Chapter 40
TL/Editor: Raei
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The knights did not have much fondness for wizards.
Their first gripe was the underhanded tricks played on the battlefield. The second was sharing the glory with them.
Knights generally disliked wizards.
However, to avoid the hassle of direct confrontation, they would only bad-mouth wizards behind their backs, in hidden places.
"Look here, wizard."
A knight who had abruptly sought out Ian said so.
"I hear you've been spreading dangerous rumors among the people."
"Dangerous rumors?"
"The rumor that the land will become diseased and rot if Graham becomes the lord."
Ah, I did spread such baseless rumors.
Ian nodded in admission.
"That's right. But why do you ask?"
Upon Ian's affirmation, the knight narrowed his eyes and glared at him.
The reason was ridiculous.
"Wizard Ian. Isn't it a bit excessive to be casting such strong curses?"
"...?"
"If the land really does rot away, what then? How will you handle the aftermath?"
Don't use too strong a curse.
...Is that what this is about?
Ian was momentarily speechless.
"So, you mean, what if the land actually rots away?"
"That's right."
Ian waved his hand with a smile.
While his face was smiling, inwardly, he cursed the ignorant knight.
This is why uneducated people are a problem.
"Ah. It seems there's some misunderstanding. There won't be any land rotting."
"Why not?"
"Because all this talk of curses and such is complete nonsense."
"...Nonsense?"
These ignorant knights had taken the black propaganda meant to fool only the most gullible of peasants to heart.
Ian cursed the knights for their abysmal level of intelligence, but in truth, it wasn't their fault.
This was the average level of information in this era.
For modern people steeped in all kinds of media, including smartphones, knowledge is like a toy that can be easily obtained by simply turning on Namuwiki[1].
It's the kind of toy that YouTubers play with when they make shorts about "secrets you didn't know about ~."
However, in this medieval fantasy world, where information was extremely limited, rumors were often taken as truth because there was no way to distinguish true from false.
Knowing this, people of the Middle Ages freely spread lies.
After being fooled by such absurd lies a few times, listeners naturally learned to filter what they heard.
The problem arises in situations like this, where biased knowledge leads to absurd misunderstandings.
"Can you be sure of that?"
What's there to be sure about?
Ian looked at the knight in disbelief, but the knight's eyes were filled with a strange certainty.
"I hope you won't change your story later."
'What the hell is this guy on about?'
Ian wondered what nonsense the count's knight had gotten into his head.
But the real headache began after the army arrived at Graham's stronghold.
"Count! We do not wish to stand on a dishonorable battlefield!"
The count's knights had collectively declared a strike.
"Is everyone serious?"
The count looked back and forth between the knights and Ian with a complex gaze.
Combining the count's gaze and the knights' peculiar attitude, Ian reached a conclusion.
'...Could it be?'
"Wizard Ian has been loudly proclaiming that a curse will fall upon this land. This is no different from inviting a curse!"
"If rumors spread that we are associated with a curse-calling wizard, our honor will be thrown into a mud pit, Your Excellency."
The knights' intentions were clear.
They were scheming to exclude Ian from this war!
"No, but the curse is all bullsh*t. How are you fooled by rumors I've spread?"
Ian tried to logically persuade the knights, but they wouldn't listen to him at all.
"How can we believe the words of a wizard?"
"It's clear you're trying to deceive us with your cunning tricks known only to yourself!"
This was the knights' logic.
Ian was smart.
He knows more than the knights, so if he uses tricks, they wouldn't know.
Conclusion: They think everything Ian says is bullsh*t.
'F*cking barbarians.'
It was infuriating for Ian, but there was no clear solution.
The main characters of the war were the knights.
No matter how much a wizard might create and manipulate the battlefield, in the end, it's the knights who wield the swords.
When the knights decided to declare a strike like this, from the lord's perspective, there was no choice but to side with the knights.
While it's merely inconvenient without a wizard, without knights, there's no fighting at all.
"Hmm..."
The count knew this fact too.
Thus, while sneakily glancing at Ian, he was indulging the knights' whims.
Sensing how things were turning out, Ian no longer wanted to stay in the camp.
"If my presence is so unpleasant, I'll step aside."
"..."
"But don't expect to receive my help no matter how things go wrong."
Half-seriously angry, Ian stormed out.
Only one person, Lucy Talian, ran after Ian to hold him back.
"Ian!"
Lucy looked mortified, with an expression as if she was about to die of guilt.
Ian scrutinized Lucy closely.
If this was an act to appease him, then Lucy had the talent of a sovereign.
...But it wasn't an act.
From what Ian had observed so far, Lucy wasn't the type to scheme and execute plans.
"So, sorry. The knights suddenly found fault, and you..."
Strangely, receiving Lucy's apology somewhat eased Ian's heart.
Perhaps it was because he knew the apology came from a place of genuine regret, not an act.
"What? It's okay. I'm not really mad."
"Really?"
Ian nodded.
It would be a lie to say he was not bothered at all, but it was true that he wasn't actually angry.
Obsessing over the glory of battle or spoils of war is something warriors do.
Ian was a wizard.
He was quite satisfied as long as he received the magic sword that Lucy promised him after everything was settled.
"It's not a big deal if I'm excluded from the battlefield. What's so great about a place littered with corpses?"
"But..."
Lucy was flustered, not knowing what to do, and said apologetically.
"It means you'll miss the opportunity to achieve glory."
Ian smiled and patted Lucy on the head.
"What's the use of achieving such glory? I'm satisfied as long as I get the sword you promised me."
"Ian...!"
Lucy looked at Ian with moist eyes, speaking generously.
"I'll definitely take care of getting you the magic sword! If that's not enough, marry me and you can have the domain..."
"Ah. No thanks. I'm not buying."
Eventually, Ian declared to the count that he would cleanly bow out of this battle.
The count and Lucy showed their regret, but the knights were delighted.
They had been anxious that Ian was monopolizing too much glory in the count's army.
Making potions and spreading rumors were within the domain of a wizard, so there was no helping Ian's prominence.
But not so with battles.
The battlefield was the stage for knights!
The knights weren't there just to play supporting roles for Ian.
They were ambitious, aiming to distinguish themselves and win the count's favor.
Since the count promised to give Ian a few more scrolls for Ian's troubles, Ian could switch to being a spectator without any regrets.
'Let's see how well they fight.'
After a day of camping, the count's army climbed the hill around noon the next day.
Their target was Graham's stronghold.
---
---
Upon hearing that Count Catina was mounting an attack, the usurper Graham holed up in a nearby stronghold with his men.
Had the Count slaughtered the people on their way to him, Graham would have gritted his teeth and charged out to fight.
However, the count advanced gently, instead spreading malicious rumors led by a wizard to discredit Graham.
Rumors that a curse would fall upon the land if Graham became the lord.
As a result, the people of Talian showed animosity towards Graham, and he had no choice but to move to the stronghold for defense.
"The enemy's numbers... about 400?"
Graham, a former mercenary captain, assessed the enemy's size at a glance.
If there were 400, it was likely they were all mercenaries.
Since this was a personal vendetta, he couldn't mobilize the populace.
It was fortunate the enemy's numbers were few, but 400 was still a substantial force.
"You're not scared, are you? Captain?"
Graham's men approached him.
They were comrades who had shared life and death since their days in a mercenary band.
Now, they were closer than family.
"Me? Graham? The double-edged sword?"
Graham looked at his men and laughed sharply.
From the moment he had harmed the Talians, he had been prepared for a violent conflict.
In that sense, the army of Count Catina was not a crisis but an opportunity.
An opportunity to be recognized as the new lord of the domain!
It was obvious that Lucy Talian, that arrogant woman, was with the Count.
If he could somehow win this battle, he could negotiate to take Lucy.
If that happened, it would be Graham's victory.
Graham had about 200 men under him, along with a few wandering knights he had brought in from outside.
Especially, a so-called Black Knight from the east, who was so powerful that it was hard to believe he was hired for only a few silver coins.
"Whether the enemy is 400 or 4,000, it doesn't matter! Anyone who dares to point a sword at me, Graham, will die!"
"Ooh!"
Graham and his comrades ignited their will to fight.
True to his former mercenary nature, Graham had long lost his sense of fear.
Would he have thought to kill the lord and lady and take over the domain if he had any fear left?
But in these chaotic times, there were many like Graham.
A complete fool if he failed, but a revolutionary who could overturn the world's order if he succeeded.
"Hey, knights! Cheer up! If this goes well, I'll grant you good lands!"
The wandering knights nodded at Graham's words.
Though still a lord in name, Graham was a ruler in his own right.
The hastily hired knights would also contribute to his strength.
"Captain! The enemy is approaching!"
Graham checked his helmet and armor before stepping onto the battlefield.
"Let's go!"
Graham and the mercenaries advanced.
Now, the joyful rebellion of the former mercenaries began!
---
---
At high noon, with the sun overhead, the army of Baron Graham and Count Catina's forces stood parallel, facing each other on the hill.
The armies collided in the plain.
The terrain was more advantageous for Graham.
Being on higher ground, they could look down upon their enemy.
The count's army was divided into three sections, approximately 100 men each: the left wing, the right wing, and the center.
"Definitely overwhelming."
Sir Diketo, a knight of the count, stood by Ian's side and spoke.
Due to his age, he had been assigned to guard the count and other important figures.
It was also to give the younger knights a chance to shine.
"It seems so."
400 versus 200.
Even to Ian, who was ignorant about warfare, Count Catina's forces appeared overwhelmingly advantageous.
Even without Ian's magic support, the difference in troops seemed more than enough to secure a victory.
In truth, even if Ian had offered magical support, there wasn't much he could do.
Ian couldn't start fires or cause earthquakes.
At most, he could summon darkness... but with the sun shining brightly, summoning darkness wasn't easy.
But what does magical support matter?
The overwhelming difference in troops was undeniable.
Winning was all that mattered.
Ian, who was ignorant about warfare, along with Lucy and the count, watched the battle with calm expressions.
Ian, anticipating an exciting spectacle for the first time in a while, found himself wishing for some popcorn.
"Oh. They're fighting."
The two armies clashed fiercely.
Contrary to expectations that the count's army would overwhelmingly win, Graham's forces did not easily give ground.
They're fighting much better than expected?
Ian, impressed, said to Sir Diketo.
"They said they were former mercenaries, but they're fighting well against even the knights."
"..."
The most entertaining spectacles in the world were watching fires and fights.
Ian was having a f*cking blast.
Wow. It's like watching a movie.
However, unlike Ian, who was carefree, Sir Diketo's expression was quite grim.
The enemies were fighting much better than expected.
---
[1. raei: Wikipedia for Koreans.]
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