How to Live as a Wandering Knight
Chapter 294: ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ (2)Johan, followed by an entourage of guards, strode confidently through the castle as if he were the lord of the realm.
The servants in the castle corridors avoided eye contact, turning their heads away.
โWhat is happening here?โ
The bewildered King Ineressa looked around in confusion. The knights, who would usually have loudly announced his arrival, appeared to have been cowed by the dukeโs presence.
Entering the hall, Johan slowly surveyed the scene. Despite his arrogant demeanor, there was an air of innate authority about him.
He stood as if declaring who held the reins of power in this place.
โYour Majesty. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Duke Yeats.โ
โM-Meet you too.โ
The aged king, who would normally have protested the lack of respect, held his tongue under the weight of Johanโs aura. Johan and his men took their seats at the prepared table.
Johan commanded the steward beside him.โBegin the feast,โ
โ. . .Yes!โ
In the tense atmosphere, flagons of wine were brought in and musicians began to play.
The musicians focused intently on their performance, knowing that any mistake in this tense atmosphere could be fatal.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
While Johan and other western lords had most of it figured out, there was one crucial misconception they held.
The recent pagan marriage alliance had not been initiated by the king himself, but by his children.
And the young couple, instead of leaving for their own fiefdom after the wedding in the inner castle, had stayed within the castle walls.
โWhat nonsense is this. . . Out of my way!โ
The kingโs son shoved the servant aside in disgust. The servant had come to warn him of the commotion outside and advised him to stay in his chambers for safety.
Preposterous! Did he think the outer and inner walls and the garrison of soldiers guarding the castle were for show?
โโ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ ?โ
โWhat are you blabbering about?โ
The kingโs son grew agitated by the eastern language spoken by his newly acquired brother-in-law. Though they had married for power and alliance, he harbored no affection for the pagan.
Normally he would have been more cautious, but the sudden news had stripped him of his composure.
โWhatโs going on?โ
โCanโt you see? Some rogue bandits are causing a ruckus outside. Call your guards! We must respond.โ
โโ โ โ โ โ โ โ โ ?โ
โHow many are they?โ
Impatient with the manโs questioning at such a critical moment, the kingโs son lost his patience.
โBring your guards here at once! If they donโt come, Iโll go myself.โ
โโ โ โ .โ
Sensing the atmosphere, the man acquiesced without further argument. The kingโs son hastily donned his armor and headed downstairs with the knights in his retinue.
โ๐๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ง๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ด. . .โ
The families who had put down roots in this land held a subtle inferiority and jealousy towards the westerners. Those who had come from afar to establish themselves in these lands were often of lower noble origins.
These resentments had been building up, and now this outrage. Unforgivable.
โWhat is this?โ
The guards posted outside the banquet hall stiffened as they saw a group approaching from afar.
โWho do you think you are to trespass on these castle grounds. . . Retreat, or face our blades!!โ
Despite the kingโs sonโs threat, the guards did not flinch.
โThese are His Majestyโs castle grounds. We guard these premises by His Majestyโs orders. We see no reason to obey commands from someone else.โ
โ. . . . .โ
The kingโs son glared at them, his eyes blazing, and reached for his sword.
At that moment, the guards hidden in the vicinity revealed themselves. Crossbows, already loaded, creaked ominously. They were ready to fire at the first sign of movement.
No matter how valiant a knight, it was impossible to act recklessly when surrounded by crossbows, especially at such close range.
โY-You. . .โ
To be treated like this by mere mercenaries within his own rightful fiefdom.
The kingโs son turned crimson with fury, ready to explode any moment.
๐๐๐๐!
โ?!?!โ
The sound of the inner castle gate breaking open echoed as knights stormed in like a tempest.
Johanโs guards and the kingโs sonโs retinue turned their heads simultaneously, startled by the unexpected turn of events.
โ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ๐ด?!โ
โ๐๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ญ๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ข๐ช๐ต?!โ
It was Biorarn leading the charge. He and his men had broken through the outer defenses and breached the inner castle gate before the guards stationed outside could react. However, the situation inside was not what they had expected. They couldnโt help but be taken aback.
โWho. . . Who are they?โ
The atmosphere grew even more bizarre as Biorarnโs knights joined the confrontation. Just then, the door to the banquet hall opened, and the steward announced,
โHis Highness the Duke requests your presence inside.โ
โ. . . . .โ
โ. . . . .โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
Still young and valiant, and now in control of the castle, the old king feared that the Duke would become a tyrant.
However, to his surprise, Johan did no such thing. It was the duke who broke the tense silence first.
โI noticed on my way here that your fiefdom is quite prosperous. It is evident that it is ruled by a benevolent lord.โ
โIs that so?โ
โI have no reason to lie. Even the fiefdoms in the west are not as fertile and bountiful as this.โ
Though the blatant flattery was obvious, the old king lapped it up. He nodded, looking satisfied.
โThis land is blessed and beautiful, indeed.โ
โNo wonder the pagans covet it.โ
โOh. . . You need not worry about that. . .โ
โI heard of your recent marriage alliance?โ
โIndeed.โ
โA wise move. To gain an ally and neutralize one of your enemies without lifting a finger. Not everyone can pull that off.โ
Caenerna snickered, unnoticed by others. She had seen such displays in the emperorโs court. Flattery so blatant it could turn a well-made tart sour.
Although the duke had shown various capabilities, she had never seen him act so shamelessly flattering with such a serious and dignified face.
Such behavior was more common among lower nobles or servants who had grown cunning through court life. When did he learn to do that?
โIs that so?โ
The old kingโs face brightened a bit. His improved mood was evident in his actions, as he began pouring wine for Johan himself.
โYou have a keen eye, Duke.โ
โDo I?โ
โOf course. Do you know what those fools in the court were saying? That allying with pagans is unheard of, that the pagans will soon betray us, that this is a grave mistake. . . Arrogant and ignorant fools!!โ
โOh dear. It seems Your Majestyโs excessive kindness has allowed your subjects to grow insolent.โ
โHmph!โ
There were gasps from other tables, but they were mostly drowned out by the sound of pouring wine.
The old king, forgetting the current situation, downed several cups in succession. Insults against his children, his vassals, his soldiers, and other lords flowed out one after another. Johan listened patiently, nodding in understanding.
โ๐๐ฎ๐ฎ. ๐๐ต ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด.โ
It was clear that he wasnโt the sociable type. It was unlikely that he would join forces with other lords and actively cause trouble.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside. Johanโs face hardened at the sound of shouting and fighting.
โOh. It seems to be my son, Valeon. . .!โ
โYour son was staying in the castle?โ
โIndeed. Itโs been a short while since their wedding. . .โ
Johan grasped the situation as he listened to the drunken kingโs rambling.
โ๐๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ.โ
โLet them in. It seems they are upset about missing out on the feast.โ
Johanโs casual remark drew laughter, even from the old king. The kingโs son, who had been causing a ruckus, had suddenly become a pitiable soul denied a treat.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โ. . .?โ
Although he recognized the young noble who entered with a swagger, the knights following awkwardly behind were unexpected.
It was Sir Biorarn and his men.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด?โ
Johan was puzzled. Why were they here?
The old king, seemingly equally confused, asked,
โWhat business do these knights have here?โ
The knights looked at Biorarn as if to ask him to explain. However, Biorarn lacked the finesse to navigate such a delicate situation.
He had assumed that blackmail or threats were being exchanged inside, but the atmosphere in the banquet hall was far more convivial than he had expected.
Even Biorarn couldnโt blurt out, โ๐๐ฆโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ค๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฆ!โ in this situation.
โWe were. . . invited. . .โ
โInvited? When did I ever invite you? And why. . .โ
The old kingโs logically sound words made Biorarnโs voice trail off. It was Johan who came to Biorarnโs aid as he found himself cornered.
โI invited them to join us. It seems they were late because the message reached them tardily.โ
โ!โ
Biorarn looked at Johan with gratitude in his eyes. So did the knights following him. Honestly, they hadnโt expected the duke to help Biorarn, who was under suspicion of assassination.
Furthermore, even putting that aside, there must have been deep resentment due to the civil war with the emperor. . .
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ!โ
The knights conveyed their gratitude with their eyes. With Johanโs words, the king no longer questioned the matter.
โTake your seats over there.โ
Biorarn and his knights unexpectedly found themselves being treated to a feast. They sat at the neighboring table, receiving the dishes being served, and stole glances around.
They were still trying to grasp the situation.
As the feast was reaching its peak, the one who broke the convivial atmosphere was the old kingโs son, Valeon. He was the only one at the table who seemed to be seething with anger.
โIโve heard of His Highness the Dukeโs great reputation!โ
โInsolent cur! How dare you interrupt? Canโt you see your father is here?โ
The old king was the first to react, expressing his displeasure. How dare Valeon speak out of turn without permission?
Of course, for Valeon, it was even more absurd. His father was drunk and oblivious to the blatant disrespect he was being shown by an enemy.
โLet him be. Itโs a day of celebration.โ
โHow noble of you.โ
One of the knights beside Biorarn commented in an impressed tone. Johan waved his hand modestly. Valeonโs anger flared even more at these galling displays.
โAs someone who has heard of Your Highnessโs great reputation, I would like to test my skills against yours. If you donโt mind, could you teach me a thing or two?โ
โ. . . .!โ
Not only Johan but also the other attendants turned to look at Valeon in surprise. Valeon thought he had caught them off guard with his challenge.
โIt would be best to stop.โ
Johan spoke earnestly. He didnโt want to cripple the kingโs son, especially since things were going well with the old king.
Johanโs current concern was controlling his strength.
โNo! I insist on learning!โ
โSuch insolence. . .โ
โBear with it. He will pay the price soon enough.โ
There were some hot-blooded mercenaries, but they managed to restrain themselves. This was because they could guess what would happen next.
โI donโt want to see swords wielded in this hall!โ
โThen letโs do this bare-handed!โ
As knights, they were required to be proficient not only in swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, and horsemanship but also in unarmed combat and wrestling. Valeon, as a knight, was confident in this area.
โPerhaps it would be better to use dulled swords.โ
โHis Majesty said that no swords may be drawn in this banquet hall. Letโs just do it bare-handed!โ
โVery well. If that is what you wish. After this encounter, would it be ungracious of me to deny your request?โ
Johan set down his wine glass and rose from his seat. As Johan stood up and stretched, Valeon felt an ominous chill run down his spine.
โ. . .๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ต?โ
Normally, the highlight of a banquet was not the food, drinks, or music, but such drunken brawls. The musicians held their breaths and watched the scene with keen interest.
It was common knowledge that Valeon was a highly skilled knight. After all, the people of this castle had no choice but to favor Valeon.
However, the moment the word โbeginโ was uttered, Valeon was sent flying into the air.
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