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As soon as Luisen breathed out, Carlton banged his lips to the young lord’s again. Carlton’s kisses were hasty and intense–quite befitting his character. Perhaps due to his lack of oxygen, Luisen’s mind went blank from dizziness. The Lust and excitement filled in the vacancy where his rationality had been.
“Haah,” Luisen smiled and dragged the mercenary down to the bed with him. Carlton followed and, almost unexpectedly, climbed atop Luisen’s body. Luisen’s hair became disheveled, spread on the white sheets;  Carlton automatically ran his fingers between the golden strands. “Ever since I cut your hair, I’ve always wanted to touch it like this.”
“Mmhmm, So you say.”
‘He’s saying he’s been conscious of me since then? So early in our journey?’ the young lord thought.
Only now did he understand the strange tension he had felt this far. Carlton’s seemingly overprotective behavior flashed through mind; Luisen burst into laughter. This tickled his heart.
He’d been seduced by countless love confessions, but he had never felt this way. Now that he knew the other liked him, he saw things in a different light–moments that he had simply dismissed without further thought turned into exciting memories.
‘I mean, it’s Carlton. Not anyone else. *The* Carlton.’
The past, when he trembled in fear when faced with the mercenary, felt so far away. Back then, he had been too frightened to speak to the man, but now he was doing something more. Even kissing the mercenary felt so much better than his imagined fantasies.
Luisen and Carlton kissed each other deeply again. This time, Luisen also roughly grabbed Carlton’s hair. The mercenary’s hair was so stiff it soon became a crow’s nest. Amused by that sight, the young lord laughed once more.
One kiss–one light tease. That alone made him feel as good as tumbling in the sheets with another. It was the first time that he finally understood the cliché, ‘A blessing in disguise.’ 1
‘Ah, alright. What’s the point of thinking about it any further? How should I know what Ruger and his gang are doing?’
""
A lot had changed from the previous timeline. The Duke of Anies was alive and well; his vast wealth still remained. He’s doing well as a duke. Above all, he had by his side an ascendant status symbol (a rising star), the strongest man in the kingdom who had won his position as the prince’s confidant by force.
‘It’ll all work out somehow.’
Thanks to the steadfast companion by his side, Luisen’s uniquely optimistic nature had been slightly revived.
Luisen yawned, body stretched out languidly, and blinked. As his anxiety disappeared, the heightened tension in his body began to subside. Drowsiness washed over him.
“Are you sleepy now?” Carlton’s hand went inside of Luisen’s clothes and fiddled with the young lord’s waist. However, it was difficult to rouse the young lord with that touch. He had been through so much all night–Luisen’s physical stamina was now at its limit.
Luisen pulled at the mercenary’s arm and laid it beside him. “Let’s sleep. Let’s sleep deeply and then eat.” He patted the mercenary on the back.
“Hah, tsk.” Carlton felt dumbfounded, but, instead of standing up, he turned to face the young lord. Luisen soon fell asleep. The patting soon stopped, but Carlton’s heart still felt soothed and comfortable.
One night’s lack of sleep wasn’t enough to tire Carlton, but his eyelids became heavier gradually as he smelled Luisen’s scent and listened to the young lord’s slow breathing and rhythmic heartbeats.
In the distance, he could hear the sound of a horn, and the boat began to move again. The ship’s renewed movement was the biggest factor in his surging sleepiness; the two fell asleep, ignorant to the world.
***
As Luisen expected, the captain worked hard to do what was entrusted to him. He locked Cullen up and sent a carrier pigeon towards the port city to explain the situation within the ship. The crew then gathered to explain the truth of the epidemic to the onboard guests before starting travel once more. He hadn’t forgotten to rustle up an apothecary to make the antidote either.
Due to those efforts, the ship began to cut through the river again, moving forward vigorously. Because the resolution of the epidemic was such a sensitive matter, the crew’s explanation spread quickly through the passenger rumor mill.
At first, the people didn’t believe it. They had met many people and wandered around many places, but they had never heard of such a monster.
While he was at it, the captain unveiled the snake’s corpse to the passengers. Everyone who saw its body shuddered. The mere sight of the snake gave them goosebumps; they felt an instinctive disgust and repulsion. There was no way something so dreadful could be an ordinary snake. Everyone became convinced when they saw the body, so they obediently believed the captain’s explanation.
And soon, the pharmacist/apothecary completed the antidote. That person followed the formula provided by Luisen; the medicine was fed to the Allos caravan members and the oarsmen without delay.  The effects quickly emerged–the patients’ fevers subsided and their rough breathing calmed down. Soon, those folks returned to consciousness as well.
Their recovery reassured everyone on board; they could finally believe all parts of the story. By the time Luisen and Carlton left the room, there was no one on board who didn’t know the two.
Luisen and Carlton walked around while staying about a half-step further apart than usual. They were too conscious of each other; a warm but awkward aura surrounded the two.
People shouted as soon as the two stepped inside the restaurant.
“There they are!”
“I heard you guys were the ones to catch the monster and told us how to make the antidote?”
Luisen and Carlton, who had just woken up and came here for a bite to eat, were greatly flustered by the unexpected welcome. The mercenary quickly stepped forward and hid the young lord behind him.
“Excuse me, could you tell us more about the snake monster? Is it a new type? Where do they originally live? How did you identify it?”
“Your instructions for manufacturing the antidote were very unique. Did you learn herbology from the monks?”
“Come! Sit here! Tell us what happened yesterday in more detail!”
There were people who asked various questions with an almost scary focus.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!  Because of you, the ship is moving again! We can arrive at the port in time! If I don’t arrive by the appointed date I will have to pay a huge penalty!”
“How did you know the cause was a monster? You folks are incredible!”
There were also people that suddenly gave them thanks and praises. The people cheered loudly enough to make their ears numb. Every single person looked a little haggard–unable to sleep due to their accumulated worries–but sincere joy lit up their faces.
This burdensome interest was counterproductive to hiding the two’s identities. How should they escape this situation? Morrison approached just as they had that thought; he had his usual grin on his face, although he seemed relatively aloof compared to the excited crowd.
“You two! Let’s talk for a brief second. Everyone, I have something to talk about with my party members, so I’ll take them with me!” Morrison sped out of the restaurant, dragging Luisen and Carlton behind him. Luisen felt a little nervous–the man’s expression looked slightly chilly.
“You have something to say to us?”
“It’s an excuse, of course. If you had been caught there, they would have had a hold of you lot for the entire day. You’ve worked hard all night, so you should get some rest. It’d be best to eat elsewhere.” Morrison handed Luisen a basket full of bread before re-entering the restaurant, saying that he wanted to appease the crowd.
‘As expected, he’s a good person.’ Luisen hugged the bread basket as he looked at the merchant’s back.
“I suppose that person isn’t going to ask us anything?” Carlton complained.
“He’s being considerate of us. What a thoughtful and kind person.” Luisen automatically praised Morrison; looking to the side, he found that Calrton looked displeased. “Do you dislike Morrison?”
“It’s not a matter of like or dislike; he’s simply a stranger. It’s my duke that’s the one that likes him too much.”
“Mm, is that so?” Luisen teased. ‘Look at him. Considering recent events, is that jealousy?’ A subtle smile bloomed on Luisen’s lips.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“No reason.” Luisen stepped on his tiptoes and kissed his companion. After a short peck, he whispered, “Let’s go find a deserted place.”
The irritation that filled Carlton’s expression turned limp before crumbling away. The mercenary allowed himself to be docilely led away by the young lord’s hand.
Unfortunately, it was incredibly hard to find a quiet place to eat. Luisen was quite noticeable as the only pilgrim on board; there were people everywhere on this ship. Even if they barely managed to find a vacant spot, people would often recognize him and approach. Once caught, it was obvious that a crowd would soon flock, so they avoided then avoided people some more…but the two ended up staying in their room.
Time passed like that; in the blink of an eye, the ship settled into the harbor. Though it had been stopped for one night, the ship hurried and was able to arrive on schedule.
Luisen, along with Morrison, headed for the deck. Carlton stayed in the cargo compartment with the caravan people to help unload their luggage with his abundant strength.  Luisen had decided to leave the boat first with Morrison since he could get hurt while wandering around. He didn’t want to be separated from the mercenary, but it couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t a hired sword; he couldn’t do anything like patrolling the cargo compartment.
He felt somehow lonely now that they were apart after sticking by each other’s side for so long. In Carlton’s stead, Luisen stroked Zephys’s hair. The haughty horse wagged its tail indifferently.
“Revered Pilgrim! Let’s see each other again in the future. I’ll buy you a drink!”
“Thank you so much for helping us out this time; if you ever need wool, please come to our caravan. We’ll treat you well!”
While waiting to disembark, the people recognized the young lord and greeted him, one by one. Luisen kept pressing down on his hood, embarrassed. Fortunately, the stairs were soon lowered, and the people soon began to move; it seemed like their interest in him ended there.
“We should also leave.”
“Yes.” Luisen followed Morrison off the ship. The harbor, to speak of crowded places, was horribly packed. There were so many people that it was difficult to take a single step.
As Luisen stumbled from being hit by passing shoulders, Morrison grabbed his arm. “Are you alright?”
“Is it always this crowded here?” Luisen didn’t think it was the same way when he had passed through in the past. Although the port was active and full of travelers–as any port should be–this place didn’t seem this congested.
“They’re all spectators.”
“Spectators?”
Morrison pointed to something far in the distance. The young lord could see two knights in metal plate armor. They certainly stood out amongst the ordinary people milling about. The two were pushing along a wooden cage with Cullen inside. It seemed that the poor handyman was exhausted and had aged considerably these past few days.
Since the captain had contacted the lord in advance, the lord had sent a few knights to capture Cullen. The spectators hurled abuse at the man; they even threw stones and rotten fish as well.
Luisen watched the scene with complicated feelings. The man reaped what he sowed, but the young lord could sympathize with the loneliness that led him to rely on a snake monster.
“What will be his punishment?” Luisen whispered to himself. He wasn’t expecting an answer.
However, Morrison replied. “He’ll burn to death alive. There is no mercy to be shown at a sinner’s demise.”
His voice was cold and disdainful. As Luisen turned back, surprised, Morrison was staring at the young lord with a hitherto unseen expression. His face was emotionless–like a stone statue–but his eyes were piercingly intense. It felt as if the merchant could see through his head. There was a blue flame in his eyes in the shape of a cross.
A cross-shaped flame!
God was symbolized by light. Therefore, the church regarded fire as a blessing from God to men; priests could summon a small torchlight. The most pious and well-disciplined among them housed flames in their eyes.
A long time ago, Luisen had seen a cross in the eyes of a high priest he had met during an event in the royal palace.
‘Is he from the church?’ An ominous feeling bolted through the young lord.
“Now, let’s hear your story, Sir Fake-Pilgrim-with-a-Demon-Worshiping-Holy-Object. Who are you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
Morrison didn’t give Luisen a chance to ask further questions. He pushed the young lord’s chest lightly with his hand. The moment Luisen stumbled back, his mind was sucked into a dark void.
Footnotes
인생은 한 치 앞도 모르는 is the original. Literally, it means “You don’t know in life.” Basically, this comes from an old folk tale where a man loses his horse only for it to come back with a mare. The man also breaks his leg, only to realize that he can now avoid being drafted into war. Basically, these bad happenings were blessings in disguise.