How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 256: ????????? ????? (10)

Chapter 256: ????????? ????? (10)

“I wish it were so.”

Johan muttered with a sense of unease. People often underestimated the intelligence of monsters, but cunning monsters were not inferior to humans in terms of intelligence. Some of them could even speak.

If it were a dragon, it wouldn’t be surprising if it was so smart that it couldn’t be compared to other monsters.

“Well, it’s no use worrying about it now, is it?”

Johan gave up neatly. It was not in his nature to worry about useless things for a long time.

“Still, in a way, it’s lucky.”

“. . .You mean it’s lucky to survive a dragon??”

Johan was surprised at Caenerna’s words. It seemed that she had developed a strange sense of humor in the meantime.

“Not that. . . it burned down the castle.”

Johan nodded.

He had not noticed it because he was so busy, but the dragon had done the work that Johan’s detachment should have done.

Even if Johan and his subordinates had worked hard all night, they would not have been able to inflict more damage than the dragon had done.

“I saw some of the warehouses burning, but I don’t know what the others are like.”

“I saw it with my own eyes. It all burned down.”

Johan nodded at Caenerna’s words.

“Were you thinking that you would come and burn it down even more?”

“How did you know?”

Unbelievably, the two of them did not expect the dragon to reappear and attack the castle.

“Count, you should probably rest soon.”

The subordinates spoke as if they were worried.

The group was currently moving in a scattered formation. Unlike when they came, they had to be more careful when leaving. They had to be concerned about rumors after all.

It was unknown how many pursuers would join, but it was easier to avoid attention by moving in a divided formation.

Thanks to this, Kaegal was moving while escorting the baron with a few soldiers, and Caenerna was moving with Johan.

The problem was that Johan had been running non-stop since he fought the dragon.

No matter how strong Johan was, the subordinates could not help but worry about their lord. He had been crushed and scratched by the dragon’s front paw, but he was still moving like that.

“It’s fine if we move a little more.”

“No, I think it’s better to rest.”

Caenerna pointed at Johan’s arm with her finger. The mystery was surging inside, even though it was hidden by armor and outerwear.

??????

After making a campsite, Caenerna rolled up Johan’s sleeve. The part where the dragon’s blood touched left a mark on his arm like a pattern.

“Any pain?”

“If there was, I would have said something. What happens when you touch dragon’s blood?”

“I’ve never heard of it before. . .”

Caenerna hesitated, unsure of what to say. Dragons are creatures that appear when people have forgotten about them, so there is no reliable record of them.

The story of dragon’s blood is even more ancient. It was rare for dragons to be injured when they did appear.

“There are not many knights who have ever injured a dragon.”

“How did people in the past defeat dragons?”

“Usually, they would just feed them until they went back to their lairs.”

Johan snorted at the practical approach. After all, there was no need to kill such monsters. Dragons would not reappear for over a hundred years once they disappeared.

“Jyanina-gong. Do you know anything about dragon’s blood?”

Caenerna’s question startled Jyanina, who had been sitting there daydreaming.

“I don’t think I asked such a difficult question. . .?”

“The wizard is a bit shy, so please be understanding.”

“Shy? That’s ridiculous.”

Caenerna scolded Johan for his nonsense. She had met Jyanina at the palace a few times, and she knew that the wizard was not shy at all.

Come to think of it, I heard that Jyanina had done a lot of good work at Johan’s palace. . .

“Have you earned a lot of trust?”

She knew from being with him, but earning someone like Johan’s trust was not an easy task.

Contrary to rumors, his gentle demeanor often led new acquaintances to harbor vain hopes.

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However, Johan was someone who harbored an unimaginable dark side within. Any foolish attempt could lead to being devoured by him.

That Jyanina had earned Johan’s trust meant she had made significant efforts and shown loyalty. Caenerna was surprised to find herself feeling wounded pride as a wizard.

In the emperor’s court, the pride of other wizards receiving the emperor’s favor or outpacing others never bothered her, but when it came to Jyanina, it wounded her pride.

“What’s the matter? Are you tired? You can go in and rest.”

As Johan asked with concern, Caenerna waved her hand and spoke again.

“Anyway, Jyanina-gong. It would be better to speak up if you know something.”

“There are. . .various legends about dragon’s blood. Some say it grants eternal youth, others say it gives incredible strength, and there are also tales of it making one immune to any wounds. . .”

“. . .?”

“??”

Johan and Caenerna looked at each other and then looked back at Jyanina.

“Wasn’t that just a bard’s nonsense?”

“Well, if she’s saying that, then there must be some basis for it, right?”

Caenerna still showed her respect, but Johan immediately gave her a suspicious look. After all, if such an effect existed, then Johan should have felt it when the dragon’s blood was sprinkled on his arm.

“Is there anything else about the curse, other than that?”

“Well, your excellency. But if the dragon’s curse is real, then shouldn’t you be feeling it right now?”

Jyanina asked in a puzzled tone. Her words made the subordinates glare at Jyanina. Her tone was quite disrespectful.

“N-No. . . I’m not saying that you should be cursed. I’m just saying that it makes sense.”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean any harm, so don’t be too hard on her.”

Johan spoke up, and the subordinates finally stopped glaring at Jyanina. Caenerna realized from that sight that Jyanina was truly trusted.

‘A wizard with loyalty. . .?!’

In general, she thought that wizards were people who were far from loyalty, but there are always exceptions. It is possible that the loyalty that even Caenerna did not know was actually hidden inside Jyanina.

The emperor was a person who was not worthy of such loyalty, but it is also possible that Jyanina’s loyalty began to shine when she met a suitable master.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter if there are no major problems, right? The energy around here is a bit strange, though. . .”

The mystery was swirling in the part where the dragon’s blood touched, and it felt like he was carrying some ancient artifact around his arm.

Johan, who already had a suspicious aura, became even more complex and intense.

“If you’re not a wizard, you won’t be able to feel it that sensitively, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Count. There are some guys coming this way.”

“!”

Johan raised his head. It was not a road where there was no sign of life, so it would not be strange to meet passing travelers or pilgrims.

However, it is always necessary to be careful.

After all, the area around here was devastated due to the war, so there were also gangs of thieves. It wouldn’t hurt to check in advance.

“Get your weapons ready. We need to check who it is first.”

??????

“A dragon? Are you crazy?!”

“It’s just a rumor!”

The news that a dragon had attacked a castle in the rear made even the boldest and most experienced feudal lords shake their heads. It was no wonder that most of them insisted that it was just a rumor.

“They’re just spreading rumors to unsettle us.”

“But…”

Even if it had been just one or two of them, if all of the mercenaries who had come to report had said the same thing, it was impossible to deny reality.

It was true that a dragon had appeared and destroyed the castle.

“. . .Really??”

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No one said it out loud, but the feudal lords gathered there all had similar thoughts.

“We should retreat.”

“. . .!”

“Your Majesty will not forgive us if he wakes up. To retreat, leaving the castles we have captured in this area?”

“Now is not the time to argue about that? We’re all going to be captured if we stay here. We’d rather retreat to the north than be captured and pay a ransom!”

The nobles present had invested heavily in the emperor’s expedition. Of course, it was not an investment they had made willingly, but the money and debt they had incurred in raising and maintaining an army were not insignificant.

The thought of it made their hearts ache, but being captured here would be an incomparable loss. The southern feudal lords, who were filled with anger, could extort several times more money as ransom.

If not careful, they could be trapped in this area for over ten years.

“Biorarn-gong, what do you think?”

“Hmm. Let’s retreat. We should retreat when we can.”

“!”

The nobles were surprised to hear the words of retreat from the emperor’s son, who was known for his belligerence.

“Is that true?”

“If we wait any longer, the enemy will realize and ambush us when we retreat, so let’s retreat as soon as possible.”

Several of the feudal lords sighed in relief. If Biorarn even said that, it would be a burden off their shoulders.

“Shouldn’t we leave some soldiers in the castle?”

“That’s true, but. . .”

Gashstadt Castle, the jewel of the south that had been conquered with much blood, was the reason why the feudal lords were here. It wasn’t because they were greedy for the fiefdom.

To retreat safely, they needed a castle like this to hold out.

“The dragon has been appearing again.”

“Damn it. . . Why won’t that crazy dragon leave? He was so full, right?”

“. . . . . .”

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One of the nobles thought so. Why didn’t it leave after destroying the castle and swallowing up many soldiers?

It seemed as if it wanted someone.

If we offered the emperor. . .

“We will depart as soon as we are ready. Do not rush, and be especially careful not to let the secret leak out.”

??????

“It’s not a pursuit party, but rogues.”

Johan swung his sword with a nonchalant voice. The head of the rogue who charged at him was split in half. The rogues were surprised by the unexpected power and tried to retreat.

?????!

Karamaf ran out from the side and bit the rogues. The rogues, who did not know how well armed Johan’s subordinates were due to the darkness, were paying the price in blood.

“Don’t go too far. It’s a waste if you get hit by an arrow.”

“Yes!”

“Spare me! Spare me!!”

“You should have said that before you charged.”

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The subordinates did not forgive the rogues who charged at them while they were already on edge. By the looks of it, they seemed like a group of mercenaries who had participated in the war, lost their equipment, and turned to banditry.

“Do you have a kind old man in your family who will pay your ransom?”

“Uh, well. . .”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t really asking.”

With a dull thud, the place was cleaned up. Johan left one bandit alive. There was a reason for that.

“Lead me to where your friends are.”

“. . . . . .”

The bandit could not understand why the situation ended so quickly and blinked his eyes.

At first, it looked like the opponent was a knight, but even if he was a knight, this was too much. . .

“Hey. I guess the guy can’t hear you. Bring a needle.”

“No, I can hear you!!”

The rogue began to lead the way, trembling. Johan and his men followed him, trying to suppress their annoyance.

“I’m being bothered like this because of some ridiculous guys while I’m taking a break.”

“I would be happy to serve the count’s territory, but these guys are probably just poor b*stards with nothing.”

If they didn’t clean them up first, they might be more troublesome at night, so they had to make a preemptive strike first.

“. . .?!”

Johan and his men stopped when they saw more rogues gathered in the camp than they expected.

Seeing that, the rogue’s morale slightly revived and he said.

“Our mercenary group used to have more numbers than this. If you release me now. . .”

“That’s right. Let him go.”

“??”

The rogue was surprised that he was really released. He was going to threaten to track down the mercenary group if he didn’t release him, but. . .

?????!

A soldier behind him swung an axe and knocked down the thief. Johan waved his hand.

“Let’s go.”

Johan was not afraid of the unexpected number of rogues. He was just curious.

Johan and his men attacked like lightning. Within thirty minutes, the rogues in the encampment were defeated.