How to Live as a Wandering Knight – Chapter 351

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 (3)

No offense to the Elf King, but Johan didn’t believe in self-king’s judgment very much.

To be exact, it wasn’t that he lacked judgment. He made the right judgments, but he twisted them to fit his desires.

If Johan sensed that they were outnumbered and would lose if they fought, he would retreat. Was it reasonable to say, ’𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴?’

‘𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. . .’

Johan’s strategy was effective. The Elf King pouted and shut his mouth. He looked like he was berating himself for not being able to kill all the enemies by himself and escape.

“Your Highness, I think we should find a place to rest for a while. The elf knights look exhausted.”

“Indeed.”

Johan nodded at his subordinate’s words. Although he hadn’t been mistreated while he was being held captive, his body became stiff because he was being watched and his actions were restricted.

Although high-ranking nobles received different treatment, even individual knights did not receive luxurious special treatment. The elf knights looked exhausted from their hasty escape.

“We’ve shaken off the pursuit and put some distance between us overnight, so it shouldn’t matter if we take a break.”

“Your Highness! Your Highness! We found a town up ahead.”

The centaurs who had scattered and ran ahead returned with bright faces.

Even though it was the same rest, there was a big difference between camping in the forest and getting dew on your body and borrowing a town to get a good night’s sleep. The elf knights’ faces also brightened when they heard that. They didn’t show it, but they seemed quite tired.

“It’s okay because we’re far from the enemy. . . Be careful what you do. There’s no point in making unnecessary trouble.”

“Don’t worry, Duke. If there’s a problem, I’ll kill them all!”

“. . .Yeah. Don’t do that.”

The elf knights looked at Johan in bewilderment at his words. They thought they had said the right thing. 

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“We should go out and scout again tomorrow. . .”

“No. Let’s rest for a few days. If we keep showing our faces around here, they’ll start to suspect something. We’d better wait a while.”

“But. . .”

The rogues huddled together and grumbled.

While the battle-hardened warriors were poring over the map, the townspeople brought them baskets of freshly baked bread, eggs, sugar, and well-smoked ham. It was an extravagant meal that was hard to believe came from a small town.

Mohado, one of the leaders of the rogues of the Black Mountains, scratched his head.

‘𝘜𝘨𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.’

The Sultan’s march was a huge shock to the rogues hiding in the Black Mountains. At first, they thought he was coming to punish them.

Fortunately, they found out that wasn’t the case, but that didn’t change anything. No matter how big their band of rogues was, they couldn’t rob the Sultan’s massive army. The rogues had to hold their breath and wait for the storm to pass.

But as time went on, the atmosphere became strange. The Sultan’s army, which they thought would be advancing fiercely, got tied up and even started to fight among themselves.

It was the rogues’ rule to ruthlessly tear apart a weakened opponent. The rogues of the Black Mountains confirmed the rumors and immediately started to move.

Of course, they weren’t crazy enough to go and pillage the Sultan’s camp. Their target was much more realistic.

The enormous supplies headed for the Sultan’s camp.

If they could just rob them once, they would have enough to live comfortably for several years.

Of course, the other side wasn’t stupid enough to leave themselves wide open. The rogues were good at surprise attacks, but they couldn’t possibly win a head-on fight against the elite soldiers.

They could only wait with watering mouths.

“But, chieftain. If we stay too long, the townspeople might betray us.”

“Are there any malcontents?”

“Not yet, but isn’t this a little too far from the mountain range?”

The rogues of the Black Mountains, like experienced rogues, knew how to use the townspeople well. Lurking in the woods and starving was something that only amateurs would do.

In fact, after quickly occupying the isolated town and bribing them with silver coins, the townspeople welcomed the invaders without any complaints.

However, this method wasn’t invincible. Time would keep passing, and the day would come when the silver coins the rogues gave them would stop being effective. There was no way to prevent traitors from appearing among the townspeople at that time.

“I understand. Let’s try to endure it a little longer. . .”

“Chieftain! Soldiers are coming to the town!”

“What?!”

Mohado was so surprised that he dropped the sword he was holding. The reason he chose this nameless town was precisely because it was located in a remote and secluded area.

In fact, the feudal lord’s administrator didn’t even visit the town, and the village chief had to go to him in person to pay taxes.

And now, soldiers were coming this way. It was a very ominous sign.

‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵?’

Mohado gulped. To be honest, he wanted to run away right now, but as a seasoned rogue, Mohado maintained his expression. If he panicked now, the townspeople would become even more agitated.

“W-W-What should we do? Sir, you promised us that you wouldn’t cause any trouble?”

The village chief, already terrified, begged with a face as pale as a sheet. No one wanted to end up on the gallows after hiding a band of rogues just to earn a few silver coins.

Mohado was annoyed that he had to worry about saving their lives in this situation, but the cooperation of the townspeople was absolutely necessary. Mohado nodded.

“Don’t worry. I, Mohado, swear by the name of the two gods that I will keep my promise. If we get caught, you can say that we threatened you.”

“T-Thank you.”

“But until then, you must also keep your promise!”

“Yes? What. . .”

“You fool. The soldiers are coming from outside, but do you think they’ll know everything? At most, they’ll just be a little suspicious. Stay calm!”

“Ah. . .”

Seeing that the village chief still hadn’t come to his senses, Mohado threatened him in a stern voice.

“Think carefully. Even if I keep my oath, do you think the feudal lord will let it go? Who knows how many people will be hanged? The best thing for all of us is to not get caught.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“If you understand, move quickly! And don’t show any suspicious signs, got it?!”

“Oh, I’ve never had to welcome such distinguished guests before. . .”

The village chief hurriedly ran off to gather the town’s elders. The rogues were actually getting anxious because he seemed so unsure of himself.

“What do we do? Will they be able to pull it off?”

“. . .Don’t tell the townspeople, and lie in wait quietly.”

“!”

“If we’re discovered, we have to kill them. That way, we’ll at least buy some time to escape.”

It was something that would terrify the townspeople if they found out, but the rogues were prepared to dye the town red with blood if necessary. 

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“. . .Indeed. It is very suspicious.”

Arriving at the town’s entrance, Johan made a troubled expression. A vague sense of discomfort was snowballing within him.

Initially, the centaurs failed to understand Johan’s words, but now, they too were frowning, finding the scene equally strange.

“What is strange?”

In contrast, the elven knights were very composed. Johan kindly explained,

“They shouldn’t know who we are, yet isn’t it a little strange that they’re welcoming us so kindly?”

As per the custom, two of Johan’s subordinates first visited the town to deliver a message asking for cooperation, as they intended to rest in the town.

Of course, the heavily armed soldiers would be visible in the town, so it was essentially a form of intimidation, but Johan knew well that even intimidation could sometimes have an unexpectedly positive effect if delivered in a friendly manner.

Naturally, due to the situation, Johan concealed his identity, using the name of a suitable noble family. . .

. . .and yet, the village chief greeted them with an excessively enthusiastic welcome.

━𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞. 𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬!

“Isn’t it natural to treat honorable knights? Although they are pagans, even the customs of pagans include treating guests. . .”

Born in a land of plenty and raised as nobles, the elven knights were used to being treated well wherever they went.

It was a custom, a law.

In contrast, Johan and the centaurs were more realistic.

It was customary to treat guests well, but that too varied depending on the situation and place.

Heavily armed warriors visiting an unfamiliar and poor place should not be a cause for such joy.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦.’

Of course, Johan might be mistaken. It was possible that the village chief was extraordinarily frightened and was thus being overly kind. . .

‘𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭, 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦.’

“Achladda. Station soldiers at the town entrance and make sure no one escapes.”

“Yes. I was planning to do that anyway.”

Johan’s subordinates were already filled with suspicion.

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The open space where feasts were held in the town became the place to entertain Johan. On a table made by splitting an oak tree in half, food was haphazardly placed.

There were smoked ham and sausages, freshly baked bread and ale, a whole roasted pig and grilled rabbits, a stew of fish caught from the river, small candies hardened with sugar, and more. Although not particularly well-made, it was still a feast for the tired knights who had been traveling.

“Try it first.”

“. . .Ah. Yes!”

The village chief, trembling, ate one by one. The elven knights looked at the village chief with half-doubtful expressions.

Although they couldn’t completely ignore the words of the young duke, who was known to be quite extraordinary, they found it hard to believe that these innocent townspeople were scheming something.

“I’ve eaten everything!”

“Good. Let’s all eat. You must be tired, so eat a lot.”

Johan merely nodded and asked the village chief, 

“Do you brew your own ale?”

“Yes? No.”

“Then you bought it?”

“Yes. . .”

“Where did you buy it?”

“W-We have a friend in the town of Suderi who makes amazing alcohol. . .”

“I see.”

The village chief felt relieved when Johan seemed to accept the explanation.

“But I don’t see anyone in the town who enjoys drinking ale, so why did you buy it?”

“. . .F-For feasts. . .”

“You serve ale at feasts? That’s the first I’ve heard of such a custom.”

The village chief’s face went from pale to white. He couldn’t understand how a noble knew everything about how they lived.

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“Hey. This is bad.”

The rogues who had been observing clicked their tongues. Even though they couldn’t hear the voices, they could tell that the village chief had made a mistake. The atmosphere was getting tenser.

As expected, even the elven knights, who had been eating and drinking, seemed to sense something was wrong and were placing their hands on their weapons.

“When did Mohado-nim say he would arrive? He should come quickly.”

“He said he would come after confirming the enemy’s identity, but he hasn’t come yet. He told us not to act rashly. . .”

“I know that! But look. Do you think that guy won’t figure it out now?? Soon, he’ll figure out even our location!”

The rogue wielding a flail spoke forcefully to his comrade. The flail-wielding rogue was a warrior considered Mohado’s right-hand man. This was due to his bravery, strength, and the numerous achievements he had made.

With such a person speaking forcefully, the other comrades could no longer dissuade him. Moreover, even to them, the current situation seemed rather urgent.

“Send the signal. Paralyze them and then make them surrender!”

“U-Understood.”

𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠!

The flail-wielding rogue jumped out of his seat and dashed into the open space. Then, he shouted.

“Don’t move! Anyone who moves will have their heads crushed! We have surrounded this place, so it would be wise to surrender peacefully! If I so much as lift a finger, arrows will rain down. . .”

The rogue, who had been shouting loudly, sensed something strange.

Normally, when he made such a sudden entrance, the opponents would panic, be frightened, or at the very least, get angry. . .

But his opponents were looking at him with very peculiar expressions.

Puzzled about what those expressions meant, the rogue suddenly recalled a possibility.

It was ridicule.

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Mohado ran in a panic. He realized it only after sneaking around and spying on the foreigners multiple times.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦!’

The duke who led the expedition from the west, boasting monstrous strength.

The duke who had stormed the fortress of the Black Mountains and made a pact with them. He was certain of it. He couldn’t believe they were here, so he confirmed it several times, but it was true.

“Stop! There’s no need to fight! That man’s true identity is the monstrous duke!”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

Mohado, who had been shouting while running through the alleyways, froze.

The subordinates who were supposed to be waiting were all lying face down on the ground, and the elven knights and centaurs were looking at Mohado with expressionless faces.

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