The ferryman continued speaking.
"You have to kill her with your own hands for it to end."
This meant that this cycle would only end if Asia was killed.
"Do I really have to?"
Encrid asked without thinking.
"I gave you a clue from the beginning."
At the ferryman's words, Encrid closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
'What happened to Asia beyond the corridor?'
She must have died. Probably.
It was just a guess, but it felt almost like a certainty.
So, was Asia's death the trigger that caused 'today' to repeat?
Encrid recalled the death of Asia that he had seen on the first of these repeating days.
"That's correct."
The ferryman replied as if reading his thoughts.
Encrid instinctively felt that there wasn't a single lie in what the ferryman had just said.
From the beginning, the ferryman had never deceived him with lies.
Everything he said had been true. It's just that Encrid hadn't taken it literally.
"Kill her. Then you will surpass the wall."
With those words, his vision began to blur.
Through the hazy view, the ferryman's voice echoed once more.
"Enjoy this as well."
There was a sense of anticipation in the words.
Encrid opened his eyes. It was a new day.
'Do I have to kill her?'
The ferryman had said that was the wall and that surpassing it required killing her.
It was the early dawn, just before sunrise. Encrid moved as he usually did. He went outside and began practicing the Isolation Technique, falling into thought as he moved.
Physical movement often helps the mind think more clearly.
'Do I have to kill her?'
The same question lingered in his heart.
Encrid couldn't focus. He knew it, but there was nothing he could do about it.
'Why?'
He questioned himself. The answer seemed within reach, yet eluded him. The time spent agonizing grew longer.
At some point, Andrew came over and said something, but Encrid responded vaguely, continuing his monotonous movements.
He began today clouded by distracting thoughts.
"You scoundrel!"
He met the sheriff and, as if repeating countless previous days, relived everything he had done before.
'If I kill her, I'll surpass it.'
The answer was clear. If he could surpass it, that was enough. How many people had already died by his hands?
In the era of war, murder could not even be called a crime.
Asia stood in his way.
She was a Knight, a Junior-Knight at that. She knew that facing someone might mean death. She must have accepted that possibility.
So, she could be killed.
"Kill her. Then you will surpass it."
A hallucination. The ferryman's voice echoed in his ears.
But when he faced Asia, things didn't go as before. There were too many distracting thoughts. He couldn't overwhelm her with skill alone.
"You've lost your edge. If you don't want to fight, go back."
As a Junior-Knight, she could use a shard of Will. That was tied to one's strength of resolve. A mind full of turmoil leads to a sword that's equally erratic.
Asia had hit the nail on the head.
"That's not happening."
He responded to her remark and drew his sword again. He fought using technique, swinging reflexively. Another day passed like that.
He couldn't kill Asia, but Asia couldn't kill Encrid either.
It felt like a meaningless day.
A day wasted, filled with the guilt of letting time slip away.
But just once, he allowed himself to drift in the familiarity of it all, instead of struggling or resisting.
And then, it felt like someone hit him in the back of the head.
No, someone actually did hit him.
Smack!
"...I think I need an explanation for what just happened."
Encrid asked, still in the same position as when he was struck on the back of the head, his neck bent forward awkwardly.
"From what I can see, it's because there was a curse embedded in your mind. A curse like that can only be cured by my hand, which is both medicine and divine."
Rem said as he raised his palm to the sky. Sunlight gleamed on his hand.
"Bless the divinity contained in this hand of mine."
It was the sight of a crazy man doing something crazy.
"...Why is he even alive?"
Jaxon, unusually, muttered under his breath.
"If you want to die, come at me."
Ragna casually let it be known that he was more than willing to kill Rem.
"Shut up, you clueless fools."
Rem shot back. Watching this, a thought crossed Encrid's mind.
Maybe he should just kill this bastard. It might have been easier on his conscience if he was told to kill Rem instead of Asia.
Of course, he's not the kind of guy who would die just because you wanted him to.
Even if someone told Encrid to kill Rem... he probably wouldn't actually do it.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck in his mind. The shock felt like it tore through his skull and scrambled his brain.
"A curse?"
That was the only thing he managed to say.
"Don't think unnecessary thoughts."
Rem tapped his own head with his finger as he spoke.
"Why make things complicated?"
"Ah."
A sigh escaped Encrid's lips.
Why did he feel the guilt of wasting a day?
Why hadn't he been able to make the most of 'today'?
It felt as though his arms and legs were bound in chains.
Those chains had originated from the ferryman's words.
"Kill her, and you will surpass it."
The reason he hadn't been able to move forward was simple: he didn't like that idea.
His heart hadn't been in it.
He knew he needed to kill her, but he didn't want to. He didn't feel like doing it, so his heart hadn't moved.
This wall wouldn't be overcome by killing Asia. He decided that for himself.
With that decision, Encrid opened his mouth, filled with genuine resolve.
"No."
Just two simple words.
They cut to the point.
But they were filled with sincerity.
Words have power when they come from someone who has lived through their meaning.
The days Encrid had experienced, 'today', everything, added weight to his words.
That gave them resonance.
And resonate they did. The words spoken from a unified heart rippled beyond his own chest and into the hearts of those around him.
Rem scratched his head with the same fingers he had been tapping earlier and said,
"Well, then, carry on."
When someone so adamantly says no, how could you stop them?
There's no such thing as a perfect person. Even a leader like Encrid would have moments like this where they wrestle with difficult decisions.
"Yeah. No."
Encrid spoke again, this time smiling.
"Okay, I get it."
"No."
He smiled widely, making eye contact as he said it.
"Oh, for God's sake. I said I get it!"
"No."
"Alright, alright, I was wrong. Just hit me already."
Rem offered the back of his head. Encrid looked at it and said,
"No."
"Shit!"
Then he laughed.
It wasn't directed at him. It didn't matter.
Whether 'today' repeated or not, what did Rem's misunderstanding even matter?
He'd forget about it soon enough.
Once again, 'today' repeated. Encrid endured it, just like before. There was another chance to kill Asia, but he let it pass.
The ferryman appeared again in his dream and spoke.
"I guess that was meant for me."
Nod.
Encrid nodded.
"Then you'll remain trapped in 'today'. Do you really think that's better? You're willing to abandon your dreams just to save someone because of a mere connection?"
The ferryman's words were like a sharp blade. It was a strike aimed at his heart.
But Encrid's heart was protected by the heart armor of the Frog, blocking the ferryman's blade.
"I'll perfectly subdue her and move on."
"What?"
Encrid's dream was to be a Knight.
But not just any Knight—the chivalric ideal of the old era.
What he knew about Knighthood came from poems and songs.
That was his standard. His belief. His oath to protect the weak and his comrades.
Didn't he say as much to the Marquis?
"I've come to reduce monsters and slay beasts. I've come to protect those who know how to value people. I've come to punish those who oppress others with force. I want to protect the dreams of the weak and those who still hold on to hope."
Asia had her own circumstances. He could vaguely sense that through the countless repetitions of 'today'.
"I'll subdue her without killing her."
"You think that's possible?"
Why wouldn't it be?
Encrid answered with his eyes, and the ferryman said no more.
He closed his eyes and opened them again. It was the same day, but there was a change in his mindset. It would be more accurate to say he now had a clear goal.
He wasn't going to kill Asia. He was going to subdue her. That's what he decided.
He didn't want to kill her.
Crazy bastard.
The ferryman's voice echoed in his head again, but this time, he ignored it.
So, another day began, starting with the sheriff and ending with Asia.
Another 240 days passed like that.
* * *
"What?"
Asia reacted to something Encrid had just said.
"I'm asking why. Why do you keep standing in my way?"
It was something he'd sensed from the beginning. Did Asia even want to be here?
'Half and half.'
If she had truly turned to the enemy, she could just let him fall and watch him die. But she didn't. She continued to stand in his way. She claimed he didn't need to die, but she was risking her life for it.
She had even mentioned her younger sibling before she nearly died. He remembered that.
And above all, there was something he sensed when they crossed swords.
Through the repeated days, he had seen, heard, and judged things.
Encrid's mind worked through everything. It was a silent process of untangling and organizing his thoughts.
Just as Krais often said, Encrid had a natural instinct and sense for these things.
"Is your sibling being held hostage?"
Asia's hand flinched. She was a Junior-Knight, and after facing her many times, he knew. She wasn't someone who would be shaken by a few words or taunts.
Yet her reaction was unmistakable. It seemed her sibling meant a lot to her.
As soon as the words left his mouth, a murderous aura seeped out of Asia. It was far more intense than anything she'd shown before. Her presence alone created an oppressive force.
Naturally, Encrid's Will of Refusal inside him responded, pushing back the pressure.
He squared his shoulders, meeting her gaze head-on.
Asia's aura weakened slightly.
No, her aura was the same, but the murderous intent within it faded. It was replaced by the fighting spirit of someone who wanted to battle, not kill.
"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't be involved with people like that. How did you know?"
"Just intuition."
"...You've got a sharp mind, I'll give you that."
Asia remembered mentioning her sibling while staying at Andrew's estate.
It must have been from that conversation that Encrid made his deduction.
Of course, repeating 'today' had given him an advantage, but Asia couldn't have known that.
"That's part of it."
Asia continued speaking. Encrid didn't think she was here just because of one hostage.
She must have had other options.
But why was she standing in his way like this?
"What about the other half?"
Asia hesitated for a moment, then let out a breath and finally spoke.
"If you don't want to die, turn back. That's all I have to say."
Her voice was forced, rigid, as if she was trying to suppress the liveliness behind her words.
"Why? Because if I leave, you'll just die?"
It was another guess, but again, he was right.
"Did you learn mind-reading or something? That would be troublesome."
"No, nothing like that."
He only knew because he had relived this day over and over. There was someone behind Asia, someone who would finish things.
As for their strength? Probably around Rem or Ragna's level. If they weren't, no matter how tired she was, Asia wouldn't be caught so easily. That was likely the reason she kept dying.
Encrid's first task was to reach that person.
He adjusted his grip on his sword, and seeing this, Asia's eyes steadied. She spoke again.
"Just turn back. I'm half asking as a favor."
Another 'half'.
Encrid thought about it and stared directly into her eyes, asking,
"The other half?"
"A threat."
Encrid nodded.
"I respect your judgment, Junior Knight Asia."
He meant it. As always, his words carried genuine sincerity.
Because he respected her decision so deeply, truly respected it.
Encrid decided to surpass it.
"Even if I let you go, you'll still die."
Asia repeated herself, sensing the change in his resolve, but Encrid didn't listen.
Instead, he steadied his breathing and adjusted his sword belt. He shifted his stance, and mentally cataloged everything in his surroundings.
He'd repeated this day over 300 times. He remembered most things just by glancing at them.
The hanging decorative swords, the windows, the vases—everything.
"You can't stop me."
Encrid declared, ready in his stance.
Even if not 'today', in some other day, he would surpass her. That was why he said she couldn't stop him.
In Asia's memory, Encrid had never even been able to surpass her sword's tip.
"Prove it."
A smile unknowingly spread across her face. That confidence, that unyielding stance—it was something to admire.
Becoming a Junior-Knight in the Order meant living with that kind of fierce determination.
Above all, this man, Encrid, had a passion that stirred everyone around him.
Naturally, that had an effect on Asia as well.
She genuinely wanted this man not to die here, and that was why she wouldn't let him pass. Nor would she kill him.
She extended her sword forward, aiming it at him.
It was the Targeting the Sword's Tip stance.
If he couldn't get past this, the fight wouldn't even begin. Unintentionally, she felt a sense of anticipation.
Maybe, just maybe, he would surpass her skill.
'Am I thinking that he might?'
Was it because his presence radiated such overwhelming confidence?
He'd shown this steady determination throughout their sparring, so why was it catching her off guard now?
She didn't know.
It was just a feeling. An instinct, the sense of a Junior-Knight.
More focused than ever, she gathered her Will.
She even abandoned the pressure she usually exerted and focused everything on the Targeting the Sword's Tip stance.