abcnovels
Chapter 358: ????-????? (2)
Chapter 358: ????-????? (2)
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Suhekhar bowed and disappeared, turning Johan’s stomach.
Johan called the Republic over. The Republic, having enjoyed the Sultan’s drink, wiped the coffee off their beard and hopped over.
“What’s the matter?”
“I heard something.”
Johan relayed what he had just heard, and the Republic nodded as if that made sense.
“Who will pay the ransom?”
“Even if she was a proper empress, it would be difficult to accept, but aren’t you talking about an empress who was even banished? It’s impossible. Rather than letting her stay in the camp and causing rumors, let’s just quickly banish her.”
“If we banish her. . .”
Johan calculated it simply. Since she had no family and the times were chaotic, if they chased out the empress and her child, they would just. . .‘????’?? ??? ?????? ????? ????.’
There was a high chance they would die before anyone could assassinate them. Johan smacked his lips. He didn’t want to let a young child die just to collect the ransom.
“Isn’t it the same as telling her to die, since she has a young child?”
The Republic both admired and laughed slightly at Johan’s words. The pious duke, who was loved by the Order, and the Republic, who were born businessmen, were divided in this regard.
“Your Highness is truly merciful. Since it’s not that difficult, how about Your Highness shows mercy? You can simply throw her somewhere in an appropriate town and let her live quietly.”
‘???. . .’
Johan thought for a moment.
Come to think of it, Johan was in a position where he didn’t have to do anything troublesome. Wasn’t power originally a position where you could pass the annoying things on to your subordinates?
“I’d like you to take care of this. Take her and arrange a quiet place for her to live in an appropriate city in the Republic.”
“. . . . . .”
“. . . . . .”
The Republic’ faces turned pale. They had been needlessly nagging the duke and got scolded.
However, they couldn’t refuse the duke’s order. . .
‘? ??????’?? ??????? ???. . .’
“It’s not that difficult, is it?”
“. . .Very well. We have control over several cities, so we’ll find a suitable place among the nearby cities and arrange a place for her to live in seclusion.”
The Republic were annoyed. Originally, doing good deeds without compensation left them in a bad mood for a week.
If she was of noble birth or an empress who had a certain position in the palace, the Republic would have come forward to arrange her a house and means to live.
Since times were chaotic, they wouldn’t be able to benefit from it right away, but they would eventually gain something later.
However, the empress was neither of noble birth nor did she have any particular position. No wonder even the Republic, who were well-versed in internal affairs, didn’t know her name.
What good would it be to show her kindness?. . .
“Hey, follow me.”
“W-We’ll get ready right now.”
“A-Ah, what are you doing standing around? His Highness, the Duke, is waiting!”
The Republic, who received the order, hurriedly went to the empress and urged her.
The empress was already terrified from the outcome of the battle. Even inside the tent, she knew better than anyone what was going on, as the slaves brought her news.
She wasn’t sad that the Sultan, who had banished her for nothing, had died, but she was scared of what would happen because of it. Hadn’t one of the reasons she was still alive disappeared?
“A-Am I. . . going to be executed?”
“What are you talking about?”
The Republican looked at the empress as if she was annoying. Even pagans usually showed each other courtesy befitting their titles or status, but that was only to a certain extent; they wouldn’t show kindness to someone who had nothing.
“Since the Sultan is dead, there’s no reason to keep me alive.”
“That doesn’t mean we have a reason to execute you.”
“T-Then am I being banished?”
The empress’ face turned pale. Ironically, the safest place for the empress right now was the expedition camp. If she was banished with nothing, there was no telling how long she would last.
“No. His Highness, the Duke, has shown mercy. He’ll take you to a safe place, so live quietly there.”
“His Highness, the Duke!?”
The empress was genuinely surprised.
She never thought that the iron-blooded commander, who seemed to have no mercy or tears, would show her such mercy.
The Republican said, as if he was annoyed to death.
“We’re doing something we don’t want to do, so stop asking questions. Thank His Highness, the Duke, and don’t talk nonsense. Just eat what you’re given and live quietly.”
“I. . . I understand.”
The slaves were rude enough to make her resentful, but the empress didn’t argue. She had to be grateful for such treatment now.
??????
“I am grateful for Your Highness, the Duke’s, grace. I apologize once again for misunderstanding you after hearing rumors that you made a deal with the demons.”
“. . . . . .”
The interpreter next to the empress looked at her in shock. It was clear that she didn’t know proper etiquette because she was of common birth. How could she mention ‘demons’ in front of the duke?
‘??? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ???. . .!’
While the interpreter was thinking about how to convey it appropriately, Johan simply understood it on his own and replied.
“I’m glad the misunderstanding has been resolved.”
“!?”
“The Republic have agreed to help you a lot, so be grateful.”
“. . .I can only thank you again for Your Highness.”
Johan guessed from the empress’s response that the Republic must have grumbled quite a bit.
‘?? ???’?? ????? ?? ?? ??, ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ???????????’
If they were going to do it anyway, wouldn’t it be better to show kindness for the sake of the future? The Republic grumbled about it, unable to bear it, and hurt her feelings like this.
However, since Johan had asked the Republic to do this, he decided not to say anything more. Since he would need the help of the Republic in the future, Johan meddling wouldn’t do any good.
After the empress left, Suetlg opened his mouth and praised Johan.
“You did well. I felt bad that you hadn’t done any good deeds since coming to this land, but I feel like you’ve done one good deed.”
“I did it, so why are you saying that, Suetlg-nim?”
“. . .Do you really have to say that?”
“Shouldn’t a wizard speak the truth accurately?”
Suetlg, who had been stabbed in a sore spot by Johan’s words, turned his gaze away. Then, after thinking for a moment, he said.
“Did you show mercy because you thought you could get a ransom later?”
“Yes? Ah. . . I’ve given up on that. I am frugal, but I’m not that desperate for gold coins.”
“You should splurge a little. . .”
Just by returning with the treasures collected from this expedition, he would be able to boast of the greatest wealth in the empire. On top of that, the trade returning from the newly acquired fiefdoms was a bonus.
“Anyway, that’s how it is. I thought you showed mercy because you thought you could get a ransom.”
“Who would pay a ransom when there’s no one to fight?”
“Sometimes wizards can see the future through omens and premonitions, don’t they? I thought maybe you saw something similar to me.”
“?”
Johan turned his head at Suetlg’s words.
“What are you talking about?”
“No. . . That empress’s child seemed to have quite a precious destiny, so I wondered if you let her go because of that.”
“Is that true? If that’s the case, I’m going to bring her right now. . .”
“Oh, no. Don’t take it that seriously. These things are usually wrong. The chances of it being right are slim.”
Suetlg was rather embarrassed when Johan reacted more seriously than he thought.
“Just take it as a light joke. The more seriously you take fortune-telling, the more flustered you become.”
“It sounds like an excuse made by fortune-tellers who are prepared to be wrong.”
“Anyway, if she becomes noble in the future, who will she repay the favor to? Will she repay the arrogant and ill-mannered Republic? Or will she repay you?”
“Or she might not repay anyone at all. . .”
“. . .Don’t be so twisted.”
“I’m just stating a possibility. Anyway, thanks to you, I feel much better.”
“Don’t expect too much.”
“Yes. I’ll just forget about it.”
??????
With the Sultan’s threat gone and the empire in chaos for a while, all that was left for the expeditionary force, which had conquered even the Holy Land, was to return home.
The fleets arrived one after another, and the people who had participated in the expedition packed their luggage with joyful expressions.
They were returning with stories to tell their children and their children’s children for the rest of their lives.
In addition to mere tales of bravery, their hearts were filled with religious devotion, believing that they had carried out God’s orders as intended. It was a strong sense of accomplishment that couldn’t be obtained by simply making a pilgrimage to a holy land.
“Can I buy something with this?”
“This sword was made by a great blacksmith in the West, but can I trade it. . .”
. . .Apart from such feelings, the pilgrims tried their best to get their hands on as many valuable items as possible before boarding the ship. They were spending the money they had saved up diligently, since they wouldn’t be coming back once they left.
Thanks to this, even the merchants who were in other places came up to the port carrying valuable items.
“There might be some fakes among those items.”
“Don’t you think everyone knows that and buys them anyway, Your Highness? That’s also part of the fun of shopping.”
“Oh. . . No. Shouldn’t merchants say that with their own mouths?”
“Hahaha.”
The old orc, Grumab, turned his gaze with a smile. He had come in person to see the duke before he left.
“Would Your Highness, the Duke, like to look around a little more before you leave?”
“I’ve already packed all the treasures I could find and put them on the ship. What’s the point of doing it now?”
“Then why don’t you spend some more time talking to the wizards? They didn’t do much this time, but they’re useful people.”
“Hmm. . .”
Johan made a hesitant expression at Grumab’s advice. Grumab asked as if he didn’t understand.
“Is it because they failed to deal with the monsters and made a fool of themselves? I mean, the fact that they were late for the battle. . .”
“It’s not because of that. I don’t trust them much after seeing them make a fuss over a cup of coffee.”
“. . .As expected of someone skilled in alchemy, I guess he couldn’t hide that part. I hope Your Highness will be generous enough to forgive him and hear his skills once.”
“Alright. I understand. Since I have some time, I’ll listen to him.”
After the coffee incident, the pagan wizards had become similar to Jyanina in Johan’s eyes.
That’s why he hadn’t called for them, but it seemed like it wouldn’t be bad to hear their skills before leaving.
??????
Having studied alchemy at the University of Iorca and learned wisdom under the desert philosopher for five years, the wizard Jaivir was a renowned philosopher near the Holy Land.
Johan asked with an expression that didn’t show much anticipation.
“What can you do, sir?”
“Your Highness. Look at that desert.”
“?”
Johan turned his gaze. He saw the desert.
“What do you see?”
“I see a desert.”
“That’s right. The ability of a wizard is as vast as that desert, so don’t ask me what I can do. Tell me what you want to find in that desert, Your Highness.”
“. . . . . .”
Jaivir had said those words with a certain air. He must have said it to many nobles and it worked well, but it didn’t work on Johan, who was also a wizard and had several wizards around him.
“Stop talking nonsense and just say what you can do.”
“Your Highness. That’s why I. . .”
Johan looked at Jaivir instead of answering. His eyes contained the power of the soul. Jaivir felt himself being overwhelmed. It had been a long time since he had felt this overwhelmed by an opponent’s gaze as a wizard.
“. . .I know how to make various potions and perfumes.”
“Wow, you can make perfume. That’s amazing.”
It sounded simple when he said perfume, but it was actually not simple at all. It was a high-level alchemy that required extracting and condensing the fragrance from a substance.
In the West, perfumes were sold at exorbitant prices to extravagant nobles. In Johan’s eyes, it was a primitive and rustic perfume, but that alone was popular enough.
“Wait. Do you really know how to make it? Judging from how you made coffee. . .”
“No! I made a mistake that time, but I really know how to make it!”
The voice of the wronged alchemist grew louder.
“The perfumes I make have various effects. Your Highness won’t be disappointed either.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Johan thought about using it as a gift. There were many people he had to give gifts to when he returned.
“Then I’ll ask you. What do I need, Jaivir?”
“You don’t need to pay.”
“!”
“Instead, if you are satisfied, just give me a testimony that Your Highness, the Duke, has acknowledged me. . .”
Jaivir’s request was really modest. Instead of extravagant gold, he wanted the duke’s acknowledgement. He must have been quite shocked by the coffee incident last time.
However, Johan didn’t accept it right away.
“Hmm. . . That’s a bit. . .”
“Your Highness?!”
,“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Suhekhar bowed and disappeared, turning Johan’s stomach.
Johan called the Republic over. The Republic, having enjoyed the Sultan’s drink, wiped the coffee off their beard and hopped over.
“What’s the matter?”
“I heard something.”
Johan relayed what he had just heard, and the Republic nodded as if that made sense.
“Who will pay the ransom?”
“Even if she was a proper empress, it would be difficult to accept, but aren’t you talking about an empress who was even banished? It’s impossible. Rather than letting her stay in the camp and causing rumors, let’s just quickly banish her.”
“If we banish her. . .”
Johan calculated it simply. Since she had no family and the times were chaotic, if they chased out the empress and her child, they would just. . .
‘????’?? ??? ?????? ????? ????.’
There was a high chance they would die before anyone could assassinate them. Johan smacked his lips. He didn’t want to let a young child die just to collect the ransom.
“Isn’t it the same as telling her to die, since she has a young child?”
The Republic both admired and laughed slightly at Johan’s words. The pious duke, who was loved by the Order, and the Republic, who were born businessmen, were divided in this regard.
“Your Highness is truly merciful. Since it’s not that difficult, how about Your Highness shows mercy? You can simply throw her somewhere in an appropriate town and let her live quietly.”
‘???. . .’
Johan thought for a moment.
Come to think of it, Johan was in a position where he didn’t have to do anything troublesome. Wasn’t power originally a position where you could pass the annoying things on to your subordinates?
“I’d like you to take care of this. Take her and arrange a quiet place for her to live in an appropriate city in the Republic.”
“. . . . . .”
“. . . . . .”
The Republic’ faces turned pale. They had been needlessly nagging the duke and got scolded.
However, they couldn’t refuse the duke’s order. . .
‘? ??????’?? ??????? ???. . .’
“It’s not that difficult, is it?”
“. . .Very well. We have control over several cities, so we’ll find a suitable place among the nearby cities and arrange a place for her to live in seclusion.”
The Republic were annoyed. Originally, doing good deeds without compensation left them in a bad mood for a week.
If she was of noble birth or an empress who had a certain position in the palace, the Republic would have come forward to arrange her a house and means to live.
Since times were chaotic, they wouldn’t be able to benefit from it right away, but they would eventually gain something later.
However, the empress was neither of noble birth nor did she have any particular position. No wonder even the Republic, who were well-versed in internal affairs, didn’t know her name.
What good would it be to show her kindness?. . .
“Hey, follow me.”
“W-We’ll get ready right now.”
“A-Ah, what are you doing standing around? His Highness, the Duke, is waiting!”
The Republic, who received the order, hurriedly went to the empress and urged her.
The empress was already terrified from the outcome of the battle. Even inside the tent, she knew better than anyone what was going on, as the slaves brought her news.
She wasn’t sad that the Sultan, who had banished her for nothing, had died, but she was scared of what would happen because of it. Hadn’t one of the reasons she was still alive disappeared?
“A-Am I. . . going to be executed?”
“What are you talking about?”
The Republican looked at the empress as if she was annoying. Even pagans usually showed each other courtesy befitting their titles or status, but that was only to a certain extent; they wouldn’t show kindness to someone who had nothing.
“Since the Sultan is dead, there’s no reason to keep me alive.”
“That doesn’t mean we have a reason to execute you.”
“T-Then am I being banished?”
The empress’ face turned pale. Ironically, the safest place for the empress right now was the expedition camp. If she was banished with nothing, there was no telling how long she would last.
“No. His Highness, the Duke, has shown mercy. He’ll take you to a safe place, so live quietly there.”
“His Highness, the Duke!?”
The empress was genuinely surprised.
She never thought that the iron-blooded commander, who seemed to have no mercy or tears, would show her such mercy.
The Republican said, as if he was annoyed to death.
“We’re doing something we don’t want to do, so stop asking questions. Thank His Highness, the Duke, and don’t talk nonsense. Just eat what you’re given and live quietly.”
“I. . . I understand.”
The slaves were rude enough to make her resentful, but the empress didn’t argue. She had to be grateful for such treatment now.
??????
“I am grateful for Your Highness, the Duke’s, grace. I apologize once again for misunderstanding you after hearing rumors that you made a deal with the demons.”
“. . . . . .”
The interpreter next to the empress looked at her in shock. It was clear that she didn’t know proper etiquette because she was of common birth. How could she mention ‘demons’ in front of the duke?
‘??? ?? ??? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ????? ???. . .!’
While the interpreter was thinking about how to convey it appropriately, Johan simply understood it on his own and replied.
“I’m glad the misunderstanding has been resolved.”
“!?”
“The Republic have agreed to help you a lot, so be grateful.”
“. . .I can only thank you again for Your Highness.”
Johan guessed from the empress’s response that the Republic must have grumbled quite a bit.
‘?? ???’?? ????? ?? ?? ??, ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ???? ???????????’
If they were going to do it anyway, wouldn’t it be better to show kindness for the sake of the future? The Republic grumbled about it, unable to bear it, and hurt her feelings like this.
However, since Johan had asked the Republic to do this, he decided not to say anything more. Since he would need the help of the Republic in the future, Johan meddling wouldn’t do any good.
After the empress left, Suetlg opened his mouth and praised Johan.
“You did well. I felt bad that you hadn’t done any good deeds since coming to this land, but I feel like you’ve done one good deed.”
“I did it, so why are you saying that, Suetlg-nim?”
“. . .Do you really have to say that?”
“Shouldn’t a wizard speak the truth accurately?”
Suetlg, who had been stabbed in a sore spot by Johan’s words, turned his gaze away. Then, after thinking for a moment, he said.
“Did you show mercy because you thought you could get a ransom later?”
“Yes? Ah. . . I’ve given up on that. I am frugal, but I’m not that desperate for gold coins.”
“You should splurge a little. . .”
Just by returning with the treasures collected from this expedition, he would be able to boast of the greatest wealth in the empire. On top of that, the trade returning from the newly acquired fiefdoms was a bonus.
“Anyway, that’s how it is. I thought you showed mercy because you thought you could get a ransom.”
“Who would pay a ransom when there’s no one to fight?”
“Sometimes wizards can see the future through omens and premonitions, don’t they? I thought maybe you saw something similar to me.”
“?”
Johan turned his head at Suetlg’s words.
“What are you talking about?”
“No. . . That empress’s child seemed to have quite a precious destiny, so I wondered if you let her go because of that.”
“Is that true? If that’s the case, I’m going to bring her right now. . .”
“Oh, no. Don’t take it that seriously. These things are usually wrong. The chances of it being right are slim.”
Suetlg was rather embarrassed when Johan reacted more seriously than he thought.
“Just take it as a light joke. The more seriously you take fortune-telling, the more flustered you become.”
“It sounds like an excuse made by fortune-tellers who are prepared to be wrong.”
“Anyway, if she becomes noble in the future, who will she repay the favor to? Will she repay the arrogant and ill-mannered Republic? Or will she repay you?”
“Or she might not repay anyone at all. . .”
“. . .Don’t be so twisted.”
“I’m just stating a possibility. Anyway, thanks to you, I feel much better.”
“Don’t expect too much.”
“Yes. I’ll just forget about it.”
??????
With the Sultan’s threat gone and the empire in chaos for a while, all that was left for the expeditionary force, which had conquered even the Holy Land, was to return home.
The fleets arrived one after another, and the people who had participated in the expedition packed their luggage with joyful expressions.
They were returning with stories to tell their children and their children’s children for the rest of their lives.
In addition to mere tales of bravery, their hearts were filled with religious devotion, believing that they had carried out God’s orders as intended. It was a strong sense of accomplishment that couldn’t be obtained by simply making a pilgrimage to a holy land.
“Can I buy something with this?”
“This sword was made by a great blacksmith in the West, but can I trade it. . .”
. . .Apart from such feelings, the pilgrims tried their best to get their hands on as many valuable items as possible before boarding the ship. They were spending the money they had saved up diligently, since they wouldn’t be coming back once they left.
Thanks to this, even the merchants who were in other places came up to the port carrying valuable items.
“There might be some fakes among those items.”
“Don’t you think everyone knows that and buys them anyway, Your Highness? That’s also part of the fun of shopping.”
“Oh. . . No. Shouldn’t merchants say that with their own mouths?”
“Hahaha.”
The old orc, Grumab, turned his gaze with a smile. He had come in person to see the duke before he left.
“Would Your Highness, the Duke, like to look around a little more before you leave?”
“I’ve already packed all the treasures I could find and put them on the ship. What’s the point of doing it now?”
“Then why don’t you spend some more time talking to the wizards? They didn’t do much this time, but they’re useful people.”
“Hmm. . .”
Johan made a hesitant expression at Grumab’s advice. Grumab asked as if he didn’t understand.
“Is it because they failed to deal with the monsters and made a fool of themselves? I mean, the fact that they were late for the battle. . .”
“It’s not because of that. I don’t trust them much after seeing them make a fuss over a cup of coffee.”
“. . .As expected of someone skilled in alchemy, I guess he couldn’t hide that part. I hope Your Highness will be generous enough to forgive him and hear his skills once.”
“Alright. I understand. Since I have some time, I’ll listen to him.”
After the coffee incident, the pagan wizards had become similar to Jyanina in Johan’s eyes.
That’s why he hadn’t called for them, but it seemed like it wouldn’t be bad to hear their skills before leaving.
??????
Having studied alchemy at the University of Iorca and learned wisdom under the desert philosopher for five years, the wizard Jaivir was a renowned philosopher near the Holy Land.
Johan asked with an expression that didn’t show much anticipation.
“What can you do, sir?”
“Your Highness. Look at that desert.”
“?”
Johan turned his gaze. He saw the desert.
“What do you see?”
“I see a desert.”
“That’s right. The ability of a wizard is as vast as that desert, so don’t ask me what I can do. Tell me what you want to find in that desert, Your Highness.”
“. . . . . .”
Jaivir had said those words with a certain air. He must have said it to many nobles and it worked well, but it didn’t work on Johan, who was also a wizard and had several wizards around him.
“Stop talking nonsense and just say what you can do.”
“Your Highness. That’s why I. . .”
Johan looked at Jaivir instead of answering. His eyes contained the power of the soul. Jaivir felt himself being overwhelmed. It had been a long time since he had felt this overwhelmed by an opponent’s gaze as a wizard.
“. . .I know how to make various potions and perfumes.”
“Wow, you can make perfume. That’s amazing.”
It sounded simple when he said perfume, but it was actually not simple at all. It was a high-level alchemy that required extracting and condensing the fragrance from a substance.
In the West, perfumes were sold at exorbitant prices to extravagant nobles. In Johan’s eyes, it was a primitive and rustic perfume, but that alone was popular enough.
“Wait. Do you really know how to make it? Judging from how you made coffee. . .”
“No! I made a mistake that time, but I really know how to make it!”
The voice of the wronged alchemist grew louder.
“The perfumes I make have various effects. Your Highness won’t be disappointed either.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Johan thought about using it as a gift. There were many people he had to give gifts to when he returned.
“Then I’ll ask you. What do I need, Jaivir?”
“You don’t need to pay.”
“!”
“Instead, if you are satisfied, just give me a testimony that Your Highness, the Duke, has acknowledged me. . .”
Jaivir’s request was really modest. Instead of extravagant gold, he wanted the duke’s acknowledgement. He must have been quite shocked by the coffee incident last time.
However, Johan didn’t accept it right away.
“Hmm. . . That’s a bit. . .”
“Your Highness?!”