How to Live as a Wandering Knight

Chapter 300: 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 (4)

One of the snake-men displayed a slightly perplexed expression, but no one at the scene noticed it. Galvar was no exception.

When showing off knowledge and erudition, one should take good note of the other party’s level.

Only by naturally displaying one’s unique treasure while showing off could one garner respect; boasting about a rock that lay scattered on the roadside would merely make people think one was strange.

Viewed from this perspective, Galvar was bound to be quite awkward. He had gone out of his way to recite the blessing in the ancient imperial language and explain it, yet the people present were reacting with a ’𝘸𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺’ kind of attitude.

Even for a seasoned noble, one’s tongue would naturally become tied in such a situation. Galvar was no exception. His face turned slightly red, and he was unable to continue speaking.

Sueltlg saw it and quietly admonished Johan.

“Why did you say that? Just wait for him to finish. What’s the big deal?”

“I. . . I’m sorry. I didn’t expect him to explain it in that manner. But why did he use the ancient imperial language? If it had been some other language, he would’ve known that I’d seen through his desire to show off.”

“The ancient imperial language does, after all, have a rather lofty status.”

Nobles had many ways to prove their privileged status. One of them was through language. The most common one was through accents, and beyond that was the use of ancient languages such as the ancient imperial language.

Apart from the learned priests and scholars, there were no nobles who would go out of their way to learn the ancient imperial language. After all, they could just hire someone to do the job.

The fact that one had learned it oneself was proof that one possessed exceptional intellect.

“Do you understand now? Do you realize how much of a bad thing you’ve done?”

“I’m sorry. I really seemed to have done something bad to a guest.”

Johan was sincerely apologetic. Although Galvar did have an arrogant air about him, he hadn’t committed a crime worthy of being disgraced at a banquet.

Johan ended the conversation, cleared his throat, and spoke.

“Actually, now that I think about it, my ancient imperial language skills aren’t that great. I’d like to hear a proper interpretation.”

“. . . . . .”

Galvar’s face, which had been maintaining an expression somehow, crumbled. A wave of awkwardness had exceeded the level of what was bearable.

The conversation between the duke and the philosopher was inaudible, but anyone with a keen eye could guess what was happening. The philosopher had definitely advised him, ’𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦.’

As the envoys of the monarch, they had no choice but to endure humiliation when visiting various courts, yet this was truly the first time he had to endure self-inflicted humiliation.

“Galvar-nim. You must answer.”

The attendant next to him said, his voice filled with worry. Although he understood Galvar’s shame, if he were to remain silent while His Highness the Duke spoke in such a manner, that would be even more disrespectful.

“T. . . Thank you. Then, I shall explain the meaning.”

Galvar slowly began to explain the words of blessing he had recited earlier. However, his voice lacked strength.

This was only natural.

The young duke already knew what it meant, and the others present were listening with expressions of boredom. . .

“So, this means eternal life. . .”

“Hmm.”

Startled, Johan paused when Galvar made a mistake. He had thought of pointing out the mistake, but he decided to hold back. The diplomat was quite pitiful.

When Johan paused, Galvar soon noticed. He had been extremely nervous, so there was no way he wouldn’t notice. Galvar realized that he had made a mistake, and his face darkened.

“I misspoke just now. I shall explain again.”

“Take it easy. Take it easy.”

‘𝘐𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘯.’

Caenerna let out a light sigh at the suffocating atmosphere. Why had this joyous banquet turned into this because of some diplomat who wanted to show off his knowledge?

The rest of the envoy group also wore expressions of great distress. Everyone was just praying for this moment to end.

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“Sorry for being late!”

Valeon hurriedly went inside after being told that everyone had already arrived. He didn’t notice the strange heaviness of the atmosphere inside.

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦?’

When the envoy group from the hundred kingdoms welcomed Valeon with expressions of joy, Valeon flinched. The chamberlain beside him spoke softly.

“My lord. You should be careful.”

“I know!”

The aged king had assessed Valeon’s capabilities quite accurately. Rather than expecting him to talk properly with the envoy group from the hundred kingdoms, it was better to attach a chamberlain to him.

However, even the chamberlain couldn’t understand this atmosphere.

Why were the envoys from the hundred kingdoms welcoming Sir Valeon?

“But why are they acting like this?”

“I’m not sure if it’s dangerous or not.”

“. . .?”

“It seems that they arrived before Your Excellency did and won the favor of His Highness the Duke. That welcoming isn’t a welcoming that comes from self-confidence, is it?”

Thinking about it, he could now understand the welcoming.

Would the envoy group have come early for no reason? They must have come early to gain advantage in the negotiations. Since that had gone well, they were doing this to Valeon. . .

Valeon’s face was filled with bewilderment and surprise.

“. . .No! The duke isn’t the kind of person to do such a thing. He values his honor much more than you think.”

‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨?’

The chamberlain was astonished by Valeon’s words. It seemed that Valeon had been influenced by the duke, after following him around and seeing what had happened.

He couldn’t believe that the duke would act in such a manner after being humiliated in court like that. Moreover, as a successor to the throne, he shouldn’t be fawning over a feudal lord from some distant land like this.

“I understand that he values his honor, but there is no one in the world who dislikes sweet words. My lord. In any case, be careful with your words and leave it to me if you feel troubled. I will make sure that those fellows can’t run wild anymore.”

“. . .I understand.”

Valeon eventually agreed with the chamberlain. The aged king had given a very strict order as well. He wasn’t confident in his ability to speak skillfully at a gathering like this, so it would be better to leave it to the chamberlain.

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“Come to think of it, didn’t Galvar-gong say that he had other talents besides theology?”

Johan tried to help Galvar out. And with that, Galvar twisted his body out of distress. The other envoy group couldn’t bear to tell him to stop and screamed inwardly.

However, given the clear difference in status, no matter how annoying the other party’s consideration was, they had to gratefully accept it.

“. . .Yes. He is quite skilled in handling numbers as well, Your Highness.”

“Galvar-nim is no less skilled than the priests of the Eastern Empire. He has competed with them a few times and won!”

One of the envoys spoke up, trying to help Galvar in some way. Johan thought this was good. If they kept talking on this topic, wouldn’t Galvar’s humiliation fade away?

“I’d like to hear more about it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The envoy group was also glad that the duke was being considerate and accepted it right away.

“Your Highness. Do you know this riddle? A priest once released a pair of rabbits in a corner of the temple. After two months, these rabbits give birth to a new pair of rabbits every month, and the rabbits that are born also start giving birth to new rabbits after two months. How many pairs of rabbits will there be by the end of the year? This complicated. . .”

“144 pairs?”

“. . .The problem Galvar-nim solved in less than two days. . . Huh?”

“It’s nothing. Continue.”

“. . .No. . . Just now. . .”

The envoy group pondered what Johan had said. Soon, they were able to figure out what it meant. It was such a specific number that they couldn’t help but know.

Surprisingly, the duke had given the correct answer as soon as he had heard it!

“. . .???!!”

“Your Highness. It’s clear that just now. . .”

“Didn’t I tell you to continue?”

“Ah, yes. I apologize.”

Although it was absurd and ridiculous, they couldn’t argue when the duke told them to continue. The envoy spoke in a flustered voice and continued his explanation.

“I see. This is really interesting.”

Of course, Galvar was the only one suffering from this. Galvar was distressed inwardly, unable to believe it.

‘𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘵. . .!’

Not to mention the Eastern priests, even he had been poring over texts and documents, diligently writing letters and numbers, and wracking his brains, yet the duke had immediately given the answer as if he had been given the choice. His sense of inferiority was no joke.

And the most distressing thing was that he had shown off his intelligence in front of such a person. Moreover, it was going on and on without any chance to stop in between.

The aged king’s chamberlain, who had been brought along, failed to notice the secret hidden behind this situation. He exclaimed in admiration for the time being.

“Truly remarkable!”

“Is it?”

“Yes. The priests of the Eastern Empire think they’re the smartest people in the world, but only today did they learn that such talk is arrogance! That Lord Galvar’s intelligence is on this level!”

Valeon was looking on, bewildered, but the chamberlain pretended not to notice. For now, he had to go along with it while the duke was in a good mood.

Right now, the hundred kingdoms were in the lead, but there would be a chance later on.

‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘣*𝘵𝘤𝘩.’

‘𝘛𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?’

Of course, from the standpoint of the envoy group who knew the inside story, it was like adding fuel to the fire. The chamberlain was inwardly astonished when the envoy group glared at him.

To glare at him like that when they were the ones who had committed the foul play of arriving earlier.

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“The banquet was a huge failure.”

“Hmm.”

“It was fun though.”

Caenerna said. To be honest, it had been suffocating at first, but it had become enjoyable later on.

It had been funny to see a proud aristocrat like Galvar suddenly shut his mouth and become humble.

From now on, before acting, that aristocrat would think twice and act humbly, wherever he was. He had learned a good lesson.

“It’s not my fault that I know ancient imperial language.”

“That’s right. It’s not His Highness the Duke’s fault. The problem remains as it is.”

Johan clicked his tongue at Caenerna’s words. After the banquet, the two of them had grumbled and returned without reconciling.

Johan, who had been troubled, found a breakthrough from an unexpected place. It was Ulrike’s visit.

“Why did some envoy group bring such gifts?”

“If you knew the inside story, you wouldn’t be so happy to receive those gifts.”

When Johan distorted his face and explained the situation, Ulrike listened with a serious expression.

Then, she said.

“It’s not like there’s no way.”

“What? Is that really true?”

“Yes. It’s a method that would be difficult for His Highness the Duke to come up with on his own, so it is. We need a neutral party who can catch the wind.”

Ulrike said as if it were nothing.

When Ulrike’s mother, Countess Abner, needed to mediate between someone, she often used this method.

The first step was to prepare a noble who was a third party unrelated to the situation and invite them to the banquet.

Then, when the conversation had matured to a certain extent, that noble would intervene.

“Ask them to mediate? It’s not going to be easy to mediate so simply. . .?”

“Just listen.”

Of course, mediation wouldn’t be easy since both sides had a lot of wants and no intention of backing down.

That was when they would borrow the name and authority of God.

“At first glance, the situation between Johan and Galvar sounds really absurd. The method used before was to forcefully split apart solid steel.”

When the mediating noble said, ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘎𝘰𝘥’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦! 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭𝘦!’ Not many people could deny that on the spot.

Moreover, since it was a method that sounded absurd at first glance, the people present would look on, smiling.

“I see. That’s when we forcefully split the steel!”

Johan exclaimed in admiration at Ulrike’s words. Ulrike glanced at Johan as if to ask what nonsense he was talking about.

“. . .Of course, you have to bring steel that has been worked on beforehand, Your Highness.”

“Ah. Was that how it was?”

Johan felt a little embarrassed. Ulrike blinked a few times, unable to believe it, and sighed.

“In any case, do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“I understand. I see. It’s not a bad method. If we get a definite answer from each other and proceed before they notice, both of them will have no choice.”

“If necessary, I’ll take care of it myself. I owe Your Highness a lot, so this much. . .”

“Really? Thank you. I’ve been troubled.”

Johan held Ulrike’s hand in gratitude. Ulrike, surprised by the sudden gesture, opened her eyes wide after failing to react.