Does anything change just because today is short? No.
The task was clear: to stop the threat coming to the city.
Encrid moved immediately. Repeated actions lead to mastery.
Even if it wasn't today's repetition, his hands were already well-versed in preparing for battle.
"Is it a custom here to wake up with screams?"
Rem woke up.
"It's a monster. Must be a wave."
Encrid spoke calmly and headed outside.
The rest of the party would follow on their own. He passed by the group of soldiers and headed back to the city wall.
Instead of climbing up to the wall where Oara was, he waited in front of the gate for a moment.
"Let me out!"
Then Rowena's lover appeared and spoke.
Encrid struck the back of his head.
Thwack!
"...Huh? What are you doing?"
Milio asked in surprise.
"If you let him out, he'll die."
To be precise, Milio would die if he stepped out to support this bastard.
"Well, that's true, but..."
"A Squad leader's head must stay cool."
Encrid spoke as if he were calm, but inside, he wasn't.
'You can't die like that.'
The last moments of Knight Oara wouldn't leave his mind. There was no grandeur or nobility in it.
It was different from the previous battles.
She died without being able to put up a proper resistance.
She said she would protect the city, but she failed.
So, it was a meaningless death.
Should I just leave it like that?
No. He don't want to.
He can't let it stay like that.
Encrid set a goal.
Watching him, the ferryman laughed.
Even if everything changed, some things would never change, and the ferryman saw that this would tear Encrid apart.
Yet, the ferryman also looked forward to something.
'How will you handle it?'
What will that madman gain by repeating today?
And what will change?
He don't know. Not knowing makes it all the more enjoyable.
That's why the ferryman laughed.
Watching someone struggle to change things, only to get trapped in today, would be quite entertaining.
"Oara!"
A shout was heard. Encrid dashed forward, anticipating the incoming arrows, and stepped outside the gate before any hostages could appear.
He didn't stop at just leaving, he boldly stepped beyond the darkness.
"Are you trying to lose your mind out here?"
Rem followed behind.
"And why are you following?"
"Consider me the caregiver looking after the patient."
"If you're going to do it, do it properly."
Encrid looked around in all directions, his eyes searching for anything unusual.
Rem often found this leader fascinating.
As if he knew the future.
'A kind of instinct gained in place of talent?'
He wondered internally. Asking out loud would only bring more strange responses.
"Every time I die, the day repeats."
That kind of nonsense.
Who would believe that?
Encrid quickly found the poles and glowstones.
A spider monster had pinned the glowstones and poles under its belly.
It was a group of monsters lying in wait to ambush.
"Rem."
Just calling his name was enough for Rem to understand Encrid's intention.
The two of them immediately split the monster's head.
The hostage was rescued. Encrid thought it took less time than yesterday.
But the result was the same.
"Where is Knight Oara?"
As they returned to the gate, they saw Asia and asked.
"She saw some monster bastards and went into the Demon Realm."
It was too late. The situation had changed due to their actions.
Encrid was about to run into the Demon Realm, but that was also too late.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat.
It was just like yesterday. Arrows flew, and waves of spiders began.
Spiders the size of adult men swarmed.
"Rem, Dunbachel, let's break through!"
"Must we?"
Luagarne asked, but Encrid ignored her.
Encrid began cutting a path toward the Demon Realm, precisely where Oara had headed.
It would take time. But they had to push forward.
Everyone followed Encrid's orders without a word of complaint.
"Good thing I sharpened my axe."
Rem said as he dropped his arms. His arms swung loosely, holding a Lewis Mountain steel axe.
Then Rem used the technique he called 'Feather Axe'.
He charged forward, and the axe carved out a chaotic trajectory.
The spiders caught in that trajectory turned into corpses.
Amidst the thick black blood, Luagarne held a whip in her right hand and a loop sword in her left.
"Don't block me."
She said as she lashed the whip and slashed with her sword.
Dunbachel also pulled out two curved swords.
Encrid was no different. He slashed, stabbed, and smashed with Aker and Ember as he advanced.
Thus, they broke through to the inner part of the Demon Realm.
"Roman!"
A faint shout was heard. The trees of the Demon Realm muffled the sound, preventing it from spreading further.
As they entered the Demon Realm, an unpleasant sensation hit them, but they ignored it.
Encrid saw that three of the spider's limbs had pierced Roman's stomach.
A makeshift spear made of the spider's limbs jutted out from Roman's back, stained with his blood.
The spider monster wasn't unscathed either.
Its head had been crushed by Roman's club greatsword.
"Shit, I can't go alone."
Roman muttered.
"Where is Knight Oara?"
Encrid asked, turning his gaze.
The shout had come from a Junior-Knight with short blonde hair. She was clutching her stomach, panting heavily.
Looking around, Encrid saw the corpses of dead owlbears and the like.
'Wasn't there just one?'
There were two more Owlbears, similar monsters.
Even though the two weren't at a Knight's level, it must have been a continuous struggle, a bloody battle. You could tell just by looking at the traces.
They also risked their lives to defeat them.
But there are no Ghouls. There's no sign of that creature called the Fragment of Balrog or whatever it was.
"How did you know to come here?"
The short blonde-haired Junior-Knight asked. She, too, looked pale. It was hard to say she was in any condition to fight.
Blood was gushing from the wound she clutched at her stomach. Even if they managed to stop the bleeding immediately, it was uncertain if she could survive.
"Because of me, the Master couldn't fight properly."
She spoke plainly, but there was an underlying sadness in her words.
"That's not true. You fool."
Roman laughed as he spoke. Her eyes never left Roman.
After those words, Roman began to blink, the scent of death hanging heavily around him.
"Did the monsters set a trap?"
Luagarne murmured as if to herself. She was right. This is what would happen if they ventured further in.
Encrid took in the situation and moved.
As he stepped further inside, Rem asked,
"Are you going to die?"
It sounded like a plea not to go. And that's exactly what it was.
"Anyone can see it's suicide."
Dunbachel muttered.
Encrid looked back at them both.
"Even if this is my end."
He didn't intend to persuade them. Only his sincerity remained.
Knight Oara shouldn't die here. She can't die like this. Knowing that, he couldn't just let it happen.
"If I need to go forward, I'll go."
Encrid finished speaking.
"Who's stopping you?"
Rem chuckled. He followed up by saying that there's no point in trying to reason with someone whose mind is already broken.
"And who are you to talk?"
Encrid responded to that statement with a question.
Sometimes, Rem seemed unaware of his own condition.
"I'm the one who should be saying that. Now, get moving."
He mentioned that he should have gone sooner.
"Are you going to the west after this?"
"I will."
"Alright."
Encrid nodded and pressed on.
Inside, they saw that creature, whether it was a Fragment of Balrog or some shard of it.
"Balrog? No, it's a fragment."
Luagarne echoed the same thought.
"A fragment?"
This time, there was enough time to ask.
"In the Demon Realm, there's a monster considered a mad God of battle. That bastard holds a flaming sword in his right hand and an unbreakable whip in his left."
"You speak as if you've seen it."
"My combat style is based on what I learned from watching it."
In other words, she's seen it firsthand.
"That thing seems to be a piece of him. I think I've heard that he sometimes splits a part of his soul to do things like this when he's bored."
Encrid gave a brief nod and looked ahead.
Just looking at the red, muscular form made his shoulders ache. He could feel the pressure weighing down on him.
Is this fragment at the level of a Knight?
He also noticed Oara's corpse. She was already dead. Next to her lay a Ghoul with its head split open.
It was the creature named Jerix.
He's going to die.
But should he do nothing?
Encrid gripped his sword. He raised Aker firmly.
"Can you speak? They say your father is Balrog. Is your mother a Ghoul?"
Encrid taunted. Naturally, the monster didn't respond.
Rem stood by, grumbling that they must have come to get rid of bad luck, only to find more bad luck.
Dunbachel, once again, succumbed to fear.
This time, instead of fighting, she fled.
Luagarne wasn't clinging to her life.
Instead,
"It's a shame I won't get to see you become a Knight."
She left behind those words.
* * *
"I'm about to carve up my ex-husband's face, and look at this. How many lovers do you have, really?"
Even in the new day, Knight Oara's humor remained unchanged. It was when they saw the troll horde blocking their way.
"If you go alone, you'll die."
Encrid was trying to stop Oara from entering the Demon Realm, but she shook her head.
"If we back down here, there's no next time."
As soon as Oara finished speaking, five trolls that had been lurking in the darkness of the Demon Realm began to slowly approach.
Those were the ones commanding the monsters.
"Leave those to me and go ahead."
Oara still smiled, flashing a gentle grin.
In this new day, she spoke again.
"Your dream is to become a Knight? I asked you back then, if you're a Knight, you need to define what you're going to protect. And I told you what I wanted to protect, didn't I? If I want to protect the city, what should I do?"
The answer didn't require much thought.
"Eliminate the Demon Realm."
"Exactly. That's why my dream is to kill Jerix."
She had given the name of her ex-husband to the Ghoul and wanted to kill it.
Oara's goal was clear. She was poisoned, her time was limited.
The candle had melted, and there was only a small sliver left.
In the time she had remaining, she wished for one thing only.
To kill the core monster that sustained the Demon Realm.
To slice and eliminate the monster that was on par with a Knight's power.
But she didn't know that Jerix wasn't the core.
"What are the odds?"
Luagarne asked.
"If I can just face it, I'll never lose."
Oara smiled as she spoke. They knew. She wouldn't lose. But there was always another monster, one on par with a Ghoul or something even more terrifying, that would emerge, causing the problem.
'What if there was another Knight-level force?'
Then things would be easier.
No, Oara had known for some time that such strength would be needed.
What she needed was a Knight. Destroying the Demon Realm was no small task.
If that were the case, she might be able to fulfill her wish without too much loss.
But what if she couldn't?
"Even if I die, I'll take it down with me."
That was Knight Oara's dream.
Encrid had witnessed the end of that dream many times. The Demon Realm never ended. Soldiers died. Roman died. The city was finished. The wave couldn't be stopped. The Demon Realm was prepared, and humanity was not.
And that hadn't changed this time either.
The bastard, the Fragment of Balrog, approached the exhausted and wounded Oara.
Jerix lay dead to the side, of course.
Did that bastard even know that such a name had been given to him?
"Shit, that's a monster."
Rem immediately recognized it.
Encrid wondered what the main body of the creature called Balrog looked like, and what the real thing, not just a fragment, would be like.
Not that he could see it now, even if he wanted to.
For now, all he could do was handle what was in front of him.
Once again, a new day had begun.
He encountered the Ghoul.
"Have you been eating well?"
Encrid asked casually.
"He's my ex-husband. Wouldn't it be nice to leave us alone to settle our reunion?"
Oara interjected with a smile.
The monster had evolved and now faced a Knight.
The Ghoul brandished its sword, showing off the smile it had stolen from Oara.
Grrrr.
The sound it made felt like a form of Intimidation.
Yet, it would die nonetheless. Oara's sword would slice, tear, and cut through it.
And afterward, Oara would die again.
She could run if she wanted to.
Oara could choose to flee before the Fragment of Balrog got to her. The bastard wouldn't chase those who ran.
In fact, Dunbachel had once fled in fear, and it hadn't pursued her.
But no one asked Oara why she went to such lengths.
Encrid understood her.
"Roman, wait. That one's mine."
Oara said and killed the Ghoul.
She had even once shown she could hold her own against the Fragment of Balrog.
But in her exhausted and injured state, it was impossible.
Encrid observed the situation, recalling today's events, fighting, and enduring.
What was needed now?
At times, they managed to push back the Ghoul and other monsters.
Even Asia was brought in to hold the line and fight.
There was even a day where Oara didn't die, and they managed to hold out.
But when they returned after tearing through the Demon Realm, they saw a nightmare.
The group saw a massive horde of monstrous spiders.
Even if the walls held, without Knight Oara, without a Junior-Knight, there was no way they could withstand such numbers.
They saw monsters scaling the walls and invading the city.
The city couldn't endure the wave.
And then they witnessed the soldiers fighting, still alive, being chewed and devoured by the spiders.
"Aaaargh!"
For the first time, Encrid saw Oara lose her smile.
And at that exact moment, the Ghoul and its companions charged from the Demon Realm.
This time, Oara couldn't even defeat the Ghoul.
What should they do?
The conclusion was simple.
'Abandon the city.'
Sacrifice is inevitable.
He could persuade Knight Oara to retreat and wait for another day.
With proper preparation, they could selectively hunt and kill the high-level monsters.
That way, they could stop the Demon Realm, achieve victory, and fulfill Oara's dream.
But the city would fall.
She would have to abandon the gate that her grandfather carved and most of the people defending this place.
Moreover, the monsters would spread beyond this city. Countless villagers in the surrounding areas would die.
Even if that led to victory in the end, it was a reality Oara could not accept.
Encrid had no confidence in persuading her.
And above all, Encrid himself had no intention of doing that.
His dream was to become a Knight.
Was the Knight in the songs the one who abandoned the people behind him and still emerged victorious?
Even knowing it was foolish, he walked the thorny path.
To Encrid, that's what it meant to be a Knight.
He never considered running away.
Within the repeated today, Encrid spoke.
"Go to the west first."
"Did you hit your head too hard?"
Rem, standing right beside him, responded. He didn't seem inclined to leave. It was only natural.
Rem had never left his side.
"Groo... Grooo..."
Dunbachel let out a groan. Fear had consumed her.
One of their fighting forces was acting foolishly.
They were on their way back after witnessing Oara's death. Some days, she narrowly avoided death, only to collapse as dawn broke.
It was the same repeated day.
"Enjoy it. As before."
The ferryman said.
Encrid opened his eyes once again.
The day repeated.
"If this city doesn't exist, then neither do I."
Oara had said.
The day repeated.
"Even if it ends at a cliff, if I have to run towards it, I will. That's why I became a Knight."
Oara had said with a smile.
"Oara!"
A soldier shouted the battle cry.
"Go with a smile!"
Roman died with a laugh.
The short blonde Junior-Knight sacrificed her life.
The spider monsters swarmed. Bunches of arrows made of silk flew.
When the area in front of the wall was cleared, the soldiers blocked it with their bodies.
Four Squires died.
Soldiers died.
Milio died.
Even abandoning Rowena didn't change anything.
The flower that bloomed in the Demon Realm withered and died.
It was a time when despair and hopelessness seeped in.
It was time, as always, to close his eyes and give up.
"I'll give you an answer. Run."
The ferryman said.
As always, it was the best option.
To flee, face a new day, and settle for a comfortable today.
The ferryman was offering to make things easier.
Encrid nodded at the ferryman's words.
It was after a total of one hundred and twenty one days had passed.
"This is what I plan to do. What do you think?"
Encrid discussed his idea with the ferryman.
"Indeed."
The ferryman said, looking into Encrid's eyes.
In the ferryman's eyes, two blue flames flickered with madness.
"You're a madman."
The ferryman marveled. Eyes that spoke of hope instead of despair and hopelessness made him say that naturally.
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