How to Live as a Wandering Knight - Chapter 290: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 (8)

The Duke’s reaction made Lamar flustered. Initially, he thought it was a joke or some kind of teasing trick.

The reason Lamar bragged that he could meet the spirits in the first place was because he was confident, ironically, that the Duke would never meet them.

Someone like the Duke would never go through the lair of rogues or cross the lair of giants to meet some spirits.

But now, he suddenly wanted to pass through the lair of giants and see the spirits, which was absurd.

‘𝘐𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦?’

Nevertheless, Lamar managed his facial expression, for he was the chief of a tribe. He couldn’t just let the Western strangers have their way with him.

“If you wish to go down the path where the giants dwell, I will not stop you. I also use that path sometimes.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s good. I won’t have to look for a guide separately.”

“. . . Aside from the fact that the giants sometimes roll down boulders to block the path and eat the passing pilgrims, it is a path you don’t have to worry about. It is a remote path, but it’s flat.”

“All the more reason then.”

“. . .”

Lamar gave up after the Duke continued to ignore him no matter what he said.

“Your Highness, why are you doing this?”

“Why are you chattering away when you should be quiet?”

“You’re going down the path with the giants! Do you know how violent the giants are?”

Jyanina, who was listening, pointed out a mistake.

“The giants are violent, but they’re not the type you can’t communicate with. . .”

“The only time you can communicate with those b*stards is when they’re about to eat you.”

“Who’s that over there yapping disrespectfully? Do you want to be the first one to be eaten by the giants?”

“. . .”

Lamar shut his mouth at the centaur’s threat. Although he had mentally prepared himself for death several times while living as a rogue, he had never experienced an ending where he died in the belly of a giant.

The other mercenaries ridiculed Lamar for being a coward, but Johan decided to respect Lamar’s opinion. After all, the giants in this Black Mountains range might be a little different.

“If the giants are the type you can’t communicate with, we can just retreat right away. Would Your Excellency think that is reckless?”

“It’s not like that. . . but it feels like a waste of time.”

“Then it’s decided. Get ready. We need to see the spirit of the mountain.”

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Ohmal was one of the chieftains of the Black Mountains.

Normally, the chieftains changed when they got old. It was because it became difficult to defeat the young warriors with either strength or skill.

However, the reason he could still remain as the chieftain, despite being one of the older ones, was because of his experience.

Thanks to that, the other chieftains were visibly relieved when Ohmal was chosen to lead the mission. Ohmal himself was very reluctant to go.

“Check your outfits again before we go. Leave behind the dagger with the triangular ornament. It’s not good for the monotheists to have accessories symbolizing other gods.”

“Yes.”

“When we arrive, I will speak, so don’t say anything. No matter how much the foreigners from the West insult you, don’t open your mouth.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Ohmal gave a strong warning and began to descend the mountain range. When he got down to the point where he could see the fortress occupied by the foreigners in the distance, Ohmal saw a strange sight.

Some of the Duke’s troops were headed to a remote part of the mountain range.

“. . .???”

“What are they doing over there?? Isn’t that where the giants live?”

“The foreigners must be crazy. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“A good thing? With those kinds of fools. . . Do you think Lamar will be okay if we just let the foreigners enter the giant’s lair? He has to come out with all four limbs intact, especially if there are any important figures among them. What is Lamar doing!”

Ohmal lamented. He had a suspicion that Lamar might have incited them.

No matter how much he held a grudge, if he provoked them like that, the repercussions would come back to him. . .

“Do you think the Duke’s men are going around looking for treasure on their own?”

“No. The fact that they’re carrying the Duke’s banner means they must have a certain level of authority. Hurry. Let’s get closer and stop them!”

The mission, which was originally headed for the fortress, hurriedly changed direction and began to chase after the procession disappearing in the distance.

If they didn’t stop them somehow, a catastrophe might occur.

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“Giant’s stones.”

Johan was glad to see the stones after a long time. The wizards also nodded.

“The giants here are pretty skilled. They’ve paved the road nicely. Look.”

“That’s right. It’s not as good as the Empire, but it’s good enough to make me want to hire them as workers. Why don’t the giants work as laborers?”

“It must be because it’s in their nature to wander. They don’t like staying in one place.”

The amiable conversation about the giants’ territory made Lamar feel like he was going crazy.

“Your Highness, c. . . can we please hurry up a little?”

“Hurry up? We have to wait until the giants come out.”

“Excuse me? Why is that?”

“We have to pay the toll.”

Lamar was speechless. Pay the toll to the giants.

He had no idea why he had to do something like that or where to even start asking, so it was dizzying.

In the first place, Lamar was the one who collected the toll, not the one who paid it.

“Those greedy and violent giants won’t find any use in that, will they??! Why are you giving them that. . .?”

“They worked hard to pave the road, so what’s wrong with paying a little toll? Easterners are too stingy.”

In that moment, Lamar blurted out something he shouldn’t have due to being momentarily dumbfounded.

“. . .Then why didn’t Your Highness pay the toll when you came to us?”

“Have you finally gone crazy, you bandit b*stard? Since your mouth is still intact, you must’ve been blabbering away quite a bit!”

The killing intent of the centaurs, who pulled out their swords as if they would attack him at any moment, made Lamar flinch.

“S-Sorry. I misspoke.”

“No. You must be curious.”

Johan said while calming down the centaurs.

“You asked about why we didn’t pay, right?”

“. . .Yes.”

“The road wasn’t good. It wasn’t worth paying for.”

“. . .”

Johan’s subordinates burst into laughter. Lamar could only force a smile, at a loss for words.

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐝━

“!”

As if to belie the fact that he had been laughing just now, Lamar was terrified. A giant was lumbering over from up there.

He was half-naked, had a huge and rugged body, and was carrying a crude club. Although he had no murderous aura, Lamar was very tense.

He knew very well how much blood would flow if a clash occurred with the giants.

“T. . . toll. P-Pay the toll.”

The giant’s voice was hoarse and cracked, as if he hadn’t spoken for a long time. Johan nodded and answered readily.

“Sure. Do you want a sheep or a cow?”

“. . .Pay. . . toll????”

The giant’s large eyes widened. His face was filled with shock that he had never expected.

“Why are you surprised?”

“A-A traveler who pays the toll. It’s been a very long time. There haven’t been any travelers around here for a while. It’s been lonely and difficult.”

“. . .”

The party looked at Lamar. The reason there were no travelers here was obvious.

“I see. Anyway, we want to pay the toll properly and pass through. Is that okay?”

“Thank you. Traveler! One sheep is fine.”

Johan was surprised by the giant’s modest appetite.

“One sheep is enough?”

“Yes. But I hope you can visit often. Travelers passing by. It makes paving the road worthwhile.”

“Okay. We’ll try our best.”

The giant smiled broadly and carefully held the sheep in his arms. Then he moved out of the way. As Johan and his party were about to pass, the giant followed them.

“Why are you following us?”

“There might be monsters. I’ll see you to that point.”

“I appreciate it, but don’t you have to guard the road?”

“I have a friend. Another friend is guarding the road.”

The sight of the fierce giant following them closely made Lamar feel dizzy as he rode on his horse.

“Ugh. . .”

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

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There were a few more giants along the way, but they smiled and moved out of the way when the giant following them spoke.

“That must be the cave.”

The wizards could tell that the cave up there had powerful magic without even needing an explanation. It was definitely the cave where the spirits lived.

Suetlg asked Lamar. Spirits were powerful and enigmatic beings in and of themselves. The best weapon for humans to use when dealing with spirits was rules.

“What are the rules?”

“First, we wait outside the cave. If the spirit of the mountain gives permission, we will step inside. Once we step inside, we state our requests. Then the spirit will tell us what to. . . uhm.”

“Has no one ever gone inside the cave?”

Lamar made a sacrilegious expression at Suetlg’s words, as befitting a follower of a divine religion. Although he was neither a monotheist nor a polytheist, he was sincere in his worship of the spirits.

“Who would dare do something like that?”

“I see. Has no one ever entered and returned alive?”

Suetlg simply checked what he needed to check, regardless of how the other person reacted.

“Let’s try calling it carefully.”

“Okay. I’ll go.”

Johan walked briskly. It was because he was that curious about the spirit of the mountain.

While Suetlg and Caenerna were simply academically curious, Johan was more curious about the information or treasures that the spirit of the mountain might have.

If it had been there for so long, it must have accumulated quite a lot.

‘𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵.’

━𝐈 𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐫. 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬?

“Yes, we are. We came from the west.”

━𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭?

“I want to know your identity.”

━ . . . . . .

The spirit seemed to be shocked by the unexpected request and fell silent. Suetlg spoke up from behind in a forceful voice.

“What is your name?”

━𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧?

A sharp gust of wind and a rustling sound began to grow louder inside the cave. Lamar cried out in fear.

“Your Highness! You shouldn’t make the spirit of the mountain angry!”

However, Johan didn’t even blink. There was no reason for him to be afraid of the spirit now.

“I have no intention of causing trouble. But I have a reason to find out whether you are a malevolent spirit or not. If you’re going to continue to receive the worship of the people in this mountain, you should reveal your identity.”

━𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧!

Along with the words, a thumping sound could be heard from inside the cave. It was a troll.

“Troll??!”

“No. It must be a spirit disguised as a troll.”

Johan charged at the troll with his horse. Since he wouldn’t have expected Johan to attack without drawing his sword, the spirit was caught and fell over.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐜𝐤!

Surprisingly, a shrill cry came from the troll’s mouth. The spirit, whose throat was being squeezed by being overpowered by force, gasped and looked incredulous.

Smoke billowed out, and the spirit transformed again. It was a manticore, a monster with a human face, lion’s body, and a scorpion’s poisonous stinger.

Johan used his shield to block the manticore’s poison and swung his sword like lightning, inflicting a deep wound on the manticore’s body. Before the manticore could do anything, the spirit was caught by its torso again and had its bones broken.

“This is a spectacle that I will never see again in my life!”

Suetlg watched the fierce battle between the spirit and the duke in awe. It seemed like he was overwhelmingly pushing it back, so there seemed to be no need to help from here.

Cornered, the spirit tried to transform into various things. However, even when it transformed into something like a basilisk, the human didn’t show any surprise and immediately responded.

From the spirit’s point of view, it was unbelievable.

“You monstrous creature! You demon-worshipping b*stard!”

“Tell me your name, malevolent spirit.”

“I’m not a malevolent spirit. I won’t tell you my name either!”

“Really?”

Inside Johan, Valkalmur began to laugh mockingly. It was a laugh that only someone who knew who the other person was daring to defy could burst out.

Johan tightened his grip on the arm and hand that were holding the spirit. The spirit struggled, unable to breathe as the herculean strength squeezed it so tightly that it couldn’t even transform anymore.

“Me. . . me.”

“Me?”

“. . .If you let me go. . . I’ll give you the treasures I have. . .!”

“Oh.”

“Don’t be tempted!”

Suetlg felt himself becoming embarrassed for no reason. What did he mean by ‘oh’? Comparing a precious opportunity to catch a spirit to material goods. A spirit couldn’t be compared to material goods.