Chapter 154 - This Bastard Is the Craziest of Them All

He had barely stepped into their quarters when Rem spoke.

"Our Platoon Commander definitely isn't right in the head." Hearing that from Rem left Encrid feeling rather strange. Why did this bastard keep saying things like that to him without ever considering his own condition?

"You're one to talk." They were only joking, and Rem grinned even at the rebuke. What was he so pleased about now? Encrid did not like that smile at all. But what was he supposed to say? That his smile was obnoxious? That it turned his stomach? There was no point.

He shrugged. "So, have you finished your training, brother?"

Audin looked, well, as though he had a halo. Like a bear approaching in a blaze of light. In other words, he seemed to be in an excellent mood.

But why was he coming over with the lamp behind him?

His gentle smile was the same one he wore when increasing the weight during Isolation Technique training. "Uh, well. Yes."

To be precise, he had made up the morning training he had missed and added his afternoon regimen. Yet his legs weren't trembling.

Come to think of it...

'When did that start?'

Even after finishing all his training, he no longer felt as though he were dying. It was bearable. Unless he kept the Heart of the Superhuman running and stubbornly pushed himself, of course. As he stood there considering that, Jaxon said,

"I have business to attend to."

He swept past Encrid and left. Since returning to the base, he seemed to spend more time roaming outside than in their quarters. Though he seemed to be leaving a little later today. "Grr."

Esther had made herself thoroughly at home on Encrid's bed and waved a forepaw. It looked like a greeting.

"Yes, I'm back." Would anyone watching think him a lunatic for greeting a panther?

Well, what did it matter?

'Desperately struggling to become a knight probably looks crazier.' Just because he refused to give up his dream, just because he held to the path he had walked with conviction and even greater stubbornness, did not mean he lived with his eyes and ears shut. Encrid had at least a rough idea of how others saw him, especially those meeting him for the first time, even if he did not understand it perfectly.

'Do I look half mad?'

The sort of madman who looked perfectly ordinary but whose actions made no sense? At least he was better than Rem. It wasn't much consolation, but surely it was better than being that kind of crazy. Yes, a hundred times better than swinging an axe at a superior's head.

As though sensing something, Rem spoke.

"I really don't like that look in your eyes."

He had excellent instincts. "It's nothing."

Encrid avoided those gray eyes and suggested they eat. It was time for food and drink. When it was time to rest, one ought to rest.

"Shall we? I'll go ahead and find us seats in the mess hall." Krais went first. Meanwhile, Encrid gave himself a quick wash in the barracks' bathing room. The others headed for the mess hall without dawdling, and he hurriedly dried himself off, gathered Esther into his arms, and followed. It wasn't a feast, but Border Guard's military mess hall wasn't bad. Anyone with a fussy palate would probably dislike it, though.

"Isn't there any bread?" Ragna asked.

"You look like you'd eat dirt. Why are you always so picky?" They sat together at a table in the middle of the mess hall. Everyone kept stealing glances at them. Normally, even the Lunatic Platoon wouldn't attract quite this much attention. But they had a Frog with them. GURGLE.

The Frog seemed to be watching closely as Rem chided Ragna. His bulging, frog-like eyes followed the two men. "I'm in no mood to exchange words with a lowly barbarian tonight."

"Huh? You want me to feed you myself? Too much trouble to eat and digest it? Shall I put it straight into your guts?"

Rem mimed slicing open a stomach with the edge of his hand.

These bastards never changed. "The lamb's good. Nicely seasoned."

Encrid's interruption was well timed. Rem and Ragna had been on the verge of continuing their conversation with axe and sword in the middle of the mess hall.

"... Tch."

"Is it?"

They stopped glaring at each other. They seemed to be listening to him much more readily lately, and Encrid found it astonishing every time. Truthfully, he had been getting that odd feeling for a while.

'Who am I to them?'

Why did their fights stop when he intervened? How had he managed to serve as their Squad Leader? All he had done was treat them straightforwardly and honestly. Say what needed saying, ask when he was curious. Be direct, but respectful.

That was all. 'Or is it not that they're listening to me, but that they're getting along better?'

Perhaps only Encrid felt this way, but their recent fights hardly seemed like fights at all. They ended after little more than testing each other's skills. Even before, despite their harsh words, they had respected one another's territory. Now they seemed able to avoid fighting even without drawing those boundaries so clearly.

'It's like watching predators who've become friends on the plains.' While Encrid was reflecting on that, a sound came from beside him.

GURGLE.

The Frog was putting salad and the like into his mouth. Chewing, he said,

"Fresh vegetables. This city must be fairly prosperous." "Trade comes before farming here. That's actually why we can get fresh vegetables," Krais replied.

The Frog nodded, then spoke again.

"There was room to spare in your quarters. I'll stay there for a few days too." "...?"

Apart from salad, there was nothing the Frog could eat. His kind ate only insects or greens. No one responded to the remark he made over his meal.

What was he talking about?

Encrid himself was baffled. This was a Frog. A distinguished personage on his way back from the main army. And where did he intend to stay? Everyone gave him questioning looks. The Frog had spoken without even looking up from his food. Encrid asked,

"Where exactly do you intend to stay?"

The Frog answered,

"The spot next to yours will do." Whatever the others did, Encrid maintained a basic level of courtesy. He was the Platoon Commander, after all. He might seem half mad to strangers, but anyone close to him would know that he was practically the only sane person in the Lunatic Platoon.

That was why polite speech came naturally to him. Encrid had expected the frog-man before him to leave soon. The Frog did not belong to this unit. If he had stayed merely to tell Encrid he could not become a knight, he had spent far more time here than necessary. A day had already passed; he should have left long ago. Wasn't it odd that he remained alone after the proto knight who had accompanied him had departed? Of course, they all had a guess: Ragna. They assumed the Frog was interested in him. That was why no one had asked about his plans. Rem and the other platoon members had never cared in the first place. He wanted to stay? Well, so be it. "Why there, of all places?"

There was no need to hide his thoughts, so Encrid asked outright. A strange silence settled over their table in the mess hall. Only the chatter from other tables reached them: talk of gambling, the battlefield, women, and so on.

Letting the noise go in one ear and out the other, he watched the Frog, who merely shrugged and said nothing more. Encrid watched him a moment longer, then set the question aside. More precisely, he let it be. It was only a feeling, but the Frog did not seem hostile toward him.

Above all, he was a Frog. His presence would be a help, not a hindrance. Insisting on sharing their quarters was strange, but there was no reason to stop him. "Me too, me too. I'd like to stay in the quarters now."

Pin raised her hand. Lamb sauce smeared the corners of her mouth. She wasn't one for refined dining. She was a ranger. It was ridiculous to expect fine table manners from people who lived with the moon for company and the night sky for a blanket. Besides, this was a barracks. No one filled their belly with that sort of ceremony.

Only the Frog displayed such refinement. Encrid didn't really know, but he imagined that was how a noble would eat. The Frog transferred greens to his plate, cut them into small pieces, and popped them into his mouth. The actual eating, of course, was distinctly Frog-like: he flicked out his tongue and snatched the food up. "Go ahead," Encrid agreed.

She hadn't officially joined the platoon, but simply staying in their quarters should be fine.

'Should I report it?'

He probably should. If they wanted to stay, he could let them. With that thought, Encrid put his mouth to work eating. The lamb really was very well seasoned. A subtle herbal aroma and just enough fat, with a tangy sweetness between them, filled his mouth.

The seasoning really was excellent. Compared with usual, the meal was decidedly convivial.

"Brother, today's lamb is truly superb."

Audin laughed heartily.

"So that suits your precious palate?"

"Mind your own business and get on with eating. Oh, that thing beside you is called a fork. Leave it alone if you don't know how to use it." Rem and Ragna bickered, but no killing intent passed between them. This much could count as harmony.

And yet, when Encrid had first entered their quarters, the air had seemed somehow stifling. "This is fun. Not one of them is normal."

Pin muttered to herself. An experienced ranger, she had met all kinds of people on all kinds of business, but never anyone quite as unusual as the Lunatic Platoon. Neither their abilities nor their personalities could possibly be called ordinary.

She kept chewing her meat. The well-marinated lamb was exceptional today. "By the way, where are Andrew and Mac?"

Krais asked around a mouthful of lamb.

Took him long enough to notice.

Recalling his spar with Andrew the previous night, Encrid answered,

"They said they were leaving the army."

"Huh?" Andrew was the legitimate son of the Gardner family. He had a duty to restore his house.

What had he said just before leaving?

["Watching you taught me how not to give up. So I'll do the same. Someday, we'll meet again under the Gardner name."] His tone had been confident, his eyes alight with ambition, his movements full of conviction.

Encrid had told him to do just that. Andrew and Mac had left the unit that night, leaving Encrid to make the report. The Fairy Company Commander had readily let it pass. ["If you're sorry to lose the numbers, I'll fill the vacancies, Platoon Commander."]

Encrid had shaken his head at the offer. Independent Platoon sounded impressive, but any riffraff they took in wouldn't last. It took someone of Andrew's caliber just to keep their head above water.

'I heard all the previous Squad Leaders got replaced too.'

Rather than adding bodies for the sake of it, they were better off as they were, provided maintaining their current numbers posed no problem. ["We're fine, thank you."]

When he declined politely, the Fairy Company Commander had joked, ["Then shall I join you myself?"]

He had briefly but firmly assured her that they were fine and he must decline, then excused himself. Pushing aside the previous night's memories, Encrid continued,

"They won't be coming back. We'll maintain our current roster for the time being."

"Ah, right."

Perhaps Krais knew something of the circumstances too; he let it go. "What? One of my toys left without even telling me?"

Rem sprang to his feet.

"Hm?"

"I'll be going ahead."

He rushed out. "I'm sleepy. I'll be off."

Ragna got up as soon as he had filled his stomach.

"It's time for prayer."

Audin left too. Encrid polished off the remaining food, washed out his mouth with the mess hall's cheap tea, and went outside. When he headed toward the training ground rather than their quarters, the Frog asked from behind him,

"Where are you going?"

Encrid replied casually,

"I still have training left."

It was time for his evening training. For the first time, the Frog stopped in his tracks.

"You're training again?"

For the first time since meeting Encrid, he sounded almost flustered.

"Of course."

Encrid remained unperturbed. Whether the Frog stayed or not, whatever happened, whatever anyone said about his inability to become a knight, what needed doing still needed doing. So he would simply do it.

Put off today's work until tomorrow?

Encrid wasn't capable of that. He was the kind of madman who would drag tomorrow's work into today instead. 'This bastard is the craziest of them all.'

That was the Frog's private conclusion. The Lunatic Platoon, indeed. This man was the maddest one in it. Encrid considered himself the sanest among them, but that was strictly his own opinion.

Other people saw things very, quite, considerably differently.