How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 50: ๐๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐›๐ง๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ (๐Ÿ’)



Chapter 50: ๐๐ž๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐€๐›๐ง๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ (๐Ÿ’)

Stephen was well aware of who this old manโ€™s mentioned son in the recent article was.

โ€˜The Butcherโ€™ Gerdolf!

A knight of the Highan family, serving Countess Abner, Gerdolf was a brutal and fierce knight, aptly nicknamed โ€˜The Butcherโ€™.

While not as notorious as Sir Karamaf, known as the โ€˜Noble Executionerโ€™, Gerdolf was also a knight who had killed many in his career, no different than Countess Abnerโ€™s hound.

As Stephen tried to dissuade Johan, Countess Abner was also displeased. Although she would be relieved if Gerdolf overpowered Johan, the aftermath would be too bothersome.

Count Jarpen, known for his admiration of honorable knights, would be furiously enraged, potentially disrupting the recently amicable negotiations. While he might overlook a fiefdom feud, killing an invited knight was an insult no noble would tolerate.

Moreover, Johan was an up-and-coming knight, earning the nickname โ€˜troll slayerโ€™. If Gerdolf were injured or defeated. . .

It was irritating to see someone trying to boost his familyโ€™s honor by picking fights, but now that it had come to this, the Countess could not refuse.

If Johan were to back down, then the Countess would consider it favorably. . .

โ€œHow can I refuse a challenge brought to me?โ€

โ€˜๐˜‹๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ.โ€™

In any case, these knights were all infuriating, constantly grating on his nerves.

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

โ€˜๐˜”๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด!โ€™

Stephen watched the fight with a tense expression, annoyed by Johanโ€™s attitude in accepting the challenge despite his advice.

There was a reason he tried to stop the fight with Gerdolf. Gerdolf embodied all the negative traits of a knight.

Cruel, deceitful, and savage.

While some knights were trained in honor and values from a young age, others, like Gerdolf, were bred in blood and slaughter.

If not for Countess Abner, Gerdolf, with his reckless behavior, would have long been hanged.

โ€œTarget. Kill. Target. Kill. I. Understood.โ€

A warrior, seemingly larger than Johan by a head or two, entered with a clumsy manner of speaking. Sir Inno, his father, tried hard to explain the situation, but the warrior seemed to understand less than half of it.

Gerdolfโ€™s savagery was partly due to his low intelligence. Unlike other knights, his brain, incapable of considering consequences, made him more violent.

โ€œOver 2 meters tall.โ€

Count Jarpenโ€™s knights, familiar with Gerdolfโ€™s name, became very serious. Whispers were heard, wondering how to stop him.

They wanted to intervene, fearing to seem rude to Johan.

โ€œIt seems he is not an unbeatable foe.โ€

Unlike his time in the fiefdom, with growing experience, he could now hear the whispers of his instincts.

How strong is the opponent, can he win, if they fight, how will the opponent attack. . .

This led to a calm assessment.

Johan wielded a newly received longsword and shield, while Gerdolf, without a shield, held a two-handed sword. The greatsword seemed even larger, likely customized to his size.

Gerdolfโ€™s desire to charge and strike was evident on his face. Johan surveyed him, considering that dragging out the fight might be advantageous given Gerdolfโ€™s impatience.

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

๐‚๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ค!

With the sound of bones crushing, Gerdolf howled in pain. The duel was over in a single move.

As Johan lunged into the reach of the greatsword, Gerdolf attempted combat wrestling, thinking he had caught Johan off guard, and Johan counterattacked in kind.

The two knights, confident in their strength, clashed with no finesse at all. . .

And the winner was, of course, Johan.

Gerdolf screamed in pain mixed with surprise, not having expected Johan to be stronger than him.

โ€œMy arm, my arm!โ€

โ€˜๐˜‹๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ช๐˜ต.โ€™

Johan clicked his tongue.

The duel had ended too quickly due to Gerdolfโ€™s brutish attack.

Originally, Johan had planned to exchange sword and shield blows before winning a tense fight. Even if he lost, it would save face for both.

He had just reconciled with the Countess and did not want to tarnish her reputation.

But when Gerdolf attacked with brute force, Johan had no choice but to respond. . .

And that led to the current situation. The people of the House of Countess Abner looked at Gerdolf with very crumpled expressions.

Though Gerdolf was a brutal knight who knew no honor, he had been respected for his continuous victories. Such a man loses all worth the moment he is defeated.

โ€œHang in there! Rather. . .โ€

Amidst the noise, Gerdolfโ€™s father shouted. What he meant to say next was clear to everyone: โ€˜๐˜™๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ.โ€™

But Gerdolf stammered out.

โ€œI surrender, I surrender!โ€

Sighs erupted from all around. Johan released his arm and exclaimed.

โ€œI thank the Countess for giving me the opportunity to duel with an honorable knight! It seems Sir Gerdolf wanted to test my strength in this manner, but had we properly clashed weapons, the outcome of the fight would have been uncertain!โ€

โ€œ. . . . . .โ€

โ€œ. . . . . .โ€

After a moment of silence, one quick-witted person started clapping and cheering to break the awkward atmosphere.

โ€œBlessings on Sir Johanโ€™s honor! Blessed in the name of God!โ€

โ€œ. . .A fight between honorable knights, well observed. A battle that would please the gods as well.โ€

Although no one really thought so, no one dared to speak out in front of the Count. Johan sensed the Countโ€™s nod of thanks.

โ€˜๐˜‰๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด, ๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ.โ€™

Continually weighing every action in front of high nobility was exhausting, even for someone with a body as strong as steel like Johan.

Fortunately, from then on, there was no need for Johan to step forward.

After Gerdolf was carried away, an envoy came out to talk with the Countess and exchange documents.

Johan also received the ransom he was promised.

Two hundred empire gold coins.

A reward well worth the trouble he had gone through.

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

โ€œCount! Ulrike is. . .โ€

โ€œUlrike-gong.โ€

โ€œYes?โ€

โ€œYou should call her Ulrike-gong.โ€

โ€œY-Yes. Ulrike-gong is trying to kill me. . .โ€

โ€œEvidence? Do you have any evidence?โ€

โ€œNo evidence, but you know, Count. How much Ulrike-gong. . .โ€

โ€œI have a proposal for you.โ€

โ€œ?โ€

Stephenโ€™s eyes widened at Countess Abnerโ€™s words. What kind of proposal is she making?

โ€œI spoke to the Sharkaz Monastery. They said they would accept you if sent. It will be safe there.โ€

โ€œ. . .!!!โ€

The Sharkaz Monastery, also known as โ€˜The Silent Monastery.โ€™ Unlike other monasteries, this secluded one forbade its monks from any social activities.

Once entered, one cannot leave until death.

It was akin to social death.

โ€œCountess, Countess, Countess. . .!โ€

Stephen trembled. He had heard rumors of disgraced nobles being sent to the Silent Monastery, but never thought it would happen to him.

โ€œIf you donโ€™t want to go, you donโ€™t have to. But this is the last chance I can offer you.โ€

At Countess Abnerโ€™s words, Stephen realized.

This failure meant Countess Abner had given up on him!

He had underestimated the situation.

Even familial bonds had limits, especially for a Countess who must lead a house.

โ€œ. . .I will think about it and respond.โ€

โ€œYou better decide quickly. For your own good.โ€

โ€œ. . .Yes.โ€

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

Johan and Count Jarpenโ€™s emissaries were happily intoxicated.

Having completed their mission as emissaries, they were now just enjoying the hospitality before returning.

Countess Abner had served the finest wine and cuisine for the sake of her own reputation, impressing Johan. His refined palate had grown only more demanding over his travels.

โ€œA toast to Sir Johanโ€™s exploits! To the power blessed by the gods!โ€

โ€œHahaha! Who knew the knight could trample that butcher!โ€

The people of Countess Abnerโ€™s house entertained the emissaries with smiling faces despite their displeasure. They had to endure, having already made peace.

Victory is always the remedy for injustice.

โ€œHey, hey!โ€

โ€œ?โ€

Johan was puzzled when Stephen approached his table. He had already received the ransom, so why return?

โ€œWhatโ€™s the matter?โ€

โ€œThereโ€™s something urgent I need to discuss!โ€

โ”๐†๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ.

โ€œKaramaf doesnโ€™t seem interested in listening.โ€

โ€œStop joking! Itโ€™s good news for you too! I swear!โ€

Johanโ€™s interest piqued as Stephen insisted.

Had something gone wrong after meeting the Count?

โ€œAlright. Letโ€™s hear it.โ€

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

โ€œHmm. . . youโ€™ve had a hard time. Farewell.โ€

Johan had already bid farewell. Once Stephen entered the monastery, it was likely they would never meet again.

โ€œDonโ€™t make such a dog-like joke! What are you talking about?!โ€

โ€œSo youโ€™re saying youโ€™ll bravely face the sword of Ulrike-gong? Well, thatโ€™s not bad either.โ€

Maybe Johan could, but Stephen was likely to die within a week, so much so that bets could be placed on it.

โ€œStop the nonsense and listen. I have a fiefdom. Itโ€™s a small town, but. . .โ€

โ€œ. . .???โ€

Johan thought Stephen had gone mad.

โ€œAre you dreaming?โ€

โ€œDidnโ€™t I say listen? I really have a fiefdom. Technically, itโ€™s not the fiefdom itself, but the right to collect taxes from that fiefdom. . .โ€

In this world, fiefdoms were usually entangled in complexities. The owner of the fiefdom might be A, managed by B, with the tax rights held by C, and the judicial authority with D. Noblesโ€™ wars often arose over these entangled rights.

If itโ€™s tax rights, itโ€™s the right to collect taxes from the fiefdom. Practically, it was one of the most valuable rights. It was enough to claim โ€˜๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฎ๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎโ€™.

โ€œWho gave it to you?โ€

โ€œCountess Abner. . . in the past.โ€

โ€œIn front of others?โ€

โ€œNo. Secretly. Only one bishop as a witness.โ€

โ€œ. . .Now I see why Ulrike-gong wants to kill you.โ€

It was a serious statement, not a joke.

Nobles didnโ€™t spare even their own parents and children. It wasnโ€™t rare to see a firstborn wage war against their parents for not receiving their rightful fiefdom.

Even more so when a part of the fiefdomโ€™s tax rights were secretly given to the third child.

If Ulrike knew, it would be serious enough to wage a war against Countess Abner based on this.

โ€œDamn. How would I have known when I received it? I was young then!โ€

โ€œAnyway, if you have the tax rights, isnโ€™t that good? Just sell them at a suitable place and escape to the city.โ€

The price of the tax rights of a fiefdom was unimaginably high. With that money, one could settle in the city and live a life of luxury and ease.

โ€œ. . .I canโ€™t sell it.โ€

โ€œBecause of pride?โ€

โ€œNo. The current state of that town is a mess. . .โ€

Stephen said with a mix of frustration. If the state of the town had been decent, he would have sold it long ago.

The number of monsters nearby had increased, and after repeated attacks, the townspeople had fled to the mountains, becoming slash-and-burn farmers.

With no people, there was naturally no tax to be collected.

โ€œIโ€™ll give you the entire tax rights of that fiefdom. Come with me to subdue the monsters of this fiefdom!โ€

โ€œIf you give away all the tax rights of that fiefdom, where will you get your income?โ€

โ€œ. . .Iโ€™ll give you half of the fiefdomโ€™s tax rights.โ€

โ€œ. . . . . .โ€

Johan seriously contemplated whether it was safe to join hands with Stephen.

Teaming up with someone smart enough to deceive him was dangerous, but someone as foolish as this seemed risky in a different way.

โ€œWhat about the troops? Surely youโ€™re not thinking of making me hire soldiers.โ€

โ€œ. . . . . .โ€

โ€˜๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ข ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ด. ๐˜š๐˜ถ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ข ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด ๐˜ค๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ.โ€™

Stephen, apparently embarrassed by what he heard, blushed and changed his words.

โ€œY-Yes, I can hire mercenaries with the money Iโ€™ve prepared.โ€

โ€œWhat about the knights? It would be much easier if we could mobilize the knights. Each would bring a certain number of soldiers too.โ€

โ€œAre you crazy?! What do you think the knights of the family think of me!โ€

It would have been better if they despised or disliked him, but they could have been bribed by Ulrike to kill him.

โ€œThen, assuming only the mercenaries participate. . . do I just need to join in person?โ€

โ€œYou caught a troll? Arenโ€™t other monsters easier to catch?โ€

โ€œItโ€™s not that simple a problem.โ€

Johan fell into thought.

Anyway, letโ€™s assume we go through this trouble and gain tax rights.

To whom should it be sold for the best profit?

โ€œ. . .Selling to Ulrike seems like it would fetch the highest price.โ€


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