Circumstances of a Fallen Lord

enched both hands together and cheered quietly.

      When the young lord laughed, Carlton could help but casually laugh along.
Honestly–who’s so happy about wild animals for dinner? “However, we’ll have to eat Buried Old Hags for now.”

      “Still, at least we have that!” Luisen took out the precious roots that were carefully wrapped in their coats.
They had dug some up in advance so he wouldn’t become depressed; they took care to store them well so that the roots wouldn’t see the sunlight.

      Once again, he divided the Buried Old Hag in half and gave Carlton his share before eating his half immediately.
Used to this by now, Carlton received the root from the lord and ate it.
Honestly, he still didn’t feel too good about eating the root, but eating together with Luisen–watching the young lord eat–made it better.
“Since there’s a road, it’s bound to lead to a village.
Shall we go looking for it?”

       “I don’t know if it’ll be okay–we’ll stand out.
You can see that I’m not ordinary with just one glance.
My face isn’t one that can be forgotten easily.” This might sound self-congratulatory and despicable, but it was the truth.
He may have walked all day, sweated, and slept on the dirt without washing properly, but Luisen’s face was still delicate and pale.
His blonde hair was still sparkling.
No matter what, he looked like a nobleman; rather, he would stand out even more from the strange circumstances of his travel.

“That’s true.
It would have been nice if we could cover your face,” Carlton gently admitted.
“I have nothing for that purpose.”

     Luisen and Carlton’s clothes did not have hoods to cover their faces.
Furthermore, it wasn’t practical to cover him with the cape.

     “Still, I think it’s best to stop by the village.” Even if it was a little risky, Carlton thought it would be best to rest while eating warm food in a building with a roof and walls.
He could see  Luisen becoming more and more tired.
Even if one rested within the forest, they wouldn’t be able to rest properly.
Though they needed to push forward due to their circumstances, the mercenary was worried for his companion.

     ‘He won’t even listen to me when I offered to give him a piggy-back ride.
I wish I at least had my horse.’

     It couldn’t be helped in their situation, but he felt quite heartbroken to lose his warhorse, which could easily carry two adult men.
If his horse were here, they would have been able to travel twice as fast.

     ‘Should I go to the village and steal a pony or something while Luisen is sleeping?’

     The road was quiet; the wind blew softly.
The sunlight shining through the tree canopies was beautiful; the sound of Luisen crunching on the Buried Old Hags harmonized with the sound of crickets.
It felt too peaceful for their situation–destitute and running away from the pursuit of unknown forces–and felt more like a picnic walk.

      Suddenly though, Carlton felt some dissonance in this calm atmosphere.
Someone was approaching.
As soon as he felt that, Carlton pulled on the young lord’s hand and hid Luisen behind him; without delay, the mercenary pulled out his sword.

     “?” Luisen was puzzled.

     One beat later, five men jumped out from behind a large tree.

      For how impressively they jumped out, they looked a mess.
Perhaps they hadn’t been able to eat well.
The men looked starved; like ill patients, their complexions shadowed, and their lips were chapped.
Blood veins spiderwebbed in both eyes, creating a hideous effect.
The men used things like axes, pickaxes, and shovels as weapons as they blocked Carlton and Luisen’s path.

     “S-Stop!”

“If you want to pass through this path alive, you’ll have to give us everything you have!”

     “S-Starting from what you’re eating right now, give it all up!” The men shouted.

     Luisen stared at them blankly; Carlton smirked and laughed.

     “I was wondering who they were, but they’re just thieves.
Let’s just move on.” As if he were looking at something ridiculous, Carlton placed his sword back in its sheath.
A weapon was unnecessary against these opponents.

     The thieves were greatly shaken.
They exchanged glances and whispered–Luisen could hear their quiet voices well.

     “They said they’ll just pass through…what should we do?”

     “We’ll have to block them!”

     “But that guy looks super strong…”

     “We’re five people, and they’re two! Furthermore, they have things to eat!”

      Honestly, everyone could hear them–what were they doing?

      These people were better suited to be farmers than highway robbers, looking at those clothes and the agricultural equipment they were using as weapons.
Honestly, farmers should have been preparing for the winter–what were they doing thieving in the mountains? Besides, this road was probably one that didn’t see many travellers due to the difficulty of its path.

     “They’re so clumsy.” The men were so foolhardy that even Luisen chuckled.

     “My words exactly.
They must be newbies.” 1 Carlton looked at the robbers and pointed out one of them.
The man had a similar physique to Luisen.
“What do you think of his shoes?”

     “Huh? They look comfortable,” Luisen replied absentmindedly.
Why was the mercenary suddenly talking about shoes?

     “Then, let’s go with that,” Carlton said.

     “What do you mean?”

Carlton grinned and approached the highway robbers.

Footnotes

초짜 is slang for rookies, newbies, anyone new to a field.
It doesn’t sound quite old-timey…but what can you do lmao.