How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 186: ๐๐จ๐›๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‚๐š๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฅ (4)



Chapter 186: ๐๐จ๐›๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐‚๐š๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฅ (4)

The spear tore through the air as it flew. Valkalmurโ€™s power twisted the spearโ€™s trajectory, aiming for the vital point of the drake.

โ”โ– !

Despite the drakeโ€™s muscular body making it difficult for the spearhead to penetrate, the spear smoothly entered the chest and precisely pierced the heart.

It was thrown with such force that the spearhead exited the other side after piercing the heart. Unlike other monsters that can endure even with their hearts pierced, the drake did not possess such skill. It let out a miserable cry and collapsed with a thud.

โ€œExcellent!โ€

The dwarves shouted with admiration. The scene of taking down the monster with a single spear was heroic like in the ancient epics.

โ€œIts breath may not have stopped yet. Do not let your guard down!โ€

โ€˜๐˜๐˜ต ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฆ๐˜น๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ญ. . .โ€™

The experienced dwarf mercenaries thought to themselves.

It was because Johan had fought many tenaciously strong monsters that he said that. Normal monsters would die instantly with their hearts pierced like this. What skills could the drake have to survive in that condition, it wasnโ€™t even a Hydra.

Still, the dwarves faithfully followed Johanโ€™s order. Thanks to that, they would not be surprised by the next situation.

โ€œOne more! One more is coming out!โ€

โ€œ. . .I donโ€™t know who manages this arena, but I will snap his neck when he falls into my hands.โ€

Johan gritted his teeth and lifted his spear. Fortunately, the drake rushed at him recklessly.

With another throw, the drakeโ€™s breath was cut off.

โ€œYour excellency, your excellency!โ€

The centaurs came galloping urgently. Johan asked with an irritated expression.

โ€œPlease tell me you bring good news.โ€

โ€œMonsters are wandering the streets. We should move quickly.โ€

It wasnโ€™t only the drake that escaped. It seemed someone, though unknown who, had released all the monsters inside the arena. It was chaotic with incidents continuing one after another.

โ€œDwarves, guard the nobles in the mansion. Do not let them come out. Beat them if they try to come out to watch.โ€

โ€œThank you, your excellency!โ€

โ€œRide on my back.โ€

With Euclyiaโ€™s help, Johan climbed onto her back. It was faster to subdue the city together with the centaurs than to find a horse.

โ€œLetโ€™s go! We will dispose of the monsters and hang the arena administrator by his neck!โ€

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

It was easy to imagine countless people fleeing the city in a panic when a monster appeared, but in reality it wasnโ€™t that extreme.

Most monsters were beasts like wild animals. Even when a monster appeared in a small town, people tried to surround and capture it or drive it away rather than flee.

Moreover, even if a monster appeared somewhere in such a large city, it was unlikely to endanger oneself.

Rather than fleeing in fear, citizens chatted with excitement.

โ€œWhere did they say the monster appeared?โ€

โ€œI heard it went towards the Temple of Wisdom. The goblins were running away in a panic earlier.โ€

โ€œWhat are those arena guys doing? Canโ€™t even catch a single goblin. I could catch that much too.โ€

โ€œThis is all because of the emperor. . . Ahh! Itโ€™s a centaur!!โ€

โ€œThe centaurs escaped too?!โ€

Citizens who were casually lounging on the street recoiled backwards in surprise as a group of centaurs galloped by.

Of course centaurs werenโ€™t monsters, but to those unfamiliar there wasnโ€™t much difference. Whether itโ€™s a monster or a barbarian, itโ€™s the same if they want to split your head open.

However, the centaurs did not threaten the citizens. Galloping swiftly, they shot arrows to hunt and strike down the monsters.

Especially Johan was formidable. If a monster endured the arrows without dying or tried to flee, he would charge fiercely and slaughter it with his spear and warhammer.

For monsters like drakes, fighting in such narrow spaces would inevitably lead to damage. They had strong vitality so fights tended to drag on.

Johan who could take down such monsters with a single spear thrust or hammer blow was a nightmare to them.

By the time the sun set, the escaped monsters had all been thoroughly handled. Drenched in blood and sweat, Johan and the centaurs returned to the palace while cursing. What a pain all because of some crazy b*stard.

โ€œI hope the arena administrator didnโ€™t get away.โ€

โ€œPlease let me skin that b*stard alive.โ€

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

โ€œWhat did the new captain of the imperial guard do??โ€

The nobles had looks of shock on their faces. Those who were lying sideways also got up in surprise.

Those with the dragonโ€™s bloodline who harbored enemies within the imperial court were more like adversaries and rivals of the emperorโ€™s supporters rather than allies. When a rebellion breaks out in Vynashchtym, who will take the empty seat?

Although the Head Chamberlainโ€™s head is flying around so they are being careful, they still harbored some discontent and jealousy deep down.

When the foreign noble became the new captain this time, they jeered.

โ€œEven though he is a mercenary, why do we keep accepting these foreign b*stards? Do they not care about Vynashchtymโ€™s traditions? Iโ€™m already sick of seeing the republicans and the Eastern Empire fellows roaming around here. . .โ€

โ€œHe is a noble from the Holy Empire, isnโ€™t he? Someone with a completely different religion?โ€

โ€œWhat would that young count know? He probably cavorts with the republican fellows.โ€

Regardless of their displeasure, they thought the young count from a foreign land would not assimilate so quickly.

Like other captains of the imperial guard and mercenary leaders in the past, outsiders had a hard time adapting to Vynashchtym. Starting from the culture and customs to refinement, it was not easy to deal with people who were so different.

Moreover, people who had only swung swords on battlefields all their lives could seem barbaric to Vynashchtymโ€™s people with long traditions, even if they were knights.

But then the report came in that the accident in the arena from yesterday was resolved in less than a day. By the newly arrived captain of the imperial guard.

โ€œDidnโ€™t you say a lot of monsters got loose? It should have taken days, no weeks!โ€

The city was big and complex. It was common for monsters to hide in alleys and undergrounds. This was not something that could be wrapped up in a day.

โ€œIsnโ€™t it a bluff?โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t know if itโ€™s a bluff or not, but the citizens are chanting his name. It seems his feats were quite remarkable.โ€

โ€œThese fools. . .! They donโ€™t even know if all the monsters have been caught or not!โ€

Someone burst out angrily. The citizens were absurdly celebrating without even knowing if all the monsters were really caught.

But the citizensโ€™ reactions were also natural. What they personally saw and heard was the young count swiftly slaying the monstersโ€™ lives with his sword.

It would have been stranger not to react after seeing and hearing that. In this situation, no one cared if every last monster was caught or not. Everyone was frenzied with excitement over the new captainโ€™s might.

โ€œWe might as well call out the count to persuade him instead.โ€

โ€œPersuade him. . . How can we trust a foreigner? They are not trustworthy people.โ€

It was an overstatement, but there was reason behind the noblesโ€™ words. In Vynashchtymโ€™s history, there had been many nobles who were backstabbed after joining hands with foreign nobles.

It wasnโ€™t just one or two people or one or two occasions. This was distrust built up over a long history.

It would have been better if he was just a mercenary captain. They could easily employ and control him. But foreign nobles were different. They could grow their power as much as they liked with external backing.

โ€œBut the countโ€™s territory is across the sea and he does not have any fiefs around here. He did not bring many soldiers either. What trouble could holding his hand a little cause? The emperor summoned him knowing that.โ€

โ€œThatโ€™s right. Now that heโ€™s suddenly gained such popularity, heโ€™ll strut around for a while. Poking around and containing him for no reason will only garner backlash. He must have gotten quite arrogant so he wonโ€™t be easy to placate either, will he?โ€

โ€œAnd isnโ€™t Count Johan much more trustworthy than the republican fellows? I gathered some rumors that say he has strong faith and guards his honor like his life as a knight.โ€

โ€œHmm.โ€

Some peopleโ€™s words were persuasive.

Certainly, Johan felt oddly sincere compared to the republican fellows.

โ€œLetโ€™s call him out and see.โ€

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

โ€œAfter locking the outermost prison door, locking the inside door, locking the small door inside, he came out saying he came out? Is that what you call words?โ€

The judge shouted angrily and then glanced at Johan. He heard that the new imperial guard captain had suffered.

The colosseum manager was a rather powerful job.

Scheduling the games and receiving kickbacks from the gladiatorsโ€™ masters was lucrative. As such, the bribes given to other high officials were also considerable.

However, with Johan next to him being so intimidating, even the lighter punishment of a huge fine and imprisonment for failing to prevent what someone else did seemed too grave in this situation.

The judge happened to personally witness Johan smashing a monsterโ€™s skull with a warhammer in front of his mansion.

โ€˜๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜ข ๐˜ฉ๐˜ถ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜น๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ด. . .!โ€™

โ€œPlease, spare me! Believe me! Anything but death!โ€

Whether it was opened intentionally or by mistake, the punishment was death; even if it was accepted that someone else did it, there would still be responsibility for failing to stop it, warranting a huge fine and imprisonment.

But given the current circumstances, even the latter was fortunate. The manager pleaded and pleaded.

โ€œHe doesnโ€™t seem to be lying about what heโ€™s saying.โ€

โ€œ. . .What?โ€

โ€œI donโ€™t feel any sincerity. We will show mercy.โ€

โ€œS-Since your excellency says so. . .โ€

The judge was trembling but nodded. The manager shed tears of gratitude. His fortune was gone but he could earn money again. Wasnโ€™t life most important?

โ€˜๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ, ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ!โ€™

He was saved by this foreign count he had never met before. The manager cursed the judge and thanked Johan.

โ€˜๐˜๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ฏโ€™๐˜ต ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ญ๐˜บ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ. . . ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ช๐˜ต?โ€™

Johanโ€™s reason for helping the manager was simple. He really didnโ€™t seem to be lying. His account was convincing.

โ€˜๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜Œ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด. ๐˜Ž๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ด.โ€™

โ€œCount, the sun is still harsh, it may hurt your throat. It would be my honor if you would drink this, paltry as it is.โ€

โ€œAh, thanks.โ€

Seeing Johan walking down the street, a merchant took out cold water in a jug mixed with vinegar, herbs and salt, a kind of beverage.

โ€œCount, thanks to you I was able to save my life! Thank you. This is a cape made from Gaboro, please take it if it suits you. . .โ€

โ€œCount, Count. . .โ€

The following dwarves were surprised at the citizens who kept greeting Johan. Of course Johan was a good employer, good noble, good knight.

But they had heard the Vynashchtym were usually rude and arrogant. . .

โ€œJohan, come here.โ€

Hearing the voice, Gaoalkana, who was lying down, pushed away the servant giving her a massage and got up. Above her eyes were black and blue bruises.

โ€œ. . .What is this? Who did you get it from?โ€

โ€œHuh? This? I got drunk and fell over. I was trying to watch and bumped into others and fell over.โ€

โ€œ. . . . . .โ€

Johan was beginning to understand the Emperor. No matter how much family, how do you keep taking care of someone like this?

โ€œRight. Those dwarves! I was trying to go out but they blocked me. Can you believe it?โ€

โ€œWhy were you trying to go out?โ€

โ€œTo look around?โ€

Johan didnโ€™t reply and ignored her. Gaoalkana wasnโ€™t bothered and continued talking.

โ€œIn any case, it was a truly great banquet. Johan. Everyone was satisfied. The hunt as well.โ€

โ€œNo plans today?โ€

โ€œNo. Thereโ€™s someone who wants to meet Johan and say thanks for not getting hurt this time.โ€

Johan made a very unpleasant expression. Whoever Gaoalkana introduced was a noble, and a low ranking one at that, who played around wildly.

Young nobles absorbed in theater and banquets were usually either nobles without inheritance rights or from not very high ranking families. They were of no help and always drunk.

โ€œFor what purpose?โ€

โ€œThey said they want to thank Johan for not getting hurt this time.โ€

โ€œI see. . .โ€

He could accept a thanks at least.

โ€˜๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ฏโ€™๐˜ต ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ณ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ.โ€™

Johan followed Gaoalkana to a small palace outside. Being dimly lit and shaded, it looked more like a monastery than a palace.

โ€˜. . .?โ€™

โ€œNot a noble?โ€

โ€œHuh? Strictly speaking, imperial family right?โ€

Along with her words, vampires in Eastern Empire attire appeared beyond the gate. Johan was quite surprised.


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