“What is this nonsense!”  

“I apologize. Please understand.”

“There is no such rude behavior in the world! Untie us at once! How could you do this to nobles who came to help the city!”  

Sir Padovesi and Sir Gyrto shook their tails quickly, showing their anger. It was natural for them to react that way.

Because the unofficial reason they came here was to help the city.  

━𝐈 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

━𝐁𝐮𝐭. . .𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. . .?

━𝐈 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐆𝐢𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡. 𝐖𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐫.  

The Emperor’s fiefdom, alone at the southern tip of the peninsula, was in a truly precarious state.

Johan did not attack immediately but they did not know when he would.  

In that situation, Gilsina City right next to the sea was one of the strongest potential allies.  

But it was difficult to pay a huge amount of money or form a marriage alliance.  

The monster that appeared in the city seemed like an opportunity.  

The viscount asked the Emperor and summoned skilled knights and experienced wizards to hunt the monster. And he gave them secret orders and sent them to the city.  

If they succeed, it would help greatly!  

. . .But when they arrived at the city, there were rumors of a new count, and when they tried to confirm what those rumors were, the city folks suddenly held a big feast to welcome them. . .  

When they came to, they were tied up.

It was unbelievable. The knights must have known the current situation.   

“Is Count Yeats really in this city! No matter what, capturing and handing over nobles who came as guests is not something people of honor would do! I will never forgive you!”

“. . .Shut your mouth!”  

It’s natural to get angry when someone speaks the truth against wrongdoers. The guild master told the mercenaries to shut the knights’ mouths. The mercenaries gagged the knights.  

“Who do these tactless people think they are. . .” 

“You’re right. They don’t even know how much trouble they caused us.”

The council members self-justified and insulted the knights like that. If Johan had seen this from the side, he would have been amazed they were cutting ties themselves.  

They can’t even properly explain themselves to the angered nobles whose hospitality was betrayed, yet they act so shamelessly!  

It was an attitude that would create resentment out of nothing. And that attitude came back at them immediately.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Count Yeats, please arrest me! I understand. But please grant me one request!”

“What the hell, why did you bring this b*stard here?”

Johan was puzzled. Of course anyone would be angry if they were caught coming into the city, but this knight had an expression like he was so wronged he could die. 

“Please let me duel with those dishonorable men! They are vile cowards who broke the honorable custom! They deserve to be cursed by God! Their children shall die in the womb and their neighbors shall. . .”

“S-Shut up! Do you want me to make him shut up?”

The city garrison soldiers asked in confusion, but Johan shook his head. Since he wasn’t cursing at him, there was no need to make him stop.

The Emperor’s knight had a talent for insults. Starting from the city’s ancestors, he strung them together one by one with delicate care, making Johan admire him. 

Of course, the faces of the city council members turned all sorts of colors from embarrassment.  

No matter how much they were in the wrong, there were few who could just stand there and take such humiliation in front of so many people. Especially given their high status in this city. . .

“. . .you demon’s spawn shall wander the scorched wasteland!”

“Are you done?”

“Yes? Y. . . Yes, I am.”

“I cannot allow a duel. For the Emperor’s envoy to come here in secret is the height of discourtesy. To try to divide the city on top of that, what. . .”

At Johan’s words, the council members nodded. The knights gritted their teeth. 

These b*stards!

“No! Your Excellency! We only came to help!”

“Help with what?”

“A vile monster has defiled the city, so with pure and honorable intentions. . . As you are an excellent knight yourself, surely you understand! I swear to God we came to slay the monster!”

Sir Gyrto appealed to Johan’s sense of honor. 

Recently, Johan had become famous even among the Emperor faction knights. It wasn’t just his shocking rise in status, his accomplishments as a knight were simply too great. They had no choice but to respect him, even as an enemy.

As such, Sir Gyrto believed in Johan and Johan’s honor. 

Though these greedy city b*stards had captured them, the honorable knight Johan would show them respect and set them free!

‘𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮?’

Johan felt a little bad looking at Sir Gyrto’s innocent gaze. He seemed even more innocent because he was a dog beastman. 

“Is that so? You came to slay a monster?”

“Yes!”

“Then I shall help you slay this monster.”

“Yes! . . .Huh?”

“You said you came here to slay a monster, did you not? It matters not who slays it, as long as the deed is done.”

“. . . . . .”

The knights were taken aback. Unfortunately, they were not savvy enough to come up with a suitable excuse here. 

It would only benefit Johan for them to slay the monster under his command. When the viscount hears of this. . .

“Why can you not answer?”

“Oh. . . no, you’re right. Please help us.”

“Good. When the monster is slain, your words will be proven true, and I shall release you. Until then, though it may be uncomfortable, please endure it.”

Without waiting for a response, Johan gestured with his hand. The mercenaries muted the knights and dragged them away. The council members cursed the knights for their rudeness.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸  

𝕒ẇ̇𝔢ḃ̇ṡ̇𝙩𝔬𝐫𝚒𝔢s.ċ̇𝘰𝘮

“You’re a wizard working under Cardirian?”  

“Yes. But please believe me, Your Excellency. I am loyal not only to Emperor Cardirian. To any who pays me fairly, I offer my loyalty.”  

The wizard who introduced herself as Jyanina had red hair. Seeing this, Johan thought to himself.  

‘𝘋𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴?’  

The last time, when he was acting as the Emperor’s vassal, Baron Einbeck also had red hair. . .  

“Seeing as you accompanied the monster hunt, you must be skilled in that area.”

“I know a bit about handling monsters, though I’m embarrassed to admit it.”   

Known as the tamer of monsters and beasts, Jyanina was exceptionally talented with such magic. A thought occurred to Johan and he asked,  

“Have you ever tamed trolls before?”

“. . .No?”  

It was an extremely subtle difference, but Johan sensed something off about her reply. Since Johan himself was both an outstanding warrior and wizard.