CH 75

“So, what’s your strategy now?” Carlton asked.

Luisen responded, “Is there a strategy? Just walk around until it appears; if we don’t think it’s here, we’ll go somewhere…else…Ngh.”

The young lord bumped his knee against a wooden box. His eyes had now adjusted to the dark, but his physical acumen was still the same. Luisen tried to balance himself after striking the box, but he stumbled again after stepping on an oar that had fallen to the ground.

“*Sigh.* Here, grab onto this.” Carlton held out his hand. The young lord grabbed it without any hesitation.

The two continued to walk around the lower hull like that. Carlton held the young lord steady whenever he faltered. Because he could only hear the splashing of water, the young lord tried to sharpen his senses in order to hear the snake’s slithers; the more he did so, however, the more vividly he felt the other’s body temperature and the texture of his hand.

Their earlier conversation had unsettled his heart, making Luisen pay more attention to the mercenary.

They had reached the ‘basement,’; their first impressions of this place were largely similar to the other areas in the hull. It reeked of sweat and the fishy scent of seawater. The sound of water deafened all other noise in this area; the lack of light created a gloomy atmosphere. Because he walked hand in hand with Carlton, though, something felt special about this situation. This is something he hadn’t felt while walking underneath the moonlight with a beautiful lover while listening to the dulcet tones of a live performance. He couldn’t believe that a basement–housing a monster that may pop out at any moment–could feel so romantic.

‘This is not the time to be like this.’

It wasn’t the first time he had walked hand in hand with Carlton.

‘Well, wasn’t that situation kinda romantic–…Actually, not really. Besides, now is not the time to think about these things.’

Luisen criticized himself, but the excitement in his heart did not easily subside. He took a sneaky glance at the merecenary’s face. The man’s high, straight nose bridge shone in the dim light of the torch; his brows and forehead were prominent. Piercing eyes were shadowed by fierce-looking eyebrows.

Seeing his companion wary of his surroundings, Luisen was able to calm himself. The young lord’s cheeks blushed inadvertently; it was fortunate that his surroundings were dark. Otherwise, anyone would be able to see his red face.

“The snake isn’t appearing.” Luisen said something in order to hide his heart palpitations. They had walked for a long while, but there were no signs of the snake monster.

“Yes–Should we cause some more fuss?”

“Hm. I suppose we should.”

“Would you like to run around for a bit while holding my hand?” Carlton stood in front and held out his palm. Maybe it was because of the strange atmosphere that had settled between them during this walk, it was difficult for the young lord to make eye contact with the mercenary and face him. He felt like a weirdo for being overly self-conscious. Luisen grabbed his hand, trying to remain calm. Then, he began to make large stomps.

Th-Thud! Thud! Stomp!

He wasn’t as loud as he imagined. This didn’t seem to be enough, so Luisen began to leap around.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

To reiterate, Luisen was horribly uncoordinated and ungainly; he was someone who chose to hide that fact rather than practice and exercise to overcome that clumsiness. He felt awkward while moving his body because it had been a long time since he had exercised. After jumping up and down the galley, he was left off-balance and shaky.

“Ah, Nngh!” Carlton pulled the young lord towards him and caught Luisen’s tottering body. Simultaneously, the two’s legs entangled, and their bodies came into close contact. Luisen’s hood fell off, and his hair was revealed. As soon as the young lord returned to his senses, Carlton’s chest was the first thing he saw. The sound of heartbeats–whether his or the mercenary’s–echoed loudly in his ears.

“Are you alright?” The mercenary asked.

“Uh…Uh…”

It seemed like Carlton’s voice sounded deeper than usual. Luisen felt shivers run down his spine by that rumbling voice. When the young lord looked up, the mercenary’s face was right in front of his. They were close enough for the tips of their noses to touch.

“Your hood came off.” Carlton said, but he only brushed his hand through Luisen’s disheveled hair and abandoned the hood. The mercenary gazed at the young lord’s face as if he had been possessed. The young lord could see his dazed reflection in the mercenary’s pupils.

The mercenary’s sharpness had melted down, and in its absence, there was something almost indescribable–passion? Luisen’s cheeks flushed at the affectionate yet heated gaze. The young lord recalled that his companion shot him a similar gaze at the restaurant in Mittil. This look felt comparable to that time. He had forgotten about that incident, because of their fight, but even then he had been momentarily shocked.

‘Does he like me?’

It was a gaze that induced delusional thoughts. Luisen felt trapped within that gaze; he couldn’t move as long as those eyes were focused on him.

When Luisen neither avoided nor frowned his eyes, Carlton wrapped his arm tighter around the young lord’s waist. His big palm rested on the small of the young lord’s back, as if the hand would stroke further downwards. His eyes stared into Luisen’s pupils before looking at Luisen’s lips. A moment of hesitation–in his absentmindedness, the mercenary’s breath was stolen away. Without thinking, he lowered his eyes and tilted his head to the side.

The mood of the situation made it so it wouldn’t be strange if those two kissed.

If it weren’t for the snake monster.

They suddenly heard a hiss and felt a gust of wind brush shudderingly by their ears.

Both of them looked down at their feet; right there was the snake with its angular head and slender body–the very snake they had been searching for the entire time. It posed with its mouth wide open, like it was about to bite Luisen.

“Argh!” Luisen jumped onto Carlton while exclaiming; he clung to the mercenary like a cicada would cling to an old, wizened tree. While holding the young lord, Carlton threw his dagger at the snake. Considering the situation, it was a surprisingly quick response.

However, it wasn’t a normal snake–it definitely showed it was a monster. It tilted its body mysteriously and disappeared in a blink of an eye to escape the flying dagger.

They missed the monster. Luisen’s face became flushed; only then did he realize he was hugging his companion with all his might. The young lord noticed that he was clinging.

Honestly, there was no need to jump into the other’s arms, startled. Snake monsters usually bit at people’s ankles because their heads were heavier than their serpentine bodies. To counteract that, the young lord wore ankle-high boots made of tough leather; he had even taken care to cover the leather with wooden boards and cloth, just to be safe. It may even have been better to let the snake bite; if its teeth snagged into the wood and got stuck, the snake would have no choice but to slow down.

This turn of events wasn’t romantic at all. It was detestable enough that the mysterious atmosphere hovering around them had disappeared. Embarrassed, Luisen bowed his head, “Um…You can let me down…”

Carlton placed the young lord on the ground. Luisen quickly moved away from the mercenary.

“Ah…Sorry. I was just too surprised.” The young lord muttered.

“No, not at all. I was distracted as well…” The mercenary also avoided eye contact, “But, now we’ve confirmed that it’s on this floor and that our provocation will work. It’s only a matter of time.”

“…Then, should we go around again? I think jumping…is a little difficult.”

“I’ll stamp my feet this time.”

“Alright…” Luisen nodded.

The two wandered around the basement-like hull again, focusing on their surroundings. As heated as the atmosphere was earlier, an even chillier awkwardness settled between them.

‘It would have been less awkward if we kissed.’

No–Actually, that isn’t true. ‘I should have just fallen over like a normal person. What was I thinking?’

It felt like he had been bewitched–was he bewitched by Carlton? ‘Me? The Duke of Anies, someone who had touched all the flowers in the capital? By a mercenary who was called a butcher? No. That can’t be possible.’ Luisen shook his head.

Smack–

His knee hit some of the clutter–he had no idea what it was–lying about.

“Ngh.”

“Nghh.”

It seemed like, this time, he had run into a wooden water barrel. Why were there so many things here? Getting frustrated, Luisen tried to push through, but something crossed his mind.

‘Right now…Didn’t I hear two moans?’

As soon as the question bubbled up in his mind, Luisen kicked at the water container. Carlton kicked whoever snuck out from behind that barrel; simultaneously, the mercenary stepped in front of the young lord and protected him. This was all so sudden; Luisen couldn’t figure out what he should do.

“Argh!” It was a man who hid behind the wooden pail; after being beaten by the mercenary, he was flung far away where he dry heaved and tried not to vomit.

At first, Luisen couldn’t recognize the person’s identity because of the darkness, but, on a closer look, he managed to recognize the man’s face. “Cullen?”

Heaving, Cullen flinched as soon as he heard his name. “I’m not Cullen.”

The man had forcibly lowered his tone, but no one believed him. Cullen must have also thought this was a quite lame pretense; he turned his head away slightly. When his eyes met the young lord’s briefly, he shivered and avoided the young lord’s gaze.

“What are you doing here?” Luisen interrogated.

“I was just….just feeling claustrophobic. So, I went out.” Cullen mumbled in response.

If he was feeling stifled and frustrated, then he should have walked around the deck; why would he come down to the basement where the oarsmen are? Why was he hiding from Luisen and Carlton? From head to toe, this man was suspicious.

“Cullen. Why are you here? What about your caravan members?”

“……”

“Please say something.”

“……” Cullen’s mouth was clamped tightly shut. Then, he suddenly jumped to his feet and tried to escape. Screaming and scrambling, the man’s momentum was effective, but Carlton simply tripped him over. The mercenary then pressed on Cullen’s back with his foot.

“L-Let me go! Let me go, I said!” Cullen struggled with his entire body. However, he couldn’t make the mercenary’s foot budge one inch.

Relaxed, the mercenary looked over at the young lord. “This punk won’t respond to kind words. Don’t worry though. With just one touch from me, I’ll make him reveal how much underwear his grandfather owns.”

“Mm…Well… Don’t be too harsh.” Luisen knew that a physical interrogation was inevitable, especially if Cullen wouldn’t answer their initial, gentle questions. If he hadn’t tried to escape, the young lord would not force him to deal with Carlton.

Carlton whipped Cullen around, like a rag doll, and pushed him into a square hole meant for the oar. Luisen turned around, covered his ears, and sang something random. Meanwhile, Cullen’s screams echoed through the hull.

After a while, Carlton tapped the young lord on the shoulder. Luisen turned around to see an absolutely delighted mercenary and a drenched Cullen. The poor handyman sat on his knees, looking as if his soul had escaped his body.

“This punk is more wicked than he seems.”

“What?”

Carlton said something truly surprising.