How to Live as a Wandering Knight - Chapter 305: ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ (4)
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- Chapter 305: ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ (4)
It didnโt end with just watching a battle taking place in the darkness with their eyes and ears and then confirming the aftermath when the dawn broke.
Each and every knight who was captured and brought in served as living proof of the dukeโs accomplishments.
As the news circulated once more within the fortress while treating the captured knights, the rumor became so distorted that its original form was hardly recognizable.
Suetlg was about to ask the young duke, โ๐๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ถ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ด๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ?โ but he stopped himself. It seemed a little too snide.
โBut where would we receive the ransom if they retreat?โ
โYou have a point there.โ
The priests would be gobsmacked at this statement, but it made sense when one thought about it.
Ransom was only paid when the other party was willing to pay it. If the other party simply gave up and left, they would only end up feeding their captives.
In that case, it was not a bad idea to negotiate quickly and receive the ransom.
. . . The fact that the notoriously devout duke came up with the idea in an instant was somewhat amusing, but no one outside would know the truth.
Perhaps they would think that the merchants or the people of the republic who served under the duke had suggested it!
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
Suhekhar couldnโt shake his astonishment even after accepting the envoyโs proposal. It was something so utterly unimaginable.
It was common to send an envoy after a battle during a siege, but they were proposing to pay a ransom immediately for the captured pagan knights instead of executing them.
Of course, nobles who valued honor and knew the rules of respect did not swing their swords recklessly even after a battle. It was customary to accept ransom and release the captives, but. . .
It was very rare for those from the West to abide by such rules.
The monotheists who had come this far possessed a certain degree of insane religiousness, separate from greed, and such belief often manifested in emotional massacres rather than rational negotiations.
Knowing this, Suhekhar couldnโt help but be surprised by the dukeโs proposal. Even more so when he thought about the dukeโs reputation.
โIt could be a trap.โ
โSuhekhar-nim. It is a trap. He is not a man but a demon!โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The former was a reasonable opinion, but the latter was not something a knight should say. Suhekhar shook his head slightly. What kind of demon had he encountered in the darkness. . .
โMeeting each other unarmed in the middle of the field would be sullying our honor. If we were to do that, we would simply be mocking the dukeโs honor.โ
Of course, there was a more certain reason besides this. Suhekhar was confident that he could escape by himself no matter what the situation.
The slaves who escorted Suhekhar were not only masters of swordsmanship, but some of them had also learned mysterious sorcery. Escaping from the negotiation table would be easy.
The dukeโs escorts would probably be similar. High-ranking and experienced nobles did not let their guard down so easily.
โ๐๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต!โ
Suhekhar was taken aback when he saw the duke riding a horse from afar. He was much younger than he had imagined, and the expression โyouthfulโ naturally came to mind. He didnโt even look thirty.
There was no shortage of young and valiant knights, but it was extremely rare for a knight of his age to have accomplished so much.
The two great nobles greeted each other and took their seats. Suhekhar was surprised once again. The duke spoke in the Eastern language.
โ. . . I shall return your prisoners tomorrow as soon as you pay the ransom.โ
โThank you for your. . . kindness.โ
Suhekhar forgot about the situation and was filled with curiosity. He wanted to know more about the young duke in front of him.
โUnlike other monotheist lords, Your Highness seems to know honor. You do not mistreat your captives.โ
โWe have enough food and the situation is not urgent, so it is not a particularly honorable proposal.โ
โThat in itself is honorable.โ
Johan stared at Suhekhar intently.
โ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ช๐ง ๐ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ?โ
If others knew, they might wonder why he was so money-minded.
Just Johanโs fiefdom alone spanned widely across the empire and to the south of it, and several merchant ships were making profits by sailing the seas.
But even considering such a large income, leading an army on an expedition was a very expensive luxury. Moreover, the revenue generated from the fiefdom did not directly flow into Johanโs army. There was a much more complicated process involved before the money reached Johanโs hands.
In this light, it was natural for the great nobles who were deeply in debt to borrow money from the merchants without hesitation when a war broke out. It wasnโt that they didnโt have money, but rather that it was difficult to withdraw it immediately. They could pay it back later after they had won.
Of course, Johan didnโt want to be at the mercy of the merchants like that. . .
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ?โ
Suhekhar misunderstood Johanโs gaze. He thought that the young duke was looking at him probingly.
โThis battle was very unfortunate.โ
โ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ต. ๐๐ฆโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ.โ
โYour Highness is loved by the gods, so it was inevitable that we would lose.โ
โThatโs too much praise. The gods love everyone equally. Me and my soldiers. I won today, but I might lose tomorrow.โ
Johan answered humbly without thinking much of it, but Suhekhar seemed to like the words. His eyes and expression softened.
โYour Highness seems to understand the will of the gods well.โ
โ๐๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต?โ
Unlike Johan, who was puzzled, Suhekhar genuinely admired him.
Those from the West would incessantly prattle on about how Godโs will was with them. In Suhekharโs eyes, this was the very definition of arrogance.
The young duke stood out like a flower blooming among weeds simply by not behaving like that. For some reason, Suhekhar began to think that he might be able to communicate with this duke.
โ๐๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ?โ
It was because the conversation flowed so well, even though Suhekhar didnโt believe in superstitions much, that he had such a thought.
Could it really be possible?
โWhy have you come to this land, Your Highness?โ
โTo punish the one who stole my ship and insulted my family.โ
Suhekhar clucked his tongue inwardly at Johanโs words. He understood what he meant right away.
Manansir was a figure of much talk among the Eastern nobles. A man who had not served in the empire suddenly gained favor, formed a marriage alliance, and was wielding the sultan.
In a way, Suhekhar didnโt like the fact that this entire expedition could be considered Manansirโs doing.
โIf you speak of Manansir-gong, it will not be easy to catch him. He has a large army and the castle walls he holds are tall and sturdy.โ
Johan looked at him intently once more. He ignored Suhekharโs advice and pondered when to bring up the ransom.
However, it seemed that his gaze led Suhekhar to misunderstand. Suhekhar spoke in a slightly bashful voice.
โOf course, I know what Your Highness is thinking. You must think weโre just wagging our tongues without capturing even a single fortress.โ
โNo. . .โ
โBut you must keep this in mind. The sultanโs army around here is not just the ones I lead.โ
Johan wasnโt particularly surprised.
Just as his expeditionary force was divided and moving, the landed army would also be divided into several groups and moving. It would have been a loss to gather everyone in this single fortress.
โEven as we speak, the sultanโs armies are moving, so even if we fail to capture this fortress, the monotheist fiefdoms to the south will burn and fall.โ
โHmm.โ
Johanโs expression did not waver. Because. . .
โ๐๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ธ๐ข๐บ.โ
Still, it would be difficult if all the lords of the same faith fell, so he was helping them by accepting money, but Johan was not such a good person that he would risk his life to protect all the brothers of faith.
If the fiefdom that Johan failed to protect fell and burned, it was the fault of the lord of that fiefdom, not Johanโs. He could simply reclaim it later, so there was no reason to be shocked.
Suhekhar was once again impressed by Johanโs expression, which showed no change.
โ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ, ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ง๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด.โ
Even if he was shocked inside, the fact that he didnโt show it at all was a great mental discipline. Such courage at such a young age. Suhekhar was ashamed of his own children.
โEven so, it is something we must endure.โ
โIs that so?. . . As a token of gratitude for Your Highnessโs honor and mercy.โ
โ?โ
โThe sultanโs army is also coming from the north. Over that mountain range.โ
โ. . .!!โ
Johan was shocked at those words.
Just the landing alone had been a huge landing that shook the empire to its core, and now there was another army coming from above?
โ๐๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ค๐ณ๐ข๐ป๐บ??โ
Johan began to seriously consider withdrawing. If the sultan was crazy, there was no reason to hang out with a crazy person.
โI knew Your Highness would not be surprised. If you were a person who would be discouraged by this, you would not have achieved such fame.โ
Suhekhar spoke with a voice full of respect and admiration. Johan wanted to ask for more details, but he couldnโt because of the atmosphere.
โI will not forget Your Highnessโs honorable mercy.โ
โAbout the ransom. . .?โ
Johan finally found an opportunity to speak. Suhekhar looked puzzled at Johanโs words.
โThe ransom will, of course, be sent by a messenger. Is there something you are curious about. . .?โ
Suhekhar had naturally forgotten about the ransom. He had intended to accept it unconditionally since he had received such a generous offer.
โItโs nothing.โ
Johan realized the situation belatedly and felt embarrassed inwardly. It was because the other party had accepted it right away and the topic had not come up. Suhekhar said one last thing.
โWe will probably withdraw soon. I wonder what Your Highness intends to do.โ
โI will hold the fortress gates closed and endure until they are all gone.โ
Suhekhar nodded at the impenetrable firmness. Thanks to his conversation with the duke, he had gained the courage to make a decision.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โThe damage will be great, but itโs not the worst-case scenario.โ
The people of the republic were surprised by Johanโs words, but they did not panic or insist on retreating.
โThe fiefdoms here all have high walls and plenty of food. We can withstand the sultanโs army for years. Why should we run away? Especially when Your Highness is leading us!โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Johan sighed even more because it was the voice of someone who truly believed, not someone trying to bait him.
โ๐โ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ต ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ช๐ง ๐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ด๐ฎ.โ
Most of the knights seemed to have a different brain structure than Johan. They were truly and wholeheartedly convinced that they could win. To those who were already convinced, Johanโs victories must have felt like a divine revelation.
โIsnโt it a bit. . . too dangerous?โ
โYou think so too!โ
Johan held Caenernaโs hand tightly. He was so happy to meet this red-haired wizard with a sane mind after meeting crazy b*stards all day long.
Caenerna pulled her hand away and drew a simple symbol on the back of the dukeโs hand with her finger. She thought deeply and spoke slowly.
โItโs not the worst, but I donโt know who will win if a large army clashes. . . If we can quickly capture that Manansir guy before the sultan arrives, it might not be bad to withdraw.โ
โGather the troops and head south. . .โ
Johan fell into thought. The monotheist lordโs fiefdoms would not fall so easily, but it felt too dangerous to gather the troops and march south. The sultanโs army wouldnโt just stand by and watch, would they?
โNo. Thatโs too risky.โ
โReally?โ
Caenerna wasnโt particularly attached to the idea. She was a wizard, not a commander.
โThen. . . it seems like the best option is to endure as the republicโs sailors said. . .โ
Caenerna took out a letter from her sleeve. Johan looked at her in wonder, and Caenerna shrugged and said.
โRumors say that an army has arrived near the holy land to the south. There are several such rumors among the merchants. But none of the places have actually fallen. I understand why Your Highness is anxious, but it might be better to be a little more relaxed.โ
Before she could finish speaking, a slave soldier rushed in with a pale face and shouted.
โYour Highness! They say the holy land has fallen!โ
โ. . .That must be another false rumor.โ
Caenerna insisted in an unusually strong voice.,
It didnโt end with just watching a battle taking place in the darkness with their eyes and ears and then confirming the aftermath when the dawn broke.
Each and every knight who was captured and brought in served as living proof of the dukeโs accomplishments.
As the news circulated once more within the fortress while treating the captured knights, the rumor became so distorted that its original form was hardly recognizable.
Suetlg was about to ask the young duke, โ๐๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด, ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ถ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ด๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ?โ but he stopped himself. It seemed a little too snide.
โBut where would we receive the ransom if they retreat?โ
โYou have a point there.โ
The priests would be gobsmacked at this statement, but it made sense when one thought about it.
Ransom was only paid when the other party was willing to pay it. If the other party simply gave up and left, they would only end up feeding their captives.
In that case, it was not a bad idea to negotiate quickly and receive the ransom.
. . . The fact that the notoriously devout duke came up with the idea in an instant was somewhat amusing, but no one outside would know the truth.
Perhaps they would think that the merchants or the people of the republic who served under the duke had suggested it!
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
Suhekhar couldnโt shake his astonishment even after accepting the envoyโs proposal. It was something so utterly unimaginable.
It was common to send an envoy after a battle during a siege, but they were proposing to pay a ransom immediately for the captured pagan knights instead of executing them.
Of course, nobles who valued honor and knew the rules of respect did not swing their swords recklessly even after a battle. It was customary to accept ransom and release the captives, but. . .
It was very rare for those from the West to abide by such rules.
The monotheists who had come this far possessed a certain degree of insane religiousness, separate from greed, and such belief often manifested in emotional massacres rather than rational negotiations.
Knowing this, Suhekhar couldnโt help but be surprised by the dukeโs proposal. Even more so when he thought about the dukeโs reputation.
โIt could be a trap.โ
โSuhekhar-nim. It is a trap. He is not a man but a demon!โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The former was a reasonable opinion, but the latter was not something a knight should say. Suhekhar shook his head slightly. What kind of demon had he encountered in the darkness. . .
โMeeting each other unarmed in the middle of the field would be sullying our honor. If we were to do that, we would simply be mocking the dukeโs honor.โ
Of course, there was a more certain reason besides this. Suhekhar was confident that he could escape by himself no matter what the situation.
The slaves who escorted Suhekhar were not only masters of swordsmanship, but some of them had also learned mysterious sorcery. Escaping from the negotiation table would be easy.
The dukeโs escorts would probably be similar. High-ranking and experienced nobles did not let their guard down so easily.
โ๐๐ฆโ๐ด ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต!โ
Suhekhar was taken aback when he saw the duke riding a horse from afar. He was much younger than he had imagined, and the expression โyouthfulโ naturally came to mind. He didnโt even look thirty.
There was no shortage of young and valiant knights, but it was extremely rare for a knight of his age to have accomplished so much.
The two great nobles greeted each other and took their seats. Suhekhar was surprised once again. The duke spoke in the Eastern language.
โ. . . I shall return your prisoners tomorrow as soon as you pay the ransom.โ
โThank you for your. . . kindness.โ
Suhekhar forgot about the situation and was filled with curiosity. He wanted to know more about the young duke in front of him.
โUnlike other monotheist lords, Your Highness seems to know honor. You do not mistreat your captives.โ
โWe have enough food and the situation is not urgent, so it is not a particularly honorable proposal.โ
โThat in itself is honorable.โ
Johan stared at Suhekhar intently.
โ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ช๐ง ๐ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ?โ
If others knew, they might wonder why he was so money-minded.
Just Johanโs fiefdom alone spanned widely across the empire and to the south of it, and several merchant ships were making profits by sailing the seas.
But even considering such a large income, leading an army on an expedition was a very expensive luxury. Moreover, the revenue generated from the fiefdom did not directly flow into Johanโs army. There was a much more complicated process involved before the money reached Johanโs hands.
In this light, it was natural for the great nobles who were deeply in debt to borrow money from the merchants without hesitation when a war broke out. It wasnโt that they didnโt have money, but rather that it was difficult to withdraw it immediately. They could pay it back later after they had won.
Of course, Johan didnโt want to be at the mercy of the merchants like that. . .
โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ?โ
Suhekhar misunderstood Johanโs gaze. He thought that the young duke was looking at him probingly.
โThis battle was very unfortunate.โ
โ๐๐ข๐ฎ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ต. ๐๐ฆโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ.โ
โYour Highness is loved by the gods, so it was inevitable that we would lose.โ
โThatโs too much praise. The gods love everyone equally. Me and my soldiers. I won today, but I might lose tomorrow.โ
Johan answered humbly without thinking much of it, but Suhekhar seemed to like the words. His eyes and expression softened.
โYour Highness seems to understand the will of the gods well.โ
โ๐๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต?โ
Unlike Johan, who was puzzled, Suhekhar genuinely admired him.
Those from the West would incessantly prattle on about how Godโs will was with them. In Suhekharโs eyes, this was the very definition of arrogance.
The young duke stood out like a flower blooming among weeds simply by not behaving like that. For some reason, Suhekhar began to think that he might be able to communicate with this duke.
โ๐๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ช๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ?โ
It was because the conversation flowed so well, even though Suhekhar didnโt believe in superstitions much, that he had such a thought.
Could it really be possible?
โWhy have you come to this land, Your Highness?โ
โTo punish the one who stole my ship and insulted my family.โ
Suhekhar clucked his tongue inwardly at Johanโs words. He understood what he meant right away.
Manansir was a figure of much talk among the Eastern nobles. A man who had not served in the empire suddenly gained favor, formed a marriage alliance, and was wielding the sultan.
In a way, Suhekhar didnโt like the fact that this entire expedition could be considered Manansirโs doing.
โIf you speak of Manansir-gong, it will not be easy to catch him. He has a large army and the castle walls he holds are tall and sturdy.โ
Johan looked at him intently once more. He ignored Suhekharโs advice and pondered when to bring up the ransom.
However, it seemed that his gaze led Suhekhar to misunderstand. Suhekhar spoke in a slightly bashful voice.
โOf course, I know what Your Highness is thinking. You must think weโre just wagging our tongues without capturing even a single fortress.โ
โNo. . .โ
โBut you must keep this in mind. The sultanโs army around here is not just the ones I lead.โ
Johan wasnโt particularly surprised.
Just as his expeditionary force was divided and moving, the landed army would also be divided into several groups and moving. It would have been a loss to gather everyone in this single fortress.
โEven as we speak, the sultanโs armies are moving, so even if we fail to capture this fortress, the monotheist fiefdoms to the south will burn and fall.โ
โHmm.โ
Johanโs expression did not waver. Because. . .
โ๐๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ธ๐ข๐บ.โ
Still, it would be difficult if all the lords of the same faith fell, so he was helping them by accepting money, but Johan was not such a good person that he would risk his life to protect all the brothers of faith.
If the fiefdom that Johan failed to protect fell and burned, it was the fault of the lord of that fiefdom, not Johanโs. He could simply reclaim it later, so there was no reason to be shocked.
Suhekhar was once again impressed by Johanโs expression, which showed no change.
โ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ง ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ค๐ฌ, ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ง๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด.โ
Even if he was shocked inside, the fact that he didnโt show it at all was a great mental discipline. Such courage at such a young age. Suhekhar was ashamed of his own children.
โEven so, it is something we must endure.โ
โIs that so?. . . As a token of gratitude for Your Highnessโs honor and mercy.โ
โ?โ
โThe sultanโs army is also coming from the north. Over that mountain range.โ
โ. . .!!โ
Johan was shocked at those words.
Just the landing alone had been a huge landing that shook the empire to its core, and now there was another army coming from above?
โ๐๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ค๐ณ๐ข๐ป๐บ??โ
Johan began to seriously consider withdrawing. If the sultan was crazy, there was no reason to hang out with a crazy person.
โI knew Your Highness would not be surprised. If you were a person who would be discouraged by this, you would not have achieved such fame.โ
Suhekhar spoke with a voice full of respect and admiration. Johan wanted to ask for more details, but he couldnโt because of the atmosphere.
โI will not forget Your Highnessโs honorable mercy.โ
โAbout the ransom. . .?โ
Johan finally found an opportunity to speak. Suhekhar looked puzzled at Johanโs words.
โThe ransom will, of course, be sent by a messenger. Is there something you are curious about. . .?โ
Suhekhar had naturally forgotten about the ransom. He had intended to accept it unconditionally since he had received such a generous offer.
โItโs nothing.โ
Johan realized the situation belatedly and felt embarrassed inwardly. It was because the other party had accepted it right away and the topic had not come up. Suhekhar said one last thing.
โWe will probably withdraw soon. I wonder what Your Highness intends to do.โ
โI will hold the fortress gates closed and endure until they are all gone.โ
Suhekhar nodded at the impenetrable firmness. Thanks to his conversation with the duke, he had gained the courage to make a decision.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โThe damage will be great, but itโs not the worst-case scenario.โ
The people of the republic were surprised by Johanโs words, but they did not panic or insist on retreating.
โThe fiefdoms here all have high walls and plenty of food. We can withstand the sultanโs army for years. Why should we run away? Especially when Your Highness is leading us!โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Johan sighed even more because it was the voice of someone who truly believed, not someone trying to bait him.
โ๐โ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ต ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ช๐ง ๐ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ด๐ฎ.โ
Most of the knights seemed to have a different brain structure than Johan. They were truly and wholeheartedly convinced that they could win. To those who were already convinced, Johanโs victories must have felt like a divine revelation.
โIsnโt it a bit. . . too dangerous?โ
โYou think so too!โ
Johan held Caenernaโs hand tightly. He was so happy to meet this red-haired wizard with a sane mind after meeting crazy b*stards all day long.
Caenerna pulled her hand away and drew a simple symbol on the back of the dukeโs hand with her finger. She thought deeply and spoke slowly.
โItโs not the worst, but I donโt know who will win if a large army clashes. . . If we can quickly capture that Manansir guy before the sultan arrives, it might not be bad to withdraw.โ
โGather the troops and head south. . .โ
Johan fell into thought. The monotheist lordโs fiefdoms would not fall so easily, but it felt too dangerous to gather the troops and march south. The sultanโs army wouldnโt just stand by and watch, would they?
โNo. Thatโs too risky.โ
โReally?โ
Caenerna wasnโt particularly attached to the idea. She was a wizard, not a commander.
โThen. . . it seems like the best option is to endure as the republicโs sailors said. . .โ
Caenerna took out a letter from her sleeve. Johan looked at her in wonder, and Caenerna shrugged and said.
โRumors say that an army has arrived near the holy land to the south. There are several such rumors among the merchants. But none of the places have actually fallen. I understand why Your Highness is anxious, but it might be better to be a little more relaxed.โ
Before she could finish speaking, a slave soldier rushed in with a pale face and shouted.
โYour Highness! They say the holy land has fallen!โ
โ. . .That must be another false rumor.โ
Caenerna insisted in an unusually strong voice.