Eternally Regressing Knight Novel - Chapter 867
Chapter 867: Chapter 865 – Atmosphere
Chapter 865 – Atmosphere
Cypress was old.
He had met that many more people.
So he knew that all those who had reached a certain level did not neglect their training.
All so-called high-class knights were like that.
Because those who grew drunk on their talent and became lazy were weeded out and disappeared.
If you watch, the result is always the same.
Those who work hard survive, and the opposite are culled.
‘Ingis is the finest gemstone I have ever unearthed.’
Cypress, who had watched Ingis’s growth, judged so.
He valued the knight named Ingis highly.
Was it because he was born with outstanding talent?
No.
Was there something special about his bloodline?
That, also, was not the case.
Then what was the biggest reason for his high evaluation of Ingis?
‘The Iron Mask, Ingis.’
His every day was the same.
He did not complain of boredom.
He was adept at repetition.
His expression did not change.
His heart was hard, upright, and sincere.
His steadfastness, never getting drunk on talent, was his greatest strength.
‘Sincerity.’
That was Ingis’s virtue.
Of course, as he had repeatedly said, he was also overflowing with talent.
‘Then what should I call that?’
Cypress smiled to himself and looked at the center of the training ground.
There were two people emitting divinity in place of the holy relics.
Both had builds that could be mistaken for bear-like beastkin.
Wasn’t one of them said to be of giant blood?
Then that meant the other was a pure human, which was amazing in itself.
Mutterings could be heard here and there among the soldiers, carefully wondering if his blood was really mixed with that of a bear-like beastkin, and it felt natural.
Two large holy knights, holding the symbol of the God of War like a banner, naturally created a space at the center around them.
The Madmen Knights gathered in that space.
It was not yet dawn.
It was early, blue morning.
Cypress, wearing only a worn linen shirt, watched the gathered people.
A man with brown hair, long arms, and a well-balanced body spoke, as if for all to hear.
“Effort? That’s just the pathetic struggle of those without talent.”
From the wilderness, a shepherd, his name was Fel.
He was more dedicated to training than anyone, yet these were the words that came from his mouth.
A madman.
The knightly order’s name was not attached for nothing.
The words he spat out, drenched in sweat, lacked persuasive power.
The name of the man muttering “Stop spouting that crazy talk, you bastard” right next to him was Ropord.
He, likewise, had a sweat-drenched face.
Beads of sweat pooled and dripped from his chin to the ground.
“It’s a bit better now that the rain has stopped.”
The man from the West said, swinging his axe.
His opponent was a swordsman with his eyes half-open.
He had come out rubbing his sleepy eyes, then suddenly swung his sword, aiming for the head of the man holding the axe.
“I’ll have to cut out that tongue to get some quiet in the morning.”
Such words were heard.
The two moved back and forth, facing each other.
Fountains of dirt shot up wherever they stepped.
It was a fight for position, to create space and stand in a superior position.
They weren’t fighting for real, yet it was clear that it would not be easy to get between them.
“You have a lot of energy for so early in the morning.”
Since they had taken the place of the holy relics, the bear-like beastkin—no, the purely large human and the half-giant—had given up on sleep.
A knight can endure for a few days without sleep.
That didn’t mean it was comfortable or good.
And yet, everyone was doing their own thing well, right in front of those two.
Chwaak.
The sight of a Frog cracking a whip, dedicated to training, was rare, and the sight of a Dragonkin swinging a white sword was also unfamiliar.
And Krang, the king of a nation, bringing a chair over and watching them?
‘The situation is difficult.’
Reality is harsh.
Cypress knew better than anyone that the current war situation was unfavorable.
Did they not know?
They knew.
They had already said it countless times in the strategy meeting.
‘One horse that flies in the sky.’
The southern army had over twenty flying mounts.
And yet, these people started their day as if nothing was wrong.
The one at their center woke up earlier than anyone and sweated more than anyone.
His name was Enkrid.
“Excellent, brother.”
The holy knight named Audin watched him with a smile.
The first light of dawn shone.
The sun rose from the sky that had been covered by dark clouds.
It was sunrise.
“You haven’t changed.”
The king’s voice was heard.
Cypress understood the situation.
That was probably the usual appearance of the man named Enkrid.
A man who swung his sword, moved his body, and sweated, wherever he was.
‘Beyond sincerity.’
A grimness, something like that, was visible.
He was the type to do his work even if a typhoon was raging.
That aspect was visible.
‘Would it be a lie to say I don’t covet him?’
Of course, it was already too late.
He already led a knightly order that wore dark green cloaks instead of crimson.
While Cypress was inwardly admiring and surprised, Bunion, who was watching just the same, felt strange.
He was watching, leaning on a long spear stuck into the ground like a staff.
Fatigue had built up in his entire body from the battles that had lasted for days.
But watching that man, some of that fatigue was forgotten.
It disappeared.
It flew beyond the veil.
And a thought came to him.
‘He hasn’t changed.’
Enkrid was the same as before.
Nothing had changed.
Even after becoming a knight, he woke up earlier than anyone and sweated, just like before.
In Bunion’s eyes, the past overlapped.
That was all the more amazing.
His will, apart from his skill, had not faded in the slightest.
‘He was like that back then, too.’
All the mercenaries under his command had burned with motivation just from watching that man.
“When you watch him, it’s like… he just makes you want to swing something.”
He recalled a comrade who had said that.
Now, they were all dead.
With the past, his comrades came to mind, and naturally, his thoughts converged on one thing.
‘Ah, revenge.’
A truly sweet word, but a truly difficult word.
All the more so if the target was difficult.
To such a Bunion, he saw a person who would carry on his will even if he died.
The kindness continued, and the bond had not disappeared.
The conversation they’d had while walking through the camp was vivid in his memory.
“Where did you leave the old mercenary band?” Enkrid had asked.
“They all died.”
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
Bunion had spoken of the past.
A request, a twisted situation, ultimately the work of a Demon Realm’s demon.
They were his brothers and family, and they had all died.
He had sent all the krona he had to the families waiting for the mercenary band.
Was it fortunate that a few of them had started families?
After finishing all his affairs, Bunion headed for the Southern Front.
Fighting on the front closest to the Demon Realm until he died was his reason for living.
Enkrid had once been a mercenary in the same band as Bunion.
The one who had heard the whole story, the one who would inherit his will, had spoken.
“Hold on for ten years, no, five.”
“Why?”
“You’re not going to get revenge?”
He said it as if it were obvious.
And he said it as if he could, obviously.
“I will.”
Bunion did not cry.
He had shed all the tears he would ever shed for a lifetime when his entire mercenary band had died.
“I will,” Bunion said again, and instead of tears, he felt a heart-ripping pain.
“I was also a member of that mercenary band.”
The words Enkrid had spoken echoed through his entire body.
Along with a thrill, they left a searing pain in his heart.
The kindness had returned, and the bond still remained.
Enkrid had ably received Bunion’s will.
“Thank you,” Bunion had said, and Enkrid had replied indifferently.
“If you’re thankful, live diligently.”
At those words, Bunion shed his one remaining tear and laughed loudly.
The words he had said when he saved Enkrid had returned to him.
“You forget my name but remember that? You crazy bastard.”
“Bunion is too common a name.”
“Is Tom special?”
“If you try to guess Tom, you’ll be right one out of ten times.”
The two had laughed together.
Just like in their mercenary days.
While Bunion was lost in reminiscence, Private Rapild looked at the person whom the Apostle of the War God, whom he served, spoke of with unreserved respect.
His attitude spoke of only one thing.
That no matter what, he would not stop his training.
“As long as blood flows in my body, I will fight.”
That is what Rapild had said when he first joined the Southern Front.
What had he done to keep those words?
His blood boiled.
The enemy had not yet shown their heads, and his allies were at a point where they needed rest.
And yet, his blood boiled.
‘I want to fight.’
Rapild muttered, praying at Audin’s side.
Audin, who heard him, smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Brother Rapild, struggle is a part of the fight. It is the instinct to survive. Hold onto it.”
***
It had only been two days since the rain had stopped.
It was a short time for rest, but…
“You have done what I should have.”
Cypress laughed heartily.
Enkrid turned his gaze at the sound of laughter and then swept his eyes over the soldiers who were watching him.
What should he say?
Their gazes were truly hot.
It wasn’t just Bunion and Rapild.
Most of the troops defending the South had gathered at the center.
The army stationed on the Southern Front was elite.
They were the ramparts protecting Naurillia.
Their existence was just that.
“It’s easier if you give up.”
“Quit.”
“Stop the foolishness. There’s an easy way to live, why are you doing this instead?”
The criticisms and condemnations he had heard countless times before becoming a knight—such people do not come this far.
These people, the army standing in this place, were his past self.
‘Those who fight, not knowing how to give up, with an ember left in their chests.’
At the sudden thought, Enkrid stopped the sword he was swinging.
He reverse-gripped Dawn and stabbed it into the ground.
Thwip.
The sword was embedded in the muddy ground.
A simple action, and all eyes gathered.
Everyone stopped their hands and feet.
He was suddenly reminded of when he first met Krang.
His every step, every gesture, was different.
With the sword embedded, he placed his hand on the pommel.
The surroundings had become quiet.
Only the intermittent sound of catching one’s breath could be heard.
Enkrid, his hand on the pommel, raised his head.
He didn’t emit any great momentum.
But the words he spoke now carried weight.
The sound that rang out in the quiet spread, carrying his intent.
“No one came to this place to die, right?”
He asked, but it was not a question that sought an answer.
They all just watched, their mouths shut.
“Everyone, fight to the death. For what you want.”
It was a short speech.
In the silence, only the soldiers’ fervor boiled over.
“We will.”
Private Rapild answered, as if muttering.
He steeled his resolve.
Clap.
Krang clapped his hands.
“Good.”
These were the words of a man who shook people’s hearts with a single phrase.
Because he filled it with sincerity and truth.
“My dream is to die in my bed,” Cypress added a joke.
Even though it was early dawn, most of the knights wearing crimson cloaks had come out to watch.
Some had their hands on their sword grips; some just watched.
The relatively younger ones showed their enthusiasm.
Did they not know the fame of The Madmen Knights?
The hot fervor heated the camp.
They used that power to change the camp.
Luagarne and Aurelia revised the plan several times.
“Let’s empty the center of the camp.”
“That would be good.”
According to the plan, the Southern Front was busier than before, until the enemy showed themselves.
“Are the Royal Guard going to play? If you don’t have the skill to fly, then lend a hand.”
Krang commanded.
“Our mission is to protect Your Highness.”
“Right, so move. Helping them now is protecting me.”
Krang’s will was firm.
The leader of the Royal Guard had pledged to be the king’s guardian in a truly difficult time.
He was also a man who respected Krang’s will.
“Move. Two will take turns escorting so that nothing happens to His Highness.”
For the Royal Guard Captain, this was the last line of compromise.
He had reduced their rest time.
And so, even the Royal Guard stepped up.
Enkrid’s daily life was simple.
In the morning, it was a series of training and drilling, and the rest of the time, he rode and flew on Weird Eyes all day.
Heeigh!
Weird Eyes never seemed to get tired, but Enkrid was also faithful to resting.
“It would be embarrassing to stumble when it’s actually time to fight, Weird Eyes.”
After that, Enkrid took a moment to ask Krang a question.
The man who was the king of a nation was ladling and eating stew, just like a common soldier.
“What if there’s poison?”
“If God wants to take me, I must accept it.”
In truth, Krang’s body, which had accepted a part of the Sun Tree, rejected most poisons.
Well, the other soldiers couldn’t know that.
Thanks to that, when they heard Krang’s words now, they all looked moved.
The king sits with them, talks with them, and eats with them.
A humble and down-to-earth king.
“Why is it only the Royal Guard and not the Royal Army?”
Aishia and Marquis Marcus Baisar were well capable of following.
“Preparation.”
Krang’s answer was short.
Enkrid nodded, accepting it.
After that, it was horse-riding practice again until night.
This horse flew in the sky, not on the ground, so training was essential.
For several days, the army’s fervor remained.
It did not change.
It was the same, right up to the moment the enemy army invaded.
***
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***
If you enjoy the series and want to get more chapters early, head over to https://payhip.com/Samowek
Next 100 chapters – 25e [Be sure to message me on discord for any information]
[SHOP BEST BUY] – 50e – Every chapter translated – Latest WN-1011 + daily chapters from monday to friday for a month.
-KNIGHT – Cost 20e – Chapters 942-1011 + daily chapters from Monday to Friday for a month
I welcome you to join our discord https://discord.gg/RY7BbJpeAZ
**ANY INFO ONLY APPLIES TO THE LATEST CHAPTER HERE ON WEBNOVEL**