How to Live as a Wandering Knight

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 (4)

At that moment, the scenery changed.

The dark, damp smell that lingered in the cold underground tomb suddenly turned into a warm meadow under the sunshine.

Johan was standing in front of a secluded pond. The lush greenery brought a calm peace to his mind.

However, Johan paled in astonishment and drew out his sword. It was because of a mystery he had never experienced before.

As Suetlg and Caenerna both testified, Johan’s soul was truly strong and steadfast. Impervious to common mysteries or curses.

That’s why Johan dared to touch the cursed idol, isn’t it?

Yet now Johan walked into the pagan mystery without any resistance. He couldn’t help but be surprised.

The sound of water was heard. A naked priestess was walking out of the pond. It was a beautiful figure that looked exactly like the pagan idol, but Johan didn’t care. Pointing his sword, he said coldly.

“Send me back.”

But the priestess just smiled. Before Johan got closer and swung his sword, treasures appeared in front of him.

It was a golden mountain that even kings would be tempted by. With this much gold, an army of ten thousand could be maintained for years, it seemed.

The priestess pointed at the treasure as if telling him to take it. Johan shook his head. He wasn’t stupid enough to accept something whose identity was unknown.

“I told you to send me back.”

The priestess laughed again. This time, elves looking like Iselia appeared next to him. Iselia made seductive expressions that she could never make, and the elves tried to cling to Johan. Johan pushed them away.

The priestess did not give up and presented gifts over and over. But Johan stabbed his sword into the ground and said,

“I’ll say this one last time. Send me back.”

The priestess shrugged as if she had no choice. It looked like she was frustrated. At that moment, Johan realized that his body was soaking in the pond.

“?!”

The priestess scooped the water with her hand and poured it over Johan’s head. As the cool, clear water flowed down his head, he felt strength gushing through his body.

While the evil spirit Valkalmur had violent, crude power, the priestess’s power was gentle and wise.

The moment that power lingered in his body, Johan was able to realize that none of this was a trap.

‘. . .Wait a minute. Then if I had received the gold. . .’

Before the thought was over, Johan found himself back in the original tomb.

The mercenaries had the exact same expressions as just before. Faces filled with fear and tension.

They didn’t have astonished faces as if Johan had disappeared and returned.

‘𝘞𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯?’

“Master, Count! Look at that!”

The pagan idol in front of them crumbled and fell apart. The mercenaries were horrified at the surreal sight.

It looked as if Johan’s faith had defeated the pagan faith. The mercenaries couldn’t help but make the sign of the cross.

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̇ȧ̇𝘸𝚎𝚋𝘴𝔱𝔬ʀ𝚒𝐞𝚜.𝕔ᴏ𝕞

‘𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥.’

On the way back, Johan tried hard to discern the new power flowing through his veins. But he couldn’t figure it out at all.

“Count, you are truly amazing. To completely sweep away the temple of those wicked pagans with such an accursed place.”

The mercenaries spoke sincerely. Not knowing the details, they had no choice but to show their respect. If Johan hadn’t been there, who knew how many would have died inside that tomb.

“Even so, if the curse had not been lifted, it would have been the fault of the mercenary leaders for accumulating sins. I will testify to that.”

“That’s right. We should have just burned those b*stards to death. . .”

The more respect and awe they felt towards Johan, the more hostility grew towards the mercenary gang. How corrupted must they be to carry around such curses, they wondered.

If the curse had not been lifted even after this, the escorts would have personally stabbed the mercenary captains to death.

Fortunately, as they returned to the mercenary camp, Deosam walked out supported by slaves.

“Are you well?”

“Y-Yes. . . I can endure.”

The curse marks on Deosam’s skin were slowly disappearing as he walked out supported by the slaves. The magical energy was the same.

“Can you lead the mercenaries?”

No one would answer ‘no’ to this question. Deosam desperately nodded his head.

“Of course I can lead them, Count. Please leave it to me. I will follow you loyally!”

“Due to your curse, our schedule has been delayed quite a bit. Lead the mercenaries south and join the army. If you are late, I will not forgive you. Understand?”

Johan gave orders to Deosam in front of the other sub-captains. It was as if Deosam was the sub-captain and Johan was the leader of the mercenaries.

For a nobleman to clearly show the hierarchy and give orders to a mercenary captain like this within a mercenary group was rare.

When nobles hired mercenary groups, they would generally show some respect to the captain and give autonomy as custom.

However, Johan forcibly ordered Deosam in front of all the mercenaries. As if the entire mercenary group had fallen into Johan’s hands.

Yet no one complained. Rather, they listened as if it was natural for Deosam to follow Johan’s orders.

“. . . . . .”

Deosam broke into a cold sweat at the completely changed atmosphere of the mercenary group.

Just what on earth happened while he was bedridden from the curse?

It wasn’t just borrowing command. It felt like the entire mercenary group had been handed over to Johan.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴. . .?’

When the atmosphere of a mercenary group became like this, there was nothing a captain could do. While a captain’s authority was absolute, operating a mercenary group surprisingly required reading the mood of the mercenaries themselves.

If Count Yeats’ orders were ignored or delayed, a riot could break out immediately. That was the kind of atmosphere it was.

“Yes! Your Excellency Count. I pledge my name and honor to serve you.”

“Good. I’ll trust you then. Deosam.”

Similar conversations occurred in the other camp as well. The atmosphere in the mercenary camp, which had been like a graveyard, quickly regained morale and prepared to advance. It was like a bolt from the blue for the pirates.

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𝔞𝕨ᴇ𝘣𝐬𝘵𝕠𝚛𝐢𝘦s.𝐜𝐨𝕞