There Is No Mercy

CH 07

“…….”

“The Information Guild won’t tell you anything that will harm them, no matter how much you pay them. But the Thieves’ Guild will, won’t they?” (Sierra said)

“Now that you put it that way, it sounds like we’re the ones who pick and choose what’s mean…….” (Woman said)

“If stealing is mean, what kind of charity is that?” (Sierra said)

“…….”

The woman paused for a moment, as if she had nothing to say, then spoke slowly.

“Is it compulsory to ask me for information, and what if I say no?” (Woman said)

“It’s not forced.” (Sierra said)

“So you’re going to stay silent and get dragged away by force tomorrow?”(Woman said)

“No way.”

I gave a small laugh and shook my head.

“I’m an entrepreneur. I don’t do that kind of stuff. If then Arrest me…”(Woman said)

“Should I really do something so stupid like that?”

Turning to face the woman’s softening face, I smirked back.

“Instead of arresting you, I’m going to tax the Thieves’ Guild starting tomorrow.”(Sierra said)

“…….”

“All the taxes you haven’t paid in a hundred years, so I want you to answer me without straining yourself.” (Sierra said)

I tilted my head.

“Now, What do you want to do?”

The woman’s brow creased.

She glared at me, sighed, put down the pen in her hand, and opened her mouth.

“I’m Zilda.”

Zilda twitched the corners of her lips and forced a smile.

I smiled back at her, then straightened up.

Zilda spoke slowly, barely managing to calm the twitching corners of her mouth.

“What information do you need? Is it important enough for you to come all the way to a ragtag band of thieves?”

“If it’s important, it might be important.”

Zilda tilted her head, a puzzled expression on her face.

Staring at her, he opened his mouth slowly.

“The Ripletons.”

“What part of the Ripleton family…….”(Zilda asked)

“……’s relationship with House Bozbourne.”

I cut Zilda off before she could answer.

Her brow narrowed at my words, and her expression changed.

“I don’t know what you mean by that question. Well, both families are among the most powerful in the Empire, so there must be some sort of relationship, but to come all the way here and ask me that…….”

“You want to take all the money I earn in the future and rip it off as taxes. I see through your attempt to deceive me with those words.”

“…….”

I smiled slightly, and Zilda’s face contorted.

She looked at me, let out a low sigh, and stood up from her desk.

Where is she going?

As I watched suspiciously, Zilda pushed the wall behind her.

It opened at an angle, creating a space.

Zilda disappeared into it, and I was greeted by the bearded man who had greeted me at the entrance earlier.

He looked puzzled by my sudden appearance.

He sighed and sat down in a chair, opening his mouth to speak.

“I’m Buck, head of the Briloxen Thieves Guild.”

I just saw that person earlier, wasn’t he the head of the department? No way, I thought he was just a store clerk.

“It’s always darker under the bridge.”

He smirked and replied lightly, handing me the papers he was holding.

“You asked me a question, so I’m here to answer it for you, and it’s not hard, so I’ll tell you.”

He rubbed the bushy stubble on his chin out of habit, pursed his lips as if considering his words, and then shrugged.

“I was going to be a little finite, but my vocabulary is poor, so I’ll be brief. Ripleton and Bozbon.”

Buck paused for a moment, then spoke softly.

“Two families bound together by a past contract.”

I see.

This was the moment when my suspicions were confirmed.

I hadn’t thought about it until I returned to the past.

The two families never interacted in the first place.

The distance between them was so great that it would take two days on horseback to reach them.

And yet the two families were contractually bound together.

“It was about fifty years ago, I don’t know exactly when, but…… anyway.”

Buck rubbed his stubbly chin and squinted his eyes as if sizing up the date, then spoke slowly.

“The former Duke of Bozbourne, then Lord of House Bozbourne, made a deal with Archduke Ripleton to supply him with vast quantities of food and minerals, as well as medicine and clothing, for one simple reason: black marketeering.”

The words came out of his mouth as a surprise.

‘The Dukes of Bozbourne were black marketeers?’

“The corpses of demons fetch a pretty penny. Wizards, shamans, alchemists, you name it, buy them. The blood is good for drugs, and the muscles and bones for armor.”

Once Buck opened his mouth, he didn’t stop talking.

“But there was a shortage of creatures. Sure, there’s a huge number gathered in Harmonia, but catching them is another story. So, they send mercenaries to subdue them and then buy them, but there’s a limit to the supply. However, as you know, isn’t the Ripton family mass subduing the monsters in Harmonia? Then where did the remaining bodies go? Have you ever wondered?”

He smirked, shook his head, and extended a finger to poke me in the temple.

“It’s all money, and it’s supposed to be sold, right? But fifty years ago, the imperial court placed a complete ban on the illegal trade in demon corpses, and it was Harmonia who took the brunt of that decision.”

I’d heard that the end of the trade in demon corpses had caused some trouble for mages and alchemists.

“I’ve read legislation about that, but was that a direct hit to Harmonia?” Buck continued.

“The Ripletons, who had been selling horses to fund their operations, seemed to be quite distressed when their income dropped so dramatically. Not surprising, since the food they were able to harvest from their barren land wasn’t enough to feed everyone.”

Buck paused to catch his breath.

He unfolded the papers in his hand and studied their contents.

It contained the information Buck had just shared.

Meanwhile, Buck’s voice continued.

“That’s when the former Duke of Bozbourne approached him and offered to supply him with food and medicine in exchange for his body. Ripleton, who was unofficially knighted 150 years ago. Bozborne, famous for founding the country.”

Buck extended the index fingers of both hands, bringing them together in slow motion, then smirked.

“I mean, it’s pretty shocking that two families would defy the imperial mandate and trade in magic in secret. So, both sides have put shackles on each other, and that’s what…….”

“An engagement…….”

“Yes. As it happened, the children of the then Archduke Ripleton and Duke of Bozbourne were all older and married, so the obligation of the engagement fell to the current Archduke Ripleton and Lady Bozbourne. Does that make sense?”

“I understand, but…….”

I was still in doubt.

I rubbed my chin, narrowed my eyes, and looked at Buck.

“What could the Dukes of Bozbourne be missing that would cause them to make a deal?”

“That, I don’t know. Maybe they need money? With a duchy of such prestige, I doubt their coffers will ever dry up. If so, what do they have to gain from black-marketing the corpses of the dead?”

“That’s…….”

“Some who know the story speculate that the Duke of Bozborne is cultivating his own warlocks within the family, but…… is unconfirmed, and the only people who know the secret are the insiders of House Bozborne.”

Buck gave a small chuckle and rise from his seat.

My gaze followed his movements as he rise to his feet, as if he were done talking.

Buck looked down at me and spoke slowly.

“How about that, does that answer your question?”

“A little.”

I wonder if this is what Bellietta meant by the promise her parents made to Aden.

“Oh, but I’ve heard some rumors lately.”

“What rumors?”

Buck tilted his head and frowned with all the force he could manage.

“What’s that……. Who was it? That Duke of Bozbourne’s daughter.”

“Bellietta?”

“Yes, that girl. They say the contract has been faltering ever since the young lady took great exception to the engagement, and that vast amounts of food and medicine that were supposed to be supplied to House Ripleton and the rest of Harmonia have not been delivered for years… well, baseless nonsense.”

So that’s what Aden meant by fulfillment of promises.

Buck continued.

“It’s not like they’re actually engaged anyway, it’s just a contract, and they can break it at any time, but the Bozbourns have no problem breaking it and making the story of their engagement null and void, while the Rippletons seem to be quite sensitive about it. I suppose it’s the Rippletons who are the unfortunate ones, isn’t it?”

“So the engagement between the two families is already broken?”

“Broken, I should say. Unless Mr. Bozbourne has no intention of honoring the contract.”

Buck pulled up the corners of his mouth in a smirk.

I studied his face, gathering my thoughts for a moment, then spoke slowly.

“Is that information to be trusted?”(Sierra asked)

“Well, believe it or not, that’s your business. But don’t go around saying the Thieves’ Guild told you this, because we’re afraid to say it too. And don’t beat us up on taxes. It’s a tough economy.”

I watched him disappear back into the background with a last, easy smile, then lowered my gaze.

She rubbed her hands over the papers in her hands and narrowed her eyes.

* * *

The summer sky was so clear.

The clear blue sky without a cloud in the sky made me feel refreshed.

The clear blue sky with no clouds made me feel refreshed.

It was a little hot, but I figured I could sit at the table with a cool drink and pass the time.

Until Bellietta came over.

“What’s on your mind, dear? Is something bad happening?” (Bellietta asked)

I considered telling her I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach from seeing her grumpy face all morning.

She keeps showing up uninvited.

She doesn’t even announce it.

I gave a curt response to Bellietta‘s comment, then rolled my eyes and watched her sip her cool tea.

Bellietta‘s conversation with Aden two days ago seemed to come back to her.

They were engaged…….

I hadn’t realized it until now.

No, I hadn’t thought about it at all.

Bellietta had never told me she had a fiancé, and the engagement had never actually taken place.

Until my death, Bellietta had only intercepted the men I was trying to meet, so the idea that she had a fiancé was unthinkable.

But Bellietta did have a fiancé…….

The famous Arden Ripleton.