A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

It was right after he realized how to handle Will.

Once he let Will remain constantly open at the base of his unconscious, it felt like his whole body began trembling.

At that exact moment, Enkrid realized what he needed was rest.

Strictly speaking, what he needed wasn't just rest, but a slow process of stacking things up one by one-but still, it amounted to the same thing.

His body would need to take a forced break anyway.

He had to soothe the rampaging Will and tell it to stay still.

You couldn't stop the floodwater pouring through a dam full of cracks and holes.

The dam Enkrid had built so far was far too weak.

Meanwhile, the floodwater surged, slammed, poured from above, and erupted from below.

It felt less like a river and more like a storm.

That was its scale-and inside, it was even more complicated.

'It's tangled.'

It wasn't a straight and simple line but rather like a twisted ball of thread tangled up inside him.

If he tried to gather it all at once, his blood flow would knot, and his organs would burst.

Still, that didn't mean something had gone wrong.

Just like a child taking their first steps, he now understood it instinctively.

Putting his body into forced rest was part of that. A method came to mind immediately.

He just needed to cut, reduce, and throw things away.

But what if he didn't want to do that?

The vow he swore to keep still burned inside Enkrid like a blazing flame.

He needed a different method.

The sense of omnipotence helped. Once the belief that he could do anything settled in, various solutions naturally began to come to him.

Oara had told him to abandon the complexity, and Ragna had told him to build his fundamentals from the ground up.

She once said to abandon the Valen-style mercenary swordsmanship.

That was because he had learned so many things just to make it this far.

Had he done too many things wrong? No, probably not.

The intangible power filling his body-Will-felt like it could explode and destroy his guts, muscles, and bones at any moment.

So right now, he was just barely holding it together.

He could endure it like this. He had that much control.

But he couldn't use it comfortably.

So then what?

If there was too much and it was a mess, he could organize it

If it was stretched out in a complicated way, he could stack it neatly.

From the walls of the pioneer village he'd seen near the Nol colony, to the city wall of Lockfried he saw recently, and the walls of Thousand Brick he passed in between.

The towers rising between those walls, strong and sturdy towers.

Enkrid visualized a single tower in his mind.

Then, he began stacking the Will inside his body.

One piece at a time, slowly, calmly, bit by bit.

Once he started, it became kind of fun.

Though, course, it wasn't just fun.

Along with it, there was also a lingering sense of regret.

'If I had more time, I could shape and stack it better.'

Instead of piling up uncut stones haphazardly, he wanted to chisel each one into a perfect square and stack them properly.

But if he did that, even a year of lying down wouldn't be enough.

More than anything, it didn't feel like the right or proper path.

Shaping and trimming should go along with training the body. That's how it felt.

'Then I'll do that.'

If it left him unsatisfied, he could always come back later and try a different way.

It wasn't like he was building an actual tower-it was just a visualization in his mind.

The quiet stone stacking he had started would continue on its own during the week he slept like the dead.

Because this was the proper way to handle Will.

At least, if one aimed to become a knight, this was how it had to be done.

It shouldn't be forced-it had to be laid deep in the unconscious.

And even then, a part of his consciousness remained awake in that space between dream and unconsciousness.

"You were told to reduce it, but you just increased it, you ignorant bastard."

The Ferryman casually popped in and spoke to him.

That space between dream and unconsciousness seemed like the perfect place for the Ferryman to wander.

His little ferry floated along the calm water like a leaf, slowly, very slowly, riding the current-and it felt like that represented pure peace.

There seemed to be a hint of closeness between the two who sat together on a tiny wooden stool aboard the boat

"Not even a hint of impatience?"

The Ferryman posed a question that pierced straight through Enkrid's heart.

What Enkrid had wanted-his oath, the stars, the dream-could all be dismissed as delusion.

To become a knight despite lacking talent, to live and die by the sword, protect everything behind him.

All of that could've been nothing but nonsense.

Yet now, he could open his eyes and realize that dream.

And still, he wasn't impatient.

If someone asked why, he could answer. because he now knew something was more important than becoming a knight.

He wanted to be a knight who protected what stood behind him.

He had never wanted to simply become a knight.

So, there was no reason to rush.

The path ahead was even longer.

Enkrid shook his head.

"How does it feel to walk a path that requires no one's permission or approval?"

The Ferryman asked, and Enkrid simply stared at him.

The Ferryman continued.

"Come on, open your mouth already, you stubborn mule."

"It just is."

Enkrid replied casually, as if he had intended to speak regardless of the Ferryman's prompting.

Whatever it was, saying "it just is" came from sincerity.

Nothing had changed-that's what Enkrid believed.

"I bless your tenacity. At least for today, I will."

The Ferryman said, and Enkrid opened his eyes.

The man rowed.

The boat moved

It was time to wake up.

before, and Enkrid

It his begin to float away.

As he watched the boat, the river, the Ferryman, and the violet light disappear below, many thoughts crossed

Enkrid's mind.

Had his estimate been right?

He'd guessed it would take about a week-but would it?

That lightning-strike of instinct had come just before he closed his eyes.

And then, as he opened them again and returned to reality-

"You sleep like the dead, don't you."

A pair of gray eyes stared blankly at him.

It was a barbarian with legs splayed out, resting her chin on one hand and lazily flicking her axe with the other.

"Now that you're up, listen close. You're probably feeling like you can do anything-but you can't, got it?"

"How long's it been?"

Instead of answering, Enkrid asked.

First, he needed to confirm.

"A week. Still, I'm not sure people usually crash like that after something like this."

By "something like this," she meant his awakening as a knight.

She'd seen him awaken and said a few things afterward.

Even as she said it, Rem figured it was plausible.

Some people might pass out for days.

After all, not every awakening would be the same.

Rem herself had never experienced something that dramatic.

By learning spells and repeatedly invoking spirits, the concept naturally opened up for her.

She'd been born on land without fences.

Before ever feeling her limits, she'd already broken the fence.

That directionless bastard was probably different.

Just looking at him now, he seemed drunk on omnipotence and trying to get it under control.

"If you caught my laziness, you're in trouble."

Rem said without changing her posture.

Behind her, Jaxon stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Enkrid.

"Kill your senses. That's your first step."

Enkrid looked blankly at Jaxon.

Jaxon shook his head.

"Engrave this into your mind."

He wasn't one to repeat himself often.

"You might feel like you can do anything, but you can't.

You might feel like you could leap to the Eastern front in a single bound, but that's not it.

There is arrival at the end of the road-but before the conclusion, there are steps you must take

Don't forget that."

Enkrid turned his head and looked at Ragna.

Only his head poked out from under the blanket.

Judging by his flattened, nest-like hair, he'd just woken up.

"Mmmgh."

He yawned after finishing his sentence.

That sealed it. He'd spoken unusually well, and honestly, Enkrid wanted to applaud.

Even if the example of "finding the road" didn't hit home all that hard.

"A child fetching water once asked, 'Father God, why must I fetch water?'

The god answered, 'So you can drink and wash, of course.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight. Brother Platoon Leader, you must fetch the water in order to drink and wash."

Audin stood blocking the entrance to Novelight (Exclusive on Novelight) the barracks, preaching like a

village priest.

He might actually fit well in a country temple somewhere.

Though in that village, regardless of its size, if a band of thieves attacked, they'd just turn into good ghouls and go home-meaning it would become a frightening village in its own way.

A good ghoul is a dead ghoul, and the place they return to would be beside the gods-so for some, it would be a

terrifying place.

Only Jaxon had spoken directly, but every single one of them sounded like they were spouting nonsense.

Still, Enkrid understood perfectly.

He was, as ever, a good listener.

"I'm fine."

Whether knight or hero, regardless of the title, everyone experiences a similar sensation at the moment of

awakening.

Omnipotence.

A feeling like you can do anything.

The first task is to distinguish what you can do from what you can't.

Was everyone waiting for him to wake up just to tell him that?

Or did they just happen to gather here by coincidence?

"You're up? Don't push yourself. Fiancé."

Even Shinar had come. A gentle warmth beside him revealed that Esther, in her leopard form, was brushing

against the back of his hand.

"I'm fine."

Enkrid repeated the same words once more.

"Saying you're fine doesn't mean you truly are."

It was Lua Gharne who said that, standing beside Teresa, who in turn stood next to Audin.

Was it really just a delusion to think they'd all been waiting for him to wake up?

It probably wasn't.

They had waited for him to rise.

Faces flickered through his memory. An aged Rem.

Jaxon, face twisted.

Audin, coughing blood. Shinar, partially fading. Esther, who had lost both eyes.

Fell, who stabbed his own stomach.

Those were the faces of today just passed.

Enkrid sat up, placed his feet on the ground, and stood.

From

rom that position, he lowered his gaze, clenched and unclenched his hand, gauging the state of his body.

Light.

His body felt lighter than ever before.

That didn't mean he could wave his arms and fly through the sky.

That wasn't possible.

But walking forward and using t Isolation Technique afterward-that he could do.

"Oh? He really is fine?"

Rem, still sitting, lifted her head and said.

There was no sign of someone intoxicated with omnipotence about to do something insane.

There was something else odd, but regardless-he really did seem fine.

"I told you I'm fine."

Enkrid said again and walked outside.

He was fine-but not the same as before.

The sunlight seeping into the barracks,

The breeze brushing his cheek like a fine strand,

The charcoal scent of firewood burned through the night,

The feel of his shirt brushing against his skin-

Everything looked, sounded, and felt more detailed than before.

It felt like he could grasp the wind in his hands.

Of course, wind isn't something you can grab.

But you can walk in its direction.

He wasn't saying he would do it now.

These were just things he came to understand naturally.

To run like the wind, to swing a sword like sunlight-

With such imagery, and by stirring Will from within, these things were now possible.

Enkrid went outside and began to move his body.

He confirmed it-he'd been asleep for a week.

Now, it was time for the next step.

'Did it really settle properly in my body?'

He was sure.

He felt the omnipotence.

Even so, wanting confirmation was only natural.

Even after moving forward, longing, dreaming, and enjoying the repetition of today to reach it-

Confirmation was necessary.

Time and experience had shaped him that way.

As he warmed up his body with the Isolation Technique, Will followed naturally.

He could perceive it, but even without watching it directly, it moved on its own.

So-

"Knight."

Lua Gharne came out and spoke.

Everyone else followed.

"For real. Without any half-baked tricks."

Rem said again.

When Enkrid collapsed, Will had erupted from him as if exploding.

Shinar, with the sensitivity of a fairy, had sensed first that he'd broken past a wall-

But everyone had seen it the moment it happened.

That at some point, Enkrid had broken through.

Even so, seeing him get up and move right before their eyes was when it truly sank in.

"So it really worked."

Rem muttered.

When was it again-

Was it when he asked her to teach him the Beast's Heart?

She'd laughed in his face when he said he dreamed of becoming a knight.

She thought it was ridiculous.

But he'd done it.

With meager talent, an ordinary body-

That was just a condition, he had said, and spoke of dreams.

There had been a madman like that.

And now, that madman had become a knight.

"Hoo."

Enkrid took a deep breath in and exhaled.

The weather was good.

The breeze was cool, and the sunlight was warm.

The morning dew was drying, and the sky seemed to say that today would be a truly clear day.

The Ferryman had said it was a path needing no permission or approval.

That was exactly it.

He hadn't set out on this path to gain anyone's approval or permission in the first place.

"So, are you going to track down everyone who mocked you and smack them upside the head one by one?"

Rem asked.

Now that you've become a knight-what will you do?

Well, since some things were done to you, how about returning the favor?

There had been people who condemned him.

Many who mocked and ridiculed him.

Even if he didn't hit them, wouldn't they all be shocked into seizures anyway?

That sight alone might be worth enjoying.

"Why bother?"

Enkrid replied, twisting his wrists left and right.

Crack, crack-his body had stiffened up after a week of lying down.

"Wouldn't it be understandable though?"

Jaxon spoke.

As he sometimes did, he dropped the honorifics.

Resentment, after all, exists to be repaid-

That was how the master of the morning dew saw it.

In the past, when he'd begged just to learn the sword,

Everyone

had mocked Enkrid.

Yeah, that had happened.

But did that mean he had to despair?

To weep in misery and curse the gods?

He hadn't done that.

And because he hadn't, he was standing here now.

"Not really."

Enkrid shook his head.

He truly had no such feelings.

It was a judgment and path different from most.

He was someone who, regardless of skill, was just cut from a different mold.

"Then what will you do?"

Ragna, who had come out late, asked.

"Train."

Enkrid replied as he grasped the fingers of his left hand with his right, pulling them toward the back of his hand-

Stretching muscles and tendons with deliberate tension.

As he applied pressure, his muscles stretched and loosened smoothly.

They'd said that when Will resides in the body, the body changes too.

It seemed that way.

No-it was true.

"Train?"

"My body's a bit stiff."

This was who he was now, and the path he would walk.

So that's what he would do.

Nothing special.

That was everything.

Everyone already knew he was someone cut from a different mold.

Even so, they couldn't help being surprised all over again.

He'd become a knight.

The very knight he'd always shouted about becoming.

And yet, he hadn't changed.

Well, that's exactly why everyone followed that man.

'He'll be hard to surpass.

Jaxon thought.

If he ever had to stand on the opposite side of Enkrid- He could kill him.

But he probably wouldn't want to.

That's just the kind of person Enkrid was.

'He'll be hard to surpass.

Jaxon thought.

If he ever had to stand on the opposite side of Enkrid-

He could kill him.

But he probably wouldn't want to.

That's just the kind of person Enkrid was.