/
Chapter 67
‘We’re being trailed? He’s joking, right?’
When Luisen looked doubtful, Carlton slightly shook his head.
‘We’re seriously being followed?’
Just as the young lord was about to look back, Carlton’s hand blocked him. “Look forward, and please follow behind me naturally.”
Carlton picked up something random from the stall, paid for it, and moved on naturally. Luisen walked in tandem with the mercenary’s footsteps, but his body felt like it was carved from wood. At least his clothing was relatively baggy, otherwise his awkwardness would have been noticed.
Carlton, unable to stand the stiltedness, placed his arms around Luisen’s shoulder. Honestly, the young lord felt more comfortable like this.
The mercenary glanced sneakily behind him. He purposefully sped up and slowed down at random intervals, trying to catch his opponent off guard. The trailing man looked somewhat awkward as he floundered about–he didn’t appear to be a professional tracker.
‘He’s nothing special.’ Carlton sped up around the corner. He pushed Luisen against the hard stone bricks and plastered his body against the wall as well. Then, he stuck out a leg and tripped the man who rushed after them hurriedly. Simultaneously, he grabbed the man’s arm, bent it behind the back, and pressed his knees against the man’s waist.
“Ack!”
In one stroke, the mercenary overpowered the man following them. The man struggled, but Carlton didn’t budge one inch and, instead, pinned him down with more strength.
“W-Why are you doing this?”
“Why? That’s what I should say. Why are you following us?”
“What do you mean f-following?! Ack! First, let go of my arm…” The man denied as he jumped up and down. Carlton hit the man on the head, warning him not to make a fuss.
Luisen looked closer at his pained expression. ‘Huh… That person…?’
‘That man’s face looked somehow familiar. Just where have I seen him before?’ It wasn’t hard to recall–Luisen quickly recognized him with a moment’s contemplation.
This man, moved by the young lord’s tragic, fraud-victim story, was the one who had bought his crying self a ticket in the previous timeline. He was someone who made a long-lasting impression since he was the first person to offer any sort of goodwill after the young lord had been shunned and despised after his fall from grace. Luisen could mentally overlap that man’s face and on top of this one–he was sure this was the same person.
‘I believe, back then, that person said he was a merchant?’
In anycase, though it was the first time Luisen met this man in this timeline, it was a relief to see the face of a good man. The young lord was sure there must be some sort of misunderstanding.
“Wait a minute. Let’s hear him out.”
The young lord stopped his companion. Though the mercenary kept his guard up, he let the man go.
The man scrambled to his feet, certain he mustn’t lose this opportunity to explain himself. “I’m Morrison, affiliated with the Nakatan merchant caravan. I wasn’t trying to follow you, I just had something to tell you.”
“Then, you should have said so in the first place. Why trail along silently?” Carlton pressured him.
Merchant Morrison flushed with embarrassment. “You two were having such a good time, it felt a bit…weird to squeeze in…”
“A good time?”
“The atmosphere made it hard for me to talk. You guys were hugging and walking–it was obviously a date… Ack!”
Carlton, flustered, poked the merchant with his knee.
‘Atmosphere? A good time? I’ve been suffering while being dragged around by Carlton–in what way did that look like a good time? How on earth did he come to that misunderstanding? He’s a good man, but he has no sense.’ Luisen was dumbfounded, but he still wanted to listen to his explanation. “What did you want to say to us?”
“I saw you two at the mercenary guild earlier. It seems like you’ve hunted a great deal of monsters–I’m sure you’re experts at that. I wanted to commission you to escort our caravan.” Morrison, as the leader of his caravan, had come down South after hearing rumors of a war brewing in the area. However, just as he was about to leave without anything to show for his journey, the mercenary he had found in Mittil collapsed from enteritis.
They had to terminate the contract and procure new mercenaries. At that moment, he saw the two at the mercenary’s guild; he wanted to commission them for escort service.
Everyone wants to hire a talented hand. Clients often searched for reliable mercenaries independently from the guild-system.
“I’d like to ask for an escort to take us, by ship, to the nearest city from this dock. They say there are monsters in the area.” Morrison offered to provide everything necessary, including maintenance allowances, shipping fees, and boarding.
“When would you be leaving?”
“It’s a little abrupt. I’m planning to leave tonight.”
“Ah, you’re in a hurry.”
If they’re leaving tonight, then they would have to pack up immediately. However, the pay seemed so low compared to the urgency of the situation. A skilled mercenary wouldn’t stand up for this sort of light payment–only some middle-aged, washed-up sword might be moved. Morrison wouldn’t want to hire someone subpar either, so he must have followed the two after they had left the mercenary’s guild. Someone that’s escorting a pilgrim must have some credibility and wouldn’t be a random, rough-shod hired hand.
It was understandable, then, for him to follow Carlton and Luisen.
Luisen and Carlton exchanged glances.
‘What do you think?’
‘If you’re sure he’s a merchant, then I believe it’ll be fine. You can check his cover with the mercenary’s guild.’
It was true Morrison’s request was very tempting; the two could board a boat tonight. As soon as the two left the guild, they went to the port to inquire about a ship before coming to the shopping district. The ship departing tonight had been sold out, and the next available ship would depart two days later. There was a decrease in maritime operations in the aftermath of the war.
They had looked into another ferry leaving tomorrow morning, but it wasn’t the best option as that one was often preferred by the aristocracy. They were debating leaving Mittil and heading for another port city or perhaps secretly boarding one of the boats leaving tonight.
‘This is a necessary commission.’
They’d be able to earn money while progressing on the route they needed. Since Luisen had received help from this person before and the commission was very valuable, he wanted to view this meeting as fortuitious happenstance. If they uncover something suspicious, they can simply just turn down the request.
“We’ll check in with the mercenary’s guild and contact you,” Luisen said.
“Yes, of course. But please give me your answer quickly. We’re in a hurry…” Morrison disappeared quickly after finishing his business, saying he had a lot of work to do. There was no time to apologize to the man for misunderstanding him and nearly knocking him to the ground. Luisen thought the merchant was probably an eloquent conversationalist but was intimidated by his companion.
It seems they still had business with the mercenary’s guild.
“I’ve said I tend to go a bit overboard, right?” Carlton looked away, like a dog that knew he had done something wrong.
***
After checking in with the mercenary’s guild, they confirmed that Morrison’s affiliation and circumstances were as the man stated. Luisen had no idea in the previous timeline, but it seemed like the man belonged to a famous caravan. The guild also stated that the client was reliable and trustworthy.
The pair informed Morrison, through the guild, that they would accept his commission. Then, they went to an inn they had scoped out in advance, washed up, and rested for. abrief moment. Since Carlton had already bought what they needed–quite excitedly at that–they didn’t need to prepare any further. They had no difficulty getting ready to board the ship.
The sun had slowly begun to decline. Before boarding the boat, Luisen and Carlton went to a well-known restaurant for dinner. After all, it was clear what kind of provisions would be available on the boat. The young lord aspired to eat plenty of decent food until then.
As soon as the mercenary sat down in his seat, he said scarily, “Bring enough food to cram the table full.”
It was a spacious table for four. Did he want to fill this entire thing up? For a moment, Luisen saw a halo behind Carlton’s head. ‘What does it matter if he’s a freak obsessed with blood?’ he thought, ‘When he can make enough money to buy delicious food.’
As Luisen gazed upon the mercenary with adoration, Carlton puffed out his chest. “Look. Wasn’t it worth over-hunting all those monsters?”
“Yeah, of course. You’re right.” Luisen nodded and gave the mercenary a thumbs up. Carlton responded with a satisfied smile.
Soon, the food came out and filled the large, four-person table. As a viral restaurant, each dish was gratifying and delicious. The bread was soft and moist; the roasted pork backbone was crispy and savory. The steak was seared crispy–as if the outside were burnt–but it was delcious as well. Luisen ate the scrumptious food–the likes of wish he hadn’t seen for a while–and cleared the dishes.
‘How long has it been since I tasted something this delicious? Until we arrived at Mittil, I ate food that we’ve bought in advance at Confosse. It was better than raw Buried Old Hags, but the preserved food wasn’t tasty either. We stopped by the inn there and ate stew, but the food there was like pig slop.’
Holding one end of the pork backbone in his hand, Luisen neatly bit off a strip of flesh with one bite and drank beer afterwards. The young lord’s face was full of smiles, and his shoulders were shaking from joy.
Carlton sipped at his beer and gave a content smile. Though the young lord was still neat, he ate passionately enough to show his sincere pleasure. That sight was so cute and fascinating; the young lord was a joy to watch.
Faced with such pleasure, of course he couldn’t hold back on buying things for the young lord. Carlton felt a different sense of pride than when he had bought supplies or clothes to wear for himself. He finally understood why his colleagues worked so hard to support their wives and children.
“You’ve got something there.” Carlton took a napkin and gently wiped some sauce off of Luisen’s cheeks. It was only then the young lord, who had been distracted by the food, noticed his comapnion. The mercenary sat there, smiling, with his eyes clothed; it was like he was looking at something he found adorable.
‘Huh?’ Luisen blinked, backbone still in his hand.
“Keep on eating. If it’s lacking, do you want me to order some more?”
“N-No…”
‘What’s this? Why is he looking at me like that?’
However, Luisen didn’t think for too long. Now that he had returned to reality after being possessed by the desire for food, he could hear conversation next to him. The people sitting next to them were discussing something very interesting.
“They say a wizard has appeared.”
A wizard.
In order to find the one-armed pilgrim–without a name or a background–Luisen had been searching for a mage/wizard. However, they weren’t easy to find because they often didn’t obey the laws of the world. And, they’re saying one has appeared now?