The middle-aged woman warned that the sparring wouldn't be that fun.
There was also a concept of warriors in the West.
Rem was like that, and so was Ayul.
They were the kind who fought with axes, spears, or wide-bladed swords sharpened on only one side.
In this region, double-edged swords weren't commonly used.
If you were using long weapons, a spear was preferred, and for short weapons, an axe or a falchion-like sword was more convenient.
Spears were useful for hunting, and axes or crescent blades were good for cutting trees or grass.
But the double-edged sword was an inconvenient tool in many ways.
In a place where you couldn't live by swordsmanship alone, it made sense.
Moreover, not all warriors were of the same type.
Though they all shared the spirit of not backing down from battle, their fighting styles could differ.
The twins before him were exactly that. They were skilled more in hunting than in combat.
Of course, Encrid didn't know this.
He only saw the weapons the twins were holding.
'A spear.'
It was a spear whose handle was connected to something like a stick.
Though unfamiliar, Encrid had seen something similar before.
He had occasionally seen mercenaries using such tools.
'An atlatl, wasn't it?'
A spear thrower, that's what it was.
It was a tool designed to more effectively transfer power than just using arm strength to throw a spear.
When the spear thrower was swung with all its might, the spear would fly with that force.
Spears were bulkier and heavier than arrows. They could pierce through crude shields with ease.
Three spears were sticking out from over each twin's right shoulder.
Rem and the woman smoking nearby both said it wouldn't be fun, but Encrid still found it enjoyable.
Did you have to fight with the intent to kill just to have fun?
That wasn't the case.
Since they had agreed to spar like this.
"Fine, then."
The middle-aged woman spoke. No sooner had she finished her words than the twins leapt backward. Their movements were incredibly light as they kicked off the ground.
Encrid gazed calmly at the twins as they retreated and took their stance.
Retreating wasn't enough for them, they shifted their weight onto their heels. They were prepared to evade or withdraw at any moment.
Encrid's gaze shifted from their weapons to their eyes, arms, and legs.
'Their balance is good.'
The muscles revealed between their short pants seemed as hard as if they had stones inside.
Those legs would unleash force according to their owner's will at any moment.
The Heart of Great Strength?
No, it wasn't that.
They were just experienced in fighting this way.
This was the kind of combat where they used throwing weapons before the enemy could get close.
Whether hunting or fighting, they had likely fought similarly many times.
So what would they do if the spear-throwing failed?
Falchion-like swords dangled from their waists.
"If you can't dodge, you'll die."
The woman who had brought the twins said, exhaling smoke.
Encrid could have closed the distance before they even threw their spears, before they had the chance to throw them.
It seemed possible to bind their hands and feet in one move, but he decided against it.
That wouldn't be fun.
He waited out of pure curiosity.
In a sparring match, wasn't this kind of waiting also fine?
It wasn't arrogance but rather a sign of confidence.
The twins, bouncing backward like grasshoppers, had nimble, insect-like movements, lowering their stances as they retreated.
The area was isolated from the camp, with no palisades or anything that could get in the way.
But if the spears were dodged, wouldn't they tear through the tent?
With that thought, Encrid moved to the side.
Step by step, slowly and unhurried, the twins adjusted their distance accordingly.
Was that their maximum range? Or was it the distance where they could put the most force into their throw? It must be the distance where the killing power would double.
Those two must have vast experience.
He could tell by instinct, which led him to speak.
"You're too far away."
One of the twins frowned at that.
"If we get any closer, you'll get hurt."
"You can get closer."
From behind, Luagarne spoke. The words of the Frog, who had the eye for talent assessment, were always reliable, but the twins didn't move.
"Do as you wish."
The middle-aged woman spoke, and only then did the two take two steps forward.
Even so, it was still a bit far. Well, after blocking one attack, they might change their minds.
After considering a few scenarios, Encrid could visualize several outcomes.
His natural ability to foresee a moment ahead activated.
The position of their feet, the direction of their toes, the strength in their hands and fingers, and the awkwardly bent knees.
He analyzed everything and predicted their actions.
As Dunbachel peeked her head out from the tent, watching indifferently, the twins moved.
Thud.
Twisting their bodies, they swung the spear-throwers. Two spears stretched out and flew toward him.
They were aimed to graze his body and stick into the ground at an angle.
It was a brief moment. Encrid read the twins' thoughts.
They didn't intend to kill. Since it was a sparring match, they were giving him a break, but he could still get hurt.
And then he swung his sword.
Swish!
The twins couldn't even see the movement of the blade.
The spears didn't shatter either.
That was because he had deflected them by striking the spear shafts with the flat side of his blade rather than cutting them.
"Oh."
The middle-aged woman let out an exclamation.
Before her words had even finished, the twins leapt backward again. They withdrew more than six steps.
Thanks to keeping their weight centered on their heels, they were able to move quickly.
Encrid didn't chase them.
What would be the point of chasing?
They were no match for him anyway. But their tactics and fighting style were fresh.
'They keep throwing spears from a distance without closing the gap.'
It was a tactic that would only work if they were extremely fast.
In other words, those two were incredibly fast.
Come to think of it, Rem was also incredibly fast.
When he moved with intent, few could even dream of catching up, except perhaps Ragna, Jaxon, or Audin.
'Is that all?'
If that was all there was to it, then yeah, Rem might have been right that it was a bit underwhelming.
"Well, they're no pushovers. Summon your guardian spirit."
The middle-aged woman spoke, puffing out smoke.
The twins closed their eyes and began muttering something.
Encrid waited again, wondering what they would show him this time.
Would it rise from the earth and wrap around their arms, or would it descend from the sky to become their wings?
Listening closely to their muttering, that's what Encrid heard.
There were some words he couldn't understand, mixed in with strange dialects.
When their muttering ended, there was a change.
Visually, nothing seemed different, but—
"Oh."
Luagarne marveled.
"Hm?"
Dunbachel tilted her head in confusion.
Encrid could feel it instinctively too.
Something had changed. What was it? Their gaze? Their aura?
It wasn't their gaze or aura, it was the strength in their arms that had changed.
"Hah!"
One of the twins shouted, moving with a battle cry.
Focus Point activated naturally, and everything appeared to slow down for Encrid.
One of the twins planted his left foot and twisted his whole body. He used his entire body like a spear thrower. From the ankle, to the knee, to the waist, the weight shifted from the back to the front as he extended his arm. The movement was the same as before, but now it was stronger.
Ping.
There was a noise, and then a dot appeared. Despite the distance, it was twice as fast as before. The spear's tip became a dot as it flew toward him.
He could believe that a Junior-Knight had thrown it.
It wouldn't be as easy to deflect this time, so Encrid put strength into his arm.
Bang!
The spear flew through the air. He struck the spear's blade, putting force into his forearm.
Meanwhile, another dot flew through the gap that had formed.
It was the other twin.
This time, it wasn't a thrown spear, the twin had charged in and thrust it with both hands.
Though it seemed he might be caught off guard, Encrid reached out with his left hand and grabbed the spear shaft.
Smack!
The spear that had been rushing in with fierce momentum lost all its energy and came to a dead stop.
At the moment the spear was caught, the charging twin reached for the sword at his waist.
Ting!
The sound of the blade starting to unsheathe could be heard.
Encrid wasn't going to just watch.
He lifted his foot and pressed down on the hand trying to draw the sword.
Ting.
The blade, halfway drawn, scraped against the steel rim of the scabbard.
Encrid let go of the atlatl entirely and reached with his right hand, grabbing the charging twin by the collar and shaking him.
He shook him rapidly from side to side.
The grown man's body flailed like a piece of paper.
"Ugh."
A groan escaped in shock.
When your body is shaken like that, your brain gets shaken too.
The opponent couldn't withstand it.
The other twin, circling around from the side, changed his angle and targeted Encrid, but Encrid simply moved the twin he was holding to the side like a shield.
If he threw the spear now, it would kill his own brother.
Would they have done such a thing in a real fight?
But this was just a sparring match.
"We lost."
The twin who had been preparing to throw a spear admitted.
"Have you spent your whole life fighting? Your skill is impressive."
The middle-aged woman, chewing on her cigarette, spoke with wide eyes.
Only then did Encrid release the hand gripping the twin's collar. The twin dropped to the ground, coughing.
"Was that sorcery?"
Encrid asked, a little surprised.
It was fun too.
He had heard about sorcery a few times through Rem.
"Yes."
The middle-aged woman nodded.
She didn't even bother to inhale the cigarette smoke, simply staring at Encrid.
Rem had told him to go fix his arrogant attitude, but he didn't seem particularly arrogant, and his fighting skills were incredible.
Could he be a better fighter than Rem?
She didn't know.
Was this a sign of hope? A gift from the Sky God? The middle-aged woman pondered, but she decided not to jump to conclusions.
Would this man fight for them, or would he just leave?
After all, everyone valued their own life more than others', and they had nothing to offer in return.
They had no abundance of Krona or treasure.
But should they offer a person in return? Perhaps a beautiful woman?
That wouldn't happen.
No Westerner would offer up a person as payment.
They would rather die than betray their honor. That was their pride.
The cigarette-smoking woman didn't know, but they did have something to offer.
"One more time?"
Encrid asked with eyes full of expectation.
What they could offer was a sparring partner.
The man addicted to duels had his eyes shining.
When the twins had summoned their guardian spirits earlier, they had shown unexpected strength.
He had clearly seen it, but it exceeded his expectations. They had far surpassed their limits.
What he saw wasn't everything. That piqued his interest.
The twins nodded. They probably hadn't had enough either.
"Let's do it."
One of the twins said from behind.
"Do as you like."
The middle-aged woman nodded, and the sparring began again.
The routine remained the same.
They continued running away, keeping their distance while fighting.
"Let's do it again."
"Once more."
"One more time, one more time."
"You guys can do it."
After every sparring match, Encrid cheered on the twins.
They fought six more rounds without rest.
In the end—
"We can't do it anymore."
"If we keep going, we'll die."
The twins shook their heads. One of them was panting like a dog, sticking out his tongue.
They had used so much sorcery that they didn't have the strength to move a finger.
The middle-aged woman, the fortune-teller, let her hand holding the cigarette fall.
She was so astonished that she forgot to smoke.
'Rem has brought a madman.'
And not just any madman—one obsessed with fighting.
But this was good news.
Within half a day, or rather, before the sun had even set, two of the best warriors around him had been exhausted.
Yet, the opponent was perfectly fine.
He was only sweating a little.
And now he was chatting happily with Frog, who he had brought along. Listening to them, it was a spectacle.
"Sorcery is fascinating."
"It's fascinating, but I guess you weren't fully satisfied."
"It was fun. Isn't there anyone who fights like Rem?"
"You think someone like that is common?"
"There might be one more."
"Dream big, don't you?"
"My dreams are always big."
Encrid said this because he had three more such people in his unit, but the fortune-teller couldn't have known that.
So halfway through, she didn't even understand what they were talking about anymore.
"When is that smoke going to stop? What are you burning?"
While watching, the beastwoman approached and opened her mouth.
The woman, the fortune-teller Hira, was also one of the healers of the gathered nomad tribes.
So there were few who understood the smoke better than her.
"It's for the dying."
"Who's dying?"
"Someone cursed."
It was the work of a group of fallen sorcerers, traitors to the West.
"It's a long story. Do you want to go see it?"
At Hira's words, Encrid nodded without much thought.
Though he had been sparring here, he hadn't lost interest in exploring this strange nomadic city.
He could see more of the city when Rem returned, but there was no problem exploring it with someone else in the meantime.
"I'm curious too."
Frog, eager to explore the unknown, was also interested.
"What exactly are you burning?"
The beastwoman, focused only on her own thoughts, agreed as well.
"The father of those twins is there. He used to be the strongest warrior under my tent."
"And now?"
"He's sick."
Encrid was curious about the man who was sick.
He only planned to take a look.
With that, the fortune-teller Hira led the three toward where the patients were gathered.
It was a tent where those afflicted by the curse were gathered.
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