Chapter 8: ???????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????????????????????????????????? (????)
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Chapter 8: The End of Childhood (8)
“As a knight, it is my duty to protect the people of the feudal lord.”
“Uh. . . Yes. . .”
Joseph was beyond flustered and utterly astounded. Of course, he had heard the noble knights utter such words, but he had never seen anyone take them seriously.
They were just empty words used to adorn themselves, a facade to make knights seem nobler than commoners.
“It’s a joke. I never thought that way. It’s not even my fief to begin with.”
“. . .??”
“I’m just repaying what I learned from you. It’s only right to return the favor.”
“!!”
Joseph had to conceal his overwhelming emotion that surged in that moment. Although he had always viewed knights and nobles with skepticism, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the truth now.
The young knight before him was a true knight indeed.
“Thank you. . .”
“Don’t mention it for something like this.”
????????????????????????
Although he spoke confidently, Johan remained silent. In fact, he didn’t even have armor. It would have been truly embarrassing had he been without weapons as well, but fortunately, he still had his longsword.
“May I borrow a horse and gear?”
The manor was modest, but it was still a feudatory. The Aitz family didn’t manage the feudatory alone. Sir Gessen’s slaves and wealthy serfs, selected to serve, assisted in its management.
If it were a larger manor, there might have been a professional administrator to manage the feudatory or soldiers to handle such gear, but that was too much to expect. All these duties were undertaken by the servants.
As a result, the servant in charge of the weapons at the feudal lord’s residence couldn’t be too assertive with Johan. No matter how ambiguously noble Johan might be, nobility is still nobility. There’s a difference in status.
Reporting to Philip, the eldest son, or Mrs. Aitz? That would be madness. Johan might be humiliated for now. . .
But if Johan attacked him at night and broke his neck, he would forever remain a corpse, while Johan would merely receive a brief reprimand and confinement.
And looking at Johan’s physique, it seemed unnecessary to attack him at night. The servants at the feudal lord’s residence, better fed than the serfs, were well-built, but paled in comparison to Johan.
“I promise, I won’t damage or misuse anything. I’ve arranged to go hunting with the knights visiting the feudatory; I can’t go unarmed.”
“Well. . . that’s true, but. . .”
The servant sighed and nodded. There was no point in upsetting Johan by refusing needlessly.
“Please be careful with it. Please. . .”
“I understand. I understand.”
Johan’s voice was so earnest that he had no choice but to nod in agreement. Sir Gessen, while indifferent to many things, cared about the weapons in the feudal lord’s residence. The poor feudatory had invested almost all its money in these arms.
And the gear was expendable. Without ongoing maintenance and care, it easily deteriorated.
If the gear was damaged upon return, Sir Gessen’s fury would be unleashed on the servant.
“Don’t worry, I’m not like Fern or John.”
“Ha ha. Our family is quite small, so it’s not well-known. I’m glad to be out here with you all. My father never gave me a chance. My dream is to earn distinction on the battlefield.”
“Did you have such a dream?”
“Isn’t it natural, being born into a knightly family? That’s why I admire you all, serving under a great knight like Sir Karamaf and achieving military exploits.”
The cavalrymen’s faces lit up with satisfied smiles upon hearing Johan’s words. Few disliked receiving compliments, especially from a noble’s son.
Commoners or serfs groveled before them, but their status was no different from commoners. They were not born into knightly families nor had they undergone a Knight Initiation Ceremony, being merely mercenaries.
Serving under an influential figure like Sir Karamaf, they would have been indistinguishable from mercenaries or bandits otherwise. So, Johan’s praise was genuinely pleasing to them.
“Ha ha! You’re right. There are no men as great as us. Sir Karamaf trusts us a lot.”
“Really? I might have heard about you from the wandering minstrels who visited our feudatory. Where are you from?”
“Have you heard of the wolves of Arkten? We’re from there. Sir Karamaf personally hired us.”
The feudal lords here didn’t keep many soldiers. Battles involved only a few hundred or thousand men. Johan was used to tales of tens or hundreds of thousands fighting, but the reality was quite different.
Maintaining a large number of soldiers, a financial drain, was madness. No one could afford it.
Nevertheless, skirmishes among the feudal lords, poor or small, were constant. Johan’s continent was dominated by feudal lords, each ruling their feudatory like kings, fighting over trivial matters.
And for these battles, mercenaries were always needed. They were the ones who fought in place of others.
It has always been cheaper to hire soldiers as needed rather than maintaining a standing army. As a result, both large and small mercenary groups roamed the continent, hovering around battlefields and seeking silver coins. The more the continent was fractured and filled with conflict, the more the mercenaries profited.
Wolves of Arkten were a fairly large mercenary group from the Erlans Kingdom. Even Johan had heard of them.
“Seeing their armor and horses, I thought they wouldn’t be easy to deal with, and indeed. . .”
The skill of a mercenary could be judged by the gear they wore. Those with expensive and high-quality gear were usually experienced and skilled. Especially if they were also mounted.
‘What exactly is Karamaf here for?’
He didn’t come alone but brought armed mercenaries with him. Although he said he came to meet Sir Gessen, his intentions didn’t seem benevolent.
‘Could there be a grudge?’
It was unclear how a country knight like Sir Gessen could have incurred the wrath of Karamaf, but a grudge was a plausible reason.
‘Assuming it’s a grudge, what does he want? A duel or to humiliate?’
It seemed excessive to bring mercenaries for such a matter. Sir Karamaf could have handled it alone. Even if Sir Gessen had a few men in his fief, they would flee at the sight of Sir Karamaf drawing his sword.
“Wolves of Arkten! Was it necessary to bring them to such a tranquil place?”
“. . .Haha. Even for Sir Karamaf, it’s not feasible to travel alone, is it?”
Johan clearly saw one of the mercenaries momentarily fluster with confusion.
“What about the servants?”
Servants accompanying a noble were a force in themselves. Arming people made them soldiers. Even some basic training could make them better than a mediocre mercenary.
“How can servants chase away rogues? This is something we should handle. Besides, it would be disrespectful to have Sir Karamaf personally wield a sword against mere rogues. That’s why we accompanied him.”
As they spoke, the group gradually moved deeper into the forest. The path narrowed between densely packed trees. Joseph the hunter led the party at the forefront.
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Chapter 8: The End of Childhood (8)
“As a knight, it is my duty to protect the people of the feudal lord.”
“Uh. . . Yes. . .”
Joseph was beyond flustered and utterly astounded. Of course, he had heard the noble knights utter such words, but he had never seen anyone take them seriously.
They were just empty words used to adorn themselves, a facade to make knights seem nobler than commoners.
“It’s a joke. I never thought that way. It’s not even my fief to begin with.”
“. . .??”
“I’m just repaying what I learned from you. It’s only right to return the favor.”
“!!”
Joseph had to conceal his overwhelming emotion that surged in that moment. Although he had always viewed knights and nobles with skepticism, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the truth now.
The young knight before him was a true knight indeed.
“Thank you. . .”
“Don’t mention it for something like this.”
????????????????????????
Although he spoke confidently, Johan remained silent. In fact, he didn’t even have armor. It would have been truly embarrassing had he been without weapons as well, but fortunately, he still had his longsword.
“May I borrow a horse and gear?”
The manor was modest, but it was still a feudatory. The Aitz family didn’t manage the feudatory alone. Sir Gessen’s slaves and wealthy serfs, selected to serve, assisted in its management.
If it were a larger manor, there might have been a professional administrator to manage the feudatory or soldiers to handle such gear, but that was too much to expect. All these duties were undertaken by the servants.
As a result, the servant in charge of the weapons at the feudal lord’s residence couldn’t be too assertive with Johan. No matter how ambiguously noble Johan might be, nobility is still nobility. There’s a difference in status.
Reporting to Philip, the eldest son, or Mrs. Aitz? That would be madness. Johan might be humiliated for now. . .
But if Johan attacked him at night and broke his neck, he would forever remain a corpse, while Johan would merely receive a brief reprimand and confinement.
And looking at Johan’s physique, it seemed unnecessary to attack him at night. The servants at the feudal lord’s residence, better fed than the serfs, were well-built, but paled in comparison to Johan.
“I promise, I won’t damage or misuse anything. I’ve arranged to go hunting with the knights visiting the feudatory; I can’t go unarmed.”
“Well. . . that’s true, but. . .”
The servant sighed and nodded. There was no point in upsetting Johan by refusing needlessly.
“Please be careful with it. Please. . .”
“I understand. I understand.”
Johan’s voice was so earnest that he had no choice but to nod in agreement. Sir Gessen, while indifferent to many things, cared about the weapons in the feudal lord’s residence. The poor feudatory had invested almost all its money in these arms.
And the gear was expendable. Without ongoing maintenance and care, it easily deteriorated.
If the gear was damaged upon return, Sir Gessen’s fury would be unleashed on the servant.
“Don’t worry, I’m not like Fern or John.”
“Ha ha. Our family is quite small, so it’s not well-known. I’m glad to be out here with you all. My father never gave me a chance. My dream is to earn distinction on the battlefield.”
“Did you have such a dream?”
“Isn’t it natural, being born into a knightly family? That’s why I admire you all, serving under a great knight like Sir Karamaf and achieving military exploits.”
The cavalrymen’s faces lit up with satisfied smiles upon hearing Johan’s words. Few disliked receiving compliments, especially from a noble’s son.
Commoners or serfs groveled before them, but their status was no different from commoners. They were not born into knightly families nor had they undergone a Knight Initiation Ceremony, being merely mercenaries.
Serving under an influential figure like Sir Karamaf, they would have been indistinguishable from mercenaries or bandits otherwise. So, Johan’s praise was genuinely pleasing to them.
“Ha ha! You’re right. There are no men as great as us. Sir Karamaf trusts us a lot.”
“Really? I might have heard about you from the wandering minstrels who visited our feudatory. Where are you from?”
“Have you heard of the wolves of Arkten? We’re from there. Sir Karamaf personally hired us.”
The feudal lords here didn’t keep many soldiers. Battles involved only a few hundred or thousand men. Johan was used to tales of tens or hundreds of thousands fighting, but the reality was quite different.
Maintaining a large number of soldiers, a financial drain, was madness. No one could afford it.
Nevertheless, skirmishes among the feudal lords, poor or small, were constant. Johan’s continent was dominated by feudal lords, each ruling their feudatory like kings, fighting over trivial matters.
And for these battles, mercenaries were always needed. They were the ones who fought in place of others.
It has always been cheaper to hire soldiers as needed rather than maintaining a standing army. As a result, both large and small mercenary groups roamed the continent, hovering around battlefields and seeking silver coins. The more the continent was fractured and filled with conflict, the more the mercenaries profited.
Wolves of Arkten were a fairly large mercenary group from the Erlans Kingdom. Even Johan had heard of them.
“Seeing their armor and horses, I thought they wouldn’t be easy to deal with, and indeed. . .”
The skill of a mercenary could be judged by the gear they wore. Those with expensive and high-quality gear were usually experienced and skilled. Especially if they were also mounted.
‘What exactly is Karamaf here for?’
He didn’t come alone but brought armed mercenaries with him. Although he said he came to meet Sir Gessen, his intentions didn’t seem benevolent.
‘Could there be a grudge?’
It was unclear how a country knight like Sir Gessen could have incurred the wrath of Karamaf, but a grudge was a plausible reason.
‘Assuming it’s a grudge, what does he want? A duel or to humiliate?’
It seemed excessive to bring mercenaries for such a matter. Sir Karamaf could have handled it alone. Even if Sir Gessen had a few men in his fief, they would flee at the sight of Sir Karamaf drawing his sword.
“Wolves of Arkten! Was it necessary to bring them to such a tranquil place?”
“. . .Haha. Even for Sir Karamaf, it’s not feasible to travel alone, is it?”
Johan clearly saw one of the mercenaries momentarily fluster with confusion.
“What about the servants?”
Servants accompanying a noble were a force in themselves. Arming people made them soldiers. Even some basic training could make them better than a mediocre mercenary.
“How can servants chase away rogues? This is something we should handle. Besides, it would be disrespectful to have Sir Karamaf personally wield a sword against mere rogues. That’s why we accompanied him.”
As they spoke, the group gradually moved deeper into the forest. The path narrowed between densely packed trees. Joseph the hunter led the party at the forefront.
Chapter 8: The End of Childhood 8As a knight, it is my duty to protect the people of the feudal lord.Uh. . . Yes. . .Joseph was beyond flustered and utterly astounded. Of course, he had heard the noble knights utter such words, but he had never seen anyone take them seriously.They were just empty words used to adorn themselves, a facade to make knights seem nobler than commoners.It's a joke. I never thought that way. It's not even my fief to begin with.. . .??I'm just repaying what I learned from you. It's only right to return the favor.!!Joseph had to conceal his overwhelming emotion that surged in that moment. Although he had always viewed knights and nobles with skepticism, he couldn't help but acknowledge the truth now.The young knight before him was a true knight indeed.Thank you. . .Don't mention it for something like this.????????????????????????Although he spoke confidently, Johan remained silent. In fact, he didn't even have armor. It would have been truly embarrassing had he been without weapons as well, but fortunately, he still had his longsword.May I borrow a horse and gear?The manor was modest, but it was still a feudatory. The Aitz family didn't manage the feudatory alone. Sir Gessen's slaves and wealthy serfs, selected to serve, assisted in its management.If it were a larger manor, there might have been a professional administrator to manage the feudatory or soldiers to handle such gear, but that was too much to expect. All these duties were undertaken by the servants.As a result, the servant in charge of the weapons at the feudal lord's residence couldn't be too assertive with Johan. No matter how ambiguously noble Johan might be, nobility is still nobility. There's a difference in status.Reporting to Philip, the eldest son, or Mrs. Aitz? That would be madness. Johan might be humiliated for now. . .But if Johan attacked him at night and broke his neck, he would forever remain a corpse, while Johan would merely receive a brief reprimand and confinement.And looking at Johan's physique, it seemed unnecessary to attack him at night. The servants at the feudal lord's residence, better fed than the serfs, were well-built, but paled in comparison to Johan.I promise, I won't damage or misuse anything. I've arranged to go hunting with the knights visiting the feudatory; I can't go unarmed.Well. . . that's true, but. . .The servant sighed and nodded. There was no point in upsetting Johan by refusing needlessly.Please be careful with it. Please. . .I understand. I understand.Johan's voice was so earnest that he had no choice but to nod in agreement. Sir Gessen, while indifferent to many things, cared about the weapons in the feudal lord's residence. The poor feudatory had invested almost all its money in these arms.And the gear was expendable. Without ongoing maintenance and care, it easily deteriorated.If the gear was damaged upon return, Sir Gessen's fury would be unleashed on the servant.Don't worry, I'm not like Fern or John.Ha ha. Our family is quite small, so it's not well-known. I'm glad to be out here with you all. My father never gave me a chance. My dream is to earn distinction on the battlefield.Did you have such a dream?Isn't it natural, being born into a knightly family? That's why I admire you all, serving under a great knight like Sir Karamaf and achieving military exploits.The cavalrymen's faces lit up with satisfied smiles upon hearing Johan's words. Few disliked receiving compliments, especially from a noble's son.Commoners or serfs groveled before them, but their status was no different from commoners. They were not born into knightly families nor had they undergone a Knight Initiation Ceremony, being merely mercenaries.Serving under an influential figure like Sir Karamaf, they would have been indistinguishable from mercenaries or bandits otherwise. So, Johan's praise was genuinely pleasing to them.Ha ha! You're right. There are no men as great as us. Sir Karamaf trusts us a lot.Really? I might have heard about you from the wandering minstrels who visited our feudatory. Where are you from?Have you heard of the wolves of Arkten? We're from there. Sir Karamaf personally hired us.The feudal lords here didn't keep many soldiers. Battles involved only a few hundred or thousand men. Johan was used to tales of tens or hundreds of thousands fighting, but the reality was quite different.Maintaining a large number of soldiers, a financial drain, was madness. No one could afford it.Nevertheless, skirmishes among the feudal lords, poor or small, were constant. Johan's continent was dominated by feudal lords, each ruling their feudatory like kings, fighting over trivial matters.And for these battles, mercenaries were always needed. They were the ones who fought in place of others.It has always been cheaper to hire soldiers as needed rather than maintaining a standing army. As a result, both large and small mercenary groups roamed the continent, hovering around battlefields and seeking silver coins. The more the continent was fractured and filled with conflict, the more the mercenaries profited.Wolves of Arkten were a fairly large mercenary group from the Erlans Kingdom. Even Johan had heard of them.Seeing their armor and horses, I thought they wouldn't be easy to deal with, and indeed. . .The skill of a mercenary could be judged by the gear they wore. Those with expensive and high-quality gear were usually experienced and skilled. Especially if they were also mounted.What exactly is Karamaf here for?'He didn't come alone but brought armed mercenaries with him. Although he said he came to meet Sir Gessen, his intentions didn't seem benevolent.Could there be a grudge?'It was unclear how a country knight like Sir Gessen could have incurred the wrath of Karamaf, but a grudge was a plausible reason.Assuming it's a grudge, what does he want? A duel or to humiliate?'It seemed excessive to bring mercenaries for such a matter. Sir Karamaf could have handled it alone. Even if Sir Gessen had a few men in his fief, they would flee at the sight of Sir Karamaf drawing his sword.Wolves of Arkten! Was it necessary to bring them to such a tranquil place?. . .Haha. Even for Sir Karamaf, it's not feasible to travel alone, is it?Johan clearly saw one of the mercenaries momentarily fluster with confusion.What about the servants?Servants accompanying a noble were a force in themselves. Arming people made them soldiers. Even some basic training could make them better than a mediocre mercenary.How can servants chase away rogues? This is something we should handle. Besides, it would be disrespectful to have Sir Karamaf personally wield a sword against mere rogues. That's why we accompanied him.As they spoke, the group gradually moved deeper into the forest. The path narrowed between densely packed trees. Joseph the hunter led the party at the forefront.
