The Dying Ember Strike is an extension of the Breaking Wave.

Its foundation is cutting the pulse.

Enkrid dedicated himself to contemplating swordsmanship for the entire time he was walking.

This too was helpful.

Understanding with the head before moving with the body.

Because he understood this principle, Enkrid adhered to a similar form when teaching swordsmanship to others.

'Understanding comes first.'

This is good for those who have reached a certain level.

What about those who are not at that level?

'Just run.'

Stamina is the foundation of all things.

In terms of castle wall construction, it is the work of tamping down the ground before laying the foundation stone.

Therefore, to train one's stamina is to train oneself, and that training is helpful no matter what one does.

Enkrid believed in this basic training method as much as his own convictions.

His thought was that anyone preparing for something is, first and foremost, running.

When he entered Cross Guard, Enkrid saw a man running, drenched in sweat.

The moment he saw him, his mouth opened naturally.

"You were here?"

Some people cannot be forgotten, no matter how hard you try. Come to think of it, the impression this man had given him was not that strong, but he remained clearly in his memory.

'The first time we met, he was a brat who charged like a reckless fool next to his father.'

In western terms, should it be called a 'harup-gangaji'? The meaning is a newborn pup, a puppy less than a year old. If you looked at the deeper meaning, the same word was used for a person who had just begun to live properly.

'It has a dual meaning, that a person who has just begun to live properly is like one who is newly born.'

Those were Rem's words.

The words of the west often had dual meanings.

The word 'eoduk-achim' (dark-morning) meant both that the darkness had covered the sun, and also dawn, the darkest time before the sun rises. It was also sometimes called 'eoduk-haneul' (dark-sky). If it was a dark-morning, it was dawn, and if it became a dark-sky, it placed more weight on the darkness.

Whatever the meaning, if the speaker used it with a positive intent, even a dark-sky could become the dawn before the sun rises.

He didn't know why that complicated western expression came to mind now.

It was a thought that had suddenly entered while he was thinking about swordsmanship.

The running man stopped.

He turns his gaze at Enkrid's words.

A few passersby recognized Enkrid's face.

The man who had stopped paid no mind to the surrounding gazes.

"It just happened," he said.

His gaze was truly alive. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

This man's name was Edin Molsan.

The son of Count Molsan, the master of the civil war that had given Enkrid the moniker 'Hero of the Nation,' the one who had harbored a demon of the demon realm.

Sweat, drenching his blond hair, dripped to the ground.

The sweat fell and seeped into the neatly laid stone floor.

On the surface, his physique was much leaner than before.

Had he put down the sword?

A knight's insight.

The balance of his physique was better than before, there was no excess fat, and his posture was stable, but…

'He has put down the sword.'

To be precise, he still held a sword for physical training and self-defense, but he had stopped proper training.

He was likely just practicing at a basic proficiency level.

Though the muscles revealed between his short sleeves looked tough and hard…

'He has trained his body, not his swordsmanship.'

He must have run every day, rain or shine, wherever he was.

He also had a new scar on his face, one that hadn't been there before.

A mark that ran from his left cheek to his chin.

'Not from a sword.'

It was a shape that had been torn by getting caught on something.

Had he lost his footing in the mountains?

He had only looked at his physique, posture, and gaze, but he had gotten a glimpse of Edin's past.

He must not have lived a life of ease, patting his belly.

Enkrid recalled the last time he had seen Edin.

He had left with his younger sister, for the reason that he was seeking a peaceful life.

Though the observation and thoughts seemed long, it had all happened in an instant.

A knight's speed of thought could not be compared to an ordinary person's.

"Your expression has brightened," Enkrid said.

Edin Molsan looked at him for a moment, then opened his mouth.

"It is thanks to you, sir."

And he bows his head.

That posture was that of a nobleman.

The him of now was a different person from when he had been under his father.

That's how it looked in Enkrid's eyes.

The Dragonkin, the Frog, and the elf each expressed their interest in their own way, regardless of who Enkrid was talking to.

That is to say, the elf had no interest because he was a man; the Dragonkin observed with an impassive eye and muttered, "Surprised, but quickly calmed"; and the Frog, not being curious, just repeated his name, "Edin Molsan?"

Luagarne searched her memory.

In the past, when she had guarded the queen, the most troublesome being had been Count Molsan.

The man before her was his son.

The Frog did not judge people by their blood relations, so she had no particular prejudice.

She just…

'He's better than I thought,' was all she thought.

Though he had a scar on his face, he was quite good-looking.

Perhaps because he had lost excess fat and filled it with lean muscle, his jawline was sharp, and he was leaner overall than before.

That made his appearance shine.

Even if not a beautiful young man, he was quite handsome.

If Krais saw him, he would at least contemplate whether to bring him into the salon.

A person's appearance does not change easily, but as his disposition changed, his atmosphere had changed.

That man must have gone through all sorts of things and arrived at the present.

Curiosity stimulated her, but it was not to a great extent, so she did not speak.

The last member of the party, Weird Eyes, was just leisurely strolling through the city.

It didn't cry out, but just looked at the city and the people with its different colored eyes, learning the way.

No one knew in detail, but wherever Weird Eyes went, it memorized and learned the terrain and geography.

It was a habit it had had since its days as a wild horse.

Many were surprised to see this strange group.

Among them, the one who was most surprised was the lord of Cross Guard.

"Uh, h-h-huh, wha—no, why, here, wel, welcome!"

The lord rushed out without even tying the laces of his boots.

The four soldiers who had followed as his escort also had their eyes wide with surprise.

No, why is the commander of the Madmen Knight Order here?

"An inspection," Enkrid replied dryly, taking his eyes off Edin.

"It would have been a date if it were just the two of us," the elf said once again, not tiring of doing so.

It seemed she intended to say that no matter who she met or what she talked about.

"Struck speechless with surprise. Tense, secret, dizzy."

The Dragonkin said, looking at the lord's state.

He was observing the changes in those who reacted to meeting Enkrid.

'Why do those who stand beside this man change?'

It was a very special case for such a question to arise for a Dragonkin.

Naturally, no one knew the Dragonkin's inner thoughts, so no one was surprised.

In any case, he read the lord's inner thoughts and said so.

"Huh? Yes?"

The man with the vertically slit eyes suddenly started uttering strange words.

It was difficult for the lord not to be flustered.

"Discomfort, tension," the Dragonkin said again.

"Stop," the Frog stopped him.

The lord of Cross Guard is a diligent person, but he is not a person of great ability.

Rather, he is a person with many worries.

It was a placement that had been influenced by Abnaier.

This lord, as much as he had worries, also had a lot of affection and knew how to care for people.

In Abnaier's observation, he was exactly the kind of person Enkrid would like.

And even without gaining the favor of the Madmen Knight Order, he was a man who would not do anything strange in Cross Guard.

Abnaier had placed him in this position with a few such calculations.

"Yes? Um, well. Why have you come?" the lord repeated the same question.

"An inspection that could not become a date, human," Shinar answered instead.

In the meantime, Edin had slipped away and had started running again.

Enkrid glanced at the running Edin.

His clothes were soaked.

It was the mark of one who had run diligently, and there were many around who saw him and acknowledged him.

He hasn't been staying here for just a day or two.

"Has Edin been staying here?" Enkrid asked, looking at the departing Edin.

The lord's complexion turned even paler.

He took a few breaths and answered.

"I know. That he is the son of Count Molsen. I also know that it could become a problem."

And yet, why had he kept such a person?

There is always a reason when a person acts.

Especially for someone like a lord, no matter how good a person he is, he knows how to play politics.

And right now, what Aspen was most concerned about was the Border Guard.

The full strength of a Knight Order was staying in a city that shared a border with them.

If the king or the commander went mad and a war started tomorrow, Aspen would at best be reduced to a vassal state.

The lord of Cross Guard knew that much.

If he were a person whose head didn't work to that extent, Abnaier wouldn't have put him in this position.

"I have received a lot of help. In return, all that man wanted was a small house and a space to stay with his younger sister."

Was what Edin wanted still peace?

Was it all about living in a space separate from the deeds of his rebellious father, away from his father's embrace?

"Is that so?" Enkrid shrugged.

This gesture meant, 'I understand, I'll let it pass.'

The lord also had that much sense.

It meant he would let it pass for now.

He didn't know what would happen later.

"I will show you inside."

Cross Guard was not a wealthy city, even with a generous view.

It was closer to a fortress city that was wary of the Border Guard.

'For such a place.'

Though not as much as the Border Guard, it was a solid and stable city.

It wasn't before, but it is now.

Enkrid saw that a Temple of abundance had been built where a slum had once been.

'Not bad.'

If it was the lord's decision, he would have to be called a man of considerable resourcefulness.

The slums had been a chronic problem for Cross Guard.

Enkrid didn't know, but several small criminal guilds had also taken root among the slums, causing a headache.

The reason a Temple of abundance was built here?

There was no need to think long.

'The Temple of abundance needs to clean up its own mess.'

In the past, an apostle of abundance had been involved in the affair of a new religion, to be precise, one that falsely claimed to be the Gray God.

After that, their say in the Holy City must have been reduced.

In other words, Abundance had lost its power.

Where does the power of a temple come from?

Naturally, from its followers.

Their faith is the underlying strength of the temple.

The Temple of abundance was faithful to the words written in its scriptures, that it gathers people from the bottom and takes care of the needy.

'No, it had to be faithful now.'

It was just that time.

Whether it was the poor or whatever, they would have to survive even if it meant releasing all the wealth they had accumulated in their warehouses.

'Was it Noah's suggestion?'

It might have been.

In any case, this temple had embraced and taken care of the children and the powerless among the poor.

And by doing so, they had cleanly removed the ground for the poor to stand on.

No matter how significant the blow had been, they must have had enough military power and resources to send to one city.

"A few guys called the Rusted Chains or something were a problem, but they have been dealt with now. The request was handled by the Border Guard."

The lord even mentioned a part that had not been asked for.

It meant that he had also shrewdly utilized the soldier-mercenary system of the neighboring city of the Border Guard.

Enkrid's head works well enough for Krais to acknowledge it.

Just by listening to the lord's words, he painted a picture of the process of the city's transformation.

'He borrows strength from wherever is necessary.'

He pushes out the slums by borrowing the power of Legion, and he reaches out to the Border Guard to deal with the city's problems.

'The hand of the trade cities has also reached here.'

He could see a few of the banks and shops they were proud of.

The city's main roads were cleanly paved, and the carriages of the Rockfreed Merchant Guild passed leisurely over them.

"That road was a gift from the lord of the Rockfreed Merchant Guild."

Leona is an outstanding merchant.

She does not pave a road at a loss.

What did she want from this city?

'So she has opened trade with Aspen.'

The reason Rockfreed had expanded was not simply because it was a connection point to the Stone Road from the west.

'She has extended her hand to all places, starting from the trade cities.'

Is trade with Aspen a big profit?

'She must have looked beyond that.'

Aspen has ties with the Empire.

She intends to open a trade route that way.

Leona's inner thoughts were read.

However, the person who had made all this fit together perfectly?

Who was it that had made the city this solid?

Was the lord before him the protagonist of this work?

'I don't think so.'

Enkrid, sitting in the reception room, scratched his chin.

The escorting soldiers had been reduced to two.

A man with narrow eyes and a man whose right forearm was particularly thick.

The difference in the size of the forearms was a sign of having swung a weapon and trained for a long time.

'Both are former mercenaries.'

Enkrid had also spent a considerable amount of time in the mercenary world.

He observed the two who had entered as the lord's escort and saw them as trustworthy people, regardless of their skill.

A considerable eye for talent would be needed to hire such mercenaries.

This too was a sign of resourcefulness.

The reason the lord was saying things he didn't need to was because he knew the wrong he had committed.

He had taken in the son of a man who had started a rebellion in Naurillia.

In a way, it was something for which he would have had no excuse even if his head were to be cut off.

And as fate would have it, the commander of the Madmen Knight Order had come and run into him.

His luck was just too bad.

That was the identity of his tension and anxiety.

"Did you receive help from Edin?" Enkrid asked.

The lord swallowed hard.

From here on, one wrong word would lead straight to ruin.