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Chapter 94
“Those wicked men. Does it make sense for a group of knights to attack one man?” Still angry, Luisen looked back at Carlton
though, since Carlton was the unilateral victor, he was perfectly fine. The young lord knew Carlton was inhumanly strong, but his startled heart had yet to calm down.
‘How dare those people point blades at my Carlton!?’
“Tell me. Were there many people like them? Do the men here bother you? Who? Bring them all! I’ll teach them a lesson!” Luisen raged.
“There won’t be many fools here who would exchange blades with my Duke.” Unlike Luisen, who was furious and unable to release his anger, Carlton was calm. As if this was an everyday experience. That
wasn’t like Carlton at all.
“Did something happen?”
“Nothing much happened.”
No–the young lord was sure something had happened. Luisen looked anxiously at his companion. Carlton, in turn, tried to be tranquil but failed and looked like a man that had lost all energy. “By any chance, did the Eastern Great Lord say anything to you?”
The older noble was well known for being someone who could tear a person’s heart apart with a single flap of the tongue. How bad must Carlton, who was already a prideful person, feel to hear pure hate from someone like the Eastern Great Lord, who probably didn’t even consider, nor treat, the mercenary as another human being?
“I shouldn’t have left you and Morrison alone. I should have stayed with you.”
Carlton shook his head when Luisen kept blaming himself. “It’s alright.”
“Then, why do you look so down?” Luisen cupped Carlton’s cheek. Carlton leaned slightly into the young lord’s hand without responding. As the other’s soft touch gently caressed his cheek, Carlton wanted to tell him all about how hard the day was and how much he missed Luisen. However, he didn’t want to appear weak in front of Luisen, so he simply closed his mouth without saying anything.
He knew people would reject him, but this was more than he imagined.
Although the nobles disregard him as a lowborn peasant, they also treated him as if he were a violent criminal–a rapist, etc. The aristocracy underneath the Eastern Great Lord’s wing and the first prince
they were all the same.
Still, the nobles on the first prince’s side were at least aware of the mercenary’s usefulness; they knew that the first prince needed him and kept him in line. Carlton, in turn, knew that the first prince would protect him, so he was able to spread his wings without having to be too wary of the people around him.
However, here the Eastern Great Lord was openly at odds with the first prince, so Carlton was detested even more as the first prince’s hands and feet.
Carlton did nothing–rather, he kept quiet–but the nobles kept pouring out all their scorn and contempt at him. The knights constantly jeered and quarreled with him; the servants clearly showcased their discomfort at his presence as they avoided him.
He wasn’t even given a tent let alone a proper meal; Carlton was homeless. Even so, since Luisen said that he was part of the young lord’s party, he at least was afforded this little grace. Otherwise, the mercenary would have been hung upside-down, beaten, and dumped in a random field.
After spending a day with the Eastern Great Lord’s entourage, Carlton acknowledged the reality that faced him.
The winds of misfortune still blew over him. He had made countless contributions, but his effort was yet to be recognized; he made his name known to the world, but the fact of his identity as a lowborn mercenary remained the same. As his notoriety soared, it was clear that many people bearing numerous grudges against him would devour the mercenary if the protection of his powerful benefactors, whether that was the first prince or Luisen, disappeared.
This was a matter of survival. And, it was more advantageous for his survival for him to remain next to the first prince than to stand by Luisen. He had already achieved much for the first prince’s cause, and the prince had more use for a mercenary.
Realistically speaking, Carlton’s future direction became increasingly clear. If they were going to break up anyway, perhaps it’d be best to neatly clean up and tie away the emotions as well.
Carlton gazed at Luisen. The young lord’s short hair was partially drawn back to reveal the forehead; the young lord’s slim jawline constantly drew attention. Luisen was still looking at the mercenary with anxious eyes–with that unrealistically beautiful face.
The young lord’s beauty made Carlton even more depressed.
“Would you like to come to my tent? No one will be able to do or say anything if you’re accompanying me. Besides, there’s good wine there as well.” Luisen grabbed Carlton by the arm.
The young lord smelled faintly of perfume; Carlton’s heart throbbed. He whispered to himself, ‘A man’s instinct is surely reckless–it makes one want to forgo reality and just follow the heart.’ The mercenary had the urge to hold the young lord in his arms and inhale that perfume scent.
They said that falling in love makes one stupid. Carlton smiled bitterly as he recalled how he laughed at such love-lorn fools.
Then, suddenly, he became curious: what motive or feelings must Luisen have to treat him so kindly? The young lord didn’t need him anymore, but Luisen still came to see him, got angry on his behalf, and took care of him despite the Eastern Great Lord’s disapproval. Luisen never failed to be affectionate towards Carlton either.
What if Luisen felt the same way as him? If the young lord regarded him as a special person, would it be best to rethink this decision?
All these lingering thoughts remained, such as: ‘What should he do if Luisen loves him back?’ To be honest, Carlton thought he wouldn’t do well if he were to stay in a peaceful agricultural territory like the Anies duchy. After all, he was good at fighting–what amazing things could he achieve in the duchy?
Nevertheless, Carlton leaned into the embrace and asked cautiously, “My Duke
What will you do from here on?”
Actually, he wanted to ask something else– ‘What do you think of me?’ and ‘Have you thought about a future with me?’ But, those questions were too straightforward and embarrassing; furthermore, he was afraid of a negative response.
Compared to the mercenary’s complicated, tangled emotions, Luisen’s answer was quite simple, “Hm? After cleaning up my dealings with the first prince and catching the demon worshippers
 I suppose I’ll do my job?”
‘Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?’ Luisen was slightly puzzled, but he thought nothing more of it.
Carlton frowned before asking even more cautiously–with more implied nuance, “And then? What will you do when everything is sorted out?”
“Well, I suppose I’ll return to the duchy?”
The young lord hadn’t really formulated any specific plans, but his mind was made up when he received the letter from the General and after seeing the situation in the Eastern side of the kingdom. “As the Great Lord and Master of the duchy, I felt the heavy weight of responsibility. So, as soon as I’m done, I’d like to return to the duchy as soon as possible and fulfill my duties properly.”
Luisen expressed his ambitions confidently, but Carlton’s face still looked incomprehensible,  “Then, what about me?”
“You?” Luisen thought a bit more seriously.
Carlton was ambitious and had the talent to support those ambitions. Though his touch was cruel and he was prone to anger, the mercenary had become much softer recently. If Carlton didn’t truly anger those who didn’t like him–and built his base well–he would not disappear from the world and be charged with treason, as had happened before the regression.
‘I’ll try my best to stop the events from the past timeline before returning.’ Luisen thought.
Carlton had been waiting for an answer with an uncharacteristically nervous expression. Luisen thought these questions were quite sudden, but perhaps the mercenary also grew worried as the day they’d reach the capital was quickly approaching. After so many people harassed him during the day, while Luisen was absent, perhaps it was normal to hear such vulnerable emotions from Carlton.
Luisen opened his mouth, “I’m sure the first prince will admit your immense contributions. You’ll probably receive a proper government post and a title. There’s nothing to worry about–after all, you have me.”
“You, my duke?”
“Of course. You’ve been of great help to me, and I’m someone who repays others’ grace. I’ll try my best to help you establish yourself in the royal castle.” Luisen spoke brightly and tried to be convincing to reassure Carlton, but Carlton’s expression hardened and became indescribably cold.
‘So, this person is definitely sure we’ll be parting from each other,’ the mercenary thought.
Luisen is a duke, and Carlton works under the first price. Perhaps the road forward was so clear, the duke naturally never seemed to have any further questions about the upcoming breakup. Even the duke’s words seemed to draw a line in the sand between them.
Carlton took a step back, removing the duke’s hands and embrace. Luisen tried to follow reflexively, but Carlton raised his hand to block the young lord. The mercenary dodged the other’s gaze, as if he couldn’t bear to see Luisen anymore, turned around, and left.
“Carlton
” Luisen called the man’s name, but Carlton never looked back. The young lord felt bewildered; just before the mercenary turned away, he looked hurt. As he saw those trembling eyes, Luisen realized something was wrong.
The young lord reached at air belatedly. Though he couldn’t reach the mercenary, he continued to watch Carlton move away.
***
The next day:
Luisen awoke with a terrible hangover.
After parting ways with Carlton last night, he returned to his tent alone. Since the young lord was supposed to be in the tent all night and appeared now covered with dirt, there was a little pandemonium. Disregarding all that, though, Luisen drank all the wine he had brought out to drink with Carlton by himself, became drunk, and laid languidly on his bed.
Luisen grabbed his spinning head and entered the tent that doubled as the canteen. The Eastern Great Lord was waiting, as if he had been ready to nag at the young lord. “Why do you look like that? I heard you walked around covered in dirt last night. Haven’t I told you to maintain the image of a Great Lord at all times?!”
“Yes, Yes.” Spirit drained, Luisen let the words go in through one ear and spill out the other. The Eastern Great Lord called out his granddaughter and scolded her, dissatisfied with Luisen’s reaction. He shouted that he had ordered her to take care of Luisen–how could she let this happen? He ordered her to apologize and stick by Luisen’s side all day.
The older lord’s scheme to place his granddaughter next to Luisen was obvious, but Luisen let that happen as he was too tired to deal with it. Regardless of the Eastern Great Lord’s schemes, Luisen’s head was full of Carlton.
It felt painful to think of Carlton’s hurt-filled face at their parting.
‘Why was he like that? Did something really happen?’
The issue was, no matter how hard Luisen wracked his brain, he couldn’t figure out the reason behind that pained expression.