Chapter 234: ???????????????????????? ???????????????????????? (8)

Chapter 234: Undead plague (8)

“What did you find out?”

“If you keep going straight ahead, you come back around.”

“Not very happy news.”

“No. Thanks to that I’m sure of it now. It must be the work of a spirit or malevolent spirit.”

Deep forests naturally harbored mysteries, and would sometimes cause phenomena beyond human understanding.

But while it was understandable for it to lead you onto a different path, a road that loops back no matter which way you go was excessively malicious. It matched more with the work of a spirit or malevolent spirit than a forest phenomenon.

“So what now?”

“I guess we should wait.”

Surprisingly, the best thing to do at times like these was to simply wait.

Spirits and malevolent spirits were less patient than one would expect, and if you just stayed put they would eventually make the first move.

Blundering about lost here would only satisfy the opponent.

Johan was a man who had followed excellent hunters and learned what to do in forests. He could endure like this for a few days no problem.

“It’ll last a day or two at most.”

Johan skillfully created a temporary camp. With his back to the solid, large cliff face, he gathered tinder and started a fire. Ulrike had laid blankets over her horse, so they had a decent place to sleep as well.

“A skill you picked up wandering?”

“Yes. Have Gong ever tried it?”

“I’ve gone hunting and camping, but never set up my own camp.”

Wandering knights varied greatly depending on their assets and lineage. Those who traveled alone had to prepare everything themselves from start to finish, while those who brought servants and attendants did not.

As a high-status woman like Ulrike, she would have had no call to do such things herself.

“I see. Don’t worry. I can act as your hands and feet for a day or two.”

“Don’t be absurd. . . If there’s anything I can do, please let me know. I want to help however I can.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“No need. It’s easier for me to work alone. I was planning to take Karamaf out hunting anyway.”

“But don’t we have enough provisions already?”

“We do, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”

Johan took Karamaf and headed into the forest. In less than an hour, he returned with several rabbits and a deer.

“Whoa, easy Karamaf. I’ll get you your share, don’t worry.”

━Grrr.

Johan cleaned and skinned the deer with his dagger by the brook. For animals like deer, he threw the entrails and liver to Karamaf. Karamaf excitedly tore into them.

“What are you thinking about?”

Johan returned and looked at Ulrike with a puzzled expression. She seemed to be lost in thought.

“Hmm. . . It’s strange that there are such wild animals in this labyrinthine path.”

“I suppose the wild animals just came in the same way we did. Have some.”

“You had salt too?”

“You get used to being prepared when you travel with centaurs. You can put everything on a horse and leave at any time.”

“The count is really sociable to have befriended such difficult people like centaurs.”

Ulrike said as she bit into the meat. Even though it wasn’t cooked luxuriously, it tasted good. It might have been because she had moved around quite a bit today. Or maybe it was because she liked the person she was with.

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration.”

“No, it’s not. This time too. . . .Come to think of it, Stephen would also fall into that category. Why did you side with Stephen?”

“I already told you once, didn’t I? It’s not that I took Stephen’s side, but rather that our understandings were aligned.”

Johan shrugged his shoulders.

“Of course, the offer was tempting, but how would I have handled the aftermath if I had received such an offer while Countess Abner was glaring at me?”

“Your Excellency Count is not cold-hearted enough to take revenge because of what has already happened.”

“I don’t know. Even someone who looks cold-hearted has parts that can become emotional. In my opinion, that part of Countess Abner was Stephen. Even a perfect person always has parts like that, doesn’t he? Does Gong not have any?”

“. . . . . .”

Ulrike’s expression shook at Johan’s question. It was surprise again that Countess Abner, who always looked perfect and without blood or tears, could be emotional. . .

And because of that, Johan’s question felt unexpectedly weighty.

Does she have something like that about herself?

━ . . .Keep in mind I still have a great army.

The skull chattered but Johan just scoffed.

“You mean the undead? The death knight, your strongest, has already fallen to the knights’ blades. No matter how many ghouls you send the elite I’ve brought could crush them easily. Remember what I carry on my horse!”

Johan shook the relic attached to Cardirian as a warning. If his opponent was a spirit it should be able to sense the power held within the relic.

‘I wonder if it’s a good idea to keep provoking them.’

Ulrike was puzzled, but kept silent. She had decided to follow Johan’s decision, that was all.

“If you want fair negotiations, show your face here now! You dared to ambush us and push us into this forest maze. No one who values honor would do this.”

━. . .Alright. I apologize for that. If I show my face, will you negotiate?

As Johan angrily acted stubbornly, the other party also took a step back. Johan nodded.

After about thirty minutes, something walked over from the other side.

It was a tree.

‘I wondered why it was taking so long and. . .!’

As expected of a tree, the other party was very slow. Ulrike murmured in a voice full of wonder.

“Was the other party a tree spirit of the forest?”

“Not a spirit, a malevolent one.”

Whether it was a tree spirit or not, the tree spirit steadily walked over and stood before the two. Then it opened its mouth.

━I have arrived.

“State your name, coward.”

━I’m not a coward. I am Ingol, an existence that represents the trees of this forest.

“So you’re the one behind all these tricks here?”

━You could say that. . .

Before Ingol could even finish speaking, Johan rushed in and grabbed him. Ulrike exclaimed in confusion.

“You said you would negotiate?!”

“Aren’t we negotiating now?”

Ingol was dumbfounded as this crazy human tried to uproot him.

Just as human strength alone cannot uproot a deeply rooted tree, it was the same for spirits. In order to teach this annoying human a lesson, Ingol grabbed Johan tightly. The two clung to each other like they were wrestling.

━Wha. . . wha. . . what. . .?

“Ingol. You rude spirit. How dare you lure your opponent into a trap without even a proper request. And you call yourself someone who values honor?”

If the situation hadn’t been so urgent, Johan would have happily burned Ingol alive for this.

Johan’s subjugated Valkalmur cackled as he ridiculed Ingol. Having been beaten up himself for laughing inappropriately, Valkalmur found Ingol’s situation amusing.

Thud!

Even borrowing the power of the tree, Johan didn’t budge an inch. Instead, Ingol’s body began to heat up. Ingol opened his mouth slowly but as fast as he could.

━I apologize! I apologize!

“What will happen to you if I uproot you like this, Ingol?”

━I’ll become like an uprooted tree!

Unlike the wandering malevolent spirit Valkalmur, Ingol was a spirit that took root in the forest like a tree. A spirit that would disappear when trees were destroyed and grow stronger when trees thrived.

“Do you regret it? Rudely threatening us?”

━I regret it!

“Even if I let you go like this, will you swear not to run away or trick us?”

━I swear!

Only after hearing the surrender did Johan let go of his grip. He had grabbed so hard that sap was flowing from Ingol’s side.

“Nice negotiation.”

“. . .I hope the count comes along when negotiating with the emperor faction.”

Translation-(COMPLETED) – How to Live as a Wandering Knight

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