How to Live as a Wandering Knight
Chapter 44: ๐๐จ๐ก๐๐ง'๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ข๐๐ (๐)Dorisโs face crumpled suddenly. Some crazy mercenary. . .
The purpose of the mercenaryโs entrance was obvious. Praise the knight, then covet a few coins, food, and drink. The smell of alcohol wafting here revealed his intentions clearly.
โ๐๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ *๐ด๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ-๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ? ๐๐ข๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ญ๐บ ๐จ๐ถ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ.โ
Of course, showing mercy to such begging mercenaries was both a nobleโs role and pleasure, but Doris didnโt feel like seeing that now, due to his ulterior motives.
The moment Doris heard the name โMarcelโs troll slayer,โ he realized.
โ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ค๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐๐ง!
Why else would a young knight like Johan wander in such times? It seemed clear he was heading to Count Jarpenโs territory.
Countess Abner might have called him, but Countess Abner wasnโt the kind of noble to invite a newly famous young knight to meet.
With the greedy intuition of a merchant, Doris was certain Johan was headed to Count Jarpenโs territory.
Then?โ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐! ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ Count ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ. . .
While presenting him to Countess Abner, if one speaks cleverly, it could be made to appear as if a knight who intended to join Count Jarpen was captured, thus earning military credit.
And thatโs not all. If a ransom is paid by Johanโs family, there would be another reward to collect.
Doris was a greedy merchant, always on the lookout for opportunities. He operated as a main merchant under Countess Abnerโs license, always aiming for big earnings.
In that brief moment, Doris, who managed to intoxicate Johan and make him fall asleep, and also coerced the mercenaries into laying down their arms, was indeed an impressive merchant.
But thereโs always a flaw in plans.
The flaw in this plan was Khan.
โArenโt you Khan?โ
โYes! Thatโs right! Itโs an honor that you recognize me! Sob! Just once we fought together!โ
The Khan pretended to cry, relieved. Johan, being perceptive, played along.
โHearing that Sir Knight arrived, I was so happy that I had to come to see you, even from afar. Huh. I hope my coming here isnโt an intrusion!โ
โWhat nonsense. Itโs a joy to give to those below. Why wouldnโt I treat a warrior I fought with? Come. Bring this friend some food and drink.โ
Doris grimaced but couldnโt object. Interrupting would spoil the festive mood.
The servants brought abundant food before Khan.
Khan devoured trout cooked in sauce, white bread with cameline sauce, sausages made of various meats and spices, porridge with eggs and meat, and congealed beef fat as if possessed. It was truly convincing acting.
โ๐๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐ง๐ธ๐ข๐บ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ซ๐ฐ๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด.โ
Johan was surprised to learn that Khan was here and thought there must be a reason for Khanโs behavior. If so, that appearance must be a disguise. In fact, Doris was merely finding Khan pathetic and annoying, without taking any further action.
Of course, those dishes seemed really delicious as he was eating them. . .
โSo, what are you doing here?โ
โAh, yes! I am working for a new employer who is very kind.โ
At these words, Doris forced a generous smile. It seemed that the mercenary was at least perceptive from what he was saying.
Of course, that didnโt mean he was going to be forgiven. Once everything was settled, the mercenary and the one standing at the entrance would be punished with whipping.
โThe employer is such a good person. . . Do you remember Gamson-nim? The employer is even more benevolent, generous, and faithful than Gamson-nim.โ
โOh.โ
Johanโs eyes sparkled coldly as he feigned admiration. Doris, not noticing, laughed awkwardly. It was awkward to respond to such blatant flattery.
โThe mercenary is acting like this because heโs drunk.โ
โBut heโs doing this because you treated him well. Itโs rare for an employer to hear such words from a mercenary.โ
โHahaha. . . Thank you. Although I am a merchant who seeks gold, I try to live devoutly. Did you know? Thereโs a priest behind me. But who is Mr. Gamson?โ
โA priest. A good man indeed.โ
โAh. . .!โ
Pleased with the flattery, Doris decided to lighten the punishment. Instead of whipping, he would assign guard duty.
โSir Knight. Do you remember what Gamson-nim did back then?โ
โHow could I forget? Such a person is rare.โ
โThis person will treat you even better than Mr. Gamson. You can trust me! He is that remarkable!โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Upon hearing this, Johan made up his mind.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
After Khan finished eating and drinking everything, Johan coughed and said.
โI have something to discuss with Doris, can you leave us alone for a moment?โ
โOf course, I should!โ
โTake this silver coin. Meeting like this is also a blessing.โ
When Johan put a silver coin in Khanโs hand, envy swirled on the faces of the surrounding servants. Such generous spending.
And Doris was also pleased.
This spending suggests the family must have some money!
โThank you! Thank you!โ
โYes. You may leave now.โ
Khan was confident that Johan had understood everything. He stepped back carefully, feeling proud of himself.
โWhat do you want to talk about?โ
โHmm. . . Itโs a really important story. Step aside for a moment.โ
At Johanโs words, the servants and slaves also stepped back. Doris involuntarily swallowed. The way Johan was acting, it somehow smelled like money.
โThis is something Iโm only telling you. After receiving such treatment.โ
โ. . .Yes!โ
Dorisโs heart pounded so loudly. Doris leaned in close to Johan.
โActually, the name Gamson is a son of a b*tch.โ
โYes?โ
Johan didnโt say anything more and wrapped his strong arms around Dorisโs neck. Feeling suffocated, Doris let out a gasp.
๐๐ฐ๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐กโ
At the same time, a longsword was drawn. Johan held the longsword in one hand, aiming it forward, and said,
โShut your mouth. Anyone who opens their mouth will see their own tongue rolling on the ground!โ
โ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ!
At his shout, the servants and slaves froze. The sudden situation was one thing, but Johanโs murderous aura bound them tightly.
โCough. . . Sir Knight, why are you doing this?!โ
โWhy? You prepare mercenaries to ambush me outside and dare to say that?โ
โCough, cough. Thereโs a misunderstanding. . .โ
โMisunderstanding? You merchant. Who are you underestimating? If you donโt speak now, Iโll rip out your tongue and twist your neck. Speak!โ
Johan glared at Doris with blazing eyes, growling. Doris felt his limbs go weak. Knights were not the kind to accept that their thoughts were wrong.
The fear of being broken by the enraged Johan surged in him.
โSir Knight, please. . . please spare me. Iโll compensate you! Itโs my fault!โ
โYou prepared the mercenaries, didnโt you?โ
Realizing that mercenaries were indeed prepared, Johanโs eyes grew cold.
โYes! Yes. . .! But I never intended to harm Sir Knight! I just wanted to host you as a guest until the war ends! Truly! I swear to God!โ
โWhom did you intend to host as a guest?โ
โC-Countess Abner. . . Arenโt you going to Count Jarpenโs territory. . .? Oh, if not, I must have been mistaken, please forgive me. . . Iโll give you gold.โ
โ!โ
Johan was honestly surprised. That this greedy merchant had so quickly figured out where he was going.
โ๐ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ.โ
Just as a caterpillar can roll, merchants have an excellent sense for opportunities. Had it not been for Khanโs warning, he would have waited until the opponent attacked first.
โCall my mercenaries here.โ
Johan instructed a servant to call the mercenaries into the tent. Doris didnโt know what to do and fumbled.
โ. . .!!!โ
The experienced mercenaries, fittingly, did not make much noise even after seeing the situation inside the tent.
โWhatโs going on. . .?โ
โFor now, make noise eating and drinking. So no one suspects anything outside.โ
โAh, yes.โ
The mercenaries began eating the food brought by the servants and slaves, sitting around various parts of the tent. If not for the situation, the food would have been really tasty.
โThis merchant was trying to capture me and hand me over to Countess Abner.โ
โWhat. . .! Sir Knight, you havenโt even joined Count Jarpenโs forces yet! Itโs impossible to take you hostage!โ
โI, I misunderstood. . .โ
โShut your mouth.โ
Johan silenced Doris and then said,
โThe sequence doesnโt matter; they must have planned to catch him and then link him up.โ
โHow dare this damned merchant?โ
โWhat will you do? Will you escape right now?โ
โIf we take him and escape, what about these mercenaries?โ
The mercenaries responded to Johanโs question with various opinions. โ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฐ๐บ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ฅ๐ช๐ด๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ,โ โ๐๐ฐ, ๐ช๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐บ,โ โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ค๐ต ๐ข๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด? ๐๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ,โ and so on.
Johan, who was listening, then asked Doris.
โListen carefully. If you want to save your life, you must be able to do what I tell you from now on.โ
๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฉโ
The sound of Doris swallowing was unusually loud.
โWho is in charge of this trade caravan?โ
โI. . . I am in charge.โ
โWhat about the other merchants?โ
โT-There are others Iโve taken money from to join the caravan, but theyโre not the leaders.โ
โIf you change the direction of the caravan, will the others obediently follow?โ
โ. . .They will follow. B-But if you go somewhere too strange, they have eyes too. . .โ
โDonโt worry. I donโt plan to make it impossible to do business.โ
Johan, holding Dorisโs head with one hand, spoke to the mercenaries.
โI have no intention of running away with this guy. If things get complicated, you might end up dying with this trash.โ
โThen. . .?โ
โWeโll make him lead this procession. Letโs go to Count Jarpenโs territory as planned.โ
Since it was a trade caravan authorized by Countess Abner, there was no trouble even if they encountered the Countโs mercenaries.
Moreover, the various merchants in the caravan were only interested in making money, whether they sold to Countess Abner or Count Jarpen. The problem was with Doris, the leader.
Once they reached the Countโs territory, Johan and the mercenaries could safely secure Dorisโs assets and ransom, and the people in the caravan could continue their business, though with a different client. It was a good deal for everyone except Doris.
โBut, if I go to Count Jarpenโs territory with a permit from Countess Abner and do business there, Iโll be in big trouble!โ
โYes, I know. But Doris. Countess Abner is a problem for later, but I am the problem now. If you canโt manage it, Iโll just cut your throat and then escape from this procession.โ
โ. . .!!!โ
โI might suffer a bit, but youโll lose your life. So, itโs best for you to do your utmost. Whether your mercenaries attack or the merchants express dissatisfaction and leave, if anything goes wrong, your head will definitely be gone.โ
Doris felt a dizzying sensation along with the overwhelming shock as if the sky was falling.
How did it come to this?
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