Chapter 26.2: ๐๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐ (๐๐)
Chapter 26.2: ๐๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐ (๐๐)
Johan was amazed. The laws in this world were much stricter than on Earth. If you committed a crime without status or connections, it was best to assume the death penalty.
ใ ค
Jail? It was rare to feed expensive food to criminals. Unless they were valuable hostages. . .
ใ ค
And smuggling was usually a capital offense. Bringing something into the city without paying taxes was a serious crime.
ใ ค
โI had some savings.โ
ใ ค
Apparently, he managed to save his life by paying some back money. Johan nodded interestedly.
ใ ค
โYou got into smuggling even with wealth? Why?โ
ใ ค
โI was enchanted by a demon.โ
ใ ค
โHow about being honest instead?โ
ใ ค
โI need a lot of money. . .โ
ใ ค
โPlease, Sir Knight. This man is reflecting on his actions now.โ
ใ ค
Atanka, perhaps misunderstanding Johanโs question, defended himself. As a knight, he desired obedient and loyal slaves, not merchants caught smuggling.
ใ ค
โWe have prepared equipment suitable for Sir Knight. Please accept this and forgive us.โ
ใ ค
โ. . .!โ
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Johan was slightly surprised. Weapons suitable for a knight in such a town?
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But, surprisingly, they were decent. The longsword was well-balanced, and the sharp, spear-like estoc penetrated deeply. The small crossbow worked perfectly.
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However, the armor was terrible. It was so mismatched that it felt like โthis is what a knight without money wears.โ Even if chainmail was damaged, wearing this was unthinkable. It would change how he was treated.
ใ ค
โ๐โ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด, ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐โ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง๐ณ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ญ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด.โ
ใ ค
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐คโ
ใ ค
Something caught in Johanโs rummaging hand. It was a small, round piece of metal. Instinctively pulling and opening the lid, a familiar object appeared.
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It was a broken pocket watch.
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โ. . .?!โ
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Johan was astonished. He had never seen, nor expected to see, a wind-up clock like this. Such a sophisticated item was difficult even for dwarf artisans to make. Although broken, its potential value was intuitively apparent.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ช๐ด ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด!โ
ใ ค
Such an item in this town was surprising. It made sense that the townsfolk, not knowing how to read a clock, failed to recognize its value.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ? ๐๐ฏ ๐ข๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ?โ
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Upon closer inspection, faint engraved marks were visible. They were indeed ancient Empire characters, though broken and faded.
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Johan tossed and caught the pocket watch, then observed Atankaโs expression. Atanka seemed puzzled, wondering what Johan was doing.
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It was clear Atanka didnโt understand the itemโs significance.
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Johan composed his expression. Showing too much surprise might lead to misunderstandings. He decided to take the weapons and the pocket watch, saying,
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โWell, since heโs reflecting, Iโll show mercy.โ
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At Johanโs words, Atankaโs face lit up. It was a settled matter.
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โHeโs too shabby and dirty. Wash him and dress him. Even if not in armor, at least to a presentable level.โ
ใ ค
โYes, I will do so.โ
ใ ค
Providing a decent shirt and trousers wasnโt difficult. However, Johan didnโt stop there. The pocket watch was unexpected, but he had intended to accept the offer anyway.
ใ ค
โTwo horses as well.โ
ใ ค
โYes. . .?โ
ใ ค
โMy horse was of good breed. Worth four or five Empire gold coins. But even at best, this slave wonโt fetch more than a dozen silver coins.โ
ใ ค
โBut, two horses. . .โ
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โThere must be decent horses in this town. No excuses. I expect two horses that I wonโt be ashamed to ride.โ
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Judging by the townโs size, he could guess the kind of assets it might have. While there might not be well-trained warhorses for knights, sturdy packhorses or swift hunting horses were likely available.
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Though they are inferior in price compared to warhorses, these horses are still valuable assets. Moreover, the fact that he has to give away two of them really hurts.
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He tried to save some silver, but ended up paying even more.
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โ๐๐จ๐ฉ.โ
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Should I launch a surprise attack?
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Atanka thought for a moment about doing just that. If he could appease the knight and catch him off guard, then maybe a surprise attack. . .
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Johan stared intently at Atanka with his dark eyes. His gaze seemed to say, โ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถโ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.โ
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Atanka felt a sinking feeling in his chest. His hands trembled and his heart pounded. The pressure was different from when he subdued the wanderer with the local militia.
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โI want a clear answer right here and now.โ
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โ. . .I will do as you say.โ
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Atanka, experienced as he was, could only bow his head in silence before the young knight before him.
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It was a primal fear.
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๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
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โIt feels like an arrow might fly at us from behind.โ
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โHey. Donโt look back.โ
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As they left Rutzbeck, the mercenaries felt uneasy about the back of their heads. They could clearly sense the townspeople watching them with certain thoughts in mind.
ใ ค
They must be wishing for our demise as we leave!
ใ ค
โHonestly, I didnโt expect them to give up so easily.โ
ใ ค
โWe were lucky. They seemed quite frightened. . . Milord Eldans. Will you be alright? We wonโt have to come here again, but it might be inconvenient for you in many ways.โ
ใ ค
โI donโt mind either. I wonโt have to come here for a while anyway.โ
ใ ค
The situation in the southern part of the Empire was becoming increasingly chaotic. The trading companies were reluctant to send merchants to places where feudal lords and mercenaries were fiercely competing.
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After this journey, Iโll be staying in the city for a while to help with the trading companyโs work.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ.โ
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Meanwhile, Johan was having a conversation with Geoffrey.
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Johan, in his own way, and Geoffrey, in his, were both trying to understand each other.
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But Geoffrey was the one who was desperately wracking his brain even more.
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โSo, why did you engage in smuggling?โ
ใ ค
โItโs like, I was bewitched by something. . .โ
ใ ค
โHmm. Geoffrey. Weโll be moving together in various ways in the future. Itโd be better to know about you in advance. Just answer when I ask. Donโt overthink it.โ
ใ ค
โ. . .I got into some debt because of gambling. . .โ
ใ ค
โAh, I see. What kind of gambling?โ
ใ ค
โIt was dice gambling. . .โ
ใ ค
Geoffrey, who was speaking, was surprised that Johan wasnโt very angry. Normally, a knight would be angry or scold someone who had fallen into gambling and resorted to smuggling. . .
ใ ค
โHmm. What kind of gambling did you mostly do?โ
ใ ค
โI-It was the kind where you throw three dice and guess the sum of the numbers that come up.โ
ใ ค
โWas that gambling popular?โ
ใ ค
โIt was so popular that you had to pay under the table to get in. . .โ
ใ ค
Then, Geoffrey realized that this young knight was genuinely interested in his story.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ข๐บ. . .?!โ