Chapter 28 - Ambush and Blue Eyes
Chapter 28 - Ambush and Blue Eyes
Enkrid let out a sigh of relief as he watched the staggering reconnaissance squad leader.
"Just barely made it."
His trick of deflecting a blade with the back of his hand succeeded only about half the time.
But practice had made him more adept, though it wasn't an easy feat.
It was possible only because he had studied his opponent's peculiar habits.
Without that, such a maneuver would have been unthinkable.
From Enkrid's perspective, it was a precarious gamble, but to any observer, it appeared as nothing less than a showcase of overwhelming skill.
He batted away incoming blades without flinching, followed by a swift strike to the solar plexus that rendered his opponent incapacitated.
It was the kind of feat that only someone vastly superior in skill could achieve.
"Are you seriously just a lowest-rank soldier?"
How many times had he heard that now?
It was becoming tiresome.
"I never took the promotion test. Didn't think I needed it," he replied, preemptively addressing the inevitable follow-up questions.
He then stretched his wrist to relieve the stiffness.
No damage had been done.
Years of training with the sword had covered everything he needed. Strength training was a given, and Enkrid's physical prowess was among the best in his unit.
That level of preparation explained his consistent results.
"From now on, I'm the squad leader," Enkrid declared.
It was as if he had conquered a mountain.
The previous squad leader didn't protest.
He simply stared blankly at Enkrid before mumbling, "Y-you, uh…" and falling silent.
No one else objected either.
Even the soldier with the most influence after the squad leader—the one with the menacing appearance—quietly followed Enkrid's lead.
As expected.
The path to finding an escape route continued.
"Enri, what's your dream?"
Enkrid, now leading the formation, walked alongside Enri. It was shortly after the chaos had subsided, and Enri, still shaken, quickly regained his composure at Enkrid's words.
"Huh?"
"Is there something you want to do?"
Enri blinked a few times, caught off guard, before nervously revealing his rather specific aspiration.
"Uh, well… Survive, settle down, and run a flower shop with a widow."
Of course.
Everyone has their own goals.
"Then you need to make it back alive. What about you?"
Enkrid turned his gaze to the soldier behind him.
It was Andrew, whom Enkrid had deliberately placed directly behind him when reorganizing the formation.
Enkrid had even allowed Andrew to keep his weapon.
Watching this, Enri thought, This guy must be fearless.
What if Andrew held a grudge and stabbed him in the back?
Though Enkrid could simply restart the day, Enri didn't know that.
Andrew let out a long sigh. "Fine. I concede."
"That's not what I asked. What do you want, soldier?"
Andrew, now demoted to "soldier," had no room to argue.
The difference in skill was too evident.
"The revival of my family," he answered.
So, he was from a fallen noble family.
"Then you need to survive and return too," Enkrid said.
The newly appointed squad leader continued to ask similar questions, delivering the same response each time.
"You have to make it back alive to earn money," he told one soldier who dreamed of opening a shop.
"Your lover's pregnant? If you don't want your child to grow up fatherless, you'd better return too," he said to another, a rough-looking soldier who turned out to be an expectant father.
"Everyone's got the same goal, huh?" Enkrid remarked. "Then let's all make it back alive."
Though his intentions baffled the squad, no one objected.
Enkrid met each soldier's gaze one by one.
Normally, such actions might seem trivial, but his earlier words had planted seeds of purpose.
Even Andrew, along with the other soldiers, began recalling what they had left behind.
Enkrid wanted them to find their own sense of purpose.
Though it began with force and intimidation, now he needed them to fight willingly.
He had used this approach many times before: instilling a desire to survive.
It was an effective strategy.
Moving as a cohesive unit of ten was far more advantageous than fighting alone.
In fact, with this level of motivation, they could even attempt an ambush.
If the ambush succeeded, everything could change.
"It just might work."
As long as there was a chance, he would keep trying.
Accepting death was simply part of the process.
Through repeated attempts, Enkrid memorized the enemy's positions and numbers.
***
Another day of knocking out the squad leader passed.
"What's your dream?"
That day also ended with the same question.
It might have been monotonous, but Enkrid approached each day with unwavering focus.
Eventually, he obtained two key elements: the plan for an ambush and a clear goal.
"Let's do this."
Now was the moment, built on countless repetitions of the same day. He had trained enough through repetition.
"Let's all make it back alive," he said.
When Enkrid turned around, the entire reconnaissance squad nodded.
Though they didn't see the mission as particularly dangerous, Enkrid's persistence stirred something in their hearts.
"Then let's go."
Enkrid no longer moved cautiously.
He didn't need to.
He had already memorized the enemy's general locations.
"Have you been here before?" Enri, the former plains hunter, asked as they walked side by side.
"A few times."
Not admitting it would seem strange, given how confidently he navigated the terrain.
"Oh, I see."
After walking a bit farther, Enri asked another question.
"Were you a hunter?"
"No, but I learned a few things from one," Enkrid replied, referring to skills like reading tracks and identifying the direction grass was bent.
Of course, it was Enri himself who had taught him those skills in earlier repetitions.
As they moved, Enkrid glanced back and noticed a rough-looking soldier sticking close to Andrew.
In the field, such a soldier might make an excellent bodyguard.
Enkrid thought to himself, In a fight, that tough-looking soldier will definitely stick with Andrew.
Even while walking, he mentally mapped out their escape route.
When they reached their destination, Enkrid raised his fist to signal the squad to stop.
"Phew."
He took a deep breath where they stood.
The squad looked around, puzzled by the halt.
They had just reached the edge of the grasslands.
But no one spoke up.
Enkrid's leadership style left no room for debate.
"Shoot," Enkrid commanded, pointing in a direction.
Enri, armed with a crossbow, blinked at him in confusion. "Huh? Where?"
It was a question he had heard countless times.
"Shoot. I won't say it twice."
Enri wasn't slow to catch on.
Enkrid's tone was cold, leaving no room for argument.
He had pointed beyond the tall grass.
Nothing was visible, and no presence could be felt.
Still, orders were orders.
Enri had seen Enkrid fight.
Despite the rumors, it was clear he wasn't an opponent to be taken lightly.
Pulling the bowstring taut, Enri nocked an arrow.
The string stretched with tension.
Cautiously glancing around, Enri released the arrow in the direction Enkrid's finger pointed.
It was a command from the squad leader, after all.
The arrow whizzed through the air, and a soft thud was followed by a gasp of pain.
"…Huh?"
Enri was startled.
In that moment, only two people remained unfazed: the grizzled veteran soldier with the sour expression and Enkrid.
"Follow me, Andrew."
Having Andrew stationed directly behind him was for this exact moment.
Although Andrew lacked real combat experience, his skills were more than adequate.
If a soldier had talent, it was wise to make good use of it.
Enkrid had learned from past mistakes—he had been trying to handle everything on his own for far too long.
Now, he understood that wasn't necessary.
Enkrid darted forward, and Andrew instinctively followed.
The grizzled soldier cursed under his breath and followed behind them both.
When the three soldiers pushed through the brush, they found a corpse with a bolt lodged squarely in its forehead.
Surrounding it was a group of soldiers.
It was a squad from Aspen's crossbow unit.
There were about ten of them.
Enkrid opened with a lethal strike.
Driving off his left foot, he twisted his body, and the tip of his sword pierced through the neck of an enemy soldier.
"Guh!"
Blood flowed freely from the wound.
The soldier, now with a gaping hole in his throat, feebly reached out for the blade.
Enkrid quickly kicked the corpse in the stomach, pulling his sword free.
A dark cavity was left behind, and blood gushed out in waves.
Meanwhile, Andrew swung his shortsword.
His movements were clumsy.
It was clear that being called to action so suddenly had thrown him off.
Reacting purely on instinct, Andrew struck at an enemy.
Clang!
The enemy, abandoning his crossbow, drew a dagger to block the attack.
"Amateurish."
Still, it was fine.
Enkrid hadn't brought Andrew here without a reason—his true value lay in what came next.
The grizzled soldier moved.
Without yelling a war cry or making a dramatic gesture, he slipped behind the enemy blocking Andrew's sword.
With his right hand, he grabbed the soldier's jaw, and with his left, he gripped the top of the enemy's head.
Then, with a sharp twist in opposite directions—
Crunch!
The enemy's neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
Naturally, he was dead.
The grizzled soldier drew his shortsword from his belt and spun like a top.
Whoosh.
The blade sliced cleanly into the neck of the enemy directly behind him, right between the helmet and the chest plate.
The skin split wide open in an instant.
Shhhhk.
Blood gushed out from the severed neck.
Seeing this, Enkrid swept the legs out from under an adjacent enemy.
The soldier, focusing on the blade in Enkrid's hand, toppled sideways.
Enkrid swiftly kicked the fallen enemy's head.
Thwack! Crack.
The sickening crunch of a breaking neck was accompanied by a faint, garbled cry before the soldier went limp.
"A sneak attack!"
"Enemies!"
Shouts of alarm finally erupted from the enemy soldiers.
Around this time, allied reinforcements, including a former thug known for his fighting skills, joined the fray.
"Eliminate them all," Enkrid commanded.
Thunk!
Even before the words settled, Enri's arrow found its target.
The arrow embedded itself in an enemy's chest, piercing through the gambeson with a wet thud, releasing a stream of red.
"You damn—!"
The enemy tried to curse, but Enkrid didn't allow him to finish.
With a swift thrust, Enkrid drove his blade into the soldier's throat, creating another hole.
"Phew."
Exhaling deeply, Enkrid allowed his overworked muscles a brief respite.
The sound of clashing steel echoed all around.
There was no need to take on everything alone.
This newfound understanding was reinforced as Enkrid turned to move, only to hear a guttural growl three steps ahead.
He had seen this scene countless times before.
The wary cry of a beast.
Turning his gaze, he spotted it.
Black fur glinted under the dappled sunlight.
This creature was the reason the enemy crossbow unit stationed here had let their guard down.
Enkrid had scouted multiple ambush points in preparation for today's assault.
He had chosen this spot, risking his life, for a reason.
It was because of that creature.
The small black beast wandering the grassy area had distracted the enemy unit.
It was enough to warrant such attention.
Enkrid knew this well.
Though unintentional, the creature had helped them.
Its blue eyes locked onto Enkrid.
His own blue eyes stared back.
Their gazes met.
One of the enemy soldiers clicked his tongue and thrust a short spear toward the black-furred creature.
"Owing it my life, I suppose."
Enkrid had no intention of letting it die.
He swept his hand across his chest, pulling out a knife, and hurled it forward.
The knife flew through the air and embedded itself in the enemy's shoulder.
The soldier flinched, giving the creature a chance to act.
Roar!
The tiny beast, no larger than a forearm, let out a ferocious cry before sinking its teeth into the enemy's calf.
Blood and flesh splattered from the wound.
But it didn't stop there.
The beast clawed at the injured spot, smearing blood across its fur, before darting away.
"You damned mutt!"
The soldier with the injured leg jabbed his spear at the ground, but the black beast had already retreated.
'What a remarkable creature,' Enkrid thought.
It was a fiercely intelligent and vicious young black panther.
The soldier with the knife wound didn't even have time to struggle before the grizzled soldier ended him.
Appearing behind the enemy, he swiftly slit his throat with practiced ease.
The last remaining enemy fell to Andrew, who stabbed repeatedly with his shortsword, driving the soldier to the ground and finishing him off with a thrust to the face.
Breathing heavily, Andrew looked around.
He wasn't alone.
The sound of ragged breaths filled the clearing.
"W-what is this?"
One of the allied soldiers, familiar but nameless, muttered in disbelief.
Enkrid didn't answer.
Instead, his eyes searched the fallen bodies, locating their own dead among them.
One soldier had died with a spear through the face.
It was an ugly death.
Despite repeated attempts to save him, this soldier had always run away in the middle of battles, leaving chaos in his wake.
This was simply his fate—a truth Enkrid had come to accept through the repetition of countless battles.
"They're enemies. Were you not prepared for something like this during a patrol mission? Remember, survival is paramount," Enkrid declared, rallying the squad.
"This way."
The grizzled soldier tried to stop him.
"That's deeper in, squad leader."
"Are you defying me? If you wanted to resist, you should've done it earlier."
Enkrid dismissed the protest and pressed forward.
His silence was an unspoken command to follow.
There was no other option.
There was no time for explanations.
As he ran, his eyes met the young black panther's once more.
Deep, blue eyes like a tranquil lake.
Enkrid turned away.
Now wasn't the time to connect with a beast.
Survival came first.