/
‘…Am I sexually frustrated?’
He’d never felt that way before.
Carlton felt incredibly embarrassed. Up until now, the mercenary felt that he had been rather inattentive towards matters of sex. He felt that there were many other enjoyable activities; it was far more thrilling to be recognized and succeed in his career endeavors. For someone whose life was kindled by ambition day and night, all other things seemed too boring.
The other mercenaries around him viewed him as somewhat strange, but Carlton felt that it was even stranger to roll around naked with an unfamiliar person. He was especially leery of hugging and falling asleep with a stranger without having a weapon nearby.
Even during his teenage years–a time in which many were consumed by lewd thoughts–Carlton would travel here and there to various battlefields. The mercenary was still generally sour about such sexual deeds. But, why was he suddenly acting like an lustful boy who had just opened his eyes to the possibilities of sex–especially since he’d never had these thoughts before?
Had he just been too comfortable? Was life too easy?
His head felt complicated, but the texture of the hair slipping through his fingers was so soft. Short hair felt so different to the touch than long hair. All other thoughts disappeared, and Carlton focused on his fingertips.
‘How can human hair be softer than fox fur?’
Carlton deliberately moved his hands slowly, pretending to grab at the hair and even stroking it. Whenever that happened, Luisen’s neck flushed redder and redder.
“…You can just be brief and haphazard.” Unable to endure, Luisen spoke up. He conveyed his discomfort. Only then did Carlton realize how excessive he was being.
He… must have really seemed weird. He quickly rolled his head and tried distract Luisen. “I checked with the people below; apparently four of my men were caught at Confosse. They were immediately transported to the Duchy.”
”What about the others? Your army?” Luisen quickly focused on the topic and adopted a serious expression.
“I heard rumors that they went northward. No witnesses, though. Simply rumors,” Carlton continued. He did not make up these details; he had heard them in passing from the innkeeper and meant to inform the young lord. However, he didn’t intend to use this topic to spare himself from the discomfort. Carlton hastened his scissors.
“Did they say how the captured people were being treated?”
“They said the men looked alright when they were being carried away.”
”Well, then it’ll be fine. My estate doesn’t condone torture… They’ll be able to reunite with you safely. If they were to suffer an injury, I’ll take care of their future.”
“They’ll be fine on their own. I didn’t train my men to be so weak.” Once Carlton resolved to finish, the haircut was completed in no time. “I’m done.”
Carlton took away the cloth around Luisen’s neck and tussled the lord’s hair. Luisen turned around, fidgeting with his nape and feeling awkward. Though Carlton had seen others cut human hair, it was his first time trying his hand at it; he wasn’t particularly good. Nevertheless, short hair suited Luisen.
Now that his hair was shorter, his narrow jawline was refreshingly revealed–it gave the young lord a cheerful and sophisticated aura. His delicate features stood out even more. On the other hand, the roundness of his head made him look quite cute as well.
Carlton thought back when Luisen had long hair that the lord looked best with that hairstyle. However, short hair looked good on him as well. ‘His face is so beautiful–no matter what he does, he’s beautiful.’
Carlton was mesmerized by the lord’s beauty. At that moment, he wanted to cup Luisen’s cheeks with both hands. He almost committed a crime, gazing into the young lord’s eyes and emboldened by this strange atmosphere–he would have moved to touch him if Luisen hadn’t spoken up in a faintly high-pitched voice.
“Where’d you place the map? I’d like to check our upcoming path.”
Thanks to Luisen’s timely question, Carlton managed to regain his sanity. This wasn’t the time for such things. “Over there.” Carlton casually turned around to find the map. When he unfurled the map on the table, the strange atmosphere settled back into something more realistic.
Luisen breathed a sigh of relief. The atmosphere was incredibly fluttery and hard to manage. “Where are we?”
“Here.” Carlton pointed to a spot on the map. Confosse was to the east of the duchy, in the adjoining territory. The Anies Dukedom was located in the center of the southern region. Thus, it took them quite a while to escape the south; it would be a longer journey to the capital from Confosse. After a long time of walking down roads, crossing rivers, and passing through a few cities, they would reach the capital.
“We’ve only come this far? I thought we walked quite far.”
“That’s because we went around the mountain to avoid the main footpath.” Cartlon drew a gentle curve with his fingertips. He began at the site of Ruger’s attack and sloped into the mountainside, all the way to Confosse. Their path wasn’t even detailed on the map.
“We still have a long way ahead of us.” Luisen sighed deeply.
“It took longer because we were in the mountains, but we’ll be travelling along proper roads now. We’ll follow the main road north,” Cartlon explained as he pointed at the map. As Carlton said, following the main path would lead them to a river that separated the eastern and southern regions of the kingdom. “Here, at a city called Mittil, I think it’d be best to a boat from the dock. If we travel by boat along the river, we can go even further.”
“That is the fastest route. I’ve been to Mittil before.” Luisen was also familiar with this city. Mittil was the most prosperous city with the most marine traffic along the river–after all, the shortest path to the capital was to cross the river at Mittil. Both the aristocracy and wealthy used Mittil’s marina–its splendour couldn’t even be compared to the likes of Confosse.
“…But, isn’t there a church in Mittil?” Luisen asked.
“There is one. As far as I know, it’s quite a large church with several priests.”
“They’ll probably think we’re strange if, as a pilgrim, I don’t stop by the church.”
“Yes. So, even if we take a more roundabout path, we could use a dock that’s out of the town’s boundaries… I believe it’d be better than to mingle with many people.”
“Right.”
“Depending on how natural my duke can act, we can adapt our path forward to suit our needs.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Luisen had travelled with a pilgrim for a year. Moreover, after passing as a noble despite his lack of wits and a sensible mind, he was at least confident in his ability to pretend and act. “How long will it take to get to Mittil from here?”
“It’ll take around four to five days.”
“That’s along the main pedestrian footpath?”
“We only have one donkey after all. If we come across a merchant following a similar route, we might be able to rent a space in their carriage.”
“What about a public carriage?”
For well-traveled roads, public carriages often operated in certain sections. As long as they could pay, anyone could hitch a ride.
“I had heard that there was originally a carriage from Confosse to the postal village, but it’s not open now.”
“Why?”
“Recently, public security has been unstable, and monsters have become more active. Apparently, that’s resulted in quite a few traffic jams. According to rumors, several villages have become isolated.”
“Is this the consequences of the civil war? The country has become much more disorganized as we’ve travelled north.”
“If only it was just that…”
As the southern military forces were occupied with other matters, there was some neglect in hunting monsters. It would be natural for monsters to increase in population and expand their range of activity. However, now that the two knew about Ruger’s involvement with the monsters and the recent attacks on the villages, all of this was cause for worry.
Carlton pointed out the way forward. If they went upriver from Mittil, they’d arrive in the middle of the kingdom. From there, they’d head east, stopping briefly just before entering the capital to observe the current situation and to judge that it was safe to enter to capital. It was probably the easiest and safest route they had.
“If we had a horse…” Carton thought of his beloved horse regretfully.
“I’m sure your horse is doing well because it’s so smart. It must have descended the mountain and found some farmhouse.”
“That would be nice…” Carlton’s face was filled with worry.
Luisen, who knew that Carlton had a special bond with his horse without needing to hear more, tried to console him. “Later, I’ll send out some men to try and find your horse.”
“Thank you for saying that.” Carlton shook off his gloom and returned to the map. “Once we cross the river, we’ll reach the kingdom’s middle region. The civil war was fought the most intensely in this area… We’ll need to be prepared.”
“I know, I know.” Luisen knew well how the country fell into bedlam after the civil war.
Carlton looked doubtful at the young lord’s knowing attitude. “…Are you sure you’ll be fine?”
“Of course. I can withstand anything.” Luisen was confident. A bed and a roof were luxuries; he had spent more than one or two days sleeping on the streets. The young lord could almost guarantee he was more experienced in being homeless than the mercenary.
Luisen observed the map again. Along the path there were many places that lingered as bad memories in Luisen’s head. Painful and distressing memories were attached to many places scattered all over the kingdom. However, he wasn’t afraid.
He wasn’t alone anymore–he had Carlton. Thanks to the mercenary, he’d been fine so far; he had a vaguely reassuraing expectation that the benefits from this alliance would continue far into the future.