Circumstances of a Fallen Lord

Chapter 96

The Eastern Great Lord’s party had switched direction towards the Viscounts Boton’s Mansion. The people seemed to be delighted thinking about sleeping in a proper bed for the first time in a long while; similarly, they looked forward to the dinner Viscount Boton promised.

In the midst of this excited atmosphere, Luisen continued to follow along while feeling a strange sense of uneasiness. He had told the Eastern Great Lord that they should be cautious, but the older man simply criticized the young lord for being picky for no good reason.

Naturally, the older lord had felt no crisis since he was ignorant of the demon worshiper’s existence; he had no idea that Luisen was a target. Besides, his knights all had outstanding talent, and the nobles in his group had also brought along a considerable number of soldiers.

Regardless of Luisen’s concerns, the entire procession arrived at the city where the mansion was supposedly located. After passing through agricultural land, the village boasted blacksmiths and grain warehouses. And, in front of a small church, was Viscount Boton’s mansion, the headquarters for the territory’s governance.

It was just a normal manor, neither small nor large. Viscount Boton’s mansion was, as expected, typical of a provincial aristocrat’s home. However, the flowers that decorated the building–especially placed for the sake of the two Great Lords, were eye-catching.

Everything seemed normal. ‘Was I being paranoid?’ Luisen lowered his vigilance.

The Viscount declared that he’d hold a banquet in the evening, and, until then, everyone was given time to rest freely. Luisen left his designated room and wandered around, looking for Carlton.

‘Carlton~ where are you…?’ The young lord eagerly shuffled here and there, but the mercenary could not be found. There were only useless and burdensome nobles that tried to cling onto him. At that moment, Luisen coincidentally happened upon Morrison.

Morrison was with the servants. Though only three days have passed since they joined the Eastern Great Lord’s entourage, the inquisitor naturally incorporated himself into the servant’s group as if he were a native of the area. They exchanged jokes with each other like close friends.

‘Even if he looks so jovial and casual like that, he’s probably digging for information on anything suspicious.’

Luisen felt goosebumps travel up his spine; it was difficult to reconcile his current appearance with the cruel inquisitor who calmly stated he had demolished a demon worshiper’s ankle.

“Morrison.”

“Ah, my Duke!”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

As soon as Luisen approached, the other servants quickly bowed and scuttled off to someplace else.

“Do you know where Carlton is?”

“Carlton is….” Morrison looked over Luisen’s shoulder. His eyes met with another pair of gleaming pupils behind the lush trees–those eyes had the fierce glare of a predator staring at prey. That was Carlton.

Actually, Carlton had been following the young lord all day. Since he had been at a distance and dampened his aura, no one had noticed him. The Eastern Great Lord’s knights were all powerful, but none were as outstanding as the mercenary.

Last night, after parting with Luisen, Carlton couldn’t pull himself together for quite a while. It was his first time liking someone so deeply, but he couldn’t confess properly and was dumped instead.

The pain of a broken heart was worse than he had imagined. He would rather fight trolls for three days and two nights consecutively. Carlton, who was used to enduring pain, found it difficult to withstand the tearing ache inside his chest. This was the first time he understood why people might want to drink cheap but potent alcohol.

‘Didn’t he like me?’

 They had never defined their relationship; they didn’t even say they liked each other. However, Carlton thought there was something special between Luisen and himself–like they were lovers.

‘How could he talk about breaking up so casually?’

Carlton couldn’t understand and buried his head in his palms. ‘Then, why did he accept all those kisses? Was he playing with me?’  He jumped to his feet, angered.

‘…No. He’s not such a horrible person. It’s just…his heart wasn’t as smitten as mine, I suppose.’

Then, what about the time they spent together? Despairing, Carlton squatted down.

‘Am I that unattractive?’ As Carlton became more depressed, his body drooped. He repeated the same thoughts and actions like a madman. As a result, he stayed up all night.

    By the time the sun rose, the mercenary was utterly exhausted and his head was spinning coldly in circles.

‘What a pathetic sight I must make…’

Luisen’s emotions were not as deep as his, so it would be foolish to stake his life on this love. He had to wake up now and take care of his own life. He promised himself that he would no longer be swayed by the young lord.

However, after preparing his mind, he suddenly thought, ‘I sent him home alone yesterday. Did he return to his tent well?’

Of course, he must have returned well; it wasn’t a long distance, and there were others around. If something had happened to Luisen, there would have been pandemonium long ago.

As he tried to be calm and objective, his brain crafted its own counterarguments.

‘However, can I really trust that if I haven’t seen his safe return directly?’

Thinking back to what Luisen had experienced so far…. While running through the woods alone at night, he almost died by a goblin’s hand; he fell behind during an excursion and was surrounded by a mob; he was almost kidnapped by Ruger…kidnapped by Morrison.

 An incident occurred every time he took his eyes off the young lord. But, it wasn’t like things were safe even if Luisen stayed still. After all, the young lord repeatedly broke Carlton’s expectations, and now the mercenary didn’t know what to expect.

As his thoughts swirled to a climax, Carlton became incredibly anxious. ‘I don’t suppose there’s an incident happening at this very moment, right?’ If he thought rationally, how could Luisen, who was in the midst of the Great Eastern Lord’s party and receiving the best protection, be in danger? However, anxiety wasn’t something that could be quenched through reason.

Eventually, Carlton sneaked into Luisen’s tent at dawn, escaping the public eye. The young lord, who was drunk, was sleeping quite deeply while exuding the scent of wine. The young lord’s sleeping face was tranquil and lovely, and it felt as if the pain that had plagued him all night had melted away.

Carlton stared at Luisen’s face for a long while before quietly leaving the tent when he heard servants moving outside.

‘Since I saw that he was fine, that’s enough.’

It had to be enough.

Obviously, that should have been enough, but, when the mercenary returned to his senses, he kept hovering around Luisen.

   ‘He’s sure to have a bad hangover–what if he falls down?’

‘He’s extra spaced out today–what if he wanders away from the group like that?’

     ‘It’s the first time he’s arriving at Viscount Boton’s mansion. How could I leave him alone in a strange place?’

He kept making excuses.

Luisen was not alone; he had servants and knights to take care of him. But, Carlton still couldn’t take his eyes off the young lord, like a mother who had left her child at the riverbank, floating on water.

Furthermore, how was the young lord even prettier today? Unlike usual, his cold eyes exuded a sense of superiority. The young lord’s hidden audience’s heartstrings were tugged even more.

‘Once we reach the capital, it’ll be hard to see this sight anyway…’

Carlton continued to chase Luisen around, giving himself new excuses simultaneously. He was glad to see that the young lord was also wandering around looking for him. His heart overflowed with the thought that perhaps the young lord’s actions meant that Luisen still needed him and cared about him.

‘Didn’t I decide to give up? Shouldn’t I take this moment to try and find a way out of his embrace instead of chasing him around?’

His cool, objective rationality warned him, but his body replied, ‘Hm, who knows? Who cares? I’m going to continue to watch Luisen,’ before moving almost automatically.

What was he doing? Carlton felt a deep shame. It’s one thing for a small dog, but it was disgusting for a grown man to follow another man around.

And, Morrison caught him in the act. Carlton’s shame reached its peak as soon as his eyes locked with Morrison’s; the inquisitor hesitated, unsure whether or not he should tell Luisen of this matter.

The mercenary quickly gestured with his hands: he pointed at Morrison with his index finger and pretended to slit his throat with his thumb.

‘If you speak, I’ll kill you.’

Morrison felt a stream of cold sweat run down his back at the terrifying warning. Though the vicious energy must have passed behind the young lord, Luisen didn’t even notice. The young lord’s obliviousness was a grand thing.

Morrison did not see what had happened the previous nights, as he left the two alone. He was simply someone that loved others’ romance vicariously; he wasn’t a voyeur.

However, looking at their behavior today, he could sense that something had happened.

He thought, ‘Something I said to Carlton pretty thoughtlessly in the past was a problem, huh…’

Morrison sincerely liked seeing Carlton and Luisen together. ‘There will be difficulties in your future, so I hope you overcome them well!’ He sincerely meant that, with no malice at all. He had no idea that what he said so casually would turn into the source of a conflict. The inquisitor had overlooked that Carlton was more delicate than his appearance would suggest and that Luisen was a bit socially oblivious.

“What are you looking at?” Since Morrison kept looking at the distant mountain range, Luisen also looked back. However, all he could see was a thick thicket of trees and nothing else.

“Ah, nothing. How fortunate–there was something I wanted to ask my Duke. I wondered how I should send my message to you, but I’m glad you’ve come to me first.” Morrison chose to quickly change the subject. Before Luisen could notice anything strange, Morrison rapidly took something out of his pocket.

He held the identity cards of the gang of knights who had occupied the bridge as highway bandits, died, and then were manipulated by demon worshippers before being abandoned. The inquisitor had stored these keepsakes separately after disposing of the corpses-turned-ghouls.

“Would you give these to the Viscount? As the knights served under him, the lord may know if the men left behind any bereaved family. I believe it would be more appropriate for the Duke to do this than me.”

“Ah, of course.” Though Luisen’s party wasn’t the one to kill Viscount Boton’s knights, it would still be difficult for Morrison, a commoner, to demand an audience with the viscount himself. He could also be falsely accused of murdering them.

If Luisen were to deliver the keepsake, Viscount Boton would not be able to pick faults recklessly.

“And, I’d like you to carefully observe Viscount Boton’s reaction as you deliver this,” Morrison continued.

“His reaction?”

“Yes. It’s quite strange that a knight of a decent, normal territory would commit robbery. I’m still a bit stuck on the fact that the demon worshippers chose to use those knights.”

“I see. The banquet will begin shortly, so I’ll hand this to him there and observe his reactions for you.”

“I’m counting on you, my lord.”

Luisen packed up the knight’s keepsakes; it was time for him to return to his room and prepare for the evening banquet. “I’ll be on my way now. If you see Carlton, please tell him to come see me.”

“Ah….”

The young lord did not forget to ask what had been on his mind. Once Luisen disappeared, so too did Carlton.

‘Right then…Just behind you… Carlton was there…’ The truth that Morrison couldn’t spout merely tumbled around in his mouth.

TL: Carlton, what my teenaged younger sister does when she’s heartbroken is to eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry’s by herself. Have you considered doing that?