Circumstances of a Fallen Lord - Chapter 143

Chapter 143

As the morning sun rose, those that had fallen unconscious had woken. They awoke with a slight discomfort, only to find the aftermath of the tragedy that had occurred overnight.

The castle’s buildings were partially destroyed; human and monster corpses were scattered everywhere. Naturally, it was pandemonium, but the Paladins and the Priests were already handling things. The royal knights listened to Luisen and stayed near the outside wall in order to avoid being caught up in the mess; they were able to quickly mobilize to help resolve the situation.

Luisen and Carlton returned to the Anies duchy’s capital mansion in order to take care of their own affairs. No one moved to stop the two men who did the most to subjugate the demon worshippers.

After arriving at the mansion, Luisen fell asleep as if he had fallen unconscious. The young lord had used up all his strength. After taking care to clean the young lord and tuck his body in, Carlton slept next to him.

***

After a half a day of sleeping, Luisen woke up to find the deputy chancellor waiting for him. Luisen, still in his pajamas, sat on the sofa and leaned against Carlton while greeting his subordinate. The deputy chancellor, who had adapted to Carlton almost automatically throughout the recent turn of events, spoke without much concern as to the mercenary’s presence, “My Duke! I’m so relieved you’ve returned safe and sound. I heard that you were dazzling in your exploits last night.”

The deputy commander summarized the news he had gathered while Luisen was asleep.

The Great Lords and the first prince were apparently found in the basement. They had returned to consciousness and were unharmed; now, they were being examined by Priests to see if there were any problems. 

The Anies knights who had entered the secret passage and were attacked by Count Doubless’s men were also found unharmed. They were locked up in another underground prison not far from where Luisen was held captive. Although they were injured during the apprehension, thankfully there were no fatalities. They would soon return to the estate to recover.

“Everyone did well. Give them a proper reward and some time to rest,” Luisen said.

“Absolutely–of course. Ah–and while you were asleep, more detailed news arrived from the duchy’s castle.”

“What does it say?” Luisen’s eyes flew wide open. He had heard they won, but he didn’t hear further details. He was wondering what exactly happened because news of victory had arrived much earlier than planned.

“It seems that the subjugation of the demon worshiper’s home was more urgent than expected.”

Contrary to expectations, the demon worshippers had a good danger-sense. They had noticed the strange atmosphere and tried to run away. The heretic inquisitor, who had already been undercover, opened the gates in a hurry. Though it was hours earlier than scheduled, the soldiers guarding the Count’s residence responded swiftly.

The skill of Carlton’s mercenary force paid off here. The count’s troops were quickly neutralized by the mercenaries, who specialized in ambush and anti-personnel combat; they identified the demon worshipper’s escape routes, allowing for the Paladins to catch up before the heretics could run away.

Afterwards, the battle broke out; the demon worshippers resisted fiercely by dragging nearby monsters into the fight. However, the battle had ended quickly because of the overwhelming force of the combination–the alliance–of three forces: the Paladins, Anies duchy’s knights, and Carlton’s mercenary corps. 

“What a relief. I was worried that, because those were the headquarters, the enemy resistance would be strong.”

While what happened diverted from the original plan, as a result civilian damage and loss of troops’ lives were minimal. If the demon worshippers had desperately stood their ground and taken control of their headquarters, the resulting damage would have been insurmountable. However, the resistance was rather weak because the worshiper in charge had abandoned the base and ran away. Most of the demon worshippers died, and the leader, who had fled alone, was eventually captured by the Paladins.

“I heard that the cult leader had already fallen into the inquisitors’ hands.”

Luisen nodded. That person would soon receive pain that would make him wish he would have died rather than being caught alive. “What happened to the Count’s mansion?”

“For now, we have neutralized the Count’s forces and retainers; Carlton’s mercenary force has taken control.”

The situation was probably similar to when Carlton took control of the duchy. 

“The inquisitors and Paladins are examining the stronghold and are looking for others involved.” 

The Anies duchy’s troops and general returned to the duchy’s castle by morning. Since Carlton’s mercenary and the Paladins were present, they judged there was no reason to intervene and needlessly use up their strength.

“It seems I need not worry anymore,” Luisen said. ‘Now I can relax. I can just play around with Carlton! Finally, I’ll get to rest!’

The deputy chancellor interrupted Luisen’s jubilant musings, “Now, my duke only has to focus on his duties as a Great Lord.”

“Ah…”

The king’s funeral and coronation still remained. 

“I have been asked to relay summons to come to the Palace as soon as my Duke woke up. Everyone is waiting.”

“……”

“They ask that you come quickly. There must be many questions they want to ask, so you must be prepared.”

‘So, I’m going to suffer a lot.’ Luisen’s countenance became dark. Carlton patted Luisen on the shoulder as if the mercenary felt immense pity for him.

***

Stories about the events at the castle spread gradually among the populace over time. Though the battle happened late at night, many witnessed the strange crimson mist enveloping the castle, accompanied by the screams of people and the cries of monsters. Observers noticed all the Great Lords entering the castle; the populace speculated as to what could have occurred. The earthquake centered around the castle also kept many denizens awake.

It would be impossible to keep these matters quiet, so, a few days later, the church made a formal announcement.

They stated that a few heretics were attempting black magic in the palace but were thwarted through the combined vigilance of Duke Anies and the heretic inquisitors. The announcement depicted the cultists as wicked and foolish while emphasizing the church’s victory.

The church’s announcement turned the kingdom upside down. The nobility of the kingdom were involved with heresy? They controlled a prince, conspired to take control of the royal palace, and engaged in evil rituals?! That alone would have been earth-shattering, but…Luisen Anies was the one to stop all this?

“Duke Anies executed the heretics? He wasn’t a heretic himself?”

The people were shocked. Although Luisen’s reputation has grown significantly recently, the common folk still had the strong impression that the Duke was a reckless fool. Their reaction to Luisen’s deeds was sheer shock–they would be less surprised to find out that Luisen was involved with the heretics!

Moreover, Carlton was with him! That man was the first prince’s sword and was nicknamed the noble butcher! They found it hard to believe that Carlton–someone so unfit to accomplish something so heroic–would join hands with Luisen, the epitome of the aristocracy he hated.

“I heard Carlton trampled all over the duke’s castle and humiliated him? But they’re working hand in hand? Is that even plausible?”

The facts were so incredulous that the announcement generated much controversy. Rumors further stimulated the crowd by spreading news that the church was considering, ‘whether or not to recognize Luisen and Carlton as saints.’ 

Thanks to this, the cult’s existence was placed in the public consciousness’s back burner, and people were more focused and enthusiastic about this almost fictional tale of redemption where a scoundrel turned his life around and saved the world.

Luisen’s popularity reached its peak, and many people visited the Anies capital mansion. Flowers and letters dedicated to Luisen piled up at the front door; and some folks even kneeled at the gate, praying.

Luisen felt this warmth through his whole body. The people gathered, waved, threw flowers, and cheered as his carriage left the mansion. When he arrived at the royal palace after riding through this flower path, royal servants awaited him.

The servants treated Luisen as if he was their savior. Luisen found it a bit difficult to politely refuse those who were eager to give him more, but overall, this was not a bad feeling.

As the young lord arrived at the reception chamber, three Great Lords greeted him joyfully, “Has Duke Anies arrived? You must be tired, coming all this way.”

“You could have taken your sweet time.”

The Great Lords, who would have sat and grumbled impatiently in the past, now greeted Luisen warmly.

The Great Lords, after everything had been resolved, learned what could have happened to them. Because it was the first time in their lives that they had been threatened like this, the lords suffered a great shock. As such, they were incredibly grateful to Luisen for rescuing them, and their attitude became exceptionally generous and caring. 

‘I’m sure they’ll stop after a while, though.’ 

Luisen decided to enjoy this popularity while it lasted. So, Luisen had been intentionally acting a bit spoiled these days.

“Let’s all take our seats. Duke, it must have been a long journey for you.” The first prince said. 

Luisen gave the prince a greeting of his own as he went to find his seat. After being released from his brainwashing, the first prince was back to the man Luisen remembered. The man was an affable fellow with clear, intelligent eyes, and a gentle yet refreshing impression.

The first prince had been held captive by Count Doubless for a long time; Luisen heard the prince had a private meeting with Morrison after regaining his senses. The prince said he didn’t remember anything about how he was captured by the duke or what had happened during that time. The church concluded that he had simply been a victim and had no connection to the cult.

‘What a relief. Heresy charges against an heir who had yet to take the throne? A civil war would break out again.’

Due to this quick conclusion, no one doubted the first prince’s legitimacy. It was worth putting pressure on the church to protect the first prince. 

Luisen watched the first prince absentmindedly; the prince felt this gaze and looked back at the young lord. Then, after a stinging look, the prince turned away. ‘Hmmm.’

Although the man had quickly returned to his usual expression, Luisen definitely noticed. He knew that the prince was wary and paying attention to him.

‘It’s probably because of what happened yesterday, right?’

Luisen recalled what had happened.

After yesterday’s meeting, they all decided to have a meal together and headed to the restaurant. Luisen was walking down the stairs when he suddenly felt a presence–de ja vu–and turned around. Behind him stood the first prince. The first prince seemed startled at first then subtly turned away, as if trying to nonchalantly assert his innocence and harmlessness.

At that moment, Luisen realized that the first prince had thought the same thing he did–that they were remembering the moment when the first prince pushed Luisen into the underground prison.

‘He can’t remember well? I believe he remembers perfectly.’

The first prince had lied to the heretic inquisitor. While Luisen stood there, startled, the embarrassed first prince quickly passed Luisen and descended the stairs. After that, the man would subtly avoid Luisen.

‘This is a bit difficult…’

To be honest, Luisen was constantly looking for an opportunity to speak with the first prince alone. For the sake of Carlton’s future.