The carriage raced along.
Pilstain repeatedly told Johan they were already moving fast enough and that there was no need to rush, but Johan pushed the horse until it was nearly exhausted.
'He must hate the idea of sleeping outdoors because he's a noble.'
Not knowing the real circumstances, Pilstain came up with his own explanation and accepted it.
'I don't know when that mage will catch up.'
Johan, on the other hand, could not relax.
If he thought only about Achievements, getting captured would not necessarily be a problem.
But by now, this had become a matter of pride.
While Johan's competitive spirit burned, a Status Window message appeared before his eyes.
[How is a human receiving no Achievement adjustment managing this?]
'Status Window. Do you know something? Don't keep it to yourself. Share.'
He asked it to share the information.
His request was ignored as completely as if he were a stray dog.
Harboring resentment at being ignored, Johan continued driving until he spotted a village.
"Young Master! That's Heo Village!"
"Heo Village?"
He had never heard of it.
When Womanizer Johan traveled to enroll at the academy, he had stopped in a different village.
"It is rather large for a village, is it not? Rumor has it that it will become a city soon."
"Why?"
"Ah, my apologies. My hometown is still only a village……."
Johan frowned.
The man was usually quick on the uptake, so why was he saying something so pointless?
"No. Forget that nonsense. Tell me how this place is becoming a city."
"Monsters appear frequently around Heo Village. That draws a great many mercenaries. I have carried a few of them myself."
"Did it pay well?"
"Quite well, sir."
Pilstain tilted his head and looked at Johan curiously.
'Why did he ask whether it paid well? Could he actually be jealous?'
Ignoring Pilstain's suspicious gaze, Johan nodded.
A brilliant idea had just occurred to him.
"Monster byproducts sell for money. So all kinds of people gather here, right?"
"That is correct."
"Good. I have a plan. Listen carefully."
Johan explained his sudden idea to Pilstain.
Pilstain listened quietly, then asked in confusion,
"Young Master. Is that not a little…… excessive? Is there really a reason to go that far?"
"I am a legitimate noble of the kingdom. If a noble mixes in among lowly mercenaries, imagine how troublesome that would be for the village chief."
"So that is why you wish to hide your identity? Even so……."
So the excuse was not enough.
Johan clicked his tongue and considered how much he should reveal to Pilstain.
Every time he encountered the mage, Pilstain died.
Unlike Johan, who was guaranteed another life after death, Pilstain had only one.
If Pilstain had been a complete stranger or an enemy, Johan might have ignored it.
But perhaps he had grown attached to the man during their short journey together.
'And maybe I'll get an Achievement like Friend of a Coachman.'
In truth, Johan had another objective.
[You Were Born to Be Respected]
[Achievement Perk: While possessed, if someone respects the user, physical stats receive an adjustment.]
The exact standard was vague, which made this a good opportunity to test it.
An Achievement that strengthened him as the number of people who respected him increased.
If he turned Pilstain into one of his people, he could use the man as a baseline.
At a glance, Pilstain did not seem especially useful.
But that also made winning his loyalty look easy.
'Even the way Young Master thinks so deeply is dignified.'
Watching Pilstain's eyes already begin to sparkle, Johan put on a solemn expression and spoke.
"The truth is, someone is pursuing me and wants me dead."
"Is that true?! Then should we not immediately summon the village chief or an administrator and tell them? This is a large village, so surely the margrave's family has dispatched someone—"
"Quiet. This concerns noble politics, so keep it secret."
"Ghk!"
Pilstain immediately shut his mouth at the magical phrase that worked on commoners: noble politics.
He did not know what it meant, but it sounded sinister and dangerous.
"And I want to reach the Academy Special Territory as quickly as possible so I can begin studying. If they detain me to offer hospitality, I will waste several days."
"Understood. I, Pilstain, will stake my life on restoring the horse's strength."
"Do not stake your life on something so trivial. Value it more."
"Young Master……."
Johan secretly smiled.
Pilstain had clearly been moved, so Johan should have become a little stronger.
Yet unlike with an Achievement adjustment, he felt no noticeable change.
'No? Is one stack nowhere near enough?'
"Anyway, remove the crest from the carriage first."
"Understood, Young Master."
"Ahem! From this moment on, I am Bedro, a wandering knight! Calling me Young Master would sound strange. Hmm……. You can be my uncle—"
"Absolutely not!"
Pilstain recoiled in horror.
"How could I possibly become your uncle, Young Master?! That would be far too great an honor for someone like me!"
"Then you will be my squire. Call me Sir instead of Young Master."
"That much I can do! Understood!"
"Then let us enter the village."
Pilstain slowly drove the carriage forward.
Johan went inside and checked his equipment.
He wore the leather armor Baron Raks had given him and carried a longsword.
It was a simple outfit.
It looked insufficient for a knight, but it made sense if he claimed to be an impoverished wandering knight with no territory behind him.
"Young Master. We need to wait in line."
"Then we wait."
The line moved quickly.
Soon, a guard's voice came from outside.
"We need to perform a brief inspection."
"You insolent fool! Do you know who is riding in this carriage?!"
"What? Who……?"
That line had not been part of the plan, but Johan realized it was his cue.
"Who dares block my path?!"
"Sir Bedro!"
The guard opened his eyes wide and looked Johan up and down.
"A wandering knight?"
"Pilstain."
"This man is Sir Bedro, whom I serve! He is kind and considerate, and……."
"A wandering knight who is kind and considerate?"
The guard cut him off.
Pilstain panicked at the suspicion, but Johan answered without missing a beat.
"I would say I am quite kind."
"Y-Yes! And he is a genius at driving carriages!"
"A genius at driving carriages?"
The guard's expression twisted strangely before he let out a low chuckle.
The guard beside him covered his face and began snickering openly.
"I see. You may enter."
"Good."
Once they were inside the village, Johan asked Pilstain,
"A genius at driving carriages? Is that really what you think of me?"
"Yes. You drive so well……. My apologies."
"Forget it. That can happen. Maybe I really do have talent for it."
Johan had spent his entire life hearing that he had no talent.
Even a trivial compliment felt pleasant.
Pilstain, unaware of this, admired Johan's broad-mindedness.
'Young Master truly is generous! I must act properly so I do not become a burden!'
Pilstain's determination immediately showed itself when they entered an inn.
"This is Sir Bedro! We will rest briefly before departing, so prepare a simple meal and fodder for the horse."
"A knight?"
The innkeeper narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Johan flared up like a proper wandering knight.
"You lowly innkeeper dare doubt me?!"
"Oh! My apologies. I will have food prepared immediately."
The man pretended to be frightened, but his suspicion was obvious.
'How would a real wandering knight act here?'
"My mood has soured, so bring better food! And naturally, I expect a discount!"
"Haa……. Understood."
Only after Johan instinctively acted like a wandering knight did the innkeeper finally back away, still looking half-convinced.
'So I need to look ignorant and behave like a highway robber.'
While Pilstain went to park the carriage beside the stable, Johan took a table and listened to nearby mercenaries whispering.
"Why are wandering knights always like that?"
"There must be someone teaching them how to yell at innkeepers and haggle down prices."
"Careful. He's looking this way. Picking a fight with him would only hurt us. Don't make eye contact."
'So this is what unfiltered reactions are like.'
Until now, Johan had mostly seen residents shrinking whenever he revealed himself as a noble.
The loud, rough mercenaries felt refreshing by comparison.
'The mercenaries we hired for monster hunts spoke their minds without acting intimidated too. People who make a living with a blade really are different.'
Johan chose to view it positively.
One of the pleasures of traveling was discovering sides of people he had never seen before.
Pilstain returned after parking the carriage, and the food arrived just as he sat down.
It was a simple meal consisting of the kind of perpetual stew common in medieval inns, with a few pieces of meat added.
Even though the Barony of Raks was poor, its food was better than this.
Worried, Pilstain quietly asked,
"Does it suit your taste?"
"It is edible. How does a wandering knight normally react to food like this?"
"They simply eat quietly. You already forced the price down."
"Then we eat, rest until the horse recovers, and leave."
"Yes."
The stew did contain meat, so it restored his energy reasonably well.
Only after finishing did Johan realize just how tired he had become.
'This body has never slept outdoors before. Of course it would be tired. I drove the carriage myself too.'
He wanted nothing more than to lie down on a bed piled high with soft straw and sleep.
But he had no idea when their pursuer might arrive.
"Pilstain. When will the horse recover?"
"I will make it as quick as possible."
"Then I will rest in a room for a short while."
"Yes."
After finishing the conversation, Johan headed upstairs.
The innkeeper approached him.
"Where are you going?"
"To rest in a room."
"Um……. You have not paid for lodging."
"I have to pay even if I am only using it briefly?"
"Ah……."
The innkeeper was left speechless by Johan, who had already mastered the behavior of a wandering knight.
He cursed inwardly.
'You damn thieving bastard.'
He wanted to snap back, but he had no idea how far this lunatic might go.
The guards would eventually come to subdue Johan if trouble broke out, but that would not help if the innkeeper's skull was cracked open first.
He decided it would be better to lend Johan an empty room for a short while.
Just as he was about to say so—
BANG!
A mercenary who had been watching slammed the table hard enough to nearly break it.
"I've listened to enough of this! I cannot stand it anymore!"
"Captain, what's wrong with you?"
"Let it go. Just let it go. Nothing good comes from clashing with a wandering knight."
"That bastard is pissing me off!"
Johan thought for a moment.
'Would causing a disturbance help?'
If the mage arrived later and questioned people, they would testify that a wandering knight had caused trouble.
Connecting that wandering knight to Johan, a noble, would be difficult.
Johan quickly made his decision and played along.
"I wondered where all that barking was coming from. Turns out it was a pack of vermin mercenary bastards."
"W-What? You want to say that again?"
"You think calling yourself a knight makes you one? You're a penniless bastard threatening an innkeeper because you can't even afford a room!"
"Sir Bedro!!"
Pilstain tried to stop him in horror, but Johan silenced him with a glance.
Pilstain gave up.
'Young Master must have a plan.'
More importantly, Johan genuinely looked like a wandering knight.
If Pilstain had not known the truth, even he might have been completely fooled by the performance.
"You dare insult a knight!!"
Johan's face reddened, and veins bulged along his neck.
At that moment, a Status Window message appeared.
[Wow. Anyone watching would think you were a real wandering knight.]
Pilstain was impressed too.
'His acting is incredible. Wait, he is acting, right? He is not actually angry?'
Unaware of Pilstain's thoughts, Johan immersed himself in the role and drew his sword.
"Oh my! You must not! Please calm down!"
"Get lost!"
"Ow!"
CRASH!
The innkeeper Johan shoved went tumbling across the floor.
As the commotion grew, ordinary customers either slipped outside or huddled in corners to watch excitedly.
SHING—
The mercenaries had not expected Johan to be enough of a lunatic to draw a sword inside an inn, and they hesitated.
"You want to fight in here?"
"Are you not afraid of the guards?"
"We picked a fight with a real madman……."
"You talked big enough, but now that you see a sword, you're scared? Hah! Mercenary bastards are all the same. Parasites who turn tail and run the moment there is no money involved!"
"Y-You son of a—!"
"If you are men, draw your swords! Let us have an honorable duel!"
Johan had become so immersed in the performance that he simply said whatever came to mind.
Then he noticed growing commotion outside.
'Did the guards come?'
If he was arrested, interrogated, or detained, he would waste far too much time.
Johan needed to leave the village as quickly as possible.
'Wait. Wouldn't it be easier to escape if I used these mercenaries?'
The mage would never suspect Johan of hiring mercenaries.
There was no reason to.
In this life, Johan and the mage had never even met.
'And these guys don't seem to have accepted a commission yet……'
If they had been on a job, there was no way they would accept a fight with a wandering knight who could introduce unpredictable variables into their mission.
"So you are saying you cannot fight because we are inside an inn? Then follow me outside! Pilstain. Bring the carriage."
"Yes!"
"A carriage? A wandering knight owns a carriage?"
"He probably stole it."
"A wandering knight skilled enough to steal an entire carriage?"
The mercenaries began to hesitate.
Only the mercenary who had first picked the fight retained his aggression.
"So what? He is only one man! What are you afraid of?!"
"Ah, to hell with it. Fine! We have mercenary pride too!"
"I will wager all my possessions on this duel! Pack everything you own and follow me! The winner takes all!"
"So the bandit finally shows his true colors!"
"Scared?"
"Gh! Who's scared?! Everyone, pack everything and follow him!"
Johan led the furious mercenaries out of the village.
Naturally, he headed in the direction of the County of Ohen.
When Johan saw the guards at the gate, he gave them an awkward smile.
The guard sighed and let him through.
"So the part about you being kind was true. Thank you for not fighting inside the village."
"I am pretty kind."
"……Yes."
They continued walking even after leaving the village behind.
The enraged mercenaries growled.
"How far are we going? This looks like a perfectly good place for your grave."
"Pilstain. Bring out the signet."
"Understood, Young Master!"
Pilstain excitedly produced the signet.
"This man is not a wandering knight! He is Young Master Johan, second son of Baron Raks!"