How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 367: 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 (11)

The centaur warrior looked at Stephen like he was *sshole. In that instant, Stephen realized he had misspoken.

“Ahem, I mean. . .”

“His Highness has never even caught a common cold.”

“. . .I seem to have been misinformed.”

The centaur didn’t scoff, but his glare spoke volumes. Stephen knew that to say anything further would only invite further humiliation.

“Will you show me the way?”

“Yes. Follow me.”

Stephen started to follow but winced with each step. He seemed to have twisted his ankle during his escape.

“Um, would it be possible for you to give me a ride. . .?”

“No.”“But. . .my ankle. . .”

“No. Follow me.”

“Yes sir. . .”

Stephen followed after the centaur with a scowl. The centaur’s icy demeanor made any further conversation impossible.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

It was a perfect victory.

In fact, it felt a bit embarrassing to even call it a victory. It was on the level of a fight between a child and an adult.

The ragtag rebels were not even worth a yawn for Johan’s subordinates who had returned after fighting the Sultan’s elites.

When they first charged, the mercenary captains were already riding away on their horses, and when they set fires, the nobles also began to flee.

Some remaining knights tried to stand and fight together with the subordinates, but Johan personally grabbed a spear and threw it.

𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡!

The spear pierced through the shield and armor. The knight that was enduring fell off his horse and tumbled around.

━𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐲?

━. . .𝐘-𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬?! 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝?

━𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?

━𝐍𝐨, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲! 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲. . .!

After a commotion, Johan confirmed in an absurd manner.

“There were rumors going around that I had died?”

“Didn’t Your Highness spread those yourself?”

“Why would I ever. . .?”

“To lure out those inclined to rebel!”

The centaurs nodded their heads in admiration as they moved torn tents aside to make space.

Although they had run all day, they did not feel tired due to the excitement of battle. Rather, they were amazed by another fact.

To think all this was the Duke’s scheme!

“Amazing!”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Haha. We understand.”

“. . .It doesn’t seem like you do.”

Johan was flabbergasted. The centaurs’ reaction was unbelievable.

Frankly speaking, why would he spread such rumors just to catch treacherous people when there were other methods?

“W-Was I really being played in the palm of Your Highness’s hand. . .?”

The captured baron listened to the centaurs’ words and let out a resigned sigh, realizing what kind of misunderstanding had occurred.

“Did I not say no?”

“Yes, I understood Your Highness the duke’s words.”

The baron understood Johan’s meaning.

Having dared to commit such a rebellion, he should keep his mouth shut and not make pointless noises if he wanted a graceful death.

Realizing he had been so perfectly toyed with, he felt neither anger nor injustice. Only fear and awe remained.

“It doesn’t seem you understood. . .”

“Please spare my family!”

“I will decide that after seeing the damage.”

The ringleaders of the rebellion would be executed without question. No matter how merciful one was, this could not just be overlooked.

The question was how to deal with the other members of the family. . .

‘𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.’

“Duke! We found a precious person!”

“A precious person? Is there someone like that?”

Johan was puzzled by the centaur’s report.

Surely they had evacuated everyone inside the castle walls. . . Was someone caught outside?

“Could it be Jyanina-gong was captured?”

“No.”

Achladda, who was listening nearby, tilted his head and murmured.

“Could it have been the wizard?”

“It’s Countess Abner’s bloodline, Stephen-gong.”

“Oh. . .”

“Ah. . .”

Those gathered made a tepid, admiring sound. It wasn’t a wrong statement. He certainly was a precious status.

“Well done. I will be sure to reward you properly.”

“Thank you.”

Another centaur asked curiously,

“But did he not come with others?”

“He’s walking behind. He was too slow so I came ahead first.”

“. . .I see.”

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨. . .’

That’s what all the centaurs thought, but did not say out loud.

It must have really been tedious. . .!

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Under the thick darkness, Jyanina sent Quinzils and looked down from the rampart.

Mackald, the dwarf captain that accompanied her as her guard, asked.

“Wizard, it is cold, so won’t you go inside and rest?”

“No. Magic punishes the arrogant. I will wait here until the beast returns.”

“Really. . .!”

Jyanina waited anxiously. Although she had sent the beast, she was not very confident.

What if the beast got caught, got lost somewhere in between, or even attacked the hostages. . .

‘𝘕𝘰. 𝘔𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.’

Jyanina shook her head. Being persecuted by many wizards and neglected by the duke had led Jyanina to focus on her studies.

Hadn’t she searched for many books and studied secret techniques during the Eastern Expedition? Although she had difficulty with the ancient empire language and it required translation. . .

“Wizard! We succeeded!”

“!”

Jyanina heard Mackald’s words and lifted her head with a bright smile.

“Look! The enemy’s camp is on fire!”

“. . .???？”

Jyanina blinked in surprise. Following Mackald’s words, she saw fires rising everywhere and the camp collapsing. The dwarf captain shouted in excitement.

“Amazing! Wizard!”

“No, no, no. . .”

“??”

“This is. . . This kind of magic. . . Isn’t it. . .”

In the midst of the confusion, a centaur approached the castle with the duke’s flag.

“His Highness the Duke has arrived!”

“!!!”

It was a fearsome centaur, but Mackald felt a sense of relief that his worries had dissipated. He had been worried about ‘what had happened to His Highness the Duke’.

“Thank goodness. You’re safe.”

“. . .Didn’t I tell you that I was safe. . .?”

“Ah, no. I didn’t mean to distrust the wizard, it was just a formality. . .”

※※※※※※

The commotion quickly ended as the day dawned. The city’s influential people packed their belongings and came to see Johan. The mercenaries who tried to hide in the city were severely beaten and captured.

“You all worked hard.”

“Thanks to the rampart built by Your Highness the Duke, the people inside the castle were safe.”

Mackald said with a proud expression. Although they were rebels who were nothing more than rabble, they were not a force to be ignored. He could be proud of the fact that he had not shown them a single gap.

“. . . . . .”

Stephen, whose cheeks had sunken in, wore a somewhat resentful expression, but he did not say anything. It was his own fault for being caught while he was out hunting.

“You must have been very surprised. I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of you.”

“No! I didn’t believe the rumors at all.”

Amien seemed to have grown a handspan taller since the last time she saw her. It was not strange for Amien to be tall, given that Iselia was so tall.

Amien was so happy to see Johan after a long time that she didn’t know what to do. Compared to the strict and stoic Iselia, Johan was the epitome of an ideal parent.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring Iselia. She’s leading the expeditionary force right now. . .”

“No! It’s okay. That’s understandable!”

Johan didn’t want her to shed tears of sadness because Iselia wasn’t there, but he was a little puzzled when she accepted it so readily.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. . .’

Johan grumbled to Iselia, who was not there. Seeing the conversation between Ulrike and the countess made him feel the need for conversation even more.

“Jyanina-gong. You did a great job commanding the people inside the castle as a wizard while I was away.”

“Th. . . Thank you.”

Johan gave Jyanina gold coins as well. She had thought that she would be rewarded, but Jyanina found it hard to control her emotions when she actually received it. She suddenly felt tears in her eyes as she heard cheers and applause from the surroundings.

“. . .Why are you crying?”

“I. . . I’m not crying. . .”

“No. You seem to be crying?”

“It’s just that the cold wind is making my eyes water!”

‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦?’

Johan looked at Jyanina with pity. She must have felt a lot of pressure, having to command so many people during the time when the rumors were spreading.

“When the fleet arrives, you can take any treasure you want.”

“. . .Why are you doing this, Your Highness?”

Jyanina was rather frightened by Johan’s sudden kindness.

※※※※※※

The merchants of the republic, who had received an urgent message, rode their horses through the city and rushed to Count Oldor’s court.

Count Oldor, who was lying down leisurely, was displeased by the sudden request for an audience.

“No matter how great the republic’s power is, you can’t act like this in my territory. . .”

“This is not the time for this, Count! Are you really prepared for war!?”

“???”

It was customary for the merchants to yield first when threatened, and then the count would talk to them in a good mood.

However, the merchants this time were shouting with their waists stiff, as if they had eaten something wrong.

The count said with an unpleasant expression.

“What nonsense are you talking about? If you don’t want to be expelled from my fiefdom, show some respect!”

“If we misunderstood the situation, we apologize. But Count! Is it really not true that you sent troops to Duke Yeats’ fiefdom?”

“!”

Count Oldor felt a pang of guilt at the sudden remark. It was true that he had accepted the requests made by some of the nobles.

No noble would refuse when they said that they would borrow his name and pay off the debt later. Moreover, if things went well, he might be able to get his hands on the duke’s fiefdom.

“. . .I didn’t send any troops.”

The count denied it for the time being. And in fact, he had never sent any troops. He didn’t have the will to do that.

“Count, we’re not trying to blackmail you. We’re just trying to inform you of the serious situation. His Highness the Duke is extremely furious and is leading the army that participated in the Holy Land expedition here. There is an army of nearly ten thousand marching south through the empire right now, and the rest of the fleet will arrive soon. Do you think you can stop them, Count?”

“. . . . . .”

The count froze and dropped the cup he was holding. He couldn’t accept the reality because the situation had become much bigger than he had thought.

“W-What nonsense are you talking about. I have nothing to do with this. The. . . The republic will come forward and persuade him, right? You’re on good terms with His Highness the Duke, aren’t you? Since I allowed you to do business in my fiefdom. . .”

“Count, what power do we have to persuade His Highness the Duke? We would like to stop him if we could! Who would want to see this place burn?”

However, the merchants drew a line coldly, despite their desperate pleas.

“. . .But since His Highness the Duke is angry, we have no choice but to watch. I hope the republic understands.”

“Do. . . Do you think the republic will sit still if the duke attacks my fiefdom? Come to your senses!”

“. . . . . .”

The merchants remained silent to the unreasonable words. The count’s face began to turn pale.

“H. . . Hey, please help me. What do you want? There must be something you want.”

“Withdraw your troops for now.”

“I didn’t send any troops!!”

The count was furious. He really didn’t send them, so how could he withdraw them. . .

The merchants looked at the count as if he was being ridiculous. They thought that he was lying even at this point.

“Count, we’re really serious about this. . .”

“I didn’t send them!”

“. . .I understand. Anyway, if you didn’t send them, go and explain the situation to the duke yourself.”

“Send an envoy?”

“No. You have to go yourself. Your neck will be on the line if you send an envoy.”

The count was furious again, but he held back. The situation was not good enough for that.

“W-What if I go and get caught?”

“His Highness the Duke is not the kind of person who would do something so cowardly.”

“W. . . Well, that’s true. The duke is not that kind of person.”

If Johan had heard this, he would have gotten angry and captured him, but fortunately, Johan was not there.

,The centaur warrior looked at Stephen like he was *sshole. In that instant, Stephen realized he had misspoken.

“Ahem, I mean. . .”

“His Highness has never even caught a common cold.”

“. . .I seem to have been misinformed.”

The centaur didn’t scoff, but his glare spoke volumes. Stephen knew that to say anything further would only invite further humiliation.

“Will you show me the way?”

“Yes. Follow me.”

Stephen started to follow but winced with each step. He seemed to have twisted his ankle during his escape.

“Um, would it be possible for you to give me a ride. . .?”

“No.”

“But. . .my ankle. . .”

“No. Follow me.”

“Yes sir. . .”

Stephen followed after the centaur with a scowl. The centaur’s icy demeanor made any further conversation impossible.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

It was a perfect victory.

In fact, it felt a bit embarrassing to even call it a victory. It was on the level of a fight between a child and an adult.

The ragtag rebels were not even worth a yawn for Johan’s subordinates who had returned after fighting the Sultan’s elites.

When they first charged, the mercenary captains were already riding away on their horses, and when they set fires, the nobles also began to flee.

Some remaining knights tried to stand and fight together with the subordinates, but Johan personally grabbed a spear and threw it.

𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡!

The spear pierced through the shield and armor. The knight that was enduring fell off his horse and tumbled around.

━𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐲?

━. . .𝐘-𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬?! 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝?

━𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?

━𝐍𝐨, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲! 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲. . .!

After a commotion, Johan confirmed in an absurd manner.

“There were rumors going around that I had died?”

“Didn’t Your Highness spread those yourself?”

“Why would I ever. . .?”

“To lure out those inclined to rebel!”

The centaurs nodded their heads in admiration as they moved torn tents aside to make space.

Although they had run all day, they did not feel tired due to the excitement of battle. Rather, they were amazed by another fact.

To think all this was the Duke’s scheme!

“Amazing!”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Haha. We understand.”

“. . .It doesn’t seem like you do.”

Johan was flabbergasted. The centaurs’ reaction was unbelievable.

Frankly speaking, why would he spread such rumors just to catch treacherous people when there were other methods?

“W-Was I really being played in the palm of Your Highness’s hand. . .?”

The captured baron listened to the centaurs’ words and let out a resigned sigh, realizing what kind of misunderstanding had occurred.

“Did I not say no?”

“Yes, I understood Your Highness the duke’s words.”

The baron understood Johan’s meaning.

Having dared to commit such a rebellion, he should keep his mouth shut and not make pointless noises if he wanted a graceful death.

Realizing he had been so perfectly toyed with, he felt neither anger nor injustice. Only fear and awe remained.

“It doesn’t seem you understood. . .”

“Please spare my family!”

“I will decide that after seeing the damage.”

The ringleaders of the rebellion would be executed without question. No matter how merciful one was, this could not just be overlooked.

The question was how to deal with the other members of the family. . .

‘𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵.’

“Duke! We found a precious person!”

“A precious person? Is there someone like that?”

Johan was puzzled by the centaur’s report.

Surely they had evacuated everyone inside the castle walls. . . Was someone caught outside?

“Could it be Jyanina-gong was captured?”

“No.”

Achladda, who was listening nearby, tilted his head and murmured.

“Could it have been the wizard?”

“It’s Countess Abner’s bloodline, Stephen-gong.”

“Oh. . .”

“Ah. . .”

Those gathered made a tepid, admiring sound. It wasn’t a wrong statement. He certainly was a precious status.

“Well done. I will be sure to reward you properly.”

“Thank you.”

Another centaur asked curiously,

“But did he not come with others?”

“He’s walking behind. He was too slow so I came ahead first.”

“. . .I see.”

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨. . .’

That’s what all the centaurs thought, but did not say out loud.

It must have really been tedious. . .!

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Under the thick darkness, Jyanina sent Quinzils and looked down from the rampart.

Mackald, the dwarf captain that accompanied her as her guard, asked.

“Wizard, it is cold, so won’t you go inside and rest?”

“No. Magic punishes the arrogant. I will wait here until the beast returns.”

“Really. . .!”

Jyanina waited anxiously. Although she had sent the beast, she was not very confident.

What if the beast got caught, got lost somewhere in between, or even attacked the hostages. . .

‘𝘕𝘰. 𝘔𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴.’

Jyanina shook her head. Being persecuted by many wizards and neglected by the duke had led Jyanina to focus on her studies.

Hadn’t she searched for many books and studied secret techniques during the Eastern Expedition? Although she had difficulty with the ancient empire language and it required translation. . .

“Wizard! We succeeded!”

“!”

Jyanina heard Mackald’s words and lifted her head with a bright smile.

“Look! The enemy’s camp is on fire!”

“. . .???？”

Jyanina blinked in surprise. Following Mackald’s words, she saw fires rising everywhere and the camp collapsing. The dwarf captain shouted in excitement.

“Amazing! Wizard!”

“No, no, no. . .”

“??”

“This is. . . This kind of magic. . . Isn’t it. . .”

In the midst of the confusion, a centaur approached the castle with the duke’s flag.

“His Highness the Duke has arrived!”

“!!!”

It was a fearsome centaur, but Mackald felt a sense of relief that his worries had dissipated. He had been worried about ‘what had happened to His Highness the Duke’.

“Thank goodness. You’re safe.”

“. . .Didn’t I tell you that I was safe. . .?”

“Ah, no. I didn’t mean to distrust the wizard, it was just a formality. . .”

※※※※※※

The commotion quickly ended as the day dawned. The city’s influential people packed their belongings and came to see Johan. The mercenaries who tried to hide in the city were severely beaten and captured.

“You all worked hard.”

“Thanks to the rampart built by Your Highness the Duke, the people inside the castle were safe.”

Mackald said with a proud expression. Although they were rebels who were nothing more than rabble, they were not a force to be ignored. He could be proud of the fact that he had not shown them a single gap.

“. . . . . .”

Stephen, whose cheeks had sunken in, wore a somewhat resentful expression, but he did not say anything. It was his own fault for being caught while he was out hunting.

“You must have been very surprised. I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of you.”

“No! I didn’t believe the rumors at all.”

Amien seemed to have grown a handspan taller since the last time she saw her. It was not strange for Amien to be tall, given that Iselia was so tall.

Amien was so happy to see Johan after a long time that she didn’t know what to do. Compared to the strict and stoic Iselia, Johan was the epitome of an ideal parent.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring Iselia. She’s leading the expeditionary force right now. . .”

“No! It’s okay. That’s understandable!”

Johan didn’t want her to shed tears of sadness because Iselia wasn’t there, but he was a little puzzled when she accepted it so readily.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. . .’

Johan grumbled to Iselia, who was not there. Seeing the conversation between Ulrike and the countess made him feel the need for conversation even more.

“Jyanina-gong. You did a great job commanding the people inside the castle as a wizard while I was away.”

“Th. . . Thank you.”

Johan gave Jyanina gold coins as well. She had thought that she would be rewarded, but Jyanina found it hard to control her emotions when she actually received it. She suddenly felt tears in her eyes as she heard cheers and applause from the surroundings.

“. . .Why are you crying?”

“I. . . I’m not crying. . .”

“No. You seem to be crying?”

“It’s just that the cold wind is making my eyes water!”

‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦?’

Johan looked at Jyanina with pity. She must have felt a lot of pressure, having to command so many people during the time when the rumors were spreading.

“When the fleet arrives, you can take any treasure you want.”

“. . .Why are you doing this, Your Highness?”

Jyanina was rather frightened by Johan’s sudden kindness.

※※※※※※

The merchants of the republic, who had received an urgent message, rode their horses through the city and rushed to Count Oldor’s court.

Count Oldor, who was lying down leisurely, was displeased by the sudden request for an audience.

“No matter how great the republic’s power is, you can’t act like this in my territory. . .”

“This is not the time for this, Count! Are you really prepared for war!?”

“???”

It was customary for the merchants to yield first when threatened, and then the count would talk to them in a good mood.

However, the merchants this time were shouting with their waists stiff, as if they had eaten something wrong.

The count said with an unpleasant expression.

“What nonsense are you talking about? If you don’t want to be expelled from my fiefdom, show some respect!”

“If we misunderstood the situation, we apologize. But Count! Is it really not true that you sent troops to Duke Yeats’ fiefdom?”

“!”

Count Oldor felt a pang of guilt at the sudden remark. It was true that he had accepted the requests made by some of the nobles.

No noble would refuse when they said that they would borrow his name and pay off the debt later. Moreover, if things went well, he might be able to get his hands on the duke’s fiefdom.

“. . .I didn’t send any troops.”

The count denied it for the time being. And in fact, he had never sent any troops. He didn’t have the will to do that.

“Count, we’re not trying to blackmail you. We’re just trying to inform you of the serious situation. His Highness the Duke is extremely furious and is leading the army that participated in the Holy Land expedition here. There is an army of nearly ten thousand marching south through the empire right now, and the rest of the fleet will arrive soon. Do you think you can stop them, Count?”

“. . . . . .”

The count froze and dropped the cup he was holding. He couldn’t accept the reality because the situation had become much bigger than he had thought.

“W-What nonsense are you talking about. I have nothing to do with this. The. . . The republic will come forward and persuade him, right? You’re on good terms with His Highness the Duke, aren’t you? Since I allowed you to do business in my fiefdom. . .”

“Count, what power do we have to persuade His Highness the Duke? We would like to stop him if we could! Who would want to see this place burn?”

However, the merchants drew a line coldly, despite their desperate pleas.

“. . .But since His Highness the Duke is angry, we have no choice but to watch. I hope the republic understands.”

“Do. . . Do you think the republic will sit still if the duke attacks my fiefdom? Come to your senses!”

“. . . . . .”

The merchants remained silent to the unreasonable words. The count’s face began to turn pale.

“H. . . Hey, please help me. What do you want? There must be something you want.”

“Withdraw your troops for now.”

“I didn’t send any troops!!”

The count was furious. He really didn’t send them, so how could he withdraw them. . .

The merchants looked at the count as if he was being ridiculous. They thought that he was lying even at this point.

“Count, we’re really serious about this. . .”

“I didn’t send them!”

“. . .I understand. Anyway, if you didn’t send them, go and explain the situation to the duke yourself.”

“Send an envoy?”

“No. You have to go yourself. Your neck will be on the line if you send an envoy.”

The count was furious again, but he held back. The situation was not good enough for that.

“W-What if I go and get caught?”

“His Highness the Duke is not the kind of person who would do something so cowardly.”

“W. . . Well, that’s true. The duke is not that kind of person.”

If Johan had heard this, he would have gotten angry and captured him, but fortunately, Johan was not there.