Chapter 226 - Swallow Blade

The fight with Swallow Blade was a bloody struggle. To land one cut, Encrid had to take two. Even so, Encrid did not change. He was the same as ever, even with his life hanging by a thread. That unyielding spirit and temperament were what had brought him this far. "Those damn eyes are really getting on my nerves." Swallow Blade's smile deepened. Seeing it, Rem worked his mouth, despite having flinched several times during their fight. How could he possibly hold his tongue at a moment like this? The words came naturally. "Right? They get on your nerves. Understandable." Why did he understand Swallow Blade's feelings at a time like this? Because he had been through it himself. Sure enough, Ragna, Jaxon, and Audin were all nodding along. Whatever anyone did, Encrid remained unchanged. He simply went about his business in silence. He was a man who started walking before debating whether it was right or wrong. Because of that, Audin had tried hammering the Isolation Technique into someone else's body for the first time. Jaxon had passed on the so-called sensory arts, and Rem had taught him the heart of the beast. Ragna had shared his own arts with Encrid for much the same reason. Those eyes. That stubborn persistence. Giving up never even crossed his mind. Watching that temperament could drive a man mad. "Aren't you scared?" Swallow Blade sounded sick of him. As he spoke, he subtly twisted his blade, shifting into an unconventional stance and repositioning his feet. Watching him, Encrid also changed his sword's position and shifted his body by sliding his soles along the ground. Without using his knees, he pushed through his feet, making it look as though he were gliding upright. "Of what?"

"You nearly died just now."

"I think the same goes for you." In their last exchange, Swallow Blade had feinted with his left foot, pretending to step forward before drawing it back. Encrid had fallen for it and swung forward, only for a perfectly timed stab to come at him in return. Anyone would have felt a dizzying chill at the sight of that sword tip splitting into four and curving toward them. Encrid was no exception. But he had not let the blade pierce his throat and kill him. How had he avoided it?

'Dodging sense.' Jaxon's technique had saved his life. Instead, the blade had cut his neck. It felt as though something burning hot had wrapped around it, leaving a searing pain. And that was not his only wound. Encrid had a hole in his belly, and the tendons in his forearm had nearly been severed. Just now, he had almost lost his head. "That's all for today! Come now, there's always tomorrow." At Rem's signal, Krais raised his voice. Naturally, Swallow Blade had no intention of stopping. He meant to cut Encrid down right there. Of course, he would not get his way. "Watch yourself. You're getting on my nerves." Rem spoke without warning. He had somehow moved behind Encrid on the left. What would happen if Swallow Blade cut this Encrid down here? He had not yet used his trump card, but even if he did... 'I'd die too.' Naturally, Swallow Blade valued his own life more than taking someone else's. "Fine." He withdrew his sword and showed both palms, signaling that he would stop. Even so, a faint trace of killing intent remained. Rem snorted and looked away. He could afford to. At this distance, he was confident his axe would strike first, whatever the bastard tried. Besides, he was not the only one who had stepped in. The Sneaky alley cat had moved to the opposite side. How many people had noticed? At the very least, Swallow Blade had not. "Come now, there really is always tomorrow. Get some rest, eh? Get to know one another. And if you get bored, the alley behind the inn has plenty of shops to delight your taste buds. Don't know which places are good? Ah, what a shame. Well, I thought that might happen!" Krais used the intermission to line his own pockets, yet somehow it was hard to dislike him for it. He had a peculiar charm that took the edge off the atmosphere. "Now, this is the Border Guard Good Food Map." It was a single-sheet map that needed little explanation: a simple guide marking shops selling seasoned jerky, marmalade, nicely baked bread, and the like, making them easy to find. "Ten copper coins apiece." It was an ambiguous price. Ten copper coins was neither a great deal nor a trifling sum, though it was certainly little to a big spender. "Give me one. I've lost blood, so I'd better eat well." Swallow Blade grinned and took a map. Some of the trading company people watching bought copies as well. The rapier swordsman and the Count's party naturally ended up with one each, and finally the half-Giant asked cautiously, "Isn't the gentleman who bled today paying for this?" Krais promptly withdrew the map he had been about to hand her. "That offer ended yesterday. Starting today, you'll have to pay full price for everything, my lady." Having never been called a lady in her life, the mixed-blood warrior nodded. Then she handed over exactly ten copper coins and took the map. Krais clapped his hands and addressed everyone. "It should be worth your money. Rest well, see a little of the city, and if you're bored, feel free to spar among yourselves. But no trouble. Please be especially mindful of the citizens' safety." He lowered his hands and bowed like an actor onstage. Then he raised his head and said, "Welcome to Border Guard." Though Encrid was bleeding profusely, he was not dying. Watching it all, he wondered whether the bastard thought Border Guard was some sort of tourist destination. It wore the guise of a trading city, but it was a military city through and through. There could hardly be much for these people to see or enjoy. Not that they seemed likely to leave. And why would they? "I'll have my turn next time." What had the rapier swordsman's eyes looked like when he said that? They had shone with a desire to win—and curiosity. Whatever his true intentions, he would not be leaving either. The same went for the half-Giant. She seemed perfectly willing to stay. And Edin Molsen's party went without saying. "Fight me again!" He had shouted that as soon as he recovered, then shut his mouth after watching the fight with Swallow Blade. Still, his twitching eyebrows suggested that he was very unhappy with the situation. In any case, if he stayed, the person who had come as his guard would stay too. 'Ah, such abundance.' Was this what it felt like to be filled with food for the soul? He felt full without eating. "You're determined to make a killing. What was that last bit about the citizens' safety?" Wasn't that something they should see to on their own? His satisfaction was one thing, but he still had questions for Krais when he returned. The wide-eyed company member whispered back, making clear that he had not spoken thoughtlessly. "That Swallow Blade fellow gives me a bad feeling. I think he'll cause trouble if left alone, so I'll have to ask the higher-ups to tighten security. Someone dying in a fight with a soldier is one thing, but an outsider murdering innocent people in the city would be a headache." Encrid thought back to the man he had fought today. That sword, those strokes—he was memorable. Keeping up with his blade had left no time to glimpse his personality. Encrid had been too busy fighting him. But Krais had a keen eye for people, so his judgment was worth trusting. "Jaxon, report it to the higher-ups."

"Will do." After sending off the Sneaky alley cat, Encrid once again limped toward his quarters. "Going to have any body left at this rate?" Rem had fallen into step beside him. He was nagging, but Encrid could not argue. He was right. His body was a tattered rag, with a hole in his belly and tendons in his arm that had nearly been severed. If he died, everything would heal. Only the gains from his training would remain. In a way, it was a convenient, advantageous ability. But Encrid held on. If anyone asked why, he would have no answer. He simply wanted to. To struggle, flail, and move forward. He had merely erased the words "give up" from all that struggling and flailing. Encrid did not know it, but that was the very nature of the ferryman's curse. Its core purpose was to make him settle for a single day. Had the ferryman known of this mindset, he might have hurled his lamp into the black river in a fit of rage. Of course, Encrid had not acted with any knowledge of this. He had simply carried on as he always had. "Well, I'm not dead."

"You make it sound so easy. Let's see, could you even follow that bastard's blade?"

"I could." For a brief moment, he reviewed the fight. Swallow Blade's swordsmanship combined the Righteous Sword Technique and the Illusion Sword Technique. On the continent, this was called the Artful Sword—more precisely, the Eastern Qi Sword. The sword's paths were strange, and its points of impact peculiar. It seemed to target an arm, then suddenly struck the shoulder. It would descend toward the shoulder, only to strike near the thigh instead. Its trajectory was difficult to read. So how had he responded? At first, he had met it head-on, intending to give a cut for every cut he took. He had struck fast and hard. And how had his opponent answered? By blocking his sword and countering at his wrist. In terms of technique, he certainly had not earned the nickname Swallow Blade for nothing. And he had not even used the swordsmanship that had given him that name. So Encrid had been driven back. He had lost. A defeat. Did that make him regretful? Not at all. 'I can catch up.' If one day's training was not enough, then two. If two days were not enough, then seven. If seven were not enough, then a month. Given that time, he believed he could reach him. He had not lost in moves and countermoves, nor in strength or speed. It was purely a difference in mastery of technique. That was the nature of the Artful Sword. "Peculiar" suited the swordsmanship very well. "If you could see it, it's easy. Watch it all and knock it aside." Rem's teaching struck home anew.

'Do I have to beat him through technique?' There might be one destination, but there was more than one path. "I'll give it some thought." Rather than charge down that single path, he had decided to take a broader view. Even if his body now obeyed him, he would not settle for that. "Now, I like that." Rem smiled. It was a pleasant smile to see. Come to think of it, Encrid had not liked Swallow Blade's smile at all. Perhaps Krais had read him correctly. When he returned, still bleeding heavily, Esther made a sharp, almost coughlike noise at the sight. She sounded incredulous. He had gone out perfectly fine that morning, and now he came back like this? 'Hmm. How does this feel worse than Rem's nagging?' It was a curious thing. Watching, Rem chuckled. "Hey, panther mage. This fellow's going to keep doing this, you know." The black panther did not answer him. Ragna simply asked whether he had enjoyed himself again today. Encrid nodded. There was no chance of shaking off these injuries in a single day. Yet even this was enough to astonish Dunbachel as she watched. "In just three days?"

"I'm fine now." Was this Beastman going to be astonished every time he got up? Encrid set off with that thought. He had heard that they were still staying at the inn in the marketplace. Who should he fight this time? His pounding heart propelled his feet. His arm had not healed completely, but he had his other hand, and Jaxon's ointment was highly effective. Audin had also secretly bestowed divine power on him. He had not used enough power to produce its divine glow, but he had infused Encrid with energy that encouraged healing. That was why Encrid was already on his feet. Otherwise, regenerative body or not, even he should have spent more than a week in bed.

* * *

Swallow Blade felt the urge to kill. Perhaps he should leave the inn in the night and slit a few throats. Two days after his fight with Encrid, his wounds had scabbed over. Looking at them made the craving surge. Unable to resist, he was about to go out when someone stopped him. "Don't. Little human." The half-Giant blocked his path. "Hmm?"

"I said don't."

"Don't what?" As he smiled and feigned ignorance, a man drinking at a table in the ground-floor pub also looked his way. It was the rapier swordsman. "Swallow Blade, you're with Black Blade, aren't you? Birds of a bloodthirsty feather do flock together. Give it up. You'd make trouble for everyone staying in this city." "What are you two on about?" Swallow Blade denied it with a broad smile. Neither answered. But he could hardly ignore them and walk out now. "And I only wanted a nighttime stroll." Muttering, he went back up the creaking wooden stairs. After he had gone upstairs, the rapier swordsman continued drinking while the half-Giant stood lost in thought. There was no knowing what was going through either of their minds. "Why didn't you fight the big fellow?" The rapier swordsman asked abruptly. "He was neither my target nor my purpose." The rapier swordsman had been curious about that Audin fellow's skill, too. He nodded. Soon, Edin Molsen's bodyguard came downstairs toward them. The creak of the stairs from the second floor naturally drew both their gazes upward. Without a word, he walked out of the inn. Apparently Swallow Blade had stayed to watch rather than returning to his room. He came down after the man and asked, "Why do you let him go out?"

"His eyes don't say trouble."

"And mine?"

"You'll cause trouble." At the rapier swordsman's instant reply, Swallow Blade considered his options. Should he give the bastard a taste of his blade? Then he backed down. It was hardly enough to call an injury, but he was still wounded. Besides, those two had already seen his swordsmanship. Fairness demanded that he see theirs as well. So he could have one of them face Encrid next. Soon, he got his wish. When Encrid returned, the rapier swordsman stepped forward. "I believe it's my turn."

"Let's do it." Encrid was composed because he truly did not care who stepped forward. Watching him made Swallow Blade's insides twist a little again. 'That bastard's damn eyes.' Why were they so unwavering? In any case, Encrid faced the rapier swordsman. There were no serious injuries like before. They seemed evenly matched, and a clean spar unfolded. No, to be honest...

'What the hell did that bastard come here for?' Swallow Blade could more or less see why the others had come. In particular, he even knew the large female warrior's identity. He merely pretended not to. But the rapier swordsman was different. He was teaching Encrid through their spar.