Circumstances of a Fallen Lord - Chapter 124

Chapter 124

At that time, Morrison quickly walked out of the mansion.

He felt that it was urgent to find out the identity of the ritual Carlton had talked about. He had no idea what it could do but, since they had occupied the palace and were secretly preparing for it, the investigator intuited that the ritual wouldn’t be something trivial.

The demon worshiper captured in Viscount Boton’s manor was still alive. Morrison had brought him to the capital and hid him in a discreet location on the outskirts. Asking this individual about the ritual seemed like the most certain way to obtain answers.

As he quickened his steps, there was a sudden, loud whoosh–a strong gust of wind. Morrison stopped in his tracks and gazed in the direction from which the wind had come.

There, in one corner of the mansion’s garden, although not large enough to be called a forest, the trees grew densely in that space. Morrison changed direction abruptly and headed towards that place.

Even in the middle of the day, the shade created by the thicket of trees was so dark; the place felt chillingly eerie.

‘No–this aura isn’t because of the trees.’

Morrison had found the one existence that made this place feel even darker and colder:

The Death Knight.

The pitch-black knight was present there. Just like the black horse it rode, it seemed as if it were crafted from shadows.

‘What should I do?’ Morrison placed his hand on his iron mace as he approached the knight.

Snap–!

Morrison’s foot broke a small twig. Ah–whoops. The Death Knight looked at Morrison; the pitch, which should have a head inside, was empty. The entity’s expression and where it was looking couldn’t be discerned. Morrison tensed up and gripped his mace.

“I believe I’ve been seeing you hovering near the Duke; is it a mere coincidence?” Morrison didn’t ask with the hope of getting an answer; he just wondered if he could buy some time. Moreover, he just wanted to provoke any sort of reaction.

The Death Knight was an opponent that someone of Carlton’s level could deal with; Morrison would struggle on his own. Did he need to call someone? As he thought about how to snatch victory in this situation, the Death Knight responded quite differently from what he had imagined.

[……]

It just looked at the inquisitor before disappearing, suddenly. Like smoke scattering in the wind.

‘It ran away?’

Morrison stood there for a while, suspecting a surprise attack, but the Death Knight did not reappear. It felt very anticlimactic as he had been prepared to die.

As the Death Knight disappeared, the surrounding area seemed a bit brighter, like a black cloud had lifted. The shade was still chilly, but the biting cold sensation was no longer present.

Morrison stood exactly where the Death Knight had been standing.

‘What in the world had it been doing here?’

When he looked in the direction the Death Knight seemed to have been facing, he noticed a window with yellow curtains drawn. Although he couldn’t see inside, he could easily deduce that this was Luisen’s bedroom based on the location.

The Death Knight had been standing here, secretly looking into Luisen’s window.

‘Come to think of it, the Duke mentioned something strange before we went to the palace.’

One night, the Death Knight had suddenly appeared, observed the young lord, before disappearing. Strangely enough, Luisen thought the Death Knight had helped him.

The Death Knight was a monster. Its distinguishing characteristics were a deep-seated animosity towards humans and a propensity for violence. Moreover, the Death Knight was created by demon worshippers and was under their control. It was impossible that the Death Knight had simply observed Luisen without any ulterior motive or that it had offered assistance.

‘Was the Duke not mistaken?’

If so, that meant that the Death Knight had enough intelligence and sentience to help someone–that it had some freedom of will. Were the demon worshippers unable to gain complete control?

Morrison recalled what he had learned about Death Knights–they were monsters that existed in legends. Of course, these legends weren’t totally reliable sources.

Although the Death Knight of legend fell to become a  monster, it is described as retaining the chivalrous qualities it possessed in life. It exhibits monster-like violence but also possesses a degree of reason and self-awareness and could even engage in conversation.

“If it also retained memories and self-awareness from its past life…”

Morrison didn’t know that person named Ruger. He had only encountered the attendant a few times, and even those encounters had been brief battles. However, he was aware of Ruger’s deep feelings for Luisen; those emotions were so intense that Morrison had noticed them despite their short meetings.

If the reason why the Death Knight kept hovering around Luisen was love, did that mean the monster still had a human soul?

Would he treat the Death Knight as a monster to be eliminated or as a sinner to be punished? That was an important point of contention for Morrison as a member of the clergy.

If its soul still existed, then there was still a chance for it to kneel at the feet of God and repent. Furthermore, the Death Knight was the most powerful weapon in the cultists’ arsenal. Neutralizing it would be of great help.

‘…I should have tried to speak to it a little more.’

It was a shame that this chance had passed him by, but he suspected he’d have another chance to face the knight. The world was always full of brilliant light, which represents God’s existence. His God would surely lead him in the right direction.

Morrison began to walk again, keeping in mind the image of the Death Knight. He still had much work to do.

***

The next morning:

Luisen called the deputy chancellor and the other vassals of his duchy into his office. A fair few people, from the deputy chancellor, to the knights, to the administrators who had been prisoners but were now released, were gathered.

“To call all of us together, what is going on?” The deputy chancellor asked.

“If I say it’s something important, then it is indeed important. There’s something you all should know, so I have summoned you all.”

“Then, why is that guy here?” One of the knights pointed to Carlton.

The mercenary was standing close to–almost touching– Luisen’s right side, like a Guardian Knight. In addition to the knight who spoke, a few others wrinkled their brows in agreement. Among those who had participated in the civil war, there were still people who felt uncomfortable with Carlton, who had excelled on the enemy’s side.

“Sir Carlton is a necessary person for this endeavor. And, be careful what you say–he is my benefactor.” Luisen gave the knight a stern warning while he briefly stroked the back of Carlton’s hand out of sight under the desk. It was a pity the young lord couldn’t comfort his lover properly because he had to hide his relationship with Carlton from the vassals.

“This may be a hard story to believe, but it’s all events I’ve seen and experienced personally, so I hope you’ll listen until the end.”

Up until now, to maintain secrecy and minimize confusion, detailed information about the demon worshippers had not been shared. Some, like the deputy chancellor, might have had a general idea, but a proper explanation was needed for those who remained in the dark.

Luisen began to calmly talk about the demon worshippers.

From the initial attack by Ruger, to the recent revelation that Count Doubless was the mastermind behind everything in the Palace. It was a long story, but no one interrupted Luisen’s tale. His audience all listened attentively. Luisen finished his lengthy narrative and sipped at his lukewarm tea. He took a deep breath and turned his head slightly to look at Carlton. Carlton responded with a smile, as if he were praising the young lord.

“No wonder, the first prince’s behavior was beyond comprehension.”

“A heretical religion… Unbelievable…”

The people’s reactions were all different. Some muttered in disbelief while others nodded, convinced.

“After listening to my Duke, I understand now. The Duke’s actions and the recent situations surrounding him.” The deputy chancellor was one of the folks nodding. “However, I have one question. Why is Count Doubless going after my Duke?”

“That’s right. About Count Doubless… His relationship with our duchy wasn’t originally bad.” Luisen was also wondering the same exact thing. “It seems the Count wants something from me.”

He couldn’t think of what that ‘thing’ could be in particular. But, since he had lived such a trashy life until now, perhaps he had forgotten past grudges he had incurred.

“Although my duke certainly gathered grudges here and there… Hmm…” the deputy chancellor frowned as he wracked his brain. The others also tried to recall what Luisen had done.

However, Carlton, who had been silent the whole conversation, piped up, “I don’t know why everyone seems to think my Duke is the problem.”

“Then?”

“Don’t you remember what the demon worshiper in the library said? The person whom the count originally wanted to take vengeance upon died in an epidemic decades ago.”

“Ah… He did say something like that. Come to think of it…” Luisen recalled the conversation he had with Count Doubless in the Queen’s bedroom. Though the conversation wasn’t anything significant, from Luisen’s point of view, the count suddenly exploded in anger. 

 Then, he said this:

“He said ‘Like father, like son’…. I asked if that was a compliment, and he said it wasn’t.” 

It made no sense to bring up his father during the conversation.

Carlton continued, “Then, it must be the former Duke that curried his anger. Especially if the man expressed fury and was sarcastic towards my lord’s predecessor.”

“Is that so?”

“But the predecessor wasn’t one to incur grudges. He did die during an epidemic, though.” 

Luisen nodded at the deputy chancellor, “That’s right. I heard everyone liked my father.”

“It seems to me that my Duke isn’t the type of person to buy grudges from a man as vicious as Count Doubless,” Carlton stated firmly.

The duchy’s vassals always talked about how ideal his father was as a lord–how the people admired and loved him. In their anecdotes, his father was a perfect man, and Luisen believed he could never catch up with the man no matter what he did. He was always less than his father.

Even in the capital, many people talked about his father whenever they saw Luisen. He knew that people laughed at him behind his back, saying that the young lord wouldn’t be able to reach his father’s toes.

So, Carlton’s words deeply penetrated Luisen’s mind.