Chapter 244: ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ (1)
Chapter 244: ๐๐๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ (1)
โI made a mistake.โ
Johan reflected. It was rare for him to act rashly out of emotion.
The other was a prisoner of the Elf King and from a prestigious family in the Elf Kingdom. If he punished him hastily, it would only tarnish Johanโs reputation.
โIโm sorry. I made a mistake.โ
At times like these, he had no choice but to honestly apologize relying on his friendship with the Elf King. Fortunately, he was quite close with the Elf King, so there was a high chance he would let it slide.
โI understand, Count.โ
The Elf King nodded and patted Johan on the shoulder, a gesture of understanding.
โ. . .?โ
Johan was slightly taken aback. He was relieved the king wasnโt angry, but his reaction was a bit unexpected.
What did he understand?The Elf King wouldnโt know the circumstances involved here. . .
โAs a knight, it must have been unbearable to face such a dishonorable man.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The Elf King figured it out himself.
Even though Sir Karamaf had an infamous reputation, he was still an excellent knight. From the position of a Count who had an official duel with that knight, it must have been difficult to endure a man who insulted and disgraced the honor of the dead.
Yein seemed to think the same. Blood dripping from his nose, he spat blood to the side.
โThat wasnโt me. No matter what, why would I do that to Sir Karamaf whom I served?โ
โThatโs not why Iโm doing this.โ
โThen why?โ
โThe people who worked for your family died, didnโt they?โ
โThatโs why??โ
The Elf looked at Johan in genuine bewilderment, as if it made more sense for it to be because of Karamaf.
โ. . .Asking for another punch.โ
Johan threw another punch. The Elf flew back. The King pretended not to see. And then he said to his guard,
โYou didnโt see anything.โ
โOf course, Your Majesty.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โIโm so nervous, Caenerna-gong.โ
โI understand. But isnโt it inevitable?โ
Seeing the nervousness of the new court wizard, Caenerna spoke calmly. Like Caenerna, the court wizard was also gifted in prophecy and had been newly summoned.
The emperor worshipped blood, war, and prophecy. Despite hearing many prophecies and knowing there was unlikely to be much good in them, he occasionally wanted prophecies.
However, to the newly arrived wizard, the atmosphere of the court felt like walking on thin ice. There were rampant rumors that the army led by Karamaf had been defeated.
โ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ!
โ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ? ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ?
โ๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐. ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ, ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐. . .
โ๐๐ก๐ก๐ก. ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ? ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐๐๐ค ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐๐.
โDo you really think Karamaf lost?โ
โHe may have lost.โ
โThen what kind of prophecy should I give?โ
โI guess weโll have to say what we see. Are you planning to deceive the prophecy?โ
At Caenernaโs words, the wizard shook his head. Deceiving a prophecy was an act that damaged oneโs own dignity and distanced oneself from the mystical.
โI know, but still, raising the dead. . .โ
โI donโt think he did that.โ
โDo you really think so?โ
The wizard asked in a relieved voice. Were the sinister rumors circulating in the court just groundless after all?
โRather than that, I think itโs more likely some kind of golem created with evil magic, using flesh instead of clay.โ
โPlease. . .please donโt joke around. Thereโs no way they would do such a thing in this court, right?โ
โDo I look like Iโm joking?โ
โ. . . . . .โ
At Caenernaโs words, the wizard unconsciously swallowed his saliva. He was beginning to regret coming here, lured by money.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐จ๐บ ๐ง๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ.โ
Caenerna keenly sensed the flow of power. An increase in mystical energy wasnโt necessarily always a good thing. Especially when it was evil mystical energy like now.
She knew there were suspicious wizards coming and going freely in the emperorโs court. Jyanina was one of them.
But it wasnโt this bad before. The emperor still had some reason left, so he showed considerable restraint when using evil magic. No matter how suspicious the wizards were, if the emperor refused, there was nothing they could do.
However, with each passing day, it felt like the reins had come off and the mystical energy was getting stronger.
โ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ณ๐จ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ?โ
There were certainly black magic spells among the pagan arts that allowed one to regain youth and health by sacrificing blood and tributes. She wouldnโt be surprised at all if the emperor had used such sorcery.
๐๐จ๐จ๐ฆ!
As the emperor walked out, the surroundings fell silent. Despite his old age and illness, the emperor exuded an overwhelming aura.
โOlafsethan.โ
Without any greeting or welcome, the emperor shortly called out a name. It was his firstborn son.
โWhat the hell have you been doing? You canโt even conquer one tiny castle?โ
โRight now weโre continuing negotiations by sending an envoy. Iโm sure weโll have it by the end of this month. . .โ
โShut up!! Canโt you see those b*stards inside the castle have made a fool of you?!โ
The emperor grabbed a nearby candelabra and threw it in front. His sonโs face flushed red with humiliation. Even though he was his son, Olafsethan was over forty. Such humiliation was hard to bear in front of others.
โViscount Ginolen. Take charge of this! Lead the army, break down the gates, and drag everyone inside out.โ
โ. . .?โ
The people present had bewildered expressions on their faces. Viscount Ginolen was not present at this place.
It seemed like the emperor also belatedly realized that. He twisted his face. He looked so terrifying that no one dared say a word.
โKaramaf. . .โ
โYour majesty. It seems Sir Karamaf has been captured as a prisoner after his defeat.โ
One of the wizards attending the emperor carefully spoke up. Despite the evil aura given off by wizards, the misunderstanding that they had the emperor under their thumbs was quite unfair to them.
The truth was, the emperor ordered them around like dogs, not the other way around.
To put it bluntly, they had to obey when the emperor commanded something. How could they refuse with a sword already at their necks?
Thatโs why they had to be careful even when stating the obvious.
The emperor muttered to himself for a bit before taking his seat, seemingly cursing the world.
โGive me an update on the situation.โ
As the emperor calmed down a little, the other nobles worked up the courage to speak.
โItโs becoming clear the feudal lords of the central region harbor resentment, Your Majesty. Count Shirivik has been captured, and so has Sir Karamaf. This wouldnโt have happened without help from central nobles.โ
โRumors are spreading and not in our favor.โ
On their way back after subjugating the undead and defeating Karamaf, Johan and the Elven King spread all kinds of gossip.
The rumors were raging like wildfire, as both sides had many eyewitnesses.
Even if the central feudal lords didnโt participate in battle, the likelihood of them not taking the emperorโs side was high. That alone was enough to send chills down the emperor factionโs spine.
The emperor factionโs army was being supplied from the south, using some directly controlled territories in the central region as supply routes.
The feudal lords had turned a blind eye and kept their distance, which is why supply flows remained unhindered so far. However, if they claimed neutrality while covertly aiding the enemy. . .
โStop your cowardly prattling! Nothing has changed. Send envoys to the feudal lords. Inform them that failure to maintain neutrality will mark them as my enemy, to be subjugated. Remind them of the southern nobles! Tell them that once subjugation starts, no one from their families will be spared!โ
โ. . . โ
While the threat was unreasonable to those hearing it, its effectiveness was certain.
From the feudal lordsโ perspective, there was no need to stake their lives and families on such messy affairs.
Keeping most in line was sufficient.
It was an effective move.
โThere will be no more rest. Order the vassals to dispatch the armies. We will subjugate the remaining rebels in the south. Tell those cowardly traitors in the west to come and face me if they dare!โ
Though old and irrational, the emperor instinctively grasped the situation.
That the longer the war dragged on, the deeper they would sink into the quagmire.
They had to overwhelm the enemy with force while they still could. He was confident no one could defeat him on the battlefield.
After the emperor left, the vassals shuffled out murmuring amongst themselves. Olafsethan approached Caenerna and spoke up.
โCaenerna-gong.โ
โWhat is it. . .?โ
โI need a strong poison.โ
โ. . .!โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โPrepare more potions.โ
โYes, Your Majesty. Cough! I will prepare them! I will prepare them!โ
The wizard was finally able to breathe when the emperor released his hand. His throat hurt as if it would break.
When the meeting ended, the vassals were able to rest in their own camps, but not the servants and retainers. They had to endure without even catching their breath beside the emperor.
Jesters came out desperately performing tricks. It was a joke to lift the emperorโs mood but it did not seem to have much effect.
โBoutellner.โ
โ. . .Yes!โ
โAs you said, Karamaf was summoned again. But I heard he was defeated.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Boutellner was sweating profusely. He was a wizard who had filled flesh and blood into armor to create an invincible knight, but Boutellner was not very good at fighting.
He would be invincible, not dying when slashed and possessing strength beyond human capabilities, but it turned out not to be so.
โDid I not ask you?โ
The emperorโs voice was strangely gentle, which made him even more horrified. Boutellner could not get up, lying prostrate.
โYour Majesty. I have an alternative plan.โ
โWhat is the alternative?โ
โYes. . . Yes. . . Count Yeats is indeed a young rascal. He brought many feudal lords from the south, so the damage he is causing is no small matter. Why not just assassinate him?โ
The other servants looked at the wizard in dismay. The emperor closed his eyes and was silent. Boutellner thought it was a good sign and continued speaking.
โI know of some excellent assassins. If you just give the order. . .โ
โWill you succeed this time?โ
โ. . .Yes!โ
โGood. I will trust you one last time. Do not disappoint me!โ
Boutellner bit his lip until it bled. Now he had no choice but to entrust his life to the assassin.
The assassin he had met and befriended in the past was reliable in his skills alone. He had boasted that he could kill anyone with his own mouth, so he would not refuse this job.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
Yein was rubbing his face with a very dissatisfied expression. It was a blessing his jaw wasnโt broken. After getting hit like that. . .
โCount. I want to have a rational conversation.โ
โMy dear. He says he wants to have a rational conversation. . .โ
โPass on that his jaw might get smashed if he donโt keep his mouth shut.โ
โ. . .that your jaw might get smashed if you donโt keep your mouth shut.โ
Iselia relayed that to him again from the side.
Yein did not understand Johanโs attitude towards him. It didnโt make sense for a knight like Johan to treat someone this way, honorless mercenary or not.
โCount. It was Sir Karamaf who defeated Sir Gessen.โ
Johan borrowed a whip from Euclyia next to him. He then lashed Yein with it. The elf fell off his horse.
โWould you have said it if it was your family?โ
โB-Because of that? But werenโt mercenaries the ones who killed them?โ
โThen why didnโt you stop it?โ
โI didnโt. . .โ
The whip flew again. Johan lashed him skillfully without leaving any traces.
With a face that showed he still didnโt understand, Yein shut his mouth. He just couldnโt comprehend doing this over some servants.
The subordinates around Johan avoided eye contact and pretended not to see. Sometimes you have to pretend not to see your lordโs faults.
Suetlg also pretended not to see and opened his mouth.
โCan you persuade the duke?โ
โItโs not can I or canโt I, I will make it happen.โ
Johanโs voice was filled with firm confidence. Suetlg nodded in satisfaction.
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Translation-(COMPLETED) โ How to Live as a Wandering Knight
๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฅใโญโญโญโญโญใ!!
ใ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ใ
๐๐พโโ๏ธPREVINDEX
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