How to Live as a Wandering Knight – Chapter 305

𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 (4)

It didn’t end with just watching a battle taking place in the darkness with their eyes and ears and then confirming the aftermath when the dawn broke.

Each and every knight who was captured and brought in served as living proof of the duke’s accomplishments.

As the news circulated once more within the fortress while treating the captured knights, the rumor became so distorted that its original form was hardly recognizable.

Suetlg was about to ask the young duke, ‘𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥?’ but he stopped himself. It seemed a little too snide.

“But where would we receive the ransom if they retreat?”

“You have a point there.”

The priests would be gobsmacked at this statement, but it made sense when one thought about it.

Ransom was only paid when the other party was willing to pay it. If the other party simply gave up and left, they would only end up feeding their captives.

In that case, it was not a bad idea to negotiate quickly and receive the ransom.

. . . The fact that the notoriously devout duke came up with the idea in an instant was somewhat amusing, but no one outside would know the truth.

Perhaps they would think that the merchants or the people of the republic who served under the duke had suggested it!

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Suhekhar couldn’t shake his astonishment even after accepting the envoy’s proposal. It was something so utterly unimaginable.

It was common to send an envoy after a battle during a siege, but they were proposing to pay a ransom immediately for the captured pagan knights instead of executing them.

Of course, nobles who valued honor and knew the rules of respect did not swing their swords recklessly even after a battle. It was customary to accept ransom and release the captives, but. . .

It was very rare for those from the West to abide by such rules.

The monotheists who had come this far possessed a certain degree of insane religiousness, separate from greed, and such belief often manifested in emotional massacres rather than rational negotiations.

Knowing this, Suhekhar couldn’t help but be surprised by the duke’s proposal. Even more so when he thought about the duke’s reputation.

“It could be a trap.”

“Suhekhar-nim. It is a trap. He is not a man but a demon!”

“. . . . . .”

The former was a reasonable opinion, but the latter was not something a knight should say. Suhekhar shook his head slightly. What kind of demon had he encountered in the darkness. . .

“Meeting each other unarmed in the middle of the field would be sullying our honor. If we were to do that, we would simply be mocking the duke’s honor.”

Of course, there was a more certain reason besides this. Suhekhar was confident that he could escape by himself no matter what the situation.

The slaves who escorted Suhekhar were not only masters of swordsmanship, but some of them had also learned mysterious sorcery. Escaping from the negotiation table would be easy.

The duke’s escorts would probably be similar. High-ranking and experienced nobles did not let their guard down so easily.

‘𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵!’

Suhekhar was taken aback when he saw the duke riding a horse from afar. He was much younger than he had imagined, and the expression ‘youthful’ naturally came to mind. He didn’t even look thirty.

There was no shortage of young and valiant knights, but it was extremely rare for a knight of his age to have accomplished so much.

The two great nobles greeted each other and took their seats. Suhekhar was surprised once again. The duke spoke in the Eastern language.

“. . . I shall return your prisoners tomorrow as soon as you pay the ransom.”

“Thank you for your. . . kindness.”

Suhekhar forgot about the situation and was filled with curiosity. He wanted to know more about the young duke in front of him.

“Unlike other monotheist lords, Your Highness seems to know honor. You do not mistreat your captives.”

“We have enough food and the situation is not urgent, so it is not a particularly honorable proposal.”

“That in itself is honorable.”

Johan stared at Suhekhar intently.

‘𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯?’

If others knew, they might wonder why he was so money-minded.

Just Johan’s fiefdom alone spanned widely across the empire and to the south of it, and several merchant ships were making profits by sailing the seas.

But even considering such a large income, leading an army on an expedition was a very expensive luxury. Moreover, the revenue generated from the fiefdom did not directly flow into Johan’s army. There was a much more complicated process involved before the money reached Johan’s hands.

In this light, it was natural for the great nobles who were deeply in debt to borrow money from the merchants without hesitation when a war broke out. It wasn’t that they didn’t have money, but rather that it was difficult to withdraw it immediately. They could pay it back later after they had won.

Of course, Johan didn’t want to be at the mercy of the merchants like that. . .

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨?’

Suhekhar misunderstood Johan’s gaze. He thought that the young duke was looking at him probingly.

“This battle was very unfortunate.”

‘𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘯 𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬.’

“Your Highness is loved by the gods, so it was inevitable that we would lose.”

“That’s too much praise. The gods love everyone equally. Me and my soldiers. I won today, but I might lose tomorrow.”

Johan answered humbly without thinking much of it, but Suhekhar seemed to like the words. His eyes and expression softened.

“Your Highness seems to understand the will of the gods well.”

‘𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵?’

Unlike Johan, who was puzzled, Suhekhar genuinely admired him.

Those from the West would incessantly prattle on about how God’s will was with them. In Suhekhar’s eyes, this was the very definition of arrogance.

The young duke stood out like a flower blooming among weeds simply by not behaving like that. For some reason, Suhekhar began to think that he might be able to communicate with this duke.

‘𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦?’

It was because the conversation flowed so well, even though Suhekhar didn’t believe in superstitions much, that he had such a thought.

Could it really be possible?

“Why have you come to this land, Your Highness?”

“To punish the one who stole my ship and insulted my family.”

Suhekhar clucked his tongue inwardly at Johan’s words. He understood what he meant right away.

Manansir was a figure of much talk among the Eastern nobles. A man who had not served in the empire suddenly gained favor, formed a marriage alliance, and was wielding the sultan.

In a way, Suhekhar didn’t like the fact that this entire expedition could be considered Manansir’s doing.

“If you speak of Manansir-gong, it will not be easy to catch him. He has a large army and the castle walls he holds are tall and sturdy.”

Johan looked at him intently once more. He ignored Suhekhar’s advice and pondered when to bring up the ransom.

However, it seemed that his gaze led Suhekhar to misunderstand. Suhekhar spoke in a slightly bashful voice.

“Of course, I know what Your Highness is thinking. You must think we’re just wagging our tongues without capturing even a single fortress.”

“No. . .”

“But you must keep this in mind. The sultan’s army around here is not just the ones I lead.”

Johan wasn’t particularly surprised.

Just as his expeditionary force was divided and moving, the landed army would also be divided into several groups and moving. It would have been a loss to gather everyone in this single fortress.

“Even as we speak, the sultan’s armies are moving, so even if we fail to capture this fortress, the monotheist fiefdoms to the south will burn and fall.”

“Hmm.”

Johan’s expression did not waver. Because. . .

‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺.’

Still, it would be difficult if all the lords of the same faith fell, so he was helping them by accepting money, but Johan was not such a good person that he would risk his life to protect all the brothers of faith.

If the fiefdom that Johan failed to protect fell and burned, it was the fault of the lord of that fiefdom, not Johan’s. He could simply reclaim it later, so there was no reason to be shocked.

Suhekhar was once again impressed by Johan’s expression, which showed no change.

‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.’

Even if he was shocked inside, the fact that he didn’t show it at all was a great mental discipline. Such courage at such a young age. Suhekhar was ashamed of his own children.

“Even so, it is something we must endure.”

“Is that so?. . . As a token of gratitude for Your Highness’s honor and mercy.”

“?”

“The sultan’s army is also coming from the north. Over that mountain range.”

“. . .!!”

Johan was shocked at those words.

Just the landing alone had been a huge landing that shook the empire to its core, and now there was another army coming from above?

‘𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺??’

Johan began to seriously consider withdrawing. If the sultan was crazy, there was no reason to hang out with a crazy person.

“I knew Your Highness would not be surprised. If you were a person who would be discouraged by this, you would not have achieved such fame.”

Suhekhar spoke with a voice full of respect and admiration. Johan wanted to ask for more details, but he couldn’t because of the atmosphere.

“I will not forget Your Highness’s honorable mercy.”

“About the ransom. . .?”

Johan finally found an opportunity to speak. Suhekhar looked puzzled at Johan’s words.

“The ransom will, of course, be sent by a messenger. Is there something you are curious about. . .?”

Suhekhar had naturally forgotten about the ransom. He had intended to accept it unconditionally since he had received such a generous offer.

“It’s nothing.”

Johan realized the situation belatedly and felt embarrassed inwardly. It was because the other party had accepted it right away and the topic had not come up. Suhekhar said one last thing.

“We will probably withdraw soon. I wonder what Your Highness intends to do.”

“I will hold the fortress gates closed and endure until they are all gone.”

Suhekhar nodded at the impenetrable firmness. Thanks to his conversation with the duke, he had gained the courage to make a decision.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“The damage will be great, but it’s not the worst-case scenario.”

The people of the republic were surprised by Johan’s words, but they did not panic or insist on retreating.

“The fiefdoms here all have high walls and plenty of food. We can withstand the sultan’s army for years. Why should we run away? Especially when Your Highness is leading us!”

“. . . . . .”

Johan sighed even more because it was the voice of someone who truly believed, not someone trying to bait him.

‘𝘐’𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮.’

Most of the knights seemed to have a different brain structure than Johan. They were truly and wholeheartedly convinced that they could win. To those who were already convinced, Johan’s victories must have felt like a divine revelation.

“Isn’t it a bit. . . too dangerous?”

“You think so too!”

Johan held Caenerna’s hand tightly. He was so happy to meet this red-haired wizard with a sane mind after meeting crazy b*stards all day long.

Caenerna pulled her hand away and drew a simple symbol on the back of the duke’s hand with her finger. She thought deeply and spoke slowly.

“It’s not the worst, but I don’t know who will win if a large army clashes. . . If we can quickly capture that Manansir guy before the sultan arrives, it might not be bad to withdraw.”

“Gather the troops and head south. . .”

Johan fell into thought. The monotheist lord’s fiefdoms would not fall so easily, but it felt too dangerous to gather the troops and march south. The sultan’s army wouldn’t just stand by and watch, would they?

“No. That’s too risky.”

“Really?”

Caenerna wasn’t particularly attached to the idea. She was a wizard, not a commander.

“Then. . . it seems like the best option is to endure as the republic’s sailors said. . .”

Caenerna took out a letter from her sleeve. Johan looked at her in wonder, and Caenerna shrugged and said.

“Rumors say that an army has arrived near the holy land to the south. There are several such rumors among the merchants. But none of the places have actually fallen. I understand why Your Highness is anxious, but it might be better to be a little more relaxed.”

Before she could finish speaking, a slave soldier rushed in with a pale face and shouted.

“Your Highness! They say the holy land has fallen!”

“. . .That must be another false rumor.”

Caenerna insisted in an unusually strong voice.

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