How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 274: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 (3)

It was only natural for them to do so.

The work of a mercenary was like a fire in the fields: if it burned brightly, the bodies of several men were not enough to put it out, but when the fire went out, they were ignored by the feudal lords no matter how much they begged for employment.

There were mercenary captains who usually had better pay than mercenaries, ate and drank good food and fine wine, and enjoyed themselves. Of course, they had to take responsibility for this.

And the responsibility of mercenaries was iron and blood.

If they really couldn’t find work, a rebellion might break out. It wouldn’t be strange for them to get stabbed with several swords. It was understandable why the mercenary captains were so prickly.

“I wish there were many things to do at a time like this. . .”

Johan was feeling sorry for himself for nothing. If only the mercenaries had flocked to him like this when he was fighting the emperor, how easy it would have been. They didn’t show up then, but now that it’s all over, they come.

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Captain Matter, the leader of the Servants of the King Mercenary group, was a veteran mercenary who had worked as a captain for 8 years. Matter opened his mouth, sniffing his nose like a dog.

“. . . . . .!”

It was not an accusation to be taken lightly. Johan asked with a serious face.

“Do you have any evidence?”

“I’m sorry. I am not capable enough to bring you evidence. But please believe me! Castellan of Vipen tried to hire me directly.”

According to Matter, Castellan of Vipen seemed to be trying to hire mercenaries to seize the silver mine.

If you occupied the silver mine before the dwarves built their castle, it was surprisingly easy to hold out nearby. A fortress was much easier to defend than to attack, and even a hastily built fortress could hold out for a while.

Then the castellan could secretly support the mercenaries and receive a huge amount of silver without anyone knowing.

It was not uncommon for mercenaries or rogues to be hired when they were greedy for someone else’s fiefdom but didn’t have a good excuse.

However. . .

‘𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦.’

Castellan of Vipen was a feudal lord whose fiefdom was not far from this fiefdom. If the distance was short, it would not be difficult to smuggle silver through the dense forest and mountains from the place where the silver mine was discovered.

However, Castellan of Vipen was one of the feudal lords of the south.

He would know better than anyone that Johan had won a direct victory over the emperor’s army, so why would he do such a thing?

Of course, people sometimes did stupid things. In this world, where information spread slowly and was not very accurate, such stupid things happened more often.

But even so. . .

“Castellan of Vipen doesn’t seem like the kind of person to do that.”

Iselia also seemed to think so, and was puzzled by Johan’s words.

“Is that how it is?”

“No. My dear. That’s not what I mean. . . After the emperor’s army was defeated, Castellan of Vipen came to visit.”

As soon as it became known that the emperor’s faction had collapsed, the great and small nobles who had been active in the south began lobbying, each trying to be the first.

Even they had people trying to ask Suetlg for favors, saying that he was a wizard close to Johan, so of course Iselia had several times more requests.

━𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥. . .

There were many things like this, but not only that. There were quite a few cases where people who were already in the position of feudal lords came to ask for favors.

A powerful feudal lord like Johan would be settling down nearby, so everyone had to show him respect.

“What kind of person was the Castellan of Vipen?”

“He was a man of strong faith. He praised you many times.”

“. . .I feel like there are too many people with strong faith these days.”

“Isn’t it because you are a man of strong faith?”

Johan frowned at Iselia’s words.

“Iselia. I am not an impious man, but my faith is nothing compared to that of truly devout people, so don’t say that.”

“I think that kind of humility is the very condition of deep faith. My dear.”

“. . .Let’s get back to the story of the castellan. So he was a man of deep faith?”

“Yes.”

Iselia wiped the side of her sword with a cloth. It was something that could have been done by a servant, but Iselia enjoyed cleaning her weapons as a hobby.

Johan didn’t bother to stop her. If Iselia wanted to clean her weapons while talking or stand on her head while talking, he didn’t care. And that’s what made Iselia happy.

“The castellan. . . um. . . he said that it was natural for someone with your strong faith to win, and that the other feudal lords in the south lacked faith. It seemed a bit harsh.”

“That’s even more strange. Well, it’s possible that the mercenaries were just talking nonsense.”

“If you doubt it, why don’t you invite the castellan? It wouldn’t be a bad idea to invite the other feudal lords in the south. You are an outsider after all, so it wouldn’t hurt to reassure the southern feudal lords.”

“Can I reassure them by inviting them to a banquet?”

“I think it’s quite possible. I think it’s your forte.”

“. . .?”

Johan was surprised, but Iselia was serious.

If a knight who thrust a spear at a dragon had the talent to appease and reassure others, people would laugh at him in disbelief, but surprisingly, Johan was better at appeasing and persuading than at fighting.

Didn’t Iselia herself feel it the most?

“Well. . . that’s not a bad idea. I guess I’ll have to invite the southern feudal lords and hold a banquet.”

“If you think that’s not enough, how about a jousting tournament? Any noble would be honored to participate in a jousting tournament you host.”

“It’s expensive.”

“. . .My dear. . . Do you know how much money you have right now?”

This time it was Iselia’s turn to be surprised. Even Iselia, who didn’t know much about management, could see that Johan’s wealth was enormous.

The compensation paid by the emperor’s faction, the ransom paid by the people who belonged to the emperor’s faction, the trade route to the east that ran through the southern fiefdom. . .

It was enough to train new slave soldiers in Iselia’s fiefdom, not counting the subordinates he had with him now.

When you accumulate wealth, you tend to spend it on luxuries, but Johan has no intention of getting off his horse, so his wealth continues to grow.

Compared to Iselia’s original Bluea family and the next Asada family, Johan’s finances were surprisingly wealthy.

“No matter how much money you have, it’s still expensive.”

“Does it make sense that we have wealth to distribute to serfs but no wealth to host honorable tournaments?!”

Iselia rarely backed down. Her pride as a knight prevented her from giving in.

“The jousting tournament will surely impress the feudal lords of the south and make them kneel before you.”

“The feudal lords of the south. . .Alright. I don’t really care whether they kneel or not, but I’ll do it for you, Iselia. Because you like it.”

“. . . . . .”

Iselia, who had been unexpectedly struck, nodded her head, her face bright red.

“Why are you embarrassed about something like that?”

“. . .I think you’re too lewd.”

“No. . . What. . .?”

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When Johan said that he would invite the southern feudal lords and hold a jousting tournament at the same time, the people around him agreed. Even Caenerna.

“I didn’t know that Caenerna-gong would agree to a fight where blood is shed in vain, like a jousting tournament.”

“. . .Anyone who hears Count-nim, who is a knight more than anyone else, say such a thing would laugh, even a beggar passing by.”

Caenerna thought that the knights participating in the jousting tournament were stupid, but she didn’t deny the significance of the jousting tournament.

The jousting tournament and the festival that followed it made many people happy and forget their pain.

And honestly, the jousting tournament was fun. It was stupid to participate in it yourself, but the thrill of watching others fight for their lives was hard to compare to any other excitement.

“I don’t think anyone would hate it except the priests.”

“I’ve already persuaded the priests.”

“. . .!”

Caenerna was astonished at Johan’s words that he had finished persuading them in the meantime.

Did the priests get poisoned in their food?

Priests were pathologically against jousting tournaments or duels. There couldn’t be any priests who would be happy to see innocent souls stabbing and killing each other for no reason.

But how could they be persuaded so easily?

“Priests tend to be more lenient if you live faithfully. And I gave them a chance to preach to the nobles who came to visit.”

“Oh. . . that’s really. . . not very good.”

Caenerna frowned. There was a reason why nobles didn’t invite priests to their banquets.

When you’re trying to eat a meal you’ve prepared, hearing a sermon that begins with ‘𝘎𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦. . .’ can ruin your appetite.

Of course, for Johan, who didn’t hold banquets to have fun, it didn’t matter whether the priests preached or not. Johan could eat deliciously anyway.

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The southern feudal lords and their vassals on their way to Johan’s fiefdom narrowed their eyes at the banners they saw in the distance.

It seemed to be a procession of nobles like them, and it was customary to greet each other when they met like this.

The feudal lord asked his secretary.

“Whose banner is that?”

“. . .It’s the banner of the Shachtel family, master.”

“The Shachtel family, then. . .”

The feudal lord frowned, trying to recall his memory. And then he realized one thing.

“Why are those northern b*stards here?!”

“T-That’s also. . .”

Surprisingly, what they saw were the banners of the northern families. Moreover, they were definitely families that had fought on the emperor’s side.

If the war had not ended, they should have fled first, not knowing what their intentions were.

From a distance, two knights rode up on horseback and gave a simple greeting. It was the least they could do. The feudal lord was surprised, but he returned the greeting as customary.

“How dare those shameless b*stards show their faces. . .”

“Calm down, master! This is the count’s fiefdom. Fighting here would be an insult to the count!”

If others fought in Johan’s fiefdom without permission, it was an insult to Johan.

It was up to Johan to decide whether to expel those northern b*stards, not him.

“I know! It’s really disgusting. Call the priest. I need to pray.”

The southern feudal lord said, holding back his displeasure. Even though a crazy northern b*stard had come crawling in, he wouldn’t have to see that sight for long. If he was a knight with a proper head on his shoulders, he wouldn’t leave them alone.

Wouldn’t he make them pay the price when the tournament came?

. . .However, the feudal lord who arrived at the jousting tournament was in for a surprise.

There were more northern b*stards than he had expected.

“What the hell is going on??”

“The northern b*stards have come here in a group, out of their minds.”

“. . .!”

For the prize money and rewards, for the honor of the family that had been defeated in battle, for personal fame. . .

The reasons may not have been the same, but the fact that they had the guts to come here and participate in the jousting tournament was truly astonishing.

Due to the war, the feelings of the southerners were very bad, and even a knight could be in danger if he was attacked while sleeping.

And yet, so many of them had gathered here.

It was clear that they had gotten their stories straight before coming. It was much safer to participate together than to come one by one.

“Are they crazy??”

Johan was surprised when he heard the news. How long had it been since they fought each other, and they were showing their faces here? He couldn’t tell if they were headless or swollen-headed.

If it was Johan, he wouldn’t have come because he would have been afraid of being poisoned in the food. . .

“They trust in the count’s honor!”

The elf king said in a concise and powerful voice. The young and beautiful elf knights standing beside him nodded in agreement.

The elf king strode over and hugged Johan, kissing him on both cheeks. It was the best way for an elf to show his friendship. Johan had to clench his brow to control his expression.

“There is no event more blessed than a jousting tournament held by an honorable knight. It would be a shame for a knight to not participate in such a blessed event.”

‘𝘐 𝘣𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤.’

It was clear that the priests would be delighted to hear that the jousting tournament was blessed.