CH 7

“My duke!”

“Ack, get this guy! Why is he so strong?!”

Behind him, Luisen could hear Ruger’s desperate shout and the sounds of fighting. However, Luisen could barely take care of himself. The forest was rough and unpaved. Every time the horse’s powerful hooves hit the ground, dust rose and pebbles bounced off of Luisen’s head.

Luisen held on with all his strength. He could fall off at any errant jostle! If he were to fall off the horse at this terrifying velocity, he would surely sustain a grave injury. There was nothing to hold onto, nor did anything properly tie him down, so he just plastered his whole body onto the horse.

When the horse jumped to avoid tree roots, Luisen’s body also flew upwards. Somehow he managed to stay on, but the hard saddle hit Luisen’s stomach with every leap.

“Hnnk! Urk! Ahh!”

A firm horse butt pressed against Luisen’s cheek, and the horse’s tail slapped his body. Blood began to pool in his head, and black spots entered his vision.

The moment he began to think ‘maybe it’s better to die…,’ the horse came to a stop. Luisen couldn’t hold on any longer and rolled down to the ground. A loud thud rang out from his impact.

Feeling dizzying pain from his tailbone, Luisen bowed his head to the ground and began to gag. His body still felt as if it was floundering on the running horse. Tears automatically formed at the corners of his eyes.

“Hurk. Hnngh.” In the midst of retching, Luisen began to hear laughter.

“Hahahahaha.”

‘You’re laughing? Am I funny right now?’

“What kind of foolish creature did you pick up from the woods? Did you go hunting? Are you going to eat him tonight?”

“That thing’s so skinny, I bet it won’t taste any good!”

The ones talking were incredibly rude and had no manners, like a bunch of gangsters.

‘Did I get dragged off by bandits?’

Luisen clutched at his dizzy head and raised his eyes. Against the backdrop of a temporary campsite, he saw numerous men. All of them were wearing armor and holding weapons. They were dressed too well to be mercenaries, but too carefree to be proper knights or soldiers.

A flag embroidered with a lion fluttered violently over their heads. The blue lion…a symbol of the royal family and also the symbol of the king. That flag could only be flown over the king’s presence or the king’s messenger. The lion was synonymous with the king’s will…though instead of the king, it now symbolized the first prince.

In any case, the identity of those who flew this flag became quickly apparent.

Carlton’s army……

‘Is this man Carlton….?’

There was much speculation about his ambiguous origins. Most believed him to be the son of a mercenary king rather than the illegitimate son of a noble. It was later revealed that he was part of a tribe of a thousand people in the northwest territory who raised horses for a living.

Carlton ran away from his home as a child and served as a mercenary wandering the monster-rich northern lands–before catching the eyes of the first prince and becoming his retainer. Thus, he became one of the most notable talents in the civil war, defeating many famous noble knights.

However, his characteristic rough temper and defiant attitude offended the aristocracy. As a result, when Prince Ellion finally ascended the throne, Carlton was the first to be eliminated in the new power structure.

An insult to the aristocracy? A typical excuse for killing the dog after the rabbit hunt. 1 An official proclamation of his execution was dispersed into the public…but many speculated that Carlton had managed to run away just before the execution. Perhaps he retreated to some mountain hovel and became a bandit, or perhaps he was converted to some religion in a temple.

Anyway, during the civil war, he was one of the first prince’s closest confidants.

“……You know me?” Luisen asked in a trembling voice.

“I heard the other guy call you duke.” Carlton was referring to Ruger. At that moment, the other soldiers who had gone hunting with Carlton returned with Ruger thrown around their shoulders. He didn’t seem to be hurt.

“I-I see.”

What could he do after hearing that statement? Luisen stuck out his tongue in frustration. Carlton’s words stirred the rest of the soldiers.

“Really? A noble? Isn’t a noble more clean than that?”

Luisen appeared incredibly bedraggled. He was covered in mud and goblin’s blood, and his hair and his clothes had become matted messes after riding on the rump of a horse. Only then did Luisen become aware of his appearance, and he attempted to recover some poise, albeit a little late.

He stood on shaky legs and dusted off some loose dirt from his pants. Then, with all his strength, he straightened his back, shook out his hair, and began to neatly organize his clothes. Nothing was made particularly neater, but the natural aristocratic elegance cultivated within his body was apparent in his motions. His years as a fugitive were harsh, but he could never forget his years as a nobleman.

As soon as he pushed away his fear, his delicate and sophisticated beauty shone like an heirloom. His cheeks glowed white in the moonlight, and flecks of gold sparkled in his hair.

Once he regained his delicate poise, his beggarly appearance became meaningless. Rather, he began to look like a noble young man with a dark backstory, like a main character from a minstrel’s story. The soldiers began to “ooh” and chatter exclamations amongst each other.

“I’ll introduce myself again properly. I am Luisen Anies, Duke of Anies.” Luisen raised his head and firmly looked at Carlton. He couldn’t guess what kind of expression might have been hidden behind the pitch black helmet. Ferocious and chilling eyes peered through.

‘Don’t show how beaten down you are. I’m not a fugitive, a bum, nor the kingdom’s biggest fool. Right now I’m the great lord Luisen Anies, a duke.’ Luisen inwardly repeated these words for courage.

That was what the saint had advised. What use was there in being afraid? His opponent was a person, not a god. And, as a human being, he was still an existence that couldn’t escape the disciplines and status shackled around his wrists by society.

Luisen’s body was the lord of vast farmlands; he should not be bullied anywhere.

The Duke of Anies? The owner of that castle? The soldiers were once again agitated. Carlton was the only one who remained composed. Then, he let out a barking laugh.

“You’re the Duke of Anies? I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t believe that this ‘noble lady’ 2 was wandering through the woods at night like some fugitive running away from debtors.”

Carlton’s hostility was obvious. His tone was openly sarcastic and his eyes contained unconcealed contempt. Although societal norms would demand for deference for Luisen’s rank, he did not hide his disdain.

‘Ah…so scary. I’m scared to death.’

Luisen rebutted quickly, anxious that Carlton might whack him with those bear-like hands of his. 3

“Escaping under the cover of darkness? Absolutely not.”

“Then what could it be….Ah! Moonlight…a deserted area…two men together?” Carlton gestured inappropriately towards Luisen. When Carlton erupted into laughter, his soldiers followed along.

“You bastards! What is this disrespect! How dare you insult the duke!”

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At Ruger’s outburst, Carlton’s eyes became more perilous.

‘Ah…please, stay quiet,’ Luisen thought.

Luisen gave Ruger a grudge-filled stare. Carlton wasn’t laughing because he found the situation funny; he wanted to thrash Luisen’s pride. Couldn’t he see how Carlton’s eyes didn’t smile?

Besides, Luisen was used to insults. Before his regression, he may have been known to blow his temper, but the current Luisen was different. He was used to even more derisive remarks and had been laughed at more than this. Why should he care about mere words when they came unaccompanied by physical pain?

“That’s not true either. I came here to meet you,” Luisen said.

“Me?”

“I didn’t expect to meet you in the woods like that. But in any case, I seem to have arrived at the right destination.”

Carlton looked doubtful. He seemed to think that Luisen was making excuses after getting caught in the midst of escape.

‘It’s okay…It’s all right…’

Luisen comforted himself and took out the white flag he had secretly brought. The flag was embroidered with golden wheat, the symbol of the Anies Duchy. He dropped to both knees 4 in front of Carlton and raised the flag over his head.

It was reminiscent of swearing an oath of allegiance to a king.

Though it would have been scandalous to kneel to a simple retainer…for Luisen, Carlton was more than the illegitimate prince’s agent. His future and his estate were at stake. When Luisen kneeled, all chatter disappeared. Only the sounds of grasshoppers could be heard in the silence.

“I, Luisen Anies, son of Robert and Tina Anies and duke of the golden hills, kneel before the blue lion and the prince’s proxy and plead for mercy.”

This time, even the grasshoppers were shocked into silence. Every single astonished member of the barracks stared at Luisen and Carlton. A cold wind blew around them, and Carlton’s horse snorted softly.

TN: We finally meet Mr. ML!  Thank you guys for joining me for these two chapters!