CH 68

“You know Lake Cabanil, right? There’s a wizard out there that supposedly makes people’s wishes come true.”

‘Ah, so they’re saying the wizard isn’t here?’ Luisen was a little disappointed, but he kept the location, Lake Cabanil, in mind.

Wizards were those who sought truth– enlightenment–and utilized mysterious powers. They often did not follow logical rules of reality and were generally secluded from the public. Even Luisen, a great lord, had to endure a significant amount of bleeding from his wallets to find one.

Though this information may be false, it would be best to remember it for later.

Clank–!

Carlton slammed down his beer mug roughly. Luisen looked forward in surprise, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

“No.” Carlton answered brusquely and gulped down his drink.

‘Wasn’t he happy until just a little while ago?’ Luisen couldn’t figure out why his companion was so upset. “You’re alright?”

Carlton nodded sullenly.

‘Well, then, if he says he’s fine.’ Luisen was somewhat bothered by the sudden shift in Carlton’s attitude but felt that it would be strange to interrogate the mercenary further. So, the young lord moved onto another topic. “Do you know where Lake Cabanil is?”

“…It’s in the center of the kingdom. It’s west of the capital.”

“West… Then, will it overlap with our route?”

“Who knows?” Carlton replied in an unexpectedly half-hearted tone.

This time, Luisen felt concerned. “Are we not certain about our path forward?”

“It’ll change depending on the situation. The area north of the river cannot even be compared with the South; it’s not peaceful there.”

“……Really?”

Carlton’s reasoning was sensible. The difficulty of the path ahead didn’t seem to be the reason for the insincerity of his answer, though. However, Luisen was slow to pinpoint his companion’s subtle feelings. “I wish I could travel near Cabanil lake, even if we were to only pass by its surroundings.”

If he was able to determine the authenticity of the information on the wizard, then it would be easier to send people to summon them.

Luisen didn’t intend on chasing after the wizard instead of going to the capital. Though finding the one-armed pilgrim was an important goal, the priority would be to remove the sword of Damascus pointing at his neck. Even he had enough intelligence to prioritize what was truly important.

“Have you ever met a wizard?” The young lord asked.

Carlton looked at the young lord with raised, dark eyebrows and asked something unrelated to the question. “Are you interested in the wizard because of the one-armed pilgrim?”

“Of course. Why else would I need to find a wizard?”

If the young lord had known his benefactor’s name or face, he would have been able to find him through a duke’s resources. Luisen’s mood sank slightly–he knew nothing about the one-armed pilgrim. “I was too occupied with telling him about my backstory, so I didn’t ask for his. I should have paid more attention to him,” Luisen lamented.

Carlton’s intense eyes boiled as he watched his companion. ‘So what if he’s a pilgrim–what’s so good about him?’

He was in a very good mood up until a little while ago. When he wiped the sauce off of Luisen’s cheek, the young lord was completely immersed with the mercenary. The noises from the background and the smell of food had disappeared–the two exchanged deep glances as if they were the only two people left in this world.

But as soon as the word ‘wizard’ had appeared, that bubble shattered. Luisen’s attention was drawn to the one-armed pilgrim before Carlton could do anything. The young lord felt regret for the pilgrim, and the food no longer pleased him as much. Luisen’s desire to see the pilgrim was so strong that easily won over his appetite.

Knowing how obsessed the young lord was with food, Carlton’s stomach churned even more. He caught monsters like crazy and visited famous restaurants all for Luisen, after all.

‘But, you’ll think of another man in front of me?’ His heart ached; he wanted to beat up the pilgrim, perhaps, and remove his existence from Luisen’s mind forever. ‘Why was a guy like that the young lord’s childhood hero? I would have been nicer to you if we met back then–although, at that age, I wouldn’t have dared to raise my head in front of the young lord…’

The more Carlton thought, the angrier he became. “Do you like that pilgrim so much?” The mercenary’s tone was laced with sarcasm–the words came directly from his twisting insides.

“Of course I like him! He’s my savior. I couldn’t respect him enough.” The sarcasm didn’t work on Luisen. Rather, it confirmed the young lord’s trusting and affectionate stance on the man. Carlton felt like someone had lifted him up and thrown him onto the ground. He couldn’t quite understand why he felt this way, but the hurt within his heart made him say words he normally wouldn’t voice. “That person, is he a real pilgrim? I think he’s a fraud.”

“What?! No. He had a pilgrim’s pass, and…’

“He could have picked it up somewhere, like I did. He could have stolen it as well. I’m only saying this because the Duke only seems to see the good in people. The pilgrim’s personality or what he’s talked about–you can’t tell if he’s a faithful believer just from that.” This wasn’t something Carlton had made up just because of his dirty mood. This was, in fact, something that he had been suspecting every time Luisen recited a touching anecdote about the one-armed pilgrim. Though bitterness seeped into his tone, Carlton couldn’t help but think that the man’s thought processes were similar to his own. Would someone like him be a true pilgrim? There’s no chance.

“He was a true saint,” Luisen replied through clenched teeth. “Don’t speak nonsense. You weren’t privy to his mercy and generous mission. Of course, his words and actions may be strange for someone that attends church, but his soul was nobler than anyone else’s.”

As soon as Carlton tried to stop him, Luisen interrupted Carlton, waving his fingertips in the air gently. That sight was so aristocratic–the gesture had an unusual power to it.

“Any criticisms towards him should be targeted at me. I am who I am through his teachings. I won’t stand anyone slandering him.” Luisend clenched both fists and exhaled deeply and roughly. He was more furious than when he had learned about Ruger’s betrayal.

“Are you mad at me because of that person?”

“That’s right!”

“Ha!”

‘You’re getting mad at me when you weren’t even this furious at that traitor Ruger? Is that pilgrim so precious to you?’ Carlton felt wronged and frustrated. The mercenary felt more upset than when he’d been falsely accused.

The two, both offended, glared at each other across the table. After this deadlock confrontation continued for a while, an employee asked if it would be okay for them to clean the table. The two rose from their seats, wordlessly.

***

Luisen and Carlton arrived at the dock with Zephys. While boarding his luggage, Morrison rushed over to greet him.

“Thank you so much for accepting my commission. If it weren’t for you two, we wouldn’t have had an escort…” Morrison’s words were slurred. It seems like the cold atmosphere between the young lord and his mercenary had almost shut the merchant’s mouth. “Mm, well, if you two are pretending to be on bad terms because of what I had said earlier, please don’t feel that it’s necessary. I’m not so narrow-minded of a person to think that pilgrims shouldn’t date or anything. After all, pilgrims are pilgrims and not priests.”

‘Just what kind of misunderstanding does this person have? I was already so uncomfortable from fighting with Carlton.’ Luisen sighed. “It’s not like that at all.”

“Ahaha. Then, let’s just go with that. Well then, please come aboard the ship.” Morrison paid no attention to Luisen’s denial.

It was too tiring to clear the merchant’s misunderstanding. The young lord was exhausted as he tried to board the ship while side-eyeing Carlton amidst their cold war.

Morrison took the two men and guided them to their room. “There’s only one room. This was originally intended to house mercenaries, so there are two beds. I ask for your kind understanding.”

‘Honestly, what’s wrong with this person? We sleep on separate beds normally anyway.’ Luisen glanced at Carlton. The mercenary was expressionless; the young lord’s head was throbbing from the whiplash of constantly looking around.

“The full-fledged escort will be joining us after we get off the ship. There shouldn’t be anything too dangerous on board, but… Please just stay near us and check on our luggage every once in a while.” Morrison told them where his own room was located and left to finish onboarding his belongings.

‘Fine, it’s probably best if you leave.’ Luisen all too willingly sent Morrison away. But, he soon regretted that choice afterwards.

The young Lord and Carlton’s room was small enough that two beds filled the area. The young lord tried to stick his head against the wall to avoid looking at the mercenary.

A stifling silence settled in the room. The two took turns giving each other sidelong glances. They never made eye contact, but it made them self-conscious to know that the other was looking at them.

Of course, it would be best to speak up first. If he expressed some regret for their agitated conflict, then Carlton wouldn’t be upset either. However, he didn’t want to speak first. What did he do wrong? Carlton shouldn’t have insulted the saint.

‘How dare he call the saint a con-man, a fraud. He knows how much I admire that man.’ Carlton was the only person Luisen had told about the one-armed pilgrim. The young lord couldn’t reveal all the details, but he had said a lot. That’s why he felt even more upset.

Luisen wanted the mercenary to apologize first, but, by the looks of it, that wasn’t going to happen. Carlton was expressionless–Luisen had no idea what he was thinking.

‘I can’t do this.’ Luisen jumped to his feet. ‘I need to go out and get some fresh air. If I stay here, I’ll explode.’ With that thought, he exited the room.

Carlton loyally followed after him. Luisen whirled around and glared at the mercenary. ‘Why’s he following me? I left because I didn’t want to be around him.’

The young lord wanted to tell him not to follow him, but he felt like he’d lose at that moment. So, he just turned around and headed for the deck. Whether or not the mercenary knew about the young lord’s feelings, he continued to follow.