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“I don’t know how to handle fire. . . And even if I did, it’s not an item to be used carelessly. This Fire Goblet is made in pairs. If you light one goblet, the other lights up too.”
Johan quickly realized the value of the item. It was like a small and convenient beacon. Such a powerful magical tool in the hands of this knight. . .
“Was it bestowed by the Emperor?”
“Doesn’t seem likely. I think. . . it was given by a wizard close to the Emperor.”
“?”
“Some powerful wizards use knights for their purposes. Probably given for communication.”
“Hmm. . .”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing. So, this item is then. . .”
Johan’s face hardened. Regardless of which wizard near the Emperor it was, being close to the Emperor meant they were a powerful wizard.
“Can it be traced?”
“Well, I haven’t used it. . . Maybe it can be traced by the difference when moving away or closer.”
“Then we shouldn’t be discussing this leisurely.”
“Don’t worry. Whoever gave this, if they want to find it, they’d have to search extensively. But the Emperor’s army hasn’t come near here. Even a great wizard would just be causing trouble.”
Suetlg smiled slyly and began to wrap the Fire Goblet in a purple cloth with a pattern.
“Good for whoever. I never thought I’d come across something like this here.”
“You said you couldn’t use it yourself, Suetlg-nim?”
“I’ll give it to another wizard who can use it. A good trade, and I can pay off the debt I owe you.”
“. . .?”
Johan thought to himself.
Is it alright to trade such a suspicious item with hidden motives? Of course, it was good for Johan. . .
What Johan didn’t know was that deceiving others without lying was almost routine among wizards. Being able to deceive without telling lies was a skill in itself.
🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
“What have you been up to since dawn? I don’t think the feudal lord would have requested a duel. . .”
Marco asked with a curious expression. It seemed that Johan and Suetlg had been chatting with the feudal lord about this and that since early morning.
“He was asking how we might arrange a marriage with Stephen and a relative.”
“Ah, so that’s why he saw us off so kindly.”
Marco understood. Stephen, who had been listening, exclaimed in surprise.
“I, I have no intention of marrying a dwarf!”
“Why not? Certainly, the Balpa family is smaller than the Abner family, but Sir Stephen, you are not the eldest either. Isn’t it a good opportunity?”
Marco sincerely couldn’t understand. If he were Stephen, he would have immediately accepted the feudal lord’s proposal.
Coming from a background of having nothing, he would definitely accept the chance to marry into a legitimate noble family, whether the other party was a dwarf, a centaur, or an orc. After all, isn’t it about securing a fiefdom?
And the dwarves were renowned for their unity, helping each other even among different families. Even a minor family could connect with others.
“But she’s a dwarf!”
“Yes? I know she’s a dwarf. Didn’t I just say that?”
“. . . . . .”
Stephen decided to keep quiet, feeling that anything more he said would only make him look foolish.
Johan remembered what the feudal lord had given him before leaving.
━𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐚𝐧. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.
It was a knot made from a strand of a beard.
━𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐩𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭, 𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲.
Although Johan was uncertain about the effectiveness of the knot, the sincerity of the feudal lord was clear. There was a sense of accomplishment from fighting alongside Suetlg against the Death Knight that night.
“We should get moving. I have a friend to meet in the city of Vaizen.”
Between the western and southern parts of the Empire lay a vast forest, commonly known as ‘The Black Forest’.
Full of dangers and mysteries, few chose to traverse it, opting instead to travel around it, either above or below.
Johan had once cut through the forest to evade pursuers. . .
. . .and the city located on the path below the forest was Vaizen, bustling due to its riverside location.
“A friend, you say? Is it a noble?”
“I have no noble friends. They wouldn’t consider me a friend, either.”
“That’s unfortunate. I consider Suetlg-nim a friend.”
“Thank you. . . The friend I mentioned is a wizard.”
“!”
Johan was surprised. It was no wonder Suetlg knew other wizards.
“With all the exchanges I need to make, including with the wizard, I should visit my friend. They might have something useful.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“Don’t get your hopes up too high. The treasures wizards possess often have little use for others.”
But regardless of Johan’s expectations, others were excited. To travelers wandering the plains, visiting a city was always an anticipated event, especially as these mercenaries were well-funded.
“Marco?”
“Yes.”
“Keep an eye on the mercenaries so they don’t cause trouble in the city.”
“Understood.”
Part of a knight’s duty was to maintain discipline among mercenaries. Marco firmly resolved to monitor the mercenaries during their stay in the city to prevent any mischief.
“And Stephen.”
“Huh?”
“Keep an eye on Stephen so he doesn’t cause trouble. The mercenaries aren’t fools; they’ll manage on their own.”
“. . .Y-Yes!”
Marco was startled but nodded in agreement.
“Don’t worry. There won’t be time for mischief anyway.”
“?”
“With the flags of the Abner and Jarpen families, do you think we’ll have time to play around? The city’s nobles will be lining up to meet us.”