How to Live as a Wandering Knight – Chapter 252

𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 (6)

“Normally that wouldn’t be a bad idea. But the enemies are also risking their lives right now, tightly strung up. So they probably won’t fall for minor tricks.”

With the momentum on the enemy’s side, not many would be easily shaken when blades were fiercely pointed at them. 

At the very least, most would stand their ground and see.

“Besides, the enemies wouldn’t have left Gashstadt Castle alone either, with all those supplies stockpiled.”

“When I went around and checked, there seemed to be around a thousand troops garrisoned.”  

Johan was slightly impressed. The area around Gashstadt Castle was not in a state where outside travelers could easily wander around presently.

To have snuck in and confirmed the number of soldiers showed exceptional experience beyond Johan’s status as a mere assassin.

“A thousand is quite a lot.”

For troops garrisoned at the rear, moreover at an impregnable castle, even hundreds would have been enough. Just that much would have made it difficult to siege under normal circumstances. 

Having more beyond that amount indicated how important this place was.

“Sieging a well-built castle is ten times more difficult.”

“What about sneaking over the walls?”

Kaegal kept asking questions, seemingly reluctant to give up. Having prepared for so long, it seemed tough for him to let go.

“Unless you have an inside spy, it would be difficult, no?”

“!”  

Kaegal’s eyes shone at Johan’s words. He seemed to have gotten an idea.

“Good! I know a few who could serve as spies.”

“Oh. . .”

Johan couldn’t help but feel refreshed at those words.

Gashstadt Castle had more troops garrisoned than usual presently. While having more soldiers didn’t necessarily mean things would go well, it also revealed vulnerabilities.   

One was the fact that there were multiple commanders.

If it were Johan, he would have installed one trusted person. But from Kaegal’s words, Gashstadt Castle had multiple detachments led by different commanders guarding it jointly. Given the suspicious emperor’s personality, he wouldn’t want to leave such an important castle to just one person.

While one person would have been hard to turn, having multiple made it easier to compromise a couple of them.

Moreover, the emperor had sustained injuries from the ongoing unfavorable battle and collapsed. 

“Is that really true?”

“Yes. I did look for a way when I wondered if there really was no method. First, there’s a mercenary captain from the Wolves of Arkten. A nasty, rough fellow, but he’s rather smart. He can be made to betray for money. And there’s Baron Botenven. The emperor’s gamekeeper, but she harbors resentment towards the emperor for humiliating her to her face. And. . .”

“No, that’s good enough, Master. You’ve done excellently.”  

Johan sincerely admired him. An assassin’s skills could sometimes prove more useful in areas other than assassination; this felt like a fresh realization.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“My dear. Shouldn’t I come along with you. . .?”

“If even Iselia falls, it will be too much of a burden on Suetlg-nim.”

Iselia spoke as if worried. In fact, more than worrying, she seemed to want to fight alongside them.

‘𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥?’

In fact, he understood not worrying.  

Although few in words, the south behind the territory we’re currently facing off against had many places to hide and quite a few nobles and towns whose allegiance didn’t necessarily lie with the emperor.  

Although they said they’d be moving into enemy territory, with less than a hundred soldiers it was practically impossible to capture them quickly.  

Not only were there no soldiers remaining in the fiefdom capable of doing so, but could they really withdraw the army gathered here before them?  

They may be able to send out a pursuing team led by a few knights, but it didn’t seem Johan and his warriors would lose in such a fight. . .

As long as Johan didn’t cause any noticeable disturbances anywhere or claim ’𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘠𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴,’ there was no danger. And even if he did such things, he was confident he could escape quickly.  

Moreover, who could have imagined a count would make a move like this?

“Are your subordinates dissatisfied?”

“They’re not greenhorns who have only disguised themselves once or twice before, so it’s fine.”

In fact, the veteran mercenaries who had a lot of experience following Johan were waiting with their disguises complete without so much as a blink. Anyone could tell they looked like merchants.  

Thanks to disguising themselves thoroughly borrowing the name and crest of a merchant group, they looked even more plausible as merchants preparing to take advantage of things around the battlefield. Anyone would think they were supply merchants wandering around the vicinity of the battlefield hoping to turn a profit.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰. . .!’  

Jyanina was mixed in with the party with a very unhappy expression.  

With Suetlg remaining at headquarters as an advisor, there was no one who could play the role of wizard other than Jyanina. On top of that, she was quite knowledgeable about the emperor’s camp as well.

The party skillfully took a detour and then stopped by a town, buying and selling goods while pretending to be merchants.  

Seeing Johan strike up quite the plausible conversation with the village chief, Kaegal was impressed.  

“Even though you’re a knight, how’d you pull off pretending to be a merchant?”

“At one point I considered working for a merchant group.”

“. . .Pffft hahahaha!”  

Kaegal burst out into crazy laughter. It was just too funny. It took him a while to calm down after laughing so hard.

“No way. . . you aren’t joking?”

“What’s wrong with working for a merchant group?”

“Pffft hahahaha!”   

Johan was tempted to punch him. Kaegal was old enough that if a bone broke, it would probably take quite a while to heal.  

“You. . . pfft. . . as a merchant. . . priceless. Unbelievable. . .”

“I can read and write better than orcs, and calculate as well.”

“No way, really?? That’s truly impressive.”  

Kaegal was surprised once more. It wasn’t easy to be better at math than orcs. Weren’t those eastern scholars their equals?

“Go on, tell me about what happened. What was Vynashchtym like?”

“Have you been there before, Master?”

“A few times. It was a nice place. Lots of work for assassins too. I spent more time further east, but. . .”

Kaegal’s voice reeked of the smell of blood.  

“Was there a reason you stayed there?”

“My skills sold for a higher price. The things that came out were all rare. It was a very enjoyable experience to see things that are difficult to buy even for a thousand gold coins here. You should go there sometime too. Don’t you knights often go there hand in hand?”

“I don’t think there’s any need for me to personally go on the trade ship. Especially since master has returned.”  

“I didn’t want to die in a foreign land. Besides, once assassins do a lot of work, grudges stick to them like mud so it’s dangerous to stay in one place for long. The ones who don’t know that try to buy villages and settle down only to die miserable deaths. 

That’s why I’m still alive at this age right?”

Before Johan could answer, there was an interruption. Soldiers appeared at the front. The mercenaries disguised as merchants hardened their faces. 

Are they soldiers, rogues, or both?

“You say you are merchants from the Katana Merchant Guild?”

“Yes. Sub-captain sir.”

“What. I’m not a sub-captain.”

The soldier waved his hand. He seemed to be around the rank of a deputy officer.

But there are no soldiers who get upset when someone calls them by a higher rank. The man’s voice had become much softer.

“There’s nothing worth buying from the village ahead. The merchant guys have already taken everything.” 

“Is that so?!”

“Yes. However. . .”

The soldier speaking lowered his voice carefully, as if to keep it from Kaegal’s ears. But Kaegal heard him clearly.

“When I was young, I worked as a mercenary for a bit. Accompanying such an old man who could die tomorrow isn’t a good thing. The merchants will use that as an excuse to extort money.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

Without any suspicion, the party was able to pass by. Thanks to a few bottles of alcohol and kind words. Of course, Kaegal whispered furiously.  

“I’ll stab that guy later when I pass by again.”

“There will be opportunities for payback later. More importantly, I think we’re getting close. How do you plan to approach?”

“First, let’s call out the mercenary captain guy. That village is a place he and his men often frequent to have fun.”

There was no way the soldiers working in the castle could just keep enduring inside. They would patrol the vicinity and visit nearby villages to have fun. 

If they watch for the right opportunity, they can easily approach the mercenary captain.

“Hey. That old man is amazing. What was he doing? He seems to know this whole area.”

“He looks like a spy employed by the Count. He is quite amazing.” 

“Did he use to be a soldier or something?”

Fortunately, the mercenaries did not raise their voices like the soldiers earlier. This time Kaegal did not hear them.  

“. . .?”

The problem was that the mercenary captain had not shown up. The mercenaries sitting at the outdoor tables of the bar exchanged glances as they sipped their beers. 

“Why isn’t he coming?”

“Hmm. . .?”

“Maybe today’s not the day.”

“I guess so. Anyway, we’ll be staying here for a while, so it should be fine.”

However, the mercenary captain did not show up the next day, or the day after next. Kaegal seemed to have realized that something was off.  

“. . .I need to go check what’s going on.”

When Kaegal returned, he looked a little gloomy. Johan sensed that something had gone wrong.

“What happened?”

“The men stabbed him with a knife, they say.”

“. . . . . .”

It was common in mercenary groups for subordinates to revolt or attempt assassination. Ruling over rough men with charisma and fear meant a single mistake could bring a blade flying at you.  

“It will be difficult to recruit a new mercenary captain.”

Not only did Kaegal not even know who the previous mercenary captain was, but also when someone had just become a mercenary captain, they tended to be cautious and refrain from bold actions. 

Even when betraying, one had to first gain control and build up a career, otherwise they would be too cautious to do anything.  

“Don’t worry. Baron Botenven  makes a circuit along the forest across the way every week, befitting a gamekeeper. There will be plenty of chances to encounter her. We may even kidnap her if need be.”

“Also, the wizard here is said to be acquainted with Baron Botenven.”

“Even better news.”

Jyanina had an uneasy look on her face. Kaegal had hoped to succeed, but his failure meant it was now her turn.  

Noticing Jyanina’s nervousness, Johan said, 

“No need to worry too much.”

“R-Right?”

Jyanina was slightly moved. While not always the case, there was no doubt Johan was a merciful lord.  

Ask anyone of his subordinates and you’d get ’𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵.’

While he did somewhat underestimate Jyanina’s abilities, Johan was quite tolerant. Having worked under the Emperor, this was even more noticeable to Jyanina. 

Mistakes that would have earned her lashes to the flesh under the Emperor, Johan would simply dismiss with ’𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺.’

‘. . .𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵. . .’

“Well, I’m not really expecting much anyway.”

“. . . . . .”

Jyanina clenched her fists tightly. She instinctively steeled her resolve to prove herself somehow. Seeing this, Kaegal was impressed. Despite his young age, his pupil was demonstrating exceptional skill in handling people.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The gamekeeper who is in charge of hunting represented courage and honor. Moreover, the emperor’s gamekeeper needed even more excellent qualities.

In other words. . .

It meant that they had to wander more bravely with fewer numbers.

Seeing two well-dressed people approaching from afar, Kaegal whispered. 

“Do you think that wizard will do well?”

“Even if Jyanina, who at least has some connection, can’t do it, I think it will be similar if anyone else goes. But did you say the baron has a grudge?”

“Having a grudge is different from impulsively making her our ally because of that grudge. I’m asking if she can do that well.”

“. . .”

Johan suddenly fell silent. Kaegal asked in an anxious voice.

“She’s a wizard, so she should be able to do that much, right?”

Even before the words ended, the situation he had worried about erupted. As soon as the Botenven baron saw Jyanina, she shouted. 

“How dare this traitor shamelessly show her face here!!”

‘𝘖𝘩 𝘯𝘰. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘑𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦.’

It looked like the emperor was much more angry than expected. Seeing her put her hand on the horn to call people without even listening to her words.

Just before the aimed arrows and strings were shot, the person next to the baron knocked down the baron with one blow. Only after taking off the cloth covering the person’s face did Johan realize who this person was.

It was Caenerna.

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