Chapter 605 - Ice Fairy
The corruption within the Order was blatantly exposed by this incident.
"The Grey God, he is compassionate and loves all. He even grants rcy to those who stand on the opposite side of the scales."
They strung together nonsense to create a new holy scripture, and many people sided with it.
This was proof under heaven that there were more corrupt priests than righteous ones in the Order.
"Look, this is how it should be."
By worshiping the Grey God, a muddied divinity was deed correct.
After all, wasn’t the loudest voice often considered the right one?
Their voices grew louder and louder.
Once, they were denounced as having lost their light, but acknowledging the existence of the Grey God seed to solve everything.
Besides, was there truly a god?
If so, shouldn’t all sinners be punished?
Had the god descended to te out justice?
Had they punished the wicked or at least forgiven them?
No such thing had ever happened—not once.
Divinity was borrowed power from the gods, yet the gods provided power without imposing obligations.
They only spoke words.
There were many reasons behind the holy war, but one was certain: the absence of the gods.
Another was the number of people eager to insist on the righteousness of the Grey Holy Light.
It could be called a desperate attempt by those seeking not only to seize power but also to claim legitimacy.
And when such efforts eventually settled into place, they would form an institution.
Wasn’t this similar to how nations were founded in the past?
Like-minded individuals or those with similar interests ca together to form groups.
"Look, the gathering of these people proves our righteousness."
Muel was intoxicated by power.
His authority had already been imnse from managing the Order’s trade networks and roads, but now it had grown even further.
It felt as though he had beco the creator of a new world.
He decided to indulge in that feeling.
A new world would unfold this way.
Dreams could be dreamt by anyone.
That didn’t necessarily an they were always right.
Shortly before the holy war was declared, Enkrid returned to Border Guard.
And the first thing he did?
"Rem, are you afraid of the cold? From today on, I will be your cold. Co out! Ragna, you too. Stopped in your tracks because you’re scared of your own talent? Arrogant brat, I’ll show you how insignificant you really are!"
"...Did you hit your head?"
Standing before the training grounds, Rem opened the door with a creak and spoke.
Wrapped head to toe in heated fur, he looked rather ridiculous. Luagarne, however, knew Enkrid’s nature well enough by now to understand there was a reason behind his words and actions.
She translated for him.
"He’s in a good mood and wants a sparring match. Can’t you tell?"
Rem stared blankly at Enkrid for a mont before replying.
"Geez, if he gets in a good mood again, he might end up insulting my ancestors too."
Of course, it wasn’t to that extent, but Rem’s response was simply her being himself.
Ragna soon appeared as well.
After observing Enkrid silently, he remarked,
"I think he really did hit his head. He’s speaking without any restraint."
Despite the words, his tone wasn’t unpleasant.
Both Rem and Ragna knew Enkrid was acting like this because he was in high spirits.
It was a bit sudden, but who could argue against soone feeling good?
Call it excitent or simply a refreshed deanor.
Either way, seeing their commander in a good mood wasn’t a bad thing.
Everyone watching felt similarly.
Shinar also heard of Enkrid’s return and entered the training grounds.
The usually sluggish fairy seed to move with a bit of urgency, as if there was sothing important to say.
The night was cloaked in dark clouds.
This wasn’t so squabble after waking up or a midnight brawl—it was simply the antics of an uncontrollable madman.
It felt apt to call him the Mad Knight or even the Knight of Madness.
"If you’re looking for a sparring partner, your fiancée is here," Shinar quipped.
"Who is my fiancée?"
"."
Shinar was shaless, her fairy-style jest warming the chilly air.
From the corner of the training grounds, Jaxen, half-hidden in shadow and half-bathed in moonlight, spoke up.
"Did you gain anything from this trip?"
Perhaps heightened senses ca with quicker perception.
"Of course," Enkrid replied, drawing his sword.
Shrrring.
It was a longsword he’d retrieved from the training grounds after his return since his other sword was damaged.
He wielded the two-handed weapon with one hand, swinging it easily.
Though lighter than his old sword, it posed no issue for him.
Enkrid had already adapted to its weight on the journey and finished coaxing sparring partners. Without hesitation, he struck.
Rem was first.
In a single step, his body tore through the air, and his blade sliced forward, brimming with a surge of Will.
Reflexively, he drew her axe to et the blow.
"You crazy bastard!"
Feeling the force imbued in the strike, Rem let out a curse-like shout.
A mont’s hesitation could have left his body in two.
Of course, he imdiately matched Enkrid’s power with his own.
Bang!
The clash of sword and axe sent shockwaves radiating outward in concentric circles, scattering dust and loose pebbles from the frozen, parched ground.
Squinting against the rising dust, Ragna replayed the scene in his mind.
’That was Will.’
Simply imbuing a weapon with Will was already within their grasp.
But this was different.
Though it couldn’t be quantitatively asured, one thing was clear: the Will had intensified.
In simpler terms, a pale hue had deepened into a vivid shade.
The downward strike followed the thod of a middle-blade slash.
"Foundationally, it’s the Will of cutting."
It was a technique he himself had taught, and seeing it now brought him a asure of satisfaction.
It appeared that Enkrid had used it to overco a weakness and shatter a barrier.
"Mind if I join in?"
Ragna unsheathed his sword and jumped into the fray.
He aid a diagonal thrust that left little room for evasion.
On their journey back from Border Guard, Enkrid had trained himself not to expend all his Will in a single strike but to allocate it across multiple actions.
Opening that path was the hardest part, but once it was done, familiarizing his body with the new flow was only a matter of ti.
However, that was only Enkrid’s assessnt of his progress.
"Too sloppy!"
To Rem’s eyes, it was a different story.
"He’s right."
Ragna agreed.
"You need to wield it with more finesse."
Jaxen chid in, as did Shinar, who naturally couldn’t resist inserting himself.
"A betrothal stab!"
The fairy joked excessively, naming the move absurdly as he slashed with his blade.
"Wasn’t that supposed to be a thrust?"
Enkrid twisted his body to dodge the slicing blade, countering Shinar’s words.
"Isn’t it one of your favorite techniques?"
It was a classic example of rcenary-style swordsmanship from Valen, who was infamous for his deceptive moves.
Experiencing it firsthand, Enkrid found it mildly aggravating despite knowing its nature.
Valen must have been the type to relish teasing opponents, given how many of his techniques seed designed purely for mischief.
After all, isn’t it possible that so people pick up the sword just to toy with others?
"Again."
Enkrid waited for his expended Will to regenerate before swinging his sword once more.
anwhile, he was kept busy parrying thrusts from Rem, Ragna, and Shinar, who attacked him in turns.
Their skills had noticeably improved since the last ti he observed them, which was why they could hold out against his strikes.
This progress was a direct result of endlessly swinging their swords like maniacs every single day, no matter how brief the sessions.
Once his Will replenished, he launched another full-force slash.
On the third repetition, his sword let out a sharp clang and broke apart—it couldn’t withstand the pressure of his Will.
That marked the end of the sparring session.
"Do you think brute-forcing Will is the answer to everything?"
Rem scolded him while retrieving a fresh piece of thermal leather. Ragna, Shinar, and even Jaxen echoed similar sentints.
Had Audin been present, he would have likely added his critique as well.
"If you train your body, Brother, you’ll naturally gain the precision to wield Will with finesse."
"Have you done that yourself?"
"I didn’t need to, Brother. But since you’re not , you’ll need to train."
And so, such exchanges would go on.
As they returned, Krais, who had joined them late, comnted, "You broke your sword this ti?"
"Yeah."
Enkrid nodded.
A new sword was in order.
"I heard you’ve been busy. Is that true?"
Krais asked.
"Quite. There’s probably even a tale of soone hugging Esther tightly. I’m cold too, Enki. Looks like it’s my turn for a hug."
Shinar interjected playfully.
"Winter is naturally cold," Enkrid replied calmly, having grown immune to fairy-style jests after enduring them countless tis.
"I’m freezing to death here."
Shinar pretended to look pitiful, lowering her head with a drooping expression.
Watching her eyebrows drop like that was strangely fascinating.
"Hey, share the hugs evenly!"
Rem’s complaint brought a faint chuckle from Enkrid, who resolved to prepare a proper gift for Rem soday.
"So, why don’t you tell us what you were doing at Cross Guard?"
Jaxen asked, though it was clear he was actually inquiring about the new skills Enkrid had picked up.
"It’s late. Let’s talk tomorrow."
Enkrid looked around at everyone as he spoke.
It was too late for stories now—it was ti to rest.
"This crazy guy! You knew it was late? And you still wanted to spar?"
Rem exclaid in disbelief.
"Sparring is important."
With that, Enkrid left to wash up, leaving the others stunned but not entirely surprised.
"Didn’t you already know he was like this?"
Krais remarked.
"I am cold."
Shinar returned his expression to normal and turned away. Hearing those words, Krais spoke as he took a step forward.
"Perhaps we should stoke the fire further."
"Fire is dangerous."
Then what were they supposed to do?
It wasn’t really a question ant to elicit an answer.
"Not bad."
Ragna sumd up the current state of Enkrid in a single sentence and returned to the lodging.
The night passed uneventfully, and the following morning, between training bouts and sparring sessions that broke several swords, Enkrid and Luagarenne casually recounted what had happened in the city.
While their tone was calm, the content was rather astonishing.
However, none of them, including Rem, showed exaggerated reactions of shock.
Except for Shinar, who muttered to herself in the corner.
"I am already ice."
City life, social gatherings, walking fires.
Hearing this, Rem fell into brief contemplation.
Reflecting on the monts when Enkrid had made significant progress, he noticed a peculiar pattern.
’So, does he grow stronger after surviving near-death experiences?’
If he managed to avoid dying, his skills would surge.
Perhaps sending him into such situations might be effective.
But how common were such perilous locations?
Enkrid was a man with an unyielding Will, substantial experience, and sharp instincts.
In fact, at tis, his intuition seed sharper than Rem’s own.
That might have been thanks to the scheming stray cat.
By now, ordinary threats hardly fazed Enkrid.
Still, did that an there were no real dangers left?
There certainly were.
Rem himself wasn’t confident he could survive if thrown into the
Western Abyss of Silence.
’But throwing him into the Abyss?’
That would be insanity.
It was a fleeting thought.
The idea of near-death situations pushing Enkrid to his limits was intriguing.
Maybe it was because of that thought, or perhaps it stemd from the reckless swing of that massive sword a few nights ago.
While Enkrid had been away, Rem had spent his days training relentlessly after hearing news of Audin.
His efforts earned his unit’s praise for Audin, to the point that so considered building a shrine for him.
That plan was stopped, apparently.
Thanks to Audin, the intense training bore fruit.
Under a mad commander, ca mad subordinates.
Regardless, Rem mixed what he had learned from his sparring into her practice, pushing Enkrid harder than usual.
It was akin to playing a ga of pushing soone to the edge of a cliff.
One wrong move, and they could fall to their death.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
Nor did Enkrid display any extraordinary breakthroughs before facing mortal danger.
’Guess not.’
That was Rem’s simple conclusion, and Jaxen, watching, comnted sincerely.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"In heat, are you? That damned stray cat’s yowling again."
It was a peaceful, if odd, routine.
While spending these productive days, news of the Holy War reached them.
Originally, this had nothing to do with Enkrid; it was an internal issue of the Holy Nation.
However, their chosen target beca a problem—they had set their sights on Noah’s monastery.
A rchant traveling along the newly established Stone Road brought the news to Border Guard.
"I heard that monastery is a den of demons."
"Yeah, I’ve heard that too. Supposedly, they raise demon children there, and the head monk sold his eyes to a demon, which is why the Gray God is punishing them."
The propaganda was in full swing.
The Gray God’s Pope, Muel, had orchestrated it.
Krais mobilized the Gilpin Guild and sought assistance from Leona to gather all relevant information.
Eventually, they learned that the monastery Enkrid had briefly visited had been chosen as the scapegoat.
With so analysis, they figured out the general sche.
’They’ll set up a scapegoat and rally people to attack it under the guise of righteous cause?’
Giving people a target was far more effective than rallying them for no reason.
It was a strategic move.
When this was relayed to Enkrid, his response was simple:
"Let’s go."
Straightforward and decisive.
There was no obligation or reason for him to intervene, and there might be nothing to gain from this fight.
Nevertheless, Enkrid grabbed the new sword he had received from Aetri.
Most of the surrounding tasks had been handled, leaving Rem, Ragna, and Jaxen with little to do.
In short, they were free.
Joining them were Esther, Shinar, Luagarenne, Teresa, Ropord, and Fel.
"Everyone seems quite idle, huh?"
"It’s thanks to our usual diligence," Ropord replied.
"We’ll leave the unit behind and go ourselves."
If they delayed, they’d only see smoke rising from Noah’s monastery.
A small elite group would move swiftly, leaving anyone behind who couldn’t keep up.
"Officially, this is the first expedition of the Madn Knights," Krais remarked, watching the group depart.
"That’s one way to put it." Enkrid nodded.
Though no rallying cry was needed, he spoke on a whim.
"You unhinged Madn, let’s go wild."
Hearing this, Rem added with a grin.
"Let’s."
The laughing barbarian’s face showed no tension, despite reports that the enemy included two holy knights.
"So what?" was the expression he wore.
"The Ice Fairy is with us as well," Shinar chid in, though Enkrid ignored her, pretending not to hear.
Since returning, Shinar had been pestering him for attention.
And so, the expedition began.
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