How to Live as a Wandering Knight – Chapter 363

𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 (7)

Everyone had dreamt of being acknowledged by their parents at some point in their lives. Ulrike was no exception. When she was younger, she had even dreamed about it.

She would imagine Countess Abner, who had always been so strict, finally acknowledging her.

It was always a variation of Ulrike performing some feat during a crisis the countess found herself in and being praised for it.

Of course, as she grew older, she stopped expecting such things. She had her own fiefdom to manage, her own vassals to tend to.

However, none of those fantasies resembled the current situation. Ulrike stared at the countess incredulously.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“You were able to suppress your emotions and make a cold, calculated political judgment. Not anyone can do that.”

“. . .”

Come to think of it, it wasn’t completely absurd. Ulrike understood why the countess was suddenly complimenting her.

‘𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺. . .’

But that didn’t mean she felt good about it. Honestly, if not for Johan’s quick thinking, a few more of those people under the covers, if not Caccia, would have ended up as bloody pulps. Being praised for that didn’t feel so great.

Ulrike grumbled with thinly veiled resentment.

“I can only wonder why the countess was unable to make such a cool-headed judgment.”

Just thinking about Stephen still made her so angry that she wanted to grab her sword. Ulrike had done all the dirty work, yet a no-good bastard who hadn’t lifted a finger was receiving all the praise.

Even as she grumbled, Ulrike expected the countess to brazenly brush her off or slip away smoothly. However, the countess readily admitted her fault.

“I failed to make a calm decision. That is why I wanted you to avoid making the same mistake.”

“. . .”

Ulrike was filled with indescribable emotions. Suddenly, the countess seemed smaller. As Ulrike watched the countess’s retreating figure from behind, she frowned slightly.

“Are you okay?”

Johan asked, a little worried.

Countess Abner wasn’t exactly the kind of person who would cheer Ulrike up.

Even without that, the situation was already annoying enough.

Things would only get worse, not better, if the countess tried to talk to her.

In the worst-case scenario, she might even swing her sword. . .

“I promise on my honor that I won’t swing my sword, so please stop glancing at my sword. Okay?”

“You got me there. Sorry.”

“What do you take me for, some kind of maniac. . .”

Ulrike grumbled and raised both hands.

“Thanks for your concern, Duke. I wasn’t planning to swing my sword anyway. It’s just that. . . the countess seems a little different than before, and I’m curious about that.”

“Has she gotten older?”

“She has gotten older, but she used to seem more imposing.”

Johan nodded at her words.

“Well, it’s only natural that she would seem smaller. Just think about all the treasures we looted from this expedition.”

“. . .That’s not what I meant. . . Well, I guess it makes sense in a way. . .”

A knight’s squire begins as an apprentice knight and grows up following in their master’s footsteps. They fight alongside their master on the battlefield until one day, they realize something.

That their master has grown old and weary. And that they have surpassed their master.

“Right. Like knights. . . I guess it’s the same for nobles.”

“Well, I’m glad it ended well.”

“Stop trying to gloss over it. Go get those two wizards over here.”

“Even if I told them, the wizards would insist that it wasn’t their fault for the misleading. . .”

As they conversed, Ulrike suddenly remembered a conversation she had had with the countess in the past.

“Wait. I almost forgot about the gift.”

“A gift for the countess?”

“No. One that I’m supposed to receive.”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Sir Inno of the Gowan family was known for being quite a cantankerous old man. Even the commoners of the nearby village would avoid Sir Inno whenever they saw him. There was no point in getting into pointless arguments with him.

However, Inno began acting differently at some point. There was always a faint smile on his face, he would greet the commoners he met on the street, and he even went so far as to give coins to beggars.

The villagers gossiped about it, saying things like, ’𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵?’

However, the village chief, who had a knack for getting information, didn’t fall for it. He learned the truth from the bailiff and shared it with the villagers.

“Apparently, Sir Inno’s son is doing very well.”

“You mean the Butcher?”

“Shhh. Be quiet. Do you want to get whipped?”

Gerdolf himself didn’t care much whether people called him the Butcher or the Slaughterer, but his father, Sir Inno, would fly into a rage and start swinging his whip whenever he heard those nicknames.

Despite bragging about his son’s savagery and bravery in front of other knights, he was secretly bothered by the underlying meaning of those nicknames.

“Such a brutish and bloodthirsty knight won’t last long.”

“I heard from a bard that knights need to be wise as well.”

“My uncle is a mercenary, and he says that knights who don’t know anything are never going to make it. . .”

The villagers wished for Gerdolf to reveal his true nature, harboring ill feelings towards him.

Sir Inno was extremely eccentric, and Gerdolf was a terrifying knight.

The people preferred knights like Duke Yeats, who had pure passion in his heart and deep faith on his lips, rather than knights who always wore their helmets down, creating a fierce atmosphere.

However, Sir Inno’s complexion improved every time they saw him. Not just his complexion, but his overall demeanor.

“Isn’t that a new outfit? Where did he get such fine clothes?”

“I heard it’s made of the finest wool imported from far away.”

“But he was complaining about not having enough money to buy a single sword the last time he was here. . .?”

The villagers used to get angry at the knight, saying “Don’t you go out with tattered armor and a rusty sword just because you are poor!” But when he showed up wearing such fancy new clothes, it was quite surprising to them.

And it didn’t end there.

━𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭. 𝐇𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐢𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞. . .

━𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭!? 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨!?

━𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

━𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!? 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨!?!

The villagers realized that a person could truly change. The man who used to grumble about everything now walked around with such dignity that it was hard to believe he was the same person.

It was truly amazing, but there was a hint of majesty in his demeanor.

“He holds a high position in His Excellency the Countess’s court.”

“I saw him talking to other knights the other day, and they all stepped aside to make way for him.”

“The Butcher sure has become something!”

The villagers gradually adapted to this pleasant change. They were now ashamed of their past mockery of Sir Gerdolf. They prayed for him to rise even higher.

“I hope he accomplishes many more great things.”

“I wonder if he’ll perform another great feat before the autumn harvest? I’m getting kinda hungry. . .”

“He might scatter silver coins if he does something great this time.”

However, their expectations were met with a completely different outcome.

Sir Inno suddenly began walking around with a sullen expression on his face.

His once broad shoulders slumped, and he walked around with his gaze fixed on the ground, making everyone who saw him feel sorry for him.

“Why is he acting like that?”

“I heard that Sir Gerdolf went on the Holy Land expedition.”

“Oh. . . Oh my. Isn’t that a great honor!? Pilgrimage is a great thing, but an expedition. . .! But why is he acting like that?”

The villagers, who were unaware of the truth, rejoiced innocently. However, the village chief, who was quite knowledgeable, shook his head repeatedly.

“It’s not always a good thing to go on an expedition, you fools. Don’t you know how dangerous it is? He could get sick on the journey, or his ship could sink and he could drown. Or he could end up screaming and dying in battle against the pagans.”

“B-But it’s an honorable thing to do. . .”

“Will honor fill your stomach? Don’t talk nonsense to the lord without understanding the situation. You’ll get whipped.”

The villagers wisely kept their mouths shut. Thanks to that, they were able to avoid the whip.

However, the same couldn’t be said for the nobles of other families. They had always been jealous of Sir Inno’s smug attitude, so they took this opportunity to visit him and pester him.

“Well, well. To think he would go on such a dangerous expedition. It is indeed a very honorable and sacred thing to do.”

“. . .”

“We should have joined him, but alas, we are ashamed that we did not. . .”

It didn’t end there. Even the merchants, who would normally have been careful about their behavior, came to him after hearing the rumors and urged him.

“Sir Inno, it’s about time you paid off your debts. . .”

“When did I ever say I wouldn’t pay you back!?”

“I know, but my situation is really bad! Boohoo. I’m on the verge of bankruptcy, so please pay me back for the sake of your honor.”

There were indeed some high-ranking nobles who would borrow large sums of money from merchants and then eat it all up or run away with it, but they were a very small minority.

If it were that easy, all nobles would have done it. Merchants weren’t that easy to fool.

Furthermore, a knight like Sir Inno would be in real trouble if he tried to pull something like that, as the merchants would hire mercenaries to kill him.

The nobles kept coming to ridicule him, and the merchants kept hounding him.

Just as Sir Inno was about to explode and either swing his sword or run away, rumors began to spread from afar.

News that the Holy Land expedition had been a great success and that the expeditionary force was returning.

“. . .It was truly an honorable and sacred thing to do! It must have been God’s blessing that allowed it to end so perfectly!?”

“I believed in Sir Inno’s teachings. Who else could have made Sir Gerdolf accomplish such great feats?”

“My lord, now that I think about it, I might be able to afford not being paid back. You mentioned wanting to buy a new warhorse. Should I get one for you?”

“. . .”

Inno was speechless, but he held back. After all, that was how the world worked.

And then, Gerdolf returned. His return was highly anticipated, with most of the nobles from nearby families gathering to wait for him.

From his achievements in the distant East to the treasures he brought back with him.

If they could receive even one of those as a gift, it would be a fortune for the impoverished nobles.

“There he comes!”

The villagers were also very curious, so they went outside the village and waited. In the distance, a heavily armed knight and dozens of soldiers were approaching.

“Where are the treasures??”

“I don’t see any?”

“Maybe he’s bringing them separately?”

“How much treasure could there be that he needs to bring them separately?!”

While the people were gossiping, Sir Inno ran up to Gerdolf and embraced him. When would the family ever see another knight like him?

At first, when Gerdolf said he was going to follow the duke, Sir Inno thought, ‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥!’ But now that he thought about it, it was. . .

“You’ve worked hard! You’ve truly worked hard. All the nobles nearby have gathered here, just waiting for you! Let’s sit down and have a chat!”

Sir Inno said with an expectant look on his face. He was already excited at the thought of bragging about Gerdolf’s achievements.

“I must go.”

“???”

“His Grace the Duke is waiting. I’ll take my leave.”

“W-Wait a minute. Just a minute. . .”

Inno was flustered and grabbed Gerdolf by the collar as he turned to leave without saying anything else.

“T-There must be time to eat, drink, and talk, right? I want to hear about what happened! Did you happen to obtain any interesting treasures!?”

“His Grace the Duke gave me the treasures from the Sultan’s tent.”

“!???”

Sir Inno’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. What kind of treasure did he get from where??

“T-T-Tell me more about it! I’m so curious! Where is the treasure?”

“I left it at the fiefdom I received. It’s being brought here by ship.”

“A fiefdom!? You received a fiefdom!? Again!? Where!?”

“I must go. His Grace the Duke is waiting.”

Even after hearing just a few words, he was dying to know more, but Gerdolf remained indifferent. He shook off Sir Inno’s clinging hand.

“I’ll come back again.”

“W-Wait. . . No! Just tell me a little bit and then go! Is it that hard!?”

The villagers were bewildered as they watched Gerdolf leave again.

━𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠?

━𝐈 𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

━𝐓𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. . . 𝐀𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭!

For the first time, Sir Inno resented the duke. No matter what, wasn’t this too inflexible?

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