Chapter 382: ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ-๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ (26)
Johan realized that persuasion would be impossible. How much more could he try to persuade here?
โ๐๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ข ๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ช๐จ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ
Itโs not like there were no wizards in the north, and the nobles would have several people around them who could provide advice. If he left them alone to think for themselves, they would surely regain their composure.
โThere are many who have collapsed, so letโs end the banquet here. Go and get some rest.โ
โThank you!โ
Johan suddenly felt uneasy as the feudal lords disregarded the customs and hastily got up and left.
โ. . .๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ
๐ธ๐ธ
โThere are strange rumors going around.โ
โ. . . . . .โHe knew what rumors were being spread even without asking. The rumors of the evil dragon cursing them as it was dying. The rumors spread quickly due to the large number of people who gathered for the festival.
The people mourned the brave northern lords. Giving up their lives to slay the ferocious dragon.
Johan raised a reasonable doubt.
โAre they spreading these rumors to play the victim?โ
It was something Johan would do if he was a northern lord.
They could pin the blame on the outsiders, the foreigners, and no longer had to bow their heads. If they just let this go, wouldnโt they stand out? There was already a ridiculous rumor going around that the northern lords were so moved that they swore fealty.
The rumor that the northern lords had received the dragonโs curse by risking their lives was quite effective in garnering sympathy. No matter how greedy the lords were, public opinion could be swayed by such rumors.
If they were to suffer for a while and then get up, they could call it a miracle.
โThat sounds plausible. . . but anyone that clever wouldnโt be in the emperorโs faction. The northern lords arenโt as clever as dukes.โ
Ulrike shook her head. That was a bold and cunning trick that someone like Countess Abner would pull. The northern lords who valued their pride and dignity couldnโt do something like that.
โSuetlg-nim. Please try to persuade the lords to get some proper treatment. We canโt just leave them like this. They might cause trouble if they die.โ
Johan had initially thought that the northern lords would be able to make rational judgments once they regained their composure. However, that was an overestimation of the lords. แน
The northern lords genuinely believed they were cursed by the dragon. A few of them had already sent for a bishop to leave their will after bribing a servant or two.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ค๐ณ
Johan couldnโt believe it.
Judging from how the lords who had gathered first to discuss countermeasures fell one after another, it was clear that they had consumed contaminated food or water. What was this nonsense about a dragonโs curse?
They needed to get a proper diagnosis and treatment, or they might actually die.
It didnโt really matter to Johan whether the lords lived or died, but it could lead to unnecessary gossip later on. Besides, Johan and the north had a history of bad blood.
The cleanest way was to heal them first and let them do whatever they wanted after that.
โHmm. There are a few problems.โ
Suetlg spoke with a troubled expression. Judging from his unusually troubled expression, he seemed to be in a real dilemma.
โFirst of all, the problem is that they firmly believe itโs the dragonโs curse. They think theyโre going to die, so theyโll develop illnesses that didnโt exist before.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Everyone present held their heads at the wizardโs words. They were already feeling a headache coming on.
โArenโt there other wizards or priests in the north? Canโt they persuade them?โ
โYes. Thatโs the next problem. They donโt all agree.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Johan closed his eyes. He felt the same frustration he had felt when he led the lords of the peninsula and commanded the army in the past.
โ๐โ๐ฎ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ณ
โWizards donโt agree on everything. There are those who are skilled and those who arenโt. And not many of them saw the whole thing from the beginning. Itโs not strange for the lords to think they got sick from the dragonโs curse. I would have thought the same if I had only heard the story.โ
The situation was too coincidental. Wizards believed in coincidences and fate. It was natural to suspect a curse if they fell ill after killing a dragon.
โLastly, the problem is that even I donโt know what this disease is. If itโs a local disease of the north, the people of the north would know best. I have no way of knowing.โ
Even Suetlg didnโt know everything. If it was a disease from the north, the wizards of the north would surely know. Ulrike, who had been listening, stopped tapping her fingers on the table.
โWait a minute. What about Caenerna-gong?โ
โSheโs not feeling well and is still resting.โ
โSurely not the dragonโs cu. . . No. What nonsense am I talking about.โ
Ulrike gave a wry smile. It was a careless remark, but it was understandable that even Ulrike would be scared if she said something like that.
โI think itโs best to persuade the lords first.โ
Iselia said, looking at Johan.
โIf you speak to them sincerely, wonโt the lords listen?โ
โTheyโll listen, but theyโll hear it in a different way. . .โ
Judging from how scared they were last time, it was more likely to be perceived as a threat rather than persuasion. The Johan that Iselia saw and the Johan that the northern lords saw were different.
โYour Highness. A servant of a baron has come to see you.โ
โ?โ
Johan was puzzled when he heard that one of the northern lords had sent a servant.
What is it?
โ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฎ
โMy Lord!โ
โWhat is it?โ
โ. . .Itโs something that shouldnโt be heard by others, so I humbly ask for a private audience.โ
Johanโs expectations rose slightly at the servantโs words. It was clear that the other northern lords would notice if they heard, so he must have come to ask for treatment in private.
โOkay. Speak freely.โ
โThank you, my Lord!โ
The baronโs servant was touched by Johanโs attitude. The rumors of his benevolence were not unfounded.
โI would like to purchase dragonโs blood. Please sell it to me.โ
โ. . .??โ
๐ธ๐ธ
It was said that dragonโs blood was the best cure for a dragonโs curse.
Even Suetlg agreed with this, as long as it was really a dragonโs curse.
The lords who were dying (or at least thought they were) recalled that the knights who hunted the dragon had taken various parts of the dragonโs body as spoils.
Most of the knights had taken scales or bone fragments, but the men from the east among Johanโs men had collected some blood in a leather pouch. It was to give to the wizard and receive a reward.
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The lords had somehow heard about this and sent their servants to Johan.
โ. . .Even if you use dragonโs blood, it wonโt improve much, and we donโt have that much dragonโs blood anyway.โ
โIt was really just a small amount. We used it all up right away because it would have rotted if we left it alone.โ
Suetlg also seemed troubled. He wished he had kept some if he had known this would happen.
โIf we go back down, the blood will have already rotted. . .โ
Johan, who had been pondering, slapped his knee.
โI have a good idea.โ
โDid you keep some of the blood separately?โ
โLetโs just use pigโs blood. How would the lords know if itโs dragonโs blood or pigโs blood?โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Suetlg was shocked.
โ๐๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ
When he arrived late with his troops, he had clearly seen something like a halo behind Johan, even though they had known each other for a long time. Not only Suetlg, but the elf king and Lady Ulrike had also said they had similar experiences.
Hunting a dragon was a great feat.
Something that only a saint from an old tale could do.
It was such a great feat that Suetlg felt a sense of distance from him.
But judging from what he was saying now, he was the usual duke. Suetlg nodded with a meaningful expression.
โThatโs a good idea.โ
โIt seemed like it took you a while just now. Donโt tell me you thought I was trying to swindle you?โ
โW. . . What are you talking about?โ
โFrom the way youโre talking, it really seems like you thought that. .?โ
Johan looked at Suetlg suspiciously when he panicked after joking.
In any case, with the plan decided, the two wizards began concocting the fake blood. They couldnโt use pigโs blood as it was. The northern wizards might notice something strange, even though the lords were groaning in pain.
โLetโs add some leaves of the poisonous lily. The smell is too clean right now.โ
โDragonโs blood was a bit more viscous.โ
โHow did you. . . Ah. I see.โ
Suetlg was once again impressed. How many people on the continent could describe dragonโs blood so vividly?
โShould we add some tar to make it sticky?โ
โ. . .Wait. The lords might have to drink it, so letโs not.โ
โAh. Right.โ
The two of them worked hard to make fake blood. It was fake blood made according to Johanโs memory, but it turned out quite well.
โIf you pretend to use this, the lords wonโt have any more useless thoughts. By the way, have you figured out what disease it is?โ
โI asked around and the northern wizards said they had a few guesses. We should call them and ask.โ
โ. . .Wait. If they have a guess, why arenโt they treating it?โ
โWell, they think they need to cure the dragonโs curse first.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Johan held back. If this was Johanโs fiefdom and those wizards were wizards who received Johanโs silver, they would have been whipped.
๐ธ๐ธ
Wizard Offgarden was the most prestigious wizard among the northern wizards gathered at the camp. He had a lot of weight and trust among the lords.
โHis Highness the Duke is calling for you.โ
โI understand. Iโll go now.โ
Offgarden stood up and strode forward. The mercenaries were slightly impressed when they saw Offgarden, who had a sturdy appearance like a warrior. He looked more like a savage than a wizard.
โ๐๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ช๐ป๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต
โIt seems His Highness the Duke wants to hear Offgardenโs advice.โ
โI guess so. Unfortunately, this curse will not be easy to lift.โ
Offgarden had some guesses about the disease that the lords had contracted.
However, Johanโs current goal was not to cure the disease. As long as they had the dragonโs curse, curing the disease would only lead to another disease.
If it was a disease that they could endure like this, it was better than if a more serious disease, perhaps even a plague, broke out.
. . .Offgarden made this argument persuasively. As expected of an outstanding wizard from the north, Offgardenโs words carried weight.
โI heard you. Offgarden-gong. I give you an order. Cure the disease, regardless of the dragonโs curse or whatever.โ
โ. . .!โ
Offgarden was taken aback. The duke had brushed him off so cleanly. It wasnโt the snub that was shocking, but the fact that he couldnโt communicate like this. He had rarely failed to communicate since becoming a wizard.
โYour Highness. The dragonโs curse. . .โ
โHereโs the dragonโs blood. Suetlg-nim will lift the curse once you cure the disease.โ
โ!โ
Offgarden was surprised to hear that he had dragonโs blood. Moreover, he knew how to use it to lift the curse. He was indeed worthy of being called a philosopher of the Ipaรซl River.
โYou are brilliant!โ
โ. . .Thatโs quite the compliment.โ
Suetlg was modest. Offgarden thought it was because of his humility, but in fact, there was a different reason behind it.
โCan I check the dragonโs blood once?โ
โGo ahead.โ
Offgarden stepped forward. In order to persuade the lords, he had to check the dragonโs blood himself. A peculiar stench rose from the dark red blood sloshing in the jar.
โ. . .?โ
Offgarden felt something was strange. No matter how he looked at it, it didnโt seem like dragonโs blood.
Of course, Offgarden had never seen dragonโs blood in his life. However, he had read many documents and stories describing what dragonโs blood was like.
This is more like. . .
โ๐๐ช๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ช๐น ๐ฑ๐ช๐จโ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ญ๏ฟฝ
Offgarden tilted his head in incomprehension. Of course, he couldnโt openly ask, โ๐๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฑ๐ช๐จโ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ?โ because of the dukeโs status and reputation, but he had to check and take responsibility since the lords had called him.
โYour Highness. May I ask you something. . . Huh.โ
Offgarden, who was speaking, stopped. The duke was suddenly standing right behind him.
Johan grabbed Offgardenโs shoulder with one hand and said,
โWhat are you curious about? Tell me. What are you curious about?โ
โ. . . . . .โ,
Johan realized that persuasion would be impossible. How much more could he try to persuade here?
โ๐๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ข ๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ต๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ, ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ง๐ช๐จ๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ
Itโs not like there were no wizards in the north, and the nobles would have several people around them who could provide advice. If he left them alone to think for themselves, they would surely regain their composure.
โThere are many who have collapsed, so letโs end the banquet here. Go and get some rest.โ
โThank you!โ
Johan suddenly felt uneasy as the feudal lords disregarded the customs and hastily got up and left.
โ. . .๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ, ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ
๐ธ๐ธ
โThere are strange rumors going around.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
He knew what rumors were being spread even without asking. The rumors of the evil dragon cursing them as it was dying. The rumors spread quickly due to the large number of people who gathered for the festival.
The people mourned the brave northern lords. Giving up their lives to slay the ferocious dragon.
Johan raised a reasonable doubt.
โAre they spreading these rumors to play the victim?โ
It was something Johan would do if he was a northern lord.
They could pin the blame on the outsiders, the foreigners, and no longer had to bow their heads. If they just let this go, wouldnโt they stand out? There was already a ridiculous rumor going around that the northern lords were so moved that they swore fealty.
The rumor that the northern lords had received the dragonโs curse by risking their lives was quite effective in garnering sympathy. No matter how greedy the lords were, public opinion could be swayed by such rumors.
If they were to suffer for a while and then get up, they could call it a miracle.
โThat sounds plausible. . . but anyone that clever wouldnโt be in the emperorโs faction. The northern lords arenโt as clever as dukes.โ
Ulrike shook her head. That was a bold and cunning trick that someone like Countess Abner would pull. The northern lords who valued their pride and dignity couldnโt do something like that.
โSuetlg-nim. Please try to persuade the lords to get some proper treatment. We canโt just leave them like this. They might cause trouble if they die.โ
Johan had initially thought that the northern lords would be able to make rational judgments once they regained their composure. However, that was an overestimation of the lords.
The northern lords genuinely believed they were cursed by the dragon. A few of them had already sent for a bishop to leave their will after bribing a servant or two.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ค๐ณ
Johan couldnโt believe it.
Judging from how the lords who had gathered first to discuss countermeasures fell one after another, it was clear that they had consumed contaminated food or water. What was this nonsense about a dragonโs curse?
They needed to get a proper diagnosis and treatment, or they might actually die.
It didnโt really matter to Johan whether the lords lived or died, but it could lead to unnecessary gossip later on. Besides, Johan and the north had a history of bad blood.
The cleanest way was to heal them first and let them do whatever they wanted after that.
โHmm. There are a few problems.โ
Suetlg spoke with a troubled expression. Judging from his unusually troubled expression, he seemed to be in a real dilemma.
โFirst of all, the problem is that they firmly believe itโs the dragonโs curse. They think theyโre going to die, so theyโll develop illnesses that didnโt exist before.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Everyone present held their heads at the wizardโs words. They were already feeling a headache coming on.
โArenโt there other wizards or priests in the north? Canโt they persuade them?โ
โYes. Thatโs the next problem. They donโt all agree.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Johan closed his eyes. He felt the same frustration he had felt when he led the lords of the peninsula and commanded the army in the past.
โ๐โ๐ฎ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ณ
โWizards donโt agree on everything. There are those who are skilled and those who arenโt. And not many of them saw the whole thing from the beginning. Itโs not strange for the lords to think they got sick from the dragonโs curse. I would have thought the same if I had only heard the story.โ
The situation was too coincidental. Wizards believed in coincidences and fate. It was natural to suspect a curse if they fell ill after killing a dragon.
โLastly, the problem is that even I donโt know what this disease is. If itโs a local disease of the north, the people of the north would know best. I have no way of knowing.โ
Even Suetlg didnโt know everything. If it was a disease from the north, the wizards of the north would surely know. Ulrike, who had been listening, stopped tapping her fingers on the table.
โWait a minute. What about Caenerna-gong?โ
โSheโs not feeling well and is still resting.โ
โSurely not the dragonโs cu. . . No. What nonsense am I talking about.โ
Ulrike gave a wry smile. It was a careless remark, but it was understandable that even Ulrike would be scared if she said something like that.
โI think itโs best to persuade the lords first.โ
Iselia said, looking at Johan.
โIf you speak to them sincerely, wonโt the lords listen?โ
โTheyโll listen, but theyโll hear it in a different way. . .โ
Judging from how scared they were last time, it was more likely to be perceived as a threat rather than persuasion. The Johan that Iselia saw and the Johan that the northern lords saw were different.
โYour Highness. A servant of a baron has come to see you.โ
โ?โ
Johan was puzzled when he heard that one of the northern lords had sent a servant.
What is it?
โ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฎ
โMy Lord!โ
โWhat is it?โ
โ. . .Itโs something that shouldnโt be heard by others, so I humbly ask for a private audience.โ
Johanโs expectations rose slightly at the servantโs words. It was clear that the other northern lords would notice if they heard, so he must have come to ask for treatment in private.
โOkay. Speak freely.โ
โThank you, my Lord!โ
The baronโs servant was touched by Johanโs attitude. The rumors of his benevolence were not unfounded.
โI would like to purchase dragonโs blood. Please sell it to me.โ
โ. . .??โ
๐ธ๐ธ
It was said that dragonโs blood was the best cure for a dragonโs curse.
Even Suetlg agreed with this, as long as it was really a dragonโs curse.
The lords who were dying (or at least thought they were) recalled that the knights who hunted the dragon had taken various parts of the dragonโs body as spoils.
Most of the knights had taken scales or bone fragments, but the men from the east among Johanโs men had collected some blood in a leather pouch. It was to give to the wizard and receive a reward.
The lords had somehow heard about this and sent their servants to Johan.
โ. . .Even if you use dragonโs blood, it wonโt improve much, and we donโt have that much dragonโs blood anyway.โ
โIt was really just a small amount. We used it all up right away because it would have rotted if we left it alone.โ
Suetlg also seemed troubled. He wished he had kept some if he had known this would happen.
โIf we go back down, the blood will have already rotted. . .โ
Johan, who had been pondering, slapped his knee.
โI have a good idea.โ
โDid you keep some of the blood separately?โ
โLetโs just use pigโs blood. How would the lords know if itโs dragonโs blood or pigโs blood?โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Suetlg was shocked.
โ๐๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ
When he arrived late with his troops, he had clearly seen something like a halo behind Johan, even though they had known each other for a long time. Not only Suetlg, but the elf king and Lady Ulrike had also said they had similar experiences.
Hunting a dragon was a great feat.
Something that only a saint from an old tale could do.
It was such a great feat that Suetlg felt a sense of distance from him.
But judging from what he was saying now, he was the usual duke. Suetlg nodded with a meaningful expression.
โThatโs a good idea.โ
โIt seemed like it took you a while just now. Donโt tell me you thought I was trying to swindle you?โ
โW. . . What are you talking about?โ
โFrom the way youโre talking, it really seems like you thought that. .?โ
Johan looked at Suetlg suspiciously when he panicked after joking.
In any case, with the plan decided, the two wizards began concocting the fake blood. They couldnโt use pigโs blood as it was. The northern wizards might notice something strange, even though the lords were groaning in pain.
โLetโs add some leaves of the poisonous lily. The smell is too clean right now.โ
โDragonโs blood was a bit more viscous.โ
โHow did you. . . Ah. I see.โ
Suetlg was once again impressed. How many people on the continent could describe dragonโs blood so vividly?
โShould we add some tar to make it sticky?โ
โ. . .Wait. The lords might have to drink it, so letโs not.โ
โAh. Right.โ
The two of them worked hard to make fake blood. It was fake blood made according to Johanโs memory, but it turned out quite well.
โIf you pretend to use this, the lords wonโt have any more useless thoughts. By the way, have you figured out what disease it is?โ
โI asked around and the northern wizards said they had a few guesses. We should call them and ask.โ
โ. . .Wait. If they have a guess, why arenโt they treating it?โ
โWell, they think they need to cure the dragonโs curse first.โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Johan held back. If this was Johanโs fiefdom and those wizards were wizards who received Johanโs silver, they would have been whipped.
๐ธ๐ธ
Wizard Offgarden was the most prestigious wizard among the northern wizards gathered at the camp. He had a lot of weight and trust among the lords.
โHis Highness the Duke is calling for you.โ
โI understand. Iโll go now.โ
Offgarden stood up and strode forward. The mercenaries were slightly impressed when they saw Offgarden, who had a sturdy appearance like a warrior. He looked more like a savage than a wizard.
โ๐๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ช๐ป๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต
โIt seems His Highness the Duke wants to hear Offgardenโs advice.โ
โI guess so. Unfortunately, this curse will not be easy to lift.โ
Offgarden had some guesses about the disease that the lords had contracted.
However, Johanโs current goal was not to cure the disease. As long as they had the dragonโs curse, curing the disease would only lead to another disease.
If it was a disease that they could endure like this, it was better than if a more serious disease, perhaps even a plague, broke out.
. . .Offgarden made this argument persuasively. As expected of an outstanding wizard from the north, Offgardenโs words carried weight.
โI heard you. Offgarden-gong. I give you an order. Cure the disease, regardless of the dragonโs curse or whatever.โ
โ. . .!โ
Offgarden was taken aback. The duke had brushed him off so cleanly. It wasnโt the snub that was shocking, but the fact that he couldnโt communicate like this. He had rarely failed to communicate since becoming a wizard.
โYour Highness. The dragonโs curse. . .โ
โHereโs the dragonโs blood. Suetlg-nim will lift the curse once you cure the disease.โ
โ!โ
Offgarden was surprised to hear that he had dragonโs blood. Moreover, he knew how to use it to lift the curse. He was indeed worthy of being called a philosopher of the Ipaรซl River.
โYou are brilliant!โ
โ. . .Thatโs quite the compliment.โ
Suetlg was modest. Offgarden thought it was because of his humility, but in fact, there was a different reason behind it.
โCan I check the dragonโs blood once?โ
โGo ahead.โ
Offgarden stepped forward. In order to persuade the lords, he had to check the dragonโs blood himself. A peculiar stench rose from the dark red blood sloshing in the jar.
โ. . .?โ
Offgarden felt something was strange. No matter how he looked at it, it didnโt seem like dragonโs blood.
Of course, Offgarden had never seen dragonโs blood in his life. However, he had read many documents and stories describing what dragonโs blood was like.
This is more like. . .
โ๐๐ช๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ช๐น ๐ฑ๐ช๐จโ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ญ๏ฟฝ
Offgarden tilted his head in incomprehension. Of course, he couldnโt openly ask, โ๐๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฑ๐ช๐จโ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ?โ because of the dukeโs status and reputation, but he had to check and take responsibility since the lords had called him.
โYour Highness. May I ask you something. . . Huh.โ
Offgarden, who was speaking, stopped. The duke was suddenly standing right behind him.
Johan grabbed Offgardenโs shoulder with one hand and said,
โWhat are you curious about? Tell me. What are you curious about?โ
โ. . . . . .โ