Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 936

936. Nightmare

Encred grabbed the little boy’s forehead with his left hand and his arm with his right, turning him sideways.
The boy, who had been running with both arms raised, stopped without a struggle.
His arms clung quietly to his sides. The face was familiar, but the name didn’t immediately come to mind.

‘kid.’

Still, I know who she is. She’s the child who suffered from a plague-like curse. The child who promised to become my bride after recovering, a child whose dreams are difficult to support.
The person watching her with pity in the background is the child’s mother. What’s so pitiful about that?
Encred glances at her.

“You haven’t forgotten me, have you, sir?”

The child asked. The situation came to mind, as did a few words exchanged, but the name remained elusive.
Encred wasn’t a discriminatory person, so he treated everyone the same way. He blurted out whatever came to mind.

“Ollie?”

I gave him a random name.
The child nodded, as if it were obvious.

“Okay. It’s okay. I forgive you.”

What?
Leona looked at him curiously, and Rem let out a breathy laugh.
Dunbakel simply wrinkled his nose and looked around.

“You’ve changed a bit.”

Dunbakel muttered. True to his words, the landscape of the city of Elder Bear had changed slightly.

‘Has the tent been extended?’

This was thanks to the abundance of resources brought about by trade. I remember seeing a lot of shabby tents, but now they’re gone.
This region benefited the most from trade with the continent. Naturally, they had to show this level of leeway.

Hard.

As I turned my gaze to the other side, the child in front of me snapped his fingers.

“Well, look. I’m definitely growing.”

The child turned again and thrust his head in. Encred placed a hand on the child’s head and turned his body away from him.

“Yeah, you’ve grown quite a bit.”
“Yes, you’re growing. You’ve definitely grown, so just wait.”

Just looking at the child’s pounce, it’s clear. Whether it was a giant attack or something else, the city of Elder Bear is prosperous. It feels more secure and relaxed than before.
On the streets, you can still see many women weaving ropes from tree bark, and there are plenty of children running around.

Meh.

The pastoral landscape itself remained, with the bleating of goats and the neighing of cows coming from one side. However, it was more leisurely and abundant than before.

“Ziba, let’s wait for the next opportunity.”

The child’s mother approached and said,
“What are you aiming for?” Encred tried to say something but stopped himself. It was obvious he’d just be talking too long.

“It’s amazing, but it really is a demon.”

Leona muttered. It was a whisper that could easily be misinterpreted.

“The city has changed a lot, with stone houses built in the center instead of just tents with holes in them. Rem.”

Between the tents, a neat, stone-built hall caught my eye. It was astonishing. A sight so astonishing it was impossible to simply pass by.
Encred thought, drawing Rem in. It was a mistake. Rem didn’t agree with Encred’s thoughts.

“So, after the old fairy and the witch who plucks out people’s eyes, that kid is the third?”

Rem, who had caught the dog for the first time in a long time, giggled and teased him.

“It’s still a child.”

Even at the narrowest of scales, the age difference was over twenty. The child’s mother was closer in age to Encred than the child.

“When it comes to love, age is just a number.”

As I approached the top, a female Rem spoke. “So, it’s Yalul.” Beside her were Geomnarae and Juol.

“There’s a reason he’s known as the Knight of the Devil.”
“He’s all grown up, even at that level.”

Geomna-rae and Jiol each chimed in. The West was definitely Rem’s hometown. They all disliked her lip-smacking ways.

“Attack them one by one.”

Encred spoke to everyone. Of course, no one dared attack him. He had been a formidable man before, but now he was a name known across the continent.
Demon Slayer, Balrog Slayer—two titles that defined him.

“I said you didn’t have to come, but you came not alone, but three of you.”

After saying this, Yalul completely shed his playfulness and bowed his head toward Encred.
It was a Western-style greeting, reserved only for respect and reverence.
It conveyed a message that he hadn’t forgotten the old days, when he’d bowed his forehead to the ground, treated him as a friend, and called him his savior.

“I hope I don’t get lost this time.”

He said so. It was with a sense of respect.
He might be comfortable with others, but he couldn’t be so kind to Encred. Yalul was polite.

“We must welcome the West first.”

As Rem spoke from beside him, Yalul laughed and swung a fist at him. He spun around, tightening and releasing his muscles in a single breath. The punch flew out with a thud, and if blocked incorrectly, it could easily break his jaw.

Thud!

It was clear that Yalul had also been training while he was training. Her outstretched fist was heavy.
Naturally, Rem caught it with his palm in front of her face.

“Did hugs change like this while I was away?”

When Rem started to act like usual, Yalul finally smiled and spoke.

“You weren’t playing around, sir. If I hadn’t even greeted you earlier, I would have cut you off.”

As expected, the rate didn’t change. It was enough of a play on words to call her a female Rem.

“what?”

When Rem asked again, Yalul continued with a smile.

“If his skills were stagnant, where would he have been arguing? That’s tantamount to flirting with women. So, you should cut him off, right?”
“Does that make sense? Absolutely not.”

Encred, who was listening from the side, blurted out the words as he remembered the first time he had met Yalul.

“If you need to testify, I will.”

He placed one hand on his hip, his gaze wary and his expression firm. Perhaps his expression was a symbol of trust.
I don’t know if the testimony itself was favorable or unfavorable to Rem.
When they’d met before, Yalul had been loud enough to tell me not to interfere, but not this time.

“If you say so, I have to admit it.”

I agree.

“Right. Right, right.”
“Yes, that’s right. If you haven’t already filled your stomach, I’ll prepare some food.”

Geomnarae and Juol nodded.
As expected of the Westerners, they were truly amusing. They enjoyed joking and spent their time enjoying the day.
Juol still dreamed of becoming the best chef in the West. Geomnarae seemed to be secretly observing Encred,
as if she wanted to see for herself how much his skills had improved.
Encred was more than willing to give Geomnarae a beating, so he subtly accepted every display of fighting spirit.

“You said you had a strange dream.”

Rem spoke to Yalul. Yalul looked at his companion with clear eyes and answered.

“Is that the reason you came all the way here?”
“Your dreams have always been strangely accurate.”

The ominous dream was particularly so. Rem had come all this way because of that concern.
Even if it wasn’t anything serious, she could have just looked around and gone.

“I cleared out a group of giant thieves on my way here.”
“I’ve done everything I had to do.”

Only then did Yalul fall into Rem’s arms. Their eyes met and a light kiss replaced their greetings. They were
a pair brimming with trust, believing they would do their part even if the continent were torn apart, despite their words.
Afterward, Rem went to see her child. The newborn had been writhing and swinging his fists, I think.
After a while, Rem evolved into a savage.

“Oh, really? The kid was swinging his fist. He looks like he’s going to be a big deal when he grows up.”

It was a boy, and by normal standards, he was a very strong baby, but as Rem had said, he didn’t swing his fists. He just waved his hands.

“Not to that extent.”

Yul was about to scold him.
Encred also saw the baby himself. It was a child raised by several women. It was said that one of the Western cultures was to raise children together.
Each of these elements was one of the reasons for the concentrated unity that exists in the West today.
They band together and fight back against any monsters or beasts that attack. Why did their ancestors settle in such a barren land?
I don’t know the details, but their presence here makes the West a place where people live.
Purely intuitively, I felt they were like a wall blocking the magic of silence.

‘solidarity.’

As he focused on that one element, the realization about the engraved weapon he had previously recalled mixed in Encred’s mind.

‘What if I take steps before imprinting myself on the weapon?’

To put it simply, it is as if the weapon and the person are not separate, but move as one.

“You must fight with the sword as if it were your hand.”

I also remember the days when I first picked up a sword.
Going back to the basics, the fundamentals, everything holds together, fits together, and blends. It was proof that I was on the right path.

“Phew.”

Encred took a deep breath. After spending some time with Rem’s child and contemplating various things,
the chieftain pulled out seven bottles of what he called a precious wine.

“It’s alcohol.”

Dunbakel looked at the bottle of liquor and smacked his lips. Next to him, Juol showed off his cooking skills.

“It’s a dish made with barley, water, minced meat, some vegetables, and a special fermented sauce.”

The dish was a blend of sour, spicy, and sweet, with a rich, oily flavor. It was a bit overpowering, but the flavor was excellent.

“I’m thinking of opening a store in the city along the top.”

Jool said. Everyone has aspirations. Call them dreams, goals, long-held desires—whatever you want.
The man before me dreamed of a different life, not a warrior. The trade route opened through the upper level was an opportunity to reveal what he truly desired.

“I’m rooting for you.”

Encred said, ”
I support anyone’s dream, as long as it’s not wrong.”
Juol smiled. The smile on his face lifted everyone’s spirits.

“Thank you, sir.”

Jool bowed his head politely.
It had been three days since he arrived in the city. Encred had been having nightmares the entire time.

“So, who should we kill? What’s your choice?”

The boatman still forced a choice on the bridge.

* * *

‘Another bad dream.’

Yalul, awake, turned her head to look at her child’s face. She was sound asleep. On the other side of the bed lay her husband, who was due to leave in a few days.
Turning her head, she saw Rem, her eyes closed, asking.

“Why?”
“Aren’t you asleep yet?”
“I’ll sleep.”
“Did you wake up because of me?”

Did he even mumble in his sleep? They say he mumbled in his sleep a few times.
That’s what a few of the women who occasionally come to babysit told me.

“Same dream?”

Rem asked, her eyes still closed.
Yalul wasn’t a prophet. But ever since she was young, ominous dreams had always been apt. For example,
after three dreams of falling and breaking her knee as a child, she actually fell and broke her leg while hunting.
It was a minor injury, considering she’d fallen from a speeding Velocir. The dream experience felt like a real fall, so her body reacted instinctively.
It was such a vivid memory that she still lingered in her mind.
Similar events occurred several times afterward. The dreams didn’t always come true; more often than not, they passed without incident.

‘This is ominous.’

The feeling was worse than ever. Whatever it was, this nightmare required interpretation.
In the dream, Yalul died. Burning to death, sitting still with his head down, struggling and spitting blood before dying.
The strange thing was that all these deaths happened in the same place at once.
He saw himself dying while hanging laundry, swinging an axe. When he
died while coiling a baby, his arms felt strangely thin, and when he fell while running, his legs felt strangely short.

‘An ominous and strange dream.’

That’s all the letter said. Rem reached out and cupped Yalul’s head.
He hated to speak of nightmares because they seemed like they would come true if he spoke of them, but if necessary, he had to. Yalul had already told him everything about his dream.
Rem pondered it from various angles, but he couldn’t figure out the meaning. He was only certain of one thing.

“Don’t worry. You won’t die before I do.”

Hearing those words, Yalul struck Rem’s jaw with his head. The skull hit him hard. Stars spun before his eyes.

“It hurts.”
“Why don’t you just let them all live instead of saying you’re going to die?”
“Oh, that’s exactly what I mean.
” “That’s funny. That’s a completely different thing, you crazy bastard.”
“What’s that habit you have with your husband?”
“Don’t forget that we were childhood friends before we were a couple, right?”

There’s nothing to say. Rem had never been able to defeat Yal with words since she was young. But using Encred-style provocation?

‘That’s only used when killing someone.’

Encred didn’t care about that kind of thing, and he used it occasionally, but that’s because he was crazy.
The fourth morning dawned, and Rem came to Encred and said.

“I need to go and check out the silence.”

The name of the demonic realm nestled in the west is Silence. The shaman said that if you don’t look inside, there’s no reaction, so it’s a place rarely visited.
Rem, waking up this morning, acted purely on an ominous intuition.
The chief had already sent several messengers to assure her that there was nothing wrong with the demonic realm, but it would be easier to see it with her own eyes. It would take over twenty days to get there by Velopter.

“okay.”

Nevertheless, Encrid and Dunbakel naturally followed along.

“I’ll give you directions.”

Jool claimed to be a guide, saying he had found a faster way.

“It’ll be gone in ten days.”

They say the road was slightly modified to make it easier for the Velopter to run.
The Westerners had learned something from the stone road the continent had created.
Exactly ten days later, when they reached Silence, the four of them saw a black cloud hanging over their heads.
It was a cloud created by the black soot of the Demonic Realm, Silence.

“You said the last time you checked was a month ago.”

Joo-ol muttered.
The silence, the magic realm, opened. Why? There was no need to ask right away.

“Chew.”

Demons had previously emerged from the Silence twice, both times dealing significant damage to the West.
Now, it wasn’t the demons, but the demon realm itself that was expanding its territory.

“I have to go in.”

“Rem said,” he said. “There was no need to ask where we were going.”