the soldiers’ names.

They had trained and drilled together. His exceptional memory naturally helped him remember their names along with their features.

Anyway, the two soldiers said.

“If she wanted to escape, she could have easily done so.”

“Yeah, she didn’t. She just charged in.”

“That was the first time I saw it. A guy twice the size of the others was screaming.”

“The last thing I saw was Instructor Dunbachel slipping and falling from a tree at that guy’s scream.”

“But if Instructor Dunbachel hadn’t done that, we would all be dead. The surprise attack would have caused more damage to the territory than now.”

So they said.

Why? To save them? To gain fame for protecting the territory?

Could there be a man among them that Dunbachel had feelings for?

She was a beastkin, sincere about breeding.

Looking at the faces of the soldiers, it didn’t seem likely. It was hard to imagine any desire from their expressions.

Then why? That was the only curiosity.

“Kiyaaah!”

About ten centaurs broke away from the group and started running.

Not charging, but running horizontally while shouting war cries.

It seemed like a threat. It also seemed like a provocation.

So were they trying to intimidate them now?

That was the feeling.

Although not Encrid himself, the soldiers were stirred.

The actual military discipline was shaken.

“Those damn bastards.”

Torres ground his teeth.

From what he had heard, after ten or so centaurs came out and shouted like that, a monster attack usually followed.

That centaur leader was truly cunning.

There were over fifty horse beasts, and it seemed like they had even brought along a few harpies, as seen by the monsters with breasts flying in the sky.

This wasn’t the end. The pack of human-faced dogs seemed to exceed three hundred at a glance.

As always, our monster friends, the ghouls, were also present in dozens.

There were also wolf beasts.

They had managed to gather such numbers and types without detection.

In fact, neither Encrid, the Lord of Martai, nor Torres knew this, but a local ranger had realized that the inner part of the forest was quite dangerous.

They knew that they had only used the outer and wider parts of the forest, which is why it had been relatively safe.

The ranger speculated.

Some of the monsters that had disappeared after coming up from the south had settled in the back of the forest.

Being intelligent, they quietly caught surrounding beasts without fighting until their numbers increased.

This was why wild animals had hardly been seen in the forest recently.

And there was a vast pasture to the northeast of the forest.

Wild horse herds lived there.

There was no better place for a centaur group to settle.

Realizing the situation, they naturally understood, but before this happened, they couldn’t have imagined it.

Of course, knowing this now didn’t change anything.

“Rem.”

Encrid didn’t care whether they charged or not.

If they charged, he would just kill them.

Of course, the expressions of Torres and the Lord were deathly pale.

‘Could Dunbachel be dead as well?’

As he stood there lost in brief thoughts, Rem spoke beside him in a lazy, leisurely manner.

He had just finished yawning and was wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

“I don’t usually say this.”

“You don’t?”

“That beastkin, she has talent.”

Talent? Was it easy to hear something like this from Rem?

Encrid thought. Definitely not.

For the record, he had never once heard anything like talent.

He had heard a lot about being dull, though.

“So?”

“She wouldn’t have died easily, that’s for sure.”

Rem, astutely reading Encrid’s thoughts, continued the conversation.

“She could be dead too.”

This guy couldn’t just leave it at one thing, he added more. Then he chuckled, with a hint of menace in his laugh.

Encrid didn’t particularly think he had grown close to Dunbachel.

Still, she was part of his unit.

Therefore, he decided he would give her a funeral. With the blood, flesh, and heads of the monsters.

Rem probably felt the same, or so it seemed.

Encrid thought about how they would fight. His mind was racing.

Thoughts continued.

Excluding fighting on horseback.

Although Martai had some cavalry.

“It’s useless. When that thing screams, the horses just try to run away. Many of them freeze in place. We lost half the cavalry in the first battle because of that.”

Then, using infantry to block them?

Martai’s prideful assault infantry was light but primarily equipped with long spears and shields.

Would that be effective against centaurs?

It had already been proven not to be.

At least the leader’s aura needed to be dealt with. One scream and everyone froze.

It was an almost supernatural ability.

“We’ve requested reinforcements from the central command. At least a Squire should come.”

The Lord had much experience. He hadn’t become the Border Guard Commander for no reason.

That was his judgment.

What the enemy was using seemed to be something similar to ‘Will’. Occasionally, there were such creatures among monster leaders.

Some called it ‘aura’, some ‘killing intent’, and some ‘fear’.

Indeed.

Encrid also heard those words.

Afterward, he pondered how to lure in the mounted enemy and decided to find Krais.

“Big Eyes.”

“Yes?”

“If we ride off on horses, they’ll just chase us until it’s over.”

Thinking wasn’t his strong suit. Krais didn’t even seem to ponder deeply.

“Can’t we just fight them?”

“What?”

“They said they’ve fought those monster bastards several times now. If those guys are using something like strategy, it means they’re intelligent. So, are they scared right now? I don’t think so.”

Kiyaaah!

Again, ten centaurs came within arrow range, shouting war cries, then retreated.

A few archers reacted but didn’t shoot.

They had already experienced it a few times. Those guys wouldn’t get hit by arrows.

“So, you’re saying if we just charge at them, they’ll charge back.”

Is that so? Encrid was worried they would run away, but Krais said that was futile.

‘But why did I think about catching them if they ran away?’

Encrid reflected on his thought process.

Why was that?

Because winning was a given.

The need for a Squire meant something was mixed in with the enemy’s scream.

It must be something that induced fear.

So, wouldn’t it be enough not to be scared?

Understanding the threat and realizing the rejection.

After the intangible thing created by ‘Will’ entered his chest.

Encrid didn’t feel threatened.

“Then, shall we go out?”

“What?”

“Where to?”

Both the Lord and Torres reacted simultaneously to Encrid’s words.

“To fight.”

Encrid replied.

“Did you hear anything we said?”

“Are you going to die? We must wait for reinforcements. At least until the unit sent by the Border Guard arrives.”

Torres spoke first, followed by the Lord.

They didn’t know Encrid. The lesson in rejection had happened after they had left.

“Krais.”

Instead of giving a lengthy explanation, Encrid called on the one who would speak for him.

“The situation isn’t good. Their numbers have increased compared to before, right? They’re probably gathering all the nearby monsters. The leader has the ‘General’ trait. It’s the most dangerous type of monster. The longer we wait, the more disadvantageous it is for us. So, the best option is to cut the leader’s throat while we can.”

Krais said, drawing a hand across his neck.

“If you get close to him, you’ll freeze instantly!”

Torres shouted in frustration. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be trying to stop them.

“It’ll be fine. You worry too much. Just hold your ground against those crazy monsters and beasts.”

“Before you tell me to hold, you should help too, Rem.”

“Haha, brother, I’ll join you as well.”

“I’m going too.”

Rem said, patting Torres on the shoulder, and when Encrid spoke to Rem again, Audin and Teresa also joined in.

Torres couldn’t understand why they were doing this.

Had they all chewed the wrong herbs together?

No, they were always crazy. That’s why they were the Madmen Platoon.

Suddenly, Torres respected Marcus.

‘Did he just trust these guys and lead them into battle?’

Even when warned of the threat, they wouldn’t listen.

It was infuriating, but there was no stopping them.

They wouldn’t listen even if he tried.

Kiyaaah!

Moreover, Krais’s words were correct.

Would reinforcements come from the central command?

The likelihood was very low. He didn’t know what was happening in the central region, but it seemed they were facing even more complex situations than here.

There were rumors reaching the north about some guild going around assassinating the Kingdom’s nobles.

“Let’s go.”

With that, Encrid led the Madmen Platoon down below the city wall.

They walked with leisurely steps, unbothered by the centaur group shouting outside.

Leaving Krais behind, Torres asked, drained of energy,

“You’re not going with them?”

Krais replied with a look that said, “Why would I?”

“Why would I? Are you telling me to go die? Why would I leave the safety of the city wall?”

Then, what about them?

Torres wanted to ask sincerely, but he didn’t open his mouth.

The answer would be obvious anyway.

“Oh, well. Let’s go fight too.”

Although morale was at rock bottom, the tense atmosphere deflated a bit.

That helped in its own way.

Sometimes, being half-dazed was better than a complete drop in morale.

“All troops, advance!”

Torres was the next in line to be the Border Guard Commander.

He was the current Supreme Commander of the unit.

The Lord and Commander managed the territory separately.

Torres, with a bandage around his head, stepped out to see the monster group, led by human-faced dogs, charging.

Several gruesome battles had already taken place.

As the enemy charged, they would fight and slaughter them, but then the leader would come and let out a scream. That one scream would freeze their allies, leading to defeat.

‘Ah, we can’t keep fighting like this.’

But holding out wasn’t a viable option either.

Martai’s city wall wasn’t originally specialized for defense.

If the wall fell, it would turn into a massacre.

They were barely holding on as it was.

“Show the valor of the East!”

Zimmer, with no morale left, tried to boost it forcibly.

At the front, Rem was already swinging his axe.

And then, a slaughter party unfolded as if it were natural.

Torres had expected this.

They were the Madmen Platoon, after all.

The only problem was the leader.

Even so, seeing what unfolded in front of him was exhilarating.

It was a rare feeling in the life-and-death battlefield.

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