Chapter 366 - Not All Squires Are the Sa
The Crimson Cloak Knights boast three renowned knights, each with a unit nad after them, a testant to their unparalleled prestige. However, a knight order cannot thrive with just three knights.
The true backbone of the order is its squires—over twenty of them, to be precise. Of these, fewer than five remained stationed in the capital.
Additionally, while there were over fifty apprentices, fewer than ten were left in the city.
[[TL]The knight ranking system appears to be squire-knight-> junior-knight/knight in training/apprentice-knight -> Knight]
At least, that's how Aishia described it.
"Still, there are others with skills on par with squires. The Royal Guard captain ca from the knight order, and there's the fad twin bodyguards serving the marquis."
"Twins, you say?" Enkrid interrupted, curious.
"You t Marquis Okto, didn't you? Yeah, fraternal twins. They don't look alike. I was just as surprised when I heard they were twins."
Aishia's deanor was refreshingly unpretentious, at least in Andrew's eyes.
Her orange hair, slightly split at the ends, seed to amplify her lively spirit.
Unpretentious and vibrant—a village maiden with no worries, Andrew mused.
In terms of beauty, Esther, the magician, or Kin Baisar might surpass her. But Aishia had a charm that could easily captivate many n.
That kind of lively charm... it's irresistible, he thought.
She exuded an approachable warmth, breaking any perceived distance with her natural friendliness. The word "unreserved" ca to mind imdiately.
She joined them at the dining table with ease, eating and drinking as if she'd been there for years.
"Pass the bread, please."
The surprising part? Even Rem and the others treated her without any reservations.
This, despite her being a squire of the prestigious Crimson Cloak Knights.
Andrew, anwhile, was struggling to adapt but eventually let go of all seriousness.
What's the point?
Whenever Enkrid was involved, things rarely made logical sense.
It was no different from the first ti he'd gone on a mission with him.
Back then, nothing about it seed believable either.
He acted like he knew the enemy's position inside the brush. Then, he set their tents ablaze in the middle of the fight. It wasn't until later I realized—this guy operates on a completely different level.
Now, while the scale and stakes had grown larger, the dynamic remained the sa. Andrew resigned himself to this reality.
"Here."
Aishia casually sliced a round loaf of bread and tossed it over. Rem caught it mid-air, spread marmalade on it, and took a bite.
Ragna, on the other hand, was cutting salted ham and trimming away the crust to eat only the soft interior of the bread.
"Picky eater."
Rem quipped upon noticing.
"If you're itching for a fight after seeing her in action, hold it. We're eating. Savage."
Ragna retorted without missing a beat.
"It's not 'her.' It's Aishia."
Aishia interjected, raising her hand.
"Ah, right. Aishia ."
Ragna corrected himself naturally. Aishia even thanked Andrew, the mansion's host, for his hospitality.
Of course, "hospitality" wasn't exactly the right word—she had simply barged in, sparred, and joined them for a al.
Andrew responded with a polite, "You're too kind," ensuring she didn't feel awkward.
"He's more my type," Aishia said, pointing at Jaxen.
"Most won say that, but don't let it fool you. He's seen more won than you can count."
Rem chid in with a smirk.
"They're all just friends."
For once, Jaxen responded smoothly, his tone soft. Aishia looked at him and thought, Yeah, he probably does attract a lot of won.
She wasn't smitten or anything; it was rely an observation.
Then her gaze shifted to Enkrid, who was munching on bread across the table.
He was fascinating—a rare sort of human being.
"I don't have many female friends, either," Enkrid remarked, sensing her gaze.
"I didn't ask."
"Ah. Spar after this?"
Aishia reflexively nodded.
"Let's finish eating first."
While digesting, she thought about the task at hand. She wasn't here just to socialize.
"We still have the Moonlight Beast to deal with."
"Oh, it already has a na?"
"Well, it only appears under moonlight."
Not everyone in the capital was an idiot.
They had managed to identify the creature's appearance, location, and timing.
Listening to the explanation, Enkrid asked, "Then why hasn't it been dealt with yet?"
After all, there were still five squires, not to ntion the apprentices and guards.
This was the capital of an entire nation. Surely, there were enough capable people to handle such an issue?
Of course, there were plenty of capable individuals in the capital. And yet, the Moonlight Beast had eluded them.
This failure stemd from several reasons.
The first was underestimating the foe.
The second was the unwillingness of those outside the knight order to reveal their full strength.
"Everyone's too busy guarding their own skin. Can't bla them, though," Aishia said candidly before adding, "One squire already fell to it. Severely injured. Whether they'll survive... well, we'll see."
The fact that a squire—one of the elite preparing to beco knights—had been taken down spoke volus about the Moonlight Beast's danger.
"What about a cleric?"
Even if soone was injured, why was treatnt insufficient?
A squire is a symbol of talent, chosen among thousands for their potential. Knights were the embodint of martial prowess, and the knight order represented the pinnacle of preparation to join their ranks.
Naturally, squires received excellent treatnt. Not just good—exceptional. Assigned personal chefs, granted access to clerics' prayers, and blessed by holy powers capable of healing even grave injuries.
Even if the injury couldn't be fully healed, the squires would at least be stabilized.
"Well, the clerics in the capital are all away. And the royal court's exclusive cleric can't use divine power right now for... reasons."
Enkrid thought of the temples he'd noticed while walking through the capital.
They were there—several of them, in fact.
Naurilia didn't persecute religion, so the capital boasted multiple temples, though it wasn't a holy city like Legion.
Even so, not a single cleric capable of wielding divine power remained?
"Not exactly. It's just that the clerics who can use divine power are gone. One of them fell victim to the beast early on."
When the Moonlight Beast first appeared, the response was slow.
It targeted a cleric attuned to divine power, and the attack left her barely clinging to life. She was still alive, but just barely, struggling to survive each day.
As for the other clerics capable of using divine power, most had been sent to the borders.
"Divine power is rare, after all."
For now, a royal healer was doing what they could, using alchemical potions and other redies.
"They won't die," Aishia said flatly, her tone carrying an edge that made her resolve clear.
"We'll get it," Rem added, lending weight to her determination as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And why wouldn't he? For Rem, this type of hunt was routine.
"Thanks. Rem, right?"
Enkrid found himself quietly surprised at Aishia's deanor.
Had she always been so personable? They hadn't had much ti to talk before, but her current openness was unexpected.
"Today's cloudy again," Jaxen noted in his usual detached tone.
And he was right.
Tonight, the moon wouldn't be visible again.
Of course, the Moonlight Beast didn't always appear, even when the moon was out.
Why was that?
It was a question worth pondering—one that could lead to theories if enough thought was given.
"Anyway, it killed the squire and escaped. A squire pursued it but couldn't keep up. The beast is incredibly fast. Trying to chase it head-on won't work," Aishia explained.
"Why hasn't the knight order stepped in?"
Having mostly finished his al, Enkrid began clearing his plate when a maid approached to serve tea.
Aishia bit into a halved apricot and winced.
"Too sour?" Enkrid asked.
"Yeah. Anyway, why hasn't the order acted?"
"The palace situation, obviously," she replied, shaking her head.
"We serve the queen," she continued.
The knights didn't leave the palace's safety entirely to the Royal Guard. The throne had to be protected.
"And you?"
"With the marquis's authority, a few squires could easily be reassigned. That man's been nurturing so many sches he's practically got the entrails of a hydra," Aishia said with a dry chuckle.
Andrew gave a knowing glance at Enkrid, as if to say, See? Everyone calls him that.
Enkrid nodded slightly.
It had been obvious from the start that the marquis was not soone who revealed his hand easily.
But what did it matter?
The important thing was that the Moonlight Beast was connected to the Black Blade, and finding its leader was a priority.
"It's Jaxen's nesis," Enkrid thought.
Capturing—or killing—the Moonlight Beast was necessary for several reasons.
First, it was a step toward locating the Black Blade's leader.
Second, it would protect those who were suffering.
Third, it was part of the marquis's request.
Whether the marquis was a hydra or the reproductive organ of so other cunning creature, it didn't change the task at hand.
"Does that an you'll be free by tomorrow?"
Enkrid asked. They would need the moon to rise to be on standby.
Unless the clouds parted suddenly during the night, there wasn't much Aishia could do.
"Yeah."
"So?"
"Let's spar more."
Aishia's eyes were burning with passion as she spoke.
Enkrid also wanted to face her sword again.
"I want to face you all, too."
Aishia's fire flared even more. If Shinar saw it, he might want to douse the flas right away.
Rem and Ragna responded to the heat.
"Sounds good."
"Anyti."
Neither of them was the type to avoid a challenge.
"Please leave out of it."
Jaxen shook his head.
"I'll join, too."
At that mont, Dunbakel joined in with a voice lower than usual.
"Alright!"
Aishia cheered enthusiastically and ran outside.
A sparring session was about to begin.
Everyone moved. Andrew joined as well.
The five trainees, who had been rolling around on one side, quickly beca spectators when the sparring began.
Even Mac took ti out to watch.
It was a sparring match between two squire knights.
Missing it would be a loss.
Of course, watching wouldn't make them improve right away.
But if they watched, they could experience the results of their imaginations. That made a huge difference.
It was considered lucky for them.
Enkrid was serious about everything.
Aishia, excited like never before, sparred, ate, drank, and even claid a room in the mansion.
The weather beca cloudy, and eventually, rain poured down.
For a while, it seed the moonlight would be hard to see.
In the anti, Enkrid learned more and more.
"Hey, do all junior knights fight the sa? Do all knights fight the sa? Were rcenaries all the sa? How about the soldier rankings in Naurilia? Just because soone is a low-ranking soldier doesn't an they're all the sa."
No, they're different.
Even among low and mid-tier soldiers, differences in skill were evident.
The gap beca even more pronounced as they moved up to higher ranks.
"When it cos to squire knights, there's a significant difference. And I'm sowhere in the middle."
Her talent had been recognized, but in terms of skill, she was average.
"Among squire knights, so are weak and can barely land a few strikes, but there are those who can compete with knights."
Aishia's eyes sparkled as she spoke. It was like she was saying she wouldn't stop but would keep moving forward.
"I see. I didn't know that."
It was too far and too high to see clearly.
Only after climbing could one see the differences.
For instance, Andrew thought Aishia, Enkrid, Rem, and Ragna were all the sa type of monster.
However, during the sparring, Aishia had never won against Rem or Ragna.
When Rem and Ragna faced off, Rem had never won against Ragna.
As for Enkrid...
"Is it right to insist on using a longsword to break the illusionary blade?"
Aishia had consistently defeated him.
Enkrid judged that defeating her in sparring would be difficult.
'Illusionary Blade.'
He knew what kind of technique she had.
Through contemplation and repetition, he figured out how it worked.
She planted illusions and obstructed the opponent's sight. She muddied the distance. And added speed to it.
No, it wasn't just speed.
There had been tis when he tried to attack, aiming at that speed, but had been countered by her deceptive swordplay.
Hidden inside the illusionary blade was a sword that could pop out unpredictably.
That in itself was a form of deception.
It was the image of her mastering the illusionary blade and using it as a weapon.
Enkrid smiled when he saw it. The more difficult it was, the more motivated he beca. That was the core of who Enkrid was.
The rain poured for four days.
Deliberation, reflection.
Sparring, training.
By the ti the fourth day passed, the sky cleared up.
They had rolled around in the mud, sparred, washed up, and chatted.
While discussing how to catch a moonlight beast, Aishia had beco close with everyone.
"Wow, a wizard? That's amazing."
She hadn't even had any problems with Esther.
"Is this your work? What's with your eyes? Can you understand what I'm saying?"
She had even exchanged greetings with the cross-eyed horse.
She wasn't just friendly; it seed like this was her specialty.
Enkrid occasionally overheard her stories.
"I'm from a commoner background. It's a typical story. I grabbed a sword by chance when I was young. Realized my talent."
"I have one more wish, besides becoming a knight."
"It's not sothing I should talk about. You're kind of strange. You have a way of making people let their guard down."
On the fourth day, just before sunset, it was late afternoon.
"The full moon will rise."
Jaxen said. The sky before the sunset. In the middle of the training grounds, Enkrid looked up. The sky was clear, without a cloud in sight.
Jaxen's words were correct. It wasn't even dark yet, but the faint shape of the moon was visible.
It was the round shape of the full moon.
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