How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 257: ???????, ??????, ??????, ???????? (1)

Chapter 257: ???????, ??????, ??????, ???????? (1)

“Well done!”

Johan wiped the blood off his warhammer.

In a battle between groups, the most important thing is unified discipline. Combat experience and the quality of equipment are also important, but if all of these things are not combined, they will be defeated individually.

The rogues gathered here knew how to handle weapons and had experience, but they could not even stand up to Johan’s elite.

A rogue who tried to grasp a sword while drunk was kicked by Johan’s bicorn and flew away, and the captain who was scared and tried to raise a spear was turned into a pulp by Johan’s warhammer.

“There will be no other guys, will there?”

“Yes. We checked the surroundings, but there were no runaways.”

In such a raid, the most important thing is to finish it off decisively. If you let a few people go and the guys staying in other camps come, it will be troublesome.

Of course, the opponent will usually be scared and run away, but there are not only sane guys in the world.

Johan looked around the camp with a puzzled look. There were not only rogues in the camp.

“Are they prisoners?”

“They could be disguised bandits, your excellency.”

“They’re about to pass out from fear, so keep your voice down.”

Inside the camp, there was a group of people who were terrified. It was clear that they were prisoners. They had all of their weapons taken away, and their hands and feet were tied together so that they couldn’t escape.

It was a common tactic of bandits to build walls of luggage inside their camps to keep prisoners from escaping.

Of course, Johan’s men had seen so much hardship that they didn’t feel sorry for the prisoners or pity them.

If there was a man among those prisoners with evil intentions, they could get hurt for no reason.

“Are there any men who look like they could be ransomed?”

“But are we in a position to collect ransom now? We have to move immediately.”

“Damn it. We didn’t even get a chance to rest after fighting with the bandits, and we’re not even going to get any ransom?”

“If you have eyes, open them wide. Do any of them look like they could afford a ransom? Most of them look like beggars.”

Johan’s men, being experienced mercenaries, did not have any false expectations.

Among the new recruits, many thought that there would be some reward for rescuing those captured by the rogues.

However, after experiencing a few battles, such illusions were quickly dispelled.

In the first place, most of those captured by the thieves were poor people. They were pilgrims, travelers, peddlers, or even other mercenaries.

After being robbed by the thieves once, it was unlikely that they would have any remaining wealth. On the contrary, it would be a blessing if they didn’t hear their whining about their lost possessions.

“Merchant, merchant, traveler, beggar, traveler, priest, noble?”

Johan stopped in his tracks as he scanned them roughly. There was a man among the group who was dressed quite well.

Of course, he looked ragged and worn, so he didn’t look much different from the other travelers’ outer coats or cloaks. But if you looked closely, you could see the difference. Even a low-ranking noble would wear better quality clothes than a commoner.

“It’s strange that the rogues didn’t take him.”

He must have looked so shabby that they didn’t even touch him. Johan signaled with his chin.

“Get up.”

“Thank you! Where are you from and who are you. . .!”

“Quiet. I didn’t ask you to speak, so quietly pack your things and leave.”

At the words of the mercenaries, the prisoners nodded in fear. They didn’t want to lie down next to the corpses of the rogues that were scattered around the camp.

“Stop there.”

“. . . . . .”

The face of the low-ranking nobleman hardened. It seemed like he had sensed that something was wrong.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m just trying to get a situation report. Explain your identity and what happened.”

Johan spoke kindly, but his subordinates weren’t as kind. They glared at the low-ranking nobleman with fierce eyes and a rough appearance. It felt like they would be the first to cut off his fingers if he lied to Johan.

“. . .Understood.”

The man was a scribe who worked in a nearby fiefdom. He was a nobleman, but he was from a humble family from a distant place that no one had ever heard of, so it didn’t mean much.

Even so, he was doing well enough, having obtained a low-ranking position in the fiefdom because he was a nobleman, but the area around him was turned into a wasteland when the rebellion broke out in the south and the war broke out.

When the emperor’s army invaded, his lord fled to a family he was familiar with in the west, and a few lucky ones followed him, but this man, who had no connections, simply stayed in the fiefdom and took care of chores until he had to flee late.

“Oh dear. You must have had a hard time.”

Rolger nodded with a bitter expression at Johan’s words.

He had never imagined his situation would be like this before the rebellion broke out and the emperor’s army came.

“Even if you’ve been working here for more than a few years, you’ll probably be quite familiar with the rumors around here.”

“Yes. . . Is there anything you want to ask me?”

“That’s right. I have to take him with me. Give the guy a horse.”

“. . . . . .”

Rolger was taken aback.

The words that this knight or mercenary captain, who looked like a nobleman, was taking him with him were a bit surprising.

‘? ???’? ???? ?? ?’? ????? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ??? ??????.’

He had just been released from the rogue group, but he didn’t want to die in vain. It would be fortunate if the opponent was a knight, but if he was the captain of a mercenary group hired by someone, he could be killed after only extracting the essence.

“Why don’t you get on?”

“. . .Thank you. I will do my best.”

Of course, even if it meant dying, he had to be grateful for now. There were no other people as rough as mercenaries who had just seen blood. The blade could fly to his back at any moment.

When Caenerna saw a ragged lower aristocrat being brought in, she was surprised.

“What’s the matter? It’s not a complicated enough path to need a guide, is it?”

“It’s not because of the guide.”

There were roads and maps, and there were many people who had passed through this area, so there was no reason to bring a new one just for the sake of the road.

“According to the rumors I’ve heard, the war is over as good as done. I’m thinking about what comes next.”

“What comes next?”

The emperor had fallen after the sudden appearance of a dragon that destroyed the castle. The feuda lords were hastily retreating one by one. Whether the emperor rose or fell, the outcome of the war could no longer be reversed. All that remained was negotiations to save each other’s face as much as possible.

“There are many southern fiefs that have lost their masters, don’t you think?”

“Oh. . .”

Caenerna nodded. Many of the families of the feudal lords who should have been reinstated had been killed by the emperor’s reckless executions.

Normally, when a fiefdom becomes vacant, the family associated with that house claims ownership, or the emperor or the great nobles, who are the original lords, take steps to reclaim ownership.

However, this time, all of them were out of that situation.

Therefore, the feudal lords who had made a contribution would share it to some extent. Johan was one of them, of course.

“For governance?”

“Calling it governance sounds a bit grandiose. In any case, the situation in the south is not very good, is it? With rebellion, war, and the undead plague. It will be a big deal to govern, too.”

“. . . . . .”

It is good to take care of the lower nobles who know the area well when you can. When governing a fiefdom, the connections these people have can be of great help.

The administrative system of this era could not have run on any systematic selection and organization, and in the end, most of it is maintained by connections. If you want to call back the scribes and administrative officials who fled due to the war, you need someone you know.

Caenerna looked at Johan with a curious expression. There were not many feudal lords who worried about such things. Usually, it was serfs, scribes, or priests of temples who worried about such things.

Just as a lion does not worry about whether the rabbits in the field are doing well, a feudal lord does not worry about whether the serfs are doing well. That was the responsibility of the lower nobles below them.

“No one in the emperor’s court believed it, but. . . it seems that being faithful is the right thing to do.”

“What kind of creepy thing are you saying all of a sudden?”

Johan turned to look at Caenerna in surprise. He had shown on several occasions that he was not particularly devout in the presence of wizards, even though he acted like a nobleman full of faith on the outside.

“Because you were worried about the management of your fiefdom.”

“What does the management of a fiefdom have to do with faith? I was about to talk about the assassination, but it would be a burden if you were distracted.”

They were almost at the rendezvous point they had agreed upon with Kaegal. If Kaegal was anything like his personality, he would gather at the rendezvous point, regroup, and then immediately chase after the emperor. It would be better to mention it now, as they needed to move quickly.

“Assassination? No way. . .”

“That’s what I think too.”

Johan explained it simply. The emperor’s forces were already in full retreat. If the emperor were to die, negotiations would be much easier. Of course, Kaegal and Johan also had their own grudges.

“That’s crazy nonsense. . .!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, so it was just a joke.”

Caenerna was relieved. Johan was known for his sharp tongue and sarcasm. So she thought. . .

“No, I’m serious about the assassination. I’m not going to take you with me, Caenerna.”

“. . . . . .”

Caenerna’s expression hardened. Johan asked in surprise.

“Isn’t it a good thing that I’m not taking you to a dangerous place?”

“You’re taking Jyanina-gong?”

“I haven’t thought about it yet, but I might take her if I need to.”

“. . . . . .”

For Johan, this was a matter of respect. Just as he wouldn’t bring someone like Suetlg on an assassination mission, he wouldn’t bring Caenerna either.

Jyanina, on the other hand, was more like a mercenary subordinate than a wizard who deserved to be treated with respect. That’s why he said what he did.

But for Caenerna, it had a different meaning.

“. . .I’ll join you.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“If you’re so worried, we should just turn back now.”

“I’m not worried about my own life. It’s different for others.”

Johan looked at Caenerna with a hint of worry. He was worried that a wizard, unlike a nimble warrior, might make a mistake while fleeing.

“Don’t worry. We’ll protect you with our lives.”

“Okay. I’ll trust you.”

After Johan left, Jyanina expressed her gratitude to Caenerna with a moved expression.

“Thank you so much. Caenerna-gong. I never thought you would think of me this way. . .”

“. . .?!”

??????

The knights, assassins, and wizards climbed up the hill and looked down below.

A vast army was retreating slowly, huddled together like a hedgehog with its spines raised.

“There are more of them than I thought.”

“They lost the war, but their discipline hasn’t completely collapsed. The mercenary bands will know that if they scatter, they’ll be crushed.”

In the past, when one side began to retreat, the other side would be eager to send out a pursuit force and plunder. But this time, that was rare.

The fleeing side was guarding itself so thoroughly as it retreated.

The Western lords had already won, and they didn’t want to pursue too hard. Pursuits and clashes were limited to small-scale incidents.

“What do you think? Does it look okay? If it seems too much, we can retreat immediately.”

“No, this is good. The more numbers there are, the easier it will be.”

Kaegal spoke with sincerity.

The sight of them rushing to move but not being able to disperse, mixing and colliding in disorder.

To the seasoned assassin’s eyes, it looked like an invitation to ‘?????? ???? ?? ??????? ??.’

If anyone from any mercenary band simply slipped into their midst, they would be too busy to check.

“That’s the emperor’s tent.”

“It looks difficult to get in through there, no matter what.”

Johan’s question seemed to please Kaegal. Kaegal smiled with pride and replied.

“You’re still a long way off. I’ll show you how to get in.”