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It happened in an instant; Luisen opened his eyes wide and hurriedly said, “Sir Carlton, it’s me. Me.”
“Duke….” Carlton frowned, still half-asleep. His voice also sounded guarded.
“Yes, I’m the duke. You understand now? Let’s take away this dagger first.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. In my sleep I just–.”
He brandishes his dagger in his sleep? This person–wasn’t this a big accident waiting to happen? This was a horrible sleeping habit. In addition, Carlton was naked; because Luisen was dressed only in pajamas, his bare skin could be felt through the thin cloth.
The definition of his firm muscles was clear. In particular, the touch of a certain area alongside Luisen’s thigh was very, very explicit. Was this a leg? Did he have another leg? The presence and size of that thing was just intense.
Cold sweat ran down Luisen’s back.
“Why is the duke here? In this flimsy outfit.” Carlton fiddled with the bunched-up cloth at Luisen’s waist without hesitation.
‘Is he still not yet awake?!’ Luisen rubbed at his arms. Carlton was only touching his clothes, but it felt as if he was directly rubbing him instead. “The only thing I had to wear was pajamas. The last time I snuck out of the room, I was caught digging up the buried old hags by Ruger. After that he took away all my clothes, telling me not to walk around alone at night.”
“So that’s why you crawled into this bed in only your pajamas this late at night?”
“As for the bed, you pulled me into it. Who said I crawled in…” Luisen explained himself even though he didn’t understand why he had to make such excuses to Carlton. The lord’s gaze wandered at nothing particular. Carlton’s eyes were strangely persistent, and it was hard to make eye contact. But it was even more embarrassing to look down; he could see everything from his smooth chest to his washboard abs–and to what was underneath. The strange atmosphere was driving him crazy.
“Of course, why would the duke…” Carlton stared down at Luisen before saying something mysterious.
“What are you saying? Get off now! And wear some clothes! This is so embarrassing…”
Carlton finally got out of bed and dressed himself. Luisen also rushed out of bed, feeling like it wasn’t proper for him to be there either.
Luisen sat upright at a table, and soon Carlton sat in front of him. The lord finally felt at ease when he saw that the other was dressed properly, both top and bottom.
“What’s going on?” Carlton asked. He was straightforward, cutting to the point rather than running in circles. He could have asked more courteously, but he was distracted by the previous situation.
“Why are you leaving so soon? You said you were leaving in two days? Actually, it’s been a day, so you’re leaving tomorrow?”
“It just happened that way.”
“Then, are your preparations for departure going well?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t need anything?”
“No.”
‘What in the world, why are his answers so short and insincere?’ Luisen was displeased. “There’s a lot you need to take. If you leave on such short notice, there’s bound to be some trouble.”
“……Did you come here just to talk about this? It’s already been decided,” Carlton replied testily, furrowing his eyebrows. His curt tone was the same as usual. However, Luisen noticed Carlton had turned his words around on him because he must have also been aware he was overdoing things.
‘That’s right. Two days was far too hasty. Why are you in such a hurry when even you realize this foolhardiness.’
There must be a reason; Luisen squinted his eyes and examined the mercenary. Carlton raised his chin slightly, as if to say, ‘What of it?’
“Did you check out the Vinard envoys’ stories?”
“No.”
“How about you send reconnaissance first for safety? You don’t know what danger may lie ahead.”
“I can’t afford that kind of leisure.”
“What would happen if you were to get attacked? You could encounter some weird occurrences like what happened to the Vinard men.”
“We’re prepared for an attack.”
Luisen was worried, but none of that seemed to make it through to the mercenary.
“If there’s a problem, I can solve it. If anyone attacks us, we’ll destroy them. That’s what we’ve been doing so far. There’s nothing that can block my path.” Carlton expressed absolute confidence in his ability to take matters into his own hands. His strength was overwhelming enough that nothing else could compare. His leadership was outstanding, his mind was quick, and he had a youthful spirit of determination, ready to solve anything in his way.
His arrogance was understandable, considering he rose to his position solely through his own abilities; but Luisen, who had already lived through his eventual downfall, was nervous.
Would Carlton’s situation be better compared to how it was before his regression?
Luisen was lost in thought.
The mercenary hadn’t done anything extreme, and his relationship with Luisen was good. The power that the south could have lost was preserved, and substantial spoils were obtained. But, that didn’t secure his future. There were still nobles who viewed Carlton as an eyesore as long as he retained the first prince’s trust.
During that time, Luisen had been busy being chased out by friends and relatives alike. Body trembling at the betrayal, he vowed revenge for the first time in life, completely out of his mind. Later, he had heard that Carlton was sent to the northwest to eradicate monsters and was kicked to the country’s peripheries.
At those thoughts, Luisen realized why Carlton was in such a rush.
“I see you’re trying to get back to the first prince’s side as soon as possible. Has something happened in the capital? Are they sending you to battle someplace else?”
“Where did you hear that?”
“No, I just guessed.” His guesses were based on past memories, but he could only vaguely explain himself because he couldn’t tell the truth.
“The duke’s brilliance surprises me once again.” Carlton was suddenly dispirited.
‘Who’s worried about who now?’ the mercenary thought. It felt foolish to ignore Ennis’ advice to not get tangled in the southern aristocracy’s fight and tell Luisen that the situation in the south was suspicious, especially with respect to what was happening in the capital.
He was worried about leaving Luisen here, where he had not a single ally; he had thought about asking the lord to go with him to the capital. When he saw Luisen’s fumbling form and his gullibility, his heart weakened, so he purposely avoided seeing him. But, all that effort was in vain.
No matter what, he was still a smart, wealthy great lord. Right now his prospects may have been gloomy, but his future was bright. Luisen was completely different from him–a small lantern in a windy field.
For a very short time, due to the extraordinary circumstances of the civil war, Carlton had the upper hand over Luisen. But he and Luisen were from two completely different worlds. Did that mean Luisen was safe no matter how many mistakes he may make, and that the mercenary would be in an unstable position no matter how many times he may win?
Could they meet again in the capital? He was not confident he would be able to hold out and stay in favor until Luisen arrived.
A long-held sense of inferiority wriggled and burned in Carlton’s stomach.
Not much would change in one or two days.
Luisen’s attitude was based on his pre-regression memories, but it didn’t seem quite so straightforward to Carlton. Carlton was nervous because he didn’t know how the prince’s mind may change as every minute–every second–passed, let alone one or two days.
“It’s not something the duke should be concerned with,” Carlton cleared his expression and said icily.  His sharp, pointed, and somewhat aggressive tone pierced Luisen’s ears. “Have you forgotten? I’m here to occupy the duchy. Shouldn’t you, rather, be grateful for my quick departure?”
“That’s true, but…”
“If you’re done talking, then you should leave.”
With the driest of blessings, Luisen left the room despondently.
Disregarding whether or not others saw him, Luisen trudged away with concerned steps. Carlton’s men and several patrolling servants confronted him, asking why he had been in Carlton’s room, but Luisen only gave half-hearted answers.
Hadn’t they gotten too close to grasp at straws over their technical status as enemies?
On one hand, he was deeply saddened by Carlton’s remarks that drew a line between them; on the other hand, he understood his deep concerns over his troubling and precarious situation. Luisen realized why Carlton’s heart seemed so burdened ever since he’d announced he would leave soon. ‘He’s nervous…’
The same was true of Luisen, whose future was now uncertain.
Luisen truly thought he had done well after regression. Both the duchy and its citizens were safe, and he had been recognized by his retainers. His reputation in the south had also improved.
The duke had shown off both inside and outside the castle, so the risk of losing everything futilely, as had happened before regression, had disappeared. He assumed that if he maintained a duke’s dignity, even the first prince would not be able to mess with him very much.
Everything had gone well, but Luisen still held ambiguous feelings.
He’d done well so far. He’d changed a lot of things.
But that was the problem. With the knowledge of the future, he was able to overcome the crisis facing him well. In the future, however, Luisen would approach the unknown future step by step; there would be unknown crises. There would come a time when his knowledge of the future would be of no help. What was he supposed to do then?
Luisen had an optimistic temperament, but he was infinitely pessimistic about his own abilities.
‘What if I make the wrong choice again?’
During his trips back and forth to the village, Luisen had realized just how influential he was. Many people’s lives were controlled by his actions; a thoughtless judgment could destroy the lives which the ordinary citizens had built painstakingly and sincerely.
TL: Carlton canonically large
(Sorry, I have nothing particularly intelligent to say besides that.)