How to Live as a Genius Knight in a Fantasy World

23.

“So, are you saying this came out of the troll’s body?”

The viscount’s expression changed as he looked at the beads the two knights brought.

“I… have never seen anything like this before.”

“We are also clueless about what it could be. It doesn’t seem to emit any magic or other energy…”

“For now, keep it. We’ll have to ask a mage about it when we reach Arden.”

“Understood.”

The viscount, dismissing the knights, sank into thought.

Though the Talun Mountains were known to be dangerous, it was certainly not a place of magic, so the sudden appearance of four large creatures was undoubtedly strange.

While trolls were not averse to congregating with other large creatures, they typically formed a family unit with a pair of adults and their young, not gathering in groups of four like this.

‘Of course, it could just be my lack of knowledge.’

Even so, he felt it was something worth investigating.

After organizing his thoughts, the viscount rallied his companions.

The cleanup of the troll corpses was almost complete, and the soldiers were resting on the ground.

The bodies of the fallen soldiers had been properly taken care of and buried by their comrades.

After a brief rest, the order to depart was given once again.

Since no one wanted to linger where they had encountered the trolls, there were no complaints.

Everyone seemed eager to escape the mountains as soon as possible.

Fortunately, after encountering the trolls, only weak monsters like goblins appeared sporadically, and no significant incidents occurred.

Having spent another night in the mountains, the group safely reached the capital after passing through several villages.

The soldiers, seeing the massive fortress of Eisel, were left speechless.

The metropolis with a population exceeding one million created a breathtaking scene in itself.

Even Rohan, who had tasted the waters of the 21st century, was slightly taken aback, partly due to having lived in the countryside for so long, but it was also a realization of, ‘Even in such a backward environment, a million people can gather to live together.’

Having experienced the backward environment of Eisel for some time, Rohan had thought the capital wouldn’t be much different, leading to such a reaction.

However, amidst the crowds gathering for the founding ceremony, the environment of the capital he squeezed into was not as bad as he had expected.

Of course, it couldn’t be compared to the modern world, but what surprised Rohan the most was the presence of proper sanitation facilities, including toilets.

He couldn’t remember how shocked he was to see water coming out when he turned the tap in the inn.

Though the toilets didn’t have the modern mechanism of flushing with just one lever, the fact that they existed at all was something to be grateful for.

Eisel, as well as the other cities he had visited so far, clearly had less filth on the streets, all thanks to the presence of toilets.

The Marquis, Sophia, and the knights stayed separately at a luxurious inn for nobles, while Rohan booked a room at an inn targeting commoners along with the soldiers.

After unpacking in the room where they would spend the next few days, Rohan entered a restaurant that also served as a bar to have dinner with the soldiers.

“Phew… Feels like I can finally live a bit now!”

In a tavern filled with people, Rohan drank beer with other soldiers, including Argen.

Rohan was fifteen years old.

In Korea, it would be an age where one shouldn’t even smell alcohol, but here, the treatment was completely different.

Not only was the age of adulthood recognized young, but due to the culture being very lenient towards alcohol, it seemed strange for Rohan’s age not to drink.

Thinking of it as one of the few advantages in this world, Rohan vigorously drank the beer that seemed carefully chosen to keep cool.

“By the way, can I call you by name now? Shouldn’t I use honorifics?”

Argen, who was chewing on pig intestines, blood, meat, and vegetables, suddenly asked, the fact that the veteran soldier Argen asked such a question showed how ambiguous Rohan’s position was at the moment.

Although he was the Lord’s disciple, he was neither a knight nor a noble.

In terms of status, he was just a commoner.

But that didn’t mean he was the same as the other soldiers if asked, it was another matter.

Literally an extremely ambiguous situation.

Of course, as time passed, as everyone suspected, if Rohan demanded it, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to receive the treatment of a superior.

But Rohan himself didn’t want that.

Rather, Rohan wanted people around him to treat him comfortably as before.

“No need for formalities. Unless I become a knight, I’m just a commoner for now.”

Rohan’s refusal, even waving his hands, made the soldiers burst into laughter.

It was amusing to see such a sincere gesture being taken so seriously.

“By the way, what are we supposed to do from now on?”

In response to the question from the side, Argen, who had once accompanied the Marquis to the capital, replied bluntly.

“Just do what you have to do. Follow the Lord or the Lady when called upon, or just wander around the capital.”

As they were brought as escorts on the way to the capital, once they arrived, there was nothing specific to do, so in fact, the soldiers could enjoy their free time.

The soldiers cheered at Argen’s answer.

It felt like all the hardships they endured to get to the capital were washed away in an instant.

“Ah, I can rest for a few days.”

“I want to drink as much as I want. My wife nags too much when I’m at home.”

“I’m going to fetch some water, anyone coming with me?”

“I need to buy some clothes for my daughter. I wonder how much I’ll be ripped off…”

The soldiers, each speaking of what was on their minds, seemed truly happy.

‘By the way, what should I do?’

Unlike the other soldiers, Rohan didn’t particularly want to do anything.

Just sightseeing in a city similar to the medieval era on Earth was somewhat interesting, but Rohan had no family to buy gifts for, didn’t particularly enjoy alcohol to the point of being drunk every day, and didn’t want to roll around with prostitutes whose hygiene status was questionable.

Of course, even though it was a story of a past life, the reason Rohan restrained his boiling s*xual desire, despite having embraced a woman before, was one.

‘If I contract a s*xually transmitted disease, it’s the end of my life.’

Condoms were not even a concept, and in a world where most prostitutes didn’t even wash their private parts properly, let alone AIDS, if one were to contract syphilis, it was the end of a man’s life.

It literally meant reaching the point of having to cut off the genitals.

Even if one were to receive salvation through priests or wizards, it would require one’s entire fortune and even debts to be incurred for treatment to be possible.

The medicine here, where even antibiotics are absent, was simply not credible no matter how one thought about it.

“On the first day, let’s just tour the castle, and from the second day onwards, we should engage in skilled work.”

Tomorrow’s affairs could wait until tomorrow; for now, he just wanted to rest without a care in the world.

After consuming alcohol, snacks, and beverages in a daze, he threw himself onto the bed in his room.

Although it was a rough mattress made of straw, today it provided an exceptionally comfortable bed.

Exhausted from the long journey, Rohan lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

The next day.

Rohan, waking up a bit late for morning, finished a simple wash-up before heading downstairs to the first floor.

Several soldiers, who like Rohan also welcomed the late morning, were gathered, having their meal.

After exchanging brief greetings, he ordered his breakfast.

Though it consisted of slightly tough bread, two fried eggs, and two slices of bacon, it was sufficient to fill his hunger.

With a satisfied expression on his face after filling his stomach, Rohan set out onto the streets.

Having received a hefty reward for capturing the troll, Rohan’s pockets were in a very healthy state.

Instead of rights to leather, a sum greater than that had been provided as compensation.

There wasn’t anything particularly he wanted to buy, but the freedom to purchase something whenever he wished brought its own joy.

Whether due to the influence of the founding festival or if it was always like this, the streets were bustling with people, brimming with energy.

“Indeed, the capital is quite different.”

It was a role he hadn’t played in a long time, feeling such congestion.

A long time ago, he had traveled to Europe.

Starting from Rome, passing through Switzerland, and heading to Paris, he had thought about how many people must have lived in these ruins while looking at the castles that remained as historical sites.

Of course, the castles he had seen back then were in a completely different world, but seeing them filled with people, they seemed to exude more vitality than the concrete apartments.

Wandering around the castle as if on a sightseeing tour, Rohan spotted many interesting sights.

From vendors selling pretty but seemingly useless items to wizards wearing large hats and robes that he had only seen in games, and even people fighting duels in the middle of the street for reasons unknown.

He felt like various human characters were enjoying their own festivals.

After strolling the streets for a while, Rohan’s eyes caught sight of familiar figures, now somewhat accustomed.

Lady Sophia, maidens, and maids seemed to be enjoying the festival.

Although it made him happy to see them, the situation didn’t seem suitable for pretending to be familiar.

“Hey, isn’t it too much to not even speak to someone from the same noble family?”

“Didn’t the lady say she dislikes them!”

“What does a countryside knight have to meddle in!”

“Don’t insult Lady Sophia! There’s nothing to discuss with you!”

Just by overhearing the conversation, he could tell what kind of situation it was.

Sophia’s appearance was so striking that trouble seemed to follow her naturally.

Seeing the appearance of a man on either side of the knight, it was easy to understand why Sophia looked disgusted.

“Do they have no shame?”

Although she had a plump figure and a face buried in fat, at a glance, she seemed to be well over thirty.

Sophia was now fifteen, so even generously assuming thirty, there was a whopping fifteen-year age difference.

In the world of nobles, this was by no means a small gap.

“Ugh, disgusting…”

Unintentionally, Rohan’s true feelings spilled out.

In an ordinary gathering of people, it would have been a harmless remark.

However, knights were far from ordinary people.

The gazes of the three knights, including Lou, immediately turned towards Rohan.

“Rohan!”

“You! What did you just mutter?”

Momentarily taken aback by the sudden attention, Rohan swiftly turned his head.

‘I might not have reached the rank of a knight yet, but my skill proficiency has improved significantly, and I have formidable abilities. With Lou by my side, there’s no need to run away without reason.’

Since he wasn’t even a knight yet, he wouldn’t be able to demand a duel first. As long as he didn’t take excessive risks, he felt there was no fear of death.

Facing the opponent knight who was getting agitated, Rohan casually replied with a smile, “Oh, suddenly feeling nauseous. hahahaha. Maybe ate something wrong?”

In response to Rohan’s flippant attitude, the opponent seemed to get even more irritated, reaching for the hilt of his sword.

“Is that so? Then I’ll have to check it out myself.”

Perhaps thinking Rohan would be scared and retreat, he adopted a threatening posture.

But if he didn’t start it in the first place, there was no reason to back down now.

“Sir Knight? Here?”

Seeing Rohan dismissively sniff as if the words were absurd, the knight, unable to tolerate it any longer, roughly drew his sword.

“What are you doing? Drawing your sword without challenging from the king?”

Lou, who was observing from the side, seemed to have been waiting for this, as he sharply rebuked the opponent.

‘As expected, he always has a use.’

Even though he was a novice knight almost being schooled, who would have known he could be so useful.

The opponent’s face showed a moment of realization at Lou’s comment.

Despite trembling with anger, the opponent couldn’t bring himself to strike Rohan or sheathe his sword.

“Why draw a sword you can’t even wield?”

Continuing Rohan’s provocation, the opponent, finally losing his temper, rushed forward with determination to decisively kill Rohan, a faint blue light shimmering on his blade.

But Rohan had no intention of simply taking it lying down.

Rather, he was waiting for the moment when the opponent would be off balance, attacking rashly in response to provocation.

Underestimating Rohan’s skills and being conscious of Lou, even a knight would inevitably leave openings in such a hasty attack.

‘The Warrior King’s Strike is unnecessary.’

The opponent’s sword lacked force, and with both feet firmly planted on the ground, just lifting the aura was enough to pull the opponent off balance.

Bang!

The sound of the clash reverberated through the courtyard.