CH 29

Luisen was searching for a poisonous plant known as the ‘buried old hag.’

The buried old hag was seemingly an ordinary weed except for its roots, which looked like demonic spirits much like the legendary mandragoras. The fist-sized roots were deeply wrinkled, like the face of a nasty old hag, and the people had named it as such. Normally this plant was not eaten because it caused severe diarrhea and stomach pain.

In the poorer neighborhoods, the people fed horses and pigs with this plant, but in the rich and prosperous south, even the poorest of livestock did not chew on it.

Though it was currently treated as poison, the root became an indispensable foodsource in the following years.

After the civil war, during the long famine, the people searched far and wide for anything edible. Some even peeled the bark off of trees.

Others began to take away the buried old hags from the pigs, grilling them with the desire to die with a full belly. However, after a taste, the buried old hag tasted much better than previously thought. The people felt full and didn’t die! They didn’t develop diarrhea or stomach aches either.

As the rumors spread far and wide, the people discovered after some research that the poison generated by the plant was caused by light. If they peeled and cooked the old hag right after digging it up from the ground, it was safe to eat!

The buried old hag grew well in various places and was able to be harvested in far larger quantities than wheat and other crops. It needed less manpower as well.

For a starving kingdom, the hag was a singular ray of positive news. Nationwide, the people were encouraged to grow and eat the old hags. The king himself demonstrated the proper cooking methods.

After such efforts, the buried old hag became an indispensable ingredient in the lives of the common folk.

What? They call it the buried old hag? The devil’s food? It should rather be respectfully called the ‘buried elder!’

Later, the people would begin to revere the plant and call it their precious elder.

Luisen also greatly appreciated this plant.

Especially when he would help with farming, an old woman would serve a heaping bowl of well-stewed ‘old hags.’ The scrumptious taste could drive one to weather any hard labor.

Luisen rummaged through the grass, recalling the rare fond sentiments of the past. Since he had often dug this plant up, he could easily identify it.

‘I got it!’ With a shovel, Luisen dug underneath the plant’s stem and lifted gently. Then, out of the soil emerged the hideous roots bearing a witch’s face.

Just the sight of it whetted Luisen’s appetite. How could something so dreadful in appearance look so tasty? Strangely enough, the uglier the root, the tastier it was. Thinking of the unique sweetness of the slightly dry and soft flesh, Luisen released a bubble of laughter.

These old hags could contribute greatly to the distribution of rations to the villagers in the future. There was nothing better to replace the lack of foodstuffs.

Originally, he was only going to dig up a few roots to show to the general, but Luisen soon changed his mind as he saw all the old hags in the ground. It was just the right time for a late-night snack. His stomach felt hollow; his mouth was bored.

‘I should just harvest a few more and grill them.’ Luisen glanced around. ‘Good, there’s no one around…although I doubt people would begrudge me for a late-night snack.’

Of course, no one would scold this behavior, but he truly wanted to save some face.

As Luisen’s head was filled with thoughts of snacks, Carlton, who was hidden among the dark shadows of the thicket, was bewildered and dumbfounded.

While Luisen crept out of his room, Carlton, too, tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the lord distributing the soup and comforting his citizens. In his mind’s eye, Luisen had been alone except for a few knights, surrounded by the warming hearts of the villagers, completely ignorant of danger!

It was an idyllic and picturesque scene only found in fairytales. And, he couldn’t remove the mental image of that gentle duke; strangely, his insides felt as if they were beset by butterflies at the image.

After failing to sleep, Carlton eventually left his room as well. While walking in the night air, he continued to recall Luisen’s face.

A noble who embodied his aloof yet elegant expression. A fragile young man, whose face contained the anxiety of a kid abandoned. An ideal leader who knows how to care for the people, who unconventionally throws his body and soul away for their safety.

Carlton pondered which one would be the closest to Luisen’s essence. But, for the life of him, he couldn’t decide on any single description. The more he contemplated, the more complicated his thoughts became.

Luisen was very strange.

If he was as clever as he seemed, how could he indulge in the foolishness that brought war to his estate? If he was selfish, how could he sacrifice his own body to a mercenary? If he was a meticulous man, he wouldn’t be reckless enough to throw himself away either. But, if he loved his estate, how could one explain his ignorance?

Words, actions, his past behavior…None of it fit into the current context.

Today alone he embodied that selfish hypocritical aristocrat, that clumsy and vulnerable young man, and that devoted leader. His personality fluctuated, as if he became someone else from moment to moment.

Carlton wondered if he contained many personalities…and entertained other such vivid imaginations.

‘Why had he knelt there….so disturbingly?’ Carlton wouldn’t have agonized this much about the young lord if Luisen hadn’t kneeled at his vulgar joke, if Luisen hadn’t approached him with such trembling fingers.

His eyes and pale cheeks, flushed with nervousness, were pitifully beautiful. He hated to admit it, but the thought of Luisen, seated between his legs, made heat plunge from the top of his head to below his waist.

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Then, during Carlton’s agonizing night walk, Luisen suddenly appeared out of the darkness in front of him, as if the lord had sprung from his own mind. Looking closely, it seemed as if Luisen was sneaking off to someplace with a shovel.

‘Again….what is he up to….?’ A combination of curiosity and anxiety had Carlton following the lord, quietly tracing his footsteps. Finally, Luisen stood in an open space near the barn and began digging.

‘What could you be searching for at this hour? Some hidden treasure?’

Considering Luisen’s confident boast that he would take care of both the food and manpower shortage, Carlton thought he might uncover at least one hidden secret. The mercenary stood and watched quietly.

But, contrary to his expectations, what Luisen dug up was nothing more than a root, about the size of a fist and shaped like a human head. The blurry moonlight only dimly lit the area, but Carlton recognized it with just a glance. It was the buried old hag, a famous poisonous weed.

Hehehe.

Luisen’s insidious giggle resonated throughout the field. His greedy expression reflected in the moonlight looked as if it was tinged with madness.

The lord’s odd behavior didn’t end there. Luisen collected dry grass, started a fire, and threw the washed poisonous plants into the flames. He squatted in front of the makeshift bonfire and cautiously rolled the old hag around with a long stick. The scene seemed like some kind of ritual.

‘What kind of outrageousness is this?’ Carlton couldn’t readily intervene in such an odd, bizarre scene. A lord who secretly digs up poisonous grass in the dead of night while laughing maniacally…It wouldn’t have been surprising if Luisen turned out to be a devil worshipper.

If, after a while, suspicious black smoke rose from the flames, Carlton would have immediately fled to a temple to file charges. Fortunately, however, nothing mystical emerged. Luisen took a root out of the fire and took a bite without even peeling its skin.

‘Why is he eating that?!’ Unable to stand by calmly any longer, Carlton leaped in front of the lord. “What have you eaten now?!”

Carlton grabbed Luisen by the chin and forced him to spit out the buried old hag.

“Tha–mmph. Mmph!!” Luisen’s resistance was as weak and meaningless as a dragonfly’s wings against human hands. After confirming the lord had spat everything out, Carlton released Luisen’s jaw. Luisen simply stared at him.

“What kind of tomfoolery is this?” Normally people wouldn’t touch dogs when they eat. Why on earth would Carlton pop out of nowhere to interfere with his meal? ‘Does he truly want to bully me like this?’

“My duke, it seems that I have saved your life once again,” Carlton said.

“Save me? Because of you, perfectly edible food has been wasted!”

The carefully grilled old hag had been crushed into the ground and was no longer fit to eat. Luisen’s brows wrinkled. ‘What a waste. I don’t suppose I can just pick it up and eat it, right?’

“Food?” Carlton was dumbfounded. The lord had planned to eat this poisonous plant for a late night snack?

In Carlton’s hometown, the buried old hag was often used to supplement horse feed. Every year, there would be a bizarre sight: the old hag heads piled high like a mountain in the stable. Not many approached the grim scene, but every year, several children always collapsed after a curious taste.

A nobleman of Luisen’s stature would be in no danger of death–especially with the care of his personal doctors–but he would have suffered greatly.

“My lord, do you even recognize what you just tried to eat?”