/
‘That was all their doing.’
No wonder everything went to hell so fast. Both he and the Kingdom.
Before his regression, Luisen lived a miserable nomadic life, wandering around the kingdom. He had lost everything and simply lived life, unable to kill himself…However, Luisen wasn’t the only one. Tragedy had befallen everyone–all were equal–in the kingdom. Faith and trust, which were mainstays in civilized society, became a luxury; human dignity had fallen to the ground. People were sold for small sacks barely filled with flour.
After watching that chaos firsthand, the young lord could never forgive them.
Luisen clenched his fist inadvertently; even without that extra force, his pale hands became even whiter. Carlton forgot his own embarrassment and looked at the young lord, worried.
“What will you two do now? We’re thinking about looking around the South one more time, looking for clues that we may have missed. If you’d like, let’s travel together. I’ll escort you safely back to the duchy,” Morrison said.
“No. I’ll travel to the royal palace as scheduled.”
“The journey will be tougher than it is now. That region has become dangerous in the aftermath of the civil war.”
Luisen, though, was resolute. “I’ll go to the royal palace and meet the prince. I’ll regain my property and army and exercise my legitimate right as a lord.”
That alone should solidify his position as one of the Great Lords and Duke. Luisen was keenly aware that his nobility and birth status was one of his greatest strengths.
The demon worshippers; the people behind Ruger. They were obviously aiming for the young lord and were hoping for his downfall.
""
That was why Luisen thought he should strive to consolidate his power even more. He still had no idea what their goals were, and how his downfall played into their motivations, but he was sure that his return to power was the most efficient way to interfere with their plans.
“If you’re so determined…then alright. I’ll follow the Duke as well,” Morrison offered.
“You will? Why?”
“Nothing is coincidence in this world. I don’t think it’s happenstance that the Duke, while disguised as a pilgrim, keeps on getting involved with those men. If I follow the Duke, I’m sure to face their main operative body.”
“Mmm….”
“You’ll continue to pose as a pilgrim, correct? I’ll be of help in that regard.”
That made sense. In addition to restoring his secret identity, Morrison could add more power to their party. Besides, the man could sense plots that they might have unknowingly dismissed.
‘What should I do?’ Luisen looked at Carlton. The mercenary glared, conveying his dire loathing, at the inquisitor.
‘Is he against it?’ the young lord thought.
No matter how much help the inquisitor may be, the young lord didn’t want to force the issue if Carlton was against it.
As Luisen tried to refuse, Carlton spoke first. “Fine.”
“Huh? You’re not against it?” asked Morrison.
“I don’t like you,” Carleton replied. “I don’t particularly want anyone else to squeeze in between me and the Duke either. However, if you’re on the church’s side, I’ll be able to escort the Duke to the capital more safely.”
That is to say, the mercenary wasn’t going to be stubborn. In that one instance, Luisen could feel in the mercenary’s words his exclusive desire for the young lord and a caring heart. The young lord flushed.
Isn’t it against the rules to advance on his heart so suddenly like that? Carlton shook Luisen’s heart so mercilessly. The young lord had the urge to drag the mercenary into his arms and scold him for saying something so praise-worthy, but Morrison and his men would bear witness to that. So, the young lord had to endure. Suddenly, he wanted to refuse the inquisitor’s request.
Morrison was quick to notice those feelings. “Ahem. Then, I’ll see my men off, take care of some business, and then I’ll follow you. I have to contact the church; you two should go on ahead.”
Then, he quickly led his men away. Although it was a little embarrassing to see the inquisitor clear out so purposefully, Luisen was fine. He was originally quite thick-skinned anyway.
He sighed heavily and leaned against Carlton. He thought the mercenary would avoid his touch since the other was acting weird until just recently. However, Carlton received his touch with his chest, cushioning the young lord.
“Ha, my life has somehow become entangled with such crazy people.” The young lord lamented.
Carlton gently patted Luisen’s hair to console him. Luisen lifted his head once his upset stomach was soothed in the mercenary’s embrace. The other was looking back at him anxiously.
“Are you worried?” Carlton asked.
“No.”
Apart from being furious at the demon worshippers, he wasn’t too worried. Carlton would destroy even the devil if he were to ascend to this realm. The answer tumbled out of the young lord’s mouth easily because he had unshakeable faith in the mercenary. “It would be more refreshing to know what they’re doing. The unknown is scary, but, now that we have more knowledge, there’s nothing to be afraid of, right?”
When Luisen referenced Carlton’s previous words, the mercenary’s eyes widened before curving into an eye smile. He laughed–a delightful sound that suited his young age.
Luisen’s heart was excited. Soon enough, a low, pleased rumble resonated in the mercenary’s chest–a sound that seemed to echo throughout the woods. For some reason, Luisen felt inflamed; he became more and more conscious of the firm arms holding him.
‘We’re outside, but… We’re in the forest. And there’s no people around…’
Indoors or outdoors, as he had already made a name for himself as trash in the capital anyway, Luisen gave into temptation and hugged at the mercenary’s neck. “No, on second thought, I think I’m very worried. I want someone to comfort me.”
Carlton smiled and bit the young lord’s lip lightly. After the two smacked lips a few times, Luisen opened his mouth; the kiss deepened. Carlton came at Luisen as if to devour the young lord; the young lord’s body was gradually pushed back until he hit a tree.
There was a resulting thudding sound, but neither Luisen nor Carlton paid it any mind. All their attention was directed at each other. Luisen touched Carlton’s back and taut arms to his heart’s content. Carlton’s hands moved without hesitation; the mercenary rushed to place his hands impatiently under the young lord’s loose tunic. Luisen trembled slightly as the other’s cold hands touched his sensitive sides.
“Mmmnn.”
Shallow breaths and quiet moans spread throughout the tranquil forest. As soon as the young lord thought it was a little embarrassing, he heard an unfamiliar sound mixed into the equation.
Carlton reacted first. The mercenary turned his head and looked towards where he heard the sound. Beyond the forest, three or four wild boars with yellow eyes were staring at them. A group of gigantic, horned, bloodthirsty monsters.
At least if those things were other people, the unexpected audience could feign ignorance and continue onwards. Unfortunately, it was futile to expect such consideration from monsters. The group was ready to bounce, growling and exhaling steam.
“Why at a time like this…?” Carlton gritted his teeth. Luisen agreed with the sentiment a hundred times over. It really does seem like the monster population was on the rise; no matter how remote this cabin may be, a monster still appeared in an area inhabited by humans while also taking the security situation into account. But what could they do? The monsters had no intent of backing down.
“Please stay back,” The mercenary murmured.
“…Alright.” Luisen backed away.
Carlton brandished his incredible strength and finished off the monsters in record time. However, the lifeless appearance of the monsters did not revive the cooled embers. The two had to leave quickly; the other monsters that smelled blood may come…
***
That night: In the forest at the foot of a hill in the outskirts of Mittil.
Three men in dark red robes gathered. Between them, a human sacrifice who had their hands and feet tied, was plopped onto the ground.
The men chanted strange spells and sang out loud. This all sounded similar to holy worship in church, but, at the center of their worshiping, was a bust of a goat with four horns and three eyes.
Ohhhhhhhh~
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~
A man raised his dagger high.
Before the sacrifice could scream, his body was brutally massacred, chunks of flesh splaying out; hot steam wafted up into the cold night air.
One of the men observing the ceremony slipped away. When he reached the river, he haphazardly threw off his dark-red robe. The moonlight landed softly on the dark-red armor hidden under his clothes. Red hair fluttered in the riverside wind.
Ruger looked at the distant lights. Anxiety flooded him as he imagined how Luisen was on board of one of those boats that were moving east along the river.
Ruger departed the duchy a few days ago, predicting that the young lord would come by Confosse. When he arrived at the city, rumors of a hero who had repelled the evil, giant centipede and rescued the abducted women were hot on the streets.
A pilgrim that had covered his face but exuded an aristocratic aura; a ridiculously strong mercenary. When Ruger heard about that group, he couldn’t help but think of Luisen and Carlton.
But that couldn’t be them.
Ruger knew Luisen didn’t have the talent to imitate a pilgrim. The young lord had not undergone the basic theology education that all aristocrats should have received; he didn’t even remember simple prayers when he attended church every New Year.
If he were to pose as a pilgrim, he’d be asked to lead a prayer and, sometimes, would be asked theological questions. How could Luisen overcome all of that? Although the young lord had changed significantly in the recent year, it was impossible to gain such advanced knowledge in a short period of time. So, Ruger dismissed the possibility that Luisen had disguised himself as a pilgrim.
However, he had just received information confirming that Luisen had gone past Confosse. While searching everywhere for the lord in the city, Ruger had found a man selling blonde hair. Though the young lord wasn’t the only blonde in the world, Ruger had recognized it straight away.
Ruger stroked the bundle of hair carefully, as if he were combing through the young lord’s hair. It felt soft to the touch; Ruger was momentarily lost in thought.
Luisen was someone that was born with an outstanding appearance–the best in the world–but the man was indifferent to his own appearance. Ruger was the one to coax the young lord into growing his hair when the young lord wanted to cut it all off. The young lord couldn’t be bothered to deal with long hair. Ruger had carefully brushed each golden strange, every day over the past few years; he couldn’t possibly mistake the strands’ origin.
Ruger carefully placed the hair in a pouch and then, so as to not lose it, placed the pouch carefully in his embrace.
He could find Luisen with this.
TL: Not gonna lie, trying to figure out how to translate “ritualistic moaning chant sounds” was too difficult. “Ohhhhhhhh” sounded so dumb…but that’s all I had ya’ll…