How to Live as a Wandering Knight – Chapter 226

𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 (8)

“Why. . .do you need me to explain this to you?”

Johan started explaining as if asking why he was asking something so obvious.  

“The only place worth fighting over right now is the south. You know that, right?”

“I know that much. . .”

The southern region where the emperor was leading troops and wrestling with the anti-emperor nobles. The emperor was trying to somehow subjugate the south with the support of his direct territory in the rear and the pro-emperor free cities, but there was an undead plague raging in that rear area and the war had been going on for a long time. 

In Johan’s thinking, as more time passed, it was very likely that the emperor’s other vassals or free cities would be the first to step forward and request negotiations.  

Just looking at this alliance, didn’t everyone except the Elf King say they wanted negotiations?

‘𝘕𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦.’

The Elf King would also be satisfied after gaining some war trophies, so if time simply passed like this, the possibility of resolution was high.  

Then there was no reason to wastefully deplete troops in meaningless battles by going into the south.

If we went there, we would just have to repeat the boring fight of waiting in front of or attacking a castle several times.  

“Purging the undead nearby can be a plausible reason. It would also be good to get help from the monastery nearby.”

“But we have to meet Ulrike.”

“Well. . .we can’t refuse.”

To Johan, it seemed a bit coincidental that Ulrike had left to subdue the undead.  

Ulrike’s fiefdom wasn’t currently suffering damage from the plague. It could be seen that she had set out with a kind heart for the sake of nearby nobles or towns, but Ulrike probably. . .

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺.’  

Rather, it was more likely that Ulrike had thought similarly to Johan.  

In a situation where they didn’t have the ability to finish each other off with the war dragging on, she didn’t want to commit troops pointlessly.

“Speak honestly! Aren’t you also not even a little reluctant to meet Ulrike?!”

“. . .I am very righteous.”  

“It sounds like you just thought about it for a second before answering. . .”

Stephen bowed his head gloomily. He enjoyed greeting and socializing with the other lesser nobles of the Empire, but he was afraid of getting close to the army led by Ulrike.

“She won’t kill me, right?”

“If you clearly show an attitude of submission when you meet, the probability of survival may increase.”

“Weren’t you supposed to protect me. . .?”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦.’

After the preparations were completed, Johan, who was waiting with the servants and slaves in front, wondered at the atmosphere when he went to meet the nobles. 

All the nobles from the Empire side and the nobles brought by the Elf King were looking at Johan with hopeful eyes.

“With this body? Of course, the frame is tall, but I think my head should be bigger.”  

“Despite his appearance, he has a beast-like strength inside. Once he explodes, no one can withstand it.”

“. . . . . .”

Hearing the quiet conversation from afar, Johan realized what had happened.  

The elf knights must have been gossiping.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦-𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥. . .’

After all, it would be stranger if rumors did not spread after dragging an ogre corpse to the city. Moreover, there was nothing bad about spreading such rumors.

When nobles meet each other for the first time, what backs those nobles are the family history and personal reputation.  

Even without an army to pull from behind, Johan had proven himself to be a respectable noble.

“It is an honor to meet you, Count Yeats. After hearing about the young Count’s valor, I have been waiting to meet you in person.”

King Angoldolph of the Elves looked at Johan with a gaze mixed with goodwill and ambition, befitting an elf king. He had the most elven temperament.  

“I too have been waiting to meet the young king, hearing of his reputation.” 

Johan’s words made the Elf King laugh sincerely. There was nothing more joyful than being recognized by a knight you recognize.

“I heard about the basilisk. I want to repay you even a little for it.”

“No, doing something to get compensation. . .”  

He was right, but Johan refused at first out of courtesy. Fortunately, the Elf King was not the type to give up just because he refused.

“Please accept it.”

Two elf attendants carefully brought a shield. From their cautious actions alone, one could tell how precious that shield was.

“Ognar’s Shield, an item that has been passed down in my family for generations.”

“!”  

Surprised by a much more surprising gift than expected, Johan was taken aback. Of course, he did not show it outwardly. Seeing his calm reaction, the Elf King slightly clicked his tongue as if disappointed.  

“I believe that as a Count, you can handle it sufficiently. That shield tests the master.”

‘. . .?’

Johan, who had been delighted, stiffened at the words of the Elf King. Listening to his words, the magical energy emanating from the shield was not normal.  

‘𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵.’

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

After the grandiose welcome ended, wine and food were generously given to the crowds gathered outside, while the nobles went into the tents and took their seats.

It was an occasion only attended by prestigious nobles, to the point that it would have been difficult to attend without bringing at least a hundred soldiers. 

The Elf King, the feudal lords of the west, the castellans of the south, representatives from the free cities, orcs who were allowed to participate in exchange for providing massive funds even though they were not nobles. . .

One of the orcs saw Johan and gestured at him. Johan also looked back and gestured.  

The young Elf King started speaking in an arrogant tone. One of his hands was tightly grasping a sword while the other was reaching out towards the nobles present.

“God always sends down revelations. And as I see it, this is one! Count Yeats brought thousands with him. With strong arms and legs, sturdy armor and shields, what is there to fear with them here?”

At the young king’s words, the Empire nobles nodded as if in agreement. But the words from their mouths were the complete opposite.   

“But Your Majesty. The situation in the south is not very good right now. Even if we lead a large army on a march, it will be difficult to feed them.”

“Supplies can be delivered from the rear. The orcs have promised to provide gold again. Right?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

However, despite that, the Empire nobles did not readily accept it.  

“Even if supplies are delivered, if there is no guarantee we can win, it is still a waste in my opinion. Unfortunately, with the previous victory, the emperor has obtained the impregnable fortress, Gashturt Castle. The emperor’s army will retreat into the castle if they are disadvantaged.”

“For Gashturt Castle, they can receive supplies from the rear. . .”

The Elf King let out a frustrated sound at the various oppositions. But he could not strongly rebuke them. Not only were these nobles not his subjects, but more importantly, their arguments made sense.

If this side has a larger army, the opponent enters the castle, and if the opponent’s army is larger, this side enters the castle. The attacking side was always at a disadvantage.   

“Then tell me what we should do!”

“Let’s station half of the soldiers near cities where they can receive supplies, and divide and support the southern castellans with the other half. The castles in the south are sturdy and solid, so even with just a small number of soldiers, huge effects can be seen. Once the situation stabilizes, counterattacks can also be launched.”

‘𝘖𝘩𝘩𝘩.’   

Listening in, Johan cheered on the Empire nobles. Starting with Count Jarpen, they were all quite seasoned, their heads worked well even without Johan’s intervention.

Since this side had nothing to regret, enduring while pulling in the opponent was good.

However, the Elf King was different from them. He wanted to take his knights and properly exact revenge. Taking shelter like mice in castles was out of the question.   

‘𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘶𝘱.’

Johan felt the need to intervene. He had prepared a scheme beforehand.  

“I have something to say.”

“Oh. Please speak, Count.”

When Johan opened his mouth, the Empire nobles present looked at him with interest. Some of them had uneasy expressions.  

They were clearly viewing Johan on the same level as the emperor or the Elf King.

A militant and wild knight before a ruler!

. . .Of course, if Johan heard this notorious reputation, he would have felt very wronged, but the Empire nobles had already heard the stories of basilisks and ogres at least three times.  

“Are you thinking of advancing, Count?”

The Elf King looked at Johan with eager eyes. His authoritative demeanor faded slightly, revealing the Elves’ inherent sincerity.  

‘𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘻𝘦.’

Having tangled bodies with Iselia countless times, Johan was able to read the emotions revealed in his movements. That slight drooping of the ear tips meant sincerity.

“I don’t think it’s for me to judge when to advance. Rather, I want to bring in the eastern elector. Let’s also bring in the eastern nobles into our alliance. If we have enemies on both sides, even the emperor won’t be able to act so arrogantly.”

“. . .!”  

The faces of the imperial nobles lit up. This young count had presented an unexpectedly sweet opinion that they hadn’t even considered.

They heard that Count Yeats starts by leading the eastern nomadic tribes around and is close with Duke Brduhe.

The eastern nobles enjoyed watching the civil war in the Empire while maintaining neutrality, but they wondered if they could be persuaded to participate with the right persuasion.  

“That’s a good idea!”

“Will the rough folks from the east agree to negotiate?”

In an effort not to show his distaste too much, the Elf King spoke with a sullen face. He didn’t like making concessions to the eastern nobles, and he felt the situation was moving further and further away from what he wanted.

How much more time would be wasted with the negotiations and their participation. . .

“I don’t think trying would hurt, your excellency.”  

“I agree as well.”

“As long as we succeed, it shouldn’t be bad.”

As the majority agreed, the Elf King reluctantly nodded. No matter how militant and arrogant he was, he had no intention of voicing dissent to all those present here.  

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦.’

He had unintentionally obstructed the Elf King. He should have shown some consideration. He had even received his family treasure. . .

Johan opened his mouth.  

“Your Majesty. We don’t necessarily have to advance south. I’ve heard rumors that an undead plague is raging in the central region. Ulrike-gong has already set out to subdue it. How about joining her?”

“That subjugation which no one knows when will end. . .”  

The Elf King, complaining as he was about to refuse, stopped short. Why would Count Yeats volunteer for such a nasty job that no one knows when it would end?

While the other nobles thought, ’𝘏𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭,’  the Elf King was unable to come up with such an idea.

Why would a knight of that caliber do that?  

At that moment, something flashed through the Elf King’s mind. 

Currently, the undead plague was spreading near the central and southern regions.  

If we use this subjugation as an excuse, we can approach not only the fiefdoms of nearby feudal lords, but also the fiefdoms and free cities that were suspiciously taking the emperor’s side while using neutrality as an excuse.

While these central nobles had declared neutrality and were caught up in the fighting, just selling supplies to the emperor rather than blocking his logistics was tantamount to taking the emperor’s side.  

Something had to be done about these shady guys. It would be good to threaten them with force or take the opportunity to occupy them when it arose.

While the nobles of the Empire wouldn’t dare do such things because they cared about their prestige and reputation within the Empire, he was different.   

‘𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥! 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦.’  

The Elf King cast an approving glance at Johan.  

“?”

‘𝘏𝘶𝘩?’  

Of course, from Johan’s perspective, it was just a glance whose meaning he couldn’t grasp.  

Was it thanks for the suggestion?

“. . .Good! Waiting around is less appealing than dealing with the hordes of undead pouring into this city. My knights will also need enemies to cut down.  

“It’s an honor that your Majesty will join us.”  

Johan was privately relieved that the other party’s reaction was better than expected. The other imperial nobles were also happy that the Elf King’s interest had been diverted. They had been worried what kind of person the young count might be, but he turned out to be a much more reasonable person to talk to than expected.

‘𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘑𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰.’  

‘𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺?’

It was a satisfying meeting for everyone. When it came time for the meeting to end, Johan suddenly realized.  

‘𝘈𝘩, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳.’

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