How to Live as a Wandering Knight

If the other great nobles present had been there, they would have been dumbfounded and speechless.

Johan sounded like a severe duke who would have them brought out after knocking them out.

However, Johan did not care.

‘𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮.’

Elves were inherently stubborn. He knew that because he had lived with Iselia and slept together for a long time. Elves were not in a position to call the dwarves stubborn.

When the stubbornness became an Elf Knight, it doubled. The knights were also quite stubborn.

And the Elf King was the knight of knights among the Elf Knights. His stubbornness was directly proportional to his abilities. Johan knew that very well.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?’

Ulrike was really curious. If there was a way to persuade the Elf King, she also wanted to learn it. Because she knew it would be useful someday.

“Get this f*cking idiot out of my sight after whipping him!!”

As expected, the Sultan’s anger exploded. With his face flushed red with rage, the Sultan forgot about the nobles present and spewed profanity. Still not relieved of his anger, he grabbed whatever was in reach and hurled it at Balharni.

Blood trickled from Balharni’s forehead where a silver chalice struck, but he did not move and remained prostrate.

Perhaps because the defeat was too shocking, even nobles who would normally advise showing mercy to relatives kept their mouths shut.

How could an entire fleet simply be devoured?

“I. . .I don’t understand. Was there a leak of information?”

“Even with leaked intelligence, how could the enemy predict our movements and lie in wait when the sea is so vast? Moreover, reports indicate the enemies outnumbered us several fold. . .”

Apart from Balharni’s responsibility, the nobles chattered to comprehend the reason for the failure.

At the same time, an ominous premonition flashed through some minds.

None of the nobles who followed the Sultan doubted victory. While there were complaints like, ’𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘵𝘺𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵?’ or ‘𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘺’𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦,’ there were no doubts about winning.

However, for the first time, the nobles considered the possibility that this campaign might fail.

Momentum was frightening indeed. Once broken, it was hard to build back no matter what one did. Sensing the tepid air, the Sultan spoke strongly.

“I will give time. Figure a way to cross the river and trample the enemies! Otherwise, I will hold accountable even those here!”

“Yes!”

Voices were loud, but the nobles rolled their eyes anxiously.

Sparks better not fly unnecessarily!

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Iwalap, who had led the Sultan’s envoys to the Duke’s camp.

He was a trusted person among the tribal chiefs and nobles even in the camp.

While the nobles were too afraid to open their mouths in front of the Sultan, they would gather in small groups and murmur their opinions when the Sultan disappeared.

So it was not unusual for nobles who were uneasy about the current situation to come to Iwalap.

“Calm down, Moyez-gong. The Sultan won’t punish you for that.”

“But Balharni-nim was punished like that!”

“That case was different. . .”

Iwalap was about to reassure the anxious courtier when he paused. Come to think of it, those who were here did not stop the raid when Iwalap went to the Duke’s camp as an envoy.

If it wasn’t for Duke’s generosity, their heads would have rolled. . .

“Why do you make that face?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I really don’t understand. There must have been a spy at the camp, right?”

“The spy is not a normal spy. Only a few including the Sultan knew the date, right? I can’t believe how they found out.”

As the nobles grumbled, Iwalap came up with a solution.

“How about this? Hold the eunuchs responsible.”

“What do you mean?”

“There have already been bad rumors about the eunuchs since the last defeat. The Sultan doesn’t trust them like before.”

As both Suhekhar and Yeheyman were prominent commanders, it was hard to believe that they led an army that was several times their size and were defeated.

As a result, only rumors had spread. That the enemy borrowed the power of demons, that there were traitors, etc. . .

One of them was rumors about the eunuchs. Rumors that the eunuchs had betrayed the Sultan and had been bribed by the enemy.

Of course, the nobles did not fully believe it. If they had been bribed, there was no reason to return to the Sultan’s camp instead of being in the enemy’s camp.

However, the eunuchs had always incurred the hatred of nobles. They had no intention of stopping them from using eunuchs as scapegoats to change the atmosphere.

“The eunuchs secretly communicated with the enemy?”

“It will make troublesome guys disappear, and the atmosphere will change, won’t it? There are tribal leaders on their spots, but if this continues, who knows when they will escape.”

Although Sultan seemed to be wielding his iron fist, there were many subtly unstable parts. The nobles and tribal chiefs who had brought their subordinates were loyal for now, but they were the kind who wouldn’t hesitate to return to their own lands if the situation flowed strangely.

“It seems like a good method.”

“Yes. Thank you, Iwalap-gong.”

The visiting nobles seemed to be in better spirits as their faces brightened. They chatted about something else for a while.

“But what are the wizards doing? If we can’t cross the river, shouldn’t they use magic to build a bridge or something?”

“What can you expect from wizards? They can’t do anything if it’s not something they know how to do themselves. Anyway, those wizard guys. . .”

Wizards were always an object of awe and fear. Even in ordinary times, nobles couldn’t dare to casually treat a wizard, so in this kind of situation, they were bound to get scolded.

If they received that kind of treatment, shouldn’t they demonstrate their abilities?

“But isn’t the one you brought with you this time quite divine?”

“I get goosebumps every time I see him.”

“Stop chattering and let’s get up. Anyway, I think sacrificing the eunuchs is a good idea, so after sacrificing them, let’s try to boost morale.”

The nobles got up one by one and left the tent. Those who were fairly drunk headed back to their own tents supported by their attendants. Alone, Iwalap thought to himself.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵.’

He didn’t expect they would lose with an army of this size, but if they just stayed still, something big could have happened. Iwalap thought he should make a move too.

━■■■■. . .

Heeheeheeheek!

Frightened horses and cows bellowed from all over the camp. The slaves cursed in irritation.

“Damn things. . .”

“Be patient. Aren’t they precious guests?”

The slaves didn’t dare to talk back at Iwalap’s words, but they shot gazes mixed with irritation and hatred. They were really annoying people.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Isn’t it. . .strange?”

Euclyia said in a puzzled voice.

They were now past the river and upon the hill near the Sultan’s camp.

The journey had been short, yet they had gone through considerable hardship to reach this point. They had circled far to the east before swimming across the river under the cover of darkness and pressing on without resting to catch their breath.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘹.’

There were sentries by the river, but the perimeter was poorly guarded. Few nobles were as thorough as Johan in drilling their men, and there were also rare subordinates who did so. It was difficult for even the elite of the elite to maintain concentration and monitor steadily for several days.

Furthermore, the farther one went from the center of the camp, the lower the rank of those stationed there tended to be. Naturally, their training was lacking as well.

“Their best troops are probably in the middle, guarding the Sultan’s tent. Besides, the enemy has a numerical advantage over us, so why would they bother keeping strict watch over the river? They’d rather let us cross and pick us off once they’re aware of our presence.”

“That’s not it, you idiot. Why aren’t there any sentries when the horses and cattle are making such a racket?”

“. . . . . .”

Achladda stopped in his tracks at his cousin’s words. One of the other mercenaries who had been following them, since the centaurs had stopped bickering and started moving again, spoke up.

“Why aren’t you going? Are you scared?”

“Who’s scared━”

“You didn’t even get on the boat.”

“. . . . . .”

The centaurs wilted, having been struck where it hurt. The other mercenaries who had started the teasing were taken aback when their words proved more effective than they had anticipated.

N-No. It’s just that different races have different strengths and weaknesses. No one criticizes dwarves for not being as good at digging as they are.”

“That’s right. Why are you saying such things?”

Johan cut off his subordinates’ increasingly heated discussion.

“Do you think it’s a trap?”

“It doesn’t. . .seem like it.”

Eastern rangers such as Joseph and Galambos also did not think it was a trap. Its position was too ambiguous for that.

However, the centaurs who had gone ahead were right about one thing. It was strange that the sentries had not emerged despite the racket being made by the livestock in the camp.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?’

“Maybe they’ve all passed out drunk?”

“Aren’t you being a little too optimistic?”

“But that’s the only thing I can think of. . . It must be cold, and they probably don’t have any cloaks, so I can see why they’d want to drink.”

“Let’s keep moving. There’s no point in standing around here. Prepare to retreat as we advance.”

The eunuch had told them that the elf king was being held somewhere close to the center of the camp. It was a spacious, isolated area, but they would have to proceed with caution if they wanted to break in from outside.

“I smell something strange.”

“That’s the wizards’ camp.”

Having heard about it from the eunuch, Johan was not surprised. There was a mystical air to the camp, where faint torchlight flickered in the darkness. It was undoubtedly where the wizards serving the Sultan were staying.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘥, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮.’

The Emperor’s camp had been booby-trapped by wizards to a near-paranoid extent. In contrast, there was nothing like that here. All they had to do was ignore it and go around.

“Friendly Johan of House Yeats. It’s been a while. What brings you here?”

“. . . . . .?!”

The group could not help but be startled when a voice suddenly spoke out from the darkness. It had come out of nowhere.

“What the–?!”

Johan belatedly recognized the speaker. His vision, far superior to that of ordinary men, pierced the darkness and revealed the identity of the figure standing there.

It was a giant.

“A Mahemaniu?!”

“That’s right. Johan of House Yeats. Have you made some new friends?”

The Mahemaniu he had met in the Black Mountains greeted him cheerfully. Travelers like Johan, who had been kind and polite enough to pay the toll and compliment the gatekeeper on his hard work, were rare in the Black Mountains.

“Mahemaniu. It’s good to see you, but could you keep your voice down?”

Johan spoke as calmly as he could.

The men behind him were already sweating profusely from tension. Given the presence of the giants, it would not be strange if they were discovered at any moment.

“Why?”

“If you wake up the sleepers, they’ll cause a commotion.”

“Don’t worry about that. We giants are always making a racket here. The others don’t pay us any mind.”

“. . . . . .!”

Johan felt a chill run down his spine at the Mahemaniu’s words.

The Sultan had brought the giants of the Black Mountains here!

That was an incredible feat.

“That goddamn, incompetent son of a━”

The centaurs gnashed their teeth and cursed. They were furious with the eunuch for not telling them about the giants beforehand.

I’ll rip his guts out when I get back!

However, Johan did not think that the eunuch had done it intentionally. If the Sultan’s wizards had brought the giants of the Black Mountains, they would have done so quietly.

The Mahemaniu did not seem to have been here for long either. . .

“What kind of deal did you make with the wizards?”

“We do as they ask. We lost a bet, so it’s only natural.”

The Mahemaniu spoke with a slightly crestfallen expression. It seemed that he was ashamed of having lost a bet to humans as a giant. Johan asked, as if he did not understand.

“Normally, even if there’s a bet, it would be about whether or not you’ll let us pass for free. Why are you following them around like this? What was the bet about?”

“Hmm. I don’t remember exactly.”

“Mahemaniu. They’re lying.”

“Eh?”

“Trust me. They’re lying.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Otherwise, there’s no way you would have lost a bet.”

If the other great nobles present had been there, they would have been dumbfounded and speechless.

Johan sounded like a severe duke who would have them brought out after knocking them out.

However, Johan did not care.

‘𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮.’

Elves were inherently stubborn. He knew that because he had lived with Iselia and slept together for a long time. Elves were not in a position to call the dwarves stubborn.

When the stubbornness became an Elf Knight, it doubled. The knights were also quite stubborn.

And the Elf King was the knight of knights among the Elf Knights. His stubbornness was directly proportional to his abilities. Johan knew that very well.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?’

Ulrike was really curious. If there was a way to persuade the Elf King, she also wanted to learn it. Because she knew it would be useful someday.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Get this f*cking idiot out of my sight after whipping him!!”

As expected, the Sultan’s anger exploded. With his face flushed red with rage, the Sultan forgot about the nobles present and spewed profanity. Still not relieved of his anger, he grabbed whatever was in reach and hurled it at Balharni.

Blood trickled from Balharni’s forehead where a silver chalice struck, but he did not move and remained prostrate.

Perhaps because the defeat was too shocking, even nobles who would normally advise showing mercy to relatives kept their mouths shut.

How could an entire fleet simply be devoured?

“I. . .I don’t understand. Was there a leak of information?”

“Even with leaked intelligence, how could the enemy predict our movements and lie in wait when the sea is so vast? Moreover, reports indicate the enemies outnumbered us several fold. . .”

Apart from Balharni’s responsibility, the nobles chattered to comprehend the reason for the failure.

At the same time, an ominous premonition flashed through some minds.

None of the nobles who followed the Sultan doubted victory. While there were complaints like, ’𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘺𝘯𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘵𝘺𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵?’ or ‘𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘺’𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦,’ there were no doubts about winning.

However, for the first time, the nobles considered the possibility that this campaign might fail.

Momentum was frightening indeed. Once broken, it was hard to build back no matter what one did. Sensing the tepid air, the Sultan spoke strongly.

“I will give time. Figure a way to cross the river and trample the enemies! Otherwise, I will hold accountable even those here!”

“Yes!”

Voices were loud, but the nobles rolled their eyes anxiously.

Sparks better not fly unnecessarily!

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Iwalap, who had led the Sultan’s envoys to the Duke’s camp.

He was a trusted person among the tribal chiefs and nobles even in the camp.

While the nobles were too afraid to open their mouths in front of the Sultan, they would gather in small groups and murmur their opinions when the Sultan disappeared.

So it was not unusual for nobles who were uneasy about the current situation to come to Iwalap.

“Calm down, Moyez-gong. The Sultan won’t punish you for that.”

“But Balharni-nim was punished like that!”

“That case was different. . .”

Iwalap was about to reassure the anxious courtier when he paused. Come to think of it, those who were here did not stop the raid when Iwalap went to the Duke’s camp as an envoy.

If it wasn’t for Duke’s generosity, their heads would have rolled. . .

“Why do you make that face?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I really don’t understand. There must have been a spy at the camp, right?”

“The spy is not a normal spy. Only a few including the Sultan knew the date, right? I can’t believe how they found out.”

As the nobles grumbled, Iwalap came up with a solution.

“How about this? Hold the eunuchs responsible.”

“What do you mean?”

“There have already been bad rumors about the eunuchs since the last defeat. The Sultan doesn’t trust them like before.”

As both Suhekhar and Yeheyman were prominent commanders, it was hard to believe that they led an army that was several times their size and were defeated.

As a result, only rumors had spread. That the enemy borrowed the power of demons, that there were traitors, etc. . .

One of them was rumors about the eunuchs. Rumors that the eunuchs had betrayed the Sultan and had been bribed by the enemy.

Of course, the nobles did not fully believe it. If they had been bribed, there was no reason to return to the Sultan’s camp instead of being in the enemy’s camp.

However, the eunuchs had always incurred the hatred of nobles. They had no intention of stopping them from using eunuchs as scapegoats to change the atmosphere.

“The eunuchs secretly communicated with the enemy?”

“It will make troublesome guys disappear, and the atmosphere will change, won’t it? There are tribal leaders on their spots, but if this continues, who knows when they will escape.”

Although Sultan seemed to be wielding his iron fist, there were many subtly unstable parts. The nobles and tribal chiefs who had brought their subordinates were loyal for now, but they were the kind who wouldn’t hesitate to return to their own lands if the situation flowed strangely.

“It seems like a good method.”

“Yes. Thank you, Iwalap-gong.”

The visiting nobles seemed to be in better spirits as their faces brightened. They chatted about something else for a while.

“But what are the wizards doing? If we can’t cross the river, shouldn’t they use magic to build a bridge or something?”

“What can you expect from wizards? They can’t do anything if it’s not something they know how to do themselves. Anyway, those wizard guys. . .”

Wizards were always an object of awe and fear. Even in ordinary times, nobles couldn’t dare to casually treat a wizard, so in this kind of situation, they were bound to get scolded.

If they received that kind of treatment, shouldn’t they demonstrate their abilities?

“But isn’t the one you brought with you this time quite divine?”

“I get goosebumps every time I see him.”

“Stop chattering and let’s get up. Anyway, I think sacrificing the eunuchs is a good idea, so after sacrificing them, let’s try to boost morale.”

The nobles got up one by one and left the tent. Those who were fairly drunk headed back to their own tents supported by their attendants. Alone, Iwalap thought to himself.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵.’

He didn’t expect they would lose with an army of this size, but if they just stayed still, something big could have happened. Iwalap thought he should make a move too.

━■■■■. . .

Heeheeheeheek!

Frightened horses and cows bellowed from all over the camp. The slaves cursed in irritation.

“Damn things. . .”

“Be patient. Aren’t they precious guests?”

The slaves didn’t dare to talk back at Iwalap’s words, but they shot gazes mixed with irritation and hatred. They were really annoying people.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“Isn’t it. . .strange?”

Euclyia said in a puzzled voice.

They were now past the river and upon the hill near the Sultan’s camp.

The journey had been short, yet they had gone through considerable hardship to reach this point. They had circled far to the east before swimming across the river under the cover of darkness and pressing on without resting to catch their breath.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘹.’

There were sentries by the river, but the perimeter was poorly guarded. Few nobles were as thorough as Johan in drilling their men, and there were also rare subordinates who did so. It was difficult for even the elite of the elite to maintain concentration and monitor steadily for several days.

Furthermore, the farther one went from the center of the camp, the lower the rank of those stationed there tended to be. Naturally, their training was lacking as well.

“Their best troops are probably in the middle, guarding the Sultan’s tent. Besides, the enemy has a numerical advantage over us, so why would they bother keeping strict watch over the river? They’d rather let us cross and pick us off once they’re aware of our presence.”

“That’s not it, you idiot. Why aren’t there any sentries when the horses and cattle are making such a racket?”

“. . . . . .”

Achladda stopped in his tracks at his cousin’s words. One of the other mercenaries who had been following them, since the centaurs had stopped bickering and started moving again, spoke up.

“Why aren’t you going? Are you scared?”

“Who’s scared━”

“You didn’t even get on the boat.”

“. . . . . .”

The centaurs wilted, having been struck where it hurt. The other mercenaries who had started the teasing were taken aback when their words proved more effective than they had anticipated.

N-No. It’s just that different races have different strengths and weaknesses. No one criticizes dwarves for not being as good at digging as they are.”

“That’s right. Why are you saying such things?”

Johan cut off his subordinates’ increasingly heated discussion.

“Do you think it’s a trap?”

“It doesn’t. . .seem like it.”

Eastern rangers such as Joseph and Galambos also did not think it was a trap. Its position was too ambiguous for that.

However, the centaurs who had gone ahead were right about one thing. It was strange that the sentries had not emerged despite the racket being made by the livestock in the camp.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?’

“Maybe they’ve all passed out drunk?”

“Aren’t you being a little too optimistic?”

“But that’s the only thing I can think of. . . It must be cold, and they probably don’t have any cloaks, so I can see why they’d want to drink.”

“Let’s keep moving. There’s no point in standing around here. Prepare to retreat as we advance.”

The eunuch had told them that the elf king was being held somewhere close to the center of the camp. It was a spacious, isolated area, but they would have to proceed with caution if they wanted to break in from outside.

“I smell something strange.”

“That’s the wizards’ camp.”

Having heard about it from the eunuch, Johan was not surprised. There was a mystical air to the camp, where faint torchlight flickered in the darkness. It was undoubtedly where the wizards serving the Sultan were staying.

‘𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘩𝘢𝘥, 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮.’

The Emperor’s camp had been booby-trapped by wizards to a near-paranoid extent. In contrast, there was nothing like that here. All they had to do was ignore it and go around.

“Friendly Johan of House Yeats. It’s been a while. What brings you here?”

“. . . . . .?!”

The group could not help but be startled when a voice suddenly spoke out from the darkness. It had come out of nowhere.

“What the–?!”

Johan belatedly recognized the speaker. His vision, far superior to that of ordinary men, pierced the darkness and revealed the identity of the figure standing there.

It was a giant.

“A Mahemaniu?!”

“That’s right. Johan of House Yeats. Have you made some new friends?”

The Mahemaniu he had met in the Black Mountains greeted him cheerfully. Travelers like Johan, who had been kind and polite enough to pay the toll and compliment the gatekeeper on his hard work, were rare in the Black Mountains.

“Mahemaniu. It’s good to see you, but could you keep your voice down?”

Johan spoke as calmly as he could.

The men behind him were already sweating profusely from tension. Given the presence of the giants, it would not be strange if they were discovered at any moment.

“Why?”

“If you wake up the sleepers, they’ll cause a commotion.”

“Don’t worry about that. We giants are always making a racket here. The others don’t pay us any mind.”

“. . . . . .!”

Johan felt a chill run down his spine at the Mahemaniu’s words.

The Sultan had brought the giants of the Black Mountains here!

That was an incredible feat.

“That goddamn, incompetent son of a━”

The centaurs gnashed their teeth and cursed. They were furious with the eunuch for not telling them about the giants beforehand.

I’ll rip his guts out when I get back!

However, Johan did not think that the eunuch had done it intentionally. If the Sultan’s wizards had brought the giants of the Black Mountains, they would have done so quietly.

The Mahemaniu did not seem to have been here for long either. . .

“What kind of deal did you make with the wizards?”

“We do as they ask. We lost a bet, so it’s only natural.”

The Mahemaniu spoke with a slightly crestfallen expression. It seemed that he was ashamed of having lost a bet to humans as a giant. Johan asked, as if he did not understand.

“Normally, even if there’s a bet, it would be about whether or not you’ll let us pass for free. Why are you following them around like this? What was the bet about?”

“Hmm. I don’t remember exactly.”

“Mahemaniu. They’re lying.”

“Eh?”

“Trust me. They’re lying.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Otherwise, there’s no way you would have lost a bet.”