How to Live as a Wandering Knight

“There is no need to be swayed by those from the west! How could we listen to those who know nothing about our land? We will never become a vassal.”

“But castellan-nim, if they bring their army with them when they come. . .”

“I am no fool. If they were to come with an army just because I refused their offer, they would be the laughingstock of the world. I tell you, the duke will not come this far! Even if he does, this castle wall will not fall so easily.”

. . .The castellan, who had been shouting so proudly, rushed out in a hurry without even putting on his armor when the vanguard led by the duke arrived near the castle.

“C-Castellan-nim, the main force hasn’t even arrived yet. The duke won’t be able to cross the wall unless he grows wings. . .”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Do you think you can take responsibility for your life if you offend His Highness the duke?”

Originally, he could have stalled for more time. It was customary for the lord of the castle to come out a little late, and there were always excuses he could make.

However, the cowardly castellan had already run out. From the other side, Ulrike, who was leading her army, sent a meaningful gaze. It was a look that seemed to say, ‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶?’

━𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

Johan wanted to take all the feudal lords with him as he marched to the Holy Land, both to increase the size of his army and to reduce unnecessary noise. He didn’t want to worry about things he didn’t need to worry about, even though he had all the power he needed.

Feudal lords paid a certain amount of gold and sent a few soldiers to deal with the large army that had landed, but most of them did not participate directly.

It was natural that they didn’t want to participate in person. The enemy was enormous, and it would cost a lot of money to lead an army and go out in person. The most ideal scenario for them was to stay within their own fiefdoms while the Sultan’s army attacked and then withdrew from other feudal lords’ fiefdoms.

Of course, Johan naturally guessed their intentions.

He couldn’t help it last time because the situation was different, but this time he intended to drag them out if possible.

Ulrike, who heard him answered right away.

━𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.

━𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭?

━. . .𝐈 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲.

━𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨? 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭. . .

━𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫! 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡.

━𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. . .

━. . .𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐬. . .

━?

━. . .𝐍𝐨.

‘𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺.’

Ulrike was slightly relieved as she looked at the figure of the castellan who had popped out. He couldn’t take back what he said because of his pride as a nobleman, but things were going as expected.

“D-Duke Your Highness. I am honored to see you. . .”

The castellan looked up at Johan with a trembling voice. The young duke, sitting on a large black horse with a shiny coat, exuded an aura of majesty.

He couldn’t tell if it was because of his recent achievements or the rumors that followed him. He couldn’t catch his breath even though he didn’t make eye contact. To the extent that he had no intention of questioning it, even though the duke did not dismount from his horse.

“It’s an honor to meet you. Lord of Kderas Castle.”

“N-No.”

“As the newly succeeded protector of the Holy Land, I asked the monotheistic lords around here to fulfill their duties. You refused the request. Was it such a difficult request to grant?”

“. . . . . .”

The castellan felt cold sweat running down his back. Johan didn’t ask any more questions, but asked a different one.

“The Sultan’s army is coming down from the north. It’s a situation where we need every soldier. Will the castellan participate as well?”

“. . .Yes.”

“Good choice. Have your servants call the soldiers.”

The castellan nodded as if possessed by something.

The participation in the military service, which should have been decided after much deliberation with his vassals, was decided in an instant.

The castellan, who got on the horse brought by the servant and stood quietly next to the soldiers, did not immediately understand why he was doing this.

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Johan moved with the vanguard and called out to the castellans. Surprisingly, those who had refused most furiously came out the fastest. Some of them seemed to have been waiting after hearing the rumors, and were waiting outside the castle gate.

The case of Count Tragalon was a typical example.

The count, who had been brutally raiding the pagan settlements around him, was honestly not much different from the captain of a band of rogues. Even Ulrike was a little worried.

“I am honored to meet Your Highness the Duke!”

However, the Count, along with his men, was waiting outside the castle gate. It was ridiculous that he was waiting with his weapon down.

“I was thinking of attacking the pagans alone, but now that Your Highness the Duke has arrived with such a large army, there is nothing more to fear!”

“. . .I understand. Join us.”

Johan was surprised, but he didn’t scoff. Once they joined, there was no reason to make them feel bad by giving them unnecessary insults.

At that, the count sighed in relief.

“Is this the right thing to do?”

“Be quiet! There are many people listening.”

The escort knight quickly shut his mouth when the count growled irritably and fiercely.

The count had been trembling even before the duke arrived. The rumors had already spread.

━𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞!

It was natural for the most hated nobles to be targeted if one or two were to be executed. It couldn’t be helped that a person like the count would be scared.

Fortunately, however, the duke ordered him to join without doing so. The count heaved a sigh of relief.

“Fortunately, His Highness the Duke is more merciful than I thought.”

“Yeah. It’s really fortunate. It looks like he is taking the lead when dealing with the sultan, but. . .”

The count groaned.

As expected of a count who led his men like a bandit and plundered the surrounding area, he was very sensitive to the smell of this kind of thing.

The expeditionary force was now so large that it was difficult to gather in one place. There were easily over a hundred flags held by the nobles, and the composition was incredibly complex, from small units led by knights, mercenary troops, monks belonging to monasteries, and the noble’s own escort knights.

Of course, they didn’t all move separately, and there was a chain of command in the form of a pyramid. The duke only had to give orders from the top down.

. . .The problem was that those who were hated would end up playing the role of taking damage at times like this.

Someone has to scout the dangerous enemy area. Who should do it?

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It would be correct for capable rangers or light cavalry to do it, but in reality, those who had no backing and were hated did it.

And the count smelled it. Among these countless people, it was clear that the one who was hated was the count himself.

“Should I offer a bribe?”

“Leave it alone. I heard he doesn’t like bribes.”

“Isn’t that a lie? How can there be such a person in the world?”

“It must be true because I heard it from someone who tried it.”

The count scratched his head. Surprisingly, there were people in the world who didn’t accept bribes. Perhaps one would have to be loved by God and perform miracles to be like that.

To be honest, the majesty shown by the young duke was enough to make even the count, who had a thick backbone, surrender. The way he swayed his surroundings with just a glance without even opening his mouth was truly creepy.

Even though he should have been outraged, saying, ‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦?’ Strangely enough, he didn’t feel resentful.

Rather, the awe was greater. It felt like seeing a devout priest devoting himself to his fiefdom.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. . .’

Even if the duke himself lived like a saint, the duke’s vassals and the nobles of the expeditionary force would surely act very meanly. Since the count himself and those like the count would not leave them alone.

“Good news! Count-nim!”

“???”

“The Castellan of Atig Castle seems to have gone mad! He won’t open the door even though the duke is here!”

“!!”

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No one expected the Castellan of Atig to hold out.

First of all, Atig Castle was the northernmost castle among the lands of the monotheistic lords. It is unknown when the Sultan’s army will arrive. In that sense, it was a situation where it would be insufficient to run out and say, ’𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶’ if the duke’s expeditionary force came up to here.

Moreover, the Castellan of Atig Castle was not an exceptionally rebellious figure. He paid gold regularly without complaint, and he was a person who responded politely to the solicitation made after the victory.

So, it was absurd that he was holding out without coming out even when he was asked.

“Has he already been bought by the Sultan? Let’s attack!”

The knights of the expeditionary force were furious. The knights were furious because they had met a troublesome lord in an unexpected place.

They had to set up camps around them as soon as possible and prepare for the arrival of the Sultan’s army, but the castellan was doing that, so it was impossible not to get annoyed.

“Your Highness.”

“Oh.”

Johan was delighted when Count Tragalon came out.

As he was a feudal lord in the same area, he wondered if he had something in mind.

“I’m embarrassed to say it myself, but I know this area well.”

“Sure. So?”

“If you just support me with a few soldiers, I will capture the castle right away.”

“. . . . . .”

Johan’s face hardened subtly.

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦?’

‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦.’

The count was convinced that this would satisfy the duke. Even if he was in a bad mood, how relieved would he be if he came forward like this?

“Thank you. But we’re not attacking.”

“. . .??!”

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Johan called Ulrike. Since he came first with the vanguard, it would take some time for the main force to gather here. If they wanted to attack, they could do it then.

“But I’d like to end it with persuasion if possible. Can you guess why he’s doing this?”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike covered her head with both hands and bowed her head. It was completely different from her usual dignified appearance. Johan asked doubtfully.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“. . .I swore on my honor and I was wrong.”

“Ah.”

Johan realized why the noblewoman in front was acting like that.

She had staked her honor and swore that everyone would willingly yield if they came on strongly. But the last feudal lord had to be so stubborn. Ulrike must have found it absurd.

“You’ve been hit enough after getting this far. It’s just one.”

“I appreciate the thought but it’s not much of a comfort.”

“You don’t need to grant any wishes. I’ve already received enough help.”

“Enough! Those were the words I already uttered. Don’t disregard my honor any further.”

Ulrike regretted it as soon as she said it. She was acting against what she learned from Countess Abner. ‘𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘥𝘰’, that’s what she was taught. . .

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?’

“If he doesn’t listen to words, we’ll have to show our skills.”

“So force is the answer after all?”

“The duke is quite amazing. If I were the duke, I would have cut off at least ten heads by now.”

Ulrike looked at Johan curiously. While others found Johan’s sacred miracles and great power amazing. . .

What Ulrike found most amazing was his patience.

That patience was the most difficult virtue for arrogant nobles to possess. A normal noble would have exploded ten times over, yet the duke was enduring it calmly.

‘𝘐𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴?’

“Then we’ll send another envoy and if there’s still no reply, we’ll have to prepare to attack.”

“It’ll probably be useless but it wouldn’t hurt for Your Highness the duke to try.”

In Ulrike’s view, it was highly likely that the castellan had been bribed by those sent by the Sultan. There was no other explanation.

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“The Castellan of Atig Castle has sent a reply of apology.”

“Are you kidding me now!”

,

“There is no need to be swayed by those from the west! How could we listen to those who know nothing about our land? We will never become a vassal.”

“But castellan-nim, if they bring their army with them when they come. . .”

“I am no fool. If they were to come with an army just because I refused their offer, they would be the laughingstock of the world. I tell you, the duke will not come this far! Even if he does, this castle wall will not fall so easily.”

. . .The castellan, who had been shouting so proudly, rushed out in a hurry without even putting on his armor when the vanguard led by the duke arrived near the castle.

“C-Castellan-nim, the main force hasn’t even arrived yet. The duke won’t be able to cross the wall unless he grows wings. . .”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Do you think you can take responsibility for your life if you offend His Highness the duke?”

Originally, he could have stalled for more time. It was customary for the lord of the castle to come out a little late, and there were always excuses he could make.

However, the cowardly castellan had already run out. From the other side, Ulrike, who was leading her army, sent a meaningful gaze. It was a look that seemed to say, ‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶?’

━𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

Johan wanted to take all the feudal lords with him as he marched to the Holy Land, both to increase the size of his army and to reduce unnecessary noise. He didn’t want to worry about things he didn’t need to worry about, even though he had all the power he needed.

Feudal lords paid a certain amount of gold and sent a few soldiers to deal with the large army that had landed, but most of them did not participate directly.

It was natural that they didn’t want to participate in person. The enemy was enormous, and it would cost a lot of money to lead an army and go out in person. The most ideal scenario for them was to stay within their own fiefdoms while the Sultan’s army attacked and then withdrew from other feudal lords’ fiefdoms.

Of course, Johan naturally guessed their intentions.

He couldn’t help it last time because the situation was different, but this time he intended to drag them out if possible.

Ulrike, who heard him answered right away.

━𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.

━𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭?

━. . .𝐈 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞’𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲.

━𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐨? 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭. . .

━𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫! 𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞’𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡.

━𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. . .

━. . .𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐬. . .

━?

━. . .𝐍𝐨.

‘𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺.’

Ulrike was slightly relieved as she looked at the figure of the castellan who had popped out. He couldn’t take back what he said because of his pride as a nobleman, but things were going as expected.

“D-Duke Your Highness. I am honored to see you. . .”

The castellan looked up at Johan with a trembling voice. The young duke, sitting on a large black horse with a shiny coat, exuded an aura of majesty.

He couldn’t tell if it was because of his recent achievements or the rumors that followed him. He couldn’t catch his breath even though he didn’t make eye contact. To the extent that he had no intention of questioning it, even though the duke did not dismount from his horse.

“It’s an honor to meet you. Lord of Kderas Castle.”

“N-No.”

“As the newly succeeded protector of the Holy Land, I asked the monotheistic lords around here to fulfill their duties. You refused the request. Was it such a difficult request to grant?”

“. . . . . .”

The castellan felt cold sweat running down his back. Johan didn’t ask any more questions, but asked a different one.

“The Sultan’s army is coming down from the north. It’s a situation where we need every soldier. Will the castellan participate as well?”

“. . .Yes.”

“Good choice. Have your servants call the soldiers.”

The castellan nodded as if possessed by something.

The participation in the military service, which should have been decided after much deliberation with his vassals, was decided in an instant.

The castellan, who got on the horse brought by the servant and stood quietly next to the soldiers, did not immediately understand why he was doing this.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Johan moved with the vanguard and called out to the castellans. Surprisingly, those who had refused most furiously came out the fastest. Some of them seemed to have been waiting after hearing the rumors, and were waiting outside the castle gate.

The case of Count Tragalon was a typical example.

The count, who had been brutally raiding the pagan settlements around him, was honestly not much different from the captain of a band of rogues. Even Ulrike was a little worried.

“I am honored to meet Your Highness the Duke!”

However, the Count, along with his men, was waiting outside the castle gate. It was ridiculous that he was waiting with his weapon down.

“I was thinking of attacking the pagans alone, but now that Your Highness the Duke has arrived with such a large army, there is nothing more to fear!”

“. . .I understand. Join us.”

Johan was surprised, but he didn’t scoff. Once they joined, there was no reason to make them feel bad by giving them unnecessary insults.

At that, the count sighed in relief.

“Is this the right thing to do?”

“Be quiet! There are many people listening.”

The escort knight quickly shut his mouth when the count growled irritably and fiercely.

The count had been trembling even before the duke arrived. The rumors had already spread.

━𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞!

It was natural for the most hated nobles to be targeted if one or two were to be executed. It couldn’t be helped that a person like the count would be scared.

Fortunately, however, the duke ordered him to join without doing so. The count heaved a sigh of relief.

“Fortunately, His Highness the Duke is more merciful than I thought.”

“Yeah. It’s really fortunate. It looks like he is taking the lead when dealing with the sultan, but. . .”

The count groaned.

As expected of a count who led his men like a bandit and plundered the surrounding area, he was very sensitive to the smell of this kind of thing.

The expeditionary force was now so large that it was difficult to gather in one place. There were easily over a hundred flags held by the nobles, and the composition was incredibly complex, from small units led by knights, mercenary troops, monks belonging to monasteries, and the noble’s own escort knights.

Of course, they didn’t all move separately, and there was a chain of command in the form of a pyramid. The duke only had to give orders from the top down.

. . .The problem was that those who were hated would end up playing the role of taking damage at times like this.

Someone has to scout the dangerous enemy area. Who should do it?

It would be correct for capable rangers or light cavalry to do it, but in reality, those who had no backing and were hated did it.

And the count smelled it. Among these countless people, it was clear that the one who was hated was the count himself.

“Should I offer a bribe?”

“Leave it alone. I heard he doesn’t like bribes.”

“Isn’t that a lie? How can there be such a person in the world?”

“It must be true because I heard it from someone who tried it.”

The count scratched his head. Surprisingly, there were people in the world who didn’t accept bribes. Perhaps one would have to be loved by God and perform miracles to be like that.

To be honest, the majesty shown by the young duke was enough to make even the count, who had a thick backbone, surrender. The way he swayed his surroundings with just a glance without even opening his mouth was truly creepy.

Even though he should have been outraged, saying, ‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦?’ Strangely enough, he didn’t feel resentful.

Rather, the awe was greater. It felt like seeing a devout priest devoting himself to his fiefdom.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨. . .’

Even if the duke himself lived like a saint, the duke’s vassals and the nobles of the expeditionary force would surely act very meanly. Since the count himself and those like the count would not leave them alone.

“Good news! Count-nim!”

“???”

“The Castellan of Atig Castle seems to have gone mad! He won’t open the door even though the duke is here!”

“!!”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

No one expected the Castellan of Atig to hold out.

First of all, Atig Castle was the northernmost castle among the lands of the monotheistic lords. It is unknown when the Sultan’s army will arrive. In that sense, it was a situation where it would be insufficient to run out and say, ’𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶’ if the duke’s expeditionary force came up to here.

Moreover, the Castellan of Atig Castle was not an exceptionally rebellious figure. He paid gold regularly without complaint, and he was a person who responded politely to the solicitation made after the victory.

So, it was absurd that he was holding out without coming out even when he was asked.

“Has he already been bought by the Sultan? Let’s attack!”

The knights of the expeditionary force were furious. The knights were furious because they had met a troublesome lord in an unexpected place.

They had to set up camps around them as soon as possible and prepare for the arrival of the Sultan’s army, but the castellan was doing that, so it was impossible not to get annoyed.

“Your Highness.”

“Oh.”

Johan was delighted when Count Tragalon came out.

As he was a feudal lord in the same area, he wondered if he had something in mind.

“I’m embarrassed to say it myself, but I know this area well.”

“Sure. So?”

“If you just support me with a few soldiers, I will capture the castle right away.”

“. . . . . .”

Johan’s face hardened subtly.

‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦?’

‘𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦.’

The count was convinced that this would satisfy the duke. Even if he was in a bad mood, how relieved would he be if he came forward like this?

“Thank you. But we’re not attacking.”

“. . .??!”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Johan called Ulrike. Since he came first with the vanguard, it would take some time for the main force to gather here. If they wanted to attack, they could do it then.

“But I’d like to end it with persuasion if possible. Can you guess why he’s doing this?”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike covered her head with both hands and bowed her head. It was completely different from her usual dignified appearance. Johan asked doubtfully.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“. . .I swore on my honor and I was wrong.”

“Ah.”

Johan realized why the noblewoman in front was acting like that.

She had staked her honor and swore that everyone would willingly yield if they came on strongly. But the last feudal lord had to be so stubborn. Ulrike must have found it absurd.

“You’ve been hit enough after getting this far. It’s just one.”

“I appreciate the thought but it’s not much of a comfort.”

“You don’t need to grant any wishes. I’ve already received enough help.”

“Enough! Those were the words I already uttered. Don’t disregard my honor any further.”

Ulrike regretted it as soon as she said it. She was acting against what she learned from Countess Abner. ‘𝘊𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴 𝘥𝘰’, that’s what she was taught. . .

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘮 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?’

“If he doesn’t listen to words, we’ll have to show our skills.”

“So force is the answer after all?”

“The duke is quite amazing. If I were the duke, I would have cut off at least ten heads by now.”

Ulrike looked at Johan curiously. While others found Johan’s sacred miracles and great power amazing. . .

What Ulrike found most amazing was his patience.

That patience was the most difficult virtue for arrogant nobles to possess. A normal noble would have exploded ten times over, yet the duke was enduring it calmly.

‘𝘐𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴?’

“Then we’ll send another envoy and if there’s still no reply, we’ll have to prepare to attack.”

“It’ll probably be useless but it wouldn’t hurt for Your Highness the duke to try.”

In Ulrike’s view, it was highly likely that the castellan had been bribed by those sent by the Sultan. There was no other explanation.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“The Castellan of Atig Castle has sent a reply of apology.”

“Are you kidding me now!”