A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

Rem quietly observed a human and a horse.

What was that?

Petting a beast close to a monster?

‘Doesn’t it bite?’

Even if it did bite, Rem wasn’t particularly worried, knowing he wouldn’t just stand still and get bitten.

Encrid’s hand touched the horse’s head, petting it, while the horse quietly felt his touch.

Watching the whole process, Rem was dumbfounded.

That horse clearly had the blood of a beast. Even without any magical elements, it wasn’t hard to notice.

The protruding fangs, the subtle murderous aura emanating from the horse’s entire body.

All of it was telling.

And yet, here he was, petting the horse’s head.

“You did well.”

Comforting it?

Rem pondered over the scene. Was he seriously trying to befriend it? Did he think the horse, becoming a beast, would obey and not bite?

That aside, why wasn’t he putting it down as it was turning into a beast?

Would it endure in that state indefinitely?

He didn’t know. It was his first time seeing such a thing. Could any beast withstand becoming a monster by enduring the blood of a demon?

There was little worry since it was just one beast, and besides, his Commander was originally an unpredictable person. This was Rem’s first time seeing such a beast, so he kept watching.

While Rem was absentmindedly watching the interaction between a human and a half-beast, Audin sought his faith.

‘Father, is that beast also defying its fate?’

Audin was more impressed than anyone else present.

Is fate a predetermined path? An immutable something that cannot be changed?

There were times he felt so.

When he stood on the path of the Inquisitor, when he saw the eyes of those who died by his hand, when he heard the high priest proclaiming non-heretics as heretics.

“That is their fate! The fate ordained by our Father!”

Even then, he didn’t believe those words were right. But he couldn’t break the chains of fate or shatter the shackles.

‘Father, what should I do?’

Under the blazing sun, he prayed. He recited the holy scriptures. Thus, Audin harbored distrust.

He later saw a being who shattered the reasons for his distrust.

That being’s name was Encrid.

By seeing him and getting to know him, Audin, though troubled, found the strength to move forward.

And now.

In seeing a human and a beast defying what was called the immutable truth.

“In the name of the Father, by the will of the Father, I dedicate my life.”

A chant flowed from his lips.

Holy power surged, bringing a headache that felt like his head was splitting open, but Audin smiled through the pain and murmured the hymn.

Teresa, hearing the song beside her, involuntarily listened.

It was a voice as warm as gentle sunlight, something she had never felt while within the arms of the Cult.

‘Song.’

The heavy voice entered her body, knocking around her heart.

Watching Encrid and the horse, hearing Audin’s hymn, Teresa felt her heart tremble.

Naturally, she began to reflect on her life.

Her life had begun and ended within the Cult.

Having been reborn, what should she live for now?

She thought she would live again for the sake of struggle.

She thought that was everything.

No, Teresa felt a kind of emptiness within her. It was as if there was a hole near her heart.

Yet she didn’t feel sad or distressed.

“The Father said that both fullness and emptiness are within oneself.”

Audin, finishing the short song, recited a part of the holy scripture.

His words resonated with Teresa.

Jaxon simply watched the situation silently.

What was that horse? What was the Commander doing?

In the midst of this, a random thought crossed his mind.

‘Are we taming beasts now too?’

True to his nickname as the Squad Leader of Enchantment, Jaxon just watched.

A single human placed his hand on a horse’s head.

That scene left an imprint on the hearts and minds of many.

Encrid felt a strange sense of kinship. It was an odd situation.

‘Why does it keep catching my eye?’

This beast drew his attention and emotions too much.

Why? Because it resisted becoming a beast? Maybe. He saw his own past in its struggle.

Suddenly, he thought of Esther. Wasn’t she the one who surprised everyone on the battlefield by not following them?

A wizard who transformed between a panther and a human.

At first, he thought she was just a beast.

Their initial bond formed from saving each other’s lives and the stories that grew between them.

So, what about now?

There was no such exchange with the wild horse before him.

Despite this, Encrid felt a semblance of affection.

With his hand on the horse’s head, the horse merely lowered its head, not exactly enjoying Encrid’s touch.

It simply stared back.

Its blue eye was clear and steady, while the red eye resembled flickering flames.

Encrid spoke from his heart, not his mind.

“Want to come with me?”

The horse whinnied as if it understood, seeming to agree.

There were no words exchanged between them.

No time had passed between them.

They had just met and recognized each other.

Encrid saw a horse that hadn’t fully become a beast.

The horse saw an unusual human who suddenly appeared.

“…Are you taking that with you?”

Rem asked from behind.

“Yes.”

Encrid replied. He patted the horse’s mane once more before turning his body fully.

Though the horse was close to being a beast, Encrid’s confident gesture showed he believed it wouldn’t attack him.

“Wow, this is fascinating even to me.”

If Rem, who rarely showed surprise, said that, imagine what the others felt.

“As the holy scriptures say, even lowly creatures have hearts. Love life. Love as much as you kill.”

Audin, an apostle of the war God, spoke.

Jaxon just looked on indifferently.

For some reason, Teresa’s eyes seemed moist behind her mask.

Why is she like that?

Encrid tapped the horse’s head.

“It would be good to go now, but we need to find a body if we’re to hold a sort of funeral.”

He was referring to Dunbachel. It was separate from taking in the wild horse.

Encrid hadn’t forgotten Dunbachel.

“Are you assuming she’s dead?”

Rem snorted at that. After speaking, he drew his axe and continued.

“If she’s dead to this extent, she’ll die by my hand again.”

Was it confidence or hope in Rem’s words?

Who knows. No matter how keen his senses or sharp his intuition, the barbarian hid his true feelings well.

“The forest is vast.”

It implied that finding her, even if she was alive, wouldn’t be easy.

“If she’s alive, finding her is simple.”

Rem spoke and took a deep breath. His chest swelled to nearly twice its size.

As Encrid watched, Jaxon raised his hand to cover his ears.

Encrid tried to cover the horse’s ears, but the horse stepped back.

It seemed to be saying it was fine. Encrid quickly covered his own ears.

Rem soon released the air he had gathered in his chest with a shout.

“You-idiotic-beast-woman-!”

It was a scream that seemed to tear through the air.

A monstrous roar, a skill in itself.

It sounded like thunder.

The forest shook with a rumble.

The intelligent horse, despite expecting it, staggered, and a winter bird, startled by the thunderous sound, flew up into the sky.

Cawww!

From afar, a crow seemed to respond to Rem’s shout, as if telling him to shut up because it was too noisy.

Even with his ears covered, Encrid felt a buzzing in his head.

“Stupid barbarian.”

Jaxon, the most sensitive of the group, spoke with a rare frown.

“You could have warned us.”

Encrid remarked casually, and Rem replied.

“You should have known just by looking.”

“So?”

“If we walk around the forest shouting, she’ll come out.”

Encrid thought it wasn’t a bad idea.

Most importantly.

“Ragna will find his way to us.”

They needed to find the team member who had likely gotten lost and only knew how to swing his sword.

“Let’s go find that stupid beast-woman.”

Rem said, and Encrid nodded.

Having killed the leader of the monsters, it was time for that.

As Encrid made up his mind and turned away from the wild horse, it simply stared at him instead of following.

“Not coming with us?”

He spoke as if talking to a person. It was strange, but when he placed his hand on the horse’s head, he felt a sort of connection.

He believed the horse would understand his words. It might not understand the language, but it would get the meaning.

The horse snorted.

It shook its head and tapped the ground a few times. Then it turned its body and gestured with its head towards the back.

Tapping the ground seemed to mean it would wait here.

What was it pointing to?

The Grateful Forest was vast. The path the monsters broke through was around the forest and plain border.

This place, where some of the grass had turned brown with the approaching winter, was a plain, an open field.

Beyond that, a herd of wild horses was visible. Not just one or two.

At a glance, there were dozens.

Well, it made sense when you thought about it.

On this continent, monsters and beasts were common.

To survive their threats, forming herds was natural.

That’s why humans also formed territories, villages, and communities.

Even a small village typically had at least fifty households. Building walls for defense was essential.

In terms of population, having at least ten to twenty combat-ready individuals was normal.

Such villages could only exist in relatively safe areas.

In places where monsters frequently appeared, living in a manor was the norm.

This was why people gathered in large numbers across the continent.

It was also why independent territories not affiliated with any state existed.

In this world, only a few people could travel the continent alone.

Naturally, to survive in this plain, wild horses would form herds.

So, what was this horse that hadn’t fully become a beast in that herd?

“Were you the leader?”

Those left behind must be his subordinates or family, so he can’t just leave them, right?

That doesn’t seem to be the case.

Then what?

Tap, tap.

It tapped the ground again. It was unclear. Encrid thought that instead of returning to Martai after finding Dunbachel, he should come back here.

“Wait, subordinates first.”

Encrid said, and the horse that hadn’t fully become a beast stopped in its tracks.

It seemed to mean it would wait.

‘First, Ragna.’

They could find Dunbachel after that.

“Rem, shout.”

As they entered the forest, Rem shouted again.

“You-idiotic-lost-moron-!”

He was definitely doing it on purpose.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just call his name?”

“No.”

It was his choice. They left it at that. Finding Ragna wasn’t difficult.

Some stupid human-face dogs ran towards the shout, but Teresa’s sword melted them before they got close. The sight of them being sliced apart and scattered suited the expression ‘melted’ well.

It looked like snow melting in the winter sun.

Kaaak!

Teresa blocked the biting attacks with her shield and struck down with her sword.

A torso exploded, leaving a messy mark on the ground.

The next one was hit by the shield, flew back, and got impaled on a protruding branch, hanging there.

Even in that state, it was still alive and screeching until Teresa split it vertically with a swing of her sword.

Her body contained the blood of a Giant.

Her sword and shield were more than enough to turn the human-faced dogs into pulp.

What started as one creature soon became a few more.

But was it right for even the stupidest creatures to keep charging at them like this?

It was clear they would die if they approached.

Even monsters, full of hostility and malice, should know fear, right?

Their colony leader wasn’t holding their minds in a death grip.

The reason soon became apparent.

“It was a shortcut.”

It was Ragna. He seemed to have encountered the fleeing human-faced dogs as there was blood spattered on his armor.

He had removed his helmet and held it in one hand, while black blood dripped from the sword in his right hand.

Ragna was unscathed.

His swordplay had driven the fleeing human-faced dogs in this direction.

“You idiot, goat dung, dog’s scrotum, you’re going to die lost someday.”

Rem expressed his delight upon seeing Ragna, who reciprocated by greeting him with his sword.

He swung it lightly.

Rem, who had already drawn his axe, blocked it.

Clang!

The blade and axe met, greeting each other.

“Lost your way and dug your grave too?”

Rem spoke, twisting his lips as he did.

His demeanor was quite fierce.

Ragna wasn’t one to back down either, so a fierce tension flared between them.

Why were they being so aggressive?

Encrid thought there was only one reason.

“Aren’t you going to look for Dunbachel?”

He couldn’t see the beastwoman he had trained.

Despite appearances, Rem cared for those he had taken under his wing.

He had run across battlefields to save those he thought had potential.

‘Though he beat them so much because he thought they had potential.’

Most of those whose lives were saved by Rem were unaware of this.

Encrid only realized it after he developed a discerning eye.

“Crazy barbarian.”

Jaxon muttered.

And then.

“My ears are bleeding.”

The voice of the one they had been looking for was heard.

It was from up in a tree. The beastwoman had a crusted blood wound on her forehead and a similar hole in her thigh.

“You idiot beastwoman.”

The forest might be vast, but with Rem causing such a ruckus, it was bound to be heard. In the end, his ruckus paid off.

Dunbachel came down to the ground. Seeing her land lightly indicated she wasn’t seriously injured.

“Why did you come? I was going to kill the leader and return on my own.”

Encrid nodded at her words.

It seemed that having been taught by Rem, her manner of speaking had become similar.

“Sure you were.”

Jaxon reacted, and Audin just laughed.

Rem, after calling her a stupid beastwoman, smiled softly and said,

“When we get back, you start from the beginning.”

At that, Dunbachel’s face contorted.

Why? She really was planning to kill the leader here.

She was a beastwoman. She had confidence in fighting in the forest.

Her goal was to change the battlefield to one that was advantageous.

Her other goal, following Encrid’s example, was to save her comrades.

Encrid looked at Dunbachel and spoke.

There was no point in asking indirectly or waiting for an answer, so he asked directly.

“Why did you do it?”

He was referring to saving her comrades and using herself as bait.

Dunbachel blinked, understanding the question, and then opened her mouth.

“Because I can.”

It wasn’t a grand declaration of conviction or will.

Encrid, however, liked that.

Then Dunbachel added one more thing, which was unexpected for Encrid.

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