“He is lowering his right hand instead of his left hand.”
“Ah. I see. How about the rest?”
“Yes. Perfect.”
Fahid nodded in admiration at Johan’s etiquette. It was a rare virtue for a conqueror from across the sea to pay attention to the etiquette and customs of that land.
Seeing this, it felt like a lie that Johan swung his warhammer like a madman, tearing apart enemies on the battlefield.
With his formal Eastern language and behavior, if Johan claimed to be from an aristocratic family of the hundred kingdoms, no one would doubt it at all.
“But is it really okay not to hang your family banner?”
“I told you not to worry about it.”
Johan accepted the envoys’ offer after pushing and pulling a few times. It was worth accepting the rights equivalent to several years of tax revenue in exchange for slaying a single monster.
‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘺.’
Having made his decision, Johan led thousands of mercenaries and set out for Gilsina City. . .
. . .except he didn’t. Bringing thousands of mercenaries to slay a single monster was a meaningless waste. It also seemed unlikely to succeed.
Johan gathered only the elite of the elite. He decided to move with only dozens of cavalrymen and knights. Even this much was more than enough force for the journey.
Up to this point, nothing seemed too strange.
However, Johan traveled under the banners of minor noble families instead of the sacred banner of the Yeats family. They were such low-ranking noble families that one would not recognize them unless knowledgeable about the heraldry of the hundred kingdoms.
“Won’t it draw too much attention if we fly a family banner?”
“Do you think so. . .?”
For a noble, it was custom to display one’s banner even when passing through the fiefdoms of rivals. Johan’s actions were difficult to comprehend.
Occasionally, feudal lords would conceal their identity to visit taverns and overhear gossip about their fiefdoms, but that was always temporary.
Concealing one’s family banner for such a long journey must have been rather painful for an honorable knight.
“That fool Pirval must have been running his mouth unnecessarily.”
“Surely not. . .”
The second son cursed at the third. The third had a fiery temperament. Wasn’t the third the one who said at first meeting Johan that ‘𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺’?
Of course, in Fahid’s eyes, the second son also had quite a fiery temperament. Wasn’t the second the one who, when facing the cyclops, yelled at Johan to ‘𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘥!’ in Eastern cursing?
Of course, since he had cursed in Eastern, he assumed Johan would not understand, but Fahid believed Johan had grasped the Eastern language to some degree at that time. He likely caught the gist of what was being said.
“Galambos. How does one slay a sea dragon?”
“M-My lord. Us eastern rangers wander the forests, mountains, and rivers, but do not go to sea.”
Galambos broke into a cold sweat behind his back.
For a hunter who had only met nobles who looked down on him, finding a lord who properly evaluated his abilities was honestly a blessing. Thinking back to their first meeting made it even more so.
However, if that lord overestimated him too much, that was scary in its own way. The mercenaries mocked Galambos.
“That b*stard’s clearly gotten too comfortable. Take his town back, my lord.”
“A man who’s received that much should be able to figure something out even if there’s no way. . .”
Among the mercenaries who had followed Johan from the beginning and distinguished themselves, some possessed a small town or two. For mercenaries, it was unbelievable success.
Yet most chose to wander after Johan rather than settling down and ruling those towns. It could have been wanderlust, or loyalty. Only the mercenaries themselves knew the reason.
“Oh look. That’s young lord Neuri’s family right? We should dismount.”
“Don’t we have a lord too?”
“You crazy b*stard, you can’t compare a town. . . to having a single town.”
“Just one town? Where’d a guy with nothing get a town? If I told my hometown I became town master, no one would believe me.”
“Well we don’t believe you either.”
As the mercenaries chattered, the heirs of the ruling family of the fiefdom rode by on horseback in the distance. Johan and his knights lightly greeted them. The other party returned the greeting rather arrogantly.
“. . .Want to smack the shit out of those damn heathens. . .”
“Steady.”
Knights wandering and passing through fiefdoms were nobles too, but their houses were of meager influence.
If it had been the banner of a famous house, they would have come greet them personally and offer invitations, but for little-known houses, there was no need to take the initiative.
Even if they had come asking politely, it would not have been enough.
“Well done, young master.”
“If they do not come forward and dismount first, go fetch them.”
“Yes, I will do so.”
The servant nodded.
At that moment, mercenaries began emerging one after another from the forest behind. As their numbers swelled from six or so to tens of men, the servants’ expressions paled.
They were not simply wandering knights, but men leading bands of mercenaries.
“S-Should I. . .?”
“Are you crazy? Stand down!”
🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
“I think I scared them unnecessarily.”
“Seeing armed men passing by in numbers, it’s only natural to feel tense.”
Fahid nodded and said, “Wandering knights are fine, but knights leading bands of mercenaries are frightening.”
They are the kind that can turn into bands of rogues at the slightest provocation.
“Did I fly too modest a banner?”
Johan did not fly the Yeats family banner to directly assess the atmosphere in the Back Country as they traveled.
Although the reports said ‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭’ ‘𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭’ ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭’, Johan knew very well that such reports were usually somewhat embellished before being submitted.
He flew a modest family banner so as not to attract unnecessary attention, but it seemed to have aroused vigilance in a different sense.
“I think it would be fine if you went yourself and spoke to them directly.”
Simply stating which region and family he was from and his purpose would have been enough to dispel the fear of the rogue knights.
Johan shook his head.
“No. They were so frightened, I don’t want to talk to them unnecessarily. At the next place, I will first send someone to ask for permission.”
“Yes, very well, sir.”
Johan raised his hand. Following the signal, the mercenaries began to leave the fiefdom one by one. Only then could the servants heave a sigh of relief.
“They. . . they weren’t a band of rogues.”
“There seem to be some Peninsulars mixed in too. They must work under the new Count.”
“!”
Realizing belatedly, the young nobleman had an expression of sudden awareness.
“Why mention that only now!”
“S-Sorry.”
Clearly from their well-trained behavior of leaving straight away without any troublemaking, and the elite quality of their equipped gear, they were likely mercenaries under the Count.
The newly appeared conqueror enjoyed a fierce reputation among the nearby families. Aside from some rebellious families, the rest were making efforts to adapt, willingly or not.
“Call them! We must demonstrate the generosity of our house.”
“Yes, yes.”
🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
𝘢ᴡ𝘦𝚋ṡ̇𝐭𝚘𝐫𝔦𝘦𝚜.𝘤ȯ̇𝔪
“Indeed they were warriors working under Count Yeats.”
The nobleman who called them back was barely a few years older than Johan, still with a touch of boyishness. The servants would have called him young master.
And yet, from his efforts to display the dignity and prestige of a nobleman, laughter slipped out, but the mercenaries were used to bowing their heads before others. They pretended not to notice. The food was also delicious. . .
However hastily prepared, it was still a feast laid out by a noble family. Besides, the Back Country was abundant in provisions. The mercenaries downed wine and chorused along at appropriate moments.
“The Count is truly a hero! I’ve heard he’s a knight among knights.”
“But isn’t he a pagan, and don’t various rumors circulate that he is cruel and greedy?”
“. . . . . .”
“. . . . . .”
The knights and mercenaries clenched their teeth. Watching Johan casually insult himself turned their faces rigid.