Chapter 360: 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 (4)

How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Thereafter, Johan continued to drop by to talk nonsense.

Usually, even bards are reluctant to use outdated fables, tales, and proverbs, so much so that Ulrike wondered what was wrong with the duke.

‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘐𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢-𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮?’

Since the stories all dealt with themes like forgiveness, reconciliation, and spouses, she couldn’t help but notice. Ulrike suspected that the duke was troubled with a marital problem.

Ulrike herself wasn’t particularly concerned with whom her partner slept with, but the duke may have been different. Weren’t knights of old always causing trouble with their hot-bloodedness?

. . .Although the duke didn’t seem like the type, love was a disease after all. Ulrike recalled the sight of the staunch Countess Abner, whose judgment had been clouded by love.

“Bluea-nim.”

“?”

“. . .Nevermind.”

Ulrike had wanted to ask Iselia discreetly, but gave up. No matter how she thought about it, the elven knight before her eyes didn’t seem like the type to commit adultery.

In the first place, she spent most of the day with Johan, so she didn’t even have the time to fool around. After seeing her handle nothing but blades all day yesterday, Ulrike’s prejudice against elven knights only grew stronger.

‘𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵. . . 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦?’

Ulrike tried to change her way of thinking.

What if it wasn’t her, but someone else?

As you know, Johan was quite close with the people of the republic. Feudal lords of the empire disliked nobles (or rather, self-proclaimed nobles) from the republic, but the duke was on rather friendly terms with them.

As such, he would’ve heard news from the empire to some extent.

What if Ulrike’s spouse, Caccia of the Jarpen family, was committing adultery?

‘. . .𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦.’

Ulrike honestly didn’t care.

Of course, it would be a bit nasty of them to enjoy themselves while their spouse was on an expedition all the way to the distant Holy Land, but hadn’t they gotten married with that in mind from the start?

“Yes. Duke. You’re right. Revenge is bad.”

“Yes. There’s no need to swing your sword at your spouse.”

“Sometimes, leniency is also. . .”

Therefore, Ulrike spoke to Johan in agreement whenever he brought it up. To be honest, she didn’t think that way at all, but she could do that much if it put the duke’s mind at ease.

And it was also a little funny to see Johan being surprised. . .

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“It seems Ulrike-gong’s anger has subsided somewhat.”

Johan said with a bright expression. However, Suetlg shook his head repeatedly.

“How could it subside so quickly?”

“You’re right. . . Wrath is like a spark. Even if the brazier has cooled down, the spark remains.”

‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱.’

Johan was a little annoyed by Suetlg and Caenerna’s reactions. In Johan’s eyes, Ulrike seemed to have let go of her anger and forgiven her spouse, but the two of them insisted that she hadn’t.

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Continue talking to her to calm her anger. . . The best way would be to talk about spouses and have them prepare in advance. Running away for a while might also be a good idea.”

At Suetlg’s words, Caenerna clapped her hands as if it were a good idea. When caught cheating, putting some distance between them did indeed work effectively. Wouldn’t the anger subside and thoughts become more organized if they weren’t in each other’s sight?

“Yes. I understand. I’ll contact Lady Jarpen and have her go to another castle for a while.”

“You’ve worked hard. On this occasion, you’ve also learned how dangerous love can be.”

“It’s Your Highness’s turn to learn.”

“. . .”

Johan was speechless at the sight of the two wizards nodding their heads.

It was absurd for Caenerna to act as if she knew even though she had only heard about the incidents at the emperor’s court, while Suetlg might be an exception.

In that case, Johan had heard and seen more than Caenerna.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵. . .’

Wizards were rather cowardly, and whenever they were at a disadvantage, they would argue, ’𝘞𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵’. Caenerna would definitely respond by saying, ‘𝘞𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥’.

“Your Highness! Mermaids have come out and are pushing the ship!”

The captain came out and shouted in an excited voice. The sailors were already sending awestruck glances.

No matter how big the ship was, no matter how many experienced sailors were on board, the fear of a long voyage never disappeared. Humans were insignificant beings in the face of nature.

Therefore, it was only natural for sailors to be fascinated by superstition.

It was truly symbolic for mysterious beings like mermaids to come and push the ship. Even sailors who had sailed quite a lot had never experienced something like this.

“The mermaids are pushing the ship for Your Highness!”

“Long live Your Highness! Blessings for a sacred voyage!!”

The sailors were already rejoicing as if they had arrived at the port. Of course, Johan, who knew the inside story, showed a different reaction.

‘𝘏𝘮𝘮. 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. . .’

There was a reason why the mermaids had come out and were desperately pushing the ship, causing waves.

Because they hadn’t done their job properly last time.

Since the mermaids arrived after the naval battle had already ended, all they did was listen to the duke’s scolding. They ended up having to make up for it with their bodies.

“Oh my! Mermaids!”

Suetlg walked towards the ship’s bow with sparkling eyes. It was a boyish look, unlike the one he usually showed.

Suetlg had been unlucky and had never met a mermaid, even though he had had the chance to see them during the expedition.

He was grateful for this encounter on his way back after the expedition was over.

“. . .”

Suetlg made a subtle expression. The subordinates next to him asked in an expectant voice.

“How is it? Wizard? Do you like them?”

“. . .The wonders of nature are truly beautiful.”

“Are mermaids beautiful? I don’t think so.”

“You fool. I’m sure you see something different from us wizards.”

Suetlg looked up at the sea with a look of longing. Maybe it would’ve been better if he hadn’t seen them.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Mermaids didn’t just have the ability to push ships and cause waves.

They were beings similar to water spirits. Mermaids could predict events in the sea through various revelations.

“If we take the current course, we’ll encounter a storm, so we’ll have to go around.”

“I shouldn’t be the one saying this, but. . . can we really trust the mermaids?”

Johan was rather taken aback when the experienced sailors accepted it without any doubt. The captains burst out laughing heartily.

“Your Highness! Didn’t the mermaids tell us? Would the mermaids ever be wrong?”

‘𝘏𝘮𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. . .’

The mermaids did possess greater abilities than the captains. However, they weren’t as sacred and great as the captains thought.

They could make mistakes too.

“Yes. Even if there’s trouble, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.”

“Don’t worry. Your Highness. Since the mermaids have shown us the way, there will be no problems with the voyage.”

A few days after saying so, a storm approached from beyond the horizon, along with dark clouds.

“. . .”

“. . .”

The mermaids, looking flustered, couldn’t open their mouths and just looked at each other.

━𝐖-𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬!

“Of course. . . We just didn’t notice a storm coming this way.”

━. . . . . .

The mermaids couldn’t say anything even if they had ten mouths.

Actually, if they wanted to make excuses, they could say, ’𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢.’

Who could’ve predicted that a storm would suddenly strike a course that was considered safe?

However, the mermaids simply kept their mouths shut and looked apologetic. They were afraid that if they opened their mouths, the duke’s spear would fly towards them.

━𝐖𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩. 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐠.

“Don’t make it sound like you’re doing us a favor when it’s only natural.”

━𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭. . .

Fortunately, the sailors were very optimistic. Even though they had encountered a storm, they weren’t afraid at all.

“I can only imagine how bad the storm would’ve been if we had taken the path the mermaids showed us.”

“That’s right. We owe them our lives!”

The sailors were convinced that everything would be fine even though a storm was approaching right in front of them, showing how much they believed in superstition. Johan shook his head repeatedly.

“Centaurs, go downstairs.”

“We’ve already gone downstairs.”

“Good. Don’t make fun of them later.”

As soon as they finished preparing, the storm hit the fleet. Getting tossed and turned around, Johan wished he was fighting the sultan’s army again.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“We overcame it magnificently!”

“Didn’t we go off course a bit?”

“Isn’t this also a revelation from God?”

“. . .”

Originally, they should’ve arrived at Johan’s fiefdom, the Coolia fiefdom, a transportation hub located at the end of the peninsula.

However, due to Johan’s fleet, which had set off first, getting caught in a storm, it was pushed all the way northwest and ended up arriving at a port in the elven king’s country.

He could see people from the port running away in terror and then returning after seeing the fleet’s flag.

“The storm has passed, so the rear troops that set off later will arrive safely in Coolia. It’s thanks to the mermaids. What did Your Highness talk about with the mermaids?”

“I thanked them for helping us.”

“Really. . . Do you think the mermaids were touched by Your Highness’s mercy?”

Of course, Johan had cursed at the mermaids and returned, but he hid the truth from the captains.

Ulrike, whose seasickness hadn’t completely gone away, said, staggering.

“This is closer to the empire. . .”

If they went a little further north, they could bypass the huge Dwarf Mountains and set foot on the empire’s fiefdom. It wasn’t that unfamiliar to Johan either. He had come down this way.

Those on board weren’t disappointed either. It was even more so because it wasn’t a faraway place and it was somewhere they were familiar with.

And there was someone who was delighted.

“Call the feudal lord. Tell him Angoldolph has returned! We have great men here who have completed an honorable expedition! Use everything in this city in their honor, in my name!”

The elven king was very, very delighted. He wanted to treat them anyway, and he took the opportunity thanks to the fleet arriving at the kingdom’s port.

Johan, who was listening from the side, was puzzled.

‘𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘥𝘰𝘮?’

The elven king must be overjoyed, but the feudal lord must feel like he’s been struck by lightning out of the blue. . .

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

However, the feudal lord of the port didn’t seem to dislike it as much as he thought.

Johan initially thought it was because he was scared. Even if Johan, the elven king, and Ulrike had only brought a fraction of their troops, they were the best of the best. If they wanted, they could’ve turned the port upside down.

If it was like that, he figured they could endure it with a smile even if the feudal lord made absurd demands.

However, as he talked to him, he could feel that the feudal lord was truly treating them. Johan said, not understanding.

“Do you think we’ll share some of the treasures we brought with us?”

No matter how well he was treated, Johan wasn’t generous enough to just give away the treasures he had brought from the East.

Of course, the elven king would give a necklace or bracelet without hesitation if he was delighted, but that was the elven king’s business. . .

Suetlg took a sip of water and looked at Johan as if he was ridiculous.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Of course they’d show respect after such an expedition. I would’ve done the same.”

It was an era where the more devout and thorough one’s faith, the more respect one received. People tried to prove their faith in various ways, and the best way was pilgrimage.

In that regard, this expedition was close to perfect. They saved and protected pilgrims going to the Holy Land, reclaimed the Holy Land, and defeated the pagans.

The nobles of the empire and the kingdom, who had only heard rumors, were showing respect beyond admiration.

“Oh. . .”

Johan found it plausible and handed his empty glass to the attendant. Instead of taking the glass away, the attendant carefully wrapped it in cloth and put it in his arms.

“. . .”

,

Thereafter, Johan continued to drop by to talk nonsense.

Usually, even bards are reluctant to use outdated fables, tales, and proverbs, so much so that Ulrike wondered what was wrong with the duke.

‘𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘐𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢-𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮?’

Since the stories all dealt with themes like forgiveness, reconciliation, and spouses, she couldn’t help but notice. Ulrike suspected that the duke was troubled with a marital problem.

Ulrike herself wasn’t particularly concerned with whom her partner slept with, but the duke may have been different. Weren’t knights of old always causing trouble with their hot-bloodedness?

. . .Although the duke didn’t seem like the type, love was a disease after all. Ulrike recalled the sight of the staunch Countess Abner, whose judgment had been clouded by love.

“Bluea-nim.”

“?”

“. . .Nevermind.”

Ulrike had wanted to ask Iselia discreetly, but gave up. No matter how she thought about it, the elven knight before her eyes didn’t seem like the type to commit adultery.

In the first place, she spent most of the day with Johan, so she didn’t even have the time to fool around. After seeing her handle nothing but blades all day yesterday, Ulrike’s prejudice against elven knights only grew stronger.

‘𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵. . . 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦?’

Ulrike tried to change her way of thinking.

What if it wasn’t her, but someone else?

As you know, Johan was quite close with the people of the republic. Feudal lords of the empire disliked nobles (or rather, self-proclaimed nobles) from the republic, but the duke was on rather friendly terms with them.

As such, he would’ve heard news from the empire to some extent.

What if Ulrike’s spouse, Caccia of the Jarpen family, was committing adultery?

‘. . .𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦.’

Ulrike honestly didn’t care.

Of course, it would be a bit nasty of them to enjoy themselves while their spouse was on an expedition all the way to the distant Holy Land, but hadn’t they gotten married with that in mind from the start?

“Yes. Duke. You’re right. Revenge is bad.”

“Yes. There’s no need to swing your sword at your spouse.”

“Sometimes, leniency is also. . .”

Therefore, Ulrike spoke to Johan in agreement whenever he brought it up. To be honest, she didn’t think that way at all, but she could do that much if it put the duke’s mind at ease.

And it was also a little funny to see Johan being surprised. . .

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“It seems Ulrike-gong’s anger has subsided somewhat.”

Johan said with a bright expression. However, Suetlg shook his head repeatedly.

“How could it subside so quickly?”

“You’re right. . . Wrath is like a spark. Even if the brazier has cooled down, the spark remains.”

‘𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱.’

Johan was a little annoyed by Suetlg and Caenerna’s reactions. In Johan’s eyes, Ulrike seemed to have let go of her anger and forgiven her spouse, but the two of them insisted that she hadn’t.

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Continue talking to her to calm her anger. . . The best way would be to talk about spouses and have them prepare in advance. Running away for a while might also be a good idea.”

At Suetlg’s words, Caenerna clapped her hands as if it were a good idea. When caught cheating, putting some distance between them did indeed work effectively. Wouldn’t the anger subside and thoughts become more organized if they weren’t in each other’s sight?

“Yes. I understand. I’ll contact Lady Jarpen and have her go to another castle for a while.”

“You’ve worked hard. On this occasion, you’ve also learned how dangerous love can be.”

“It’s Your Highness’s turn to learn.”

“. . .”

Johan was speechless at the sight of the two wizards nodding their heads.

It was absurd for Caenerna to act as if she knew even though she had only heard about the incidents at the emperor’s court, while Suetlg might be an exception.

In that case, Johan had heard and seen more than Caenerna.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵. . .’

Wizards were rather cowardly, and whenever they were at a disadvantage, they would argue, ’𝘞𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵’. Caenerna would definitely respond by saying, ‘𝘞𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥’.

“Your Highness! Mermaids have come out and are pushing the ship!”

The captain came out and shouted in an excited voice. The sailors were already sending awestruck glances.

No matter how big the ship was, no matter how many experienced sailors were on board, the fear of a long voyage never disappeared. Humans were insignificant beings in the face of nature.

Therefore, it was only natural for sailors to be fascinated by superstition.

It was truly symbolic for mysterious beings like mermaids to come and push the ship. Even sailors who had sailed quite a lot had never experienced something like this.

“The mermaids are pushing the ship for Your Highness!”

“Long live Your Highness! Blessings for a sacred voyage!!”

The sailors were already rejoicing as if they had arrived at the port. Of course, Johan, who knew the inside story, showed a different reaction.

‘𝘏𝘮𝘮. 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. . .’

There was a reason why the mermaids had come out and were desperately pushing the ship, causing waves.

Because they hadn’t done their job properly last time.

Since the mermaids arrived after the naval battle had already ended, all they did was listen to the duke’s scolding. They ended up having to make up for it with their bodies.

“Oh my! Mermaids!”

Suetlg walked towards the ship’s bow with sparkling eyes. It was a boyish look, unlike the one he usually showed.

Suetlg had been unlucky and had never met a mermaid, even though he had had the chance to see them during the expedition.

He was grateful for this encounter on his way back after the expedition was over.

“. . .”

Suetlg made a subtle expression. The subordinates next to him asked in an expectant voice.

“How is it? Wizard? Do you like them?”

“. . .The wonders of nature are truly beautiful.”

“Are mermaids beautiful? I don’t think so.”

“You fool. I’m sure you see something different from us wizards.”

Suetlg looked up at the sea with a look of longing. Maybe it would’ve been better if he hadn’t seen them.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Mermaids didn’t just have the ability to push ships and cause waves.

They were beings similar to water spirits. Mermaids could predict events in the sea through various revelations.

“If we take the current course, we’ll encounter a storm, so we’ll have to go around.”

“I shouldn’t be the one saying this, but. . . can we really trust the mermaids?”

Johan was rather taken aback when the experienced sailors accepted it without any doubt. The captains burst out laughing heartily.

“Your Highness! Didn’t the mermaids tell us? Would the mermaids ever be wrong?”

‘𝘏𝘮𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦. . .’

The mermaids did possess greater abilities than the captains. However, they weren’t as sacred and great as the captains thought.

They could make mistakes too.

“Yes. Even if there’s trouble, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it.”

“Don’t worry. Your Highness. Since the mermaids have shown us the way, there will be no problems with the voyage.”

A few days after saying so, a storm approached from beyond the horizon, along with dark clouds.

“. . .”

“. . .”

The mermaids, looking flustered, couldn’t open their mouths and just looked at each other.

━𝐖-𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝’𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬!

“Of course. . . We just didn’t notice a storm coming this way.”

━. . . . . .

The mermaids couldn’t say anything even if they had ten mouths.

Actually, if they wanted to make excuses, they could say, ’𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢.’

Who could’ve predicted that a storm would suddenly strike a course that was considered safe?

However, the mermaids simply kept their mouths shut and looked apologetic. They were afraid that if they opened their mouths, the duke’s spear would fly towards them.

━𝐖𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩. 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐠.

“Don’t make it sound like you’re doing us a favor when it’s only natural.”

━𝐆𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭. . .

Fortunately, the sailors were very optimistic. Even though they had encountered a storm, they weren’t afraid at all.

“I can only imagine how bad the storm would’ve been if we had taken the path the mermaids showed us.”

“That’s right. We owe them our lives!”

The sailors were convinced that everything would be fine even though a storm was approaching right in front of them, showing how much they believed in superstition. Johan shook his head repeatedly.

“Centaurs, go downstairs.”

“We’ve already gone downstairs.”

“Good. Don’t make fun of them later.”

As soon as they finished preparing, the storm hit the fleet. Getting tossed and turned around, Johan wished he was fighting the sultan’s army again.

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

“We overcame it magnificently!”

“Didn’t we go off course a bit?”

“Isn’t this also a revelation from God?”

“. . .”

Originally, they should’ve arrived at Johan’s fiefdom, the Coolia fiefdom, a transportation hub located at the end of the peninsula.

However, due to Johan’s fleet, which had set off first, getting caught in a storm, it was pushed all the way northwest and ended up arriving at a port in the elven king’s country.

He could see people from the port running away in terror and then returning after seeing the fleet’s flag.

“The storm has passed, so the rear troops that set off later will arrive safely in Coolia. It’s thanks to the mermaids. What did Your Highness talk about with the mermaids?”

“I thanked them for helping us.”

“Really. . . Do you think the mermaids were touched by Your Highness’s mercy?”

Of course, Johan had cursed at the mermaids and returned, but he hid the truth from the captains.

Ulrike, whose seasickness hadn’t completely gone away, said, staggering.

“This is closer to the empire. . .”

If they went a little further north, they could bypass the huge Dwarf Mountains and set foot on the empire’s fiefdom. It wasn’t that unfamiliar to Johan either. He had come down this way.

Those on board weren’t disappointed either. It was even more so because it wasn’t a faraway place and it was somewhere they were familiar with.

And there was someone who was delighted.

“Call the feudal lord. Tell him Angoldolph has returned! We have great men here who have completed an honorable expedition! Use everything in this city in their honor, in my name!”

The elven king was very, very delighted. He wanted to treat them anyway, and he took the opportunity thanks to the fleet arriving at the kingdom’s port.

Johan, who was listening from the side, was puzzled.

‘𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘥𝘰𝘮?’

The elven king must be overjoyed, but the feudal lord must feel like he’s been struck by lightning out of the blue. . .

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

However, the feudal lord of the port didn’t seem to dislike it as much as he thought.

Johan initially thought it was because he was scared. Even if Johan, the elven king, and Ulrike had only brought a fraction of their troops, they were the best of the best. If they wanted, they could’ve turned the port upside down.

If it was like that, he figured they could endure it with a smile even if the feudal lord made absurd demands.

However, as he talked to him, he could feel that the feudal lord was truly treating them. Johan said, not understanding.

“Do you think we’ll share some of the treasures we brought with us?”

No matter how well he was treated, Johan wasn’t generous enough to just give away the treasures he had brought from the East.

Of course, the elven king would give a necklace or bracelet without hesitation if he was delighted, but that was the elven king’s business. . .

Suetlg took a sip of water and looked at Johan as if he was ridiculous.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Of course they’d show respect after such an expedition. I would’ve done the same.”

It was an era where the more devout and thorough one’s faith, the more respect one received. People tried to prove their faith in various ways, and the best way was pilgrimage.

In that regard, this expedition was close to perfect. They saved and protected pilgrims going to the Holy Land, reclaimed the Holy Land, and defeated the pagans.

The nobles of the empire and the kingdom, who had only heard rumors, were showing respect beyond admiration.

“Oh. . .”

Johan found it plausible and handed his empty glass to the attendant. Instead of taking the glass away, the attendant carefully wrapped it in cloth and put it in his arms.

“. . .”