Chapter 232: ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ (6)
The young king blurted out reflexively in surprise at the unexpected words.
โItโs a trap!โ
And he changed his words again.
โNo, if it was a trap, they would have called someone like Ulrike-gong. They wouldnโt have called the count for sure.โ
โ. . .What do you mean?โ
โOh. . .thatโs. . .um. . .โ
Angoldolph had excellent swordsmanship and undaunted courage, but he wasnโt very eloquent.
Ulrike also knew that well, so she didnโt bother to interrogate him. Although she despised the elf king, it would be of no benefit for the relationship between them to worsen.
โIt definitely doesnโt look like a trap. Saying we can even enter armed.โ
Johan also didnโt think it was a trap. There would be no trap that says to come armed while asking to meet.Rather, there was a high possibility that he had something he wanted to tell Johan first. From Johanโs position, it was a welcome thing. Because he could negotiate ahead of others.
โStill, letโs just ignore it. What reason could there be to send the count for no reason?โ
The elf king said to Ulrike. He wanted to avoid any possible accidents. He was against Johan entering, even though Ulrike entering would be fine.
โCertainly. . .โ
Surprisingly, Ulrike had a similar thought. While the elf king entering would be fine, Johan entering was a bit. . .
โAlright. Letโs respect the castellanโs honor. If we refuse after heโs gone this far, the castellan will have no path forward either.โ
โA cornered rat. . .โ
โShh. Shh.โ
Johan stopped the elf kingโs mouth. If he insulted like that in front of the castellanโs attendant, it would go straight to his ears.
No matter how driven into a corner the castellanโs situation was, excessive insults were not good. Because who knows what desperate people might do.
โIโll go in and come back.โ
โWait a moment. Listen. Go in and try to pass on to try to meet with other nobles. If you convey it properly, Iโll give you a reward, but if you donโt convey it properly, youโll be held responsible. . .โ
โEnough. Stop it.โ
Johan stopped him and headed towards the inner gate with his escorts. Ulrike realized late.
โ๐๐ข๐ช๐ต ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ. . .๐โ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ!โ
This b*stard. . .
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
In fact, Johan was calm, but the middle-aged soldiers escorting Johan were extremely tense. They would growl at the slightest movement of the servants.
โStay calm.โ
โ. . .Yes. Iโm sorry.โ
โ๐๐ซ๐ซ.
On the contrary, Karamaf looked calmer. Karamafโs attitude was one of the reasons why Johan could stay calm. Karamaf often showed sharper instincts than Johan.
โPlease come inside.โ
The castellan of Pelheim looked on the verge of collapse. The castellan, whose height barely reached Johanโs chest, couldnโt even make proper eye contact.
He was so shaken that the attendant next to him had to clear his throat to help the castellan.
โ. . .Castellan. Letโs start with a greeting first. I am Johan of Yeats. If you are uncomfortable, please take a seat.โ
Johan decided to reassure him first. He felt he had to restore the otherโs mental state in order to hear the story he wanted.
โI-Iโm honored to meet you, Your Excellency Count.โ
โNo need for honorifics. This is the castellanโs land, and I respect the castellanโs rights.โ
โTh. . . Thank you.โ
There was warm power in Johanโs words, and every time those words struck the eardrum, the castellan seemed to regain his senses.
As his blurred vision returned and the dizziness in his head disappeared, the castellan gathered the courage to open his mouth.
โYour Excellency Count. . . Can you guess why I dared to meet Your Excellency Count first?โ
โI donโt know.โ
โBecause I couldnโt trust the other two outside.โ
โ. . .?โ
Johan wondered what he was talking about. However, the castellan was serious.
While Johan knew Ulrikeโs temperament, he had never feared her that seriously. They had kept an appropriate distance from each other, and since then they had been so far away that it was difficult to even hear news of one another.
In contrast, central nobles had a firm perception that the Abner family was a ambitious family.
It was almost impossible to completely innocently believe the heir of the Abner family leading an army and touring fiefdoms.
โBut Castellan, didnโt Ulrike-gong swear to eradicate the undead?โ
โYour Excellency Count. . . You wonโt let anything I say leak out. . . right?โ
โI swear on my honor to keep silence. Go ahead and tell me.โ
โTo be honest, I couldnโt trust the oath made by the heir of the Abner family.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
If Ulrike had heard this, she would have drawn her sword, but there was nothing to be done. While the castellan was a bit overly timid, many other nobles would likely think the same.
โSo you rejected the proposal because of that?โ
โYes.โ
Fear played a big part in both refusing to come out to greet them and refusing their request to be admitted inside. He didnโt know what kind of scheme the heir of the Abner family might be plotting.
โYou should have at least offered the payment.โ
Even if the castellan did not come out, he could have given the money. However, the castellan shook his head and said,
โThatโs something Your Excellency says because you donโt know the Abner family. They could have used that as an excuse to plot something.โ
โHuh. . .โ
Johan felt a little sorry for Ulrike. While it was the familyโs fault, it must have felt bad to be suspected like that when trying to build friendship without any ulterior motives.
A fox that had bitten and killed several deer wouldnโt be trusted if it came to another deer and offered to get rid of other enemies in its burrow.
Not even paying compensation and just forcing their way in was a bit much, but. . .
โBy the way, what does that have to do with me meeting you first?โ
โWell, I could trust Your Excellency. . .โ
โ. . .I see, thank you.โ
Johan was perplexed, but the Castellan was sincere.
Compared to the belligerent and ferocious Elf King or the notorious heir of the Abner family, Johan looked like a saint.
โIf Your Excellency the Count promises me my rights, I should rightly open the gates of my castle and treat the others as well. I should also be able to pay the proper price.โ
โUh. . . yes, that should be fine. Iโll help.โ
Johan nodded nervously. He didnโt know why the other person was trusting him like this, but when someone puts so much faith in him, he canโt say โIโm not trustworthy.โ
โI, Johan of House Yeats. . . if Ulrike-gong of the Abner family takes this castle by scheme and tries to attack the Castellan, I swear I will mediate from the middle.โ
โTell His Majesty Angoldolph as well.โ
โAlright. Alright. If the young Elf King tries to take it, I will also properly mediate from the middle.โ
โThank you! Now I can rest easy!โ
The Castellan smiled happily, seeming genuinely delighted. Johan thought things were going well for him, even though nothing much had changed.
โBy the way, Castellan. . . I heard you have a relic. . .โ
โOh! You knew?โ
โIf itโs alright, Iโd like to borrow it. Iโll give it back once the undead subjugation ends.โ
โ. . .I can lend it to you, but one of my people is sick. The priest who was handling that relic is also in poor health, so heโs waiting.โ
โHmm. In that case. . . I have an excellent wizard in my camp. Let me introduce you.โ
When contacted, Suetlg hurried over in puzzlement. After checking the Castellanโs sick personโs pulse, he said:
โHmm. . . Have you been unusually dizzy lately, lost your appetite, become irritable, and had frequent fits of temper?โ
โYes. . . yes!โ
โA malevolent spirit has possessed you. Fortunately I can exorcise it.โ
โ!โ
The Castellan grabbed Suetlgโs hands excitedly and shook them several times before letting go. Johan asked doubtfully:
โI didnโt sense any magical energy though?โ
โWhat malevolent spirit. If you donโt eat proper meals and only drink alcohol and eat fruit, this is what happens.โ
Suetlg didnโt seem particularly surprised, as if he had done this several times before.
In times like these, it was better to blame a malevolent spirit rather than alcohol and meals.
If you tell them to drink some hot water to warm their blood and have proper meals so the malevolent spirit flees, even nobles will listen.
โOn the other hand, the priest really is in poor health. With his age and a cold on top of that weak body, even if he recovers, heโll need further recuperation.โ
โWeโll have to tell the Castellan to prepare a new priest.โ
โDid you borrow the relic?โ
โYes. Thanks to you, I was able to borrow it smoothly.โ
โThen why was the door barred and locked when I came in?โ
Johan explained what had transpired between him and the Castellan. Suetlg laughed a few times and nodded.
โI understand.โ
โWhat do you understand?โ
โYouโre close so itโs fine, but for unrelated feudal lords, the Abner family can only be distasteful. Werenโt they just in dispute with the Jarpen family?โ
โAlright. I should go tell them they can come in now.โ
โBreak it to them gently so they arenโt shocked.โ
Suetlgโs advice hit the nail on the head. The two proud nobles might not be able to bear the blunt truth.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โ. . .So the castellan had some misunderstandings because of the rumors. He apologized for that and promised to treat us properly. He said he called me first because he didnโt dare face you two.โ
โIs that so? What a timid man. I see. Letโs go in!โ
Angoldolph didnโt think too deeply about it and called the elf knights. In the first place, the castellan of a place like this wasnโt someone he was very interested in.
It was annoying that we werenโt treated properly right away, but it could have been overlooked if he regretted his mistake.
โ. . .Somethingโs weird.โ
However, Ulrike did not let it go easily. She realized something was off right away. Johan nodded and said,
โI was worried it might upset you so I hid some of what he said.โ
โWhat did you hide?โ
โHe said they were too afraid to open the gates for the two of you. Of course they would pay the fee.โ
โ. . .?โ
Ulrike wondered what he meant, then realized late and frowned.
So in other words, they were afraid she would take over the castle. . .?!
โWait. Just a moment. And the count believed that?!โ
โWell, he said he believed me so I couldnโt exactly tell him not to.โ
Ulrike was flabbergasted but had no choice but to accept it. From the castellanโs position, there was nothing else he could do.
Heir to a family that has territory not far away and constantly causes conflict.
Compared to that, a honorable knight with strong faith who had hunted monsters here several times and had no particular interests.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐ฃ*๐ต๐ค๐ฉ. . .โ
Of course she understood, but she couldnโt help cursing internally. If you canโt trust someone then you should at least communicate to narrow the distance instead of shutting them out thinking โI might get caught in a scheme the moment I answerโ.
โThey must have paid a proper fee. Weโll finish off the undead in the forest as soon as weโre ready.โ
Ulrike nodded. Despite the absurd situation, they had gained something.
โTheyโre more vigilant than I thought.โ
She had thought the western nobles might seem more moderate compared to the insane emperor, but it didnโt seem to be the case. To the central feudal lords he probably seemed just as he was.
Thinking ahead, she should have placated them earlier.
Since force could not suppress them, seduction was all that remained. Ulrike thought of several methods as she walked. They were considerably wary so they wouldnโt be easily swayed, but there were several ways.
โ๐๐ฆ๐ตโ๐ด ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต ๐ข ๐ต๐ณ๐บ.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
. . .Despite Ulrikeโs determination, the castellan had a very sociable and friendly attitude.
โWhen Count Yeats was. . . Are you listening? Are you listening?โ
โIโm listening, Your Majesty.โ
โYes. He rushed in like lightning and broke his neck.โ
โGood heavens! Such a thing!โ
The elf king and the castellan sat with Johan in between them. Every time the young king drained a cup, the castellan obligingly refilled it. Then the king would happily pour himself another. It was the elven custom to drink the harsh, nearly undiluted wine straight, without adding any water.
Johan had an expression that said he was bored and annoyed, but the other two kept Johan there, chatting away happily. They seemed quite drunk.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด?โ
Ulrike found it disgusting and looked away. Seeing the two she hated clinging to Johan when they werenโt giving him anything made her naturally recoil.
Translation-(COMPLETED) โ How to Live as a Wandering Knight
๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฅใโญโญโญโญโญใ!!
ใ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ใ
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