As far as Encrid knew, Krais wasn't the type to cling to something that was impossible.
"You're not needed."
At the words of the Mercenary King, Krais quickly gave up on his persistence.
"Yes, that's right!"
In truth, he probably never intended to follow along anyway.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have shifted his attitude so quickly.
"Even though you've come as a guest, do you have no gifts for me?"
Instead of trying to win the King's favor, Krais targeted only his gold.
Encrid had heard rumors while traveling across the continent that there was a warehouse in the East filled with gold.
There were also widespread rumors that the Thieves' Guild had formed an alliance to break in but not a single one of them had made it out alive.
Encrid had dismissed it.
'Gold, huh.'
There must be a lot of it.
That was the extent of his thoughts.
He didn't need that much gold, so why bother looking into it further?
Rem, Ragna, Audin, and Jaxon all felt the same way.
The Mad Company was full of people who had no attachments to Krona.
But Krais was different.
There was a strange glint in Krais's eyes.
It was as if an evil spirit, betrayed by someone they swore to love, had possessed him, leaving him trapped in a ruined house for a hundred years with nothing but obsession.
Krais's eyes blazed with fever as he spoke of gold. There was a hint of madness.
However, Encrid thought, the opponent was far too dangerous.
"A gift? You want something like the gold of the East?"
"It would be nice if you gave it to me."
"No."
"They say the King of the East has a heart as vast as the ocean, so why are you like this?"
"I'm not that generous."
"You are the King of the East. Are you saying this meeting means nothing to you?"
"I'm not listening."
Encrid thought that the King of the East might not be very articulate, but he had a remarkable talent for pulling others into his pace.
Krais didn't get angry. He didn't grind his teeth. He simply continued speaking in the same tone with the same smile as before.
"Is that so? Then I'll ask again tomorrow."
From a distance, it might have looked like a friendly conversation. The King nodded with a smile.
For a moment, Encrid was worried.
If Krais took even one hit, it might be the last time he ever saw him in this life.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
So he asked Krais as they left the King's presence.
Without turning to face him, Krais mouthed the words,
"What a stingy bastard. Aren't you going to kick that bastard out?"
It wasn't as if the man would leave just because he was kicked out, and Encrid thought there was still much he could learn. So, he was a useful teacher.
"You know who you're talking about, right?"
He asked again, and Krais frowned slightly and nodded.
"Yes."
"And you still want to ask for gold?"
"Yes."
When Encrid looked at him, questioning the reason with his eyes, Krais threw his thumb over his shoulder and said,
"He's the King of the East. Would someone like that carelessly kill someone? Besides, he's here now because he's desperate to recruit talent, right? He's more likely to leave a good impression than a bad one, so of course, he won't act recklessly. And it's the gold of the East. You might not know, but Lewis Mountain Steel and Uver Mountain Black Gold also come from the East. So why would we miss this opportunity?"
The first thing he said was the reason there was no need to worry.
He had noticed the concern in Encrid's eyes from his expression, so he addressed that first.
The conclusion that blazed in Krais's eyes was clear.
Gold.
Would he give in to the immediate threat, blinded by gold?
No, Krais wasn't that foolish.
If he was a Knight, he wouldn't kill someone who made a reasonable request. The man was the King of the East, so he wouldn't act rashly.
Moreover, the fact that he had come here with only two people and no large escort showed his humility. He had even sparred with Encrid and offered guidance.
Putting all that together, he must have figured out the King of the East's character.
Krais was that kind of person.
"But Captain."
The golden light in Krais's eyes dimmed, and he called out to Encrid.
"What?"
Encrid answered, wiping the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand after completing a hundred downward strikes.
"You're not planning to go, are you?"
The King of the East did not hide his intentions. Despite this, he didn't come across as unlikable, which suggested that he was naturally overflowing with charm.
He wanted to take everyone, including Encrid, back to the East.
Yet, Encrid himself had never received such an offer from the King.
Rem, Ragna, Dunbachel, Audin, and even Teresa had all received such proposals, but Encrid had not.
It would be more accurate to say that although the King had said something similar upon their first meeting, he hadn't brought it up again since then.
Was it a matter of pride? Did he not want to repeat himself?
That wasn't it. The King was someone who tirelessly repeated the same words.
He only refrained from doing so with Encrid. Instead, he just sparred with him and offered some simple advice.
What if he did ask Encrid to come with him? Encrid knew the answer instinctively.
"I'm not going."
It was a statement made because the answer was already clear.
Krais felt a subtle sense of relief, yet at the same time, a quiet anxiety crept in.
'If the Captain were to leave right now, could the five walls of this frontier even be maintained?'
Krais had subtly expanded the boundaries of each city where General Encrid was stationed by recommending the construction of additional walls.
After that, he subtly spread rumors through traveling merchants.
Of course, this was all done with various effects in mind.
By making the five cities seem like one entity, it ensured that everyone clearly recognized the new ruler and Lord, and it encouraged the lords and mayors of each city to get involved in securing trade routes.
'The scale of Krona's movements has changed compared to before.'
All of this was possible because there was a focal point—Encrid.
Krais was one of the people who understood what his Captain wanted most.
A Knight—someone who aspired to be the kind of Knight you'd find in epic poems.
What he sought was chivalry.
Honor and righteousness.
He was someone who advanced while upholding those values.
'So, would the East be appealing to him?'
In Krais's eyes, the King of the East was a man overflowing with charm, almost to the point of it gushing out like a fountain.
Even though his attention was entirely focused on this platoon, there were a few who took an interest in him just by observing his demeanor from a distance.
Among them were former mercenaries who had once made a name for themselves but had since joined the Border Guard.
Some swordsmen who used to guard nobles also showed interest in the King.
Krais had also seen the urgent personal letter from the King that had arrived the other day.
What could the contents of that letter have been?
It was a sealed letter meant only for Encrid's eyes. Krais hadn't bothered to ask about its contents.
If Krang had known the current situation, the letter would undoubtedly have promised many things.
Because of his habit of imagining the worst, Krais left the training grounds, lost in various thoughts.
* * *
Rem twirled the axe in his grip as he looked at the table he had carved himself.
The light axe spun across his fingers, drawing a strange trajectory in the air.
"Are you doing that for fun?"
The King of the East approached and asked. Behind him, the King's guards followed closely.
"It's a process to familiarize myself with the axe."
Twirling the axe and making the table were done for the same reason.
Even when asked by a creature over a hundred years old, Rem didn't bother to turn his head as he answered.
It didn't matter to him whether the person in front of him was the King of the East or not. Rem was simply that kind of person.
"You're a man without greed."
"What do you mean?"
"You seem that way."
"I'm quite greedy, actually."
Rem was honest.
The King of the East shook his head and replied.
"If that's the case, then why don't you follow me?"
If you need gold, he would give gold.
If you desire a beautiful woman, you would pursue one.
If you need a worthy opponent, you would find a match.
But Rem didn't seem to want anything. At least, that's how it appeared to the King of the East.
"Shall we go hunting together?"
The King spoke to Rem, making a suggestion that was difficult to gauge the intention behind.
"Well, let's do it."
Rem nodded without giving it much thought.
He had been itching to move anyway. While Encrid was busy sparring with the crazy old man in front of him, Rem had also been refreshing a few techniques in his mind.
This was based on a small realization.
Rem had used certain tools he acquired after killing the Immortal Madman to utilize others' sorcery.
'I thought it would strain my body and result in a major curse.'
But nothing like that happened. Only a fraction of the expected side effects appeared. It wasn't something that could be attributed merely to the difference in vessel.
'Has my body changed?'
Going to the West was one thing, but it was only natural to properly assess what he possessed.
Carving chairs and tables with his axe was part of that assessment, and now it was time to meet some monsters or beasts and swing his axe freely.
Up until now, he had been fine-tuning his senses, but now he felt the need to unleash what he had.
"Alright, let's go!"
At the King's cheerful shout, Dunbachel, who had been watching from the side, raised her head. She saw the mad axeman in high spirits with the King.
'Is that bastard going to follow him?'
Seeing him getting along with the King of the East, she thought it was possible.
If he did, it would mean that the person who beat her up would be gone.
'And it would be that much harder to improve my skills.'
While she didn't exactly welcome Rem's bullying, she had to admit one thing: the more he pushed her, the stronger she became.
Dunbachel's gaze shifted to Encrid. He seemed unperturbed, as usual, not showing any signs of concern.
* * *
The hunting of an ordinary noble couldn't be the same as the hunting done by the King of the East.
Especially not when your hunting partner was Rem.
Neither of them had any intention of catching something as quick and nimble as a deer.
"This is the Pen-Hanil mountain range behind us. Ever been here?"
"When I used to roam this continent, it was my playground."
"Well, isn't that something."
"Indeed, it is."
The two exchanged banter. Asaluhi thought to himself that the King had taken quite a liking to this man.
Conversely, it seemed that Rem wasn't exactly pushing the King away either.
The way they joked around made them seem like old friends.
The three of them headed into the Pen-Hanil mountain range.
At the entrance of the range stood an outpost that Krais had deliberately established.
It was a massive outpost, three times the size of any other, more like a small city.
It was built specifically to block the monsters and beasts descending from the mountains.
From the outset, there was a problem with securing a safe passage through the Pen-Hanil mountain range, the creatures that emerged from the mountains had to be dealt with as they appeared.
If left alone, creatures like the Gray Ghouls, Bloodsucking Flies, and the Troll Brothers—those that Encrid and his troops had previously wiped out—would inevitably arise.
However, there was also a problem with building such an outpost.
Rem, after surveying the general layout of the mountain range, believed that if they continued to suppress the emergence of monsters in this way, it would only lead to a bigger problem later on.
The interior of the mountain range had plenty of spots for creatures to hide and regroup.
If they saw the outpost and grew wary, they would start clustering together, eventually forming colonies.
In the future, the number of monsters pouring out could easily exceed a hundred.
"Look at this? Just building outposts isn't going to solve the problem. This could lead to a massive slaughter."
The King of the East noticed this as well.
He wasn't just some random person who was good at fighting. He could assess the terrain and understand the situation just as well as Rem.
"What are you looking at? Didn't I tell you? This used to be my playground."
Half of what he said was bravado.
Rem knew that. Although it wasn't as mysterious as the East, the Pen-Hanil mountain range was still a place full of undiscovered secrets.
It was a prime target for treasure hunters, those fools looking for a big score.
Such a place could never truly be someone's playground.
However…
"You're pretty good."
Rem acknowledged.
"It's only natural."
The King replied.
For a King, he was remarkably down-to-earth, and Rem found that appealing.
The two of them soon ventured into the mountain range.
The outpost controlled the movement of monsters, which heightened the creatures' vigilance inside the range, making it easier for them to form colonies?
Krais wasn't ignorant of this, he left it as it was because he judged that it was better to let the Mad Company sweep through them, prioritizing securing a safe zone.
Would you rather say, 'Monsters and beasts can pop out at any time, but there's no danger!' or 'There are no monsters or beasts in sight, but we have soldiers constantly on guard just in case!'?
These two statements would be received very differently by those traveling through this area.
If you could get past the Pen-Hanil mountain range, you could create a shortcut faster than any other trade route.
For this reason, the King and Rem encountered a horde of monsters as soon as they entered the range.
It was a nest of over thirty trolls.
The entrance was obscured by a tangle of branches and leaves, like a twisted ball of yarn.
There was a faint scent of crude magic in the air.
Occasionally, some monsters were born with innate magical abilities, sorcery, or special powers.
It seemed that there was one such creature among these trolls.
"This is it."
"This is the place."
They spoke, then exchanged glances.
Their coordination was seamless.
A troll poked its head out, having caught the scent of humans.
"How's it going?"
Without missing a beat, Rem charged in and swung his axe.
It was a vertical chop. The axe blade cleaved through the troll's head as if cutting through soft flesh.
Even with its skull split in two, the troll swung its left hand wildly.
Rem used the axe in his other hand to sever its wrist.
Another troll nearby also pushed its head out. This one, a dark green monstrosity with a lumpy forehead, was much larger than a human and bared its crooked, sharp teeth.
Upon seeing this, King Anu remarked,
"This is going to be a fun hunt."
Thirty trolls would be a formidable force, enough to challenge even a Junior Knight, and with one of them capable of using some form of sorcery, they posed a significant threat. But not to these two.
The King drew his weapon. Instead of his usual Jambiya, he took up a long spear carried by his adjutant, Asaluhi.
Catching the spear thrown by his adjutant, the King unwrapped the cloth around it and assumed a stance.
With a flutter, the cloth caught the wind and flew backward, where Asaluhi reached out and caught it effortlessly.
The King had no intention of playing games.
There was something he wanted to demonstrate to the warrior from the West beside him.
Something greater than the prowess Encrid had shown.
The King of the East put a bit of sincerity into his actions.
For the trolls, it was about to become a very grim tale.
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