Chapter 110 - Fortune and Misfortune Come When Least Expected

Pin and Torres went in ahead to give their report. Torres would handle the overall account, with Pin filling in the rest. Encrid only needed to report his return. And there, outside the barracks, he spotted someone unexpected.

Gilfin. His clothes were torn in several places, and blue bruises marked his face. One eye was half swollen shut, though it seemed to be healing, and he walked with a limp. His leg didn't look broken. "Let me see."

A quick examination suggested a sprained ankle. "I'm all right."

There was an undercurrent of impatience in Gilfin's voice. Encrid nodded. "What happened?"

This was one of Krais's people. Something must have happened at the Gilfin Guild to leave him in this state. "He's here."

"Who?"

"The froggy bastard who was in bed with the previous guild leader." Ah, the Frog.

Encrid didn't need to search his memory. Right, they'd said a Frog would come in the spring. Apparently, he had arrived.

Wasn't it a little early, though? "Explain first."

He wanted to hear the story. If Krais were dead or this were truly urgent, Gilfin would have demanded that he come immediately rather than stand around talking.

* * *

Krais had already spent six days eating and sleeping in the city. Staying outside the base for a week or so was nothing unusual for him. Especially now. 'We're marching out soon, aren't we?'

That meant plenty to prepare. Tobacco, food, assorted errands... There were plenty of people who needed Krais, officers as well as soldiers. As a result, plenty of people were willing to accommodate him, too. And so his sixth day had come. He wanted to clear up as much business as possible before they marched. Above all, since taking over the Gilfin Guild, he'd had even more fun counting Krona. Why would he want to return to base? 'Let's see. How much will I make today?'

Opening a salon someday would take a lot of Krona. Best to earn as much as he could while the opportunity lasted. He'd also made a tidy commission recently selling the goods the Squad Leader brought him. 'Couldn't he pick up more things like that somewhere?'

Then again, that haul had come from a mage living in the sewers. How often would that happen? "It's lunchtime. Let's get something to eat."

Around noon, he called Gilfin over for lunch. They were served noodles made from ground whole wheat. Somehow, the cook had drawn them out into thin strands, then stir-fried them with olive oil and tomato sauce. They were decent enough. "So, did you seal off everything under that shoe shop?"

Krais asked over the clatter of his fork. "Finished that ages ago."

Gilfin swallowed the noodles he'd been chewing before answering. The idea was to be a night watchman, even if being a guardian of the night was beyond him. To that end, the Gilfin Guild worked where the standing army's reach fell short. Filling in the space under the shoe shop had been one such job. The standing army didn't bother with things like that. They'd stripped it of everything worth taking but left the tunnels alone. Of course, the Squad Leader had gotten to the loot before they did. Anyway, what did being the night watch entail? Aside from working over the drifters who came to town and emptying their pockets, it meant giving the city's residents the impression that the guild was on the side of their protectors. Did it work? Wonderfully, needless to say. When collecting tribute. When sorting out protection payments. And especially when gathering information: practically every resident in the city had become Krais's ears. 'If I put my mind to it, couldn't I weed out every Aspen spy?'

That seemed possible if the Gilfin Guild absorbed all the surrounding guilds. Still, it wasn't something he could rush into yet. Krais stopped eating and stared into space, turning the plan over in his mind.

'Bring in the Squad Leader for muscle.'

If the Squad Leader got involved, that would give his squad members a reason to act. Each of them was quite clear about what he wanted, so persuading them shouldn't be difficult. 'How many people would I need to run things?'

Border Guard had slums, too. Some people there had given up on life and simply lay about, but others struggled desperately to survive.

'Recruit a few from the slums.'

And absorb the small fry while crushing the other guilds. Whatever else he lacked, Krais trusted his eye for people. Perhaps that came from being knocked around so much growing up. Back when he'd begged for a living, he could tell at a glance who would give him something.

Of course, he'd taken hundreds of blows before reaching that point. The moment he realized that speaking to the wrong person could get him beaten to death, his instincts had blossomed all on their own. 'It just might work.'

Should he call it the Back-Alley Guild Unification Operation? A year—no, once the foundations were laid, he could probably take complete control of the back alleys in less than six months.

If everything went to plan. But every plan had its unforeseen variables.

This was one of them. BANG! Didn't they say fortune and misfortune came when least expected? So it was for Krais.

Someone smashed through the mansion's drawing-room door. A figure wrapped in a thick cloak. Krais didn't waste time wondering how the intruder had gotten this far. Nor did he ask who it was. A dozen or so guild members had been guarding the mansion. The two posted outside the door now lay sprawled on the floor. 'Any blood?'

There were no spreading pools on the floor. Were they still alive? It looked that way. In that brief instant, Krais took stock of the situation and accepted the sudden misfortune that had befallen him. His brilliant mind raced, his eyes sweeping the room. "Yes, right this way."

Those were his first words once he'd finished assessing the situation. "Do you know who I am? That's a refreshing reaction."

The strange figure shrugged, making the cloak shift. His voice was rough and raspy, as though his vocal cords had been injured. "That doesn't seem to be the important part."

"Good instincts." As he spoke, the intruder shed his cloak. Beneath the fabric sliding to the floor was armor reinforced with an iron plate over the heart.

A heart guard. Heart armor. "... Ah."

Humans had difficulty telling Frogs apart by appearance. Even so, Gilfin recognized this one: a Frog with a white scar on his neck. The periodic visitor who brought death with him—the one Gilfin had spoken of. 'Isn't this far too early?'

Hadn't he said the Frog wouldn't come until well into spring? "Where's the one who used to be here?"

"He grew tired of the place and went on up ahead."

Krais answered the Frog without batting an eye. Cold sweat streamed down Gilfin. One wrong word, and he'd be going up there himself. The terror of death loomed over him, born of the overwhelming difference in strength.

And in the midst of all that... "Have you eaten?"

Krais asked calmly. The Frog's lips curled.

"You're an amusing little shit." With that, the Frog moved. Gilfin resisted and was beaten down. Three blows were all it took. Had the Frog drawn a weapon instead of holding back, it would have ended in a single exchange.

Krais didn't resist. He was beaten anyway. "Humans behave better after a beating. That's my philosophy. What's the name of the bastard who killed the previous guild leader?"

After beating him, the Frog hoisted Krais by the collar with one hand and questioned him. Krais thought fast. Which squad member could handle a monster like this?

Rem, Ragna, Audin, Jaxon.

Whose name should he give? Who should he send the Frog after?

He'd been considering those questions from the moment he saw the Frog, so he didn't hesitate. "Cough... I'd have answered if you'd just asked."

"I don't want to. I want to beat you first, then hear it." Crazy Frog bastard.

Despite that thought, Krais smiled and replied, "I see." "A member of Border Guard's standing army killed him. His name is Ragna."

"Then why are you sitting here?"

"I'm acting in his place. Acting guild leader."

"Interesting. Very interesting. Hey, baldy." Gilfin had gone down so quickly he didn't even know what had hit him. All he knew was that his eyelid hurt terribly, and his thigh was too numb for him to stand. "Ugh, yes. Yes."

"Bring Ragna here. Then I'll let this one go."

Gilfin looked at Krais. "Go on. Bring him here. Our real guild leader."

Gilfin was quick on the uptake, too. It meant he should bring someone capable of killing this Frog bastard. The Frog wasn't a fool either. He might not be able to separate truth from lies, but he knew this small, pretty human man was up to something.

He made up his mind. 'I'll kill that bastard.'

Then put this one in shackles. With the man who used to run this place dead, he needed a new manager. Contacting his homeland to arrange things would take too much effort. Better to recruit locally.

And if things went wrong? Getting himself out would be child's play.

* * *

"How many days has Krais been captive?"

Encrid scratched his nose before asking. "Three days."

"And my squad members?"

"They'd all just left for the battlefield, I was told."

"Rem, too?"

"I don't know. All I heard was that they weren't here."

"You've confirmed Big-eyes is alive?"

"I saw him just before I came."

"Has he broken all his limbs?"

"... Pardon?"

"Never mind. If he's even left his limbs intact..." Muttering to himself, Encrid nodded and stood. He and Gilfin had moved away from the base entrance and squatted in a corner to talk.

Gilfin craned his neck to look up at him, wondering what he was doing. Shouldn't they go rescue Krais immediately? Encrid continued.

"I'll report my return first."

"Should I wait?"

"No. The Frog is at the mansion, right?"

"Aren't we going right now?" Right now? There didn't seem to be any need. If the Frog had intended to kill Krais, he would have done it long ago. Yet three days had passed without him even breaking an arm or a leg.

'That means he's holding up well.' Encrid could see exactly what Krais was aiming for. He wanted one of the squad members brought over. That was why he'd given Ragna's name. Rem, Audin, and Jaxon could be fetched one way or another. Why single out Ragna, the lazy bastard with no sense of direction, who was the hardest of all to find?

It meant anyone would do. 'The problem is, I'm the only one left.'

Even Encrid hadn't expected his entire squad to leave for the battlefield without him. Krais couldn't have predicted it either. The troublemakers had actually obeyed someone other than him and marched off to war. Whoever had taken them was impressive. They'd be lucky if trying to control Rem and the rest didn't send their blood pressure soaring until their head burst. "Go back and tell him to wait one more day."

Gilfin's face twisted horribly at those words. "The guild leader will die."

It was only natural for Gilfin to react that way. He was happy with his life now. A watchman rather than a guardian of the night—that suited him perfectly. There were fewer headaches, and he could rest easy. Yes, he'd never felt more at peace.

Krais loved his Krona, but he was fair. That was why Gilfin wanted to protect this peace. The old Gilfin, who had intended to abandon everything and run if the guild fell apart before the Frog arrived, was gone. Now he, too, had something worth protecting. "We have to go."

He tried again, but Encrid shook his head. "Go and tell him to wait one more day. Tell him Ragna will come then."

Encrid turned away. Gilfin still had no choice. He, too, had to turn around and go back to relay the message. If he didn't report what was happening, the Frog would tear the guild leader apart. He certainly looked capable of that, and worse.

Gilfin set off, hoping to piece his shattered peace back together. 'God, please.'

He called on a god he didn't believe in. Encrid headed into the base.

"He's been here for days now. What's going on? He wouldn't say a word when I asked."

The soldier guarding the entrance questioned him as he passed. 'He's loyal.'

Encrid thought of Gilfin. A member of the standing army taking over a back-alley guild? With a little bad luck, that could get him executed, and he'd have no grounds to complain.

That must have been why Gilfin couldn't say anything. Yet he still wanted to protect Krais. His feelings had come across clearly. "A shitty business."

Encrid gave a vague answer and entered the base. One more day wouldn't kill Krais. The Frog's behavior made that clear.

'He doesn't seem stupid.' Frogs had a reputation for being simple-minded brutes, but they differed from one another just as humans did. There were clever Frogs, ignorant Frogs, and sensitive Frogs. The same went for Fairies, dragonfolk, and Giants.

Setting aside each race's inherent traits, of course. 'If I have time...'

If there was no need to go immediately...

Encrid walked on, clenching and unclenching his fist. He wasn't a fool. There was something he'd learned through this "today."

'I've improved.'

Otherwise, the Lycanthrope or the enemy commander would have killed him long before. Yet he'd even cut down the mage. Wasn't that evidence of how much he'd improved? Then could he take on a Frog? Back when he'd faced the stabbing pervert, a single kick had wrecked his side, sent him flying, and knocked him unconscious.

What about now? 'I think I can.'

Surely his confidence wasn't baseless. Krais had asked for his squad members, not him, but...

'A Frog. A Frog. A Frog.'

Wasn't that an opponent he was itching to try his hand against? This was preparation for that fight. He had no serious injuries, but fatigue had built up. Hadn't he spent two nights practically without sleep? He'd caught a few naps and rested here and there on the return journey, but he wasn't in perfect condition.

So... 'Report my return, then rest.'

And that was what Encrid did. If letting Krais die wasn't an option, he had to face the Frog. It was a troublesome situation, perhaps, but Encrid felt a strange excitement at this turn of events. 'Strange. So strange.'

Would he have been frightened before? No. Rather than be afraid, he would have charged in knowing he'd lose. He couldn't stand by and watch one of his people die. That was how he'd always lived. But where he once would have taken that step certain of defeat, now he didn't know whether he'd win or lose. "The Company Commander?"

Inside the base, he found many of the soldiers gone. He also learned that the Fairy Company Commander had taken the troublemaker squad out as an advance force.

So that was who had taken them. As a result, Encrid had to report his return to a Platoon Commander from another Company. "We'll mark you down as the only one remaining from the Independent Platoon. Will you be joining them immediately?"

It was someone he knew by sight. "I'm worn out. I'll join them in two days."

"All right. Get there as soon as you can. It sounds like there's some trouble at the front. There might be a second deployment." The Platoon Commander rambled on, waving a dispatch. Encrid nodded his understanding and turned away. He unpacked in the deserted quarters, soaked in hot water, then wrapped himself in a cozy blanket and went to sleep. If the Frog killed him and he had to repeat today, this sleep would ensure that he began in the best possible condition. Encrid fell asleep in no time. A deep, sound, dreamless sleep that left him utterly refreshed. When he woke, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, washed his face, and ate meat for breakfast. "Quite the appetite for so early in the morning."

The soldier on kitchen duty shook his head. After chewing and swallowing his mouthfuls of meat, Encrid practiced the Isolation Technique. It was good training for aiding digestion and warming up his body. Then he sharpened his longsword and prepared it, counting his remaining whistle daggers. Only two. He hadn't been able to retrieve all the ones he'd thrown. 'Could that fellow make some for me?'

Thinking of the city's blacksmith, he held his blade at an angle before his eyes and inspected it. It was fine. No cracks. A few chips along the edge, but nothing worth worrying about. The blacksmith had said cutting down a mage would ruin a blade, yet it had held up better than expected.

Did it vary from mage to mage? Only after he had finished all his preparations... MEOW! "Where have you been?"

Esther appeared. He hadn't seen her around and had thought she'd left. "Stay here a bit. I'll be back soon."

With that, Encrid headed outside again. "Hiss!"

Esther protested angrily behind him. She seemed to be asking where he thought he was going without her. "Want to come? You can only watch, though."

At his words, Esther leaped neatly into his arms. Feeling her warm body against him, Encrid set off.

His destination was the mansion where Krais was being held.