How to Live as a Wandering Knight

“How dare you try to trick me?”

━𝐖-𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭? 𝐍𝐨! 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?!

The captured mermaid struggled against Johan’s grip. Even though he was out of the water, he could easily overpower a single human. However, to his surprise, the duke’s arms did not budge.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. . .?’

As the suffocating grip tightened, the mermaid cried out in desperation.

━𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐲! 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧! 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭? 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞!

“Do those seashells look like treasure to you? Don’t be ridiculous.”

Johan pointed at the seashells in disbelief. He realized that the mermaids had sincerely offered the seashells as treasure.

Johan didn’t know how the mermaids had grown attached to the seashells (he wasn’t particularly interested either), but what he wanted was the sunken gold, silver, and mysterious treasures in the ocean, not these seashells.

━𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚? 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

“. . . . . .”

Johan’s expression turned grim, and naturally, his grip tightened. The mermaid, who had been grabbed by the scruff of his neck, cried out desperately. It was an instinctive cry.

━. . .𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤. 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐢𝐝! 𝐈 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫!

Johan had heard stories about mermaids from bards.

Most of those who got involved with mermaids met their doom, but sometimes, a lucky sailor would capture the heart of a mermaid. Then, the mermaid would become a benevolent patron of the sailor, helping him navigate.

At the time, he thought it was just the bards’ exaggeration, but from what he was hearing now, it seemed like the stories had some basis in reality. Of course, real mermaids were not as beautiful and mystical as the mermaids in the stories.

“I’m not a sailor, and there’s no way I’ll be in danger on the sea.”

━𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞! 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐨, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.

“At best, you’ll just bring a school of fish. . .”

Johan muttered in disappointment. The mermaids didn’t respond, which meant he was right.

In fact, bringing a school of fish was truly an amazing ability. A school of fish, such as herring, could number tens of thousands at once, which could feed a nearby village or port for years. It was like the silver of the sea.

However, Johan, who had expected treasures like the other spirits on land, couldn’t help but be disappointed.

Johan sighed and let go of the mermaid’s scruff. The mermaid hesitated for a moment before slipping back into the river.

━𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞.

“Sure.”

Rather than expecting much, it was more like he let them go because there was no point in strangling the mermaid. The plague would subside over time if he divided and cleaned up the districts, and the monster incident would disappear if the mermaids behaved themselves.

“Jyanina, wake up.”

After the mermaids disappeared into the river, Johan roused Jyanina. Jyanina, who had been blinking her snake-like eyes blankly, belatedly came to her senses and asked.

“. . .Did I get bewitched by a mermaid?”

“Yes. But keep it a secret.”

“. . . . . .”

Jyanina nodded, holding back her embarrassment. It was rare for the duke to be so merciful, especially when several soldiers were watching.

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“Did you really see a mermaid?!”

Suetlg, who had been poring over a pile of papers, suddenly raised his head. A few sheets of paper fluttered to the floor from the sudden movement. Caenerna, who was sitting opposite him, glared at Suetlg with an irritated look.

The red-haired wizard placed a rectangular stone on the paper and said.

“I thought it was a doppelganger or a ghoul at best. . . I should have gone with you if I knew it would be like this.”

“Are you really going to end it like that?? Isn’t this interesting?”

Suetlg spoke in an unusually excited voice at Caenerna’s bland reaction. However, unlike Suetlg, the philosopher of the Ipaël River, Caenerna had no interest in mermaids.

“No. . . Mermaids are just legends that sailors like. . .”

“That’s just what those ignorant fools say. Mermaids are creatures with the blood of spirits and remember the ancient mysteries.”

The wizards respected each other as comrades who pursued mysteries, but that didn’t mean they were unconditionally interested in each other’s fields. Caenerna was not particularly interested in Suetlg’s story.

“Oh. . . I see. . .”

Johan noticed that Caenerna was getting annoyed. Johan changed the subject.

“So, are you almost done sorting?”

“I’m nearly finished. Thanks to you not saddling me with subjugating the mermaids, I was able to focus on my work.”

“I didn’t know either. Who would have thought that something like a mermaid would appear?”

“Why don’t you visit and call them tonight?”

Johan realized that it would be difficult to purify the plague with Suetlg’s power, so instead of dragging Suetlg around, he had him sit in a cool place in the inner citadel and asked him to do paperwork.

Other nobles would raise their flags on the castle walls and show off when they conquered a city, and they would parade around the streets of the city, but Johan started with the fiefdom inventory and warehouse ledgers of the nearby regions in the inner citadel.

And these documents were to be sorted again by the scribes under Johan.

Honestly, the scribes felt like dying.

If the duke was blind or uninterested, they would be able to do their work comfortably and at their own pace, but the duke was also good with numbers.

The scribes couldn’t help but be shocked when they finished calculating all night, took a short break, and came in the morning to find ‘𝘏𝘮𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨,’ written on their work. No wonder even the orc mathematician from the university, who was famous for his calculating skills, had been humiliated.

That’s why it was such a relief to have a wizard like Suetlg helping them. Not only was he knowledgeable, but when Johan came to take a peek, Suetlg would block him, saying, ‘𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.’

‘𝘕𝘰, 𝘚𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘨-𝘯𝘪𝘮.’

‘𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣.’

The scribes cheered in their hearts. They wanted Suetlg to talk Johan out of it. Fortunately, the duke listened to their plea.

“Even so, they must have given you a hard time since you’re so bruised.”

“Really? How were they? Were they pretty?”

“Er. . . Yes. . . Well.”

Come to think of it, Johan was the only one present who had seen the mermaid in person. Everyone else had been bewitched and lost their memories.

Johan, who was usually honest, found it hard to tell the truth because Suetlg had a rare look of anticipation.

‘𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭.’

“I heard from my master that they have a sweet scent that makes you feel a strong life force. How was it?”

“I did feel a strong life force, but it was closer to the smell of salt water. I guess it’s because they travel around the sea.”

“Indeed. . .! I didn’t think of that.”

Although it was closer to a fishy smell, Johan spared Suetlg’s feelings. Caenerna, who was standing behind them, tilted her head as if something was strange.

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Yeheyman wore a regretful expression. He had acted rashly and brought misfortune upon himself. He could tell that he had lost without having to fight anymore.

“I’ve lost.”

“It was a fun game.”

“So, when will you answer my offer? Isn’t it about time you gave me an answer? The city has quieted down!”

It was no wonder Yeheyman was rushing him. When Yeheyman proposed to persuade Johan to kill the eunuchs, Suhekhar replied that he would decide after seeing how the duke handled the chaos in the city.

Persuading the duke to kill the eunuchs meant betraying the sultan. No matter how much he tried to deny it, the meaning didn’t change.

In that case, shouldn’t he at least find out if the duke on the other side was someone he could join hands with?

. . .And surprisingly, the duke had completely quelled the chaos. Now, the foreigner who had just conquered the city was appeasing the pagans and chieftains of the various clans in the Holy Land while curing the plague.

Of course, from Johan’s point of view, he was simply responding with the most basic and feasible methods he knew.

He divided the districts, controlled the areas where the disease was spreading, focused on cleanliness, prevented people from drinking contaminated water, and pushed aside the fanatics who were running around, saying they should burn the pagans who had received divine punishment. . .

However, in the eyes of the people of the Holy Land, it seemed like Johan had brought about a miracle. Not only the ignorant people, but Suhekhar and Yeheyman thought so as well.

Moreover, Johan had a track record of raising injured and sick mercenaries. This level of coincidence had to be considered inevitable.

Suhekhar began to seriously suspect that this holy land had chosen the duke as its master.

He wasn’t the type to be obsessed with such superstitions, but the revelations were just. . . too obvious.

The forest near the Holy Land, the crown that disappeared and then reappeared, the river and canals that were cleaned up by the duke’s orders, and the plague that had suddenly disappeared.

“Gong, please give me an answer.”

Yeheyman was younger than Suhekhar. Old nobles like Suhekhar valued revelations and superstitions, but Yeheyman had something more urgent.

It was the eunuchs’ necks.

“I understand. I will go and persuade the duke.”

“!”

Yeheyman’s face finally brightened. He had been treated well as a prisoner, so he wasn’t physically uncomfortable, but he couldn’t help but reach for his waist whenever he saw the eunuchs.

The time had finally come for him to get his revenge.

“But Gong will have to help me. I don’t want to go alone.”

“Of course. Don’t worry, I won’t go back on my word.”

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“This is really bad!”

The eunuchs had already noticed the ominous atmosphere circulating among the captive nobles. They were truly remarkable in this regard.

“Surely. . . They wouldn’t act rashly in this situation, would they? Even they wouldn’t dare to disrespect the duke.”

No matter how much they were recognized as prisoners, if they ignored the duke’s authority and broke the law, their own necks could be at stake. No one was that lenient towards pagans.

At the young eunuch’s words, the older eunuch shouted angrily.

“Fool! Don’t you understand the situation yet? They know that much, of course. They’re probably trying to bribe the duke to get his permission.”

“. . .!”

Only then did the faces of some of the eunuchs turn pale as they realized the gravity of the situation.

“How despicable!”

“What’s the point of arguing about that when they can do it? Stop talking nonsense and think of a way to save your life, Your Excellency. You’re the one who’s been invited to the duke’s quarters the most. Did you have any success?”

The eunuchs didn’t just sit around. One of the things they were best at was winning the favor of those in power. No wonder the nobles of Vynashchtym wanted to buy and bring eunuchs from the East.

The skill of discerning the subtle desires of their superiors and implementing them was a feat that even a slave who had worked for more than ten years couldn’t imitate.

The problem was. . .

“I apologize. I’ve made several offers, but the duke doesn’t seem interested at all. . .”

The duke was exceeding the eunuchs’ expectations.

He refused when they got him an expensive horse and suggested a hunting trip, he refused when they offered to hold a jousting tournament, he refused when they found a splendid crown to give to his wife, and he refused with ridiculous excuses like ‘𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵.’ They had no idea what he liked, even after trying to win his favor.

“He really is a block of wood!”

The oldest eunuch sighed, looking disappointed.

“You fools. . . If it’s difficult to win the duke’s favor, you should think about winning the favor of the people around him. How can you cling to him so stubbornly? When will you stop being so immature?”

“Ah!”

The eunuchs felt enlightened by the advice of their elder.,

“How dare you try to trick me?”

━𝐖-𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭? 𝐍𝐨! 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?!

The captured mermaid struggled against Johan’s grip. Even though he was out of the water, he could easily overpower a single human. However, to his surprise, the duke’s arms did not budge.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. . .?’

As the suffocating grip tightened, the mermaid cried out in desperation.

━𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐲, 𝐰𝐡𝐲! 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧! 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭? 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞!

“Do those seashells look like treasure to you? Don’t be ridiculous.”

Johan pointed at the seashells in disbelief. He realized that the mermaids had sincerely offered the seashells as treasure.

Johan didn’t know how the mermaids had grown attached to the seashells (he wasn’t particularly interested either), but what he wanted was the sunken gold, silver, and mysterious treasures in the ocean, not these seashells.

When he explained kindly, the mermaids seemed to understand Johan’s words. However, it was the mermaids’ turn to be bewildered.

━𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚? 𝐖𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

“. . . . . .”

Johan’s expression turned grim, and naturally, his grip tightened. The mermaid, who had been grabbed by the scruff of his neck, cried out desperately. It was an instinctive cry.

━. . .𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤. 𝐈 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐢𝐝! 𝐈 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫!

Johan had heard stories about mermaids from bards.

Most of those who got involved with mermaids met their doom, but sometimes, a lucky sailor would capture the heart of a mermaid. Then, the mermaid would become a benevolent patron of the sailor, helping him navigate.

At the time, he thought it was just the bards’ exaggeration, but from what he was hearing now, it seemed like the stories had some basis in reality. Of course, real mermaids were not as beautiful and mystical as the mermaids in the stories.

“I’m not a sailor, and there’s no way I’ll be in danger on the sea.”

━𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞! 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐨, 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.

“At best, you’ll just bring a school of fish. . .”

Johan muttered in disappointment. The mermaids didn’t respond, which meant he was right.

In fact, bringing a school of fish was truly an amazing ability. A school of fish, such as herring, could number tens of thousands at once, which could feed a nearby village or port for years. It was like the silver of the sea.

However, Johan, who had expected treasures like the other spirits on land, couldn’t help but be disappointed.

Johan sighed and let go of the mermaid’s scruff. The mermaid hesitated for a moment before slipping back into the river.

━𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞.

“Sure.”

Rather than expecting much, it was more like he let them go because there was no point in strangling the mermaid. The plague would subside over time if he divided and cleaned up the districts, and the monster incident would disappear if the mermaids behaved themselves.

“Jyanina, wake up.”

After the mermaids disappeared into the river, Johan roused Jyanina. Jyanina, who had been blinking her snake-like eyes blankly, belatedly came to her senses and asked.

“. . .Did I get bewitched by a mermaid?”

“Yes. But keep it a secret.”

“. . . . . .”

Jyanina nodded, holding back her embarrassment. It was rare for the duke to be so merciful, especially when several soldiers were watching.

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“Did you really see a mermaid?!”

Suetlg, who had been poring over a pile of papers, suddenly raised his head. A few sheets of paper fluttered to the floor from the sudden movement. Caenerna, who was sitting opposite him, glared at Suetlg with an irritated look.

The red-haired wizard placed a rectangular stone on the paper and said.

“I thought it was a doppelganger or a ghoul at best. . . I should have gone with you if I knew it would be like this.”

“Are you really going to end it like that?? Isn’t this interesting?”

Suetlg spoke in an unusually excited voice at Caenerna’s bland reaction. However, unlike Suetlg, the philosopher of the Ipaël River, Caenerna had no interest in mermaids.

“No. . . Mermaids are just legends that sailors like. . .”

“That’s just what those ignorant fools say. Mermaids are creatures with the blood of spirits and remember the ancient mysteries.”

The wizards respected each other as comrades who pursued mysteries, but that didn’t mean they were unconditionally interested in each other’s fields. Caenerna was not particularly interested in Suetlg’s story.

“Oh. . . I see. . .”

Johan noticed that Caenerna was getting annoyed. Johan changed the subject.

“So, are you almost done sorting?”

“I’m nearly finished. Thanks to you not saddling me with subjugating the mermaids, I was able to focus on my work.”

“I didn’t know either. Who would have thought that something like a mermaid would appear?”

“Why don’t you visit and call them tonight?”

Johan realized that it would be difficult to purify the plague with Suetlg’s power, so instead of dragging Suetlg around, he had him sit in a cool place in the inner citadel and asked him to do paperwork.

Other nobles would raise their flags on the castle walls and show off when they conquered a city, and they would parade around the streets of the city, but Johan started with the fiefdom inventory and warehouse ledgers of the nearby regions in the inner citadel.

And these documents were to be sorted again by the scribes under Johan.

Honestly, the scribes felt like dying.

If the duke was blind or uninterested, they would be able to do their work comfortably and at their own pace, but the duke was also good with numbers.

The scribes couldn’t help but be shocked when they finished calculating all night, took a short break, and came in the morning to find ‘𝘏𝘮𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨,’ written on their work. No wonder even the orc mathematician from the university, who was famous for his calculating skills, had been humiliated.

That’s why it was such a relief to have a wizard like Suetlg helping them. Not only was he knowledgeable, but when Johan came to take a peek, Suetlg would block him, saying, ‘𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦.’

‘𝘕𝘰, 𝘚𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘨-𝘯𝘪𝘮.’

‘𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣.’

The scribes cheered in their hearts. They wanted Suetlg to talk Johan out of it. Fortunately, the duke listened to their plea.

“Even so, they must have given you a hard time since you’re so bruised.”

“Really? How were they? Were they pretty?”

“Er. . . Yes. . . Well.”

Come to think of it, Johan was the only one present who had seen the mermaid in person. Everyone else had been bewitched and lost their memories.

Johan, who was usually honest, found it hard to tell the truth because Suetlg had a rare look of anticipation.

‘𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭.’

“I heard from my master that they have a sweet scent that makes you feel a strong life force. How was it?”

“I did feel a strong life force, but it was closer to the smell of salt water. I guess it’s because they travel around the sea.”

“Indeed. . .! I didn’t think of that.”

Although it was closer to a fishy smell, Johan spared Suetlg’s feelings. Caenerna, who was standing behind them, tilted her head as if something was strange.

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Yeheyman wore a regretful expression. He had acted rashly and brought misfortune upon himself. He could tell that he had lost without having to fight anymore.

“I’ve lost.”

“It was a fun game.”

“So, when will you answer my offer? Isn’t it about time you gave me an answer? The city has quieted down!”

It was no wonder Yeheyman was rushing him. When Yeheyman proposed to persuade Johan to kill the eunuchs, Suhekhar replied that he would decide after seeing how the duke handled the chaos in the city.

Persuading the duke to kill the eunuchs meant betraying the sultan. No matter how much he tried to deny it, the meaning didn’t change.

In that case, shouldn’t he at least find out if the duke on the other side was someone he could join hands with?

. . .And surprisingly, the duke had completely quelled the chaos. Now, the foreigner who had just conquered the city was appeasing the pagans and chieftains of the various clans in the Holy Land while curing the plague.

Of course, from Johan’s point of view, he was simply responding with the most basic and feasible methods he knew.

He divided the districts, controlled the areas where the disease was spreading, focused on cleanliness, prevented people from drinking contaminated water, and pushed aside the fanatics who were running around, saying they should burn the pagans who had received divine punishment. . .

However, in the eyes of the people of the Holy Land, it seemed like Johan had brought about a miracle. Not only the ignorant people, but Suhekhar and Yeheyman thought so as well.

Moreover, Johan had a track record of raising injured and sick mercenaries. This level of coincidence had to be considered inevitable.

Suhekhar began to seriously suspect that this holy land had chosen the duke as its master.

He wasn’t the type to be obsessed with such superstitions, but the revelations were just. . . too obvious.

The forest near the Holy Land, the crown that disappeared and then reappeared, the river and canals that were cleaned up by the duke’s orders, and the plague that had suddenly disappeared.

“Gong, please give me an answer.”

Yeheyman was younger than Suhekhar. Old nobles like Suhekhar valued revelations and superstitions, but Yeheyman had something more urgent.

It was the eunuchs’ necks.

“I understand. I will go and persuade the duke.”

“!”

Yeheyman’s face finally brightened. He had been treated well as a prisoner, so he wasn’t physically uncomfortable, but he couldn’t help but reach for his waist whenever he saw the eunuchs.

The time had finally come for him to get his revenge.

“But Gong will have to help me. I don’t want to go alone.”

“Of course. Don’t worry, I won’t go back on my word.”

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“This is really bad!”

The eunuchs had already noticed the ominous atmosphere circulating among the captive nobles. They were truly remarkable in this regard.

“Surely. . . They wouldn’t act rashly in this situation, would they? Even they wouldn’t dare to disrespect the duke.”

No matter how much they were recognized as prisoners, if they ignored the duke’s authority and broke the law, their own necks could be at stake. No one was that lenient towards pagans.

At the young eunuch’s words, the older eunuch shouted angrily.

“Fool! Don’t you understand the situation yet? They know that much, of course. They’re probably trying to bribe the duke to get his permission.”

“. . .!”

Only then did the faces of some of the eunuchs turn pale as they realized the gravity of the situation.

“How despicable!”

“What’s the point of arguing about that when they can do it? Stop talking nonsense and think of a way to save your life, Your Excellency. You’re the one who’s been invited to the duke’s quarters the most. Did you have any success?”

The eunuchs didn’t just sit around. One of the things they were best at was winning the favor of those in power. No wonder the nobles of Vynashchtym wanted to buy and bring eunuchs from the East.

The skill of discerning the subtle desires of their superiors and implementing them was a feat that even a slave who had worked for more than ten years couldn’t imitate.

The problem was. . .

“I apologize. I’ve made several offers, but the duke doesn’t seem interested at all. . .”

The duke was exceeding the eunuchs’ expectations.

He refused when they got him an expensive horse and suggested a hunting trip, he refused when they offered to hold a jousting tournament, he refused when they found a splendid crown to give to his wife, and he refused with ridiculous excuses like ‘𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵.’ They had no idea what he liked, even after trying to win his favor.

“He really is a block of wood!”

The oldest eunuch sighed, looking disappointed.

“You fools. . . If it’s difficult to win the duke’s favor, you should think about winning the favor of the people around him. How can you cling to him so stubbornly? When will you stop being so immature?”

“Ah!”

The eunuchs felt enlightened by the advice of their elder.