How to Live as a Wandering Knight
Chapter 165: ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ (6)โYour Excellency, this makes the situation a bit difficult. . .โ
Giada said worriedly.
Although the Vynashchtym and the Republic were inseparable, they always joined forces when facing the pagan empire to the east. The easterners were enemies of both.
I thought they were too preoccupied fighting the Vynashchtym far away to the north, but from what Iโm hearing now, it seems they were aiming for the west coast of Ulkana along the seaways.
This would mean weโd have to worry about those pagan b*stards first, rather than taking any military action against the Vynashchtym.
โHasnโt the southern island been safely holding out?โ Thereโs probably no need to worry just yet.โ
โThat may be so. . . But to be frank, the Vynashchtym guys arenโt very good at fighting.โ
Giadaโs concern was justified. Right now the Vynashchtym empireโs soldiers were few in number and lacking in discipline. Their recent pathetic defeats were quite notorious.
Apart from some units, frankly they were hard to rely on as fighting forces.
โAs you know, once defeated in battle, things can spiral out of control. Iโm worried that could happen.โโI understand. Weโll be vigilant.โ
Johan took Giadaโs worries on board. He didnโt think things would come to that, but his concerns were reasonable.
Here, small-scale skirmishes made up most of the fighting. Groups of dozens would patrol and reconnoitre, clashing if they met. Large forces gathering for pitched battles were rare.
However, if collisions occurred and units couldnโt retreat properly, defeated wholesale, those areas would be left bare. The enemy could sweep in in no time.
Just because the enemy was distant, complacency was unacceptable.
โ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฃ๐ช๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โPass!โ
The mercenaries thoroughly searched the pirates. Every piece of property they found here was a huge income for the mercenaries.
The pirates boarded the ship with curses. They wanted to rush in, but seeing the number of gathered soldiers and their armed state, they thought it was good that they didnโt fight.
โIs that Count Yeats?โ
โIsnโt he younger than expected? More than that, he doesnโt look like a warrior. He looks like a merchant.โ
โHe looks crazy. Be quiet.โ
โHe wonโt understand us anyway.โ
Giada spat out profanity in disbelief.
โHow dare you shitheads chatter without knowing gratitude after we spared you?! If you donโt shut up, Iโll rip out your tongue and throw it into the sea!โ
โ!!โ
โAnd that count is not me, but that man over there!โ
Seeing Johan walk out, the pirates were surprised at his much softer face than expected. He looked like a young boy in his early twenties.
As Johan walked over, he turned his head, noticing their gaze. Johanโs eyes pulsated with the intense power of his soul. The pirates who met his gaze couldnโt dare to look straight and bowed deeply. It felt like their hearts were grabbed.
โAny problems?โ
โNo. Weโre emptying the fortress and coming out.โ
โBe careful not to miss that noble.โ
Johan and the mercenaries waited without overtly showing it. If the other party became wary and secretly ran away at night, it would be troublesome.
โ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ, ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐บ , ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ณ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ.โ
Knowing the appearance made finding the opponent easy.
โFound him.โ
โArrest him and bring him here.โ
When the mercenaries came to grab him, Bashkhar was startled. The pirate disguises next to him immediately reached for the swords at their waists.
Johanโs slave soldiers aimed their bows. The slave soldiers learned not only how to use crossbows, but also how to use longbows. Thanks to the eastern tribes. As dozens of archers aimed their bows, the guards shuddered and could not move.
โWhy, why are you doing this? Count?โ
โThereโs no need to honor me that much just because of my noble status. Bashkhar-gong. Come this way. I donโt want to see blood.โ
At first Bashkhar was horrified, but then resigned. He obediently came out.
โAccording to custom, rights. . .โ
โI know. Take your weapons.โ
โMy master will not take kindly to this.โ
โDid your master originally think well of me?โ
Unable to refute Johanโs words, Bashkhar shut his mouth. Some of the puzzled pirates asked.
โBashkhar-nim. So what happens now?โ
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด. . .!โ
Seeing the idiots reveal in front of the count that they had come to hire them, Bashkhar felt his chest tighten. Johan sneered.
โIt must be difficult to hire pirates. Right? Go north. If I see you heading south, Iโll sink you.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The pirates murmured and at least set sail on the ship for now. It was unclear whether some of them would follow the order, but there didnโt seem to be many who would risk their lives to keep the promise.
โYouโll release me if I pay ransom?โ
โOf course.โ
Reassured by Johanโs promise, Bashkhar relaxed for the moment. Although customs regarding prisoners of war were the same on the mainland and in the east, exceptions were made when religions differed.
Beliefs sometimes ignore even gold and wield swords.
โThank you. Then, trusting that promise. . .โ
โYour Excellency! A warship has appeared!โ
The heads of those present turned abruptly. It was a gaze that would grab Bashkhar and his guards immediately. Bashkhar was confused.
He had been aiming for this area, but preparations for the fleet were still far from complete. There was no way they could have come this far.
โAh. Itโs the Vynashchtymโs flag.โ
โPhew. . .โ
Bashkhar breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like his neck was about to be hung for a moment.
The official who came on the warship with the Vynashchtym was courteous. Seeing this, Johan was slightly pleased.
However, when the official opened his mouth, Johanโs expression froze stiff. Although the attitude was very courteous, the message conveyed was rude.
โGet out of here?โ
โYour. . . Your Excellency. This place was originally Vynashchtymโs territory.โ
They didnโt care if pirate gangs of thieves occupied the nearby islands. At best, they could only attack small fishing boats and merchant ships, nothing more.
However, it was a different story for Count Yeats to occupy the island with the republic fleet. It looked like preparations to go up to the mainland to anyone.
The viceroy of the nearby port who received the report that the fleet had arrived was startled and sent an official.
โ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐? ๐๐๐ญ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ ๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ง๐๐!
Neither the viceroy nor the official seemed to have properly grasped Johan yet. Moreover, the news was late. The marriage alliance was practically already invalidated. How to deal with the aftermath after the fake one was exposed?
โAs far as I know, itโs different. After Duke Brduhe hired mercenaries and occupied it, it became the Brduhe familyโs territory. Horamric-gong inherited it from the duke and took it upon request to subjugate the pirates.โ
โAh. . . no.โ
The official was confused that Johan had prepared a much more proper justification than expected. In the first place, there was no comparison between him and Johan in terms of status. An official of lower noble birth versus the overlord of the south?
โAnd the marriage alliance ended because you b*stards committed fraud, so what the hell are you talking about?โ
โHuh? What do you mean. . .โ
โGo back and find out what Iโm talking about. I wonโt punish you out of consideration for Vynashchtymโs dignity, but if you say such nonsense one more time, you wonโt be able to return alive. Get lost!โ
When Johan yelled, the official fled in fright. And boarded the ship before hastily departing. . .
. . .did not leave.
The official returned from the ship leading dozens of soldiers. Johan was confused by that ridiculous reaction.
What the? A crazy b*tch?
The soldiers also seemed similarly surprised. Unless all those dozens were outstanding warriors. . .
Is he trying to commit suicide?
โYour Excellency! It seems there has been a misunderstanding. Please forgive me!โ
However, the soldiers who came out were not because of the raid. They were the new nobleโs escort and servants.
Different from the official earlier, a man in glamorous clothes came out and prostrated himself.
โWho are you?โ
โIโm Semeonus, a lowly man. Your Excellency! I work as the cityโs financial officer.โ
The official from before explained Semeonusโs status instead.
โSemeonus-nim is the viceroyโs brother.โ
โAh. Is that so?โ
โYour Highness. Please allow us to treat you and resolve this misunderstanding a little!โ
โ??!โ
Johan was perplexed by the sudden invitation.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ?โ
They came to drive him out but failed, now they invite him to the city. It was too blunt like a trap.
But even a 3 year old wouldnโt set such an obvious trap.
โOh my. The viceroy is sharp.โ
โ?โ
โYouโre probably doing this because youโre worried His Excellency would attack. You want to treat His Excellency well and ask not to attack the city, right?โ
โ!โ
Giadaโs words made Johan realize what the other party wanted.
The Vynashchtym viceroys were officials appointed by the emperor to rule each fiefdom, but in fact they had a position similar to feudal lords of those fiefdoms.
If the city gets plundered and attacked, who suffers the most losses? Of course the viceroy.
Thatโs why when the viceroy sent the envoys, he also ordered his own brother just in case.
โ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง. ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐๐ค ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ!
As long as he doesnโt touch his own city, it doesnโt matter whether he lands and advances somewhere else.
Johan admired the loyalty of the Vynashchtym viceroys. What was more surprising was that Giada and Jyanina were not particularly surprised by this attitude.
โIt would be more convenient if the viceroy cooperates.โ
โDo you think they can set a trap?โ
โThem? Hahahahaha! Are you joking. . . No. Youโre serious?โ
โCanโt anyone set a trap?โ
โThey absolutely wouldnโt do that if they werenโt crazy.โ
Giada laughed as if what he said was preposterous.
โIf the city soldiers attack, Your Excellency can take out half with one arm, and I and my sailors will take out the other half. Then we can leisurely get on the ship and slip away.โ
โIsnโt that too overconfident, Giada?โ
โWhen you see it, Your Excellency will know that my words were not wrong.โ
โAlright. In any case, we can go back anytime before we disembark. . .โ
Johan said suspiciously. Giada shrugged his shoulders as if to say wait and see.
And Giada was right. As soon as the port came into view, Johan was able to understand why he had said that.
Merchants from the republic and their employees. Servants and slaves too. Those who had heard the news in advance welcomed them.
This place was different from the cities of the hundred kingdoms. Over a third of the people here were outsiders, not Vynashchtym people. Starting with merchants from the republic, the composition was so diverse it was impossible to categorize them all, including mercenaries and travelers who had drifted in.
They accounted for one of the major pillars of the city. If the viceroy tries to set some kind of trap on a whim, defectors will immediately come pouring out, and some will incite rebellion in the city.
โI see. So thatโs why you were so confident?โ
โThere is honor and custom, but apart from that, the viceroy does not have the capacity to stop any crazy acts, no matter how hard he tries.โ
The viceroy here was similar to a feudal lord, but his authority was absolutely different. If he makes a small mistake, he will be attacked by the citizens.
Therefore, it was impossible to dishonorably ambush a Count who had been invited from afar and had strong support from part of the city.
โWhat kind of person is the viceroy here?โ
โI havenโt met him either, Iโve only heard rumors. . . heโs probably not very important. Heโll be eager to make requests since heโs in an unfortunate position. You donโt need to worry about him.โ
โStill, you canโt be too careless when facing the master of a city.โ
โI really think you donโt need to worry. . .โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โThis is all because of that young and foolish emperor! How dare he insult you like that. Itโs truly unforgivable. What is this? Your glass is empty. Let me pour you more!โ
After greeting very familiarly upon meeting and seating him, then pouring some wine, his skill at cursing the emperor was dazzling and it made Johan dizzy.
I didnโt expect him to jump in like this without reserve.
โI wish I could send my own child! If my child was a little more decent, I would have sent them to you.โ
โNo. . . itโs alright.โ
He flatly refused because it looked like he would seriously bring up marriage talks as a joke if he showed any interest. The viceroyโs appearance was not one that inspired hopes for children.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter