How to Live as a Wandering Knight

At first, he saw them arrive with a couple of mercenaries, and he was like, ’𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?’ But they literally just said, ‘𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘬𝘦’, greeted them, and left.

He thought maybe he had a weirdo on his hands, but then this kept happening, which started getting weird.

Could there be some evil plot here that Johan doesn’t know about?

“Maybe they just wanted to see His Highness the duke? He did just return from a crusade to the Holy Land.”

“You think mercenary captains are that free?”

If they were travelers or pilgrims, that’d be one thing, but mercenary captains don’t drop by to greet you after a crusade to the Holy Land. They have more things to do than that.

. . .But after that, mercenary captains kept coming to greet him. Johan, who was starting to lose patience, asked them directly.

“Why are you here?”

“Pardon?”

“I just wanted to. . . see His Highness the duke once?”

“Any other reason besides that?”

“There really isn’t. I. . . heard that His Highness the duke helped out mercenaries, and I was touched, so I came to see you. We may not be fighting alongside you, but there aren’t many out there who would show kindness to people like us.”

“. . . . . .”

Johan was getting embarrassed. His aides next to him looked at Johan as if to say, ’𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶?’

“Then, Your Highness the duke! May the blessings of the gods be upon you!”

The mercenary captain departed after showing the utmost etiquette a mercenary could show. Johan nodded and said.

“Yup. Looks like there’s no suspicious plot involved.”

“I think we told you so from the beginning, Duke.”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Caenerna was puzzled by the news that the duke was returning after leading his army.

“That was a lot quicker than I thought.”

Usually, rebellions didn’t end with one battle. It was rare for nobles who lost one battle to meekly surrender and say, ’𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.’

They flee, get chased, hide in their castles, resist, try to negotiate, and so on.

Considering nobles from other territories were involved this time, she thought it would take longer.

“The nobles and knights who were part of the rebellion and present at the scene were all captured. We even captured Count Oldor, who supported them, and made him pay a ransom.”

“That’s incredibly lucky. . . Was that count at the scene too? You were able to catch him?”

“No. The count was at his castle.”

“. . .???”

Caenerna was confused as she listened to the story. Something was off.

“Then how did you capture him? Did you go all the way to his fiefdom in the meantime?”

“Of course not. He came to us.”

“Oh. The count. . . . . .Why???”

“I don’t know either. Maybe he got scared or something.”

“What an idiot.”

Caenerna lowered her estimation of the count, whose face she barely knew. He was too clumsy for a feudal lord who ruled a vast territory.

He didn’t need to be as thorough as the duke, but the fact that he just came over like that. . . He wasn’t just stupid.

“Has His Highness the duke returned?”

Monastic paladins who participated in the expedition approached with happy faces. They were originally supposed to go back to their monasteries, but they stayed to accompany Johan while he was on his procession to the empire.

From Johan’s perspective, he was essentially getting free labor from high-level personnel, be they knights or otherwise, so he couldn’t be more grateful.

Caenerna straightened her posture and tidied up her clothes. It was fine when no one was watching, but she didn’t want to show excessive intimacy with the duke in front of the monastic or order bishop.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be surprising if rumors started spreading the next day that ’𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘬𝘦!’

‘𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.’

Of course, just as Caenerna thought, the monastic paladins thought the same of Caenerna. Very few wizards were liked by devout monotheists.

“Your Highness. I offer my congratulations on your safe return after suppressing the rebellion of those vile and vulgar men. I heard rumors that you helped the mercenaries? To even consider the hardships of those rough and greedy men. Your Highness the duke is truly a devout man.”

“Aren’t they unverified rumors? I can’t believe knights from a monastery would believe such rumors.”

Caenerna continued to speak politely but bluntly. The paladins frowned slightly at the wizard’s cynical remarks.

“We don’t necessarily believe those rumors.”

“That’s a relief. Wouldn’t it be awkward for His Highness the duke to receive praise for something he didn’t do?”

“Yes. We misspoke. We apologize, Your Highness. Those who serve God should not listen to rumors and should act piously.”

“. . . . . .”

Johan, who was listening from the side, was embarrassed that he missed his chance to say something.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳. . .’

But if he said that now, Caenerna wouldn’t be able to look the monastic paladins in the eye for a year. Johan decided to tell her about it later privately.

“It’s alright. You must think highly of me to say that.”

“Thank you for your understanding. Please send someone when you are ready to depart.”

The paladins bowed their heads and left. Caenerna smiled with satisfaction, having won one for a change. Johan whispered to Caenerna, so that only she could hear.

“He’s right. I did it.”

“. . .Are you joking, Your Highness the duke??”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The expeditionary force, which had been resting comfortably, began to stir and prepare to move as soon as the duke returned.

Countess Abner, Ulrike, and the elf king all agreed.

━𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡.

They argued that they should head north and apply pressure while the expeditionary force’s morale was at its highest.

Even during the emperor’s civil war, the north was a region that traditionally belonged to the emperor’s faction. If they harbored ill intentions or acted presumptuously, it was better to strike them down first.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵.’

Johan understood why the feudal lords were saying that. They received rewards after the civil war, but they hadn’t yet taken control of their castles. They clearly wanted to see the northern feudal lords bow their heads and surrender properly.

This was an issue of honor and pride, not just a matter of practicality.

. . .However, Johan didn’t really care that much. He didn’t have such burning hatred for the emperor himself in the first place, so how could he possibly harbor such a deadly grudge against the feudal lords who supported the emperor?

He thought that if they bowed their heads and didn’t cause any trouble after the civil war, he would just let bygones be bygones and get along with them. . .

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘣, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭.’

He couldn’t risk upsetting his allies by trying to gain too much. Johan decided to head north.

“Oh. Suetlg-nim. You look refreshed. Did you get some good rest?”

“Yes, thanks to you. My mind wasn’t at ease no matter how nice a place we found during the expedition. At the end of the day, the place that suits me best is the empire.”

Suetlg nodded with a healthier complexion.

Even while they were staying put, the expeditionary force was moving like a living creature. Soldiers were selling the treasures they had brought back to merchants who had come looking for them with their eyes wide open. Even the nobles nearby came looking for them, throwing away their pride, so the fervor was terrifying.

Johan didn’t just let that happen. In this situation, merchants were difficult opponents to deal with. There were countless mercenaries, and they could easily get scammed.

Johan called in the scribes and ordered them to help the mercenaries. The scribes mediated between them for a small fee. There were occasional raised voices, but overall, they ended up satisfied with each other.

“That’s too bad. I would have liked to see that.”

“Thanks to that, I was able to hire a few more bureaucrats. Oh, right. They said Jyanina-gong has arrived? That’s perfect. I’ve gotten some tutors for Jyanina-gong.”

“Oh. . .”

“They’re pretty good. They graduated from the empire’s university and have worked at a count’s castle before. Wouldn’t Jyanina-gong be pleased?”

“She would be very happy. I should tell her myself.”

“Yes. Jyanina-gong often expressed regret that she couldn’t participate in the discussions when she attended meetings, but now she won’t have to.”

“Yes. I’ll call her when she’s handling documents.”

“Really? Won’t she find that bothersome?”

“Would a wizard hate something like that? I’ll call her.”

After saying that, Johan thought she might hate it.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.’

Johan was the duke and Jyanina’s employer. And wouldn’t it be good for Jyanina to learn more?

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The north was a land of many cold and chilly places. Rumor had it that if you went all the way north, you would find seas and mountains where the ice never melted all year round.

“Must be because of the spirits.”

“It must be because of the spirits.”

“I wonder if it’s because the mountains are higher. . . Maybe?”

Caenerna wasn’t sure, so she didn’t argue strongly. The two wizards, on the other hand, strongly believed that the reason the snow on the mountains never melted was because of the spirits.

‘𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.’

Johan shook his head disapprovingly. It was a shame to see the person who was right get pushed aside. When he looked to the side, Ulrike was crossing her arms with a subtle expression on her face.

“What does Your Excellency think?”

“Hmm? Oh? What?”

“Why doesn’t the snow on the mountains melt?”

“Maybe it vowed not to melt because it felt deeply betrayed.”

“Oh. . . How poetic.”

Suetlg said that without thinking. Of course, by the time Ulrike looked up, Suetlg was already avoiding her gaze. He still held a grudge over the incident with the storybook.

“Did something happen?”

Ulrike hesitated before speaking. She seemed to think it was better to just let it out and forget about it than to keep it to herself.

“It’s nothing much. Remember what I told you last time? About the countess promising to give me a treasure?”

“Oh. I remember.”

Of course Johan remembered. The countess had asked him to find a treasure right away.

After returning, Johan met the countess and handed him the statue. The countess was very pleased with its extraordinary history and gave Johan a pouch of gold coins. Johan also left the room feeling very satisfied.

Everyone thought they were happy, but was Ulrike the only one who was unhappy?

“Did you not like the gift?”

“It wasn’t a bad gift, and it was valuable, but something just felt off. . . When she mentioned it back then, I thought that wasn’t she meant by treasure.”

‘𝘖𝘩. . .’

Johan was slightly impressed. And he anticipated. Was Ulrike finally going to solve the riddle the countess had given her?

“I think the countess used the original treasure to buy a gift for her new lover.”

“. . . . . .”

Johan was impressed in a different way. That was amazing deduction.

“Then she hastily prepared something to give me when I came up with an answer she couldn’t deny.”

“That’s. . . Quite a thought.”

“The more I talk about it, the more suspicious it gets. . . Look at this. Doesn’t it look a little fake? Do you think it really reflects light?”

“I don’t think so. Would she have picked something fake?”

“Oh, no. The countess is capable of that and more. If I question her later, she’ll say, ‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮?’”

Johan clicked his tongue inwardly. That was the countess’ karma.

However, it was true that he was a little anxious and nervous, as he was the one who had personally chosen and brought it back.

“But don’t you think the curves are elegant and well-made? It’s a decent item.”

“Hmm. . .”

Ulrike was lost in thought. When he said that, it did seem that way. Even Ulrike’s cool-headed rationality agreed with that.

However, no matter how good an item was, it felt different depending on who gave it to you. Now that she thought about it, she suddenly wanted to nitpick everything about it because she thought the countess had found it carelessly and given it to her as a way to get rid of it.

Was this something she hurriedly bought from one of the men who had joined the expedition?

“I think the eyes are a bit small.”

“Well. . . Don’t leopards have eyes like that?”

“The colors are too vivid.”

“That means it’s made of pure, unadulterated ore.”

“I just don’t like anything about it.”

Ulrike didn’t notice that Johan’s face was getting darker and darker as she kept grumbling.

Just then, Iselia, who had been scouting and riding her horse hard, returned. Iselia was delighted to see Ulrike holding the statue.

“That’s the treasure you brought! Did his highness deliver it to Gong properly? Was Gong satisfied?”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike looked back and forth between Iselia and Johan’s faces after hearing that.

And she realized the whole situation. Come to think of it, there weren’t many people the countess could trust with such a task.

“. . .I’m sorry.”

“No. . . .If you really didn’t like it, you can just give it back. It’s my fault for choosing the wrong one. . .”

“No! I really like it. . .!”

At first, he saw them arrive with a couple of mercenaries, and he was like, ’𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦?’ But they literally just said, ‘𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘬𝘦’, greeted them, and left.

He thought maybe he had a weirdo on his hands, but then this kept happening, which started getting weird.

Could there be some evil plot here that Johan doesn’t know about?

“Maybe they just wanted to see His Highness the duke? He did just return from a crusade to the Holy Land.”

“You think mercenary captains are that free?”

If they were travelers or pilgrims, that’d be one thing, but mercenary captains don’t drop by to greet you after a crusade to the Holy Land. They have more things to do than that.

. . .But after that, mercenary captains kept coming to greet him. Johan, who was starting to lose patience, asked them directly.

“Why are you here?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked why you came to see me. Be honest.”

“I just wanted to. . . see His Highness the duke once?”

“Any other reason besides that?”

“There really isn’t. I. . . heard that His Highness the duke helped out mercenaries, and I was touched, so I came to see you. We may not be fighting alongside you, but there aren’t many out there who would show kindness to people like us.”

“. . . . . .”

Johan was getting embarrassed. His aides next to him looked at Johan as if to say, ’𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶?’

“Then, Your Highness the duke! May the blessings of the gods be upon you!”

The mercenary captain departed after showing the utmost etiquette a mercenary could show. Johan nodded and said.

“Yup. Looks like there’s no suspicious plot involved.”

“I think we told you so from the beginning, Duke.”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Caenerna was puzzled by the news that the duke was returning after leading his army.

“That was a lot quicker than I thought.”

Usually, rebellions didn’t end with one battle. It was rare for nobles who lost one battle to meekly surrender and say, ’𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨.’

They flee, get chased, hide in their castles, resist, try to negotiate, and so on.

Considering nobles from other territories were involved this time, she thought it would take longer.

“The nobles and knights who were part of the rebellion and present at the scene were all captured. We even captured Count Oldor, who supported them, and made him pay a ransom.”

“That’s incredibly lucky. . . Was that count at the scene too? You were able to catch him?”

“No. The count was at his castle.”

“. . .???”

Caenerna was confused as she listened to the story. Something was off.

“Then how did you capture him? Did you go all the way to his fiefdom in the meantime?”

“Of course not. He came to us.”

“Oh. The count. . . . . .Why???”

“I don’t know either. Maybe he got scared or something.”

“What an idiot.”

Caenerna lowered her estimation of the count, whose face she barely knew. He was too clumsy for a feudal lord who ruled a vast territory.

He didn’t need to be as thorough as the duke, but the fact that he just came over like that. . . He wasn’t just stupid.

“Has His Highness the duke returned?”

Monastic paladins who participated in the expedition approached with happy faces. They were originally supposed to go back to their monasteries, but they stayed to accompany Johan while he was on his procession to the empire.

From Johan’s perspective, he was essentially getting free labor from high-level personnel, be they knights or otherwise, so he couldn’t be more grateful.

Caenerna straightened her posture and tidied up her clothes. It was fine when no one was watching, but she didn’t want to show excessive intimacy with the duke in front of the monastic or order bishop.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be surprising if rumors started spreading the next day that ’𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘬𝘦!’

‘𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.’

Of course, just as Caenerna thought, the monastic paladins thought the same of Caenerna. Very few wizards were liked by devout monotheists.

“Your Highness. I offer my congratulations on your safe return after suppressing the rebellion of those vile and vulgar men. I heard rumors that you helped the mercenaries? To even consider the hardships of those rough and greedy men. Your Highness the duke is truly a devout man.”

“Aren’t they unverified rumors? I can’t believe knights from a monastery would believe such rumors.”

Caenerna continued to speak politely but bluntly. The paladins frowned slightly at the wizard’s cynical remarks.

“We don’t necessarily believe those rumors.”

“That’s a relief. Wouldn’t it be awkward for His Highness the duke to receive praise for something he didn’t do?”

“Yes. We misspoke. We apologize, Your Highness. Those who serve God should not listen to rumors and should act piously.”

“. . . . . .”

Johan, who was listening from the side, was embarrassed that he missed his chance to say something.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘳. . .’

But if he said that now, Caenerna wouldn’t be able to look the monastic paladins in the eye for a year. Johan decided to tell her about it later privately.

“It’s alright. You must think highly of me to say that.”

“Thank you for your understanding. Please send someone when you are ready to depart.”

The paladins bowed their heads and left. Caenerna smiled with satisfaction, having won one for a change. Johan whispered to Caenerna, so that only she could hear.

“He’s right. I did it.”

“. . .Are you joking, Your Highness the duke??”

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The expeditionary force, which had been resting comfortably, began to stir and prepare to move as soon as the duke returned.

Countess Abner, Ulrike, and the elf king all agreed.

━𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡.

They argued that they should head north and apply pressure while the expeditionary force’s morale was at its highest.

Even during the emperor’s civil war, the north was a region that traditionally belonged to the emperor’s faction. If they harbored ill intentions or acted presumptuously, it was better to strike them down first.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵.’

Johan understood why the feudal lords were saying that. They received rewards after the civil war, but they hadn’t yet taken control of their castles. They clearly wanted to see the northern feudal lords bow their heads and surrender properly.

This was an issue of honor and pride, not just a matter of practicality.

. . .However, Johan didn’t really care that much. He didn’t have such burning hatred for the emperor himself in the first place, so how could he possibly harbor such a deadly grudge against the feudal lords who supported the emperor?

He thought that if they bowed their heads and didn’t cause any trouble after the civil war, he would just let bygones be bygones and get along with them. . .

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘫𝘰𝘣, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭.’

He couldn’t risk upsetting his allies by trying to gain too much. Johan decided to head north.

“Oh. Suetlg-nim. You look refreshed. Did you get some good rest?”

“Yes, thanks to you. My mind wasn’t at ease no matter how nice a place we found during the expedition. At the end of the day, the place that suits me best is the empire.”

Suetlg nodded with a healthier complexion.

Even while they were staying put, the expeditionary force was moving like a living creature. Soldiers were selling the treasures they had brought back to merchants who had come looking for them with their eyes wide open. Even the nobles nearby came looking for them, throwing away their pride, so the fervor was terrifying.

Johan didn’t just let that happen. In this situation, merchants were difficult opponents to deal with. There were countless mercenaries, and they could easily get scammed.

Johan called in the scribes and ordered them to help the mercenaries. The scribes mediated between them for a small fee. There were occasional raised voices, but overall, they ended up satisfied with each other.

“That’s too bad. I would have liked to see that.”

“Thanks to that, I was able to hire a few more bureaucrats. Oh, right. They said Jyanina-gong has arrived? That’s perfect. I’ve gotten some tutors for Jyanina-gong.”

“Oh. . .”

“They’re pretty good. They graduated from the empire’s university and have worked at a count’s castle before. Wouldn’t Jyanina-gong be pleased?”

“She would be very happy. I should tell her myself.”

“Yes. Jyanina-gong often expressed regret that she couldn’t participate in the discussions when she attended meetings, but now she won’t have to.”

“Yes. I’ll call her when she’s handling documents.”

“Really? Won’t she find that bothersome?”

“Would a wizard hate something like that? I’ll call her.”

After saying that, Johan thought she might hate it.

‘𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.’

Johan was the duke and Jyanina’s employer. And wouldn’t it be good for Jyanina to learn more?

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

The north was a land of many cold and chilly places. Rumor had it that if you went all the way north, you would find seas and mountains where the ice never melted all year round.

“Must be because of the spirits.”

“It must be because of the spirits.”

“I wonder if it’s because the mountains are higher. . . Maybe?”

Caenerna wasn’t sure, so she didn’t argue strongly. The two wizards, on the other hand, strongly believed that the reason the snow on the mountains never melted was because of the spirits.

‘𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.’

Johan shook his head disapprovingly. It was a shame to see the person who was right get pushed aside. When he looked to the side, Ulrike was crossing her arms with a subtle expression on her face.

“What does Your Excellency think?”

“Hmm? Oh? What?”

“Why doesn’t the snow on the mountains melt?”

“Maybe it vowed not to melt because it felt deeply betrayed.”

“Oh. . . How poetic.”

Suetlg said that without thinking. Of course, by the time Ulrike looked up, Suetlg was already avoiding her gaze. He still held a grudge over the incident with the storybook.

“Did something happen?”

Ulrike hesitated before speaking. She seemed to think it was better to just let it out and forget about it than to keep it to herself.

“It’s nothing much. Remember what I told you last time? About the countess promising to give me a treasure?”

“Oh. I remember.”

Of course Johan remembered. The countess had asked him to find a treasure right away.

After returning, Johan met the countess and handed him the statue. The countess was very pleased with its extraordinary history and gave Johan a pouch of gold coins. Johan also left the room feeling very satisfied.

Everyone thought they were happy, but was Ulrike the only one who was unhappy?

“Did you not like the gift?”

“It wasn’t a bad gift, and it was valuable, but something just felt off. . . When she mentioned it back then, I thought that wasn’t she meant by treasure.”

‘𝘖𝘩. . .’

Johan was slightly impressed. And he anticipated. Was Ulrike finally going to solve the riddle the countess had given her?

“I think the countess used the original treasure to buy a gift for her new lover.”

“. . . . . .”

Johan was impressed in a different way. That was amazing deduction.

“Then she hastily prepared something to give me when I came up with an answer she couldn’t deny.”

“That’s. . . Quite a thought.”

“The more I talk about it, the more suspicious it gets. . . Look at this. Doesn’t it look a little fake? Do you think it really reflects light?”

“I don’t think so. Would she have picked something fake?”

“Oh, no. The countess is capable of that and more. If I question her later, she’ll say, ‘𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮?’”

Johan clicked his tongue inwardly. That was the countess’ karma.

However, it was true that he was a little anxious and nervous, as he was the one who had personally chosen and brought it back.

“But don’t you think the curves are elegant and well-made? It’s a decent item.”

“Hmm. . .”

Ulrike was lost in thought. When he said that, it did seem that way. Even Ulrike’s cool-headed rationality agreed with that.

However, no matter how good an item was, it felt different depending on who gave it to you. Now that she thought about it, she suddenly wanted to nitpick everything about it because she thought the countess had found it carelessly and given it to her as a way to get rid of it.

Was this something she hurriedly bought from one of the men who had joined the expedition?

“I think the eyes are a bit small.”

“Well. . . Don’t leopards have eyes like that?”

“The colors are too vivid.”

“That means it’s made of pure, unadulterated ore.”

“I just don’t like anything about it.”

Ulrike didn’t notice that Johan’s face was getting darker and darker as she kept grumbling.

Just then, Iselia, who had been scouting and riding her horse hard, returned. Iselia was delighted to see Ulrike holding the statue.

“That’s the treasure you brought! Did his highness deliver it to Gong properly? Was Gong satisfied?”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike looked back and forth between Iselia and Johan’s faces after hearing that.

And she realized the whole situation. Come to think of it, there weren’t many people the countess could trust with such a task.

“. . .I’m sorry.”

“No. . . .If you really didn’t like it, you can just give it back. It’s my fault for choosing the wrong one. . .”

“No! I really like it. . .!”