Circumstances of a Fallen Lord

Chapter 72

Id like to dig a little more out of him, but

ButCarltons companion liked Morrisoneven now, the young lord was smiling as if he had been praised. So, Carlton decided to give up for now.

Can you say a prayer before we lock him up, Revered Pilgrim? Morrison requested Luisen.

Of course. Though, since Im not a priest, it wont have much of an effect

Yes. Youre not a priest. However, what matters is the thought.

It wasnt too difficult to pray, so Luisen stepped forward. Morrison held the ghoul at bay with a stick; Carlton stood by the young lords side, ready to protect the young lord by clearing away threats at any time.

Luisen looked at the ghoul properly for the first time in his life. Its darkened complexion, drained of flowing blood, and its bulging rotten-fish-like eyes really pinpointed clearly the fact that it was a corpse and not a living being. Despite the fact that the lord had seen many dead bodies before, it still wasnt a pleasant sight. However, something caught his eye.

There was a rash behind its ears and the area in which the jaw and neck connected. Strangely, though, the rash wasnt the standard red color but a yellowish green.

Green?

Had something been smudged onto the corpse? Luisen took out a handkerchief and rubbed at its skin.

Ah, its not coming off.

 What are you doing? Carlton, startled by Luisens eccentric behavior, grabbed the young lords wrist and pulled him away. He took the handkerchief from the young lords hand and flung it far awaylike it was a bundle of germs. Luisen exclaimed at the sudden movement.

Even the members of the Allos caravan and Morrison were viewing the young lord strangely.

It looked like something was on its skin Luisen said futilely.

The mercenary cautiously looked underneath the ghouls chin, where Luisen had been rubbing. There are some discolored spots underneath its chin. Was that always there?

No, he never had something like a mole before Ah, youre right! Theres a green spot there Is that something weird? asked the man from the Allos caravan, a bit dumbly.

In the first place, a persons blood is red, so most spots are red, dark red, or brown. Never green. After all, People arent plants or trees. Were there spots like this on the other people? Carlton replied with a sneer.

Im not sure.

You really have no idea? Does that make sense? This thing is green, not redhow could you not notice it? Are you perhaps hiding things deliberately? Should I go ask this question to others?

At Carltons intimidating aura, the man from the Allos caravan whimpered. Our party collapsed all at once; do you think Id have time to observe anything? Theres even a moving corpse! And, if a dead body were to movewouldnt it be understandable that the skin might be bruised blue or green? 1

So you say. Carlton said casually, as if he couldnt understand why the other was angry. Are you asking me? Carlton asked, shrugging at the Allos merchants protests.

On the other hand, the man looked at the mercenary with a dumbfounded expression. Luisen fell into deep thought, undisturbed by the fuss happening around him. He was used to this sort of behavior from Carlton.

A green spotgreen Its unnatural Something was on the tip of his tongue, but no matter how the young lord rifled through his memories, no answer appeared. Luisen wracked through his head for dear life. I feel like if I just look at it a bit more, something will come to mind.

However, the ghouls body had already begun to decompose. The skin peeking through the clothes had already begun to turn black; looking at something like that would be meaningless. He steeled his resolve; he would have to meet the members of the caravan that were showing similar symptoms to the dead man.

Morrison looked at the still and rigid young lord and asked, Do you have any theories about this disease?

Ah, no, Luisen said evasively. The issue was just too critical for him to voice his half-formed, unclear hypotheses. Luisen cleared his throat, Ahem. Lets pray for the dead.

Luisen cleared his mind and gathered his hands together. Everyone put their hands together to pray except for Carlton, who was pressing down on the ghoul with a stick to keep it immobile.

The sounds of people trying to escape and the low tone of prayers echoed throughout the empty restaurant. Luisens voice was calm and enunciated clearly, soothing his audiences minds. The man from the Allos caravan echoed the prayer earnestly. He knew that pilgrims had no powerthey were different from priestsbut they prayed that a miracle would happen and that the dead would be able to rest in peace.

There was no miracle after the prayer. The ghoul wouldnt understand the prayer made specifically for it; it simply wandered around while flinging its arms. The man from the caravan sobbed at that sight.

Carlton was the one who directed the ghoul into the storeroom. He simply corrected its directionless wanderings with a stick, so it went into the room on its own. It was exactly as Luisen had explaineddespite its horrible appearance, the ghoul was weak. For some reason, this experience reminded the mercenary of the time he pushed a colt into a stable.

Meanwhile, Luisen stood by the person from the caravan and soothed him. Itll be alright, he said.

After much reassurance, the man finally regained composure, Thank you so much. Reallythank you.

Im so sorry this has happened to you. Everyone here has joined forces to pray to the Lord Almighty for peace for that mans soul. Now, God shall take care of it.

Ngh, Hngh, Yes. I suppose so. I hope so Overwhelmed by emotion, the man from the Allos caravan clamped his mouth shut.

Luisen, cautiously so that the others wouldnt hear the awkwardness he felt, asked, I heard that the other members of the caravan have collapsed. Is that true?

T-Thats

We need to gain an understanding of the situation in order to act accordingly. Im not trying to pin blame on you.

Whats the point of poking around now? Thats righteveryone has collapsed except for me This is probably an epidemic.

Oh my

I-I really have no idea what to do! The guilt made the man stay up all night; right now, confessions poured out as if he had rushed to the church first thing in the morning.

He introduced himself as Cullen. Cullen was originally hired as a servant for the caravan; actually, he was a handyman who cleaned up after the members. He had no authority and no say in their peddling. However, everyone else had collapsed, and he was the only one left.

Taking care of the sick, handling the ghoul, and hiding the diseaseDuring his struggles, the ghoul escaped, and the truth behind this supposed infectious disease had spread in a catastrophic way.

Now, I really have no idea what I should do. Our caravan members are going to die, and Im going to die as well! Cullen was absolutely terrified. No matter how much he thought about it, there seemed to be no way forward except to die of the plague or throw himself into the river before he was beaten to death by an angry crowd.

For now, please calm yourself. Take a deep breathThats good. Itll be alright. You, Mr. Cullen, are not alone. Ill help you. Luisen said.

Cullens eyes widened, R-Really?

Of course.

 Why?

 Were on the same boat. And Ive chosen to wander the world, following Gods teachings, never to turn a blind eye to those in need.

 Ah..!

 The red glow of the sunset shone through the window down onto Luisens head. It looked like a halo. The first glance of Luisens mouth, which was revealed through the bottom of the hood, looked so beautiful while smilinglike a painting of mercy.

 R-Revered Pilgrim Cullen was speechless from gratitude. Instead, he expressed his feelings by clasping Luisens two hands.

Isnt he being too clingy? Carlton glared at Cullen. He struggled to resist the urge to separate the handyman from the young lord. Luisen seemed to have something he wanted to uncover from the man, so Carlton didnt want to interrupt; however, he was dissatisfied with how close the man was to his young lord.

How can he seduce a person with his face all covered? Its a good thing we covered the Dukes face100 times out of 100, Id do it again. Otherwise, he may start a religion based on his looks here and there, the mercenary thought.

 Regardless of Carltons roiling thoughts, a holy and peaceful vibe settled in the restaurant. Morrison silently watched the two, as if he were deeply impressed. The sunset continued on its path, and the red light now stretched to include Morrison as well.

***

Cullen led Luisen, Carlton, and Morrison to the room that his caravan resided in. He stood next to Luisen, telling the young lord this and that unprompted. Now that he met someone who said theyd help in his time of need, the man opened up completely. I joined the caravan a bit late and didnt get along with the others. Actually, I felt out of place. They always left me to mind the cargo while they ate and drank among themselves

So, Cullen lamented, that may be the reason that hes the only healthy person in his group. Im relieved because of you, Revered Pilgrim. If you hadnt offered help at the restaurant, I would be unable to do anything on my own.

 Luisen appreciated the thanks, but The young lord looked back awkwardly. Mr. Morrison was the first to come forward though

 Luisen had left the restaurant and returned later. Shouldnt Morrison, who came to the restaurant before him, be the one to receive all of these praises?

 However, Cullen looked a little sour. Ah, yes. Thats right. Im also grateful to Mr. Morrison. He bowed awkwardly to the merchant.

TL: You know, Carlton, with how much you wax poetic about Luisens looks, youd be the high priest of that religion.

1. So, the word for blue and green in Korean is the same (there are ways to specify, but the general term for something blue-ish or green-ish is the same).