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“Hahaha! Sir Knight, you’re something else. These folks are seasoned mercenaries. They wouldn’t be scared by a tamed wolf.”
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Eldans burst into laughter. The mercenaries nodded with a smile, not so green as to be scared of a tamed wolf. They had seen wolf tamers before.
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“But really, it’s big. What did you feed it?”
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The mercenaries tried not to look scared, but flinched instinctively as the black wolf approached.
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“Outside it’s fine, but when entering the city, it’s better to put a collar on. Let’s see. . .”
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Eldans took out a collar for the beast. Johan stared intently at the black wolf.
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“It might freak out if you collar it.”
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Would a wild beast stay calm while being collared?
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Surprisingly, the black wolf stayed calm. A collar engraved with Johan’s name was put on it. Even with just one collar, the wolf seemed well-trained.
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“What is its name?”
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“Name? Uh. . . Karamaf.”
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“Karamaf! Named after Sir Karamaf? Haha.”
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“. . . . . .”
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“Named after eating him.”
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Johan realized he lacked the sense to name things. Of all names, why Karamaf?
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But Eldans seemed convinced, nodding. Naming animals or mounts after famous nobles or knights was common, hoping to inherit their spirit.
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Karamaf was a famous knight of the Empire, a fitting namesake. But. . .
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“Sir Karamaf was a knight loyal to the Emperor.”
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People south of the Empire, beyond the mountains in the Catalian Peninsula, did not favor the Holy Empire’s Emperor. They disliked his claims over the cities of Catalian Peninsula.
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If Johan was from a pro-Emperor knightly family, it would cause problems.
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“Johan-nim, do you admire Sir Karamaf?”
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Eldans tested the waters. He thought Johan, a noble, wouldn’t catch on, but Johan, raised on hard looks in his fiefdom, quickly understood.
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‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘧? 𝘈𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳. . .’
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Admiring Karamaf -> A knight from a pro-Emperor family!
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Johan inwardly cursed. Such trickery from an experienced merchant.
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“No, not particularly.”
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“Is that so? Not even such a great person. . . Oh, I don’t mean you’re not great, Johan-nim.”
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“I don’t doubt Sir Karamaf’s skills, but he lacks honor.”
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Johan had a ready excuse. Karamaf, the Emperor’s butcher, had many enemies. His flag, stained with blue blood, was a symbol of suppressed civil wars and rebellions.
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“Ah, I thought so too.”
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Eldans hastily agreed, but his ears perked up happily, his doubts resolved.
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━𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐥.
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The new Karamaf made a contented sound and nudged Johan’s leg. Johan, suddenly remembering, looked at the wolf and asked.
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“If you’ve followed me here, did you happen to see two scoundrels who fled from the town?”
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The wolf nodded its head.
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“You saw them? Why didn’t you catch. . . No, never mind. I can’t expect that from you.”
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From the wolf’s perspective, it must have been confusing whether it was okay to just eat the two humans who fled. Especially since Johan was riding on it.
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“Do you know where they went?”
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The wolf turned its head and pointed in the direction of Marcel. Johan smiled slyly.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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Marcel was a beautiful city that had descended from the ancient Empire era. For Johan, who had spent his entire life in a rural fiefdom, the sight of Marcel was inevitably striking. If he hadn’t lost his memories of a previous life, he would have reacted like a country bumpkin.
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“Impressive!”
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While the prosperous city itself was remarkable, Johan was amazed by something else: the technology of the ancient Empire.
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The ancient Empire felt like Rome on Earth, but its technology was on a different level. Living-like plate armor, swords that seemed to cut through anything, and roads that lasted over a thousand years. . . No wonder there were mercenaries who specialized in rummaging through the ruins of the ancient Empire.
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Furthermore, it was said that in Marcel, clean water was readily available everywhere, and there were so many baths that water was in excess, indicating a near-perfect water supply system. It wasn’t that the people of the city were extraordinary; it was just that the system from the ancient Empire era was still functioning perfectly.
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The ability to spread water channels throughout the city like veins and maintain them was truly miraculous.
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“I thought it would be dirtier and smellier. . .”
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Before he could finish marveling, good news arrived.
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A guard at the city gate addressed Eldans.
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“Ah, Mr. Eldans. You’re just in time.”
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“What’s the matter, Fiso?”
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“The mercenary hired by Mr. Eldans came babbling, so we locked him up. Is he the one sent by Mr. Eldans? If so, you should come quickly to confirm. . .”
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Eldans turned his head. The mercenaries, already bright with joy at arriving in the city, erupted in cheers at this unexpected good news.
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“That son of a b*tch, let’s go sort him out!”