How to Live as a Wandering Knight – Chapter 383

𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 (27)

Offgarden wasn’t a weakling. Wizards were mostly strong-willed, and although there were exceptions, they rarely wavered from their convictions.

Offgarden wasn’t particularly interested in wealth or power and had no desire to be swayed by them.

However. . .

“Y-Your Highness?”

“What is it?”

“Your hand. . .”

“My hand?”

His hand, which he had been resting lightly on the table, tightened until it felt like his shoulder was being crushed. Offgarden felt a primal sense of fear.

Even though he wasn’t showing any hostility and was just standing there quietly, his whole body trembled as if he were standing before a demon. He had heard that Johan hunted the dragon, but at this rate, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to mistake the Duke for a dragon.

Offgarden felt his soul being crushed.

“Actually, I think I can guess without asking. . .!”

“Is that so.”

Johan released his hand with a gentle smile. Offgarden gasped for breath. It had only been a brief moment, but his entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

“You’ve confirmed that it’s dragon’s blood, haven’t you?”

“Yes. It’s dragon’s blood. This is definitely dragon’s blood.”

“I see. As expected of a wizard renowned in the north, your eye for detail is remarkable. Make sure to explain it well so that the feudal lords won’t misunderstand.”

“Yes. . .”

Offgarden left looking much paler and more exhausted than when he had entered. As the wizard left, Johan felt a pang of guilt.

“Did I throw him too hard?”

“If a wizard is stupid, that’s his fault. Not being able to save the feudal lords’ lives yet being stubborn deserves death. You practically saved that wizard’s honor and life, so you have nothing to feel sorry about. That wizard will learn the truth later.”

Unlike the slightly regretful Johan, Suetlg was very cold-hearted. If the positions were reversed, Suetlg would have accepted it.

If the wizard was not making proper judgements and was acting stupidly, then he deserved insults more severe than what happened today.

“His shoulder isn’t broken, is it?”

“. . .How did you even grab him that his shoulder broke in between?”

“Didn’t you just say I have nothing to feel sorry about because I practically saved his honor and life?”

“I did say that but there was no need to break his shoulder. . .”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Fortunately, Offgarden appeared without any bandages. Feeling the gaze of Johan and Suetlg behind him, Offgarden stood before the feudal lord who was suffering from the most severe symptoms.

“I will now heal your illness. . .”

“Please do, wizard!”

The feudal lord’s vassals spoke earnestly, oblivious to the hidden truth. They couldn’t afford to lose their lord to a dragon’s curse.

Offgarden felt guilty as he brewed the herbal medicine. This medicine, created through a vision, could cure endemic diseases, but it couldn’t cure the dragon’s curse.

How would the vassals react if another illness struck?

‘𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺!’

Offgarden apologized in his heart. Even the wizard himself didn’t know he would act this way. The person behind him was too intimidating to ignore or defy.

“Drink this.”

“Ugh. . .”

The feudal lord groaned and gulped it down. Suetlg then nodded and stepped forward.

“I will protect you from the dragon’s curse.”

Suetlg, with pig, no, dragon’s blood smeared on his finger, began to draw geometric patterns on the feudal lord’s face and chest. The vassals, who didn’t know any better, were impressed, but Johan realized that they were mathematical symbols used in the East.

‘𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘺?’

Even so, it’s not like he’s deliberately creating fake patterns because he’s too lazy to draw real ones. What if someone notices if he just uses the mathematical symbols from the East?

However, not surprisingly, no one noticed. Offgarden also seemed ignorant of arithmetic.

“Haas! Haaas!”

Suetlg shouted and recited fake spells. He threw the powder he was holding, and the powder caught fire in the air, creating a fantastic effect. The vassals were once again impressed.

Offgarden and Johan knew that it wasn’t magic but just a trick of scattering powder, but they pretended to be impressed as well.

“Well. That’s it. The dragon’s curse will never touch you, my lord.”

“Thank you! Thank you!”

The vassals, moved to tears, grabbed Johan’s hand.

“It’s all thanks to Your Highness for granting us the dragon’s blood. Thank you so much. We will never forget this favor!”

“It’s only natural to do this much for my fellow nobles who fought alongside me.”

Johan replied solemnly. Offgarden, who knew the truth, made a complicated expression and tried to check the feudal lord’s condition. If the dragon’s curse were to strike again and invade the feudal lord’s body, he would have to do something.

. . .However, the feudal lord was sleeping very comfortably.

“???”

Offgarden hurriedly grabbed the feudal lord’s wrist, checked his neck, and even flipped the feudal lord over. The vassals spoke with displeasure.

“Wizard, Lord is resting. . .”

“Ah. . . No. I’m sorry. I just wanted to check something. The feudal lord seems to be fine.”

“Of course, he is fine. We just lifted the curse!”

The vassals spoke to the wizard as if to say, ’𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵?’ Offgarden nodded slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Right. That’s. . . That’s right. I guess I acted too hastily.”

“I apologize, wizard. I think I was a little rude because I was so worried about the Lord’s health.”

“Ah. . . No. I was hasty too.”

Offgarden carefully glanced around. Even when he looked again, the feudal lord was perfectly fine.

Suetlg clicked his tongue at the sight. He then approached Offgarden and whispered quietly.

“Do you understand what’s going on now?”

“. . .!”

Offgarden’s expression turned to realization. And then he sincerely apologized to Johan and Suetlg. Out of his character as a wizard, he had caused them unnecessary trouble due to his misunderstanding. Even commoners would make such ignorant mistakes.

“I am truly ashamed. . .!”

“It’s okay. I would have misunderstood too if the situation were reversed. Just try to be a little more flexible in your thinking from now on, taking this as a lesson.”

“I was really surprised. I thought it. . . was real dragon’s blood.”

“. . .Think about it again.”

“???”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

After treating the last feudal lord, Suetlg washed his hands with a relieved expression.

“Let’s never come to the north again.”

“I thought so too.”

He figured he had done everything he needed to do in the north anyway. After all, he had initially come here to lead an expeditionary force, flaunt his authority, and keep the suspicious feudal lords in check.

He had accomplished something dozens of times more effective. It could be said that it was thanks to the dragon. He wouldn’t say it was thanks to him, considering how much he had struggled.

‘𝘊𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺.’

No matter how he thought about it, the events of the past few weeks had been ridiculous. It was easy to hunt the dragon, but who would have thought that it would cause such a mess because of an unrelated endemic disease?

When it was time to say goodbye, the nobles who had participated in the expedition greeted the people of the north. Northern nobles who had arrived late for the festival also came to express their gratitude.

“Your Highness. By any chance. . . Can I also receive a lump of soil from your town?”

“???”

Johan was taken aback when a knight who clearly owned a town approached him with strange words.

At first, he thought he was asking for a fiefdom. After all, giving a lump of soil was a ceremony performed by a feudal lord when accepting a vassal.

But no one in their right mind would ask a foreign high noble for land without any justification, saying, ’𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥?’

Moreover, he said it was soil from his own town. That wasn’t asking Johan for a fiefdom but rather asking him to accept him as a vassal since he would be pledging his loyalty.

The knight would pay taxes, and Johan would lend him his fame. It wasn’t a nonexistent relationship, but it was a bit unexpected to be asked about it so suddenly.

“Wait a minute. ‘I also’? Does that mean others have done so?”

“Yes? Didn’t the lords pledge vassalage to Your Highness after you showed them the miracle of lifting the dragon’s curse?”

The knight asked back, looking puzzled.

“They don’t pledge vassalage just because I hunted a dragon, sir knight.”

“Yes. I know that too.”

“Then why are you spreading such rumors. . .”

“I thought the lords pledged their allegiance because Your Highness showed them the miracle of lifting the dragon’s curse. . .?”

“. . . . . .”

The rumor the knight brought had an unexpected beginning, middle, and end. The logic was quite sound as well.

The feudal lords, who were ungrateful even after the dragon was hunted, were humbled and realized the importance of humility when the dragon’s curse befell them.

So when they were healed, they pledged vassalage as God’s will. . .

“I’m saying this for your own good, but don’t go around saying that.”

“I. . . I apologize.”

The knight stepped back, flustered. And then the next count came to greet him.

“Your Highness. I heard about you hunting the dragon instead of the northern knights. I am truly impressed.”

“You flatter me. Thank you.”

“Would you happen to bestow upon me a lump of soil from your fiefdom?”

“. . . . . .”

Johan tried to find his composure. And then he spoke again.

“When you hear rumors, make sure to check if they are true.”

“Yes? No. Haha! Your Highness. I don’t just blindly believe such rumors.”

“. . .?”

“If Your Highness were to lend me your strength, I would use the authority of a tyrant to deal with those who dared to meddle. Lend me your strength, Your Highness! I will be your faithful dog!”

“. . . . . .”

This one was taking things a step further. From the looks of it, he seemed to be a young master who had been alienated in the north because he supported the emperor’s faction. Johan firmly refused, saying that he had no intention of starting another civil war that had just ended.

“I have no intention of starting a war in the north.”

“How can that be. . .!”

The count looked at Johan with a betrayed expression. He seemed to have genuinely thought that Johan would start a war.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Having finished what he had to do in the north, Johan slowly turned his direction back to his fiefdom and returned.

Of course, he received invitations from various nobles who had heard the rumors, but they were nothing special compared to hunting the dragon.

When he saw the harbor in the distance and the familiar castle walls, Johan realized anew that he had come a long way. If he hadn’t encountered the storm, he would have arrived much sooner. Instead, he had suffered several times more because of an unexpected coincidence.

‘𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘯. . .’

Fortunately, his struggles were not in vain. If he hadn’t traveled the empire himself, he wouldn’t have known what the nobles of the empire were thinking after the civil war. And it would have been impossible to capture their hearts.

There were many peculiar people, but judging from the friendly hospitality and farewell they gave him, even the most discontented northerners, he was sure that there would be no problems for a while. He was confident of that.

“What do you plan to do first when you return?”

“Well.”

At Iselia’s question, Johan thought for a moment. There were still many things left to deal with. From the newly acquired spoils of war to responding to the proposals of the northern nobles.

But thinking about it, those were trivial matters.

“For a while. . . I just want to stop wandering. I’ve been wandering around too much.”

The vassals burst into laughter at Johan’s answer. It was indeed a refreshing answer. After traveling from almost the western end to the eastern end, what did he mean?

“No one can stop you if that’s what you want.”

“Thank you.”

Johan nodded at the kind words. He really didn’t feel like traveling for a while. Looking back, he realized how much he had traveled. As if something was calling him from a different place.

“Yes. When I return to my fiefdom, I will sit down for a while and focus on governing. . .”

The faces of the wizards lit up slightly with anticipation. They thought that their lord would finally pick up a quill instead of a sword.

Just then, an envoy came running from afar in a hurry. He must have been in such a hurry that he didn’t wait at the inner castle and came running as soon as he heard that the duke’s party was coming. He was an envoy from the republic.

“Your Highness! We have been waiting for your arrival. Only Your Highness can do this!”

“. . . . . .”

Johan frowned instead of responding. However, what he was going to say was already as good as decided.

━━𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐝━━

Translator’s Blog

Blog

• My Two Classmates Just Went Full Anime Fight Club Over… WAIFUS?!
• Kakashi Hatake: The Ultimate Husbando? A Deep Dive into the Sharingan of Our Desires
• Lacus Clyne: The Ultimate Waifu? A Gundam SEED Freedom Deep Dive
• How to Stop Your Friends From Thinking You’re a Weeb: A Guide for the Anime-Obsessed
• Intrusive Thoughts: Pikachu vs Levi