How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Johan listened with such an intense expression that the Baron was rather taken aback instead.

“Your excellency. The mercenaries are just babbling nonsense because they are drunk. . .”

“Ah. I’m listening while taking that into account. So you mean they sent someone?”

“According to the story, it seemed like that. So I thought we should confirm the facts before punishing them. . .”

The Baron hesitated. In fact, he had hesitated even as he was speaking.

It was ridiculous in itself that a nobleman was seriously talking about the drunken babbling of mercenaries. It was more likely that the mercenaries had not sent anyone rather than sending someone.

Besides, it was unlikely that the Emperor would approve of the request from such a rude group of mercenaries.

So although he spoke, he hesitated for fear of ridicule. But to his surprise, the young Count listened seriously. No, he showed a reaction that exceeded expectations.

“Baron. That was very well done. As expected, the Baron has discerning eyes. Not everyone can notice something like that in a caught situation.”

No one disliked being praised. The Baron was no exception. Especially when the compliment came from the renowned Johan.

‘𝘐𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮?’

The Elf King thought Johan was mocking the Baron for praising him too much. To the Elf King’s eyes, the Baron didn’t seem to have done anything particularly well. He had just been stupidly caught by the mercenaries. . .

However, Johan was sincerely praising him in his own way. Ulrike nodded along, matching Johan’s actions.

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭.’

The Baron needed some encouragement. Not only because of the hardship he went through, but to genuinely gain his cooperation for future events.

People moved not only by gains and losses, but also by emotions. And Johan was clearly good at touching on this aspect. Wasn’t he getting along well with that Elf King?

“Then let’s interrogate those mercenaries.”

“Ah. Wouldn’t it be better to order my men to do it?”

“No. I will do it myself.”

Hearing that Johan would take care of it personally, the Baron felt bad and didn’t know what to do. If the mercenaries said ‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘬’ to the Count, Baron would lose all face.

Of course, Johan didn’t care much. Johan didn’t care about saving face in situations like this.

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦.’

He didn’t have the temperament to say ‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶! 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬!’ just because there was some fruitless effort.

“Gerdolf. Would you help with the work?”

As Gerdolf had been busy attending to Suetlg, his opportunities to participate in combat had decreased. When an opportunity came up to show his skills after so long, Gerdolf smiled sinisterly and nodded.

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Johan washed his hands with water from the wooden barrel. There was no blood on them in particular. As soon as Johan and Gerdolf entered, the mercenaries tried their best to spill everything they knew.

“They really sent someone.”

“The emperor will. . .”

“Won’t he send someone?”

“Hmm.”

Suetlg could not deny Johan’s words. It was a fifty-fifty question, and any result would not be surprising. At times like this, it seemed good to believe in Count Johan’s intuition. His intuition was sometimes sharper than a demon’s.

“Suppose the emperor endures all the insults he hears from others and the rumors that he is in cahoots with the gang of thieves, and sends someone. Then, wouldn’t they just not come?”

“I think they’ll bring escorts.”

Johan nodded at Iselia’s interjection. The mercenaries were not very reliable. Even if the emperor sent someone, he would not just send a mere envoy.

‘𝘏𝘮𝘮. . .’

Johan fell into thought. All the things he had heard and experienced about the emperor so far. Putting all of that together and imagining himself as the emperor.

If he were the emperor, how would he have acted?

“By any chance, what do you think about killing all the mercenaries and seizing the castle?”

“. . .What? No, that’s. . .”

Suetlg was bewildered by Johan’s sudden words. It was something he had never imagined.

“It’s not easy to save mercenaries like them, so is there really a need to discard them? Besides, if the rumor spreads wrongly, other mercenaries may also become afraid.”

“But if you kill the mercenaries, you don’t have to pay the back pay you owed them.”

When sending someone, the mercenaries had requested the emperor to pay their overdue wages in return for their loyalty. At first glance, it seemed like an absurd demand, but the mercenaries were thorough about this kind of thing.

“And most of all, wouldn’t it look a little better to others? Subjugating the gang of thieves and occupying the castle is still a little more presentable than giving a title to a gang of thieves.”

“Would the emperor care about justification like that? If so, I think he would just take in the mercenaries.”

“Even if he doesn’t want to, the nobles below will desire it. And sweeping away these impudent mercenaries who deserted and then made outrageous demands, and occupying the castle would be sufficiently satisfying. That’s what I’m saying.”

As he listened, Suetlg was persuaded by Johan’s words. There was certainly reason in them. Killing the gang of thieves was as much an emperor-like act as accepting them.

“In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to prepare in anticipation of that kind of situation.”

If it was just an envoy party coming, they could send the centaurs to catch them, but in other cases, it was better to prepare to fight in case of an emergency.

Johan’s prediction came true.

In less than a month, the elite of the emperor faction appeared from afar, bearing their banners.

And the one leading them was the valiant knight and executor of countless rebellious nobles, Lord Karamaf.

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“They were really trying to kill those mercenary b*stards.”

“Yeah.”

Johan and Suetlg exchanged brief words. While the mercenaries may have been fooled, they were not. There was no way honor guards would be sent for the envoy’s protection.

The sinister intentions were plain to see.

The baron looked at the banner in shock. He had hoped against hope that the emperor would not actually send men.

It was shocking enough that they accepted the mercenaries’ proposal, but to bring an army too. . .

Would the honorable emperor, outraged at the mercenaries’ outrage, send troops to defeat them and return the fiefdom to the baron?

Not a single soul in the castle thought so.

“D-Does this make any sense?? Does this make any sense??”

The baron pointed at the banner, his voice shaking with anger. No matter what, for the emperor himself to try and steal a feudal lord’s legitimate fiefdom!

Johan nodded in understanding.

“That is why the southern feudal lords rebelled.”

“But this is too much!”

“Calm yourself. See this as an opportunity in crisis. Think about what would have happened if they had come before us.”

The baron gritted his teeth indignantly. After hearing the count’s words, he had to admit the ways of the world were unpredictable.

Misfortune becomes fortune, and fortune becomes misfortune.

“Worry not, Baron. While Sir Karamaf made quite a name for himself in the Empire, here in our elven kingdom he is but a cowardly deserter. I have long wished to take his head myself.”

Gazing down at the men below the castle walls, the elf king spoke grimly. Karamaf’s banner seemed to have stirred his fighting spirit.

The baron had been intimidated by the elf king’s arrogant manner, but with things as they were, he could ask for no better ally.

Even with Sir Karamaf as their opponent, the men gathered here were exceptional in their own right. And they had the castle walls at their back.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬!’

Thinking of the enemy leaving in anger and defeat raised the baron’s spirits.

“Count, why do you look so grave? Could it be you are debating which of us should be the first to cross swords with that despicable knight?”

“Nothing escapes your majesty’s eyes.”

“Hahahaha!”

The elf king laughed heartily, in good spirits. Of course, Johan had no such thoughts.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘺?’

Karamaf’s banner fluttered below, but few here knew what had really become of Sir Karamaf.

Suetlg whispered quietly.

“But who is that man?”

“I’ve no idea. An imposter?”

“If so, why send him to a place like this?”

“Exactly.”

This was their quandary.

It was easy enough to dress up a knight in armor and hide his identity as a fake Karamaf.

But one’s skills could not be concealed.

If an imposter was sent only to be defeated, it would impact the emperor’s faction as a whole. While an individual’s loss, such things tended to spread through rumor and superstition.

Hence the rumors that Sir Karamaf had fallen ill, been cursed, and shut himself away. . .

Yet now this?

“Do you think they underestimated the mercenaries?”

“I doubt it. The mercenaries were caught off guard, but they were an elite force. While deception may have gotten them through the castle gate, once inside they would have to cross swords. No way around it. . .”

“You make a fair point.”

They discussed but reached no conclusion. Regardless, they agreed on one thing:

━𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧. 𝐁𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭.

Anyone sent with such fanfare must be confident in their skills.

“But looking at the current situation, it seems likely they will retreat without achieving anything. Should we not inform the elf king?”

“We shall tell him later.”

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“The mercenaries were subjugated?! Those *ssholes?! What the hell did they do?! It would have been a fort that lasted a year if they had just closed the gates and held on!”

The emperor faction’s army, after hearing the news from the surrounding villages, was at a loss for words.

The Severed Gallows Mercenary Group were greedy and rough people, but not idiots. And yet, to be subjugated like that from a fort like this.

It was simply unbelievable.

“What about the baron?!”

“We hear he is safe inside.”

“This goddamn. . .!”

One of the knights seemed angry as he stamped his foot. Most of the knights here were either newly noble or mercenary backgrounds. They retained more of their usual habits than preserving the honor and dignity of knighthood.

They had to kill the mercenaries and capture the fort to receive a reward from the emperor, but that had gone wrong from the very start.

“Let’s attack! How many troops could the baron possibly have?!”

“You little punk. Shut your mouth. Do you even know how solid this fort is? We couldn’t take it even if we had a hundred able warriors!”

“Then why were the mercenaries able to take it? If it was possible for them, it should be possible for us too, right?”

The young knight’s words hit the mark precisely. That was certainly true. As the knights quarreled among themselves with nothing to say, someone spoke up.

“What is Lord Karamaf doing? Shouldn’t he be giving orders?”

On paper, Lord Karamaf was the leader of this envoy party, but he did not show himself easily. He would emerge from his tent occasionally and say a few words.

As a result, it was Lindemann giving orders to the envoy party. A noble serving as an administrative official and envoy of the emperor.

While his status and qualifications were sufficient, subduing these rough warriors required not just lineage but also brute force. Continued friction was inevitable.

“His lordship is resting. I will give orders in his place, so swear allegiance to me!”

“We are not swearing allegiance! If you want our allegiance, give decent orders!”

“Shut that mouth! Before I report to his lordship!”

Karamaf’s name was enough to silence even the unruly knights. Satisfied with that effect, Lindemann continued.

“Since we’ve come this far, we can’t just leave empty-handed. I know that too.”

First they had to get those sturdy gates opened in order to do anything. Lindemann sent word to the baron.

To comfort him for the great loss caused by the mercenaries, and say that they had come to help but were quite embarrassed for things to end like this. His party was very tired and weary, so could they not come inside the fort to rest. . .

If they were lucky, there could be unexpected results.

However, there was something Lindemann did not know.

The baron was in an extremely foul mood from being backstabbed by the mercenaries.

Lindemann’s attendant returned with all his fur standing on end and his clothes stripped off. He had to recite insulting poems about the emperor’s lover before he was allowed to return.

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