Chapter 27.1: ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ซ (๐)
Chapter 27.1: ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ซ (๐)
Of course, dice gambling was a game enjoyed by everyone, from children to the elderly, and from slaves to nobles.
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However, it was a bit too lowly a pastime for nobles to openly admit their fondness for. Nobles were openly fond of intellectual and dignified entertainments like chess, not dice gambling.
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But to show such open interest in it. What does that mean. . .?
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โSir Knight, you seem to be quite fond of dice gambling!โ
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Geoffrey was suddenly delighted. Unsure if he could get along with this new master he had just met, he now felt they would be a good match. A knight who liked gambling, what better master could there be?
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Although not something to boast about, Geoffrey was an expert in dice gambling. He knew which gambling houses in each city had the best odds, where to find unlicensed illegal gambling houses, and which dice rolls were likely in different situations.
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But Johan proved to be beyond Geoffreyโs expectations. As soon as the conversation about gambling ended, Johan began asking about smuggling.
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โHow did you do the smuggling?โ
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โPardon?โ
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โIโm curious about how you smuggled gold. Tell me the method. You must have been quite confident to do it, right?โ
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โBribing the guards and sneaking it in boxes brought into the city. . .โ
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โStandard procedure. Why were you caught?โ
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โThe guard betrayed us. Seemed like he got scared. . .โ
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Smuggling was too serious a crime for a few coins. Getting caught meant risking not only oneโs life but also the lives of oneโs family.
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โHmm. Bribing guards doesnโt seem like a good method. Easy to betray and if another person inspects, itโs over.โ
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Goods brought into the city were rigorously inspected. It was too risky to bribe just a few people.
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โHow about a method less likely to get caught. . . like hiding it in the stomachs of animals? Hiring shepherds or pig herders to put gold in the stomachs of sheep or pigs.โ
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โ!!!โ
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Geoffrey was shocked by Johanโs suggestion for two reasons.
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First, that a knight would suggest a method of smuggling, and second, that the method was actually plausible. He wondered why he hadnโt thought of it himself.
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โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ตโ๐ด ๐ข ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข!โ
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No one would suspect shepherds or pig herders bringing animals into the city.
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โWhat do you think?โ
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โThat. . . Thatโs an excellent idea.โ
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โGood. Glad to know itโs a feasible method.โ
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Johan encouraged Geoffrey. Although Johan asked for future money-making schemes, the conversation was beneficial for both. Most importantly, Geoffrey began to like this unique new master.
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Like recognizes like.
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Quick-witted and a former merchant, Geoffrey intuited that his new master was quite different from the knights he had feared. In fact, they might be well-matched.
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He was unsure about future bloody battlefields, but a master with whom he could converse was the best kind. Geoffrey swore loyalty, hoping to prosper under this knight.
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๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
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The road to Marcel was smooth. The mercenaries moved a bit faster than usual. It wasnโt exactly because of nearby rogues or a tight schedule. It was because of what had happened in the town of Rutzbeck. They feared the townspeople, having changed their minds, might follow them.
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โOh Lord in heaven, I pray for rain. . .โ
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โSince when have you been such a devout believer?โ
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โHear me out to the end. . . .I hope Gamson got caught trying to flee to Marcel first.โ
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โWell, in that case, I might pray for the first time in a while.โ
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The mercenaries werenโt devoutly religious like priests, but they basically believed in a god. Usually, they believed when it was convenient for them. . .
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In this era, religion was inseparable even for those who didnโt believe.
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โIf youโre done praying, letโs hurry and set up camp.โ
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โAh, my body is starting to stiffen. It would be great to loosen up in the city.โ
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โWait. Isnโt that the sound of a wolf howling?โ
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โWhat? There shouldnโt be any wolves around here. Where is it coming from?โ
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The mercenaries were puzzled. There were no wolves in this area. Of course, it was common for beasts and monsters to migrate here. . .
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โDamn. Itโs going to be troubling to stand guard.โ
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โLetโs say anyone killed by a wolf is an *sshole.โ
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Johan, who had been listening to their conversation, paused. The sound of the wolf howling was strangely familiar to him.
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Johan stood up and walked towards the outskirts of the campsite. The startled mercenaries asked him.
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โWhere are you going, Sir Knight?โ
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โJust going to check something.โ
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Johan approached the edge of the forest with a longsword at his side. Then he shouted.
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โCome out!โ
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The mercenaries thought Johan had lost his mind for a moment. If Johan hadnโt been a knight, they would have immediately called him crazy.
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However, Johan wasnโt crazy. A huge wolf appeared in front of him. It was so large that the mercenaries initially thought it wasnโt a wolf.
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โW-What is that, a monster?โ
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The mercenaries, who had been hastily grabbing their weapons, stopped. The wolf began to wag its tail and act playfully in front of Johan, like a shepherdโs dog.
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โIsnโt that. . . Sir Knightโs pet?โ
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โWow. Quite a feat to tame such a creature.โ
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โHeโs not even a wolf shapeshifter. Is he from the north?โ
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โIsnโt it from the east if itโs about handling wolves?โ
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โNo, the northerners do it too.โ
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โ. . .?โ
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Johan was surprised to hear the mercenaries chatting behind him.
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They were less shocked than he expected about him having such a large wolf.
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Then Johan realized. He had been thinking too much with old wisdom.
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โ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ, ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ช๐ค ๐ข๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ, ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ญ๐ข๐ณ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ง. . .!โ
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Eldans, who came over upon hearing the noise, asked.
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โIs this wolf tamed by you, Sir Knight? Why did you have it follow from afar? What if you lost it. . .โ
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โI didnโt want to cause unnecessary worry.โ