Circumstances of a Fallen Lord

  The royal knights did not intrude inside the mansion, but they thoroughly monitored its surroundings. They didn’t slack during the night; they had the Duke’s residence systematically surrounded. However today, for some reason, the royal knights were not properly vigilant and seemed to be gathered among themselves. They gave off a rather serious atmosphere.

    ‘What’s going on?’

    Luisen quickly discovered the reason for the strangeness. Sir Boros was arguing with a man dressed as a royal servant, though Luisen couldn’t exactly hear what words were being exchanged. Sir Boros appeared fervent, tightly gripping a piece of paper and gesturing vehemently at it, while the royal messenger remained calm and resolute. Judging from their body language alone, it seemed that the royal messenger had given some kind of order and Boros was protesting it.

    ‘It’s not normal to see these knights this agitated.’

    He leaned his ear closer to try and hear the details, but the situation quickly concluded with the royal servant’s departure. Without any further information, Luisen returned to the room empty-handed.

***

    The next morning:

    Luisen arrived at the garden, claiming he wanted to take a walk. As he pretended to enjoy the fresh air and nature, he snuck glances at the royal knights.

    The young lord was bothered by the scene he had seen last night.

    The royal servant secretly visited Sir Boros in the middle of the night and delivered some unknown orders. That in and of itself was suspicious, but Sir Boros had raised his voice and became angry. His reaction proved that the order wasn’t some trivial matter.

    Luisen was sure that the delivered order had something to do with him. He wanted to observe the changes in the royal knights to obtain a clue as to what the royal order could be.

    But, the royal knights acted no differently than usual. There was no sign of the hesitation and unease that had been present the previous night. They continued to surveil the mansion and control the comings and goings in the same strict and organized manner. When Luisen approached, they clasped their spears close to their bodies and observed the young lord.

    ‘How strange. Was it not a big deal? The atmosphere was so different, though.’

    Moreover, the appearance of the Death Knight immediately preceding his witnessing the quarrel between Sir Boros and the messenger seemed too entwined to be coincidental. It was common for the Death Knight to observe Luisen in the past, but this was the first time it had happened after regression.

    Luisen couldn’t throw away his doubts and approached Sir Boros.

    “What are you doing here?” The knight asked.

    “I was taking a walk.”

    “Near the main gate of the mansion for at least an hour? This isn’t a hiking trail, is it?”

    “Isn’t it my choice and my freedom to take a walk wherever I please in my own home? Did the prince decide upon my walking route as well?” Luisen intentionally came at the knight harder since he had been attacked first.

    Sir Boros stepped back, looking as if he didn’t want to argue, “That’s not what I meant. Please forgive me if I have been rude.”

    “Fine. I accept that apology.” Luisen observed Sir Boros while he pretended to be feigned magnanimity. The man looked incredibly tired. Since he’s here, shouldn’t the young lord poke at him a little?

    Luisen said, “It seems there was a guest on the estate yesterday.” 1

    “A guest? I declined all those who visited the mansion.”

    “I suppose he wasn’t a normal guest, though, was he? I was worried that rumors might spread about me for disputing with someone from the royal family,” Luisen explained.

    “It wasn’t anything important,” Boros reassured.

    “It seemed like more than that. I overheard something.”

    “…The order was received in writing. Furthermore, there was no one in range who could hear our conversation.”

    “I guess it’s true that the prince has given you a new order. And it’s proving quite troublesome for you.”

    Sir Boros looked as if he might say ‘Oops.’ He had just given away those details, and his expression belied the fact that the order was not ordinary.

    “…I didn’t know my Duke was skilled in manipulation. I see I’ve underestimated you,” Sir Boros said.

    Luisen was cheering himself on inside–he had no idea he would succeed either.

    Sir Boros just smiled bitterly at Luisen’s seemingly tranquil surface appearance, “An order has arrived, yes. However, I cannot divulge the contents within.”

    Sir Boros shut his mouth for a moment. As someone who had survived for a long while as part of the royal knights, he had learned that it was advantageous for one’s survival to remain impartial and to extend favors to as many people as possible, without taking sides.

    ‘Although Count Doubless’s momentum is quite incredible, but… Anies isn’t the ignorant fool he used to be. I don’t know what happened, but he’s become quite clever. Then… Duke Anies as well…’ Boros didn’t want to reject the order of the future king nor did he want to incur the grudge of the Southern Great Lord. He thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to earn Luisen’s favor by following the prince’s orders but showing a degree of unwillingness to do so?’

    Sir Boros finished his quick calculations and pointed to the sky.

    “What’s wrong with the sky?” Luisen asked

    “The moon won’t rise today. It’s going to be a very quiet, tranquil night. You won’t even hear the clanking of the knights’ armor.”

    ‘Weren’t we talking about something serious?’ Luisen frowned and opened his mouth to complain, but he suddenly noticed that Sir Boros’s expression was as serious as it could be. Perhaps that wasn’t a random remark but carried some hidden meaning.

    ‘I can’t hear the knights’ armor? Tonight?’

    That sounded like the royal knights would all be away, secretly, tonight.

    ‘Why would the prince give such an order?’

    If the royal knights were to disappear, Luisen and his mansion would be left defenseless. The remaining military power was disarmed by the royal knights. What if someone were to attack during that time?

    ‘…Are they aiming for that?’

    Goosebumps rose up his spine. Was his hypothesis correct? Luisen looked at Sir Boros with the utmost seriousness in his expression. The knight did not deny anything–that was as good as an affirmation.

    ‘The prince? to me? Why?’

    Of course, from the perspective of the first prince, the man would have his reasons to hold a grudge against the young lord. But, if he intended to kill Luisen, he wouldn’t have dragged Luisen to the capital. He would have simply ordered the young lord’s execution when Carlton attacked the duchy.

    ‘Does he not intend to kill me? Perhaps he’s trying to intimidate me, or…? Kidnap me…?’

    Luisen suddenly recalled that the first prince had recently begun to keep Count Doubless close by his side. Count Doubless was suspected to be a demon worshiper. Was the prince being influenced? Or, was the first prince also a demon worshiper?

    ‘Huh? Then, what happened to Carlton in the castle?’

    There was no news from or about Carlton, who had entered the castle. The lack of news was now a bad omen.

    ‘It’s alright. He’s Carlton. I’m sure he’ll be okay.’

    Carlton was the strongest and most intelligent person Luisen had met. He stood out–even compared to the one-armed pilgrim. So, the young lord tried to suppress his anxiety and reassure himself.

    In order to overcome the imminent danger right in front of him and protect himself, Luisen must do whatever he could. Moreover, dozens of people in this mansion depended solely on Luisen. He had a responsibility to protect those people.

    ‘I should use ‘that’ method.’

    It was time to activate his contingency plan. The deputy chancellor had opposed it, and even Luisen wanted to postpone the plan as much as possible because he was concerned about the aftermath. However, there was no other way.

    If Sir Boros’s warning was true, Luisen’s life was at stake tonight. Perhaps, the others in the mansion would be in trouble as well.

    There was no time for further consideration; Luisen hurried into the mansion.

***

    Time passed by and, before he knew it, night had fallen. A dark, moonless night.

    A group of men dressed suspiciously, quietly approached Duke Anies’s residence. They had covered their faces and bodies and looked like assassins, but they were originally Count Doubless’s knights. A sense of solemnity flowed throughout the group, for they had been ordered to kill Duke Anies and the rest of those in the mansion. It was a rather big deal to assassinate a Great Lord in the middle of the capital.

    Unlike the tense knights, a man in a dark red robe jauntily walked along, as if he were going on a picnic. That man was the ninth worshiper, who had narrowly escaped death due to the birth of the Death Knight.

    “I’m going to kill the duke. Understand?” The ninth worshiper continued to murmur the same words over and over again. He held an enormous grudge against Luisen and Carlton after suffering a disastrous defeat at their hands. He had volunteered when the count ordered Luisen’s death because he hoped to repay the disgrace he had suffered previously.

    ‘The Church is watching us, so I was warned to keep a low profile… But Count Doubless acts freely in the capital. I’m supposed to give up my revenge, though?’

    It was simply too wasteful to give up an opportunity for revenge just because they were wary of the Church. He just shouldn’t use his abilities. It would end cleanly if he didn’t.  He was confident in being able to harm and kill Luisen without having to use his abilities if Carlton was not at the young lord’s side. That was why the man had left behind the Death Knight he had so painstakingly created and joined the knights on their venture.

    Thanks to their previous arrangements, the ninth worshiper and the count’s knights were able to shamelessly enter the mansion without any interference.

    The sleepy mansion was tranquil–there wasn’t even a single soldier on patrol inside the mansion. The ninth worshiper and the knights were able to enter Luisen’s bedroom without encountering a single interruption or soul. How defenseless–the duke’s room wasn’t even locked.

    There was no one in the room besides Luisen, who was lying in bed. The young lord seemed to have fallen deep asleep as he hardly stirred.

    ‘It’s finally time to pay back my previous disgrace.’ The ninth worshiper kept the count’s knights from approaching with him; he jauntily skipped up to Luisen. The thought of killing a man from such a high and precious rank–someone whom ordinary folk can’t even dare look upon–was exhilarating.

    At the same time, he was overwhelmed with the unbearable desire to find Carlton and inform him of Luisen’s death. The thrill of imagining Carlton’s arrogant face distorted by pain…

Fwoop– Fwoop–

    The ninth worshiper, filled with excitement, plunged downwards with the sword as if he were in a trance. Then, he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

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    ‘…This isn’t how it should feel?’