Chapter 364 - The Marquis's Gift

He had more white hair than black and a short beard. His body was reasonably trained, but past its prime, with a little unnoticed flab remaining. He was not someone who trained in earnest. Even standing still, he exuded refinement, as though declaring what a noble ought to be.

That was how the man looked and felt to Encrid's eyes and senses. And so, mulling over what he had said, Encrid thought:

'His Lordship the marquis, indeed.'

Encrid calmly acknowledged that he had taken the bait. That changed nothing, so it hardly mattered. Above all, he had intended to get involved anyway. He was almost grateful that the marquis had said exactly the right thing.

That did not mean he needed to act immediately. His sweat had cooled enough for the breeze to feel chilly. He set the halberd aside, then put the other weapons into the storehouse beside the training grounds, one by one, to keep dew off them.

For now, everything else aside, he was hungry. He had trained and dealt with the marquis. He had worked up an appetite, and it was lunchtime.

"Let's eat," Encrid said, closing the storehouse door.

Kin looked up, wondering whether he might invite her to join them. No one did. None of them even glanced her way.

'Do these people not have eyes?'

Somehow, her confidence in her looks was dwindling. She no longer felt like staying.

"I'll be going, then."

Kin left. Five guards awaited her outside, each standing in a neat, disciplined posture. They looked reasonably capable.

Encrid glanced at them. Quite an entourage she had. Then again, with everyone saying the capital's security was a shambles these days, that much was probably necessary. The marquis's earlier escort had been unusually small.

After Kin turned away, Encrid started toward the mansion and spoke.

"Weren't you interested?"

Andrew was right beside him. Encrid had seen him steal several glances at Kin, so he asked when Andrew simply let her leave.

"I'm busy saving my family. I can't afford distractions."

Encrid nodded in acknowledgment. It was neither right nor wrong. Was anything in life so clear-cut? It was all a matter of one's own choices. He respected Andrew's.

"You really are unusual, Captain."

Andrew's remark went in one ear and out the other. Encrid heard it often enough. It was better than being told to seek treatment at a temple.

"Ah, I was getting hungry anyway."

Dunbachel approached from behind as she spoke. Encrid made it clear that she would get no food unless she washed first. Of course, he washed too.

A little later, they gathered at the table, and the food arrived. The maid who had blundered with the marquis had regained her composure and busily carried in dishes and water. Soon, a generous spread filled the table.

Today's dish was a stew of carrots, broccoli, potatoes, and beef simmered in wine, one of Naurilia's traditional dishes.

Monsters and demonic beasts generally forced humans to live together within fortified towns, and their cuisine had naturally developed as a result. Fortress-building techniques had advanced spectacularly for much the same reason. In any case, food culture within the walls had grown rich and varied. That was only to be expected here, in Nauril, the capital of Naurilia. Even Andrew's cook would be considered better than first-rate in a provincial city.

SLURP.

Encrid tasted the broth first. A rich, savory flavor enveloped his tongue and slid down his throat, reawakening the hunger he had briefly forgotten while washing.

He took up his fork and helped himself to cubes of beef, carrots, and the rest. Setting the bay leaf aside rather than eating it, he speared a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

One bite, and the thoroughly cooked beef yielded softly before falling apart. Tender and pillowy, it broke up and scattered in his mouth. Its distinctive fatty richness mingled with the savory flavor, balanced by a clean finish, then flowed down the waterfall of his throat.

The carrots, too, were cooked soft and tender, and the broccoli had absorbed so much seasoning that it seemed an entirely new vegetable. It was a satisfying meal. His fork moved faster and faster.

Everyone else was much the same. Even Esther had turned human to claim a place at the table.

"It's amazing every time I see it," Andrew said, looking at her.

The five trainees and Mac ate separately, so apart from Andrew, everyone here was one of Encrid's people. Esther checked where Andrew was staring and spoke.

"Never seen a witch before?"

It was an uncharacteristic question from her, a gesture of goodwill in return for proper food. No one else would have found it easy to recognize as goodwill, but for Esther, it certainly was.

"I've never seen a mage this beautiful."

Esther showed no particular reaction. Andrew had meant little by the remark either. He merely thought it was no wonder Encrid's head failed to turn for Kin Vaisar. Esther cut a piece of broccoli with her knife and slipped it into her mouth. Looks like hers were almost unfair.

Long, flowing hair, blue eyes, and a mysterious air that drew everything together made her seem utterly unapproachable. Yet everyone treated her with perfect ease. Rem asked her something, and she nodded.

"Does food taste better when you're a panther or when you're human?" Dunbachel asked too.

"Why don't you transform and try it yourself?"

Esther answered expressionlessly. She was not angry; this was her usual manner. After watching her for several days, Andrew was finally growing a little accustomed to it.

'To think that panther was a witch.'

But Encrid astonished him even more. Compared to when Andrew had served under him, he had become an entirely different being.

'Is he really going to become a knight?'

The thought came to him unbidden. Andrew abandoned his wandering thoughts and concentrated on the food himself. At the rate they were eating, there would not be a scrap of meat left for him if he waited. Even generous portions were no match for this. These people ate three times as much as anyone else.

They all seemed to have forgotten about the marquis. Even that amazed Andrew. No one asked what was going on or challenged the decision. This was the difference between following someone and trusting them.

Watching Encrid, Andrew began to understand what he needed to earn from his subordinates. It was an unexpected piece of good fortune.

After Andrew had lost himself in thought and everyone had eaten their fill, Dunbachel asked, sauce smeared all around her mouth:

"What do you think it is? I'll tell you now, it's not a Beastman."

Despite the complete lack of context, everyone understood. She meant whatever was roaming the capital's streets at night, kidnapping people and the like. Whether they chased it, killed it, caught it, or let it escape, they needed to know what it was first.

Rem agreed. They needed to begin by guessing the identity of their prey.

'A beast running wild at night?'

However much of a shambles the capital's security was, a monster running loose made no sense. That meant the creature hid during the day and only acted at night, once every few days at that. Even so, its identity remained difficult to guess.

Ragna gave a slight nod as well, showing that he understood and shared the question.

Encrid could only marvel that no one asked why they had to catch it. Even Dunbachel had gone straight to asking what it was, without a single complaint. It really was strange how readily they followed him without grumbling or objecting.

In truth, they had been getting bored. Tormenting trainees and sightseeing in the capital could only entertain them for so long. Rem had started sharpening his axe, a sign that he wanted a fight. The atmosphere hanging over the entire capital was provocative too, much like the air on a battlefield.

Encrid chewed and swallowed what was in his mouth before speaking. "A lightning-wielding mage. A cave. An alchemist's drugs. Test subjects."

A list of words. Encrid had an excellent memory, and he had heard about the events in the capital. Andrew had given him an organized account, after all.

A beast's cries accompanying disappearances every few days. A presence undetectable during daylight. Putting all that information together brought something to mind.

Encrid spoke again. "And Black Blade."

Jaxon had been there too, at the place where all the things Encrid had just mentioned came together. While tearing apart Black Blade's drug-production site, they had discovered unmistakable evidence of experiments on living subjects.

Had the alchemist's name been Raban? There had been a lunatic by that name. They had also seen a human lying there, half turned into a Ghoul.

Encrid organized the information, reviewed his memories, and considered it. What sort of being ran wild at night and concealed itself during the day? What was it connected to? What happened if he applied that to the current situation?

Black Blade's leader was in the capital. He had lost the blade called Lycanos, and people he could call his enemies had come close to him. No, they had done more than merely come close.

"Would he not know Jaxon is hunting him?"

He knew. If he were unaware of even that, he could never have concealed his identity and carried on these schemes for so long.

"Are you certain?" Jaxon asked, brow furrowing.

Encrid nodded. Rather than stop there, he willingly continued explaining for the people who followed him without a word.

The traces suggested a monster, but hiding during the day was evidence that the being possessed reason. Otherwise, someone would have to be keeping it captive and releasing it at intervals, which was impossible. Not everyone in the capital's constabulary was a fucking idiot. No one could go that far without getting caught.

Encrid recalled the guard captain he had seen upon entering the capital. The feathered hat had left an impression. Quite apart from his skill, the man had not looked like a pushover. If people like him had failed to catch it, its strength and movements must be that difficult to handle.

Encrid rested his right elbow on the table and raised his index finger. "Conclusion one: a human who has undergone transformation into a monster."

What kind of thought process produced an answer like that? Even Esther could only understand once she had heard his explanation.

When considering swordsmanship, Encrid examined every detail from beginning to end. His excellent memory supported that process. Added to it was a creative, flexible way of thinking.

Creativity and flexibility could not come from inborn talent alone. They required constant training and repetition. To Encrid, swordsmanship and martial arts had always been a cliff where the path ended and no answer presented itself.

He had needed to think, again and again, of ways to climb that cliff. Otherwise, he could never advance. That was what made this breadth of thought possible: because anything was possible, he could examine every possibility. Combining that with the information he had gathered produced an answer.

"It only appeared when the moon was out," Jaxon added.

He had taken an interest in every unusual event in the capital. Of course he had. A clue could turn up anywhere. But this lay outside his expectations.

To be honest, he had forgotten. The world was full of mad alchemists performing such experiments on living subjects. Yet linked together, it made perfect sense.

If it was a human turning into a monster, what kind of monster was it? One that appeared only on moonlit nights, unable to restrain its instincts after dark.

'A Lycanthrope.'

If Jaxon had deduced it, his Captain would have too. There was no need to say it aloud. He kept his mouth shut.

"Now there's only one thing we need," Encrid continued.

Rem, who had been listening quietly, nodded. "We don't have the authority."

"Exactly. Their response. If we start investigating the scenes tomorrow in broad daylight, that constable will be overjoyed. He'll come at us for daring to interfere."

"And we can't just knock down everyone who comes at us."

Rem picked up the thread, and Encrid nodded. Rem was no fool. Sometimes his troublemaking was sheer bloody-mindedness; other times, it was calculated bloody-mindedness.

'Bloody-minded either way.'

Encrid set the thought aside and spoke. "If the marquis meant what he said, he'll send us something."

If Encrid had the ability to do this, where did the authority lie? Who could grant it? A noble's permission would make things easy. All they needed was a shield strong enough to stop the constable's bullshit.

Encrid had anticipated that much before speaking. Had Marcus or Krais been present, both would have risen to applaud.

"Go into politics!" Marcus would have said at once.

"Use that silver tongue to steal women's hearts! A woman's heart is fickleness itself. Thinking with every possibility in mind is a talent!"

That would have been Krais's response. Their perspectives would have differed considerably. Neither was here, of course, so no one bothered expressing admiration.

Rem wanted a good bout of axe-swinging. Ragna felt much the same, and Dunbachel was no different.

Esther had no particular intention of casting spells either. The mention of a test subject did interest her, though. A fusion of human and monster? That was called a chimera. She had no intention of doing such things.

It had nothing to do with her spell world. It was unnecessary, and it disgusted her. Feelings mattered to a mage. If something disgusted her, that meant it did not suit her.

Persisting in such things would cost her influence over the spell world she had created, and ultimately cost her magic itself. Having made a similar mistake before, Esther bowed out.

"I'm going to rest. I like the cushion here."

"Go ahead."

Esther sitting this out would change nothing. Encrid extended a second finger on the hand he held above the table.

"Conclusion two: there won't be a moon tonight, so all we need to do is get a good night's sleep."

At some point, Andrew had begun gaping as he watched, unable to close his mouth. Now, at Encrid's words, he finally shut it, then asked:

"Why are you so clever?"

"Haven't we had plenty of time to think?"

Did that mean anyone could have figured it out? Was this really something time alone would let you solve?

"That makes it sound like every constable and guard captain in the capital is a fucking idiot."

Andrew muttered in disbelief, but everyone more or less let it pass. It was true, after all. No, Encrid was simply exceptionally capable. Yet no one showed any particular reaction to that.

"Why isn't anyone surprised?"

Only Andrew muttered, and soon he too fell silent. This was the sort of man Encrid had always been, and the sort of unit this was.

That night, Encrid and his companions slept soundly. As usual, he rose before dawn and began the Isolation Technique. Andrew joined him a little later.

They were about to greet a morning no different from any other when an outsider's voice rang out amid their training.

"It really was you?"

A visitor had arrived. More precisely, she could be called a gift from the organization. He had supplied the authority they needed to do the job properly by sending Aesia, a proto knight of the knight order. And naturally, she recognized Encrid.