How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Uvarik’s campaign had an unexpected consequence. Uvarik could hardly believe it as he stood at the top of the tower, looking around. The enemies really were running away.

“This is strange. Strange. . .”

“. . .”

The slave beside him was annoyed by his master’s behavior, but he couldn’t help it. Uvarik pondered, and as he did, he noticed something about the retreating enemy’s flag. He didn’t see any familiar patterns.

“That wasn’t the Duke’s army!”

“Is that. . . that important?”

“You fool, of course that’s important. It’s a given that you should know who you’re fighting.”

Uvarik’s face relaxed slightly. He looked relieved as he climbed down from the tower.

“It seems that the Duke himself didn’t come. That would make sense, now that I think about it. How big is this area? It’s ridiculous to think that I would meet the Duke.”

“That’s right. It’s the gods’ doing. Shall we execute the prisoners, then?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk about executions?!”

“My humblest apologies.”

Uvarik’s vassals stopped asking and brought in the fallen pagans.

He wondered if he should bother treating these poor pilgrims who probably wouldn’t fetch a good ransom, unlike knights or nobles, yet what could he do? He had to do as his master said.

One of Uvarik’s quick-witted knights spoke up to appease his master.

“Master, this victory is truly impressive. You didn’t even let the enemy knights enter the town. Yeheyman-nim will be delighted.”

“What. . .”

Uvarik was taken aback. He would have enjoyed the praise under normal circumstances, but he was still terrified of the Duke.

The knight noticed this and spoke more firmly.

“Master, the monotheists are greedy and violent. There must be a reason why the Duke hasn’t shown his face even after reaching Tahkreng Castle.”

“Could he have angered the gods by making a pact with the demon?!”

“. . .Perhaps.”

The knight was someone who didn’t put much stock in superstitions.

“Maybe it’s more likely that there’s a deep-rooted internal conflict? After all, the monotheists are known to fight among themselves.”

Of course, the royalists were also known for fighting for merits and causing internal strife, but that didn’t matter in the current situation.

People’s habits hardly change, just as they hadn’t changed in the past hundred or two hundred years.

It wasn’t uncommon for credited lords to be held back by the jealousy and vigilance of others, or for those who had occupied a region to fall to attacks by other lords.

The knight’s words were exactly what the frightened Uvarik wanted to hear. Uvarik was tempted by his words. To be exact, he wanted to believe his words.

“. . .That makes sense! It doesn’t make sense that someone like the Duke hasn’t shown his face yet. I’ve never even seen his army.”

“Yes, something must have happened.”

“I see. . . I see. Then perhaps I can take more initiative. Send a messenger to Yeheyman-nim. He’ll need to hear of this battle’s victory.”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

When one side rejoices in victory, the other side is bound to be furious at their defeat.

Duke Bronquia’s camp was in such a state.

“What did His Highness say?”

“He was furious, like a fire.”

“Hmm.”

The knights who had returned reported the defeat with as much embellishment as possible. They said that the number of enemies was several times greater and that they had retreated after being terrified by the allied forces, but that they had also suffered considerable casualties.

Of course, the Duke was not satisfied with this. After all, he hadn’t managed to conquer the region. The Duke immediately reorganized his army and ordered them to march out again.

The captain of the mercenary company emerged from the tent, looking less than pleased. He was the captain of one of the five mercenary companies, working under Duke Bronquia.

His expression made it clear that the attack hadn’t gone well.

“It’s all well and good to advance, but our supplies aren’t fully prepared yet. I believe we should wait a little longer.”

“Biorarn-gong, how could you say something so cowardly? While we wait here, our brethren in the Holy Land are suffering!”

“. . . .”

Biorarn was momentarily speechless. He had never been called a coward before, so he had missed the timing to respond.

His knights were furious, but Biorarn signaled them to stand down. Now was not the time for the northerners to be fighting among themselves.

Biorarn was currently moving with Duke Bronquia’s army. Being from the northern part of the empire and being a supporter of the emperor were strong points in common.

Rather than associating with other lords who held grudges for no reason, it seemed like a better choice to be with the Duke who had an army of thousands.

The problem was that the Duke was much more aggressive than Biorarn. Biorarn didn’t know how to persuade someone who was more aggressive than himself.

“But the supplies. . .”

“There aren’t many areas that the enemy occupies. We can take them one by one and seize their supplies.”

“But what if something happens?”

“Nothing will happen!”

“Shouldn’t we at least get some support from the other lords?”

“That’s ridiculous. I’ve already spoken to them, and they didn’t give me a proper answer. They just kept beating around the bush.”

Duke Bronquia said indignantly. Duke Yeats’ lukewarm response had disappointed Duke Bronquia.

Refusing to march together and refusing to lend him the crusaders (although there was no reason to do so) were enough to disappoint Duke Bronquia.

“I thought he was a brave man. . .”

“The Duke is a brave man.”

“Then he must be acting this way because of his resentment from the war.”

“Listen carefully. There aren’t many we can trust besides the northerners.”

The nobles who still belonged to the emperor’s faction occasionally showed hostility mixed with resentment. Biorarn knew this, but he thought Duke Yeats was an exception, at least.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.’

Biorarn wasn’t very perceptive, but he could tell that it wasn’t a good idea to say that now.

“I understand. I’ll order my knights to join the march.”

“If possible, try to persuade the crusaders and priests to join the march as well.”

“I’ll try, but. . . I don’t have much confidence.”

Biorarn wasn’t particularly close to the crusaders or priests either. They didn’t respect Biorarn either.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

While the Duke was causing a commotion, Johan had been steadily building his foundation.

He sent some of the treasures he had acquired to the lords to pressure them into sending troops, sent soldiers to nearby ports to prepare for any eventuality, and used the gold he had received as ransom to hire more supplies and soldiers. . .

“Even pagans??”

“Shhh, keep your voice down. I’m only telling you this.”

Johan put his hand over Ulrike’s mouth. Their voices wouldn’t carry outside the thick tent, but it was no good to speak loudly.

Ulrike blushed and pushed his hand away.

It was shocking to hear that he had hired pagan chieftains. They weren’t people who could simply be hired with money.

“How did you get close to them?”

“The old king’s son formed a marriage alliance with a pagan lord, so I got to know them while traveling around the fiefdom.”

“You were doing something like that. . .!”

Ulrike was astounded by the young Duke’s scheming. While others were looking for expeditions and fiefdoms, this Duke had already laid the groundwork.

Suddenly, Ulrike felt a chill run down her spine. Having grown up under Countess Abner, Ulrike wasn’t easily surprised by schemes and plots.

However, the young Duke before her now felt like a much more formidable opponent than even Countess Abner. Ulrike looked at the Duke with newfound respect.

‘𝘐’𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.’

Countess Abner was a busy lord, so she didn’t spend much time with Ulrike. Ulrike had also been busy learning from priests, wizards, and tutors, and later managing her own fiefdom.

Whenever she met the Countess, they only talked about administration, governance, and secret strategies. They were closer to teacher and student than parent and child.

━𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡.

━𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞. . .

━𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥.

━. . .

━𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞.

━𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐝.

━𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞, 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭.

━. . .!

“What are you thinking? You’re not going to criticize me for my faith now, are you?”

Johan’s voice brought Ulrike out of her reverie. Ulrike flinched.

“N-No.”

“Really?”

“Why would I suddenly criticize you for your faith now? We’re both non-believers.”

“Why do you say we? I’m someone who priests like.”

Ulrike smiled wryly at Johan’s joke.

“I was just surprised that you had gotten close to the pagan chieftains in the meantime.”

“Ah, is that what it was? It was a bit difficult at first because our customs were different, but I was able to get pretty close to them after putting in some effort.”

The difference between Countess Abner and Johan was evident in this regard. Ulrike couldn’t even imagine Countess Abner being friendly with centaurs like Johan. Pagans would be even more unimaginable.

“Can you trust them?”

“Of course not.”

“. . . .”

“Why are you asking such an obvious question? They’re humans, so they’ll side with us when it’s advantageous and side with the other when it’s not advantageous. It’s natural to take that into account.”

Ulrike nodded. She was impressed by the Duke’s strategy, but the person in question was thinking very realistically.

Johan had judged that it would be advantageous for the pagan tribes to wander around and keep the enemy in check, or even to maintain neutrality.

He didn’t expect anything more than that. Would they really go that far for him?

‘𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘖𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵?’

Gathering troops, boosting morale, and securing castles and fortresses with a thorough defense. It would be hell for the great army that had come a long way.

“. . .Duke?”

“Oh, sorry. What were we talking about?”

“I asked what you were going to do about Duke Bronquia.”

“I’ll fight with him a little and then come back.”

Duke Bronquia had tried to persuade Johan in all sorts of ways, but with the Duke’s level of political power, he could never sway Johan.

Their reputations within the empire, as well as their relationship with the order, were far too different.

“Didn’t you say that Duke Bronquia’s army wasn’t small or made up of weaklings? If that’s the case, they won’t be easily defeated, even if they fail to besiege the city.”

“What if they end up conquering the Holy Land?”

“What?”

Johan smiled wryly. Ulrike looked away slightly, feeling like her true feelings had been discovered.

“Were you thinking about that? You? Were you worried that he would be the first to conquer the Holy Land?”

“. . .Since it fell so easily, it’s possible to worry about that.”

“Do you think the same thing will happen twice? It won’t happen. Even if it does, it’s better than being annihilated by the pagans.”

“But still. . .”

“Of course, I can understand how you feel. I wouldn’t be happy about that either.”

Johan closed the book containing the maps and supplies and stood up.

“I have a prior engagement today, so I’ll excuse myself first.”

“What engagement?”

“I have to entertain the newcomers who came to the camp. They like stacking stones more than drinking. They seem to prefer me as their opponent.”

“Is it that fun?”

“It’s fun if it’s fun, and it’s not if it’s not. . . Are you curious? I can teach you if you want.”

“!”

Ulrike was surprised by the unexpected offer.

“Really?”

“What’s so difficult about this? You can learn well enough if you just have the time. You’re a bright person, so you’ll. . .”

Before Ulrike could answer, the sound of a horse galloping could be heard outside. The two of them immediately threw open the tent flap and went outside. A blood-soaked herald ran up to them and shouted.

“Help us! Your Highness!!”

“. . .I don’t think it’s a good idea to help them.”

Ulrike said coldly from the side.,

Uvarik’s campaign had an unexpected consequence. Uvarik could hardly believe it as he stood at the top of the tower, looking around. The enemies really were running away.

“This is strange. Strange. . .”

“. . .”

The slave beside him was annoyed by his master’s behavior, but he couldn’t help it. Uvarik pondered, and as he did, he noticed something about the retreating enemy’s flag. He didn’t see any familiar patterns.

“That wasn’t the Duke’s army!”

“Is that. . . that important?”

“You fool, of course that’s important. It’s a given that you should know who you’re fighting.”

Uvarik’s face relaxed slightly. He looked relieved as he climbed down from the tower.

“It seems that the Duke himself didn’t come. That would make sense, now that I think about it. How big is this area? It’s ridiculous to think that I would meet the Duke.”

“That’s right. It’s the gods’ doing. Shall we execute the prisoners, then?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to talk about executions?!”

“My humblest apologies.”

Uvarik’s vassals stopped asking and brought in the fallen pagans.

He wondered if he should bother treating these poor pilgrims who probably wouldn’t fetch a good ransom, unlike knights or nobles, yet what could he do? He had to do as his master said.

One of Uvarik’s quick-witted knights spoke up to appease his master.

“Master, this victory is truly impressive. You didn’t even let the enemy knights enter the town. Yeheyman-nim will be delighted.”

“What. . .”

Uvarik was taken aback. He would have enjoyed the praise under normal circumstances, but he was still terrified of the Duke.

The knight noticed this and spoke more firmly.

“Master, the monotheists are greedy and violent. There must be a reason why the Duke hasn’t shown his face even after reaching Tahkreng Castle.”

“Could he have angered the gods by making a pact with the demon?!”

“. . .Perhaps.”

The knight was someone who didn’t put much stock in superstitions.

“Maybe it’s more likely that there’s a deep-rooted internal conflict? After all, the monotheists are known to fight among themselves.”

Of course, the royalists were also known for fighting for merits and causing internal strife, but that didn’t matter in the current situation.

People’s habits hardly change, just as they hadn’t changed in the past hundred or two hundred years.

It wasn’t uncommon for credited lords to be held back by the jealousy and vigilance of others, or for those who had occupied a region to fall to attacks by other lords.

The knight’s words were exactly what the frightened Uvarik wanted to hear. Uvarik was tempted by his words. To be exact, he wanted to believe his words.

“. . .That makes sense! It doesn’t make sense that someone like the Duke hasn’t shown his face yet. I’ve never even seen his army.”

“Yes, something must have happened.”

“I see. . . I see. Then perhaps I can take more initiative. Send a messenger to Yeheyman-nim. He’ll need to hear of this battle’s victory.”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

When one side rejoices in victory, the other side is bound to be furious at their defeat.

Duke Bronquia’s camp was in such a state.

“What did His Highness say?”

“He was furious, like a fire.”

“Hmm.”

The knights who had returned reported the defeat with as much embellishment as possible. They said that the number of enemies was several times greater and that they had retreated after being terrified by the allied forces, but that they had also suffered considerable casualties.

Of course, the Duke was not satisfied with this. After all, he hadn’t managed to conquer the region. The Duke immediately reorganized his army and ordered them to march out again.

The captain of the mercenary company emerged from the tent, looking less than pleased. He was the captain of one of the five mercenary companies, working under Duke Bronquia.

His expression made it clear that the attack hadn’t gone well.

“It’s all well and good to advance, but our supplies aren’t fully prepared yet. I believe we should wait a little longer.”

“Biorarn-gong, how could you say something so cowardly? While we wait here, our brethren in the Holy Land are suffering!”

“. . . .”

Biorarn was momentarily speechless. He had never been called a coward before, so he had missed the timing to respond.

His knights were furious, but Biorarn signaled them to stand down. Now was not the time for the northerners to be fighting among themselves.

Biorarn was currently moving with Duke Bronquia’s army. Being from the northern part of the empire and being a supporter of the emperor were strong points in common.

Rather than associating with other lords who held grudges for no reason, it seemed like a better choice to be with the Duke who had an army of thousands.

The problem was that the Duke was much more aggressive than Biorarn. Biorarn didn’t know how to persuade someone who was more aggressive than himself.

“But the supplies. . .”

“There aren’t many areas that the enemy occupies. We can take them one by one and seize their supplies.”

“But what if something happens?”

“Nothing will happen!”

“Shouldn’t we at least get some support from the other lords?”

“That’s ridiculous. I’ve already spoken to them, and they didn’t give me a proper answer. They just kept beating around the bush.”

Duke Bronquia said indignantly. Duke Yeats’ lukewarm response had disappointed Duke Bronquia.

Refusing to march together and refusing to lend him the crusaders (although there was no reason to do so) were enough to disappoint Duke Bronquia.

“I thought he was a brave man. . .”

“The Duke is a brave man.”

“Then he must be acting this way because of his resentment from the war.”

“Listen carefully. There aren’t many we can trust besides the northerners.”

The nobles who still belonged to the emperor’s faction occasionally showed hostility mixed with resentment. Biorarn knew this, but he thought Duke Yeats was an exception, at least.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.’

Biorarn wasn’t very perceptive, but he could tell that it wasn’t a good idea to say that now.

“I understand. I’ll order my knights to join the march.”

“If possible, try to persuade the crusaders and priests to join the march as well.”

“I’ll try, but. . . I don’t have much confidence.”

Biorarn wasn’t particularly close to the crusaders or priests either. They didn’t respect Biorarn either.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

While the Duke was causing a commotion, Johan had been steadily building his foundation.

He sent some of the treasures he had acquired to the lords to pressure them into sending troops, sent soldiers to nearby ports to prepare for any eventuality, and used the gold he had received as ransom to hire more supplies and soldiers. . .

“Even pagans??”

“Shhh, keep your voice down. I’m only telling you this.”

Johan put his hand over Ulrike’s mouth. Their voices wouldn’t carry outside the thick tent, but it was no good to speak loudly.

Ulrike blushed and pushed his hand away.

It was shocking to hear that he had hired pagan chieftains. They weren’t people who could simply be hired with money.

“How did you get close to them?”

“The old king’s son formed a marriage alliance with a pagan lord, so I got to know them while traveling around the fiefdom.”

“You were doing something like that. . .!”

Ulrike was astounded by the young Duke’s scheming. While others were looking for expeditions and fiefdoms, this Duke had already laid the groundwork.

Suddenly, Ulrike felt a chill run down her spine. Having grown up under Countess Abner, Ulrike wasn’t easily surprised by schemes and plots.

However, the young Duke before her now felt like a much more formidable opponent than even Countess Abner. Ulrike looked at the Duke with newfound respect.

‘𝘐’𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.’

Countess Abner was a busy lord, so she didn’t spend much time with Ulrike. Ulrike had also been busy learning from priests, wizards, and tutors, and later managing her own fiefdom.

Whenever she met the Countess, they only talked about administration, governance, and secret strategies. They were closer to teacher and student than parent and child.

━𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡.

━𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞. . .

━𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥.

━. . .

━𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞.

━𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐝.

━𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞, 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭.

━. . .!

“What are you thinking? You’re not going to criticize me for my faith now, are you?”

Johan’s voice brought Ulrike out of her reverie. Ulrike flinched.

“N-No.”

“Really?”

“Why would I suddenly criticize you for your faith now? We’re both non-believers.”

“Why do you say we? I’m someone who priests like.”

Ulrike smiled wryly at Johan’s joke.

“I was just surprised that you had gotten close to the pagan chieftains in the meantime.”

“Ah, is that what it was? It was a bit difficult at first because our customs were different, but I was able to get pretty close to them after putting in some effort.”

The difference between Countess Abner and Johan was evident in this regard. Ulrike couldn’t even imagine Countess Abner being friendly with centaurs like Johan. Pagans would be even more unimaginable.

“Can you trust them?”

“Of course not.”

“. . . .”

“Why are you asking such an obvious question? They’re humans, so they’ll side with us when it’s advantageous and side with the other when it’s not advantageous. It’s natural to take that into account.”

Ulrike nodded. She was impressed by the Duke’s strategy, but the person in question was thinking very realistically.

Johan had judged that it would be advantageous for the pagan tribes to wander around and keep the enemy in check, or even to maintain neutrality.

He didn’t expect anything more than that. Would they really go that far for him?

‘𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘖𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵?’

Gathering troops, boosting morale, and securing castles and fortresses with a thorough defense. It would be hell for the great army that had come a long way.

“. . .Duke?”

“Oh, sorry. What were we talking about?”

“I asked what you were going to do about Duke Bronquia.”

“I’ll fight with him a little and then come back.”

Duke Bronquia had tried to persuade Johan in all sorts of ways, but with the Duke’s level of political power, he could never sway Johan.

Their reputations within the empire, as well as their relationship with the order, were far too different.

“Didn’t you say that Duke Bronquia’s army wasn’t small or made up of weaklings? If that’s the case, they won’t be easily defeated, even if they fail to besiege the city.”

“What if they end up conquering the Holy Land?”

“What?”

Johan smiled wryly. Ulrike looked away slightly, feeling like her true feelings had been discovered.

“Were you thinking about that? You? Were you worried that he would be the first to conquer the Holy Land?”

“. . .Since it fell so easily, it’s possible to worry about that.”

“Do you think the same thing will happen twice? It won’t happen. Even if it does, it’s better than being annihilated by the pagans.”

“But still. . .”

“Of course, I can understand how you feel. I wouldn’t be happy about that either.”

Johan closed the book containing the maps and supplies and stood up.

“I have a prior engagement today, so I’ll excuse myself first.”

“What engagement?”

“I have to entertain the newcomers who came to the camp. They like stacking stones more than drinking. They seem to prefer me as their opponent.”

“Is it that fun?”

“It’s fun if it’s fun, and it’s not if it’s not. . . Are you curious? I can teach you if you want.”

“!”

Ulrike was surprised by the unexpected offer.

“Really?”

“What’s so difficult about this? You can learn well enough if you just have the time. You’re a bright person, so you’ll. . .”

Before Ulrike could answer, the sound of a horse galloping could be heard outside. The two of them immediately threw open the tent flap and went outside. A blood-soaked herald ran up to them and shouted.

“Help us! Your Highness!!”

“. . .I don’t think it’s a good idea to help them.”

Ulrike said coldly from the side.