How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 7: ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐„๐ง๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ (๐Ÿ•)



โ€œWhoโ€™s there?โ€

Johan hesitated to enter the hall and looked around. There was no point in going inside, as he was bound to receive nothing but the disapproving gazes of his stepbrother and stepmother if he did.

Fortunately, Johan had his other foolish stepbrothers. He spoke mockingly to them.

โ€œDo you guys even know who came?โ€

โ€œWhat? Who doesnโ€™t know that Sir Karamaf has arrived, you rascal! Are you looking for a fight?โ€

When alone, Johan doesnโ€™t argue, but when the three brothers are together, they seem to gain courage. Fern, Jan, and Marcel, the three brothers who share the same mother, hurled insults at Johan.

โ€œYou canโ€™t even talk back to Sir Karamaf?โ€

โ€œHmm.โ€

Johan pondered for a moment. A knight as famous as Karamaf must have solid connections.

But would he view Johan favorably?

Meanwhile, a cold conversation ensued inside. Johan, along with his brothers, eavesdropped at the door.

โ€œInsane. Approaching him means death.โ€

Johan decisively gave up. Sir Karamaf was terribly cold, perhaps having been extorted by Sir Gessen.

โ€œAmazing. . . Thatโ€™s a real knight!โ€

โ€œRight!โ€

โ€œIdiots.โ€

Johan shook his head. These fools forgot whom Sir Karamaf was angry with.

โ€œWhat are you doing there?โ€

โ€œ!โ€

A young, armed elf knight from the other end of the corridor sharply questioned. Judging by the youthful face, he was clearly a squire, around Johanโ€™s age or slightly younger.

โ€œA noble knight from Erlans Kingdom? Sir Karamafโ€™s offspring?โ€

If not Karamafโ€™s squire, he had no reason to be here. Johan quickly recognized him and decided to leave.

โ€œYou, the son of Sir Gessen?โ€

โ€œAnd if I am?โ€

โ€œI am Yein Rothtain. A noble offspring of Sir Karamaf and future knight of the Rothtain family.โ€

โ€œI am Johan Aitz. Not exactly a knight to inherit a family.โ€

Yein stared intently at Johan, as if assessing his abilities. Johanโ€™s appearance seemed to provoke a knightโ€™s challenge.

โ€œItโ€™s hard to determine an elfโ€™s gender.โ€

Elves are mostly beautiful, making it hard to distinguish between male and female. Plus, Yein had a thin voice and delicate features.

Johanโ€™s half-brother chimed in.

โ€œI am Fern Aitz. . .โ€

โ€œI wasnโ€™t asking you. I heard there are no decent knights among Sir Gessenโ€™s sons, but now it seems otherwise. Care for a duel?โ€

โ€œIโ€™d rather not.โ€

Johan waved his hand, turning away to avoid trouble. Then Yein forcefully grabbed his hand.

โ€œI havenโ€™t finished. Why refuse a knightโ€™s rightful request?โ€

Despite his boyish face, Yeinโ€™s hand was hard and strong. Johan internally scoffed. Even after being born and living long in this world, he couldnโ€™t fully adapt to such a mindset.

Nobles born and raised as knights naturally thought this way.

For honorable knights, crossing swords was a matter of course!

Of course, for Johan, it was a pointless endeavor with no benefit. Even if he defeated Yein, Karamaf wouldnโ€™t introduce Johan anywhere.

โ€œNot in the mood.โ€

โ€œNot in the mood?! Why?! Is something wrong? Are you hurt?โ€

โ€œUh. . . my heart.โ€

โ€œYour heart! . . .Are you mocking me?โ€

Yeinโ€™s face scrunched up, and his grip tightened. But it was like boasting of strength in front of an elephant. Johanโ€™s expression remained unchanged.

Realizing this, Yein exerted all his strength. Though still a squire, he was already a knight in all but name. She had trained as a knight for nearly a decade, and with a weapon, he could kill a dozen soldiers.

His strength was unbelievable for his small stature. If another half-brother had held his hand, their bones would have broken.

Yeinโ€™s face started to show shock. Johan had begun to exert his strength.

โ€˜๐˜๐˜ฎ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ. . .!โ€™

Trained under Sir Karamaf, Yein had never been defeated in strength. Though small in stature, his strength was innate.

The other three half-brothers shouted.

โ€œWhat are you doing, Johan! To Sir Karamafโ€™s protรฉgรฉ. . .โ€

โ€œHave I won?โ€

โ€œNot. . . not yet!โ€

Yein exerted her utmost strength, but it was no match.

Legendary giant-like strength!

Yein thought so inwardly. She couldnโ€™t believe one of Sir Gessenโ€™s sons possessed such monstrous strength.

Johan could have let go but maintained his grip until he surrendered. He knew from experience that people in this world would draw their swords if not defeated outright.

โ€˜๐˜โ€™๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ง ๐˜ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฌ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ.โ€™

If Sir Karamaf heard his protรฉgรฉโ€™s hand bones were crushed, he wouldnโ€™t stay quiet. It was dirty and low but he had to endure.

โ€œI lost!โ€

โ€œRight. It was a good fight. Iโ€™m glad to have battled a noble knight, Yein Rothtain.โ€

โ€œWhat good fight are you talking about?!โ€

Yein, rubbing his hand, glared at Johan. It must have hurt quite a bit.

โ€œSorry, but I havenโ€™t been properly trained as a knight. A fair fight would be difficult.โ€

โ€œIs that so? My apologies.โ€

Yein said, surprised.

Not all children of knights were trained as knights. Some were just of knightly lineage.

โ€œBut you have the potential. Itโ€™s not too late to learn.โ€

โ€œIโ€™ll try.โ€

โ€œIf you do learn, letโ€™s fight again!โ€

Johanโ€™s half-brother, overhearing, interjected.

โ€œIโ€™m Fern Aitz, Yein Rothtain. Fight me. . .โ€

โ€œYouโ€™re too weak. Train more before you come.โ€

โ€œ. . . . . .โ€

๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ๐Ÿ”ธ

Yein was a well-taught apprentice knight. He didnโ€™t show resentment after losing a fight he had initiated himself. Although it was a knightโ€™s rule to behave so, not everyone in the world followed rules. By adhering to this rule, Yein earned a good reputation from Johan.

If Yein had held a grudge and spoken ill of Sir Karamaf, Johan would have been very tired.

Thus, there was no problem for Johan, but issues arose for the Aitz family.

The men who came with Sir Karamaf began to stay in the familyโ€™s fief. They did not blatantly cause trouble, but neither did they consider the Aitz familyโ€™s circumstances.

The servants of the house were on edge while serving these men. The situation was worsened by the conflict between the eldest son John, who insisted on sending Karamaf away, and Mrs. Aitz, who wanted to leverage Karamafโ€™s presence.

โ€œThis isnโ€™t beer, itโ€™s ditch water.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m sorry.โ€

โ€œDonโ€™t you have wine?โ€

โ€œSorry. . .โ€

โ€œI was foolish to expect more from such a place. Enough.โ€

โ€œEven whatโ€™s available here smells foul.โ€

Johan wandered outside. Yein, seemingly fascinated by Johanโ€™s talent, kept pestering him to teach swordsmanship. Johan could have shown his skill and then left Yein alone, but he chose not to.

Initially, Johan thought this would make Yein more bothersome, but then realized it wasnโ€™t the case.

Johan was on guard against Sir Karamaf and his men.

โ€œOh. I never believed in superstitions.โ€

The words left by Kaegal bothered Johan. Displaying his swordsmanship to Yein and overpowering him would surely reach Karamafโ€™s ears. . .

Strangely, Johan was hesitant to reveal his skills.

โ€œJoseph. Are you unwell?โ€

โ€œJohan-nim.โ€

Johan noticed the hunter Joseph walking with a pale face.

โ€œItโ€™s nothing.โ€

Joseph hesitated to speak, fearing he might escalate the issue. Others in the town thought Joseph was close to Johan, but Joseph didnโ€™t see it that way.

Just as a wolf and a deer donโ€™t become friends, a noble and a serf canโ€™t be close. Joseph knew that even a friendly noble could turn on him at any moment.

Among the nobles, Johan was known to be polite and kind, but Joseph never let his guard down. He maintained his distance, a wisdom acquired from his long life as a hunter.

โ€œIs it a story you canโ€™t share with me?โ€

โ€œNo, itโ€™s not that! Itโ€™s just that I feel guilty telling Johan-nim. . .โ€

โ€œIโ€™m disappointed. A knight who canโ€™t even listen to the troubles of his fiefโ€™s people.โ€

โ€œDamn it.โ€

Joseph inwardly grumbled at Johanโ€™s indirect torment. Unlike his brothers, Johan was deep and cunning. What could he do against such a noble? He just had to endure.

โ€œThere are knights who have come to the feudatory, you know.โ€

Strictly speaking, only a few of them were knights, the rest were cavalrymen following their orders, but for Joseph, there wasnโ€™t much difference.

If someone on a horse, wearing armor and wielding a sword says โ€˜๐˜ ๐˜ข๐˜ฎ ๐˜ข ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ตโ€™, you have to prostrate and say โ€˜๐˜ˆ๐˜ฉ ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด, ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ตโ€™, rather than saying โ€˜๐˜ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถโ€™๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ข ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜บ, ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ช๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต, ๐˜ด๐˜ฐ ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ด๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ, ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถโ€™๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ข ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜บโ€™, right?

โ€œThose people heard the rumors about the black wolf and kept trying to enter the forest. . . So, I was assigned to guide them.โ€

Since entering deeper into the forest required permission, it was clear that the matter had already been settled between Philip and Mrs. Aitz. Neither of them were likely to refuse.

โ€˜๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜จ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ซ๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ.โ€™

For Joseph, however, it was an unexpected predicament, in many ways.

First, the problem was entering a forest with a cunning monster like the black wolf. The knights might be confident in their strength, but he didnโ€™t have the confidence to confront the black wolf directly. And would the knights protect him? Heโ€™d be lucky if he wasnโ€™t used as bait.

And if they were lucky enough not to encounter the black wolf, that was also a problem. Where would the knights direct their frustration?

The serfs, like those of the feudal lord, were also property of the feudatory, so the sons of the Aitz family didnโ€™t cross the line even when they caused trouble. But these knights were different. They had nothing to do with Joseph, and wouldnโ€™t bat an eye if he died.

โ€œIs that so? Iโ€™ll help.โ€

โ€œWhat?!โ€

โ€œI said I would help. Are you hard of hearing?โ€

โ€œNo, itโ€™s not that. . .โ€

Joseph looked bewildered at Johanโ€™s words. โ€˜๐˜ž๐˜ฉ๐˜บ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฑ?โ€™


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