CH 46

‘Even if we continue like this…what can I even do?’

Could they reach the capital safely? It wasn’t like all would be safe once they’d reached the capital either. What should he do when he gets there? What could he even do? ‘The guy who I thought sacrificed his life for mine turned out to be a spy.’

A guy who can’t even solve his own hunger–what can someone like him do?

Luisen started to see everything in a pessimistic light. His body was already exhausted. When the spirit that supported the body was broken, the strength in his legs instantly vanished. Luisen faltered.

“Hnngh!” He fell. Luisen curled up as he tumbled towards the ground. However, contrary to his expectations, he did not strike the forest floor. Carlton had quickly turned around and grabbed Luisen’s arm, assisting the young lord.

“Ah, oh my…” Luisen’s head fell down, depleted of energy. Carlton clicked his tongue.

‘If you’re having a hard time, then you should have told me.’ Carlton inwardly clicked his tongue. Even though Carlton didn’t outwardly express his concern for the young lord, in fact, all of his mental power was directed at Luisen. Luisen’s breathing was getting rough, and his body was bending and losing consciousness.

Honestly, Carlton thought Luisen would ask for help if the going got tough. It was still early in the day, so he had been patiently monitoring Luisen’s stamina. If the lord were to say he couldn’t continue any longer, he thought about carrying him on his back.

However, Luisen didn’t even say that he’d been having a hard time until he was about to collapse. Carlton didn’t expect him to last this long.

“I’ll be careful from now on.” Luisen blinked. Carlton sighed softly when he saw how blank the young lord’s eyes looked. He had been determined to do well on his own, and so he was. No, was this the lord not knowing the extent of his limits?

“Let’s take a break before we continue.”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s just go.”

“Absolutely not. If you continue to walk while in this state, you’ll only get hurt.”

“…All right.” Luisen ultimately did not reject Carlton’s proposal.

Carlton sat Luisen upon a small rock. “Will you be okay if I leave you alone for a moment?”

“Are you going somewhere?”

“Yes. Wait here. I’ll return soon. Don’t go anywhere and wait here patiently.”

“Fine. Don’t worry about me and return soon,” Luisen replied readily.

But Carlton still looked doubtful. “Don’t go following me because you think you’ve seen something weird. Don’t wander around for no reason. If something strange appears, you must call for me–don’t try to deal with it on your own, understand?”

“Do you think of me as a child?”

“…..Anyways, I’ll be right back.”

Huh?

Did he just avoid answering? Luisen opened his eyes wide. Carlton, till the end, continued to make requests of him. Luisen folded his arms sullenly and watched Carlton move away from him.

He took a deep breath. ‘Phew, I feel like I’m going to live now that I’m sitting down.’

He didn’t even have the strength to amble around. ‘My feet are killing me.’ Luisen took off his shoes and rubbed his feet.

The clear sound of wind passing through the branches could be heard. In between, the grasshoppers spread their song. Sitting alone in a forest–no people, no animals, and no clear paths–he felt as if he were all alone in the world.

He had a more complacent and lazy body than he had remembered; it was unclear whether or not the journey ahead would go well. Luisen pressed on his temples.

Time passed just like that, and Carlton quickly returned.

“Eat this.” The mercenary had brought back an herb that looked similar to a child’s palm.

“This is the sal-sal herb isn’t it? It grows around here too?” 1

The sal-sal herb had a fever and pain-reducing effect; Luisen knew about it because the herb was one of the medicinal products the one-armed saint had taught him about long ago. By the time the two had met, Luisen’s health had been severely diminished, so the pilgrim would harvest the herb to help relieve his pain.

“Correct. How did the duke know about this?” Since most poor, ordinary peasants couldn’t visit apothecaries or doctors, they utilized the benefits of this plant. Most aristocrats had no knowledge of the sal-sal herb.

“I’ve tried it before–someone I knew gave it to me.”

“This? What a unique person they must have been to give someone like the duke a plant like this. They could have just called a doctor.”

“There were times when it was too difficult to call for a doctor… I grew up in a pleasant situation, but there were times when I suffered.” He was, of course, talking about his times wandering an empty kingdom. Luisen spoke very casually.

Carlton inhaled sharply–if the lord were talking about a time where he couldn’t call for a doctor then he must have been talking about his childhood abuse by the vassals. ‘How bad must it have gotten for a child to resort to eating grass without reporting his sickness to others?’

Carlton regretted that he couldn’t bother the duchy’s retainers more than he did. The next time he saw them, he wouldn’t let them go easily.

Luisen munched away at his herb gently without any notice of Carlton’s misunderstanding. The taste wasn’t nice–the smell of grass wafted up his nose alongside the overpowering sour taste. He felt nauseous as he tried to swallow it. Though he hadn’t had anything to eat since lunchtime yesterday, he felt like he was going to cry while eating something so foul.

Tears welled up; Luisen felt even more desolate. Carlton could no longer silently keep watch over him, so he begrudgingly spoke, “…The duke didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Huh?”

“Anyone will go through hard times. Furthermore, this was brought about by Ruger’s actions.”

“……? I’m fine though.”

Because the young lord kept on saying he was fine with that kind of face, Carlton, feeling frustrated, spoke even faster. “What do you mean you’re fine, especially with that face that looks like you’ve been abandoned by the world? There’s no one watching, so you can be honest: you’ve been thinking negatively this entire time, haven’t you?”

“Y…..yeah. How did you know?”

“It all shows on your face. It seems like you’re thinking of Ruger, but… something like, ‘if you knew of his nature, would you have been stabbed in the back?'”

Luisen furrowed his eyebrows. His expression looked as if the young lord was trying to hold back tears; Carlton’s heart dropped. He quickly continued, lest his words be misunderstood, “It’s natural that you had no idea–he tried his hardest to hide all that. Though I thought he’d try something in the future…”

Carlton thought he was eloquent in his own way, but right now his tongue was so stiff. “In addition, he had some strange tricks up his sleeves…”

“You’re talking about how he summoned those monsters?”

“Yes. How could one not be fooled by someone so determined–with those kinds of skills? It’s just a relief that the bastard had no intention of killing the duke. If that was his scheme, then in one go the bastard could have…” Carlton wanted to plunge his fist into his mouth. Why was he chattering like this? Was he trying to console the young lord or pick a fight?

“You have to stay alive in order to shatter that bastard Ruger’s skull. It wasn’t my duke’s fault that you were fooled… In any case, what I’m trying to say is… it’s fortunate that you’re safe and sound.”

In one way or another, Carlton said all he wanted to say. But…

Afraid to look at Luisen’s expression, Carlton turned away and coughed in vain. After the mercenary stopped speaking, silence stretched through the forest clearing. It was so awkward.

It would be easier to jump into an enemy camp armed with only a knife.

Carlton realized, for the first time in his life, that consoling someone was really difficult. After all, when had he ever had the chance to comfort someone? Instead, he offered Luisen something he thought the young lord would like. “I saw it on my way here, so I’ve brought it. Eat it.”

Carlton offered two Buried Old Hags. It was clear the man took care to hold the roots in his embrace so they wouldn’t be exposed to sunlight.

“!” Luisen opened his eyes wide.

It was a Buried Old Hag!

Something to eat!

Food!

At that moment, Luisen thought there was a halo shining from behind Carlton’s back.

“Something precious like this…Is it okay for me to eat this?” Luisen was so moved that his voice trembled.

Carlton felt rather awkward though–it wasn’t all that precious. There was no need for the young lord to be so moved.

‘Maybe I should have just given him this thing instead of speaking.’ Somehow, it seemed that giving him something to eat was more effective than Carlton’s words. However, the mercenary was glad at least something worked…

“Then, do you think I brought this for myself to eat? It’s too difficult to set fire right now, so you’ll have to eat it raw.”

‘So, you brought this for me?’ Feeling overwhelmed, Luisen responded with a big nod. “Okay!”

Luisen ate the Buried Old Hag in one bite. He shuddered as the sweet juices moistened his tongue, accompanied by a crunching sound. Some people found it uncomfortable to eat a Buried Old Hag raw, but Luisen also liked this sort of taste. The unique firm texture, subtle sweetness, and unique aroma that only spread when eaten raw–the root was still delicious.

Luisen quickly consumed the Buried Old Hag in an instant. Afterwards, he let out a long sigh. It felt as if his depression had escaped his body with that one breath. As his stomach became full, the young lord began to feel optimistic…as if he had never been melancholic.

‘People should never be hungry.’ Luisen then vowed to carry a Buried Old Hag at all times.

He could now afford to leisurely consider Carlton’s words. While wandering around the kingdom alone, he had almost died several times and tasted the bitterness of reality. Furthermore, he had actually died. For Luisen, Carlton’s clumsy attempts at comfort uniquely touched his heart.

“Your words are right.”

“What?”

“If Ruger had actually tried to kill me, I’d have departed this world already. I’m lucky that wasn’t the case.” If he died, then that was it–it would be over. Didn’t he uncover hidden truths in his struggle to return to the past and live a good life? It would all work out. He would go to the capital and see what his next actions should be! Besides, didn’t he do well in saving his dukedom and get to this point in life?

And, above all, he had someone who would retrieve food and medicine for him! While lost in the mire of negative thoughts, Luisen had forgotten this fact, but the young lord now had Carlton!

Wasn’t Carlton the person that changed the most after his regression? Luisen wasn’t currently being chased by Carlton and was, instead, escaping with the mercenary. That fact alone quenched his anxiety; Luisen was convinced that everything would be different from the original timeline.

As he thought, it felt like his body became lighter. The sal-sal herb’s effects couldn’t be ignored either. His mind was healthy when he wasn’t feeling sick and his stomach was full.

“Yes?” Carlton doubted his ears. Was the lord being sarcastic? He felt automatically dubious. However, Luisen was smiling at him with such a refreshing expression.