Circumstances of a Fallen Lord

Chapter 91

A man followed behind Morrison. Judging by the full head of hair, the man wasnt a monk; furthermore, he was quite dressed up. Luisen had no idea who he was, but the man seemed quite glad to see the young lord, Esteemed Pilgrim. It seems that we meet again so soon.

Ahaha. Yes. Of course. Who are you? Luisen smiled awkwardly and stared at the Inquisitor.

Morrison explained, This person was on the boat crossing Mittil just a little while ago. Apparently, he works as an errand boy at this monastery.

I greeted you when you dismounted the ship, but you must have forgotten. I had implored you to visit our abbey, as I wanted to repay you.

Honestly, Luisen didnt usually remember any of those well wishes, greetings, or other such formalities. At that time, more than one or two people had greeted him similarly; also, he was shocked by the events that happened that dayMorrison had kidnapped himso, the young lord could hardly remember anyones face. II apologize. My memory is a bit

Thats alright. These things can happen. I heard you wanted an audience with Duke AssylusI believe I can help with that. He said that the Eastern Great Lord had recently commissioned a book from the monastery. This person happened to be the one chosen to deliver the book and was willing to take Luisens party with him.

Of course, the man wasnt of a status that could directly greet the Eastern Great Lord. However, the party could accompany him to the insides of the Great Lords barracks, and, when he hands the book off to a servant, he could secretly mention Luisen.

If you do this for us, I would of course be extremely grateful, but I wonder if were asking a difficult favor from you

The errand boy waved away Luisens concern, I owe the esteemed pilgrim a great favor. Saying a few words cannot compare to the difficulties the pilgrim faces. And, since the Duke is deeply religious, he is already interested in the recently famous pilgrim.

Me?

Im sure hed love to hear about the esteemed pilgrims activities aboard the ship. Since it happened in the east. Im sure hell offer great compliments.

Then, Ill leave this to you. Luisen decided to accept the mans offerthere was no reason to refuse. Besides, Morrisons smile seemed to indicate that the messenger had no other options.

I suppose being famous isnt always a bad thing.

Even without Morrisons pressure, there would still be many people willing to help him. Though it may be overly prideful, Luisen was still proud to think that this was because of his accomplishments.

***

The Eastern Great Lord was staying in a tent on a plain about a half days journey away from the abbey. His crew was moving toward the capital at an incredibly slow pace.

When Luisen arrived at the plain, he saw dozens of large and small tents erected atop the flat plain. A wood fence was set up around the boundary, making the whole camp resemble a nomadic village. In the center, a red wave-patterned flag, which symbolized the Eastern Great Lord, fluttered in the air.

Various other flags representing other aristocratic families were also erected around the central flag: it seemed that the Eastern Great Lord had attracted other forces, and they were all traveling together en masse.

As the world remained chaotic, the aristocratic union in the east showcased their robustness and intent to highlight the authority of their Great Lord.

There were a great many people outside the wooden fencethese consisted of those who could not join the Easter Great Lords party and were camped near the entrance to see a glimpse of the great nobles face. They begged the soldiers, bribed them In any case, things were a mess.

It must have been difficult to even make it this far.

Once they learned the location of the Great Lord, Luisen thought it would somehow be possible to be granted a meeting. But now that he saw the situation with his own two eyes, the young lord thought he wouldnt be able to go near the entrance.

Perhaps if he removed his hood and identified himself, Luisen would be able to pass easily. However, Luisen wanted to hide his identity as much as possible; he thought it would be best to reveal his identity when he met the Great Lord.

Luisens party easily passed through the wooden barrier thanks to their introduction as an errand-group. The audiences jealous eyes fell upon the young lord.

The Great Lords servant came out to greet the messenger. My lord has been eagerly looking forward to this book. The servants wore gloves before examining the book, page by page. These books, which were hand-written and hand-drawn by the monks, were like works of art.

The errand boythe messengerquietly brought up Luisens party while staring into the servants eyes.

Ive heard of their group from a rumor going aroundI suppose the Lord will be interested in this story. What fortunethe banquet has just gotten boring, so I believe itll be alright to introduce. At that moment, the servant glanced towards Luisen and nodded when he saw the young lord.

The messenger quietly remarked that things had gone well before turning around; Luisen and his companions were guided to a splendid tentlarge and colorful due to its red embroidery.

Another servant entered the tent and told them that hed ask for an audience for the pilgrim from the Eastern Great Lord. The servant who had accompanied Luisens party had the pleasure of laying out basic etiquette to Luisen; the words went in one ear and out the next for the young lord.

I wont be chased away this time, right?

Things had changed since the regression. He knew that intimately, but a little anxiety was inevitable as the young lord recalled old memories.

At that moment, Carlton sneakily took the young lords hand. The mercenarys palms wrapped tightly around the back of the young lords handthat alone reassured Luisen. Thats right. If anything happens, Carlton will carry me and escape.

The servant that just entered the tent called for Luisen, Please enter.

Once were inside, please leave things to me. Both of you, try to refrain from speaking as much as possible.

Understood.

Alright.

Haah. Luisen took a deep breath and walked inside. The attending servant and Luisen took the lead followed by Carlton and Morrison.

The banquet was in full swing inside the tent; a band played music, and the nobles chatted as they ate and drank. The attending servants were busy at work, and the knights stood upright and vigilant.

This scene was similar to banquets in the dukes castle. However, Luisen was surprised by the sheer number of nobles. It seemed like all the lords of the eastern territories were gathered here. The nobles were so busy playing among themselves that they didnt even look towards Luisens group.

Wherever we went, we heard that the nobles had fled. I suppose this was where everyone gathered.

As the situation was unstable, perhaps it was reasonable for the nobles to gather underneath the Great Lords wing. The choice was made for survival, but their behavior seemed pathetic to the outside eye.

Bandits and monsters ran rampant outside; day by day, people turned their backs on their hometowns, unable to survive. These so-called lords sat here, busy drinking and playing. In exchange for their comfortable drinks, their denizens may wander, never able to settle down.

As he thought about that, Luisen became desperate to return to his throne.

The young lord reached the end of the carpet and stood in front of the Eastern Great Lord. He, in turn, sat on a chair decorated with gems. Uncaring of Luisens approach, he laughed and exchanged jokes with young maids. Deliberately not paying attention to Luisen was a small show of the Eastern Great Lords authority.

The Duke of Assylus, the Eastern Great Lord, looked the same as he did in Luisens memorya face of a relaxed and kind old man, whose eyes shone as brightly as any other youths. The man was a sophisticated politician; a man who held his powerful post for many years.

A very consistent man.

Because of that, the rest of Luisens anxiety flew away. As he watched the Eastern Great Lord show off, the young lords heart yearned to match the mans rhythm. Although he was seeking help, Luisen was similarly another Great Lord.

He was Luisen Anies. If the ruler of the golden fields had to kneel, he should only kneel twice: once before God and once before the king.

Come to think of it, he knelt several times in front of Carlton, but that was tied to the duchys fate so the young lord could let that go. In any case, it hurt his pride to be the first to bow down.

Luisen stood at a distance and waited for the Eastern Great Lord to see him.

Hem. Hem Hem. The servant coughed in vain, trying to give him a hint. Nevertheless, Luisen acted as if he didnt understand. At that point, the servant lowered his voice and urged, Look herewhat are you doing, being so discourteous to the Lord!

Luisen ignored the servants shouts. He looked back, just to check; Morrison and Carlton sat with one knee on the floor with their heads bowed down.

The sight of them being so polite was quite refreshingafter all, whether their opponents were aristocrats or not, they were more likely to bash their opponents heads in.

Have you ever seen such a wicked man?! I cant believe hed greet our Lord with his back straightened! As the servant roared, the knights also approached angrily. At that time, the nobles also looked at Luisen, wondering what was going on. The masses stirred slightly when they saw Luisen standing far away.

The Easter Great Lord also glanced at Luisens party after being alerted by the disturbance. Just as Luisen thought he should slowly begin to speak, the other spoke first.

Wait.

At that word, all the servants and knights stopped in their tracks; the nobles all held their breath, watching for their dukes next movement. Since the Eastern Great Lords authority was clearly established, the hierarchy was clearly delineated, even in such chaotic situations. The noisy barracks became quiet.

TL: My baby! Holding his head high! Recognizing power plays!