Chapter 624 - A Sincere Request
"What do you an by that?"
"Shinar is over four hundred years old."
"Is she that old?"
"Yeah."
"She’s more of a grandmother than an older sister."
"She’ll get mad if you say that."
"Oh."
A true gentleman never teases a woman about her age.
Crang nodded in agreent, as if promising never to bring it up again.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I’ll ask her sothing."
"Ask what?"
"Whether upholding her duty is truly what she desires."
So people might genuinely wish to lead a life of duty.
However, before making any assumptions, Enkrid felt he needed to ask.
When asked why...
’It’s a hunch.’
Shinar’s words and actions from the past flashed through his mind.
Especially her words on the day before her departure, which carried a bitter regret, much like a poorly brewed cup of tea.
At the ti, he thought she was indifferent, but upon reflection, that indifference itself was a signal.
"It was fun while it lasted."
It ant that she had enjoyed herself up until now.
But from here on, she likely wouldn’t.
’That’s why I have to ask. I must go and find out.’
That was Enkrid’s resolve.
"Do as you wish."
Crang crossed his legs, offering no objection.
He, too, didn’t fully grasp Shinar’s true intentions.
"Where is the city of the fairyfolk?"
"I don’t know."
"I see."
Enkrid nodded, and after so casual conversation, he began searching for the location of the fairyfolk’s city the following day.
He started with Krais.
"After Shinar disappeared, I used the information guild to investigate.
They said it’s hidden sowhere in the mountains, but there’s a barrier, so it’s hard to pinpoint."
Krais spoke while furrowing his brow, indicating he’d made an effort but hadn’t found anything concrete.
Enkrid then asked others.
"Do you think I’d know?"
Rem was imdiately disqualified.
"My knowledge doesn’t extend that far, brother. Once your Bound Will matures, return. I have my next task to attend to."
Audin didn’t know either.
Surprisingly, though, Ragna chid in confidently.
"The fairyfolk’s city? I’ve seen so folks weaving clothes from leaves and branches. Shall I guide you there?"
Naturally, Enkrid declined Ragna’s offer.
Taking his guidance could lead to a dwarf city instead of the fairyfolk’s, and it might take years to get there.
"If you’re planning a trip to another dinsion, it sounds like a blast."
Rem, overhearing this, interrupted, sparking an argunt with Ragna.
Seeing this, Jaxen rely shook his head.
"The fairyfolk aren’t a single group. You’ll need to find the city where Shinar is."
From Jaxen’s explanation, it was clear that finding the exact location wouldn’t be easy.
If it were, Krais would have already uncovered it through the information guild.
"Why did you try looking for Shinar in the first place?"
Enkrid asked Krais out of curiosity.
"Uh, no particular reason."
Call it instinct, or perhaps a reflexive urge to gather information.
"I figured if the commander ever asked about her, I’d need to say, ’She’s there.’ That’s about it. Though it’s frustrating not to have found anything yet."
It’s said trid realized that Krais embodied this.
When he ntioned it, Krais looked puzzled.
"I just explore all avenues and prepare in advance because not doing so makes uneasy."
Krais’s obsessive information-gathering might stem from his chronic anxiety.
While he didn’t claim to predict the future, his preparedness itself was wisdom in Enkrid’s eyes.
Had Shinar made similar preparations?
What did she need to resolve her curse, duty, or whatever burden she carried?
"I don’t know. The fairyfolk don’t welco visitors."
Luagarne didn’t know either, and nobody else did.
"I’ve lived in the wilderness all my life and now reside here. My talents are limited to swordsmanship, not navigation."
"Well, I’m great at navigation! Let guide you!"
When Enkrid asked Fel, Ragna interjected again.
"No, you’re not."
Enkrid dismissed him outright.
He didn’t doubt Ragna’s honesty—he wasn’t one to lie about such things.
Still, the mystery of how Ragna stumbled into the fairyfolk’s city after getting lost intrigued him.
"Why am I getting angry?"
Ragna muttered.
Hearing this, Rem, who had been grinding his teeth after losing their previous fight, retorted.
"Teaching you navigation would be harder than teaching a ghoul table manners."
"Huh? I couldn’t hear that over the sound of an idiot who broke his shin with his own axe."
Rem had indeed struck his shin with his axe during their fight, but it was a calculated move to gain montum.
Ragna’s jab reignited their quarrel.
Co to think of it, Ragna’s wit had improved considerably.
Watching the two bicker, Ropord silently replayed their exchange in his mind several tis.
"What are you doing?"
"I got caught in a provocation during a fight and lost a verbal argunt. It bothers so much that it even shows up in my dreams."
He was talking about the incident with the paladins.
Enkrid’s eyes seed to ask: Isn’t it normal to get caught off guard by provocations now and then?
"...You wouldn’t understand how this feels, Captain."
Enkrid wanted to disagree with Ropord’s words.
How could he not understand?
Sinar’s fairy-like jokes had teased him rcilessly.
The barrage of absurd jokes was rare for him to experience and even harder to counter.
Yet, despite the teasing, Enkrid didn’t neglect his duties.
Training, eating, cleaning, and maintaining his weapons filled his days.
It was during one of these routines—polishing his sword with linseed oil as per Aetri’s advice—that it happened.
The early sunset of sumr painted the sky in hues of red.
Amidst the sound of rustling leaves swaying in the breeze, footsteps approached.
A shadow crossed the sunlight spilling onto the ground, blending with Enkrid’s own shadow.
"You’re looking for the fairy city?"
Was it just him, or did the voice carry a chill?
Enkrid looked up.
Before him stood a woman draped in a spell-bound robe, impervious to the biting cold of winter.
Her long black hair frad piercing blue eyes, pale skin, and striking red lips—an extraordinary beauty.
It was Esther, the witch known as the Black Flower.
"Not the city itself. I’m looking for where Sinar went."
Enkrid replied.
If Esther asked why, he planned to throw a joke he had once told Crang: that perhaps the big sister was waiting for him.
But Esther didn’t ask.
Without a hint of humor, she simply said, "Fine. You should ask, though."
"Hm?"
"If soone leaves, there must be a reason. And if they leave without even explaining why, the reason must be significant. That’s how I see it."
"Huh?"
"So you should ask. Why they left. Why they had to go."
As she spoke, Esther reached out and placed her hand on Enkrid’s forehead.
He didn’t flinch.
Her hand was icy cold.
"Lower your ntal barrier."
"What?"
"If your psychic defenses are too strong, I won’t be able to share it with you."
"Share what?"
"You’ll understand once you receive it."
The chill wasn’t imagined—it was real.
Esther’s hand felt like ice, her breath left no mist, and her presence radiated cold even through Enkrid’s clothes.
It seed she had been practicing magic.
Pondering what she ant by "ntal barrier," Enkrid closed his eyes.
He imagined a wall, built a door in it, and then opened the door in his mind.
Following Esther’s suggestion, he enacted the ntal visualization.
Suddenly, sothing seeped into his mind—a map leading to a specific place.
It wasn’t just directions; it included annotations for guidance.
"Sinar ntioned a clan before leaving. That’s where the fairies live."
As a witch, Esther had once built a hut deep in the forest for her experints, a rite of passage for all witches.
Surrounded by various magical ingredients and herbs, it was the perfect environnt for magic.
Fairies or druids were not uncommon neighbors in such places.
Based on what Shinar had shared before leaving, finding the location wasn’t too difficult for Esther.
Shinar might not have expected this.
"Want to co with ?"
Enkrid opened his eyes and asked.
Esther withdrew her hand and offered a faint smile.
"I’m busy."
"Oh, okay."
Enkrid posed the sa question to others.
"Sorry about this. I feel bad refusing when you’re asking so earnestly. But I’ve got sothing urgent—trying to smash the skull of so directionally challenged bastard, but after loafing around for days, my aim’s off. How about I catch up with you later?"
Listening to Rem, Enkrid asked, "When did I ask so earnestly?"
"You grabbed my pant leg and begged. It’s a bit awkward for , you know. I’ll catch up when I can."
Fine.
Not you, then.
Lately, Ragna had been gaining a slight edge over Rem in their spars, and Rem seed intent on training more.
Contrary to his claim of "loafing," Rem had been living a grueling, divided schedule, a trait shared by all the Madn .
It was, after all, Enkrid’s influence.
"Sister Teresa is approaching a critical mont, and I’m laying the groundwork for Sister Seiki. Still, if you insist, I could join."
"I just asked. Don’t bother."
Even Audin seed to have absorbed so of Rem’s disposition, though the results weren’t exactly pure.
"You need a guide?"
Enkrid preemptively rejected Ragna’s offer, especially since Rem wouldn’t stay quiet.
"Running away? Scared?"
"Did you take so many hits your brain broke?"
"Never took a hit to the head, you directionless fool."
Fine, let those two be.
Their sparring had recently boosted their skills considerably.
Though Enkrid didn’t realize it, most knew the reason for their intense competition—it stemd from a sparring match where Enkrid demonstrated unmatched precision.
His strikes, particularly the concentrated Will channeled into a single blow, were both deadly and inspiring.
anwhile, Audin, having awakened his divine power, subtly looked down on the two, which only fueled their efforts further.
"It might get lonely traveling alone, but I have a date, so I can’t join."
Jaxen also declined with this excuse.
Ultimately, Enkrid decided to leave with Luagarne, with Fel tagging along.
"Shall we spar on the way?"
Previously, Fel hadn’t expressed such sentints, but now his eyes were filled with respect and admiration.
Naturally, his tone also reflected that reverence.
"Let’s do that."
"Too bad I can’t join," Ropord remarked regretfully.
However, he couldn’t abandon the training of the sword unit that Ragna had left to him.
There seed to be a crucial hurdle remaining.
Even if not, Ropord was genuinely one of the busiest people in the Madn Knights.
"Then, see you later."
Without waiting, Enkrid leaped into action and departed swiftly.
anwhile, Crang, who had been staying nearby for a few days on business, soon realized that Enkrid had left without even saying a word to him.
He grabbed Krais by the collar and demanded, "He didn’t forget , right?"
"Uh... Surely not," Krais replied, though his tone lacked conviction.
It seed likely that Enkrid had indeed forgotten about Crang and simply left.
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