Chapter 289: ???????????????????????????????????? (7)

Chapter 289: Strangers (7)

Whether the counterpart believed Johan or was just pretending to do so out of fear, the Sultan’s imperial concubine opened her mouth.

“W-What do you. . . plan to do with us?”

She had a frightened expression, but her conduct was graceful. As she was tall and slender, she looked dignified even when she was silent, and seeing her conduct, the captains standing behind her were slightly impressed.

“I won’t do anything in particular. I’ll release you safely once I receive the ransom. Which family are you from? I want to send a messenger to collect the ransom.”

“I’m not from a noble family.”

Johan laughed as if her answer was ridiculous.

“That’s nonsense.”

“Your Highness. That’s. . . possible. Not all members of the Sultan’s harem are from noble families.”

“Really?”

Johan was slightly shocked.

He had thought that since she was called the Sultan’s imperial concubine, she would have to be at least from a noble family, even if her family was poor.

But come to think of it, there would be slaves working in the Sultan’s harem, so their backgrounds could be very humble. He had heard that eunuchs sometimes kidnapped people from outside and brought them in to gain favor with the Sultan. . .

“Then, do you not have a family who will pay the ransom?”

“. . .Yes.”

“. . . . . .”

The captains felt troubled when Johan seemed to be at a loss, having never encountered this situation before, so the captain standing behind him gave him a piece of advice.

“Send a messenger to the Sultan and have him pay the ransom. They will pay the ransom from the Sultan’s harem.”

“Oh. Is that possible?”

“I apologize. . . I have been exiled. I don’t think the Sultan will pay my ransom.”

Only then did the captains frown, remembering that the imperial concubine was exiled.

“Then, what should we do?”

“Do we need to keep an infidel who doesn’t even pay the ransom alive? Let’s execute her.”

“Execute her. . .”

“Isn’t she the Sultan’s blood? Just thinking about what the Sultan did to us makes my teeth grind, why bother treating someone of such low status who can’t even pay a ransom?”

The imperial concubine’s pale face turned even paler at the captains’ conversation. The content of their conversation was rather gruesome, as expected of infidels from the West.

‘So she can speak the Empire’s language.’

She kept her mouth shut, but judging from her expression, she understood the language of the West. Johan, who had been listening in silence, opened his mouth.

“Alright. Stop it. There’s no need to create unnecessary grudges.”

“Your Highness. The Sultan has so many concubines and children, so do you think he’ll care about one of them. . .”

“In any case, I won’t kill her myself.”

Johan had no hobby of killing people who had nothing to do with his grudges, not even for a single silver coin. The captains nodded.

The imperial concubine was surprised and relieved at his words. She had heard many rumors about the Duke, describing him as the most devilish being among the bandits or the people of the nearby tribes, so she hadn’t known that he would save her life.

“Then, will you release me?”

“Hmm.”

Johan hesitated. It might not seem like a big deal to take care of a few more mouths, but he needed to treat nobles differently. Nobles who couldn’t pay the ransom had to be either released quickly or executed.

The imperial concubine wanted to ask him to let her stay, but she didn’t dare to do so and held back.

She was exiled, and she had lost all of her remaining wealth to the bandits. She was more likely to die on her way to the exile site.

If she could be guaranteed safety, it might be better for her and her child to stay with the Duke’s army.

“Even if you can’t pay the ransom now, there may come a time when I can use her. Treat her as a hostage.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“. . .!”

The imperial concubine bowed her head with a moved expression. Unlike the rumors spread by bandits or the people of the tribes, the Duke was much more generous and lenient than she had thought.

Of course, Johan was struggling inwardly.

‘I’m going to feel a little bitter if I don’t get to use her. . .’

No matter how much silver poured out of his fiefdom, silver coins never lost their value. Johan hoped that this decision would benefit him a little bit later on.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

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While Johan’s army was preparing to move and get settled in the fortress at the bottom of the mountain range, a much larger commotion was taking place higher up.

No army had ever managed to capture the fortress before and had to retreat, yet these foreigners from afar took it with such ease.

“What the hell were the guys in the fortress doing?! They just gave it to some guys who don’t even know the geography around here!”

At Johan’s words, Suetlg shrugged and stepped back. Lamar continued.

“. . .We also have spirits who protect us.”

Suetlg, who had stepped back, looked at Johan pleadingly. It was a look asking permission to make fun of him. Johan nodded.

“Is it a spirit of theft? A spirit of rogues? Can the spirit not steal from you?”

“Do not speak ill of the mountain spirit!”

“This is getting interesting. . .?”

Caenerna interjected. Iselia asked in a flustered voice.

“A spirit of theft?”

“. . .No, Bluea-nim. Not a spirit of theft, but a mountain spirit.”

He could not believe that there would be no spirits in such a vast and untamed land as the East. And if it was a spirit that even these fierce brigands revered, it must be a powerful one.

“Not a malevolent spirit?”

“It can be hard to tell the difference between a spirit and a malevolent spirit. . .”

Johan agreed with Caenerna. Originally, the distinction between spirits that were harmful and malevolent spirits was vague.

“It seems like they want us to meet it. Should we take the opportunity?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. . .”

Caenerna, who had seemed interested, quickly changed her mind. Even so, they probably would not show an outsider the spirit they worshiped.

They would not do so unless a knife was pointed at your neck.

However, Lamar’s answer was unexpected.

“We do not prevent anyone from meeting the mountain spirit.”

“What?”

Johan became even more suspicious at those words. Suetlg seemed to think the same.

“Isn’t this a human sacrifice?”

“I thought so too.”

Usually, there was a reason for such easy permission. Perhaps everyone who entered became a sacrifice. . .

“What. . . The mountain spirit is not that kind of being!”

“What kind of place is it?”

“. . .In any case, the mountain spirit is not that kind of being.”

Lamar told them what kind of being the mountain spirit was.

The spirit, who resided in a deep cave in the mountains, listened to the requests of the rogues and granted them according to their needs.

Of course, there was a price. The more valuable the request, the greater the price that would be paid.

Recently, to heal a warrior who had become crippled after his leg was broken, they had to offer an amount of silver almost equal to his own weight.

“Wow. I’ve been fooled. Even if Suetlg-nim only received half, he would have done it.”

“. . .I’m a wizard, not a doctor. Anyway, it’s interesting. It doesn’t seem to be a malevolent spirit. Malevolent spirits wouldn’t make such fair deals.”

“Have they ever asked for human sacrifices?”

Johan asked out of curiosity. Lamar answered firmly.

“There is an absolute taboo in the tribe against sacrificing people.”

“. . .Don’t say that. It might be a malevolent spirit.”

Judging from the way Lamar spoke, it was clear that they had asked for human sacrifices in the past.

The tribes were wise enough not to offer them, though. . .

“But are you sure it’s okay for outsiders to visit?”

“Yes.”

There were two reasons why Lamar said this.

One was because of a promise made to the mountain spirit. A promise not to prevent anyone from visiting the spirit.

And the other reason was that the path to the spirit was virtually impossible to traverse.

There were two paths. One passed through the strongholds of the tribes, and the other went through a remote area of the mountains.

Giants lived there, so even the rogues did not go near it.

“Oh. It doesn’t sound so difficult. We can just take the path with the giants.”

“. . .?????”