Chapter 275: ???????????? ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????????? (4)

Chapter 275: The Faithful Count (4)

However, it was hard to deny that the arrival of the elf king had invigorated other participants, regardless of the elf king’s incomprehensible logic.

The authority of a jousting tournament is determined by the honor of the person holding the tournament and the honor of the participants.

While many nobles didn’t participate themselves but sent their knights as their representatives, the elf king who proudly led his horse to participate received cheers from the crowd.

━Long live your majesty!

━May the gods bless you, your majesty, the bravest knight!

In the south, the elf king’s popularity was quite high. This was due to the war with the emperor’s faction.

Although the feudal lords of the empire were wary of the elf king’s influence spreading to the empire, the commoners were not. To them, the elf king was a savior who had come from the distant west with knights for honor and justice.

It would be strange if such a person were unpopular. Johan and the elf king were the ones with the most stories and songs about them.

“Since they believed in the count’s honor, the count must respond in honor.”

“I know. We can post a proclamation nearby to prohibit private duels and retaliations.”

“That’s not the answer I’m talking about. What I meant was that if they challenge you to a duel, you should accept it.”

“. . .”

Johan was at a loss for words at the elf king’s words. Come to think of it, the elf king wouldn’t have been interested in protecting their lives. If someone tarnished his honor, he might duel them, but why would he do that?

“But I don’t think the count’s suggestion is bad either.”

“. . .Thank you.”

“I should rest until the tournament begins! Glory awaits me in this jousting tournament. With God’s help, I will be able to show myself in front of the count without shame.”

“?”

Johan was puzzled as he watched the elf king’s back as he left.

‘Wait. . . Don’t you know that I’m not participating?’

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When the jousting tournament began and the knights of various families came, the mercenaries were unknowingly excited.

The jousting tournament was not just a competition for knights. There were also some light competitions that commoners and serfs could participate in, and there were competitions that mercenaries could participate in.

There were competitions where they fought and wrestled barehanded after getting off their horses, competitions where they competed with thick wooden bows, and even competitions where they carried wooden barrels or drank a lot of alcohol.

It would be an understatement to say that the prizes for these competitions were generous, considering that they were just for entertainment. The eyes of the mercenaries sparkled, and it must have felt even more so for the commoners.

Above all, the fact that they could catch the eye of a feudal lord here was a big deal. There was more than one way to make a career by performing on the battlefield.

As such, the mercenaries were excited and clamoring, but. . .

“What happened, Matter, you b*stard! We were completely ignored, let alone hired!”

The captain of another mercenary group shouted in anger as he looked at Matter.

There was a reason why the captain of the mercenaries was angry.

Matter and his men had teamed up to try to extort the count.

Their plan started the moment they heard the rumor about the silver mine.

After the war, when they had no money and the mercenaries were starving, the sudden news of the silver mine felt as sweet as honey.

Originally, they would have attacked the silver mine to loot it, or driven out the miners and workers and occupied it for a while. . .

. . . but Johan’s reputation from the recent war was so fearsome that they simply couldn’t do it.

Other feudal lords might have given up or compromised without easily conquering it, but that young count didn’t seem like he would do that. With so many soldiers under his command, why would he make concessions?

The mercenaries didn’t want to easily make a fortune or have a bloody fight with Johan’s crack troops. Furthermore, seeing the silver mine, the large number of people, and the tight security made them even more fearful.

In the end, they changed their plan.

━Didn’t the Castellan of Vipen expel us? Let’s falsely accuse the Castellan of Vipen. Once the silver mine is discovered, the count will be suspicious of the Castellan of Vipen with just a few words.

━Really?

━Yes! Of course, we’ll be rewarded for the accusation, and who else would they hire if they don’t hire us?

━But if the count sees through it, won’t we just hold a grudge against the Castellan of Vipen? It’s unbearable. . .

━Think carefully. Will the count see through it? He definitely won’t!

“That’s right. I didn’t think the castellan would have done such a thing.”

“Those mercenary b*stards must have gotten carried away.”

As befitting those who didn’t value their lives, the mercenaries often did such things without fear. Johan gave several orders to arrest and punish the mercenaries, and then stopped thinking about them. It was a minor matter that he didn’t need to worry about.

“There will be a lot to prepare for those who will come to the jousting tournament, but there shouldn’t be any other problems, right?”

“Yes. Your Excellency.”

Although Johan was frugal, he could be criticized if he was frugal even with hospitality. Of course, he was making appropriate preparations.

Furthermore, Johan’s advantage was that he could bring in goods from the East through the trade routes under his command.

Silks and carpets that could only be found in the East decorated the banquet hall, and luxurious fruits with exotic scents were placed on top.

“But Your Excellency. . .”

“?”

Johan was puzzled when the merchant who had come to report hesitated.

“Speak comfortably.”

“I was careful because I didn’t want to cause any unnecessary negativity before a good thing, but. . . several merchant ships have been captured.”

“Merchant ships? By pirates?”

“No. It seems that the feudal lords of the East captured them.”

Johan frowned.

When people talked about the pagan East, they often thought of a land inhabited by evil spirits, but it was also a place where people lived.

And they did not prohibit or ban trade simply because they had different religions. Silver and gold were not worthless just because they were from the East. If the merchant ships from the West were needlessly tampered with, it would be a great loss to the feudal lords who ruled the ports in the East, as trade would be cut off.

Johan had sent merchant ships to several ports to operate trade routes, thanks to his friendship with the Vynashchtym Empire and the friendship he had built with the people of the East. Considering that the previous feudal lord had a good location but failed to utilize it, it was surprisingly extensive.

‘If they were captured, it couldn’t have been a mistake.’

If the merchants had made a mistake, they would usually pay a fine, but they would not have their ships taken away. Of course, they would have made a plausible excuse on the other side, but Johan was not stupid enough to believe it.

Why are they trying to cut the belly of the goose that lays the golden eggs now, when they have benefited each other so far?

“I understand. I’ll have to think about what to do after the jousting tournament.”

“Yes! I’m sorry to report this.”

“It’s not your fault. It was something you had to be prepared for when you set sail for the East in the first place.”

When the merchant left, Iselia exclaimed in an angry voice.

“How dare they ignore you? You just leave it alone?”

“Calm down. Iselia. The distance is different from the old hundred kingdoms. We can’t just draw our swords.”

Unlike Iselia, who was furious at the insult to his honor, Johan was realistic and calm. The ships were expensive, but if he tried to recover the principal, it would be endless.

‘I guess I have to send it around to avoid that side.’

Iselia was disappointed at Johan’s words, but eventually she was convinced. She couldn’t bring the feudal lord from that far away to his knees here.

However, there was one thing that Johan was missing.

The fact that Johan’s merchant ships had been captured was not something that only the merchants knew.

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“Is that true?”

“Yes. Anyway, those savages in the East. . .”

The aristocrat of the Empire, who had heard the rumor from the people of the republic, looked down on the pagans of the East. There was nothing better to talk about before meals than this kind of story.

“How dare they touch the count’s ship!”

“His Excellency Count is a man of such deep faith. It must have been offensive.”

As they passed by, the Castellan of Vipen overheard their conversation by chance. The Castellan of Vipen trembled with shock and anger and asked.

“What did you just say?”