How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 306: ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ???? (1)

The red-haired wizard had a reason for saying this.

The so-called ‘Holy Land’ is not a place that can be conquered so easily.

The Holy Land, which had been a historic city since ancient times, had a very long and complicated name and its name had changed frequently depending on its conquerors ever since. Now, no one calls it by its original name and simply refers to it as the Holy Land.

As bloody as its history is, the defenses of the Holy Land have become thicker and stronger.

The most recent conqueror of the Holy Land is a monotheistic feudal lord who arrived over a hundred years ago.

Like most feudal lords in this area, he was greedy and arrogant, but he was skilled at fighting. Several feudal lords from the empire who participated in the expedition testified to this.

With seasoned soldiers and high castle walls, it was widely believed that it would take several years to conquer the Holy Land, even with tens of thousands of troops. . .

It fell?

“No! Not only did the testimonies come from one source, but people who escaped from there have also arrived. If Your Highness asks, they will answer!”

This time, it was Johan’s turn to console Caenerna. At the duke’s touch on her shoulder, Caenerna shyly caressed her own cheek.

“People make mistakes.”

“If Your Highness says it like that, I’ll just be more embarrassed, so please stop.”

“You only use honorifics when things are going badly.”

Although he said this, Johan did not tease Caenerna any further. He opened the door and looked outside, where he saw horses rushing by.

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

Johan clicked his tongue. He had planned to hold out at a leisurely pace and wear down the opponent who had landed recklessly, but now his plan had gone awry because of the fall of the Holy Land.

Now, everyone who came on the expedition had no choice but to fixate on the Holy Land.

??????

“We must depart immediately!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? It hasn’t been long since the enemy’s army retreated. What if we meet them if we march south recklessly?”

“If we meet them, let’s just defeat them! We have divine protection. Who will be held responsible if we neglect the Holy Land and incur the wrath of God?”

Unsurprisingly, the nobles immediately began to argue that the Holy Land must be recovered.

Although they did not bring as many troops as Johan did, they were nobles who each had their own soldiers and slaves. Johan had no way of stopping them if they decided to move on their own.

‘?? ??????, ?? ???’? ???? ????.’

Johan could not simply let high-ranking personnel like knights leave. He had to keep them in line so that they would follow his instructions as much as possible.

“Calm down, everyone.”

At Johan’s words, the nobles stopped arguing. Because of their victory in the recent battle, Johan’s authority had soared.

“I will continue to listen to the testimonies. Speak.”

The low-ranking noble who had escaped from the Holy Land nodded repeatedly and opened his mouth. Despite being covered in dust from his hurried journey along the long road, his appearance only served to enrage the nobles.

“When the enemy’s army arrived, no one, including the count himself, thought we would be defeated. The enemy launched attacks, but they couldn’t even get over the outermost castle wall. But suddenly. . .”

As Johan and everyone else had expected, the Holy Land’s defenses were solid.

. . .Until one night, when the castle gates suddenly opened and enemies poured in like a flood.

The guards on the castle wall were defeated one after another in a surprise attack. The count who ruled the Holy Land rushed over with his knights in a desperate attempt to stop the enemy, but the enemy commander was one step ahead. After a fierce battle, the count fell and his army scattered.

“What about the count? He must have children?”

“They were all. . . I heard they were all executed.”

“How dare they!!”

“Those pagans!”

The nobles erupted in anger. In a way, it could be said to be retribution, because the monotheistic feudal lord who conquered the Holy Land a hundred years ago massacred the family of the original feudal lord after winning the battle.

The new conquerors also killed the count and his bloodline under the same pretext.

Of course, the nobles here were not calm enough to consider such a cause-and-effect relationship. They were seething with anger and humiliation.

“We should have killed all the prisoners!”

“Was it wrong of me to accept the ransom for the prisoners I captured?”

Johan spoke coldly on purpose. With the nobles’ heads filled with bloodlust, he needed to show them, in no uncertain terms, who was in charge.

Since Johan normally acted humbly, this method was even more effective. When the voice of the duke, who had always been kind, grew colder, the nobles in their seats became terrified.

In the duke’s eyes was a coldness reminiscent of the enemy knights who had been scattered all over the place after the battle.

“No, Your Highness. Please forgive my rudeness!”

“I forgive you.”

Johan replied curtly. The nobles straightened up as they noticed that he was still angry despite his words. Johan sighed in relief inwardly at their reaction.

‘????’?? ?? ????? ??? ? ?????.’

In order to avoid tempting Johan’s temper again, the nobles will calm down for a while. However, this is only a stopgap measure.

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

Ignoring the nobles who were carefully questioning the witness again, Johan was lost in thought. Their chatter was of no help.

Can we go to the Holy Land? Can we conquer it again? Even if we can’t, can we return safely?

After a fruitless meeting, Johan’s retainers gathered separately. Iselia spoke first.

“Most of the people who participated in the expedition cannot refuse your orders. The fiefdoms of the monotheistic feudal lords are still intact. There shouldn’t be any problems going to and from the Holy Land, right? We can gather an army and advance even now.”

Suetlg shook his head and spoke with a skeptical expression.

“The enemy’s army has landed and we don’t know when they might attack again. To them, the troops wandering outside are a much more tempting target than a castle that might not open even after several years of fighting.”

Of course, their supplies and wealth are abundant. Suetlg suspected that the enemies targeted the Holy Land first to induce this. It was a reasonable suspicion.

If they conquer only the Holy Land, all the expeditionary forces that are stuck there will come rushing over with their eyes wide open. . .

Caenerna played with her hair anxiously and added.

“Even if we make it through safely, I doubt we can conquer it again. It won’t be as easy to conquer as it was for the enemy.”

“That’s right.”

The enemy must have spent a long time preparing a traitor. He didn’t know how they did it, though. . .

Johan listened to the back-and-forth conversation and slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s a saying that it’s better to strike first. Let’s send messengers and insist that we head to the Holy Land. There’s no point in falling behind and getting a bad reputation at a time like this.”

“!”

When everyone else was saying they should go to the Holy Land, if he alone held back, even the most devout person would be gossiped about.

“But. . . isn’t there any way to capture it?”

“Yes. We will just pretend to advance and then turn back before reaching the Holy Land.”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

The two wizards were at a loss for words at Johan’s statement. Iselia asked as if she couldn’t understand.

“What do you mean, my dear?”

“They won’t listen if we just send letters and try to persuade them, but it’s different if we make a plausible lie in person.”

Johan’s religious beliefs were incomparable to those of other nobles. He was known to be more devout than anyone else.

So what if the duke, who was more devout than anyone else, suddenly claims that he witnessed a miracle on his way to the Holy Land with his army and insists that they turn back?

There might be some complaints, but no one would dare to openly deny or doubt him.

“Can’t we just pretend somehow? Once the complaints about not doing anything die down, we can aim for the remaining enemy forces that will be scattered here and there once we start moving again.”

Johan was very satisfied with the method he had come up with. If they just pretended to go to the Holy Land and then turned back, the enemy who had landed recklessly would only suffer more and more.

He could think about recovering the Holy Land later when the opportunity arises. . .

As everyone exchanged glances, Caenerna shrugged her shoulders in disbelief and opened her mouth.

“Since no one else is saying anything, let me be the first to speak. Your Highness. Even so, isn’t it a bit much to pretend to have a miracle?”

“What? Caenerna-gong. Were you more devout than I was?”

Johan looked at Caenerna in surprise at her unexpected words.

The fact that Johan was not very religious was something that people close to him could guess more or less. Even Iselia knew that. If he didn’t abstain for several days in a row on days when he was supposed to abstain, even a fool would notice.

It was inevitable that Caenerna, who knew this, would say such a thing.

“It’s not about my faith, it’s about your soul, Your Highness. You might end up making an oath in the process, and if you make a false oath after giving false testimony, shouldn’t you think about curses, even if it’s you?”

Suetlg, who was listening, nodded as if he understood what she meant.

“Perhaps Caenerna-gong is worried that Your Highness’ soul will be cursed because of false oaths.”

“It’s not worry, but. . .”

“Thank you for your concern, Gong.”

“So it’s not worry, but. . .”

“But it’s fine.”

Caenerna flared up slightly when her words were cut off twice, but she waited for Johan’s answer for now. She was curious about what he would say.

“Why?”

“I’m not particularly religious, so I don’t feel guilty even if I make a false oath in the name of God. I’ve done it once before and nothing happened. So you don’t have to worry.”

“. . . . . .”

Caenerna was truly at a loss for words.

“Ah, yes. . . I see. . .”

??????

The captain of the fortress grabbed Johan’s hand as he was leaving and sobbed.

“You’re leaving after I’ve yet to repay your kindness.”

“. . .???”

Johan was quite disconcerted when the bearded man with tears streaming down his cheeks grabbed both of his hands and wouldn’t let go.

The other nobles nodded with pleased expressions as they watched.

If the duke hadn’t believed him, this fortress might have fallen to the wicked pagans like the Holy Land.

“My family’s honor may be insignificant, but I swear on the honor of my family that I will repay this kindness.”

The captain of the fortress was either misinformed or had never been trusted by others. He was overly touched. Johan had nothing to say, so he just nodded his head.

“. . .I will trust you and wait!”

The army set off with a grand send-off. The plan was in place, but the road to the Holy Land was long and treacherous. Johan couldn’t let his guard down for a moment.

Above all else, Johan prioritized avoiding a surprise attack from the enemy. What would these people, who are terrified of forts and castles, aim for? Johan meticulously planned his course with obsessive detail.

From fortress to fortress, from castle to castle, from city to city, from water source to water source.

He chose locations where he could avoid, endure, or wait for reinforcements in case of a surprise attack. Johan nodded his head in satisfaction.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

“You must have found the enemy.”

Johan nodded as the scouts returned.

“How many of them are there and who is their commander? Is it a familiar family?”

“Well. . . that’s. . .”

“?”

“As soon as we met, they ran away like crazy in the opposite direction, so we didn’t have time to check.”

“. . .Hmm. Is that so? I guess we should rest and then check again.”

“Um, well, two of them chased after the guys who were running away and it looks like they left the fiefdom in a hurry. There seemed to be hundreds of them, but not a single one remained. . .”

The centaur looked embarrassed as he spoke, knowing that even he didn’t find his own words convincing. Johan had to barely hold back the urge to say, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’,

The red-haired wizard had a reason for saying this.

The so-called ‘Holy Land’ is not a place that can be conquered so easily.

The Holy Land, which had been a historic city since ancient times, had a very long and complicated name and its name had changed frequently depending on its conquerors ever since. Now, no one calls it by its original name and simply refers to it as the Holy Land.

As bloody as its history is, the defenses of the Holy Land have become thicker and stronger.

The most recent conqueror of the Holy Land is a monotheistic feudal lord who arrived over a hundred years ago.

Like most feudal lords in this area, he was greedy and arrogant, but he was skilled at fighting. Several feudal lords from the empire who participated in the expedition testified to this.

With seasoned soldiers and high castle walls, it was widely believed that it would take several years to conquer the Holy Land, even with tens of thousands of troops. . .

It fell?

“No! Not only did the testimonies come from one source, but people who escaped from there have also arrived. If Your Highness asks, they will answer!”

“. . . . . .”

This time, it was Johan’s turn to console Caenerna. At the duke’s touch on her shoulder, Caenerna shyly caressed her own cheek.

“People make mistakes.”

“If Your Highness says it like that, I’ll just be more embarrassed, so please stop.”

“You only use honorifics when things are going badly.”

Although he said this, Johan did not tease Caenerna any further. He opened the door and looked outside, where he saw horses rushing by.

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

Johan clicked his tongue. He had planned to hold out at a leisurely pace and wear down the opponent who had landed recklessly, but now his plan had gone awry because of the fall of the Holy Land.

Now, everyone who came on the expedition had no choice but to fixate on the Holy Land.

??????

“We must depart immediately!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? It hasn’t been long since the enemy’s army retreated. What if we meet them if we march south recklessly?”

“If we meet them, let’s just defeat them! We have divine protection. Who will be held responsible if we neglect the Holy Land and incur the wrath of God?”

Unsurprisingly, the nobles immediately began to argue that the Holy Land must be recovered.

Although they did not bring as many troops as Johan did, they were nobles who each had their own soldiers and slaves. Johan had no way of stopping them if they decided to move on their own.

‘?? ??????, ?? ???’? ???? ????.’

Johan could not simply let high-ranking personnel like knights leave. He had to keep them in line so that they would follow his instructions as much as possible.

“Calm down, everyone.”

At Johan’s words, the nobles stopped arguing. Because of their victory in the recent battle, Johan’s authority had soared.

“I will continue to listen to the testimonies. Speak.”

The low-ranking noble who had escaped from the Holy Land nodded repeatedly and opened his mouth. Despite being covered in dust from his hurried journey along the long road, his appearance only served to enrage the nobles.

“When the enemy’s army arrived, no one, including the count himself, thought we would be defeated. The enemy launched attacks, but they couldn’t even get over the outermost castle wall. But suddenly. . .”

As Johan and everyone else had expected, the Holy Land’s defenses were solid.

. . .Until one night, when the castle gates suddenly opened and enemies poured in like a flood.

The guards on the castle wall were defeated one after another in a surprise attack. The count who ruled the Holy Land rushed over with his knights in a desperate attempt to stop the enemy, but the enemy commander was one step ahead. After a fierce battle, the count fell and his army scattered.

“What about the count? He must have children?”

“They were all. . . I heard they were all executed.”

“How dare they!!”

“Those pagans!”

The nobles erupted in anger. In a way, it could be said to be retribution, because the monotheistic feudal lord who conquered the Holy Land a hundred years ago massacred the family of the original feudal lord after winning the battle.

The new conquerors also killed the count and his bloodline under the same pretext.

Of course, the nobles here were not calm enough to consider such a cause-and-effect relationship. They were seething with anger and humiliation.

“We should have killed all the prisoners!”

“Was it wrong of me to accept the ransom for the prisoners I captured?”

Johan spoke coldly on purpose. With the nobles’ heads filled with bloodlust, he needed to show them, in no uncertain terms, who was in charge.

Since Johan normally acted humbly, this method was even more effective. When the voice of the duke, who had always been kind, grew colder, the nobles in their seats became terrified.

In the duke’s eyes was a coldness reminiscent of the enemy knights who had been scattered all over the place after the battle.

“No, Your Highness. Please forgive my rudeness!”

“I forgive you.”

Johan replied curtly. The nobles straightened up as they noticed that he was still angry despite his words. Johan sighed in relief inwardly at their reaction.

‘????’?? ?? ????? ??? ? ?????.’

In order to avoid tempting Johan’s temper again, the nobles will calm down for a while. However, this is only a stopgap measure.

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

Ignoring the nobles who were carefully questioning the witness again, Johan was lost in thought. Their chatter was of no help.

Can we go to the Holy Land? Can we conquer it again? Even if we can’t, can we return safely?

After a fruitless meeting, Johan’s retainers gathered separately. Iselia spoke first.

“Most of the people who participated in the expedition cannot refuse your orders. The fiefdoms of the monotheistic feudal lords are still intact. There shouldn’t be any problems going to and from the Holy Land, right? We can gather an army and advance even now.”

Suetlg shook his head and spoke with a skeptical expression.

“The enemy’s army has landed and we don’t know when they might attack again. To them, the troops wandering outside are a much more tempting target than a castle that might not open even after several years of fighting.”

Of course, their supplies and wealth are abundant. Suetlg suspected that the enemies targeted the Holy Land first to induce this. It was a reasonable suspicion.

If they conquer only the Holy Land, all the expeditionary forces that are stuck there will come rushing over with their eyes wide open. . .

Caenerna played with her hair anxiously and added.

“Even if we make it through safely, I doubt we can conquer it again. It won’t be as easy to conquer as it was for the enemy.”

“That’s right.”

The enemy must have spent a long time preparing a traitor. He didn’t know how they did it, though. . .

Johan listened to the back-and-forth conversation and slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s a saying that it’s better to strike first. Let’s send messengers and insist that we head to the Holy Land. There’s no point in falling behind and getting a bad reputation at a time like this.”

“!”

When everyone else was saying they should go to the Holy Land, if he alone held back, even the most devout person would be gossiped about.

“But. . . isn’t there any way to capture it?”

“Yes. We will just pretend to advance and then turn back before reaching the Holy Land.”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

The two wizards were at a loss for words at Johan’s statement. Iselia asked as if she couldn’t understand.

“What do you mean, my dear?”

“They won’t listen if we just send letters and try to persuade them, but it’s different if we make a plausible lie in person.”

Johan’s religious beliefs were incomparable to those of other nobles. He was known to be more devout than anyone else.

So what if the duke, who was more devout than anyone else, suddenly claims that he witnessed a miracle on his way to the Holy Land with his army and insists that they turn back?

There might be some complaints, but no one would dare to openly deny or doubt him.

“Can’t we just pretend somehow? Once the complaints about not doing anything die down, we can aim for the remaining enemy forces that will be scattered here and there once we start moving again.”

Johan was very satisfied with the method he had come up with. If they just pretended to go to the Holy Land and then turned back, the enemy who had landed recklessly would only suffer more and more.

He could think about recovering the Holy Land later when the opportunity arises. . .

As everyone exchanged glances, Caenerna shrugged her shoulders in disbelief and opened her mouth.

“Since no one else is saying anything, let me be the first to speak. Your Highness. Even so, isn’t it a bit much to pretend to have a miracle?”

“What? Caenerna-gong. Were you more devout than I was?”

Johan looked at Caenerna in surprise at her unexpected words.

The fact that Johan was not very religious was something that people close to him could guess more or less. Even Iselia knew that. If he didn’t abstain for several days in a row on days when he was supposed to abstain, even a fool would notice.

It was inevitable that Caenerna, who knew this, would say such a thing.

“It’s not about my faith, it’s about your soul, Your Highness. You might end up making an oath in the process, and if you make a false oath after giving false testimony, shouldn’t you think about curses, even if it’s you?”

Suetlg, who was listening, nodded as if he understood what she meant.

“Perhaps Caenerna-gong is worried that Your Highness’ soul will be cursed because of false oaths.”

“It’s not worry, but. . .”

“Thank you for your concern, Gong.”

“So it’s not worry, but. . .”

“But it’s fine.”

Caenerna flared up slightly when her words were cut off twice, but she waited for Johan’s answer for now. She was curious about what he would say.

“Why?”

“I’m not particularly religious, so I don’t feel guilty even if I make a false oath in the name of God. I’ve done it once before and nothing happened. So you don’t have to worry.”

“. . . . . .”

Caenerna was truly at a loss for words.

“Ah, yes. . . I see. . .”

??????

The captain of the fortress grabbed Johan’s hand as he was leaving and sobbed.

“You’re leaving after I’ve yet to repay your kindness.”

“. . .???”

Johan was quite disconcerted when the bearded man with tears streaming down his cheeks grabbed both of his hands and wouldn’t let go.

The other nobles nodded with pleased expressions as they watched.

If the duke hadn’t believed him, this fortress might have fallen to the wicked pagans like the Holy Land.

“My family’s honor may be insignificant, but I swear on the honor of my family that I will repay this kindness.”

The captain of the fortress was either misinformed or had never been trusted by others. He was overly touched. Johan had nothing to say, so he just nodded his head.

“. . .I will trust you and wait!”

The army set off with a grand send-off. The plan was in place, but the road to the Holy Land was long and treacherous. Johan couldn’t let his guard down for a moment.

Above all else, Johan prioritized avoiding a surprise attack from the enemy. What would these people, who are terrified of forts and castles, aim for? Johan meticulously planned his course with obsessive detail.

From fortress to fortress, from castle to castle, from city to city, from water source to water source.

He chose locations where he could avoid, endure, or wait for reinforcements in case of a surprise attack. Johan nodded his head in satisfaction.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

“You must have found the enemy.”

Johan nodded as the scouts returned.

“How many of them are there and who is their commander? Is it a familiar family?”

“Well. . . that’s. . .”

“?”

“As soon as we met, they ran away like crazy in the opposite direction, so we didn’t have time to check.”

“. . .Hmm. Is that so? I guess we should rest and then check again.”

“Um, well, two of them chased after the guys who were running away and it looks like they left the fiefdom in a hurry. There seemed to be hundreds of them, but not a single one remained. . .”

The centaur looked embarrassed as he spoke, knowing that even he didn’t find his own words convincing. Johan had to barely hold back the urge to say, ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’