It was right after he realized how to handle the Will.
When he constantly kept the Will open in the depths of his unconscious mind, his body seemed to tremble.
At that exact moment, Encrid realized what he needed was rest.
To be precise, it wasn't so much rest as it was a slow process of building things up one by one, but it was the same thing.
His body would have to take forced rest anyway.
He had to calm down the rampaging Will and tell it to stay still.
He couldn't block the rising floodwaters with a dam that had cracks and holes all over it.
The dam Encrid had built so far was too fragile. Meanwhile, the floodwaters surged, whipping and pouring down from above, and surging up from below.
It didn't even feel like water anymore, but like a storm.
The scale was that large, but the internal state was different.
'It's complicated.'
It wasn't a simple, straight line, but a tangled thread taking root inside his body.
If he just gathered it, his blood flow would twist, and his organs would burst.
But that didn't mean something was wrong.
He realized it now, like a child learning to walk, just by feeling.
Forcing his body into rest was part of that. The easy method came to him instantly.
He could just cut it down, reduce it, and discard it.
But what if he didn't want to do that?
The vow to keep his promise still burned like a fire in Encrid's chest.
He needed a different method.
The sense of omnipotence helped. As the belief that he could do anything arose, various methods came to mind naturally.
Oara told him to discard the complications, and Ragna told him to start with the basics.
At some point, Ragna had told him to abandon the Valen Mercenary Sword Technique.
He had learned so much in order to scrape by and get this far.
Was that too much? It wasn't, was it?
The Will that filled his body felt like it would destroy his organs, muscles, and bones at any moment.
In that sense, he was barely holding it together.
He could endure it like this. He had learned how to manage that much. But he couldn't use it comfortably. So what now? If it was too much and made things chaotic, he had to organize it. If it was spread out too complicatedly, he had to stack it neatly.
He thought of the walls he had seen in the frontier village because of the knoll colony, the walls of the city that would be named Rockfreed, and the walls of the Thousand Bricks city.
The towers that rose between those walls, solid and firm.
Encrid imagined one of those towers in his mind. Then he began to stack the Will stored within his body.
Slowly, calmly, bit by bit.
As he did, he found it quite enjoyable. Of course, it wasn't only enjoyable. There was a bit of regret, too.
'I feel like I could refine and stack it better if I had more time.'
Rather than piling up rough, uncut stones, he wanted to shape them carefully and cut them into neat squares before stacking them.
But for that, even a year of lying down wouldn't be enough time, not just a week.
More than that, he didn't feel like that was the right or proper way. Refining and honing should be done along with training the body. That's how it felt.
'Let's do it that way.'
If he regretted it, he could always take his time later and find another way to improve it.
He wasn't actually building a real tower, just making such an image in his mind.
Once the process of calmly stacking the stones began, it would happen naturally over the week while Encrid slept as though dead.
That's how the Will was meant to be handled.
At least, it had to be handled that way if one was to become a Knight.
It wasn't something to force but something to be layered beneath the unconscious mind.
Yet even in the space between dreams and unconsciousness, a part of his consciousness remained awake.
"You increased it instead of reducing it. Stupid fool."
A ferryman with a light tone appeared midway through and talked to him.
It seemed like the space between dreams and unconsciousness was just the kind of place for a ferryman to wander.
His boat floated along the river like a leaf on the water, moving slowly, very slowly, as if symbolizing peace itself.
The two sitting on the small block of wood on the boat looked almost like they shared a kind of camaraderie.
"Are you not in a hurry?"
The ferryman asked, as if seeing straight through Encrid.
What Encrid had wanted was a dream, a delusion wrapped in vows, stars, and hopes.
To become a Knight with his meager talents, to live by the sword, and to protect those behind him.
It could all just be nonsense.
Now, it was a dream he would realize the moment he opened his eyes. Yet he was not in a hurry.
Why?
Because he knew there was something more important than becoming a Knight.
He wanted to become a Knight who would protect those behind him.
He never simply wanted to be a Knight.
So, there was no reason to be impatient. The road ahead was long.
Encrid shook his head.
"What does it feel like, walking a path that requires no one's permission or agreement?"
The ferryman asked, and Encrid silently stared at him. The ferryman continued.
"Now open your mouth, stubborn fool."
"It's just like that."
Encrid answered nonchalantly, as if he had intended to speak all along, even if the ferryman hadn't asked.
Whatever it was, 'just like that' was the honest truth. He felt that nothing had changed.
"I bless your tenacity. At least, just for today."
The ferryman said, and Encrid opened his eyes. The ferryman rowed, the boat moved faster, and Encrid felt his consciousness drifting.
It was time to wake up. Looking down, he saw the boat, the river, the ferryman, and the purple light vanish as various thoughts ran through his mind.
Would his calculations be correct? He thought it would take about a week.
That thought had come to him like a bolt of lightning right before he closed his eyes after his realization.
As he opened his eyes and returned to reality.
"You sure slept deeply."
He was greeted by a pair of gray eyes staring at him.
A barbarian with legs spread wide, holding his chin with one hand and flicking an axe with the other.
"Now that you're awake, listen up. You might feel like you can do anything, but that's not the case, got it?"
"How long has it been?"
Encrid asked instead of responding. First, he needed confirmation.
"A week. But I wonder if it's common to sleep like a log at a time like this."
By 'at a time like this', he meant during the awakening to Knighthood.
After seeing the awakened Encrid and exchanging a few words, Rem thought to himself that it could happen.
After all, some people might pass out for a few days, right?
Not everyone's awakening moment would be the same.
Rem himself had never experienced such a dramatic event. He had naturally come to terms with the concept while repeating sorcery rituals.
It was like there were no fences in the land to begin with. Before he could feel any limits, he had already broken through them.
That fool was probably different. It was obvious he was trying to manage the feeling of omnipotence.
"If it's laziness, that's serious."
Rem said without changing his posture.
Behind him, Jaxon crossed his arms and looked down at Encrid, speaking.
"Suppress your senses first. That's the priority."
Encrid looked at Jaxon blankly. Jaxon shook his head.
"Take my words to heart."
It was rare for him to emphasize the same point twice.
"You might feel like you can do anything, but you can't. You might feel like you can walk to the East in a single step, but that's not it. You have to find the path, walk it, and then you'll arrive. Don't forget there are things to do before the conclusion."
Encrid turned his head to look at Ragna.
His head peeked out of the bed, hair mussed as if he had just woken up.
"Hmph."
Ragna yawned, adding to his statement.
It was probably the best thing he had ever said. Frankly, Encrid wanted to applaud him.
Though the example of 'finding the path' didn't resonate that much with him.
"When I was a child fetching water, I asked my father, 'Why do I have to fetch water, Father God?', The God replied, 'You have to fetch water so you can drink and wash.' Brother General, you have to fetch water to drink and wash."
Audin blocked the entrance of the tent, delivering a sermon. He looked like he would fit well as a priest in a rural temple.
Of course, it would be the kind of village where if any bandits dared attack, they would return as good ghouls, a village that was terrifying in its own right.
Good ghouls are only dead ghouls, and their place would be beside the Gods, so it would be a village that instilled fear in some people.
Though only Jaxon had spoken straightforwardly, Encrid understood what they all meant.
He was still an excellent listener.
"I'm fine."
Whether one was called a Knight or a hero, in their moment of awakening, they all felt a similar sensation—omnipotence.
The feeling that you could do anything.
The task was to distinguish between what you could and couldn't do. That was the first thing to be done.
Had they all been waiting for him to wake up just to tell him that? Or was it just a coincidence that they were all here now?
"You're awake? Don't push yourself, my fiance."
Even Sinar was there. Right next to him, he felt a faint warmth, and looking over, he saw Esther, who had transformed into a panther, touching his hand.
"I'm fine."
Encrid repeated the same words again.
"Saying you're fine doesn't mean you really are."
Next to Audin was Teresa, and next to her was Luagarne, who spoke.
Was it really just his imagination that it seemed like they had all been waiting for him to wake up?
Maybe not.
They had been waiting for him to wake up.
The faces of everyone briefly passed through his memory.
An aged Rem, Jaxon with a twisted expression, Audin coughing up blood, Sinar's body partially fading, Esther losing both eyes, and Pel stabbing himself in the stomach.
Those were the faces of the past.
Encrid rose to his feet and stood on the ground. He looked down at his hand, clenched and unclenched his fist, and assessed his body's condition.
It felt light. Lighter than ever before.
That didn't mean he could wave his arms and fly through the sky. That was something he couldn't do. But standing, walking, and practicing the Isolation Technique after stepping outside, those were things he could do.
"Huh? You really are fine?"
Rem, still seated, tilted his head and remarked. There was no sign of the madness that comes from being drunk on omnipotence.
Though there was something odd about him, he seemed fine overall.
"I told you I was fine."
Encrid repeated as he walked outside.
He was fine, but things weren't the same as before. The sunlight streaming into the tent, the thin beam of light that grazed his cheek, the scent of charred wood from the fire that had burned through the night, the feel of his shirt brushing against his skin.
Everything was more detailed, clearer, and more vivid than before. The wind felt as though it could be caught in his hands.
Of course, wind couldn't be grasped by hand. But one could walk along with it.
Not that he was planning to do that now. It was just something he naturally knew.
Running like the wind, wielding a sword like sunlight.
These were things he could do by raising the Will within his body in connection with his imagination.
Encrid went outside and began to move his body.
He had confirmed he had woken up after a week.
Now it was time for the next step.
'Has it properly settled in my body?'
He was confident. He felt omnipotence. Yet, it was only natural to want to confirm it.
Though he had long enjoyed the repetition of today to achieve his dreams, the passing time and experiences had made him that way.
When he warmed up his body with the Isolation Technique, the Will naturally followed.
He could perceive it, but even without focusing on it, it moved on its own.
So.
"Knight."
Luagarne came out and said, as did everyone else who followed him outside.
"It's true. Without any tricks or pretense."
Rem spoke again.
When Encrid collapsed, the Will had burst forth from him like an explosion.
Sinar, with her sensitive Fairy senses, was the first to notice that Encrid had crossed a threshold, but everyone knew it the moment they saw him.
That, at some point, Encrid had crossed that wall.
Yet, they only truly realized it when they saw him get up and move before their eyes.
"That really worked, huh."
Rem muttered.
When had it been?
Was it when Encrid asked him to teach him the Heart of the Beast?
Rem had laughed at his dream of becoming a Knight. He had thought it was utterly absurd.
But he had done it.
With his meager talent, his average body.
It had only been a condition, as he spoke of dreams like a madman.
And that madman had become a Knight.
"Phew."
Encrid took a deep breath in and exhaled.
The weather was pleasant. The wind was cool, and the sunlight was warm. The morning dew was drying, and the day was set to be a clear one, as if the sky itself was saying so.
The ferryman had said it was a path that required no one's permission or agreement.
And it truly was.
He hadn't set out on this journey to seek anyone's permission or approval in the first place.
"So, are you going to go find all those people who mocked you and give them a good beating?"
Rem asked.
What would he do now that he had become a Knight?
How about starting with paying back those who wronged him?
There were those who had criticized him. Many had cursed and laughed at him.
Even if he didn't beat them, wouldn't they be shocked enough to have fits? That could be fun to watch, too.
"Why bother?"
Encrid replied as he twisted his wrist from side to side. His joints cracked. His body had gotten quite stiff from the week of rest.
"Why not?"
Jaxon chimed in. It was one of those rare times when he didn't bother with formalities.
Revenge exists to be taken, at least in the eyes of the owner of the morning dew.
In the past, when Encrid begged for scraps just to learn the sword, everyone had mocked him. Yes, that had happened.
Should he have been disheartened, despaired, and wept, cursing even the Gods?
Encrid hadn't done that. And because he hadn't, he was where he was now.
"Not really."
Encrid shook his head. He genuinely had no such feelings. He walked a different path, both in skill and in mindset.
He was truly different.
"Then what will you do?"
Ragna, who had come out belatedly, asked.
"I'm going to train."
Encrid answered as he grabbed his left fingers with his right hand, pulling them back toward his hand, stretching his muscles and tendons.
When the Will settles into your body, it also changes your body, or so they say.
That seemed to be the case. No, that's exactly what it was.
"Training?"
"My body's a bit stiff."
This was who he was, and this was the path he was going to walk, so he would do just that.
Nothing special about it. That was all.
Everyone had long known he was someone different.
Yet they couldn't help but be surprised again.
He had become a Knight. The Knight he had so passionately strived to become.
And yet, he hadn't changed.
Of course, that was why they all followed him.
'It'll be hard to defeat him.'
Jaxon thought.
What if he had to stand against Encrid? He might have the ability to kill him, but he wouldn't have the heart to.
That's the kind of person Encrid was.
[T/L: Subscribe for a membership on my Ko-Fi page and receive 15 extra chapters upon joining, along with daily updates of one chapter.]
[Additional Info: If anyone is facing the issue of payment on Ko-Fi, please contact me on revengerscans1@gmail.com]