Chapter 268 - He Imitated Krais

"You're leaving me behind? Then you'll have to step on me first!" Encrid moved swiftly at Rem's words. He slid his left foot forward and propelled himself smoothly ahead. For an instant, he seemed to vanish. Of course, no one in the quarters lost track of his movements. Still... 'My footwork?'

Jaxon was a little surprised by Encrid's steps. 'Snake Step?'

So was Audin. Encrid had combined their footwork into one and made it his own. What was a sword, and what was swordsmanship? Through a succession of revelations, he had created swordsmanship that used his entire body. Naturally, that included his feet. In truth, footwork mattered in anything that involved the body, whether dance or martial arts. It accounted for more than half the whole. Naturally, Encrid had paid as much attention to his steps as to his swordsmanship. Now it showed unmistakably. His left knee bent and straightened, driving him forward with even force, much like Jaxon's silent steps. The supple bend in his right leg that followed came from the Snake Step Audin had taught him. In fact, he had blended the two enough that an unfamiliar observer would have thought it something entirely different. As Encrid tried to trample him, the barbarian snorted and rolled aside. Whatever trick he used, his body spun sideways to evade the stomp. Encrid's right foot hit the floor with a thud. "Aren't you normally supposed to stay put at a time like this?" he asked.

"Who said I'd let you step on me? Want to learn this one too? It's a secret technique called, uh, the Untrampleable Dung Beetle." He had plainly just made it up.

"No."

Encrid declined. Rem threw a few more fits afterward, but they couldn't take him along. They couldn't simply march troops in and attack a village just because the drug had come from there. ["I know I told you to fuck them up, but we're a royal territory. You know that, right? People already haven't been looking kindly on us lately."] Why would they? Count Molsen was already scheming against them whenever things didn't go his way. And was he the only one? Encrid knew other nobles were eyeing this place greedily, salivating over it. He had even heard that some noble had fled while he was away from Martai. ["He's gone to seek shelter with another noble. Probably plans to make a tidy profit selling information about this place. Imbecile."]

Marcus spat and cursed, but Krais's account, pieced together from the rumors, offered another perspective. ["He was working them into the ground, you know? Apparently, if you don't do your work properly, you get beaten, noble or not."] Slack off, and they would beat you if they caught you. Do the work properly, and more came pouring in by the mountain. Some nobles had gotten clever and escaped. How badly had Marcus tormented them to make them abandon everything they still had and flee? Of course, his explanation made sense too. Encrid supposed both reasons had played a part. Krais had added,

["Knowing Marcus, he probably wants every last noble to run away. He's been tormenting them under the pretext of being shorthanded, but he might also be trying to replace everyone in the territory with his own people. But if he does that... Hmm. I wonder if it'll be all right."] ["What will?"]

["Nothing. Just thinking."] Krais worried about everything. Encrid hadn't pressed him. The immediate task came first. In short, suspicion alone wasn't grounds to stick a sword into someone. Their enemies might send assassins and plant swordsmen along the roads, but Border Guard's standing army couldn't do the same. Well, they could if they kept it secret, but not this time. First, they needed evidence that the village was guilty. At the very least, they needed fabricated evidence. And more importantly... ["Surely there are innocent people in that village too?"]

Marcus had a point. They couldn't round up and brutalize innocent villagers because some of their neighbors had caused trouble. Some might even be making the drug without knowing anything. That was why Encrid said,

"Only Company Commander Sinar, Pin, Jaxon, and I are going."

They had decided that infiltrating the village and assessing the situation had to come first. The Fairy Company Commander had said she had been investigating this for quite some time. Nearly a year, was it? "After all that, she couldn't even locate one village? That's a bit... Was she hanging around gambling dens when she said she was working?"

Krais tilted his head when he heard. That Fairy, in a gambling den? It hardly suited her. Still, Krais had a point. It seemed almost like shirking. Perhaps the Frog named Meellun had some unusual talent, but if security was lax enough for a passing traveler to discover the place, she should have found it long ago. "Maybe she's good at fighting but not at tracking things down. That's why she took Pin."

"Are you defending her because you're her betrothed?" Encrid had learned many techniques from Audin, but Balaf-style martial arts had naturally formed the core. Among those techniques were several joint locks that inflicted pain without breaking the opponent's body. As part of his training, Encrid demonstrated one on Krais. The key was to stand beside the other person and clasp hands as if interlocking fingers, tangling their arms so that the point of the opponent's elbow rested against his biceps. Then all he had to do was pull their clasped hands backward. It wasn't torture, though enough force could break the wrist. When Krais unsuspectingly offered his hand, Encrid pulled. CRACK. "Does it hurt?"

"Aaaaagh!"

Krais screamed. Encrid casually held the pull before letting go. "M-my arm! You nearly crippled me!"

"Oh, should I have just cut it off?" Krais fled at once. Encrid didn't chase him. It was only a joke. And soon he regretted it. 'I sounded like Rem just now.'

That was bad. It didn't bear thinking about twice. After shaking off that unpleasant thought, Encrid sensed a presence behind his shoulder and turned halfway around. Ragna stood there. "Why can't I come?"

He spoke around loud mouthfuls of an apple he had found somewhere. Audin and Teresa stood behind him. For obvious reasons, the two hulking figures couldn't come. Neither could Dunbachel, whose appearance all but announced that she was a Beastman. As for Ragna... "If things go wrong, we might have to scatter to escape. Then we'll need to meet at an agreed location."

"Is that a problem?" This was what made someone who didn't realize he had no sense of direction so frightening.

"There's no need for your sword."

Rather than offer a lengthy explanation, Encrid patted Ragna's shoulder. Ragna accepted that. He wasn't usually one to volunteer anyway. He had grown a little more enthusiastic lately, but that enthusiasm extended to training, not things like this. He had only reacted this way because Encrid had said he might be gone for nearly a week. Come to think of it, they only seemed this eager when he was involved. What would happen if he weren't around? It was merely an idle thought that crossed a corner of his mind. "I, Rem, am going bad starting today! Waaaaah!" He said this wrapped in warming furs against the winter, with a warming stone clutched to his chest. Surely he must be hot by now, but he stubbornly persisted. It was rather curious that someone who hated the cold so much was begging to come along. Encrid ignored him, of course. Responding to every outburst would only lead to more talk. Leaving Rem to his shrieking, he attended to his tasks. He checked the village's location and inspected his weapons: two swords and six whistle daggers recovered from the assassins. There were also several bottles of powdered and liquid poison, but poison he didn't know how to use properly could harm him too. He was about to discard them without a second thought when Jaxon took them all. Once their personal preparations and other tasks were finished, they gathered in the Fairy Company Commander's room for a strategy meeting. She had decided to station part of her company nearby. Roughly two platoons' worth, though they would have to keep some distance to avoid detection. They couldn't remain on standby for long, either. They couldn't fight the packs of monsters and demonic beasts running rampant in winter indefinitely. Without a palisade to shelter behind outside the village, they could hold out for a week at most. And if they made too much noise, the villagers would notice. "I think two days inside should be enough to investigate, don't you?"

Company Commander Sinar spread out a military map as she spoke. Encrid nodded at the Fairy's uncharacteristically serious manner. "If it takes too long, we could send them back. Or simply surround the place, couldn't we?" Pin, the resourceful former ranger, was there as well. It had been some time since Encrid had seen her, but she hadn't changed. She had even greeted him with,

["Hey there. Still spreading that Irresistible charm around, I see?"]

Encrid had let it pass without fuss. "We'll leave at dawn tomorrow."

Sinar was directing the operation. Encrid nodded. As the meeting ended and he turned to leave, she called after him.

"Oh, my betrothed is welcome to spend the night here." Naturally, Encrid walked straight out. Pin giggled behind him. 'Is this funny?'

Even as he wondered, he let out a faint chuckle himself. Seeing it, Jaxon spoke. "About that Fairy."

"Hmm?"

"At this point, just take her up on it once." Was that a joke, or was he serious? Encrid didn't bother finding out. Once Jaxon realized what he had said, he turned away, saying it was nothing and to forget it. Was something going on with him? Normally, even if such a thought crossed his mind, he wouldn't readily say it aloud. He was so absorbed in something else that he had lost control of his tongue. His expression looked graver than before, too. It was something Encrid could sense only because they had lived together. His exquisitely honed sensory arts helped as well. Anyone else would have seen the same expressionless face, but to Encrid... 'His concentration seems a little off.' It wasn't that he seemed likely to neglect the task at hand. Rather, he seemed to be looking at something beyond it. His were the eyes of someone taken to an open plain to admire the scenery, only to glance past it and study what lay beyond. Yet there was a razor-edged menace about him too. He looked like a man preparing for something. 'Why?'

It was just a mission. Did he dislike the use of drugs? That couldn't be it. Jaxon handled all kinds of drugs regularly. He didn't take them himself or even smoke tobacco, but he would identify things Krais brought back. So there had to be another reason. Again, Encrid didn't ask. He doubted he would get an answer, and hearing it probably wouldn't change anything. On returning, he found Esther. The wild horse was beside her. Somehow, the two were together. The horse saw Encrid and whinnied, as if asking where he had been. Encrid thought that was his question to ask. This was the creature that had been roaming madly about ever since he brought it to Border Guard.

"That's my line, Odd-Eyes."

He hadn't settled on a proper name, so he had been calling it whatever came to mind. GRRR.

At that, Esther gave a small growl beside him. "Oh, I'm leaving on a mission."

When he said he might be gone for as long as seven days, Esther gestured that she was coming too. She raised a forepaw, pointed at Encrid and then herself, and tapped the ground twice. "All right."

The panther was good at hiding herself, after all. She had seemed somewhat offended when they had spent so long apart before, and bringing her along wouldn't be difficult. Sometimes Encrid found it strange to think that this panther could turn into that woman with long black hair and blue eyes. Even after watching her transform right before him, he found it hard to see her as a woman rather than a panther. WHINNY.

"You get some rest too, Odd-Eyes." The wild horse was intensely curious. He also understood some human speech, if not all of it. And he was furious at what Encrid called him. NEIGH! He stamped a hoof with a thud. Encrid asked whether he disliked the name, and the horse nodded. After studying him for a moment, Encrid came up with another on the spot.

"Let's call you Indomitable." In the language of this continent, Indomitable could also be interpreted as "a determination of steel." It was a word from the eastern continent, and Esther stared at Encrid, surprised that he knew it. She had thought he did nothing but eat, sleep, and practically make love to his sword, yet here he was displaying an entirely unexpected bit of knowledge. Encrid liked ancient tales. If he found a storyteller who knew stories of chivalry and related subjects, he would readily hand over a few silver coins to listen. He had heard a great deal here and there. "With those different-colored eyes, Odd-Eyes is perfect, though." NEIGH!

The wild horse gave a harsh cry. Encrid didn't really care much about the name anyway. At dawn the next day, Encrid's party left the territory and set out.

"I'll lead the way."

Pin took the lead. Following Meellun's directions, they had decided to walk for two full days. After two days of walking, they caught sight of the village the Frog had described. Near the village, they decided to pose as traveling merchants. Encrid would be a guard, and Jaxon the merchant. Sinar the Fairy would be another guard, while Pin would play the merchant's subordinate. "Can you manage that?"

Once they had settled on their roles, Pin asked with concern. She needn't have worried. The moment Jaxon stepped into the village, he changed. "What village is this? Can we buy and sell goods here? What a fine village!" What the hell? He was scary. Encrid stared, startled by Jaxon's instantaneous transformation. The transformed Jaxon glanced back and continued. "Well, isn't it obvious? Look, look. Everyone looks cheerful, and there's hardly a thin person in sight. It must be a good place to make a living, wouldn't you say? That means plenty of goods for sale and generous people too! Am I right?" As he spoke, he slapped Encrid's shoulder. His manner was careless, his gestures uninhibited. It was a familiar way of talking: the magical motormouth technique of chattering without pause. Jaxon was imitating Krais.