Chapter 55 - The End of Persistence
It really wasn't a big deal.
City patrol duty was a routine task, sothing that happened frequently.
In fact, it was a rotational duty that could co up three or four tis a month.
And besides, where was this?
Border Guard.
A royal territory known for its impeccable security, where even minor trouble wasn't tolerated.
It wasn't without reason that major trading companies considered it a pri location for their dealings.
Although it was a border city in the far east of Naurilia, bordering Aspen and located near battlefields, its security was unparalleled.
This was thanks to the large number of stationed troops who worked tirelessly in shifts, day and night.
Border Guard had a square at its center, marked by four inns surrounding a well.
These inns ford a crossroads and a market square in the heart of the city.
The city itself was built on a plateau.
Leaving its outskirts, one could see gentle slopes descending below, with a river flowing beneath the northern incline.
The Pen-Hanil River.
It provided water to most of the surrounding towns.
Along the riverbanks were farmlands, scattered with occasional farmhouses.
This past sumr, the river had flooded, breaking one side of the embanknt.
Workers were now busy rebuilding the structure.
Most incidents occurred between people.
Although patrols occasionally dealt with farmland inspections or magical creatures, today's duty was market patrol.
"I'm Jack, and this is Bo," one soldier said.
Patrols were conducted in groups of three, so two soldiers joined the team.
Enkrid, Jack, and Bo—this was the trio heading toward the market.
"That mist was sorcery? Damn it, I almost died because of those Aspen bastards, but I survived thanks to you. Much appreciated!"
Jack spat on the ground as he spoke.
Holding a standard-issue infantry spear, he swaggered as if his gratitude wasn't entirely sincere.
Enkrid nodded nonchalantly.
"I almost died without spending my saved Krona."
Bo also expressed his gratitude.
He seed like a particularly cheerful soldier.
Big Eyes had once ntioned that Bo was quite talented.
'This combination seems familiar sohow.'
But no particular mory surfaced.
Since it wasn't significant, Enkrid didn't try to recall it.
The three of them walked toward the market in good spirits.
Enkrid wasn't much of a talker, but Jack and Bo were in the sa squad.
As they chatted, they occasionally praised Enkrid.
"A high rank soldier, huh? You must be really skilled. Damn, let's spar soti. I'd love to see what a senior soldier is capable of."
Jack tapped the ground with the butt of his spear as he spoke.
"Sure."
Enkrid didn't refuse sparring.
He believed every duel, no matter the opponent, had sothing to teach.
"You promised, damn it."
Jack punctuated his words with a customary curse.
"I heard you succeeded in a reconnaissance mission too. Squad Leader Andrew couldn't stop singing your praises," Bo chid in, lifting Enkrid up even more.
"Just got lucky."
"Modest, too," Bo said, giving him a thumbs-up.
No one disliked complints, and Enkrid was no exception.
The two chattered incessantly, laughing as they walked.
Reaching the market's edge, they passed several single-story buildings before entering the market itself.
On one side, soone was selling wildflowers they had picked, while on the other, tanned leather goods were for sale.
From the opposite side of the market, where Enkrid had entered, the faint clang of tal being struck echoed in the air.
It ca from a blacksmith's shop.
Although located on the outskirts of the market, the sound of iron eting iron faintly stimulated the ears.
"No, if you sell it for that price, there's nothing left to profit!"
A rchant's voice rang out.
"Freshly baked bread here!"
A boy standing by the roadside called out, inviting people to his stall.
Rumble, rumble.
Carts moved through the market center.
It was chaotic, as markets usually were.
The bustling scene was familiar.
"Dried apples taste great," one rchant said.
Enkrid's eyes t those of a vendor selling various dried fruits.
"No thanks," Enkrid replied.
The rchant quickly turned away.
It was an ordinary day.
Once the patrol was over, maybe he could convince Jaxen to spar, or he could spend ti with Jack instead—it might be fun.
The weather had grown noticeably colder, stiffening his body.
Walking felt better than staying still.
"Should we walk a bit more?"
"Yes, yes," Jack and Bo replied, sticking close on either side of him.
Just as Enkrid wondered if they were huddling together because of the cold, a child in tattered rags stumbled and fell forward.
Enkrid instinctively caught the child.
Thud.
A searing pain followed.
He tried to twist his body imdiately, but the cold had stiffened him, delaying his reaction.
Had the dagger struck at a slight angle, it might have been bearable.
Instead, it pierced his organs without hesitation.
After stabbing his insides, the blade unerringly aid for his heart, delivering another blow.
An excruciating pain surged through his mind.
As the dagger struck, a cry or groan was about to escape his lips when soone behind him covered his mouth with thick fabric.
The market was busy.
Even if soone staggered and fell, it was barely noticed.
Jack and Bo hid Enkrid with their bodies.
"Whoops, had a bit too much to drink so early, huh?" Jack joked.
"Exactly," Bo agreed, matching his tone.
What the hell is going on?
Enkrid couldn't make sense of the series of events.
The final punctuation was delivered by the child who had stabbed his abdon and heart.
"A persistent lover never forgets."
It wasn't a child.
Beneath the rags were large ears and jewel-like eyes.
The features were peculiar.
One eye was green, shining like a gemstone, while the other was brown, dull by comparison.
It was a heterochromatic gaze.
The green eye was so clear that the brown eye seed exceedingly murky, like dirty oil mixed into clean water.
Their skin was mottled like a spotted cat, with deep wrinkles around the mouth and eyes.
Although the facial features were quite attractive individually, together, they gave off an unsettling impression.
'A mixed-blood fairy.'
Enkrid recognized the figure's identity, but that changed nothing.
Blood stread onto the ground while his mouth remained gagged.
His arms were pinned, and Jack and Bo offered no gaps to exploit.
"Farewell," the mixed-blood fairy said.
Judging by the wrinkles on their face and the tone of their speech, they weren't young.
Their small build resembled that of a boy around twelve or thirteen years old.
'This... I really didn't expect this.'
An assassination attempt?
And a "persistent lover"?
Wasn't that the na of Aspen's Independent Unit?
Rumored to be relentless, they had sent assassins after the war.
'They're utterly insane.'
The resources and effort required to send an assassin were substantial.
Targeting a re soldier for such a purpose was madness.
From the perspective of the victim, it was infuriating.
As Enkrid tried to tilt his head backward, the person gagging him tightened their grip.
"Let him go. He seems to have sothing to say," the fairy said.
Perhaps it was an elven intuition, but the diminutive, aged, mixed-blood elf seed to have read Enkrid's intentions.
The thick fabric strangling his neck loosened.
"Did Aspen send you? Are you, Jack and Bo, spies?"
Enkrid swallowed the sharp pain crawling up his body and asked.
"Sothing like that."
"Who's the behind ?"
"Why do you care? You're dying anyway."
"I'd hate to die ignorant. I'll be waiting for you in hell."
"Rotten."
The last word was whispered behind him.
Rotten?
That bastard's na was familiar.
Jack, Bo, Rotten.
Weren't they all from the reconnaissance team?
As death lood closer, his mind spun wildly, dredging up old mories.
The reason he'd been sent on that reconnaissance mission during the Green Pearl battlefield.
Jack had claid a broken arm, Bo a smashed nose, and Rotten had supposedly been bitten by a snake.
All of them had faked their way out of the mission.
"Those bastards."
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"Persistent, weren't they?"
The fairy spoke before slipping aside like a shadow.
The figure darted nimbly toward the outskirts and disappeared into an alley.
Jack and Bo, who had been holding him down, quietly let go and moved away.
Rotten?
Needless to say, he was already gone.
Enkrid used up all his strength exchanging just a few words.
He didn't even have the energy to shout.
Not that he would have, even if he could.
Instead, he collapsed, trying to catch a glimpse behind him.
Rotten, they'd said.
But what if it was soone else?
How did Rotten even look?
He couldn't rember his face.
As the thought struck him that it didn't matter, Enkrid let his body go limp.
Blood dripped from his mouth, and his insides felt like they'd been churned with kindling.
Pain soaked his body, blood the ground beneath him.
The chill wrapped around him even tighter. His body shivered violently.
'Bastards, if you're leaving, at least finish the job.'
Bleeding out like this was the worst.
Better to die in one swift blow.
"Aaaaah!"
A passing waitress scread at the sight of the blood pooling on the ground.
That was the last thing he heard.
Enkrid closed his eyes and welcod death.
***
A flash.
Morning greeted him as his eyes opened again.
He shot upright, startling Rem, who was bundled in blankets nearby.
"Nightmare?"
"No. Just wanted to start the day with so energy."
"It's disgustingly cold."
Rem grumbled from the mont he woke.
Though a large bonfire blazed in the camp's parade ground and the night guards brought in heated stones for the soldiers, it wasn't enough to stave off the cold.
If they had an abundance of krona, they might've bought furs or magical heaters.
But such luxuries were out of reach for ordinary soldiers.
Not that they needed a magical heater.
Even a beast's hide, said to emit a subtle warmth, would've been enough.
But even that was an expensive dream.
To sum up, all of it was wishful thinking.
"Krais, aren't you cold?"
"Freezing. Absolutely freezing."
Rem asked Krais for no reason.
Big Eyes was the only one here with an abundance of krona.
"How about a magical heater?"
"Do you think we can use sothing nobles have? You're dreaming. Why don't you try becoming a noble tomorrow instead?"
"Oh? Are you asking for a blow from my axe?"
"Resorting to violence every ti isn't a good habit... Squad Leader!"
Big Eyes ended the conversation by calling out to Enkrid.
"Don't bully him."
Enkrid's gaze shifted to Audin Pumrei, the burly soldier in their squad with a religious streak.
For so reason, he'd ended up in this squad of misfits.
Today was exceptionally cold.
Jaxen was out on leave for so reason, while Rem, Big Eyes, and Ragna showed no intention of getting out of bed.
Even bundled in blankets, it was cold.
"Since you're up, Squad Leader, could you bring us so warm stones?"
The heated stones left by the bonfire overnight would help sowhat.
"Sure."
Despite his answer, Enkrid didn't move.
Instead, Audin stepped out of his bed and approached Rem with long strides.
"Brother, staying in bed because it's cold will make your body stiff. Moving to generate heat is how you defeat the cold. Co on, follow ."
"Get lost before I warm my body with your blood after chopping you to pieces."
"That's not a good attitude, Brother. Soone might find that offensive."
"Offended? Good. That's what I was going for."
"Do you wish to go to heaven, Brother?"
Ever consistent, wasn't he?
Normally, Enkrid would've stopped him by now.
But today, he just stared at Audin and spoke.
"You ntioned a training thod to preserve body heat. Teach ."
Audin, who'd been staring at Rem intently, turned back to him.
"You an the unard training thod?"
Audin probably wasn't immune to the cold either.
But he was undoubtedly better at enduring it than the rest of them.
He'd once ntioned a training thod to keep the body from freezing up in the cold.
For so reason, Enkrid recalled it now.
It seed useful.
Jumping in place to stay warm wasn't practical.
Learning a thod to prevent his body from stiffening sounded like a good idea.
It was impulsive yet logical.
Enkrid was always eager to learn.
"Yeah, that."
"Teaching it is easy. Do you have ti?"
"Now."
"You can grasp the basics in a day or two. It's not hard."
Audin smiled, seeming pleased that Enkrid wanted to learn.
As Enkrid prepared to start imdiately, Rem mumbled from his bed.
"Squad Leader, bring the stones first. I'm cold."
Oh, right.
Enkrid fetched the stones first.
They had two hours before the shift.
Enough ti for breakfast and so training.
Enkrid did just that.
The unard training thod was grueling but effective.
Afterward, he went on duty again.
'How did I end up on shift with those two?'
Clearly, soone had ddled.
"Ha, what an honor. Standing guard with the Spell Breaker himself."
Jack replied, and Enkrid nodded.
When they entered the marketplace, Enkrid was already prepared.
He noticed the fairy approaching before anyone else.
Jack and Bo tried to grab his arms, but Enkrid struck out with his fists on either side.
Thunk, crack!
Jack took a hit to the chin, while Bo dodged reflexively, sidestepping quickly.
Bo was fast.
He stepped back and reached for his waist, where a shortsword hung.
The fairy was still far away.
That ant Bo had to be dealt with first.
Enkrid gripped the hilt of his longsword.
Drawing it, he swung, sharpening his senses and boldness into a blade.
At that mont—
Whoosh!
He heard a strange sound.
He tried to dodge, but whatever was flying at him was faster.
Thud!
Enkrid's breath caught.
He looked down to see the tip of a blade protruding from his chest, near his heart.
It was a throwing knife—no hilt, no decorations, just a double-edged blade.
An exceptionally difficult weapon to master.
"A persistent lover never forgets his prey."
The fairy, now close, whispered before stepping back.
'I was prepared.'
But he hadn't anticipated a thrown weapon.
Even if he had, it would've been difficult to block such skilled precision.
Enkrid closed his eyes, thinking he'd need better preparations.
And thus, his third day began.
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