Chapter 27.2: ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ซ (๐)
Chapter 27.2: ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ซ (๐)
โHahaha! Sir Knight, youโre something else. These folks are seasoned mercenaries. They wouldnโt be scared by a tamed wolf.โ
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Eldans burst into laughter. The mercenaries nodded with a smile, not so green as to be scared of a tamed wolf. They had seen wolf tamers before.
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โBut really, itโs big. What did you feed it?โ
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The mercenaries tried not to look scared, but flinched instinctively as the black wolf approached.
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โOutside itโs fine, but when entering the city, itโs better to put a collar on. Letโs see. . .โ
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Eldans took out a collar for the beast. Johan stared intently at the black wolf.
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โIt might freak out if you collar it.โ
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Would a wild beast stay calm while being collared?
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Surprisingly, the black wolf stayed calm. A collar engraved with Johanโs name was put on it. Even with just one collar, the wolf seemed well-trained.
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โWhat is its name?โ
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โName? Uh. . . Karamaf.โ
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โKaramaf! Named after Sir Karamaf? Haha.โ
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โ. . . . . .โ
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โNamed after eating him.โ
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Johan realized he lacked the sense to name things. Of all names, why Karamaf?
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But Eldans seemed convinced, nodding. Naming animals or mounts after famous nobles or knights was common, hoping to inherit their spirit.
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Karamaf was a famous knight of the Empire, a fitting namesake. But. . .
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โSir Karamaf was a knight loyal to the Emperor.โ
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People south of the Empire, beyond the mountains in the Catalian Peninsula, did not favor the Holy Empireโs Emperor. They disliked his claims over the cities of Catalian Peninsula.
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If Johan was from a pro-Emperor knightly family, it would cause problems.
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โJohan-nim, do you admire Sir Karamaf?โ
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Eldans tested the waters. He thought Johan, a noble, wouldnโt catch on, but Johan, raised on hard looks in his fiefdom, quickly understood.
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โ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต? ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ๐ข๐ง? ๐๐ฉ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ณ. . .โ
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Admiring Karamaf -> A knight from a pro-Emperor family!
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Johan inwardly cursed. Such trickery from an experienced merchant.
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โNo, not particularly.โ
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โIs that so? Not even such a great person. . . Oh, I donโt mean youโre not great, Johan-nim.โ
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โI donโt doubt Sir Karamafโs skills, but he lacks honor.โ
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Johan had a ready excuse. Karamaf, the Emperorโs butcher, had many enemies. His flag, stained with blue blood, was a symbol of suppressed civil wars and rebellions.
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โAh, I thought so too.โ
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Eldans hastily agreed, but his ears perked up happily, his doubts resolved.
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โ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ.
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The new Karamaf made a contented sound and nudged Johanโs leg. Johan, suddenly remembering, looked at the wolf and asked.
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โIf youโve followed me here, did you happen to see two scoundrels who fled from the town?โ
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The wolf nodded its head.
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โYou saw them? Why didnโt you catch. . . No, never mind. I canโt expect that from you.โ
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From the wolfโs perspective, it must have been confusing whether it was okay to just eat the two humans who fled. Especially since Johan was riding on it.
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โDo you know where they went?โ
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The wolf turned its head and pointed in the direction of Marcel. Johan smiled slyly.
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๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
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Marcel was a beautiful city that had descended from the ancient Empire era. For Johan, who had spent his entire life in a rural fiefdom, the sight of Marcel was inevitably striking. If he hadnโt lost his memories of a previous life, he would have reacted like a country bumpkin.
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โImpressive!โ
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While the prosperous city itself was remarkable, Johan was amazed by something else: the technology of the ancient Empire.
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The ancient Empire felt like Rome on Earth, but its technology was on a different level. Living-like plate armor, swords that seemed to cut through anything, and roads that lasted over a thousand years. . . No wonder there were mercenaries who specialized in rummaging through the ruins of the ancient Empire.
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Furthermore, it was said that in Marcel, clean water was readily available everywhere, and there were so many baths that water was in excess, indicating a near-perfect water supply system. It wasnโt that the people of the city were extraordinary; it was just that the system from the ancient Empire era was still functioning perfectly.
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The ability to spread water channels throughout the city like veins and maintain them was truly miraculous.
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โI thought it would be dirtier and smellier. . .โ
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Before he could finish marveling, good news arrived.
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A guard at the city gate addressed Eldans.
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โAh, Mr. Eldans. Youโre just in time.โ
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โWhatโs the matter, Fiso?โ
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โThe mercenary hired by Mr. Eldans came babbling, so we locked him up. Is he the one sent by Mr. Eldans? If so, you should come quickly to confirm. . .โ
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Eldans turned his head. The mercenaries, already bright with joy at arriving in the city, erupted in cheers at this unexpected good news.
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โThat son of a b*tch, letโs go sort him out!โ