WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

A KNIGHT WHO ETERNALLY REGRESSES

Chapter 582

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Enkrid believed the Sect had done wrong, and he had been prepared to accept it even if they refused to acknowledge that and ended up standing against him. But things did not go that way.

To be more precise, the one-eyed monk who had helped save Seiki would not allow it.

"From today onward, I will take responsibility for this monastery and see to it myself."

Enkrid had freed the monk and also released the child who had been locked in the basement. The child had spent so much of their young life confined underground that the current situation seemed to frighten them more than anything else.

Wedged among the crowd, the child said nothing, only watching Enkrid's group with trembling eyes.

It was obvious to anyone looking. These were the ones who had used force and now controlled everything.

There was nothing Enkrid could do about that. And Sinar was not about to comfort a child. The same went for Seiki. The child only followed the one-eyed monk.

It seemed the one-eyed monk had looked in on the child every now and then, even while the child was locked away.

The other woman who had helped save Seiki had fainted and had not yet recovered. It was not torture in name, but the result was the same, a beating meant to absolve her of sin. She was not going to die from it, though.

Seiki had no intention of playing the role of Holy Maiden, but she had been born with divine nature, and she had already bathed the woman in white light.

She had not yet learned to control it well enough to close wounds in an instant, but even so, everyone could see that some of the woman's strength had returned and her breathing had grown easier.

Seiki watched the child clinging to the monk's leg and said, "Looks like they'll be well taken care of even if we leave. We don't have to worry about that kid, do we? That man risked his life to help me."

Seiki had a certain coldness to her in some ways. She had acted on the principles she set for herself, and her tone suggested what came after was simply out of her hands.

That was less a flaw than a habit of reading situations clearly.

She had lived that way since she was small.

The man she was referring to was the blind monk.

The monk who had stepped forward to take responsibility ran a hand over his shaved head, smoothed and straightened his worn, fraying robe, then reached down and patted the child on the head.

The child peeked out from behind the monk's thin legs, only half a face showing. The child looked to be around seven or eight years old.

This was a child kept here solely because of a talent for becoming a Holy Man, not someone who could yet radiate sacred light or brew potions.

That alone made clear what the Sect of Abundance was doing: raising children with that kind of gift like livestock.

Which meant standing by and watching was not an option.

"Shouldn't we kill all of them before we go?"

Sinar said it to the new abbot. The fact that she was expressing this kind of interest was itself unusual. She was not an elf who normally paid much attention to other people's affairs.

Almost no one had died at Enkrid's or Sinar's hand.

Only the one who had kept struggling to the last, trying to take a hostage. That had been absurd in its own right.

Enkrid had deliberately said nothing about who he was there to rescue, hiding his purpose while simply moving to act, and yet that one had still tried to pull something like a hostage situation just to save their own skin.

Everyone else, he had planned to deal with after getting the people out first.

He had even been prepared to let those who ran just go.

But no one had run.

That was when the shaved-headed monk stepped forward and spoke to them all, as if issuing a declaration.

If it came down to force alone, there were several martial ascetics here who could still suppress him after Enkrid's group left.

That was why Sinar had suggested handling them.

"That won't be necessary."

The monk answered her. He showed a faint smile. Even in a situation like this, his eyes did not waver once. He was a man with a steady core.

No one had expected things to turn out this way. But for someone who had lived in the real world while reaching toward an ideal, it was a good opportunity.

And opportunity could only be seized by those who were ready for it.

The monk who had lost an eye but now stood to receive a hero sent by a messenger of god was exactly that kind of prepared man.

He knew well what he would do, and how, if the Sect finally found its way and began walking toward the light. He also knew that most of the people remaining in the monastery were simply following orders from above without fully understanding anything.

That was the reality.

Just as the archbishop Overdier and Audin had gone off to drag in and deal with had shown, the leadership was corrupt, but not everyone they led was the same.

Among these people, there were those who were righteous, and there were those who had come to realize something.

Some were steadying themselves as they took in what had changed. Others were inwardly begging over and over for their sins to be forgiven.

Did believing in a god make someone a perfect person?

It did not.

Everyone made mistakes.

Enkrid himself felt that the pile of mistakes and failures was what had carried him to where he stood now.

So picking through every mistake these people had made, one by one, might not mean much.

And the man stepping up to become the new abbot wanted it that way.

"My name is Noah."

The monk gave his name, then quietly laid out how he intended to handle things.

"A messenger of god came and rebuked us, and I have chosen to accept that. And Shilma, the former abbot, died acknowledging her sins and her remorse."

In one sense it was a string of claims that made no rational sense, but there was nothing the Sect could do to contest it on the spot.

This was someone who had originally belonged to the Sect, and the entire monastery was going to say the same thing. What could they do?

Though the Sect would certainly not stay quiet.

Enkrid worried about that.

"You can say Enkrid of the Border Guard did it."

He was telling Noah to shift the blame onto him.

Why? Because if Noah stepped forward to take responsibility, the Sect would use force to punish them all.

"No. I cannot do that. Do you want the credit? Then give it up yourself, brother. I lost my eye saving a Holy Maiden."

Noah said it with a smile. Whatever the words, the responsibility was his and he was keeping it. Enkrid could not break through that stubbornness. He settled for leaving a promise instead.

"If trouble comes, send word to the Border Guard. If I hear the name Noah, I'll send soldiers."

He did not say it lightly. Enkrid knew that. So did Noah.

"May fallen fruit always drop along your path so you never go hungry, and may abundance walk beside you so your spirit never grows sick."

Enkrid nodded.

Afterward, Noah said not to worry and ran through a brief outline of how the monastery would be reorganized. Being faithful and having conviction did not mean he planned to push blindly ahead with whatever he believed.

He intended to use the narrow approach road into the monastery to fortify the place itself.

"Bolder than I expected."

Enkrid said it, and Noah smiled warmly.

"Not as bold as you, I think."

Was walking in with a club, not even a sword, beating everyone who rubbed you wrong, and then threatening to kill anyone who wouldn't listen really so much tamer?

Though Noah had to admit he found Enkrid's directness deeply appealing.

He had said it came not from weighing right and wrong but simply from being annoyed, and somehow that made it sound all the more impressive.

"Well then."

"I wish I could ask you to rest for even a day before you go. It is a shame I cannot."

"I'll come back sometime."

"Please do. Brother Enkrid of the Border Guard, we will always welcome you as a dear friend."

"Next time I visit, put out some decent tea."

Enkrid said it, and Noah smiled and nodded.

Among those who had been beaten, a few martial ascetics could be seen reading the mood and lowering their heads.

"We thank you for gathering the fallen fruit."

They offered their blessings too.

Enkrid turned and walked out, heading straight back.

Getting to the Border Guard meant walking at a serious pace.

Since Seiki knew the route they had traveled before, she stepped up as guide. She had mapped out a shorter path that cut down on travel time, Demon Creatures or not.

"You fight incredibly well. I don't think even the Demon Creatures around where I used to live could touch you."

"What kind of Demon Creatures?"

"They breathe fire."

It sounded like one of the fire lizard Demon Creatures that had taken root in the area after the Salamander summoning.

"Sure, if the chance comes, I'll kill that one too."

Killing Demon Creatures was always a good time.

"No, I'm killing that one. Later. So I'd prefer you leave it alone, but if you're set on it, I can't stop you."

The more Enkrid talked with Seiki, the more he thought this girl was a genuinely unusual person.

She had her own aims and wanted to handle her own business, so she asked him not to interfere, but anything that fell outside her reach she treated as simply beyond her control.

"Fine. Then you kill it."

"Oh, while we're at it, can you teach me some swordwork?"

"Why not?"

Enkrid was the kind of person who took the saying about learning through teaching seriously.

He also thought he had a decent talent for it. Which was not a surprising conclusion when you thought about it.

He had crawled his way up from the very bottom to become a knight.

There was probably no one who had climbed each step the way Enkrid had, whatever the discipline.

Let alone someone who had spent long stretches at every level, repeating the same day over and over. That person did not exist.

Leonessis Oniac had established the Five Sword Styles as a system of swordsmanship?

If things kept going the way they were, Enkrid might someday create a systematic training method for knights.

He had done more than walk carefully step by step down a road no one else had traveled. He had reached down and touched the dirt with his hands, smelled it, tasted it as he went.

Of course, that was something for the far future. Enkrid himself was nowhere near thinking about it yet.

Just pushing forward was enough to fill his hands.

Becoming a knight had not been the end of it. There was still much to learn and master, and much he would need to work out for himself.

"You really do have a soft spot for young women."

Sinar said it after listening to the two of them. A throwaway joke.

"Sure, let's say that."

Enkrid let it slide. Sinar, hearing that, added, "Once you fall for the charm of an older woman, you'll never get free."

"When the older woman is not a few years older but in the hundreds, calling her just older seems a bit off, doesn't it?"

"You little, that was a joke."

Enkrid considered asking again how old she actually was, then decided against it. At which point Seiki asked, without a trace of amusement, "You're not popular with women, are you?"

Enkrid's composure wobbled for just a moment. He had never heard anything like that in his life.

Should he explain to this child how well his face had served him, and walk her through the list of people who had sought him out over the years?

There was probably nothing more pathetic he could do.

So the right move was just to get on with things.

"We'll start with the Border Guard basic training."

He said it in an easy tone, a quiet anticipation on his face, a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.

"Okay."

Seiki's eyes lit up as she nodded. Watching him fight had caught her interest, and she expected the learning itself would be enjoyable too.

"Walk with your knees bent halfway, both arms hanging loose at your sides. Swallow your breath and brace your core so your upper body stays still."

"What?"

"Your glutes are going to engage. Keep it up all day as you walk."

"That'll slow me down."

Did it matter if they reached the Border Guard a little late? Training came first. Besides, the lower body was the foundation of every martial art.

"Begin."

Enkrid picked up the club he had been using at the monastery. He was glad he had not thrown it away yet.

He tapped it lightly against her shoulders and around her waist, correcting her posture as he went.

"Don't let it fall apart."

Sinar watched from behind and smiled.

The thought came to her that if she had a child, teaching them like this would be wonderful, and the smile just rose on its own.

An unlikely thought, of course.

Whether or not she had feelings for Enkrid was a separate matter entirely.

"What a fine day."

Rumble.

The sky answered almost before Sinar finished speaking.

"Looks like rain," Seiki said.

Enkrid nodded and replied, "Posture."

Rain or no rain, the lower body was important.

Seiki, with all her time in the monastery and everything she had been through, knew how to choose her words.

But the open honesty that came from growing up wild in the mountains let her real thoughts show through anyway.

"I made a mistake. You're not actually unpopular. Your face is decent enough."

"I'm not doing this because of that."

Enkrid said nothing more, only walking and explaining, quietly and steadily, how important this training was, how the strength of the lower body was the most fundamental foundation of all. Sinar kept smiling.

The rain came, and Enkrid did not relent.

Seiki had to walk soaked through, keeping up that lower body training the whole way.

They walked steadily on like that all the way to the Border Guard.

Seiki still struggled to channel her divine nature naturally, but she could direct light toward Enkrid's injuries. It was still so clumsy that nothing felt like it was actually healing, though.

That was a part he could not teach her, so he told her to focus on conditioning her lower body and got on with his own work.

Reflection. Enkrid turned the fight with Overdier over in his mind as he walked.

Some days he spent the whole time sparring with Sinar.

Other days he taught Seiki how to handle a weapon.

She had agreed to learn, but she did not seem to have her heart set on swordsmanship.

"Isn't it just better to be good at fighting?"

That was the answer he got when he asked why.

The reason did not matter much when it came to learning. She still gave it everything when she trained, and in Enkrid's eyes, Seiki's talent was something else.

Things Enkrid had needed to repeat many times over to master, she grasped the feel of almost immediately.

Blade techniques, basic Wrestling holds, things he explained only in words, she could already approximate just from hearing them.

It made him wonder if this was what Ragna had been like as a child.

The one problem was that she seemed far more interested in how Enkrid had built the body he had now than in any of the techniques themselves.

She wanted a conditioned physique more than she wanted flashy skills.

Audin would have been thrilled to see that.

That thought moved through him as he walked and walked.

Enkrid had run every variable through his mind in an instant during the fight with Overdier.

What was possible. What was not.

The angles of the opponent's movement, the range his own hands and feet could reach, how the opponent would respond to each of his moves, the patterns and the countless other factors beyond them.

There had been a moment where he judged that he could catch an opening and land a clean strike, but he had not been able to. He had failed.

Had that been entirely because of Sacred Penetration?

Or had the reason he lost been a weakness of his own?

That he could not pour out Will in an instant?

It was not only that.

Overdier had not had a single gap to speak of.

Strength, technique, Will. Not one of them out of place.

If someone asked what had made Overdier stand out above the rest, it would be hard to answer. That was the mark of a Holy Knight.

And himself?

What was he strong in?

What was the thing he needed to solve right now?

He wrestled with it day and night, faced his weaknesses, worked through the problems, and Sinar helped him do it. By the time they reached the Border Guard, Enkrid had a rough sense of the direction he needed to go to address his weakness.

A method to increase the volume of Will he could put out at once.

It would not be solved right away, of course. It would take many repetitions to get it down.

Anyone else might have lost patience staring at something with no visible end. Enkrid only felt glad that he could see a direction at all.

And so they walked into the Border Guard.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Krais greeted him with a hollow laugh. There was a lot of reproach buried in that laugh alongside the relief.

Enkrid shrugged.

"You're going to pretend you don't know? The Sect. The Holy State."

Krais said it.

No matter how much you tried to hide something or keep it buried, there were things that simply refused to stay hidden.

What Enkrid had done was one of them.

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