How to Live as a Wandering Knight
Chapter 373: 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 (17)

Ulrike desperately ran after the duke. It was the first time she had seen him look so forlorn.

“I liked it, actually, it’s just that I was annoyed that the person who gave it to me was acting all smug about it. Duke! Understand.”

Johan lowered his outstretched hand, perhaps barely persuaded by her earnest voice. Yet, still seemingly somewhat suspicious, Johan softly asked again.

“Are you sure you’re not dissatisfied?”

“It’s my favorite treasure out of all the ones I own.”

“What. . . not to that extent.”

“Aren’t you undervaluing yourself, Gong? It’s just a statue, neither a sword nor a shield.”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike was momentarily slightly irritated by this duke and his wife.

‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵. . .’

“No. It really is my favorite treasure. I’ve always dreamed of a treasure like this.”

It would be foolish to confess to being suspicious in this situation. Ulrike kept her expression unchanged and rattled off about how much she liked the treasure.

Johan, who had been skeptical at first, soon seemed to have his doubts cleared, nodding his head.

“That’s a relief. I was worried whether I’d be able to choose well when the countess asked me to. I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

“. . .Are you really satisfied?”

Ulrike inwardly cursed the countess. If you’re going to give a gift, you should say so properly and hand it over. If you hide the details and give it to them, they’ll end up in a difficult situation like this.

Anyway, from top to bottom, there was nothing she didn’t like. . .

After the satisfied duke left, Ulrike left the statue to the attendant.

“Take this away.”

“Shall I have the servants return it to the fiefdom?”

“. . .There’s no need to go that far. Have it kept in storage properly.”

“Yes. I shall do that.”

She had thought about just sending it back, but then she realized that the gift was not at fault. There was also the giver’s feelings, so Ulrike thought she would just erase the countess from her mind and use it.

🔸🔸

“Is it already this cold?”

“There are places where it snows early.”

It wasn’t for nothing that the expedition had purchased cold-weather gear before setting out. Johan’s men looked up at the sky, watching their breath. They were worried that the journey would be slowed down if it snowed.

“It would be good to arrive at the marquis’s fiefdom by nightfall.”

“Is it possible that the marquis won’t welcome us?”

“It would be better if he didn’t.”

Johan answered his subordinate’s question resolutely. It couldn’t be helped but to be good for both parties if they were welcomed. Due to the gradually cooling weather, the soldiers of the expedition were reluctant to camp out.

They even burned down the Sultan’s camp, how could they fail to draw out a mere northern marquis?

Grr.

Karamaf raised his head, having caught a scent, and called out to Johan with a low whine. Johan squinted his eyes and gazed ahead. In the distance, faint shadows could be seen moving amidst the mountain path.

“It’s the marquis’s flag.”

“You can see it from here? I hope they’re not coming out to fight us?”

“Yeah. It looks like they’ve come to welcome us. Feel free to relay it.”

As Johan’s words spread, cheers of joy erupted from all over the expedition.

. . .However, that joy soon vanished as the envoy carrying the marquis’s flag approached them from the front.

“Did I hear that wrong?”

The elf king asked with a hardened expression. The envoy of Marquis Kertz almost fainted as the elf king glared at them. Still, they managed to speak again.

“The marquis. . . has just received an urgent message and has left the castle with his men.”

“Where to?”

“W. . . We don’t know that either.”

“I see. So the Marquis Kertz is not present right now, and you haven’t prepared a single lie to explain that. . . How irresponsible can you be!”

The furious elf king was about to draw his sword right away. Johan hurriedly stopped him. The elf king was a person who wouldn’t listen to his subordinates no matter how much they tried to stop him once his anger exploded.

However, when the duke grabbed him, the elf king held back his sword and endured it. At that sight, the elf knights who were escorting the king from behind were impressed.

They felt how deep their friendship was.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘭

‘𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺’𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘮

However, Iselia, who was standing next to them, noticed something else.

‘. . . 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢

The elf king wasn’t specifically looking at the duke’s face to suppress his temper. As he was about to get angry, Johan grabbed his wrist so tightly that he stopped moving due to the pain.

From Iselia’s perspective, who knew how terrifying Johan’s strength was, it didn’t seem strange even if the angle of his wrist was bent strangely right now.

“L. . . Let go.”

“Have you calmed down?”

“Yes. Thank you. Duke.”

The elf king’s advantage was that he didn’t care much about any rudeness once he acknowledged the other person.

Rubbing his wrist, the elf king spoke, seemingly because of something else.

“If the marquis knows honor, tell him honestly! That all he has to offer his guests are swords and arrows. Then we’ll treat him accordingly!”

It wasn’t that the elf king was unusually bloodthirsty. Ulrike and everyone who knew even a little bit about customs had hardened expressions.

The nobles who were currently touring the empire after finishing the expedition to the Holy Land were all great nobles.

The marquis himself had to come out and treat them, and if he really couldn’t come out because of unavoidable circumstances, he had to explain why.

Seeing the envoy simply blabbering that the marquis had gone out without any of that, one couldn’t help but suspect that he was trying to openly insult them.

“But isn’t it a bit strange?”

While the elf king was ranting and raving, Johan asked the others.

“What do you mean, duke?”

“If he was really so offended that he didn’t want to greet us, he could have just pretended to be sick.”

“Even pretending to be sick would have hurt his pride. It’s a common thing.”

Suetlg sounded gloomy. The extremely rational young duke was a special case, and usually nobles made foolish choices due to pride and honor.

The stubbornness of nobles was evident in the fierce eyes of the expedition army currently standing before them.

“Isn’t it possible that he really did go out after receiving an urgent message?”

“Not everyone in the world is as rational and clever as you. . .”

Suetlg said, as if he was worried. If he continued like this and was betrayed once, he would feel how irrationally nobles act, and that probably wouldn’t be very good for his mind.

Johan stopped the raging elf king again and asked the envoy.

“Then does that mean you can’t let us into the castle since the marquis is absent right now?”

“No! Of course we will welcome you in accordance with customs. The other masters are also waiting.”

In the absence of the marquis, it seemed that his spouse and children would welcome them instead. Of course, the elf king, whose mood was already sour, didn’t take it straightforwardly.

“It must be a trap.”

“I think it’s real.”

“The duke is too kind and honest! Unlike Ulrike-gong and I who have coldness instead of piety, you can see the truth.”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike was taken aback when she was suddenly hit by the elf king.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵

Ulrike felt for the first time that she couldn’t even open her mouth because there were too many things to point out. Starting from the duke being innocent, to the elf king being cold. . . it was just too much.

However, she agreed with the elf king about this matter. She wanted to make use of this opportunity to find fault with them even if they stayed put, but when they came out to pick a fight like this, she felt like asking ‘𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘭

“Still, I’d like to check it out once.”

“Hmm.”

“If you say it like that. . .”

However, when Johan didn’t give in, the two of them didn’t stubbornly insist and backed down. It wasn’t because of power or the number of soldiers they were leading. There was a respect that transcended that between them.

The envoy of the marquis, who had been trembling, was moved to tears at the sudden change in atmosphere. To be honest, he thought he might die here.

“Thank you! Your Highness! I’ve heard that you’re a benevolent duke, and today I’ve learned that the rumors are true.”

“Do such rumors really circulate in the north?”

“. . .Yes!”

‘𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘧

Johan smiled wryly to himself as the other person paused for a moment before answering. Even if good rumors spread, it didn’t seem like they would spread all the way to the north.

There might be rumors about him being a fearsome knight though. . .

“By the way. Duke. Do you know about the wonderful rumors circulating in the north about you?”

As the elf king opened his mouth with a delighted expression, Johan didn’t really want to hear it.

🔸🔸

“We should just close the castle gates and hold out even now!”

“That’s crazy. How long do you think we can hold out? The preparations for the siege aren’t even done properly.”

“The castle walls are enough! How long can the enemy hold out?”

The people inside Marquis Kertz’s castle were not unaware of the situation outside.

‘𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯’ and ‘𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸’ were fiercely divided.

And surprisingly, the latter was more numerous. It wasn’t because they trusted the expedition, but because they feared it.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺. 𝘞𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴. . . 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯

They calculated that even if the expedition went on a rampage due to their anger, they wouldn’t vent it on those who had at least opened the gates for them.

That was the extent of their calculations.

As a result, Marquis Kertz’s castle waited for the expedition with its gates open.

“Isn’t there an archer hiding over there?”

“Is that boiling oil up there?”

“Why are they pouring water? Ah! It’s poisoned!”

“. . . . . .”

The elf king seemed to be quite wrong, as he found fault with everything the envoy did. If it wasn’t for the sword, the envoy would have cursed at least once.

“. . .Are you sure it’s not real?”

Caenerna said in a surprised voice. The atmosphere inside the castle was so different from what she had imagined. If they had prepared an ambush, they should have hidden all the people who could be found and made artificial preparations. . .

The faces of the people who were coming out in a disorderly manner right now were filled with confusion, anxiety, and fear. It was clear that the marquis had really left in a hurry.

“Maybe it’s true that both the chief steward and the captain left with the marquis.”

“What reason could they possibly have to leave together like that. . .”

“Well, yeah. Unless his hidden lover suddenly collapsed or something, there’s no reason to do that. . .”

The vassals who had come out hurriedly ran towards them. They needed to introduce themselves before the expedition started attacking out of anger.

“Your Highness! It is an honor to meet you like this. We have heard of Your Highness’s honest and benevolent reputation from afar. I am. . .”

“No! I strongly insisted that we open the castle gates! When the others opposed. . . Oh, the scribe, Zabek, insisted that we shouldn’t open them.”

Johan was momentarily taken aback when he saw the vassals chattering noisily. It had been a long time since he had seen such a rabble.

“You guys are really capable people.”

“Th. . . Thank you!”

“So where is the marquis?”

“. . . . . .”

The vassals became speechless. No one knew the marquis’s whereabouts.

“Someone has to take responsibility for the marquis’s absence.”

“Yes. Your Highness! You’re right!”

The vassals exclaimed in unison. They weren’t very scared because they were thinking of going to the marquis’s remaining family and asking them to take responsibility.

“Alright. Put everyone here under house arrest. Don’t treat them roughly, but punish them severely if they try to escape.”

“. . .Your Highness!?”

“Where are the vassals who don’t know where the marquis has gone? You must be involved as well.”

“No! We really don’t know!”

“Then figure it out.”

Johan deliberately stopped speaking coldly and turned away. The elf king asked in a serious voice.

“Do you really think they’re covering for him?”

“Not that. . . They seem like they’d take good care of their own lives, so they’ll find the marquis’s whereabouts on their own.”

Since they’ve been working here for a long time and have even felt the threat of death, they should find him on their own!

Johan intended to use them like hunting dogs.

,

Ulrike desperately ran after the duke. It was the first time she had seen him look so forlorn.

“I liked it, actually, it’s just that I was annoyed that the person who gave it to me was acting all smug about it. Duke! Understand.”

Johan lowered his outstretched hand, perhaps barely persuaded by her earnest voice. Yet, still seemingly somewhat suspicious, Johan softly asked again.

“Are you sure you’re not dissatisfied?”

“It’s my favorite treasure out of all the ones I own.”

“What. . . not to that extent.”

“Aren’t you undervaluing yourself, Gong? It’s just a statue, neither a sword nor a shield.”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike was momentarily slightly irritated by this duke and his wife.

‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪

“No. It really is my favorite treasure. I’ve always dreamed of a treasure like this.”

It would be foolish to confess to being suspicious in this situation. Ulrike kept her expression unchanged and rattled off about how much she liked the treasure.

Johan, who had been skeptical at first, soon seemed to have his doubts cleared, nodding his head.

“That’s a relief. I was worried whether I’d be able to choose well when the countess asked me to. I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

“. . .Are you really satisfied?”

Ulrike inwardly cursed the countess. If you’re going to give a gift, you should say so properly and hand it over. If you hide the details and give it to them, they’ll end up in a difficult situation like this.

Anyway, from top to bottom, there was nothing she didn’t like. . .

After the satisfied duke left, Ulrike left the statue to the attendant.

“Take this away.”

“Shall I have the servants return it to the fiefdom?”

“. . .There’s no need to go that far. Have it kept in storage properly.”

“Yes. I shall do that.”

She had thought about just sending it back, but then she realized that the gift was not at fault. There was also the giver’s feelings, so Ulrike thought she would just erase the countess from her mind and use it.

🔸🔸

“Is it already this cold?”

“There are places where it snows early.”

It wasn’t for nothing that the expedition had purchased cold-weather gear before setting out. Johan’s men looked up at the sky, watching their breath. They were worried that the journey would be slowed down if it snowed.

“It would be good to arrive at the marquis’s fiefdom by nightfall.”

“Is it possible that the marquis won’t welcome us?”

“It would be better if he didn’t.”

Johan answered his subordinate’s question resolutely. It couldn’t be helped but to be good for both parties if they were welcomed. Due to the gradually cooling weather, the soldiers of the expedition were reluctant to camp out.

They even burned down the Sultan’s camp, how could they fail to draw out a mere northern marquis?

Grr.

Karamaf raised his head, having caught a scent, and called out to Johan with a low whine. Johan squinted his eyes and gazed ahead. In the distance, faint shadows could be seen moving amidst the mountain path.

“It’s the marquis’s flag.”

“You can see it from here? I hope they’re not coming out to fight us?”

“Yeah. It looks like they’ve come to welcome us. Feel free to relay it.”

As Johan’s words spread, cheers of joy erupted from all over the expedition.

. . .However, that joy soon vanished as the envoy carrying the marquis’s flag approached them from the front.

“Did I hear that wrong?”

The elf king asked with a hardened expression. The envoy of Marquis Kertz almost fainted as the elf king glared at them. Still, they managed to speak again.

“The marquis. . . has just received an urgent message and has left the castle with his men.”

“Where to?”

“W. . . We don’t know that either.”

“I see. So the Marquis Kertz is not present right now, and you haven’t prepared a single lie to explain that. . . How irresponsible can you be!”

The furious elf king was about to draw his sword right away. Johan hurriedly stopped him. The elf king was a person who wouldn’t listen to his subordinates no matter how much they tried to stop him once his anger exploded.

However, when the duke grabbed him, the elf king held back his sword and endured it. At that sight, the elf knights who were escorting the king from behind were impressed.

They felt how deep their friendship was.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘭

‘𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘫𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘺’𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘮

However, Iselia, who was standing next to them, noticed something else.

‘. . . 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢

The elf king wasn’t specifically looking at the duke’s face to suppress his temper. As he was about to get angry, Johan grabbed his wrist so tightly that he stopped moving due to the pain.

From Iselia’s perspective, who knew how terrifying Johan’s strength was, it didn’t seem strange even if the angle of his wrist was bent strangely right now.

“L. . . Let go.”

“Have you calmed down?”

“Yes. Thank you. Duke.”

The elf king’s advantage was that he didn’t care much about any rudeness once he acknowledged the other person.

Rubbing his wrist, the elf king spoke, seemingly because of something else.

“If the marquis knows honor, tell him honestly! That all he has to offer his guests are swords and arrows. Then we’ll treat him accordingly!”

It wasn’t that the elf king was unusually bloodthirsty. Ulrike and everyone who knew even a little bit about customs had hardened expressions.

The nobles who were currently touring the empire after finishing the expedition to the Holy Land were all great nobles.

The marquis himself had to come out and treat them, and if he really couldn’t come out because of unavoidable circumstances, he had to explain why.

Seeing the envoy simply blabbering that the marquis had gone out without any of that, one couldn’t help but suspect that he was trying to openly insult them.

“But isn’t it a bit strange?”

While the elf king was ranting and raving, Johan asked the others.

“What do you mean, duke?”

“If he was really so offended that he didn’t want to greet us, he could have just pretended to be sick.”

“Even pretending to be sick would have hurt his pride. It’s a common thing.”

Suetlg sounded gloomy. The extremely rational young duke was a special case, and usually nobles made foolish choices due to pride and honor.

The stubbornness of nobles was evident in the fierce eyes of the expedition army currently standing before them.

“Isn’t it possible that he really did go out after receiving an urgent message?”

“Not everyone in the world is as rational and clever as you. . .”

Suetlg said, as if he was worried. If he continued like this and was betrayed once, he would feel how irrationally nobles act, and that probably wouldn’t be very good for his mind.

Johan stopped the raging elf king again and asked the envoy.

“Then does that mean you can’t let us into the castle since the marquis is absent right now?”

“No! Of course we will welcome you in accordance with customs. The other masters are also waiting.”

In the absence of the marquis, it seemed that his spouse and children would welcome them instead. Of course, the elf king, whose mood was already sour, didn’t take it straightforwardly.

“It must be a trap.”

“I think it’s real.”

“The duke is too kind and honest! Unlike Ulrike-gong and I who have coldness instead of piety, you can see the truth.”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike was taken aback when she was suddenly hit by the elf king.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺 𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵

Ulrike felt for the first time that she couldn’t even open her mouth because there were too many things to point out. Starting from the duke being innocent, to the elf king being cold. . . it was just too much.

However, she agreed with the elf king about this matter. She wanted to make use of this opportunity to find fault with them even if they stayed put, but when they came out to pick a fight like this, she felt like asking ‘𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘭

“Still, I’d like to check it out once.”

“Hmm.”

“If you say it like that. . .”

However, when Johan didn’t give in, the two of them didn’t stubbornly insist and backed down. It wasn’t because of power or the number of soldiers they were leading. There was a respect that transcended that between them.

The envoy of the marquis, who had been trembling, was moved to tears at the sudden change in atmosphere. To be honest, he thought he might die here.

“Thank you! Your Highness! I’ve heard that you’re a benevolent duke, and today I’ve learned that the rumors are true.”

“Do such rumors really circulate in the north?”

“. . .Yes!”

‘𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘧

Johan smiled wryly to himself as the other person paused for a moment before answering. Even if good rumors spread, it didn’t seem like they would spread all the way to the north.

There might be rumors about him being a fearsome knight though. . .

“By the way. Duke. Do you know about the wonderful rumors circulating in the north about you?”

As the elf king opened his mouth with a delighted expression, Johan didn’t really want to hear it.

🔸🔸

“We should just close the castle gates and hold out even now!”

“That’s crazy. How long do you think we can hold out? The preparations for the siege aren’t even done properly.”

“The castle walls are enough! How long can the enemy hold out?”

The people inside Marquis Kertz’s castle were not unaware of the situation outside.

‘𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯’ and ‘𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘸’ were fiercely divided.

And surprisingly, the latter was more numerous. It wasn’t because they trusted the expedition, but because they feared it.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘺. 𝘞𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴. . . 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘴’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯

They calculated that even if the expedition went on a rampage due to their anger, they wouldn’t vent it on those who had at least opened the gates for them.

That was the extent of their calculations.

As a result, Marquis Kertz’s castle waited for the expedition with its gates open.

“Isn’t there an archer hiding over there?”

“Is that boiling oil up there?”

“Why are they pouring water? Ah! It’s poisoned!”

“. . . . . .”

The elf king seemed to be quite wrong, as he found fault with everything the envoy did. If it wasn’t for the sword, the envoy would have cursed at least once.

“. . .Are you sure it’s not real?”

Caenerna said in a surprised voice. The atmosphere inside the castle was so different from what she had imagined. If they had prepared an ambush, they should have hidden all the people who could be found and made artificial preparations. . .

The faces of the people who were coming out in a disorderly manner right now were filled with confusion, anxiety, and fear. It was clear that the marquis had really left in a hurry.

“Maybe it’s true that both the chief steward and the captain left with the marquis.”

“What reason could they possibly have to leave together like that. . .”

“Well, yeah. Unless his hidden lover suddenly collapsed or something, there’s no reason to do that. . .”

The vassals who had come out hurriedly ran towards them. They needed to introduce themselves before the expedition started attacking out of anger.

“Your Highness! It is an honor to meet you like this. We have heard of Your Highness’s honest and benevolent reputation from afar. I am. . .”

“No! I strongly insisted that we open the castle gates! When the others opposed. . . Oh, the scribe, Zabek, insisted that we shouldn’t open them.”

Johan was momentarily taken aback when he saw the vassals chattering noisily. It had been a long time since he had seen such a rabble.

“You guys are really capable people.”

“Th. . . Thank you!”

“So where is the marquis?”

“. . . . . .”

The vassals became speechless. No one knew the marquis’s whereabouts.

“Someone has to take responsibility for the marquis’s absence.”

“Yes. Your Highness! You’re right!”

The vassals exclaimed in unison. They weren’t very scared because they were thinking of going to the marquis’s remaining family and asking them to take responsibility.

“Alright. Put everyone here under house arrest. Don’t treat them roughly, but punish them severely if they try to escape.”

“. . .Your Highness!?”

“Where are the vassals who don’t know where the marquis has gone? You must be involved as well.”

“No! We really don’t know!”

“Then figure it out.”

Johan deliberately stopped speaking coldly and turned away. The elf king asked in a serious voice.

“Do you really think they’re covering for him?”

“Not that. . . They seem like they’d take good care of their own lives, so they’ll find the marquis’s whereabouts on their own.”

Since they’ve been working here for a long time and have even felt the threat of death, they should find him on their own!

Johan intended to use them like hunting dogs.