A Knight Who Eternally Regresses

“Thanks for taking me in,” Dunbakel said, her tone calm.

Enkrid tilted his head, puzzled.

“Suddenly? Why now?” he thought.

Her earlier statement—saving others because she could—had already struck him as odd. This was Dunbakel, a beastwoman who had once worked as a mercenary for one of the most notorious bandit groups in the kingdom.

Someone like that had risked her neck to save soldiers?

Was he displeased by it?

Far from it—he was genuinely impressed.

Enkrid had never expected those around him to embody the idealized knights from fairy tales, but he had little tolerance for those who turned a blind eye to injustice or abandoned the weak when they could have acted.

Why do people ignore those in need?

Was it because their hearts were empty? Because they’d grown accustomed to discarding others for their own gain? Or was it simply because it was the practical choice?

That cold pragmatism lacked honor, conviction, camaraderie, and the fire that drives one to act.

“What kind of life is that? What can you achieve by living like that?”

Enkrid was a man driven by dreams. He hated ignoring the weak and unjust. A flame deep within him made it impossible to simply walk away.

That same burning sense of justice had allowed him to forgive Rem’s violent ways—even when Rem had beaten a nobleman’s son senseless or struck his superior officer across the head.@@novelbin@@

“Good job,” Enkrid said, his voice carrying quiet sincerity.

The words were simple but carried weight.