Chapter 547 - Fallen Clen
In distant lands, such as Naurillia, there were nobles who didn't believe in Enkrid's legendary reputation. Or rather, they thought his feats were exaggerated, sprinkled with a bit of bluster.
When minstrels sang about the "Ballad of the Impregnable Wall" or the "Song of the Knight Who Stood Against a Thousand" it all seed implausible.
Stories of him drawing a line in the dirt with a burning sword and raising a wall of fire seed too fantastical to be true.
Though so minstrels had tried to detail Enkrid's exploits more accurately, exaggerated tales were the ones that spread the fastest. Such stories needed a touch of the extraordinary to capture people's imagination.
In an era where public executions were considered entertainnt, these tales served as welco diversions. So distant listeners believed only half of the tales or even less. The gullible believed he truly wielded a flaming sword.
But within the ranks of the Border Guard, Enkrid's reputation soared to unthinkable heights.
These were soldiers who had fought by his side and their families spread his na far and wide. To them, it was as if they had witnessed the birth of a legend.
While slaying a thousand foes alone would be monstrous, standing against them to bring peace without shedding a single drop of blood was sothing else entirely.
Those who had been present during his feats could not stop chanting his na.
"I'm going to beco a knight like the "The Unyielding Knight" soday!"
The streets were filled with children shouting such aspirations. Given this atmosphere, how did the soldiers view Enkrid? Fighting alongside him was an honor in itself.
So when the hero declared his intention to join their training, the soldiers were both tense and exhilarated. A knight—a renowned knight at that joining in the soldiers' routine drills? And not just any knight but The Unyielding Knight, the general of a Border Guard territory?
To top it off, he was accompanied by the infamous "Madn Unit." Even those who had trained with Enkrid in the past montarily forgot his history.
And no one, not even those who ground their teeth at Audin's na, expected Enkrid to push them with such relentless determination.
Reputations often cast a haze over people's perceptions and this was no exception. But what no one could have anticipated was how it all began—with Clen, a soldier who had joined the army only after Enkrid had departed for the west.
Despite there being no large-scale battles, she had twisted her ankle in excitent. She didn't feel embarrassed about it, though. At the ti her focus was entirely on Enkrid—his back, the wall he ford and the halted enemy. Everything else was a blur.
Until the day, that very hero approached her and said:
"I heard you were the soldier who fell alone."
Clen's heart raced as she snapped to attention.
"Ah, yes, sir! Infantry Corps, Clen reporting!"
"Oh, is this the one? The soldier who scraped her knee in a battle that ended with no casualties?"
"I heard it was a twisted ankle." said Rem, chiming in.
Audin joined in, his tone almost amused, "So you injured yourself by falling? Sister, is there sothing wrong with your ankle?"
Jaxen, following close behind added with a smirk, "Is that even possible?"
Then Fel piped up, "I can't take her side on this one. Twisting your ankle alone during combat? Really?"
Clen's head swirled as Ropord, looking incredulous remarked, "I'm afraid I can't defend this, either."
It was as if her world tilted. Was she being ridiculed for falling alone? No one had ever said anything before now.
Enkrid took it in stride and spoke decisively:
"She lacks endurance. From today on, we'll begin mountain running drills."
The expressions of the surrounding soldiers, especially the veterans, shifted dramatically.
They rembered. Enkrid had always been a training fanatic not just for himself but for everyone around him.
From that day forward, the standard running course which would have taken them across the training grounds or the fields near the city, was replaced with a path through the Pen-Hanil mountain range.
Although they didn't march through the heart of the mountains, the idea of running into a forest teeming with magical beasts and monsters seed reckless.
Recently, rumors had spread that the monsters in the mountains had ford colonies to defend themselves against the relentless Border Guard forces.
"Not running yet? Are all of you suffering from ankle issues like Clen?" Enkrid's sharp words sent the soldiers sprinting.
It marked the beginning of a gruelling run, without rest breaks across rugged terrain.
"Don't stop. Stopping ans death." Enkrid barked as magical beasts and monsters occasionally erged from the underbrush, only to be swiftly dealt with by the knights.
Audin, a forr drill instructor showcased his destructive power that discouraged any attempts to escape the gruelling training.
So soldiers found it educational to watch knights fight up close, but their fascination was fleeting. After running from dawn to dusk, they wondered if this was even sane.
Clen in particular, was ntally exhausted.
"Do you all want to fall like Clen?" Enkrid's voice thundered.
"Or perhaps you'd like to separate your ankles temporarily, Brothers?" Audin's booming voice echoed behind him.
Every ti they thought they could catch a breath, another shout would co:
"Don't get injured from lack of endurance! Clen, keep running!"
Ropord, the forr drill instructor chid in without missing a beat:
"Do you know why Clen fell? It's because she lacks talent!"
And finally, Fel, the most irritating of all declared,
"She doesn't even have the talent to stand properly. If you lack talent, then work harder. Effort, people. Effort."
Clen held back her frustration and persevered. She understood that this wasn't about singling her out but using her as a catalyst to push the entire unit harder.
Though she was humiliated in front of her comrades, many officers treated her well in private.
Ropord in particular, made sure to look after her, understanding that the training's purpose wasn't just to punish but to elevate the entire unit.
Enkrid's vision extended beyond individual improvent; it was about bolstering the army's overall strength. As Krais once explained,
"The quickest way to strengthen an army is through specialization. Separating units by their skills takes effort, but it pays off when you create balanced, cohesive groups."
This gruelling regin wasn't just about physical endurance; it was about refining their abilities, forging unity and preparing them for the challenges ahead.
Fel felt awkward during group training. He was a shepherd, not a soldier. That's why he declined to join any direct unit and Enkrid never insisted.
Why force soone to do sothing they didn't want to?
This perspective hadn't changed since the ti Enkrid first beca the madman unit commander, nor had it changed now.
Perhaps this was why people naturally admired Enkrid. Didn't Rem, Ragna, Jaxen, and Audin know how incompetent Enkrid had been when he first struggled to get by? Had Enkrid really changed since then?
Of course, there were so changes but the fundantals had stayed the sa. Even now, when he had beco a knight and his skills had more or less reached their level after the war with Aspen, this fact remained true.
Jaxen, overwheld with managing those under his command, opted out. Shinar, whose original role was to lead the reconnaissance team turned them into her direct unit.
But the most peculiar case wasn't present here: Esther already had her own direct unit.
She had selected and trained soldiers with talent in magic, and Krais had even gone so far as to na them the Magic Infantry Unit. For so reason, Esther taught them diligently and now their numbers had grown to nearly twenty.
"Run."
As Enkrid gave this command, he scanned a few individuals. They clenched their teeth, unwilling to even show signs of exhaustion.
He didn't care about skills or talent—he only judged their attitude. Everyone had their own standards after all.
One day, two days, three, four days passed. So mbers of the Border Guard's standing army gave up on continuing. It couldn't be helped.
"This is madness."
Why endure such grueling training?
Surprisingly, none of the people handpicked by the madman unit mbers for their direct units quit. Maybe they had a good eye for people. Though in the case of those picked by Rem, it was likely that they couldn't quit even if they wanted to.
"From today, you're the Axe Unit. Everyone, use axes." Rem had started with this declaration.
"Why are we using axes? Damn it, I've used a spear my whole life."
"Talking back when you can't even fight properly?"
Rem was forceful but led by example. Axes were short-range weapons, shorter than swords and far shorter than spears. But within the range Rem favored, their destructive power was exceptional.
The people Rem recruited were all temperantal, the kind who charged headlong regardless of what weapon they held. If they were going to use spears but charge recklessly like that, what was the point of wielding spears at all?
Rem wasn't the type to explain patiently. Instead, he beat them senseless.
"Just do as you're told."
Anyone who tried to run? There was no way Rem would let that slide.
"Run, and I'll kill you."
When he said this and even showed killing intent, everyone kept their mouths shut. There was no one to complain to about the oppressive training.
In truth, most of them secretly agreed with Rem's thods. When they held axes and followed orders, their skills noticeably improved.
"Hey, want to learn so curses too?"
Rem even got a bit ambitious, thinking it might be good to teach them a few spells. But this led to a problem: not everyone could learn like Enkrid. It wasn't common to find people willing to keep at sothing with blind determination.
"All you have to do is this. Why can't you get it?"
On top of that, Rem wasn't particularly skilled at teaching.
Krais, observing the overall situation wished for more competent talent.
"Ropord's good at this."
Compared to others, Ropord was ideal. Though, from an outsider's perspective even he seed to push his troops too hard.
So soldiers grumbled, questioning why they needed such rigorous training when there was no imdiate battle.
But Krais, as if anticipating this, drove them into the Pen-Hanil Mountains.
"Why not use the perfect training ground right behind us?"
There was no reason not to. Although they were busy negotiating the treaty with Aspen, Krais understood better than anyone that nothing would go smoothly without proper preparation.
This was especially true for building up the military. Even if the soldiers were equipped with the finest gear, it would an nothing if their ntal fortitude or leg strength faltered, leaving them to collapse like Clen.
Drills and basic training were one thing, but in actual combat the outco would hinge on the unit's training and the soldiers' capabilities.
By this point, Clen had beco sothing of a household term.
"Fall behind, and you'll be the next Clen!"
This kind of remark beca common. And Clen, clenching her teeth, kept training until she was selected for Enkrid's personal guard.
"Ugh, once I get promoted, I'm going to beat them all to a pulp."
Clen had developed grit and determination. A month flew by. In truth, it had been spent solely on training.
After the war ended, there had been a brief festival-like period, but that was fleeting.
"Well, I'll leave them to you while I'm gone."
Before departing, Enkrid entrusted his personal guard to Fel.
Fel had acted like his deputy throughout the training, so this felt natural. It was finally ti to head to the palace.
"Safe travels."
Enkrid, Rem and Audin set off together with Graham and Krais seeing them off.
Ragna couldn't join due to injuries and Jaxen shook his head, unwilling to co along. Shinar seed engrossed in training her unit, while Esther's intentions remained a mystery.
Thus, the three of them began their journey to the palace. The atmosphere on this trip was vastly different from their last journey to the capital.
This was thanks to the safe roads established by Krang and Krais in the anti.
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Many thanks to azuring for proofreading the Chapter
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