CH 57

Part 6: Accidental Meetings and Discreet Requests

The next morning, Luisen opened his eyes quite early. The sun had just begun its dim rise; both lord and mercenary prepared to leave, half-awake.

Luisen wore a robe over the clothes he had worn yesterday. The robe had full cover–it was as if sleeves were attached to a giant sack with a hole for the head. The young lord drew the robe’s hood over his head and wore another hood he had taken from the village for good measure. The hood’s hem came down to his nose and completely covered the young lord’s features. After tying the baggy midsection with a thick rope–rather than a belt–Luisen’s physical stature was disguised.

If he could shrug his shoulders and hunch his back, Luisen would be able to disguise even his height; he could seem like a completely different person. Next, the young lord attached a wooden cross, his holy relic, to the rope. From a surface glance, he undeniably looked like a pilgrim.

Carlton and Luisen followed the road straight and headed towards the far gate. Even at dawn, the streets of Confosse were crowded with departing people. Since those gathered were used to traveling long distances, the crowd was even more lively and noisy than in the daytime.

At first, Luisen was nervous. However, it seemed like no passersby were concerned with them, so his heart quickly relaxed. There were even people who greeted Luisen with clasped hands when they saw the pilgrim’s pass hanging around his neck. Each time, Luisen politely and demurely bowed his head, copying the one-armed pilgrim.

‘I wonder if I resemble the saint a little?’ Luisen was excited to think that he may look similar to the man he admired. Joy automatically rose within him as he tried to remember the one-armed saint and copy his walking style. When he tried to reproduce that unsteady gait with his stiff body, his joints creaked like pieces of wood. It was strange–he looked like a startled cat.

Carlton, who couldn’t endure that sight anymore, patted Luisen on the back. “Please walk properly.”

“…I wanted to walk like a pilgrim.”

“You look constipated.”

“Constipated…?”

It seemed that he couldn’t emulate the saint’s coolness. Luisen released the tension from his body and returned to his usual light steps.

Despite his criticism, Carlton wasn’t worried about Luisen’s ability to pose as a pilgrim. After all, pilgrims came from a variety of backgrounds, so Luisen’s carefree attitude–as if he were a bird swishing its tail feathers as he walked–wasn’t out of place.

“It’s alright to be a little aristocratic in your body language. Instead, please watch what you say. There are no pilgrims that speak condescendingly.”

“I know.”

“Have you ever used honorifics before?”

Of course. Many times. The first thing Luisen did to survive as a nomad was to break his conversational habits. “I have more experience than Sir Mercenary expects. Please, don’t worry. Rather, you should be careful in how you address me.”

Luisen spoke gently and formally; Carlton was satisfied–it wasn’t easy to give off an air of modest courtesy. “Though it’s good to call me Sir Mercenary, you may also address me as ‘Carl,’ my new identity. I shall call you Revered Pilgrim from now on.” 1

“Yes, be my guest.”

The two passed through the gate as they easily conversed. Because Carlton’s men were captured in Confosse, those who left the castle were examined as thoroughly as those entering. The two had little baggage; they passed easily with the help of the pilgrim’s pass.

After leaving the gate, the two headed near the secret entrance to see if the donkey they had left there was still around. However, unexpectedly, there were people there–two men clad in ordinary tunics–relatively young security guards. The men were waging tug-of-war over a black horse.

The men were jointly pulling at the horse’s reins, but the horse would not budge. Instead, when the horse stepped back, the two men were dragged along.

Carlton and Luisen stopped without getting any closer.

“They look like security guards right? What are they doing here? And my donkey is over there!” Luisen wanted to just turn around, but right behind the black horse was Luisen’s donkey. The doneky, paying no heed to the bedlam happening before it, munched on grass. What a carefree fellow.

“What should we do about it?” Luisen turned towards the mercenary.

Carlton, though, was staring at the black horse and not the donkey. “Zephys…”

Zephys? That was a familiar name.

Luisen immediately remembered that Carlton’s beloved horse was named Zephys. “Your horse? That black horse is yours?”

Carlton nodded. Startled, Luisen looked back at the black horse. On closer inspection, its fur looked rough and thin, but its head-to-tail black luster and handsome face seemed familiar. Its body was balanced well; its legs were taut and long. It was a rare, excellent military horse with muscles to match. After close observation, it looked exactly like Carlton’s horse. “Why is your horse here, though? We parted ways in the mountains. Couldn’t it be a similar-looking horse?”

Luisen asked just to cover his bases, but the black horse’s reaction was answer enough. Zephys noticed its master’s voice with its keen senses and turned to look at them.

Whinny!

In an instant, Zephys bit the guard’s arm and pushed him away with its body. After knocking over the two adult men, it ran to Carlton.

Neigh, neiiighhh.

Zephys’ eyes were moist as it rubbed its face into the mercenary’s shoulders and licked the mercenary’s face. It was the first time Luisen had ever seen a horse cry so sorrowfully. Carlton stroked the fur on Zephys’ head; his expression looked simultaneously regretful and welcoming. The young lord was moved by that ardent reunion.

But this was no time to relax and be sentimental. The two men that had been holding Zephys’ reins approached with spears pointed.

“You there! Who are you people?” the guards loudly shouted.

How could they threaten people out of the blue? Luisen was incredibly bewildered. Why are they acting like that? Carlton stepped in front of the young lord and placed his hand on his sword’s hilt.

“We’re part of Confosse’s security forces. This man over here is the Guard Captain. Don’t even think of rebelling and surrender!”

As Luisen had expected, both men were guards. However, it was a little surprising to hear that the guard captain would be in plain clothes. If he’s a guard captain, he’d be decently high-ranking. Why would he be in this location? Clad in peasant clothing?

“Give up your weapons and surrender now!”

“For what reason are you threatening us with weapons?” Luisen asked. However, the guards did not answer and, instead, placed their spears closer to the young lord and mercenary. The guard captain continued to observe and stood by.

Luisen’s heart pounded. The young lord tried to calm down and held up his pilgrim’s pass. “I’m a wanderer following the will of God.”

In the light of the rising sun, the bright silver of the pass scattered the rays of light. The captain and the guard were surprised and lowered their spears. “Ah… So you’re a revered pilgrim.”

“Then, that person is…”

“This man is a mercenary I hired as an escort,” Luisen answered.

“Is this how Confosse treats pilgrims? Do you all have grudges against the Church?” Carlton didn’t miss the time to interject and threaten with the Church’s name.

As he said that, the startled guards began to desperately explain, “We have not forsaken the Church! Absolutely not! We did not intend to behave this way. It’s just that…this horse’s owner was a criminal…”

“A criminal?”

“This horse belongs to the men led by the bastard that kidnapped the Duke of Anies.”

So, Carlton’s men must have brought Zephys here! Finally, the question regarding Zephys’ presence was answered. It was fortunate that it joined and followed Carlton’s men.

After the horse had separated from Carlton, Luisen was worried that it would run into the direwolves or be left stranded in the mountains, struggling and wandering around. What a relief.

If all went according to plan, Luisen and Carlton would have been able to reunite with both Zephys and Carlton’s men as they continued their journey. However, since the mercenary was blamed for kidnapping Luisen, Carlton’s men had been captured and taken away.

Usually, the criminals’ personal belongings were disposed according to the will of the guards who caught them; therefore, Zephys was in the guard’s possession.

“You seemed familiar with the criminal’s horse, so… We had no choice but to approach with weapons because we thought you were working with the kidnappers. Please understand us, revered pilgrim.”

“But…that mercenary. Are you certain you know who he is? I’m not doubting you, revered pilgrim, but Carlton and his men are mercenaries as well. By any chance…”

“Absolutely not! This horse was actually happy to see me!” Luisen quickly tugged at Zephys’ reins. One didn’t need to shout that Carlton was Zephys’ owner; the horse’s friendliness was suspicious enough–the young lord wouldn’t have his companion taken away to be locked with his men.

The guards were reasonable to doubt them–after all, they were speaking the truth–so Luisen desperately crafted some excuses. “I raised this horse in the monastary ever since it was a foal. I took care of it. That’s why it recognized me and rushed towards me. It came to me, not him. Me–the pilgrim.”

As soon as Luisen spouted his lies, Carlton stepped away from Zephys and pretended to be nonchalant. Zephys didn’t particularly understand the full situation, but it was a clever horse. It read its owner’s expression and calmly nuzzled Luisen.

“I see. I understand your circumstances, but that’s a criminal’s horse. It’s under security jurisdiction now.”

“……” When Luisen hesitated, Carlton caught the young lord’s arm.

‘Why of all people…guards…’

It would have been far easier if a merchant or another mercenary had Zephys. The opponents currently before them could not be swayed through intimidation or force. If they touched the guards, the owner of Confosse–and, beyond that, the lord of this territory–would not stand still.

“Send it back,” Carlton whispered. Luisen was forced to release the reins.

Footnotes

Let’s talk names and identities. First things first, Carl, while shorthand for Carlton, is also a homonym for 'sword.” Nice word play~ Second, 순례자님 is 순례자 (pilgrim) + 님 (a suffix to show respect. For a setting like this, I felt like Pilgrim-nim would sound out of place, so “revered pilgrim” it is!