WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

A KNIGHT WHO ETERNALLY REGRESSES

Chapter 245: Centaur Colony

= = =

"It's a Demon Creature colony in Martai."

When Demon Creatures gathered and formed a group, that was called a colony.

Battalion Commander Marcus said it, and Enkrid decided to move at once.

He only heard right before departure that Dunbakel had gone there, and someone said that if they were going anyway, they should move fast.

They had heard it was a dangerously large herd of Centaurs.

"Let's ride horses. If we run, when are we even getting there?"

Riding as mounted riders would be faster than taking a wagon.

The question was whether they could ride at all.

"What, you're worried about me? I'm Rem. Rem."

All of them had ridden before. No, they could all handle horses properly.

Of course Enkrid could ride too.

When there had been no need to use a sword, he had often worked as a coachman.

He was better with horses than people expected.

"You ride well."

That was true for Ragna too. After watching Enkrid ride, he left that short comment.

You ride well?

So did that mean he was lacking somewhere else?

Enkrid took it lightly and answered.

"Don't take point. Watch the man in front and follow."

A bastard with no sense of direction always needed watching.

Audin and Jaxon were used to horses, and Kraiss needed no mention.

"If you can't even ride, you can't carry a lady behind you, right?"

His objective was clear as ever. He even said he had spent Krona on purpose to learn riding from a noble.

As he claimed, he really did look like the best rider among them.

The Half-Giant was the issue, though.

"I'd like a sturdy packhorse."

She really did pick a sturdy packhorse and rode it.

Not fast, she said, but excellent endurance.

Trade had been thriving recently, and many kinds of goods were coming into Border Guard.

Mounted stock was among them.

They still could not call them warhorses, but they selected several people who were good at training horses and decided to run a real stable.

Because of that, they built a wooden fence on high-quality pasture in front of the territory, more exactly toward Green Pearl Plain, and started raising horses there.

One reward from winning the previous war with Azpen was taking that plain.

Raise horses there, and they could start training cavalry.

Border Guard had always had messenger horses and packhorses. Now they had started raising them in earnest.

Anyway, Marcus provided several of those horses.

"You know this won't be easy, right?"

Marcus asked just before they left.

Enkrid nodded.

Demon Creature centaurs.

If you started listing the dangerous points, there was no end to it.

A colony itself was dangerous from the start. It was never just a simple gathering of Demon Creatures.

Even if it was only Ghouls, once they formed a colony, that meant there was a special individual leading them, and special Demon Creatures were always a threat.

Among those, Centaurs were more threatening than Gnoll packs when they formed a colony.

The problem with Gnolls was their numbers exploding, but they were still infantry.

No one had ever seen Gnolls charging on horseback.

Centaurs were mounted by default.

On top of that, they used strategy of a sort, which made them even worse.

What happened when a group of skilled cavalry used human-like tactics?

Even fifty of them would be enough to make your head spin.

Naturally, Border Guard had to roll up its sleeves and help.

They were in the middle of deciding whether to properly open the eastern trade route.

The current mounted stock had come through that trade route in the first place.

Well, there were other goals too.

They could show off the friendship between the two territories.

Martai would become a bridgehead for eastern trade, and if the east ever launched an invasion war, Martai would be a minimum safety lock to block them.

From Border Guard's point of view, those were all reasons to keep Martai as an ally and a brother territory.

So when they arrived at Martai, the news they heard was not pleasant.

"Dunbakel went into the forest and disappeared."

And there was also the Demon Creature group camped on the plain before the forest.

Should he call it unbelievable?

He had clearly heard the Centaur Colony was the problem, but that was not the only problem.

This was not a simple colony.

"The situation is pretty filthy."

Torres walked up and said that, his head wrapped tight with bandages on one side.

For three straight days, they had fought Demon Creatures.

More than one or two had been badly injured.

The number of dead soldiers was not small either.

He heard it was in the dozens.

Zimmer was limping too.

"We got caught bad."

That came from the former Frontier Defense Captain, now a lord.

Enkrid climbed the wall and looked at the Demon Creature group settled on one side.

Was the problem that there were over a hundred Centaurs?

That was a problem, yes, but the biggest one was something else.

"When the leader screams, everybody's body locks up."

He heard Torres got his head cracked because of that too. One guard had his skull smashed by the club that bastard carried and died on the spot.

Just the dead had passed fifty?

Enkrid did not know exactly how many troops Martai had at the moment, but that counted as a critical hit.

Even this had to be called lucky.

He heard it was only this much because Zimmer and a few top fighters among the Frontier Guard had carried the line.

Enkrid was about to ask and map out the full situation, then stopped.

So the problem was that Centaur, right?

As usual, Enkrid stayed expressionless.

He did not think deeply about Dunbakel.

This was a battlefield.

Death and killing could not be avoided.

If that was someone's limit, then that was all.

Still, one question remained.

Why?

If she wanted to run while leaving the soldiers behind, wasn't this a situation where she could have escaped easily?

Among those who took the request were the brothers Luchi and Richi.

Enkrid's memory was exceptional, so he had memorized most soldiers' names.

They had trained together and endured together. His memory naturally held their names along with their traits.

Anyway, those two soldiers said:

"If she wanted to run, she probably had enough chance."

"Uh, she didn't. She just crashed straight in."

"That was the first time I saw it. A guy twice the size of the others was screaming like a beast."

"The last thing we saw was Instructor Dunbakel slipping off a tree and falling when that guy shouted."

"But if Instructor Dunbakel hadn't done that, we would've all died. The territory would've taken even more damage from an attack nobody expected."

That was what they said.

Why? To save them? Did she want a reputation for protecting the territory?

Did she maybe have a man she liked among them?

She was a beastfolk woman, and serious about reproduction.

Enkrid studied the soldiers' faces, but that seemed unlikely. It was hard to imagine anyone feeling that kind of urge from those faces.

Then why? That was all he wanted to know.

"Kiiiyoot!"

Far away, around ten Centaurs broke from the group and started running.

Not a charge. They ran sideways while shouting war cries.

It looked like a threat. It also looked like they were picking a fight.

So they were trying to scare them right now?

That was how it felt.

Not Enkrid himself, but the soldier ranks stirred.

Their discipline visibly shook.

"Those fucking bastards."

Torres ground his teeth hard.

From what Enkrid heard, every time about ten came out and screamed like that, the whole Demon Creature group attacked after.

That Centaur leader was absurdly capable.

There were more than fifty Horse Magic Beasts, and they seemed to have dragged in three or four Harpies from somewhere too, because breasted monsters were floating in the sky.

That was not even all of it. The Man-Faced Hound pack was clearly over three hundred.

And their old Demon Creature friend, the Ghoul, was there too as always, probably several dozen.

There were wolf-type Magic Beasts too.

Impressive, gathering that many types and numbers without getting caught.

Enkrid, the Lord of Martai, and Torres did not know it, but one local ranger knew the inner Grateful Forest was fairly dangerous.

He also knew it had been called Grateful Forest because people had only used the outer and broad sections until now.

The ranger had a guess.

Some of the Demon Creatures that had moved up from the south and then vanished had likely settled in the back side of the forest.

Because there was an intelligent one among them, they had stayed quiet, hunted only nearby beasts, and endured without fighting until their numbers grew.

That was why almost no wild animals had been seen in Grateful Forest lately.

Also, if you exited the forest to the northeast, there was a wide pasture.

A herd of wild horses lived there.

There was probably no better place than that for a Centaur group to settle.

The situation made it obvious now, but before this happened for real, nobody could have imagined it.

Of course, knowing this now changed nothing.

"Rem."

Enkrid did not care whether they charged or not.

If they attacked, he would kill them, that was all.

Of course, the Lord of Martai and Torres both looked grim.

Did Dunbakel die too?

As he stood there with that short thought, Rem spoke beside him. His tone and posture were loose and relaxed.

He had just finished a yawn and was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

"I don't say this often."

"Don't say what often?"

"That beastfolk one, she's got talent."

Talent? Was it easy to hear words like that from Rem?

Enkrid thought about it. Absolutely not.

For reference, he himself had never once heard anything close to being called talented.

He had heard he was dull plenty of times, though.

"So?"

"She probably didn't die easy, that's what."

Rem somehow read Enkrid's thoughts and spoke right to that point.

"Could be dead too."

This bastard never stopped at one line. He always added another. Then he laughed, and something like killing intent glinted in that laugh.

Enkrid did not think he had gotten emotionally attached to Dunbakel.

Still, she was one of his unit.

So then.

He should hold a funeral for her, with Demon Creature blood and flesh and their severed heads.

Did Rem feel something similar? The thought crossed his mind.

Enkrid turned to how they should fight. His mind spun fast.

His thoughts continued.

Fighting on cavalry was excluded.

Martai had some cavalry, but:

"Can't use them. One shout from that bastard and the horses start running for their lives. Half of them freeze in place. We already lost half our cavalry in the first battle because of that."

Then should they stop them with infantry at the front?

Martai's proud assault infantry was lightly armored, but their main gear was long spears and shields.

Would that work against Centaurs?

It was already proven that it would not.

At minimum, they had to deal with that leader's pressure first. One scream, and everyone's body froze.

It was basically a cheat ability.

"We asked the center for support. At least a squire should come."

The lord had experience. He had not become Frontier Defense Captain for no reason.

That was his judgment.

He said what the enemy used was something like Will. Sometimes Demon Creature leaders had things like that.

Some called it pressure, some called it killing intent, and someone else called it fear.

So that's it.

Enkrid heard that and moved on.

After that, he wondered how to drag in enemies who ran while mounted, then looked for Kraiss.

"Big Eyes."

"Yes?"

"If they run on horseback, feels like we'll just chase forever."

Using his head was not his specialty. Kraiss did not even look like he needed long thought.

"Shouldn't we just fight them?"

"What?"

"They said they've fought those Demon Creature bastards several times already. If they use strategy-like moves, that means they have intelligence, right? Then are they scared right now? Doesn't look like it."

Kiiiyoooot!

Once again ten Centaurs screamed and came into arrow range before pulling back out.

A few archers reacted, but none fired.

They had been through it several times already. These were not targets arrows would easily hit.

"So if we just rush and engage, they'll engage back."

Was that so? Enkrid had been worried the enemy would flee, but Kraiss said that was pointless worry.

Then why had he started from how to catch enemies who ran?

Enkrid retraced his own thought process.

Why was that?

Because winning was obvious.

If they needed a junior knight, that only meant something was mixed into that scream.

That something was likely the kind that caused fear.

Then wasn't it simple? Just do not get scared.

He had endured pressure and learned Refusal.

After that formless thing shaped by Will had entered his chest, Enkrid felt no threat.

"Then should we go out?"

"What?"

"Go where?"

At Enkrid's words, the lord and Torres reacted at the same time.

"To fight."

Enkrid answered.

"What have you been listening to this whole time?"

"You're saying you want to die? We have to wait for support. At least until the unit Border Guard sent gets here."

Torres spoke first again, then the lord followed.

They did not know Enkrid. Refusal was something he learned after they had left.

"Kraiss."

Instead of explaining at length, Enkrid called for the mouth that would speak for him.

"The situation's bad. Their numbers grew again, right? They'll probably gather every Demon Creature around. That leader has a General-Type Trait from the start. That's the most dangerous kind of Demon Creature. The longer it goes, the worse it gets for us. So the best move is to slice off the leader's head while we still can."

Kraiss said it while pressing the side of his hand to his own neck.

"If you get close to that bastard, your body freezes instantly!"

Torres shouted, irritation in his voice. If that were not true, he would not have tried to stop them either.

"It'll be fine. Man, you worry too much. Just hold your line so you don't get pushed back by those crazy Demon Creatures and Magic Beasts."

"Before you tell me to hold, Rem, you help too."

"Heh heh, brother, I will join as well."

"I'll go too."

Rem patted Torres on the shoulder as he spoke. Enkrid spoke again to Rem, and then Audin and Teresa added their voices.

Torres could not understand what was wrong with these people.

Did they all chew the wrong herbs together?

No, they had always been crazy. That was why they were the Madmen Company.

Once again, Torres found himself respecting Marcus.

Did he really trust these bastards and just step onto battlefields with them?

Even when told it was dangerous, they would not listen.

It was maddening, but he also could not stop them.

They were not the kind to listen when stopped anyway.

Kiiiyoooot!

More than anything, Kraiss was right too.

Would support come from the center?

Much more likely it would not. Nobody knew what was happening there, but the center seemed to be facing something even more tangled than here.

Rumors had spread all the way to the north that some guild was assassinating kingdom nobles.

"Let's go."

So Enkrid led the Madmen Company down below the wall.

His steps were relaxed. No matter how loud the Centaurs screamed outside, he stayed at ease.

He went down leaving only Kraiss behind.

"You're not coming with us?"

Torres asked with half his energy drained, and Kraiss looked back like the question was absurd.

"Why would I? You want me to go die? Why leave a safe wall and go out there?"

Then what about them?

Torres genuinely wanted to ask, but he kept his mouth shut.

He already knew what answer would come.

"Come on, the captain's the captain."

Something like that.

"Ah, right. Then let's go fight too."

Morale had hit bottom, but in that tight atmosphere, all the steam suddenly went out.

That helped in its own way.

Sometimes being half stunned helped more than sinking into pure low morale.

"All units, sortie!"

Torres was the next Frontier Defense Captain.

He was the current supreme field commander of the force.

They were running the territory with separate roles, lord as lord, commander as commander.

When Torres came out with his head wrapped in bandages, Demon Creatures were already charging, led by Man-Faced Hounds.

Several horrific battles had already happened.

So it went like this: they butchered the charging Demon Creatures to hold the line, then the leader came and screamed. One scream locked their allies' bodies, and everyone felt defeat coming.

This won't work if we keep fighting like this.

But holding forever was impossible too.

Martai's wall had never been specialized for defense.

If the wall collapsed, a slaughter ground would open from that point on.

Even now they were barely holding.

"Show the valor of the East!"

Zimmer forcibly dragged up morale that did not exist.

At the front, Rem had already rushed out and was swinging his axe.

And then.

As if this much was obvious, a slaughter party broke out.

Torres had expected this much too.

They were the Madmen Company.

The only problem was that leader bastard.

Even so, what was happening in front of his eyes was impossible not to enjoy.

Just watching it made his chest feel clear and open.

It was a feeling hard to get on a battlefield of killing and dying.

= = =

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried