Chapter 84.2: ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ (๐)
Many knights fell for the warm hospitality of the nomadic tribes.
However, not all knights were deceived.
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐จ๐ถ๐บ, ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ข ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต?โ
The warrior thought to himself. He was a warrior who had taken money from the Petreo familyโs Boriska. Of course, he had no intention of keeping the promise either.
But Sir Boriska was really. . .
โLate.โ
โAh. Sorry, sir. It took longer to return avoiding peopleโs eyes.โ
Boriskaโs actions were so audacious that even warriors outside the Empire were amazed.
He even hired mercenaries separately to call them out!
Even if some leniency was expected, this was an outright disregard for the Dukeโs orders. If caught, it could lead to not just embarrassment but also the revocation of his knighthood.
But Boriska didnโt bat an eye. He was burning with the desire and anger to regain his lost reputation.
It was ridiculous he fell off his horse in the tournament when he should have shone. Unlike Lucas, who fought honorably, he fell early and had no such consolation.
If he couldnโt make up for it in this hunt, he might never recover.
โWhat I asked for?โ
โOf course, I brought it. A ranger from the east. You can trust his skills.โ
The mercenaries of the Arrowhead group were not intimidated even in front of the knights.
Mercenaries from the east are known to be especially rough, being a mix of Empire people and barbarians, but these were exceptionally violent.
The knights behind Boriska looked at the mercenaries with complex expressions.
They had followed because they were originally with Boriska, but not everyone was in favor of this hire.
Some visibly disapproved of hiring such mercenaries, thinking it dishonorable.
Originally, they might have drawn swords in anger, but Boriska let it pass. After all, they needed the help of both the knights and the mercenaries.
โMy name is Galambos, sir.โ
โI see. Youโre a ranger from the east?โ
โYes, I was a captain.โ
โI heard a wyvern can be found around here. Do you think thatโs true?โ
At Boriskaโs words, Galambos smirked.
โHardly. In such plains where only low hills and mounds are visible, itโs hard to find. The mountain ranges are days away.โ
โIs that so? Then it was a lie.โ
โDamn it. . .!โ
Realizing he was caught, the warrior drew his weapon. He hadnโt expected the mercenaries to be compared like this.
But the mercenaries were prepared. As soon as the warrior drew his weapon, crossbow bolts flew, piercing him in several places. He fell, writhing in pain.
โGet rid of that barbarianโs corpse! You said your name was Galambos, right? You should have brought good news. Is there any monster nearby worth catching?โ
Galambos nodded with a sly smile. He had a reason to believe, which is why he had come to this knight.
โI heard rumors of Centaurs. Sir Knight might be interested.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
Nomadic tribes didnโt stay in one place forever. When the time came, they moved with their livestock.
The human tribe called โ โ โ โ in Eastern language warmly welcomed Johan and Achladdaโs party.
โโ โ Troll โ โ โ โ โ ? โ โ โ โ ?โ
โโ โ โ โ โ ! Troll โ !โ
โCanโt we stop talking about trolls?โ
โItโs too entertaining, Sir Knight. Have a drink! The hunters should be back in a couple of days. You can rest until then.โ
Euclyia clung to Johanโs side, continuously pouring a drink made from livestock milk. The sweet drink went down easily.
The tribe applauded, amazed at Johanโs ability to drink without getting drunk.
โTroll slayer! Troll slayer!โ
Learning to pronounce โtroll slayerโ in Eastern language, Johan enjoyed their hospitality.
โโ โ โ โ โ ?โ
โWhatโs the point of getting drunk?โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
During the feast, Johan stepped outside the tent. He desperately needed some cool air due to the heat.
The sound of grass rustling in the wind reached his ears. This rhythmic sound made Johan nod his head in enjoyment.
๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฅ๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฅ๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฅ๐. . .
โ?โ
Something seemed off to Johan, prompting him to turn his head. He realized that given the season, the grass shouldnโt have been long enough to make such noise.
Suddenly, he remembered Kaegal. An assassin who boasted about various methods of infiltrating enemy lines.
โ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ? ๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐จ ๐ข๐ง? ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐, ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ, ๐ฐ๐โ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐.
From using the environment for camouflage to using people, Kaegal had enthusiastically discussed all kinds of methods. He spoke strongly, believing Johan wouldnโt use them otherwise.
. . .Though Johan had not used them to the extent that it seemed pointless to have mentioned them. . .
โ๐ ๐ณ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ธ๐ข๐บ.โ
Such brutal tasks were not common. This didnโt mean Johan lived a calm and peaceful life, however.
Johan walked towards the source of the sound and locked eyes with a man who looked like a tribesman.
The man twitched upon seeing Johan.
His expression didnโt change, but Johan could feel that he was startled.
โWho are you?โ
โOh my. Are you the new Sir Knight? I. . . might have had a bit too much to drink. . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
The man staggered as if drunk, with dirt on his hands and legs, suggesting he might have fallen.
โ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฑ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ช๐ตโ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ง๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ฆ.โ
It was normal to be startled by someone in the dark. Moreover, Johan didnโt look like the other tribespeople.
Suddenly, a thought crossed Johanโs mind. He spoke in the eastern tongue.
โ. . .โ โ โ โ .โ
โ????โ
Johan smiled broadly. Then, he abruptly grabbed the manโs throat.
โWhat kind of tribesman doesnโt understand his own insults?โcontemporary romance
The man panicked and tried to draw a dagger, but Johan slapped him across the face with his other hand, knocking him out in one blow.
โIntruder! Intruder!โ
Johanโs shout awakened the people. The tribespeople stopped drinking and ran out with their weapons.
โWhereโs the intruder?!โ
โCaught him here. Is he one of your tribe?โ
The people who saw the man Johan caught scrutinized him with torches. He looked vaguely familiar.
โClearly looks like a man from the west. . .โ
โNo, Sir Knight. This man is a knight dastard who was in the tournament!โ
One of the warriors recognized the manโs face. Johan exclaimed in surprise.
โWhat?โ
โI was surprised too! How did he end up here. . .โ
โToo weak for a knight, isnโt he? Couldnโt even take one hit.โ
โ. . .But more importantly, shouldnโt we be wondering why heโs here?โ
โThatโs a good point. Wake him up.โ
done.co