Chapter 341: 𝐒𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 (1)

How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Fortunately, the number of casualties was lower than expected. The Sultan knew this too.

He had an army to lead south, and he couldn’t afford to decimate the nobles in his wake. No matter how iron-fisted a Sultan he was, he couldn’t simply ignore the feelings of the nobles serving under him.

Among the nobles, there were those with fiefdoms and private armies, and those who hailed from prestigious families that had been established for generations. If he were to suppress them with force, he would only invite more resistance.

Of course, that didn’t mean he spared them entirely. Although the number of casualties was low, a few nobles who had recommended Yeheyman or Suhekhar lost their heads.

“Look, there goes Balharni.”

“It’s been a while. . .”

“He looks pretty good considering the circumstances.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He might look fine on the outside, but he’s probably rotting on the inside.”

The nobles gossiped amongst themselves. That’s because the man riding towards them was none other than the Sultan’s brother.

The empire in the west employed a brutal method of selecting its successors, unlike anything seen in Johan’s world.

When the Sultan died, his bloodline would fight amongst themselves, and the victor would claim the throne.

Naturally, the Sultan’s siblings were not supposed to live, but. . .

The Sultan did not do that. Instead of killing the defeated, he imprisoned them and used them to demonstrate his mercy. Of course, that didn’t prove to be very effective.

The imprisoned siblings of the Sultan were brought back at his command. Each of them had been trained as potential successors, and more importantly, they were useful in appeasing the Sultan’s anxiety.

If the Sultan were to lead his army south, leaving his rivals behind, he would surely feel uneasy about what they might do in his absence.

“Yudh-nim has repelled the elves!”

“What? Is that true?”

“Yes! We’ve received a report.”

The nobles rejoiced at the news that one of the Sultan’s siblings, Yudhi, had achieved a military victory. They weren’t necessarily part of Yudhi’s faction, but good news was always welcome.

The march was complex and time-consuming, as it involved moving an army as large as the one that had been sent by sea. The Sultan was in a foul mood the entire time, splitting up and dividing his forces as he moved. This was hardly surprising, given the news he had been receiving.

However, some of the troops that had crossed over from the west set up camp along a shallow river and blocked the Sultan’s army. They couldn’t have numbered more than two thousand men ready for battle, but they were so fierce that they routed the vanguard.

In the end, Yudhi had to lead a force to outflank them, barely managing to surround them. Even for skilled warriors, it was impossible to hold out when surrounded on all sides, so they eventually surrendered.

“What are they doing here? Why are they camped here instead of marching south? This has only served to rile up the Sultan.”

“Aren’t they usually elves? I thought they were royalty.”

“What? They were an army of royalty? No wonder they fought so well. . .”

The nobles were taken aback. The elf king and his knights fought with skill that impressed even their opponents. It was unclear why they had chosen to make a stand here, but now that they knew their identities, their actions made a bit more sense.

“The elf king, huh. Is that a good thing? Maybe we can exchange him for the captured prisoners.”

“I wonder. . . Would he?”

“???”

“Who knows who the Sultan would want back among the prisoners. Even though Yeheyman-gong was so favored right now, he acted as if he would kill him as soon as he was in front of him.”

“Well, he was furious. . .”

“Do you think he’s calmed down now?”

The nobles found themselves agreeing with that statement, almost against their will. Perhaps it would be better for the captured prisoners to remain in their enemies’ camp, and then slip away once things had settled down, using the power of their families to secure their release. If they were to be released through the Sultan’s generosity, they would have to face his wrath directly.

“At any rate, with those fierce elves gone, there’s no one to hinder us now. Even the rogues from the Black Mountains have gone quiet. . .”

“I wish I could pray for that. My heart sinks every time we fall behind schedule.”

The atmosphere in the camp was tense, like walking on thin ice, due to the Sultan’s temper.

Better to be in the vanguard or the rearguard than to be attached to the troops led by the Sultan himself━that was how strong the fear of death was.

However, the hardships were only just beginning. With the news of the fall of the coastal cities and the death of Manansir, the nobles began to seriously consider whether it would’ be better to simply desert.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The Sultan was no longer raging, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t furious. His normally pale face, a characteristic of vampires, looked even more drained of color, indicating the extent of his anger.

The nobles present at the meeting were aware of this and were even more cautious in their actions.

“. . .When I first heard the news of Suhekhar’s defeat, the old fool, I thought he was either unlucky or had made a mistake. Even the cowardly Yeheyman. But at this point, I just can’t ignore it. Is that b*stard using magic? Is that what this is all about?!”

The Sultan shouted fiercely, kicking over the table.

Having defeated his siblings to claim the throne, the Sultan was a skilled strategist and general in his own right. As such, he understood better than anyone how ridiculous the current situation was.

Even if some of the rumors were false, the fact remained that the army that had landed first had been defeated, the nearby tribes had all defected, and even the prosperous southern cities had fallen.

He couldn’t understand how an expeditionary force that had just crossed over from the west could have accomplished such a feat.

“Moyez! You tell me! Didn’t you say last time that the nearby tribes were fierce and arrogant, and wouldn’t be easily swayed?!”

“!!”

The noble whose name was called was shocked. He was the one who had spoken out when the Sultan was planning to conquer the Holy Land.

━𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭. . .

━𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲?

━𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲! 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠.

“I, -I apologize. It seems they were more desperate than we thought. How could they not be scared when such a large army was approaching?”

“Scared?”

“Yes. . .! When push comes to shove, people will say anything. They might have given up their children in marriage, or offered land and gold. . .”

Moyez babbled desperately. However, his rambling seemed surprisingly convincing, and the others present nodded in agreement.

“Fine. Then what about the fiefdoms in the south? Manansir is no fool. How could he not defend even a single one of his own lands?”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

The room fell silent again. That was something they couldn’t understand either.

“Could there be. . . a traitor?”

“A traitor?”

“I’ve heard that Manansir is not very popular, and has made many enemies among his vassals and subordinates. If one of them betrayed him. . .”

“. . . . . .”

The Sultan nodded as if he understood. In truth, the current situation was not the cause of his anger. It was the solution.

“I’ve realized that we’ve been underestimating him. Each of you, come up with a plan to defeat him!”

“F-First, I’ll try bribing the tribes.”

“Those traitors?”

“Well, they betrayed once, won’t they betray again? Even they can’t be too fond of the arrogant monotheists. We can pay them a suitable price, and then get rid of them once the battle is over.”

“Good. I’ll think about it. Next?”

“It might also be possible to sow discord among the expeditionary force. With all the treasure they’ve acquired by now, they’re probably fighting over it. Just spreading rumors should be enough.”

“Not a bad idea.”

“Your Majesty! I’ve heard rumors that the duke himself enjoys charging into battle with his own weapon. Let me face him myself.”

Kaimud, the captain of the Sultan’s slave soldiers, stepped forward. As a warrior whose strength was rumored even in the west, people were impressed.

“You fool. If you go, who will protect me?”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty, the other guards will protect you. Just give me this honorable opportunity!”

“I understand. I’ll think about it. Be quiet.”

The Sultan folded his hands and said.

“The expeditionary force from the west is our enemy, but I will also take this opportunity to wipe out all those pesky feudal lords. From the coast to the mountains! Ignore any negotiations they try to make!”

“Yes!”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“The elf king has been captured??”

Johan was shocked when he heard the news while marching. They had been moving somewhat slower than the others, but they had been fighting in the north.

‘𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥?’

With less than a tenth of the enemy’s forces, it seemed better to simply retreat, but he couldn’t understand why they had done otherwise.

“It was a truly honorable act.”

“Indeed!”

However, some of the knights seemed very impressed by the act. They were moved by the bravery of the elves, who had faced the enemy valiantly without any thought of defeat, despite being outnumbered.

Johan gave them a slightly pitying look before turning his gaze away.

“It’s going to cost a lot of money to pay the ransom and get them released. . .”

“Don’t the elves have a lot of money?”

“Even if they do, they don’t carry money with them when they go on a long expedition. Besides, the king has been captured.”

Johan frowned as he answered Iselia’s question.

“I guess I’ll have to ask the other nobles for help. . .”

“. . .My dear. Surely you’re not thinking of not paying?”

“I do plan to pay. But if I’m the only one who pays, it’ll be a problem.”

As a great noble who had participated in the expedition, he didn’t mind paying a reasonable amount of the ransom. He wasn’t short of money.

However, if only nobles like Johan or Ulrike paid, it would be very difficult to bear. If it were the elf king, he would have dismissed them with contempt, saying ‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴’, but Johan was not the kind of person to let it go.

“I’ll have to get the feudal lords to pay in advance, just in case.”

“Would you really go that far?”

“As you can see from their request this time, they’re the kind of people who will go back on their word whenever it’s convenient for them.”

As the Sultan’s army approached, the feudal lords had sent desperate letters of apology. Compared to the letters they had sent before, saying ‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥?!’, it was almost comical.

I was wrong, my vassal acted rashly and I punished him, so please join forces with us and fight against those pagans, or else Your Highness will be in trouble too, and so on.

The people who were listening to how long and earnest the letters were couldn’t help but laugh.

“Your Highness is right. We should definitely get the money upfront.”

“. . . . . .”

Lumahr was taken aback when the mercenaries chimed in. What was even more surprising was that the duke didn’t seem particularly offended. This showed how close they were.

“Sir Lumahr. So you’re saying there’s no chance the Sultan’s army will simply turn back?”

“Considering the Sultan’s personality. . . I don’t think it will be easy.”

Half of the grand two-pronged offensive had been wiped out, and he was not the kind of person who would simply retreat. In order to restore his lost honor, he would need to accomplish something significant.

“I thought he might retreat if he didn’t make any progress in conquering the castle, but that’s too bad.”

“He’ll use whatever means he has to, so he won’t do that.”

While they were talking, the advance party led by Johan arrived in front of Kderas Castle.

It was one of the castles on the way up, and it was ruled by the castellan himself.

“Come in. Your Highness! We’ve been waiting!”

“No. Tell the castellan to come out.”

“. . . . . .?”

“I’ll wait here until the castellan comes out.”

Johan stopped moving and stood still. The chamberlain panicked at the unexpected reaction and looked around.

“What are you doing! Hurry up and tell the castellan! Do you dare take His Highness’s words lightly!”

“N-No!”

The subordinates booed and cheered from behind. Johan waited expressionlessly. He didn’t particularly enjoy humiliating people, but what he was doing now was necessary.

To show the feudal lords in the area who was above and who was below!

The castellan, who must have been thinking about how to deal with Johan inside the castle by now, must be panicking and agonizing.

,

Fortunately, the number of casualties was lower than expected. The Sultan knew this too.

He had an army to lead south, and he couldn’t afford to decimate the nobles in his wake. No matter how iron-fisted a Sultan he was, he couldn’t simply ignore the feelings of the nobles serving under him.

Among the nobles, there were those with fiefdoms and private armies, and those who hailed from prestigious families that had been established for generations. If he were to suppress them with force, he would only invite more resistance.

Of course, that didn’t mean he spared them entirely. Although the number of casualties was low, a few nobles who had recommended Yeheyman or Suhekhar lost their heads.

“Look, there goes Balharni.”

“It’s been a while. . .”

“He looks pretty good considering the circumstances.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. He might look fine on the outside, but he’s probably rotting on the inside.”

The nobles gossiped amongst themselves. That’s because the man riding towards them was none other than the Sultan’s brother.

The empire in the west employed a brutal method of selecting its successors, unlike anything seen in Johan’s world.

When the Sultan died, his bloodline would fight amongst themselves, and the victor would claim the throne.

Naturally, the Sultan’s siblings were not supposed to live, but. . .

The Sultan did not do that. Instead of killing the defeated, he imprisoned them and used them to demonstrate his mercy. Of course, that didn’t prove to be very effective.

The imprisoned siblings of the Sultan were brought back at his command. Each of them had been trained as potential successors, and more importantly, they were useful in appeasing the Sultan’s anxiety.

If the Sultan were to lead his army south, leaving his rivals behind, he would surely feel uneasy about what they might do in his absence.

“Yudh-nim has repelled the elves!”

“What? Is that true?”

“Yes! We’ve received a report.”

The nobles rejoiced at the news that one of the Sultan’s siblings, Yudhi, had achieved a military victory. They weren’t necessarily part of Yudhi’s faction, but good news was always welcome.

The march was complex and time-consuming, as it involved moving an army as large as the one that had been sent by sea. The Sultan was in a foul mood the entire time, splitting up and dividing his forces as he moved. This was hardly surprising, given the news he had been receiving.

However, some of the troops that had crossed over from the west set up camp along a shallow river and blocked the Sultan’s army. They couldn’t have numbered more than two thousand men ready for battle, but they were so fierce that they routed the vanguard.

In the end, Yudhi had to lead a force to outflank them, barely managing to surround them. Even for skilled warriors, it was impossible to hold out when surrounded on all sides, so they eventually surrendered.

“What are they doing here? Why are they camped here instead of marching south? This has only served to rile up the Sultan.”

“Aren’t they usually elves? I thought they were royalty.”

“What? They were an army of royalty? No wonder they fought so well. . .”

The nobles were taken aback. The elf king and his knights fought with skill that impressed even their opponents. It was unclear why they had chosen to make a stand here, but now that they knew their identities, their actions made a bit more sense.

“The elf king, huh. Is that a good thing? Maybe we can exchange him for the captured prisoners.”

“I wonder. . . Would he?”

“???”

“Who knows who the Sultan would want back among the prisoners. Even though Yeheyman-gong was so favored right now, he acted as if he would kill him as soon as he was in front of him.”

“Well, he was furious. . .”

“Do you think he’s calmed down now?”

The nobles found themselves agreeing with that statement, almost against their will. Perhaps it would be better for the captured prisoners to remain in their enemies’ camp, and then slip away once things had settled down, using the power of their families to secure their release. If they were to be released through the Sultan’s generosity, they would have to face his wrath directly.

“At any rate, with those fierce elves gone, there’s no one to hinder us now. Even the rogues from the Black Mountains have gone quiet. . .”

“I wish I could pray for that. My heart sinks every time we fall behind schedule.”

The atmosphere in the camp was tense, like walking on thin ice, due to the Sultan’s temper.

Better to be in the vanguard or the rearguard than to be attached to the troops led by the Sultan himself━that was how strong the fear of death was.

However, the hardships were only just beginning. With the news of the fall of the coastal cities and the death of Manansir, the nobles began to seriously consider whether it would’ be better to simply desert.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The Sultan was no longer raging, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t furious. His normally pale face, a characteristic of vampires, looked even more drained of color, indicating the extent of his anger.

The nobles present at the meeting were aware of this and were even more cautious in their actions.

“. . .When I first heard the news of Suhekhar’s defeat, the old fool, I thought he was either unlucky or had made a mistake. Even the cowardly Yeheyman. But at this point, I just can’t ignore it. Is that b*stard using magic? Is that what this is all about?!”

The Sultan shouted fiercely, kicking over the table.

Having defeated his siblings to claim the throne, the Sultan was a skilled strategist and general in his own right. As such, he understood better than anyone how ridiculous the current situation was.

Even if some of the rumors were false, the fact remained that the army that had landed first had been defeated, the nearby tribes had all defected, and even the prosperous southern cities had fallen.

He couldn’t understand how an expeditionary force that had just crossed over from the west could have accomplished such a feat.

“Moyez! You tell me! Didn’t you say last time that the nearby tribes were fierce and arrogant, and wouldn’t be easily swayed?!”

“!!”

The noble whose name was called was shocked. He was the one who had spoken out when the Sultan was planning to conquer the Holy Land.

━𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭. . .

━𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲?

━𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲! 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠.

“I, -I apologize. It seems they were more desperate than we thought. How could they not be scared when such a large army was approaching?”

“Scared?”

“Yes. . .! When push comes to shove, people will say anything. They might have given up their children in marriage, or offered land and gold. . .”

Moyez babbled desperately. However, his rambling seemed surprisingly convincing, and the others present nodded in agreement.

“Fine. Then what about the fiefdoms in the south? Manansir is no fool. How could he not defend even a single one of his own lands?”

“. . . . . .”

“. . . . . .”

The room fell silent again. That was something they couldn’t understand either.

“Could there be. . . a traitor?”

“A traitor?”

“I’ve heard that Manansir is not very popular, and has made many enemies among his vassals and subordinates. If one of them betrayed him. . .”

“. . . . . .”

The Sultan nodded as if he understood. In truth, the current situation was not the cause of his anger. It was the solution.

“I’ve realized that we’ve been underestimating him. Each of you, come up with a plan to defeat him!”

“F-First, I’ll try bribing the tribes.”

“Those traitors?”

“Well, they betrayed once, won’t they betray again? Even they can’t be too fond of the arrogant monotheists. We can pay them a suitable price, and then get rid of them once the battle is over.”

“Good. I’ll think about it. Next?”

“It might also be possible to sow discord among the expeditionary force. With all the treasure they’ve acquired by now, they’re probably fighting over it. Just spreading rumors should be enough.”

“Not a bad idea.”

“Your Majesty! I’ve heard rumors that the duke himself enjoys charging into battle with his own weapon. Let me face him myself.”

Kaimud, the captain of the Sultan’s slave soldiers, stepped forward. As a warrior whose strength was rumored even in the west, people were impressed.

“You fool. If you go, who will protect me?”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty, the other guards will protect you. Just give me this honorable opportunity!”

“I understand. I’ll think about it. Be quiet.”

The Sultan folded his hands and said.

“The expeditionary force from the west is our enemy, but I will also take this opportunity to wipe out all those pesky feudal lords. From the coast to the mountains! Ignore any negotiations they try to make!”

“Yes!”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“The elf king has been captured??”

Johan was shocked when he heard the news while marching. They had been moving somewhat slower than the others, but they had been fighting in the north.

‘𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥?’

With less than a tenth of the enemy’s forces, it seemed better to simply retreat, but he couldn’t understand why they had done otherwise.

“It was a truly honorable act.”

“Indeed!”

However, some of the knights seemed very impressed by the act. They were moved by the bravery of the elves, who had faced the enemy valiantly without any thought of defeat, despite being outnumbered.

Johan gave them a slightly pitying look before turning his gaze away.

“It’s going to cost a lot of money to pay the ransom and get them released. . .”

“Don’t the elves have a lot of money?”

“Even if they do, they don’t carry money with them when they go on a long expedition. Besides, the king has been captured.”

Johan frowned as he answered Iselia’s question.

“I guess I’ll have to ask the other nobles for help. . .”

“. . .My dear. Surely you’re not thinking of not paying?”

“I do plan to pay. But if I’m the only one who pays, it’ll be a problem.”

As a great noble who had participated in the expedition, he didn’t mind paying a reasonable amount of the ransom. He wasn’t short of money.

However, if only nobles like Johan or Ulrike paid, it would be very difficult to bear. If it were the elf king, he would have dismissed them with contempt, saying ‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘴’, but Johan was not the kind of person to let it go.

“I’ll have to get the feudal lords to pay in advance, just in case.”

“Would you really go that far?”

“As you can see from their request this time, they’re the kind of people who will go back on their word whenever it’s convenient for them.”

As the Sultan’s army approached, the feudal lords had sent desperate letters of apology. Compared to the letters they had sent before, saying ‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥?!’, it was almost comical.

I was wrong, my vassal acted rashly and I punished him, so please join forces with us and fight against those pagans, or else Your Highness will be in trouble too, and so on.

The people who were listening to how long and earnest the letters were couldn’t help but laugh.

“Your Highness is right. We should definitely get the money upfront.”

“. . . . . .”

Lumahr was taken aback when the mercenaries chimed in. What was even more surprising was that the duke didn’t seem particularly offended. This showed how close they were.

“Sir Lumahr. So you’re saying there’s no chance the Sultan’s army will simply turn back?”

“Considering the Sultan’s personality. . . I don’t think it will be easy.”

Half of the grand two-pronged offensive had been wiped out, and he was not the kind of person who would simply retreat. In order to restore his lost honor, he would need to accomplish something significant.

“I thought he might retreat if he didn’t make any progress in conquering the castle, but that’s too bad.”

“He’ll use whatever means he has to, so he won’t do that.”

While they were talking, the advance party led by Johan arrived in front of Kderas Castle.

It was one of the castles on the way up, and it was ruled by the castellan himself.

“Come in. Your Highness! We’ve been waiting!”

“No. Tell the castellan to come out.”

“. . . . . .?”

“I’ll wait here until the castellan comes out.”

Johan stopped moving and stood still. The chamberlain panicked at the unexpected reaction and looked around.

“What are you doing! Hurry up and tell the castellan! Do you dare take His Highness’s words lightly!”

“N-No!”

The subordinates booed and cheered from behind. Johan waited expressionlessly. He didn’t particularly enjoy humiliating people, but what he was doing now was necessary.

To show the feudal lords in the area who was above and who was below!

The castellan, who must have been thinking about how to deal with Johan inside the castle by now, must be panicking and agonizing.