Chapter 172: ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????? (1)

Chapter 172: Exciting Banquet (1)

While such sinister proposals were being exchanged on one side, Leoanos was having similar thoughts.

Originally, the tradition of Vynashchtym was assassination and rebellion. It was customary to assassinate when the opponent showed a gap and rebel when popularity declined.

The old royal Leoanos could not have not known this.

When the armies of the emperor, republic, and counts clashed with the armies of the pagans, Leoanos was confused about who to cheer for.

It would be troublesome if the pagan b*stards won, and it would be troublesome if the emperor won. . .

It would be better if both were devastated enough to annihilate each other.

But the situation flowed opposite to expectations. The emperor’s army endured and repelled the fierce attack of the pagan army. Negotiations followed, and the pagan army left miserably.

━Why did those damn dogs attack so fiercely and then just leave like that? Call them back! Call them back no matter what!

Leoanos was flabbergasted. The pagan army was one of the fiercest he had ever experienced. The guys who didn’t care if their comrades fell and stacked corpses to climb the fortress walls.

How could guys like that give up and retreat after just one battle?

━Le. . .Leoanos-gong. You know it’s impossible.

Upon hearing his subordinates’ words, Leoanos regained his composure. He had failed to restrain himself due to accumulating misfortunes.

His subordinates were right. He could no longer call back those who had left. Moreover, if he really called them back, the fortress soldiers would not sit still.

Leoanos, it’s okay to run away if things don’t work out, but from the soldiers’ perspective, it was crazy nonsense.

━Your Majesty has sent someone. There will be a celebration banquet in Takeon to commemorate the victory. You are asked to attend.

━. . .They won’t try to ambush us along the way, right?

They had similar concerns that it might be a relative or something. Leoanos worried about assassination first.

━Surely not. . . Sir Leoanos, you will be bringing guards with you, right?

At his subordinate’s words, Leoanos nodded. He would also bring skilled guards with him. He had caught dozens of them disguised as rogues before. He could notice anything more than that first, and. . .

━You’re right. I was worried for nothing. Yes. The emperor can’t act so arbitrarily. How’s he going to deal with the aftermath? Who is this Leoanos. . .

━That’s right. If Sir Leoanos had not taken care of him, he wouldn’t have been able to sit on the throne either. It would have been much more convenient if he had just left it to his younger brother, in fact.

━. . .

━D-Did I say something wrong?

━No. You said something very good. Call the taciturn and excellent prosecutors.

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The viceroy looked very happy. The pagans were leaving, and Johan’s army had promised to stay for a few more months.

“But I’m counting on you for the customs duties.”

“Isn’t that a given? Trust me.”

Johan managed to secure tax exemptions for the merchant ships coming and going from the port. The goods transported by sea were on a different scale from land routes, and the associated duties constituted tremendous income.

The privilege of tax exemption was not something just anyone could get.

“It’ll come out eventually, but please don’t tell the republicans for now.”

“Of course. Do you think I have no tact?”

Johan wrapped up a good deal with the viceroy, mutually beneficial.

“Clean up the corpses and sprinkle black powder and medicinal herbs so monsters don’t come. It’s a headache when monsters get tangled up.”

After a major battle, powerful monsters tended to appear nearby. Ignorant people would prattle on about ‘the lingering resentment and grudges of the dead creating the monsters,’ but to Johan it seemed because there was ample prey.

It would be stranger if they didn’t grow when there’s so much to eat.

━Grrr!

“Right on target.”

Johan and the centaurs went around exterminating monsters. Karamaf sniffed out monsters hiding in wait.

It was best to eliminate threats that could harm the city prematurely. Besides, creatures like these made for good shows of force to the city.

“Sir Knight, do you by any chance have plans to go to Vynashchtym?”

Vynashchtym was the name of the empire and also its capital. Johan looked puzzled by Achladda’s question and answered.

“Why Vynashchtym?”

The capital had several massive theaters. The oldest and largest was nicknamed the Silk Corridor. It was because of the unique silks hanging on the walls of the corridor.

Although it was a theater, it was run with rules like those of a temple or monastery. They took oaths when joining and were locked inside to receive a closed education. According to rumors, these were vestiges of native faiths from before the Advent.

In any case, due to these rules, they were outstanding actors and dancers. To say someone was from the Corridor meant they were a recognized performer in Vynashchtym.

“Theater is. . . isn’t it clumsy priests and monks coming out and stumbling over their lines?”

The Holy Empire had theater as well. Usually priests and monks dressed up clumsily and put on edifying plays with terrible acting.

When he was young, Johan had helped out a priest and participated before.

“Heh heh. . . Your Excellency, not like the primitive theater done by rural bumpkins in the Holy Empire. We truly enjoy sophisticated secular and satirical plays.”

Seeing the viceroy babbling excitedly, Johan asked with pure curiosity.

“Did you forget I’m from the Holy Empire?”

“I-I’m sorry. I’m very sorry.”

The viceroy who had momentarily lost his composure hurriedly apologized. Of all times for the pride of a Vynashchtym person to flare up.

“In any case, so they’re actors? The atmosphere seemed off for that.”

“You are perceptive, Your Excellency. The actors from the Silk Corridor are also excellent swordsmen.”

“Actors and yet. . .?”

“They are masters of swordsmanship as well.”

Like monks training swordsmanship within the monastery, they did the same. It wasn’t that surprising for those of other professions to learn the sword.

‘Is that why?’

After hearing the viceroy’s explanation, Johan realized the chamberlain had also been quite attentive in bringing escorts. Not just soldiers, but the pages had also been chosen as ones skilled in swordsmanship.

He suddenly thought the feast might not go as smoothly as the emperor anticipated. It seemed the will to not be easily cowed had already been felt.

Of course the emperor probably also knew guards had been brought like this. . .

“Hmm. Maybe I should hide some soldiers as well.”

The banquet was held in tents pitched near the city, and you had to leave your weapons before entering. The emperor had hidden guards with swords in nearby tents, planning to ambush and finish off Leoanos.

If things went according to plan, even if Leoanos brought some guards, he would be going “Oh, oh” before dying, but world events never unfold as expected, as he had experienced many times.

“A good idea. Just give me a signal and I’ll draw my sword and go in.”

“Dwarves. . . no, centaurs. . . no, I don’t like elves.”

“. . .”

Iselia sulked. However, Johan did not change his mind. Elven mercenaries stood out too much, and it was difficult to expect patience from them.

“It’s better to pick from the slave soldiers.”

The slave soldiers were generally young, so they could be thrown in anywhere credibly. They fit in well enough as servants or slaves.

“I understand. Then just give the signal and I’ll. . .”

“Iselia. You need to be by my side. Why are you trying to take on that kind of role?”

“I. . . I can fight better than the others, so. . .”

“If you put it that way, then I should be the one hiding in the back. They’ll ask where you’ve gone if you’re not there, so you have to be by my side.”

“!”

Johan inserted slave soldiers among his retinue. They could skillfully procure weapons once inside anyway.

‘Hopefully there will be no need.’

“My dear, just in case, wouldn’t it be better to strongly insist on bringing a sword inside?”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. I have a belt I can use as a sword.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you use it before. . .?”

“There just hasn’t been an occasion to use it yet.”

“Ah, I see.”

Iselia accepted it readily.

This time, Johan thought that if a situation arose, he should fight in a way that preserved some dignity.