/
By the time Ruger arrived, the ninth and eleventh worshipers had already arrived as well. Ruger glanced at the eleventh worshiper leaning against the wall; the man didn’t look to be in a good condition. His ankle was completely bent at a wrong angle, and he was sweating all over.
‘It’ll be a problem if our manpower is reduced more than this here.’
Ruger frowned; he coldly looked down at the ninth worshiper clinging to the eleventh as he fed the man painkillers. These two cut off other people’s wrists and ankles, but they acted so disgustingly with each other.
“You got hurt like a fool,” Ruger scoffed.
“Bite that bastard!” The eleventh worshiper pointed at Ruger. The direwolf, next to the man, rushed at the attendant. It opened its big mouth and tried to bite Ruger’s ankle, but the man frustratedly kicked at the direwolf’s snout.
“What are you doing?” He shouted.
“It’s all your fault.”
“What?”
“There was another person in their party. He suddenly attacked and crushed my ankle with his knuckles.”
‘Ah–that person.’ Ruger recalled a strange man blocking his way to Luisen. The moment they faced each other was short, but the man’s piercing gaze, which seemed to dig deep into his head, felt unpleasant. That person wasn’t normal. “That’s why I told you to take care of yourselves, didn’t I? How could you blame me for your careless actions–that’s ridiculous.”
“No, you didn’t even know that the Duke of Anies was posing as the pilgrim, did you? Even when I suspected him, weren’t you so sure that the Duke wasn’t capable?”
“…That’s…”
“If I had known that the pilgrim was the Duke of Anies, I would have prepared more before attacking him. This guy pretends to know everything about the Duke, but it turns out he knows nothing!”
“Shut up.” Ruger growled deeply. Every one of the worshiper’s words felt like it pierced his heart. Indeed–Ruger was the most befuddled one here.
Luisen was the pilgrim who was famous for solving many cases? Even though he saw that fact with his own eyes, Ruger found it hard to believe. It felt as if the world was making fun of him.
He was the closest person to Luisen; he knew better–more than anyone else–about the young lord. He used to be able to clearly see into the Duke’s head, as if he were looking at his own palm.
Luisen never used to have the ability to pose as a pilgrim or anything like that; the man was passive, complacent, and indifferent to others. He was indifferent to others and used to being taken care of and doing as he was told. These character flaws were considered aristocratic, so he never found the need nor desire to fix that issue.
‘He didn’t seem like the Duke I know.’
Ruger was bewildered; at some point, Luisen’s mind looked hazy. The attendant could no longer figure anything out. It felt as if Luisen had changed into a completely different person.
‘What could cause that person to change? There was no impetus.’
When the news that the second prince had lost the civil war and died, when the Duke fled to his castle, Luisen was still Luisen. Ruger thought he’d get drunk and escape from reality.
‘…Carlton. Is it because of that bastard?’
Come to think of it, the turning point for the Duke’s strange behavior was certainly around the time Luisen surrendered to the mercenary. From that point on, the Duke began to hide things from Ruger.
“Damn!”
Carlton, again. Is it really him? It’s always him: a lowly man who doesn’t even know his station, sticking to Luisen as if he’s a knight…
“Why are you so angry?” The ninth worshiper was irritated.
“Carlton… The Duke keeps on deviating from my expectations because of him. I can’t fulfill my orders. Wouldn’t you all be angry if your plans go awry?” Ruger had been a spy for these past few years; his final mission was to kidnap Luisen.
If he simply finished this job properly, his father–these worshiper’s master–had promised to reward him accordingly. Maybe he could become a knight, a dream that he had once given up. Perhaps he’d be recognized as his father’s son. As his father had no heir, that position was open for Ruger.
It was Ruger’s lifelong dream to shed the stigma of being an illegitimate child and to proclaim his name proudly. Ruger justified his anger, stating that of course he’d be angry since things went wrong–snatched from the jaws of victory. “We’ll have to look for another chance. Next time, I will have the Duke in hand.”
“My brother’s ankle must be treated first. 1 We won’t cooperate with you until then.”
“What? You’re going to back out now? The Duke is right in front of our nose.”
“The Duke of Anies is your father’s and your target. This is not the worshipers’ objective. There’s no reason to cooperate with you at the expense of our brothers. Let the Duke be attacked by a goblin–then, at least, it would be easier to drag him away.”
“He could die. I was ordered to bring him in alive.”
The ninth worshiper thought for a moment, then, with a meaningful smile, said, “We could attach his lifeforce back again, though?”
“……”
""
“I thought you were going to protect the Duke.”
“Why would I?”
“You said it earlier? ‘I’m the only one who can protect you properly.'” The ninth worshiper mimicked Ruger with an exaggerated tone. It was obvious that the man was trying to tease the attendant again.
Ruger replied, irritated and unable to ignore the man, “Would you follow someone who said, ‘if you follow me, you will die?'”
“Then, when you’ve caught him, I can take a peek, right? I have always been curious about noble blood.”
For a moment, Ruger glared at the ninth worshiper as if he were going to kill the man.
“Ah, so vicious. Someone would think I’m your enemy.” The ninth worshiper chuckled. Ruger turned around, ignoring him
He recalled Luisen’s face when the young lord looked back at his shout. At first, his heart palpitated at the welcome face, but then it sank at the sight of the young lord’s hair.
‘After being an attendant for so many years, I’ve become immersed. That’s why I’m like this.’
Since he played a faithful attendant for so long, he may have become worried about the Duke’s welfare almost inadvertently. However, that was only a moment’s confusion–he would faithfully follow his master’s order.
‘There’s no other reason. There can’t be another reason.’ Ruger repeated to himself. The attendant bit his lips until it bled. Looking at his very unstable appearance, the demon worshipers exchanged mysterious glances amongst themselves.
***
By the time the morning sun rose, Luisen and his party arrived at a small abbey. Morrison entered the building with a monk, saying that they needed to have a private talk; Luisen and Carlton waited outside for the inquisitor to exit again. The monk was probably a special contact that Morrison needed to find out the Eastern Great Lord’s location.
Taking advantage of the lull, Carlton taught Luisen simple self-defense techniques.
“In a situation like last night, what should you do if that Ruger bastard forcibly drags my Duke away?”
“I should shake him off and run away…”
“Right? That guy will probably try to grab my Duke like this and drag you away.” Carlton grabbed Luisen by the arm. Although Carlton controlled his strength to be quite moderate, Luisen could not shake off the mercenary’s hand. Carlton did not budge at all.
“…I don’t think I could shake him off.”
“If there’s a difference in muscle strength, it’s better to use techniques. Press the insides of the elbow with your arm; push his philtrum in with your head.”
“The philtrum?”
“The nose or the chin is alright as well. They’re all vital points.”
“I see.”
“Other vital points include the pit of the stomach and between the legs, but… Ruger would be wearing armor, so it’s best to aim for his face.”
Luisen nodded with a serious expression, “I understand.”
“I’ll show you a demonstration.” Carlton made Luisen grab his arm. As the young lord clenched his grip with all his might, Carlton pressed the inside of Luisen’s elbow with his hand. Since the elbow was a joint meant to fold, the arm folded easily, without much force needed. Consequently, the young lord’s arm weakened. In that state, Carlton’s head flew forward.
“Nnngh,” Luisen closed his eyes reflexively.
However, it wasn’t Carlton’s head but his lips that touched the young lord’s lips. Luisen’s face heated up at the soft touch; he glared at Carlton with narrowed eyes, “If you’re going to do it, then do it properly.”
“Isn’t there too many people around to do something like that?”
“……” Luisen glanced around. Strangely, the travelers who should be passing by were hanging around the monastery. It felt like they kept glancing over here.
Carlton shook Luisen’s collar gently, “You should focus on learning–I’m teaching you quite diligently, after all.”
“Hah. And who’s the one excited about this?”
Carlton grinned, enjoying Luisen’s ludicrous expression. “If you’re not in the situation to be able to hit with your head, it’s good to aim for the eyes. Poke the eyes while pushing the face away with your palm; spit and spray dirt; slam the other’s head into something, etc.”
“That’s all…self defense?”
‘All this dog-fighting?’ Luisen felt a bit sour.
“Even if I teach you proper techniques, you probably won’t be able to copy them?”
“That’s true.”
“It’s a simple matter to dodge someone slow like my Duke. However, if you can shake them up for even just one moment, it would mean the difference between life and death. And, now that you know all this, my Duke will be able to handle things in a calm manner.”
Apart from these tactics, Carlton taught Luisen various dirty and cheap maneuvers to use in times of need. The mercenary also fulfilled his own self-interest by fondling the young lord’s waist when claiming to show Luisen a demonstration. The mercenary’s machinations were quite transparent, but Luisen pretended to be ignorant while secretly enjoying the attention.
After a while, Morrison emerged from the abbey.
Footnotes
Brother, ofc, is said in a collegiate sense rather than a blood-sibling sense.