How to Live as a Wandering Knight - Chapter 294: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 (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.

“What is happening here?”

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 duke’s 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.

“Your Majesty. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Duke Yeats.”

“M-Meet you too.”

The aged king, who would normally have protested the lack of respect, held his tongue under the weight of Johan’s aura. Johan and his men took their seats at the prepared table.

Johan commanded the steward beside him.

“Begin the feast,”

“. . .Yes!”

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.

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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.

“What nonsense is this. . . Out of my way!”

The king’s 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?

“■■■■ ■■■■?”

“What are you blabbering about?”

The king’s 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.

“What’s going on?”

“Can’t you see? Some rogue bandits are causing a ruckus outside. Call your guards! We must respond.”

“■■■■ ■■■■?”

“How many are they?”

Impatient with the man’s questioning at such a critical moment, the king’s son lost his patience.

“Bring your guards here at once! If they don’t come, I’ll go myself.”

“■■■.”

Sensing the atmosphere, the man acquiesced without further argument. The king’s son hastily donned his armor and headed downstairs with the knights in his retinue.

‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴. . .’

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.

“What is this?”

The guards posted outside the banquet hall stiffened as they saw a group approaching from afar.

“Who do you think you are to trespass on these castle grounds. . . Retreat, or face our blades!!”

Despite the king’s son’s threat, the guards did not flinch.

“These are His Majesty’s castle grounds. We guard these premises by His Majesty’s orders. We see no reason to obey commands from someone else.”

“. . . . .”

The king’s 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.

“Y-You. . .”

To be treated like this by mere mercenaries within his own rightful fiefdom.

The king’s son turned crimson with fury, ready to explode any moment.

𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆!

“?!?!”

The sound of the inner castle gate breaking open echoed as knights stormed in like a tempest.

Johan’s guards and the king’s son’s retinue turned their heads simultaneously, startled by the unexpected turn of events.

‘𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴?!’

‘𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵?!’

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 couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Who. . . Who are they?”

The atmosphere grew even more bizarre as Biorarn’s knights joined the confrontation. Just then, the door to the banquet hall opened, and the steward announced,

“His Highness the Duke requests your presence inside.”

“. . . . .”

“. . . . .”

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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.

“I noticed on my way here that your fiefdom is quite prosperous. It is evident that it is ruled by a benevolent lord.”

“Is that so?”

“I have no reason to lie. Even the fiefdoms in the west are not as fertile and bountiful as this.”

Though the blatant flattery was obvious, the old king lapped it up. He nodded, looking satisfied.

“This land is blessed and beautiful, indeed.”

“No wonder the pagans covet it.”

“Oh. . . You need not worry about that. . .”

“I heard of your recent marriage alliance?”

“Indeed.”

“A wise move. To gain an ally and neutralize one of your enemies without lifting a finger. Not everyone can pull that off.”

Caenerna snickered, unnoticed by others. She had seen such displays in the emperor’s 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?

“Is that so?”

The old king’s face brightened a bit. His improved mood was evident in his actions, as he began pouring wine for Johan himself.

“You have a keen eye, Duke.”

“Do I?”

“Of 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!!”

“Oh dear. It seems Your Majesty’s excessive kindness has allowed your subjects to grow insolent.”

“Hmph!”

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.

‘𝘏𝘮𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴.’

It was clear that he wasn’t the sociable type. It was unlikely that he would join forces with other lords and actively cause trouble.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside. Johan’s face hardened at the sound of shouting and fighting.

“Oh. It seems to be my son, Valeon. . .!”

“Your son was staying in the castle?”

“Indeed. It’s been a short while since their wedding. . .”

Johan grasped the situation as he listened to the drunken king’s rambling.

‘𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.’

“Let them in. It seems they are upset about missing out on the feast.”

Johan’s casual remark drew laughter, even from the old king. The king’s son, who had been causing a ruckus, had suddenly become a pitiable soul denied a treat.

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“. . .?”

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.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?’

Johan was puzzled. Why were they here?

The old king, seemingly equally confused, asked,

“What business do these knights have here?”

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 couldn’t blurt out, ’𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘬𝘦!’ in this situation.

“We were. . . invited. . .”

“Invited? When did I ever invite you? And why. . .”

The old king’s logically sound words made Biorarn’s voice trail off. It was Johan who came to Biorarn’s aid as he found himself cornered.

“I invited them to join us. It seems they were late because the message reached them tardily.”

“!”

Biorarn looked at Johan with gratitude in his eyes. So did the knights following him. Honestly, they hadn’t 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. . .

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶!’

The knights conveyed their gratitude with their eyes. With Johan’s words, the king no longer questioned the matter.

“Take your seats over there.”

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 king’s son, Valeon. He was the only one at the table who seemed to be seething with anger.

“I’ve heard of His Highness the Duke’s great reputation!”

“Insolent cur! How dare you interrupt? Can’t you see your father is here?”

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.

“Let him be. It’s a day of celebration.”

“How noble of you.”

One of the knights beside Biorarn commented in an impressed tone. Johan waved his hand modestly. Valeon’s anger flared even more at these galling displays.

“As someone who has heard of Your Highness’s great reputation, I would like to test my skills against yours. If you don’t mind, could you teach me a thing or two?”

“. . . .!”

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.

“It would be best to stop.”

Johan spoke earnestly. He didn’t want to cripple the king’s son, especially since things were going well with the old king.

Johan’s current concern was controlling his strength.

“No! I insist on learning!”

“Such insolence. . .”

“Bear with it. He will pay the price soon enough.”

There were some hot-blooded mercenaries, but they managed to restrain themselves. This was because they could guess what would happen next.

“I don’t want to see swords wielded in this hall!”

“Then let’s do this bare-handed!”

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.

“Perhaps it would be better to use dulled swords.”

“His Majesty said that no swords may be drawn in this banquet hall. Let’s just do it bare-handed!”

“Very well. If that is what you wish. After this encounter, would it be ungracious of me to deny your request?”

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.

‘. . .𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?’

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 “begin” was uttered, Valeon was sent flying into the air.