On the first evening, while Enkrid was engrossed in training, the village chief sent over dinner.

A red-haired woman delivered various dishes to their shack.

“Please, enjoy,” she said.

The woman appeared to be a couple of years younger than Enkrid.

“I’m not doing this out of any bad intentions,” she added, defending the chief.

“It’s fine,” Enkrid replied casually, his indifferent tone visibly brightening the woman’s expression.

“My name is Shai,” she said.

“Yes,” Enkrid replied simply.

After that brief introduction, Shai blushed and hurriedly left.

From behind, Kraiss muttered, “As expected of the irresistible charm. Seriously, you should just open a salon with me.”

Should Enkrid tell him that if his salon ever adopted the name of a knightly order, like Swallow Knights or Host Knights, then he might consider it?

Enkrid held his tongue.

The best response to Kraiss’s notion of “irresistible charm” was no response at all.

The meal wasn’t lavish, but it was enough. White bread, watery stew, roasted beans, and corn—it was sufficient to fill their stomachs.

Expecting meat here would have been excessive.

As for Frokk’s meal preferences, Lua Gharne settled for fresh vegetables.

Crunch.

“Vegetables with worm holes are the best. They come with extra flavor,” Lua Gharne remarked, munching on a dandelion leaf with holes in it.

She always seemed delighted when insects were found among her greens.

Enkrid wasn’t fazed.

This was hardly the kind of thing to bother him.

Finn and Kraiss felt the same.

As a ranger, Finn was used to eating anything that came from the earth—or moved across it.

And Kraiss had endured plenty of hardship himself.

What was a little worm-eating in the grand scheme of things?

Enkrid, too, was no exception.

After finishing dinner, they went to bed. But not Enkrid. He continued training, as always.

“Do you ever get tired of this?” Kraiss observed, watching him train again.

Without a proper bathhouse, they had to wash themselves with cold water from a well. The cool water felt refreshing as Enkrid rinsed himself.

After washing, he inspected his equipment, particularly the sword that had borne the brunt of his relentless training.

It only needed some sharpening.

Using a pre-prepared mixture of animal fat, Enkrid polished the blade before rubbing it down with leather and finishing with a clean cloth.

There was still a faint oily smell, but that was preferable to letting the blade deteriorate.

After checking for nicks in the edge and finding none, Enkrid nodded to himself.

“Excellent.”

He found himself impressed once again by the skills of the blacksmith at the Border Guard.

Even with high-quality materials like Valerian steel and Noir wrought iron, not just anyone could craft a sword like this.

And yet, only a small amount of those expensive metals had likely been used.

With that, the day passed.

The next morning began as usual.

Enkrid woke at dawn and resumed his training, focusing on the Isolation Technique and honing his skills.

Finn, who had slept too much during the day and couldn’t sleep at night, went out to scout the area. The moon was still visible, but she said she was just taking a look around.

It was simply a ranger’s habit to familiarize herself with the terrain.

“Deutsch Pullman,” someone called out.

As Enkrid continued his routine, a man approached him just as dawn broke.

The man had short, bristly hair and carried a broad-bladed glaive in one hand.

He had an eyepatch and scars running across his face, giving him a rough, intimidating appearance.

“You’re from Zaltemburg, aren’t you?” the man said, staring at Enkrid.

Where was Zaltemburg again?

Somewhere near the central regions, probably.

“Enkrid, squad leader of the Border Guard,” Enkrid introduced himself simply and returned to his training.

He didn’t see any reason to stop. Whatever the man’s purpose for coming, it wasn’t urgent enough to interrupt his practice.

***

Deutsch stared at his opponent for a long moment before speaking.

“I heard you came here as a commander.”

“That’s correct.”

Enkrid’s curt reply came as he continued to swing his sword.

Deutsch kept his gaze fixed on Enkrid, puzzled.

What on earth was this man doing?

He was holding a wooden sword, swinging it in the air. Slowly and precisely.

One strike here. Another strike there.

Does that even help?

“Are you busy?” Deutsch asked.

“Not particularly,” Enkrid replied.

Is he mocking me?

Deutsch frowned. Here he was, initiating a conversation, and this was the reaction he got?

He’d come with the intention of probing whether this stranger might be aiming for his position as the village guard captain.

But this attitude...

Deutsch didn’t want to start any unnecessary fights or give his opponent any leverage.

Hold it together.

So, he held his temper.

“The palisade here is reinforced with sap, making it sturdy. It can easily hold off most monsters or beasts.”

“I see.”

“We periodically organize strike teams to take care of nearby beasts. We’ve never had any serious issues.”

“I see.”

“I brought over thirty men myself and expanded the militia through training.”

“I see.”

“I oversee quarry management too, so most of it falls under my responsibility.”

“I see.”

What’s wrong with this guy?

At this point, Deutsch couldn’t help but wonder if there was something off about Enkrid.

He’d been trying to gauge whether the Border Guard might be exerting pressure on the village, but Enkrid didn’t seem interested at all.

Shouldn’t a commander at least comment on the village’s defenses?

Was it indifference? Disregard for Deutsch’s mercenary origins?

But this lack of interest seemed excessive.

Most would poke around, pointing out flaws to solidify their authority.

Deutsch couldn’t shake the feeling that everything he and the village chief had discussed was being completely disregarded.

Something’s not right with this guy.

Even his eyes seemed unusual, Deutsch realized.

Right now, Enkrid appeared lost in thought, staring blankly into space while swinging his sword.

So, he’s here to play around with Frokk and a wooden sword? Is that it?

Why is he even here?

Deutsch’s thoughts spiraled, and he finally asked, “Are you here to train or something?”

“Partially,” Enkrid replied, finally glancing at Deutsch before returning to his practice.

Was that a serious answer?

“You know, we already took care of the monsters forming a colony.”

“I see.”

Forget it. Something’s not right with him.

At least Deutsch now felt confident that Enkrid wasn’t here to take over command.

Whatever his true purpose was, time would reveal it.

“Captain! Monsters incoming!”

One of Deutsch’s subordinates called out to him. A quick-witted and efficient recruit, the man had proven reliable.

“Right, got it,” Deutsch said, turning away.

Enkrid, meanwhile, remained absorbed in his training.

Deutsch resumed his own duties, maintaining the village’s defenses and keeping watch over the surroundings.

The colony had already been dealt with before the Border Guard arrived.

What was it? Twenty hyena beasts? Hardly worth worrying about.

What Deutsch and the villagers didn’t know was this:

The sheer number of monsters Enkrid had defeated on his way to the village.

The trail of beast corpses scattered along the road.

Or that an entire band of the Black Blade Bandits had been annihilated.

Deutsch had only been waiting for bandits to show up, assuming they would cause trouble as usual.

Frontier villages often attracted such scum, drawn by the promise of hidden treasures.

But nothing had happened.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, without obstruction.

Are we just lucky?

It was as if Lady Fortune herself had winked at him, though Deutsch had failed to notice.

Three days after the Border Guard’s arrival, the peace was shattered.

DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!

The bells rang out, cutting through the morning fog.

An alarm, signaling an enemy attack.

Bandits?

Deutsch leapt to his feet, grabbing his weapon. He would show his full prowess as the One-Eyed Glaive.

He kicked open the door, ready to lead.

“All of you—”

He never finished his sentence.

Instead, Deutsch had to pull his weapon defensively to block an attack.

CLANG!

Steel met steel, the reverberation traveling up the hickory shaft of his glaive. The blow had come from an axe-wielding creature.

“Hah!”

With a shout, Deutsch used the shaft of his glaive to strike the axe-wielding monster.

THUD!

The creature was sent flying.

What is this?

Deutsch was stunned. He hadn’t even had time to don his armor, and the area was already swarming with monsters.

“GUUUUK!”

The fallen creature let out a guttural cry.

It was a strange, elongated monster with spotted patterns across its body—a Gnoll.

If a single Gnoll had broken into the village, Deutsch would have simply smashed its skull and moved on. No need for such chaos.

Even if five or six Gnolls and hyena beasts had breached the defenses, it wouldn’t warrant such commotion.

But this...

“Screaming? Fighting back!”

“Shoot! Fire at them!”

“Help! Someone save me!”

“Argh!”

The cries of desperation and the sounds of death overlapped in a discordant symphony.

Deutsch caught glimpses of his subordinates amid the chaos but couldn’t determine their exact condition.

The number of enemies was overwhelming. Gnolls and hyena beasts were pouring in like a tidal wave.

“GUUUUUK!”

The cry of another Gnoll added to the cacophony as five more appeared in front of Deutsch.

Gnolls were pack creatures. The howl was a call to bring reinforcements.

“Hah!”

Deutsch fought back fiercely, taking on four axe-wielding Gnolls and one armed with a spear.

His glaive cleaved through two of them, splitting their heads.

“GUUUUUUUK!”

The remaining Gnolls howled again, summoning even more.

“This is insane!”

Could this even be real?

For the first time, Deutsch felt death closing in.

This wasn’t just the edge of a cliff. It was the certainty of falling into the abyss.

***

Waking at dawn had long been a habit for Enkrid.

"There’s never enough time."

While a genius or someone with average talent could achieve results with one swing of their sword, Enkrid needed ten.

If that wasn’t enough, he’d swing it a hundred times. If a hundred failed, then a thousand would follow.

In the past, even such effort rarely yielded results.

"Ah."

But recently, small revelations had begun to follow one after another. Lua Gharne’s teachings, laced with subtle yet thoughtful care, had planted these seeds of understanding.

He devoured them, chewing through the process, savoring every new flavor. As he refined his understanding, his sword began to move with purpose.

Every day was new for Enkrid.

It had always been so, but lately, it felt even more so.

Above all, even during his practice of the Isolation Technique, flashes of insight would strike unexpectedly.

"Coordination."

It was the ability for one’s body to react instinctively the moment something was seen or felt.

It was a difference in reaction speed—a key component of the Sense of Evasion technique.

Attaching this skill to the body through ordinary training was nearly impossible.

What, then, was required?

"Even if I die, I’ll do it. I’ll commit to it."

The resolve to attempt something, even at the cost of one’s life.

When the Heart of the Beast provided boldness but not calm, Enkrid found clarity.

A small trigger was all that would be needed.

As he reached this conclusion, it happened.

GUUUUUUU!

A wave of ominous air swept over the village, just as the pale blue light of dawn began to fade.

Then came the screams.

DONG! DONG! DONG! DONG!

The emergency bell rang out.

“An attack! Monsters! Monsters!”

Hmm?

Though Enkrid had spent most of his time focused on training, Kraiss had taken the opportunity to explore the village.

“The palisade is pretty sturdy. If anything happens, the village can hold out reasonably well,” Kraiss had reported.

“There aren’t any siege weapons like trebuchets or mangonels, but the palisade is exceptionally solid. It looks like they built it to withstand prolonged assaults. The conclusion is this.”

When asked if the village might be at risk, Kraiss had answered:

“We’re fine. If something happens, reinforcements from other cities will arrive quickly. If they dig in and hold out, they could last over a month.”

But now...

“No, you big-eyed fool.”

Enkrid muttered under his breath.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

GUUUUUUU!

The sound of feet pounding the earth filled the air as a cloud of dust rose. Monsters and beasts surged forward.

An uncountable horde, charging relentlessly.

GROOOAR!

CAWOOO!

They exchanged cries as they thundered down the human-made roads.

An axe crashed into the marketplace stalls, splintering wood with a loud CRACK!

“KYAAAAH!”

A human scream followed, layering over the chaos.

It was a pack of Gnolls and hyena beasts.

The danger of Gnolls was well known.

Several thoughts flashed through Enkrid’s mind:

First, they always operated in packs. Even a single Gnoll could command a group of hyena beasts.

This made them troublesome opponents.

Second, each individual Gnoll was a formidable enemy in its own right.

Third, Gnolls often paired with hyena beasts, forming a kind of symbiotic relationship.

Thoughts were thoughts.

His body, however, moved instinctively.

Grabbing his sword, Enkrid stepped forward.

Behind his shack were villagers hard at work.

The militia, led by that man Deutsch, was positioned closer to the center of the village. Combat-capable personnel in this area were minimal.

“W-What?!”

From behind him came the sound of a quarry worker, who had stepped out to relieve himself, collapsing in terror.

“Lua!”

Enkrid called out half of Frokk’s name in urgency, swinging his sword.