How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 273: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 (2)

They could not fathom what Johan’s intricate feelings were, thus the priests were simply elated that Johan had understood.

Although Johan was amiable towards the order and respectful towards even the poorest monks, in terms of status, there was a vast difference between Johan and the priests.

The reason feudal lords accepted the priests’ petitions was to show off their honor and religiosity, not because they were scared of the priests.

Johan, in such a position, was listening attentively to the priests and meeting the people the priests had brought with them without showing any signs of displeasure.

It was something that truly devout people would find difficult to do.

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“Did His Excellency really grant permission?”

“Yes. Didn’t I tell you? The devotion of Your Excellency is incomparable to the other feudal lords of the Empire; the difference is like that between the sun and a candle.”

If Johan heard them, he would have told them to hush, but the priests were being completely serious.

If it were a count-level figure, they might not have received the newly risen feudal lords.

Even if they recognized the new feudal lords, who had risen to power after fighting amongst themselves, it was still considered a loss of dignity to meet and converse with them in person.

In fact, when a delegation arrived, some of the lords in the west did not meet them in person and instead had their chamberlains handle matters. It was disrespectful, but given the circumstances, the rebels could hardly be blamed.

“So. Shall we go in, baron?”

“W-Well. . . I’m worried it will appear disrespectful if we go in just like this.”

Julienne felt a renewed sense of anxiety, looking himself and the priest up and down. They were both dressed roughly and dirtily. They had tried to dust themselves off before the meeting, but the stains that had soaked into their clothes did not disappear easily.

It didn’t matter when they were alone, but it was embarrassing to stand before a count dressed like this. He suddenly felt ashamed and anxious.

“It’s fine! Let’s go!”

“W-Wait a moment. . .”

Johan was puzzled as he watched Julienne enter with the priests. The man looked far more normal than he had expected.

Johan had been expecting a suspicious-looking appearance like Jyanina based on what the priests had said, but the opposite was true. He did not give off any sense of creepy fanaticism or madness. At a glance, he looked like a simple, harmless shepherd.

“How incredibly unexpected.”

Suetlg seemed surprised as well.

Ordinarily, famous fanatics showed signs from their appearance. Whether they had met a malevolent spirit or something else, those who believed that they had met a god exuded a peculiar aura.

They usually attracted people by giving off a unique atmosphere that could be felt from a distance.

In comparison, Julienne here really did just look like a shepherd. He looked like he couldn’t tell a single lie so honestly that even the city guards wouldn’t arrest him.

“The ones like that are more dangerous.”

“Indeed. . .”

Caenerna and Suetlg briefly exchanged opinions; a madman that looked sane was scarier than a madman that looked crazy.

“Rather than that, what’s with those wings? Is he an avian beastman?”

If there was one peculiar thing about him, it was the wings on his back. They were the kind of wings that avian beastmen would have. As a result, the back of his coat was puffed up, failing to conceal his wings.

“If he was an avian demi-human, his wings would have been much closer to his arms. That’s just a hex.”

“Don’t call it a hex.”

“Then is it a revelation?”

“Strictly speaking, it’s closer to a hex, but who’s going to listen?”

While the wizards were chattering, Julienne began his greeting.

“Y-Y-Your Excellency Count, I greet you.”

“Baron. There’s no need to be so polite with me.”

Johan spoke as he saw Julienne about to prostrate himself. There was a vast difference in their respective forces, but as long as they were both feudal lords and not in a vassal relationship, there was no need to show more courtesy than necessary.

“O-Oh, I see. I’d forgotten. My apologies. I haven’t been in my position for very long. . .”

Suetlg’s expression relaxed slightly. He had a weakness for people who were innocent and pure.

Caenerna, on the other hand, gave him an even more guarded look.

“Y-Your Excellency Count, whose reputation shines so brightly throughout the Empire. . .”

As he was speaking, Julienne stole a glance downward. Caenerna realized it.

‘𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯!’

He had been unable to memorize it and was reading it from something he had written down. It was unbelievable. Of course, there were many nobles and knights who lacked a proper education and were unable to memorize long speeches, but even so, a man who was supposed to be a focal point of rebellion. . .

“. . .Anyway, i-it’s an honor! Thank you. . .!”

“I see.”

After several hesitations and pauses, the greeting came to an end. Johan nodded patiently after listening to him.

“I’m also pleased to meet a baron whose reputation shines so brightly. I hear you have something to tell me from what the priests said. What is it?”

Johan’s friendly attitude seemed to boost Julienne’s courage. Julienne nodded and spoke slowly.

“Y-Your Excellency Count! The feudal lords of the Empire are all mostly corrupt right now. We must awaken them from their corruption by any means necessary. Your Excellency Count, I’m so happy that you’re going to s-support me!”

“. . . . . .”

The pleasant atmosphere suddenly grew colder. Suetlg, who had been wearing an easygoing expression, was startled and quickly fixed his expression. Only the priests seemed pleased as they listened.

“So. . . you’re going to go around and preach?”

Johan asked, just in case.

It was possible to go and preach to feudal lords. Although the feudal lords would be very displeased, as long as they weren’t extremely obstinate feudal lords, they wouldn’t banish or execute a priest.

And once in a great while, there were cases where a feudal lord would be impressed by the sermon and change his mind. . .

“I-It’s not enough to preach. For the corrupt ones who don’t listen, we have to punish them with iron and fire.”

“. . .He’s even crazier than I thought. . .”

Caenerna muttered in a shocked voice. Fortunately, it was quiet enough that only Johan could hear.

Johan finally understood why the order liked this baron.

The order’s authority in the Empire had been greatly weakened due to the tyrant emperor. They had lost some of their original authority and several others had been abolished.

If things were going well, that would be one thing, but with a civil war going on and over half of the southern regions in ruins, the order could hardly just stand by and watch.

In the midst of all this, a devout believer had shown a miracle and received a revelation to raise the order’s prestige in the Empire, so the faithful bishops must have been quite moved.

’𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮. . .’

“Come to think of it, it might not be so bad.”

“Are you crazy too?!”

Caenerna whispered incredulously at Suetlg’s words.

The Empire had been in chaos when the emperor’s power was too strong, but it was the same when the order’s power was too strong.

Who could be called crazy b*stards if not the crazy b*stards who would hire mercenaries, invade a feudal lord’s fiefdom, kidnap the feudal lord, and drag him to the order?

But Suetlg shook his head.

“Think about it carefully. At least they won’t be bothering us here.”

“. . . . . .”

“If they want to go pick fights in other fiefdoms and with other feudal lords, why not just let them? It’s better if they don’t target the count.”

“Is. . . that so?”

“That’s how it seems.”

Caenerna was slightly swayed by Suetlg’s opinion. It was true that she was somewhat enticed by the idea of the crazy flames spreading to other places instead of here.

She could ask Johan for help, but she could just politely decline if he did. . .

Even if that baron incurred the wrath of the feudal lords in the Empire, the order wouldn’t be dragged into it, so it wouldn’t affect Johan.

“Let’s just give him some encouragement and send him on his way.”

“Now that I think about it, that sounds like the right thing to do.”

Johan shook his head repeatedly as he listened to the two wizards.

“I am impressed by the baron’s deep faith. Do you have anything else to say?”

“N-No. . . I don’t. Thank you.”

Julienne seemed quite satisfied just by the fact that Johan had listened to him without showing any disgust.

Just by having their position as feudal lords recognized, they had already achieved their desired goal.

On top of that, by meeting and conversing with the count, who was known for his deep faith, they were also able to see that the count’s faith was genuine.

“Bring that over here.”

Johan had a servant bring over a chest filled with silver coins. The priests were surprised and tried to wave their hands.

“I dare not accept it, Your Excellency Count!”

“It is my joy and honor to bestow it upon the priests. Why would you refuse?”

Johan was not giving them the silver coins because they were rotting and he wanted to give them to the priests. In fact, they had been rotting lately, but his true intention was to impress the priests and keep them from having other thoughts.

If he gave them a gift like this in advance, they wouldn’t hold a grudge against him even if he refused their requests later.

‘𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮.’

Caenerna thought so, and she was right.

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It wasn’t just the wizards; Johan also guessed that the new baron wouldn’t last very long. No matter how much the order helped him, there was a clear limit. He said that he would use force if necessary, but feudal lords also had force at their disposal.

However, the news from the priests was different from what he had expected.

“A castellan was exempted from working as a collaborator this time.”

“Did you hear, count? That cruel baron promised to reduce punishment in the future.”

“No. . .”

Johan was shocked.

Was there something more to that pathetic-looking shepherd baron?

“Perhaps he has the talent of a wizard.”

“What?”

“Didn’t he show a miracle? A wizard’s words have power, and those who aren’t strong are easily swayed. You and I know magic and have strong spirits, but others don’t. They might have been surprisingly easy to persuade.”

Come to think of it, the wizards here and Johan were quite lacking in faith.

Most feudal lords lived debauched lives or didn’t follow the order’s teachings, but they weren’t completely devoid of faith.

To them, Julienne, who had suddenly appeared and even shown them a miracle, might have seemed more convincing than they had expected.

“It’s strange, but isn’t it a good thing?”

“He does seem a bit crazy, but it’s definitely not a bad thing for the people of the Empire.”

“Aren’t you both being a little too optimistic. . .”

Unlike Caenerna, Johan and Suetlg didn’t have any particular thoughts. Wouldn’t it be a good thing if the serfs of the Empire could live a little better? Besides, there hadn’t been any fighting.

However, even Caenerna had to admit that there were more pressing matters right now than the fanatics down south.

With the Rimpangel family sending more dwarves to build the castle, mercenaries were also gathering in response.

Among the knights with fiefdoms like Johan with fierce reputations, mercenaries were the ones who could cause trouble. If they weren’t managed strictly, order would collapse in an instant.

The mercenary captains were surprised to see the count suddenly appear and hurriedly prepared themselves.

They had expected a representative of the count to come, not the count himself.

“Your Excellency Count, our mercenary company is famous for our exploits in hunting trolls. If you entrust us with the task, we will ensure that no monsters set foot in your fiefdom.”

“Count, our mercenary company is known for our loyalty, even if we are paid late. If you find it hard to believe, you can ask Bishop Baek, who hired us before! Here is a document written by Bishop Baek himself!”

When there was a lot of work, the mercenary captains would get arrogant, but when there was no work, their heads would naturally hang low.

Now that there was less work in this area, Johan, a count who paid his mercenaries well and on time, was a coveted employer for many mercenary groups.

With the silver mine discovered, wouldn’t he be developing all of this nearby land?

“Your Excellency Count, I have something to tell you in private.”

One of the mercenary captains said that, and the others gave him guarded looks.

If he tried to curry favor with the count by saying something useless, it would be to their detriment.

“How dare you request a private audience with Your Excellency Count? You’re incredibly rude!”

“Your Excellency Count himself is speechless at your rudeness!”

“Enough. I’ll hear what he has to say, so be quiet.”

“Yes. I’m sorry!!”

“How dare you interrupt? You deserve to die!”

‘𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴?’

Johan was puzzled by the mercenary captains’ overly servile attitudes compared to usual.

How much work must there have been. . .