Chapter 236: ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ (1)
Chapter 236: ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ (1)
โDid Count Shirivikโs family crest have a snake in it?โ
Ulrike shook her head at Johanโs question.
โWhat is it? Graffiti or a stain?โ
The pattern was drawn so subtly that one would not notice it if they did not look closely. Anyone else would have thought it meaningless and moved on.
However, for some reason it bothered me.
โShall we send five men each and determine the winner?โ
โYes.โ
Defeat was declared even if all weapons were broken or one was unhorsed. Duels between knights were not as brutal as fights between mercenaries.
โCount Shirivik wants to meet face to face before the duel, but this. . .โ
โCould it be a trap?โโIt seems like a trap.โ
Despite their mutual distaste, Ulrike and the Elf King often agreed. Neither wanted to meet the Count.
The Elf King was an honorable knight, but no fool. He reasonably considered that his opponent might not be so honorable.
Why meet face to face when they could just send their knights to determine the winner? What reason could there be?
Seeing the two noblesโ negative reactions, the envoy panicked and said,
โNo! My master is a man of honor. He would never set such a trap.โ
โThat makes it more suspicious.โ
โThere are no forests to hide an ambush nearby, and my master will come alone. If you want anything, please let me know. Weapons are allowed.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
โ. . . . .โ
The eloquent envoyโs words left the two speechless, contrary to expectations. There was no possibility this was a trap. Relieved, the envoy thought,
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ.โ
However, the envoy still did not know the Elf King well. With a scoff, the Elf King turned his head.
โStill canโt believe it.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ตโ๐ด ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐จ๐ถ๐บ. . .?โ
When someone of status bluntly expresses distrust, an envoy can do nothing. The Elf King was no gracious knight who cared about preserving the honor of someone he did not respect.
โCanโt believe it either.โ
Ulrike had no intention of needlessly acting for some faraway feudal lord of the Emperor faction just to save face.
โFine. Iโll go out and see.โ
โThank you!โ
The envoy was moved to tears. If he brought back this offer and none of the three came out, it would be his responsibility.
โWhy show mercy to the likes of him, Count? I donโt understand.โ
โI agree.โ
โ. . .Just go hear what they have to say.โ
Ulrike was no fool who couldnโt grasp the situation. Even so, she chose to ignore them as it brought no benefit.
Even if the other party really came over after such maneuvering, it was better to ignore their intentions and focus on their own work rather than waste energy on it.
Johan would even bend down to pick up a coin fallen on the road. Even more so, wouldnโt the count yield at least one silver coin?
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โWhat about the others?โ
โI came alone as the representative.โ
Count Shirivik looked around with a relieved expression. Karamaf barked sharply at Count Shirivik.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ต? ๐๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ?โ
Johan was puzzled. From Karamafโs reaction, it seemed certain that the count was up to something.
But there really didnโt seem to be any way. The open surroundings were completely empty and. . .
Other than someone coming out from under the ground, or Count Shirivik drawing his sword and rushing at Johan, nothing else seemed possible.
โThere really isnโt anything?โ
โI told you there isnโt.โ
โ. . . .Your Excellency. Please help me.โ
โHow can I?โ
โThatโs not what I meant.โ
Along with his words, Count Shirivik showed the tattoo on his sleeve. It was a snake tattoo. Seeing the guild tattoo after so long, Johan was horrified. DiiScรดver ๐๐w stori๐s on no/๐/e()/lbin(.)c/o/m
โCount, were you part of Nessus?!โ
โ. . .Thatโs not it. Didnโt Your Excellency command me?โ
Only then did Johan realize the otherโs identity. It was the assassin from the Venom of Nessus guild that he had met when he went to subdue the city with the Duke Brduheโs son.
The assassin who was cursed to lose his face!
Johan had sent him to target the emperorโs life in exchange for saving his life, and since there was no news afterwards, he had assumed that the assassin had failed or fled.
โCould it be that You forgot?โ
โHow could I. I was waiting every day wondering when I would hear back from you.โ
โ. . . . .โ
The assassin looked at Johan with a dissatisfied expression at his words. He had been making an effort to keep his sacred oath even at the cost of cutting his own bones, but the other seemed to have forgotten about it.
โSo you left the snake symbol?โ
โYes. I thought Your Excellency would recognize it. . .but you didnโt?โ
The assassin had assumed Johan came alone after recognizing the symbol. Otherwise, he wouldnโt have had any reason to come alone.
โI recognized it but didnโt know what it meant.โ
โ. . . .??โ
The assassin didnโt understand why Johan hadnโt recognized it. It was the guildโs unique snake text. . .
โAnyway, we donโt have much time. Tell me what happened.โ
โYes.โ
Listening to it, the assassinโs exploits were as eventful as Johanโs.
First of all, what the assassin worried about the most was how to get close to the emperor.
Getting close to the emperor was different from targeting a city magistrate. There were excellent knights and wizards swarming around the emperor.
Besides, the emperor himself was a suspicious and fierce figure. Matching his status, the magic he had with him was considerable. . .
If he approached recklessly, he would surely die miserably bound by the magic around him.
So the assassin decided to target the nobles of the emperor faction. Fortunately, as the Empire was in turmoil, feudal lords often left their fiefs with their armies.
After persistent waiting, a few attempts, and a bit of luck, the assassin was able to cut off Count Shirivikโs breath and disguise himself as him.
The soldiers following the count would never have dreamed that their original masterโs corpse was tucked away under the basement of this inn.
Impressed by the assassinโs ability beyond expectation, Johan said.
โThen can you take the emperorโs life now?โ
The emperor faction was still in power now largely thanks to the emperorโs charisma. As a heretic, Cardirian had been involved in several scandals, and as an emperor, he was a ruler lacking leadership whose feudal lords had rebelled en masse, but no one denied that he was a strong knight.
When the nobles of the west and south and the elf knights gathered, everyone expected the defeat of the emperor faction, but it was Cardirian who won a surprise victory in that unfavorable situation.
Who would have known that the old and seriously ill emperor would move like that?
It was a faction maintained by such charisma, so it was bound to collapse like a sand castle once the emperor died. The emperorโs children did not have such charisma.
โ. . .I tried several times but it was beyond me.โ
The assassin said in a gloomy voice. He had secretly hired some of Nesusโ other novice assassins or assassins from other fencing guilds and sent them to Cardirianโs quarters.
It was to identify gaps and scout.
Ultimately, it was a total failure. He didnโt expect that not one would make it back alive. The assassin himself also didnโt expect such failure.
โThere must be magic that detects assassins.โ
โHmm. . .โ
Johan was not surprised by that remark. Isnโt Karamaf right next to Johan now? Just as Karamafโs sensitive nose seeks out enemies, it was no wonder that the emperor had several such means.
โ๐๐ข๐ด ๐ช๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด ๐ข๐ง๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ?โ
Even so, Johan tried to hear as much information as possible. Because he didnโt know how it might be used later.
He heard that the emperor was obsessively suspicious and his bedroom changed every day. When camping, he has several tents and several doubles.โ
As if that wasnโt difficult enough, now the knights and wizards guarding him changed all the time too. It wasnโt a set order but was determined by the emperorโs summons.
After a set time passed it became impossible to even approach.
Last time, a knight cut down a trusted attendant of the emperorโs son when he was urgently sent, and the atmosphere became extremely bad.
โThanks. If I ever get into the emperorโs tent later, Iโll keep that in mind.โ
โ. . .It doesnโt seem like you have much talent for jokes, Your Excellency.โ
And the people the assassin feared most among the vassals in the emperorโs court were those court wizards.
Not ordinary court wizards, but suspicious wizards who came and went in secret with their faces covered.
They had notorious reputations or had committed suspicious criminal acts, but Cardirian didnโt care and summoned them anyway. They offered all kinds of evil magic and mysteries.
This was just the assassinโs feeling, but it seemed they had brought up suspicions about Count Shirivik. It was still just suspicion but. . .
โOh, so thatโs why youโre asking for help.โ
โYes! Release me from my oath. I did my best.โ
โIf you disappear now, wonโt there be turmoil?โ
โWell that may be so but. . .โ
โNo. Endure a little longer.โ
โNo. . . whatโs the point in going back just to get caught?โ
โIโll think about how to prevent that. Iโll try to come up with a scheme.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The assassin sent a very unpleasant look. Count Shirivik had quite a handsome face, so the assassinโs look was rather awkward.
โAnyway, tell me about the emperor. Whatโs the atmosphere been like lately?โ
โItโs better than before thanks to the victory, but the atmosphere is still razor sharp.โ
While Johanโs allied side had loose autonomy, the emperor faction was strictly hierarchical with the emperor at the center.
No matter how great a lord, they couldnโt give unnecessary orders to a vassal, but Cardirian ignored that and wielded iron rule. The atmosphere was that brutal.
It was typical fear rule by a tyrant.
โIsnโt he seriously ill?โ
โItโs. . . a bit strange. Those wizard fellows must be up to some shady trick.โ
Cardirian didnโt often reveal himself even in front of his vassals. He handled matters by sending his children or attendants.
But on the rare occasions when he happened to show himself while passing by, his ruthless glare made even the weaker vassals piss themselves.
The assassin was quite confident in his own courage, but even he was tense enough. . .
โ๐๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. ๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด?โ
Johan was dumbfounded. One of the things he had been expecting the most was Cardirianโs poor health.
He was an old man who could collapse at any moment, so enduring was part of the strategy, but. . .
He must have eaten something weird. That lively vigor changed things.
โWhen the emperorโs around, everyone has a hard time saying a word.โ
โI guess talks of negotiations came up.โ
โHow did you know? Yes. There has been such talk. Of passing the family headship to the emperorโs first son and giving up the succession to emperor. . .โ
โIt would be strange if those thoughts didnโt come up after such a prolonged war.โ
They want negotiations as well. Itโs not like the other side doesnโt feel the same way.
Their strategy was similar to theirs.
Wrap up the undead plague, replenish the troops, recruit soldiers, gather supplies, march south again and siege castles.
The emperorโs determination to take back the south at any cost and behead the rebellious feudal lords was apparent.
โ๐๐ต ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐บ๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ณ๐ข๐ป๐บ ๐ฃ*๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ.โ
It was beyond Johanโs common sense.
Did they bury some ancient Empire treasure down south or something?
The assassin spoke anxiously.
โYour excellency. Do you have a scheme? I implore you.โ
Assassins werenโt nonchalant about death either. Everyone wanted to live.
The assassinโs long experience warned him. Staying by the emperorโs side for long could end horribly.
The previous count might have shown a shred of mercy so he killed him cleanly, but the emperor had all sorts of cruel tortures to experiment with.
โOf course Iโve come up with something.โ
โOh! Thank goodness. I was truly worried. What is it?โ
โYou and I dueling.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The assassinโs expression hardened as he glared at Johan.
Translation-(COMPLETED) โ How to Live as a Wandering Knight
๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฅใโญโญโญโญโญใ!!
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