[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses":3,"chapter-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-437":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","A Knight Who Eternally Regresses",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},428071,689,"Chapter 435","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-437",437,"\u003Cp>Enkrid had experienced halts in his life so many times, anxiety was no longer part of him. He simply acted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ran, leapt, and climbed the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne never left any tool unused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That included people—she used whatever and whoever she could. He was just one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just yesterday, Enkrid had fought Dunbakel, Teresa, and Rophod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought they’d refuse to fight him three-on-one out of pride, but all three accepted without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne taught them a formation to fight together without tripping over each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone was enough to prevent Enkrid from easily gaining the upper hand. Their coordination was viciously efficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dunbakel circled the battlefield, exploiting her speed and nimbleness to strike only when she saw an opening, while Teresa pressed forward relentlessly with her shield from the front.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her blinding techniques had grown more refined, and her overall proficiency had improved, making her even more formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And beside them, Rophod swung his sword with stubborn strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the style of a heavy blade. He fought with calculated intent, weaving strategy into every swing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At times, Rophod would swing not at Enkrid but into empty space. But when there was no other place to dodge, Enkrid would be forced to deflect that blade anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That created a gap—and into that gap, Dunbakel’s curved blade would fly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid found himself catching glimpses of Rophod’s talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calculating moves in the middle of a three-on-one fight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That kind of instinct would shine brightest when commanding a small force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And indeed, Rophod was awakening to that very talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was beginning to read the flow of battle from above, as though watching from high ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A skill not only useful for small unit tactics, but potentially applicable in solo combat too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was textbook orthodox swordsmanship. Lua Gharne spoke of feints and pressure, but Rophod drove his opponent back by faithfully swinging his blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exceptional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid recognized Rophod’s talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Lua Gharne had noticed it long before him, awakening it with just a few words of advice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One might expect to feel the bitter gap between talents laid so bare—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Enkrid didn’t even flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was too busy gasping through daily training to worry about such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Dunbakel had improved dramatically, though no one could say how.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She fought with two curved blades, her claws, and her whole body—killing techniques using every limb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was combat born of instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her strikes were not mindless—they were calculated even in chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Messy, yet near impossible to guard against.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, yesterday he’d barely held his own against the three of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And today, the challenge took a different turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you ever fought a mage before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Enkrid could even answer Lua Gharne’s question, a woman stepped out from behind Frokk—long black hair and nothing but a thin robe draped over her shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was Esther.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it necessary to improve swordsmanship?” she asked in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid paused, then said, “Maybe so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, he ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) had no idea. But he figured he’d gain something out of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing everything in the world, making a teacher out of whatever lay before him—this was Enkrid’s greatest strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Esther didn’t say no.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She blinked her large eyes a few times, brushed her hair with one hand, and raised the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s do it. Drumuller’s Scythe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she extended her thumb, index, and middle fingers in a seemingly meaningless gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the exact same moment, Enkrid drew Acker and swung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blade of compressed air flying toward him shattered the moment it met Enkrid’s strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt a subtle shock run through his arms. Like blocking a warrior’s full-powered slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should’ve been alarming, but Enkrid didn’t waver. The moment he blocked it, he reversed and pushed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His feet kicked off the ground, his body trailing afterimages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you weren’t a knight, even tracking him with your eyes would be hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Beware the serpent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Esther’s voice pierced his ears during that momentary gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—her voice echoed in his whole head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t ignore it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was strange. He was charging with laser focus, and yet her voice rang out vividly beside his ear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with it came an illusion: Acker in his hand transformed into a snake, coiling up his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vision vanished in a blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the result of his instinctive will to reject it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid’s sword was stopped—right above Esther’s outstretched palm. A mage’s barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How to break it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d already experienced this once—when he cut down the Count.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raise the sword straight up, then bring it down with a heavy blade-style vertical slash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Put intent into the cut. Ragna’s strikes were like thunderbolts—Enkrid’s wouldn’t reach that level, but they would echo it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’ll be blocked,” Esther warned, her hands shifting without rest, weaving new shapes in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As her fingers traced several sigils, barriers overlapped above her head, binding Enkrid’s blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Roita’s Clinging Web.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any passing mage who saw it would have screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Esther had completed the spell first and chanted the incantation afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A technique few mages dared attempt—delayed invocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, Enkrid was utterly outmatched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The saying, “A prepared mage is more dangerous than a knight,” existed for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Esther had just proved it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Count’s spells were massive and overwhelming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because Enkrid had once cut through ten thousand wraiths, he had assumed he held the advantage against magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be fair, Enkrid didn’t know just how remarkable a mage Esther really was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in one-on-one combat—Esther was already at a level few could hope to reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That Galaph fellow, the water mage from Azpen, would’ve run the moment he saw her if Esther had been in top form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, Esther felt genuinely threatened by Enkrid three separate times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For her, that was saying something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Enkrid never realized it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Another round?” he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just did what he always did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As many as you like,” Esther replied with an easy nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted it, so she gave it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t hold back. That day, Enkrid broke his left arm and had to cut his hair short after it was singed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That suits you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne, with her impeccable eye for aesthetics, approved of Enkrid’s short hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through all of this, Enkrid didn’t experience any dramatic leap forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just changing his perspective yielded no small gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When fighting a mage, even speaking gives them the first strike,” Esther advised him afterward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid absorbed every word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of all the things he did well, learning from someone and truly digesting it was among the best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Esther smiled. Enkrid saw it and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really shouldn’t smile at people like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, she was just as stingy with smiles as Shinar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not?” Esther asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you looked in a mirror, you’d understand. With how much shows through that thin robe, I’m surprised you don’t tear out men’s eyes on sight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know. That’s why it’s a weapon. The moment someone loses themselves in my face, they forget I’m a mage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where does strategy begin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid had a new insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If beauty could distract an enemy’s focus, wasn’t that a valid weapon too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It matched the logic behind Valen-style mercenary swordsmanship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impressive,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My face is always impressive,” Esther replied, smile gone, taking his words at face value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been talking about the strategy, not her face—but Enkrid didn’t correct her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To an outside observer, their conversation might have seemed cold and clinical. But to the two of them, it was the warmest exchange they’d shared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Esther acknowledged it, too: she had become part of this group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about that soldier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the sparring match, Enkrid asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d seen Esther call over a soldier now and then, instructing him on something, and finally decided to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He has talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was all Esther said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid didn’t press further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that Esther intended to raise a disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her first reason was to refine her own understanding through teaching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second was more practical: it was clear that if left alone, the soldier would end up dabbling in magic and eventually blow himself up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Might as well steer him toward something useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a reasonable thought—one born from watching Enkrid and his behavior over time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Must a mage be narrow-minded?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not anymore, Esther admitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had lived a life of seclusion, research, and inner struggle—but she had learned a great deal simply by observing others and keeping people nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, it had helped her more than she ever expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right, don’t kill him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors had gone around that Esther used soldiers as sacrificial offerings, so Enkrid added the remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he dies from bad luck during training, so be it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said it plainly, because she knew just how perilous the path of magic could be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid could tell there was no malice in her words, and he nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had no intention of sacrificing him, that much was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, a few soldiers who’d seen the strange symbols marked on the friend Esther dragged off had let their imaginations run wild in fear—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But any mind that fragile would shatter just as easily on the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid wanted to forge strong soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So they would have to overcome petty rumors like these.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, sparring with a mage became part of Enkrid’s routine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What would you do if your opponent used feints and pressure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne began sharing her experience through every stage of the process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had spent over a hundred years chasing battle, probing its unknowns, and studying its depths—this was the insight of Frokk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feints and pressure aren’t everything, but if you can pull them off, no illusionary blade style beats them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They break too easily against a straightforward strike.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then account for the opponent’s brute strength. Brother, it’s even better if you can deflect and twist it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Feints and pressure can work visually as well. If the opponent’s sensitive enough, pure intent is enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ragna’s thoughts eventually crept into Lua Gharne’s lessons. Audin chimed in too, and even Jaxon, despite being busy, left a scribbled note.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rem, surprisingly, kept quiet most of the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid absorbed experience from Lua Gharne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And from the others, he learned how to overcome that experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, he put it into practice—again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It would’ve bored me before, but now it’s tolerable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Ragna offered what passed for praise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gone was the Enkrid who couldn’t reproduce a technique even after being shown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body, trained through isolation techniques, had grown sturdier than ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just from the way he stood—legs spread, spine straight, evenly distributing weight—you could see how far his balance had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, Enkrid had become a quasi-knight capable of withstanding the thunderous sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne hadn’t planned everything, but the time, experience, and training she’d given had been a great help to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skill hadn’t skyrocketed overnight, but his perspective had expanded. His thinking had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, this had an effect on others as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rophod in particular had broken through a barrier under Lua Gharne’s guidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rophod had always been born with a talent for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might not see a move ahead, but he could push his opponent into traps with his swordplay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was an old saying passed down across the continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is it best to predict a move ahead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or is it best to make even that move fall within your plan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the two philosophies behind orthodox swordsmanship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Rophod was clearly aligned with the latter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not bad.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enkrid said this after one of their matches, and Rophod nodded with a satisfied look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been acknowledged by the one he most wanted recognition from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could he not be pleased?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Rophod displayed not joy or thrill, but calm satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frokk enjoyed observing people, especially those with charm. To like someone meant you could read their expressions well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne saw it—deep, genuine satisfaction on Rophod’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in that moment, she understood the single greatest difference between Enkrid and everyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never felt satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One more time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said that more than anything else during training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might enjoy a moment, might even feel exhilaration—but never contentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would he stop if he became a knight?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne knew the world of knights. Even within that world, there were levels. Ragna alone was proof of that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among knights, he’s still at the starting line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure, he was better than those who’d lost their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But outstanding talent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the level of a knight, talent was no longer the deciding factor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time you were at the top of that world, comparing talents was almost laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was so skilled the word “genius” didn’t even apply anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that point on, what mattered was effort, direction, enlightenment, and an iron will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world of knights was vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne understood that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just look at the knights of Naurillia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What about that knight from the western kingdom?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Mercenary King, Anu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of them were walking disasters. Ragna had risen to a similar level, and even the fairy looked close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they still had gaps to close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Becoming a knight wasn’t the end. It was the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most quasi-knights who failed to cross that wall never understood this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least, that’s what the seeker Lua Gharne believed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A knight’s power, if treated as the destination, became a mirage you’d never reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that regard, Enkrid didn’t worry her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man, consumed by greed and ambition, showed no signs of stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a waste of talent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought came naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if that man had exceptional talent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even just a bit more than ordinary—just a sliver above average?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t have to be a genius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just that much?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or if he simply had more time than others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if a day for one person was a week for him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foolish fantasies. Wishing for what could never be was a waste of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was even dumber to think that way after seeing Enkrid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man who swung his sword one more time instead of wasting time thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lua Gharne believed this man would become a knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even a hope. It was a certainty—one that needed no justification.\u003C\u002Fp>",2412,"2026-05-30T08:27:55.568Z","2026-06-01T04:30:45.896Z",1,"novelbin.me","64100e1b2d08751088bb4560ee3913653164a958cbf71f42c66cc25430eade55","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-476","a-knight-who-eternally-regresses-chapter-475",882,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-knight-who-eternally-regresses-cover.jpg"]