There Is No Mercy

Ch 09

 

“Yes. Half a million. If I use the powers of my lordship and fund it from the business I’m in charge of, that should be plenty, don’t you think?”

 

“Of course it’s enough. There will never be a shortage, but…….”

 

“Butler, can you gather the items I mentioned and prepare them for me?”

 

“Yes, I can prepare them. But what do you intend to use all those supplies for? Half a million people……. It’s not even war supplies, it’s just too much.”

 

I knew this was going to be the response.

 

How do I explain it?

 

I thought about it for a moment, and then I circled the wagons.

 

“Deacon, do you know how much our House Brilloxen’s budget is for the year?”

 

“I only have a rough figure.”

 

“How much?”

 

“About 100,000……. in imperial gold coins.”

 

“And a year’s income?”

 

“About five times that.”

 

I smiled wryly.

 

At my smile, the butler looked at me with a confused expression.

 

“Yes, it’s a lot of money,” I said, “considering the total amount of taxes the empire collects in a year is three million gold coins, our profits are enormous. But did we do it entirely on our own? No, it’s just because we own the mines in the gray mountains that stand behind us, and that’s not our strength, it’s just luck, isn’t it?”

 

“Well, in terms of giving back to society, Count Brilloxen does it every year, and even if he didn’t, he contributes to orphanages and temples throughout the empire.”

 

“I know, but I don’t think those are the only people who should be helped, I like to think of the world a little more broadly.”

 

“Hmmm…….”

 

I put on a stern face as the butler groaned and gave me a puzzled look.

 

“Are the supplies I’m talking about such a huge amount that they’re going to dry up our manor budget?”

 

“……No, it won’t really hurt, in fact, your lordship’s donation is five times larger than that. It’s just that it’s difficult to move them all at once.”

 

The butler looked troubled for a moment, gathering his thoughts, then slowly spoke up.

 

May I ask which way are you planning to move the materials?

 

“Harmonia.”

 

“Rippleton?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Certainly. I suppose they could be in trouble for lack of supplies, as the lady says. Hmm…… Ripleton.”

 

The butler lifted his chin, closed his eyes, considered for a moment, and then nodded.

 

“There’s a large bank in that area, run by my Brilloxen family, and I’ll have them gather supplies there.”

 

The man was flexible, after all.

 

He didn’t bother to ask me why I was doing this.

 

He just thought about whether and how it was possible.

 

I had often followed in my father’s footsteps and donated, so there was nothing to arouse suspicion.

 

Besides, I could run the organization out of my own pocket, so it wasn’t difficult.

Getting the supplies together was the hard part.

 

“But it’s hard to move them all at once. The mountains in Harmonia are famously rough, and it’s almost impossible to carry all this stuff up there. I think we’d be better off sending the supplies in four or five separate shipments.”

 

“I’ll leave that to you.”

 

“First, what’s the earliest date you can send the supplies?”

 

“If we send out the announcement today, we should be able to gather some supplies within three days.”

 

“Hmm…… sounds good, get it together as soon as you can.”

 

“Okay.”

 

The butler bowed his hair and left the room.

 

I stared at the empty space where he had disappeared, then cast my gaze out the window.

 

Thieves Guild Buck’s last words lingered in my head.

 

I tugged at the corners of my mouth, remembering what was about to happen.

 

“It’s a beautiful day.”

 

The clouds rolled in.

 

* * *

 

I sat in the wagon and looked out the window.

 

The rain was drizzling down, making the ride up the mountain look like a chore.

“Are you going there by yourself? It’s the rainy season. It’s going to be very difficult, why don’t you send someone else?”

I remembered the butler’s words as he stopped me as I prepared to leave.

 

The fine weather had just disappeared, and a thick, sour rain drenched the mountains.

 

The mercenaries, knights, and soldiers hired in advance in case monsters appeared all looked tired. 

 

Although the road to Rippleton was well maintained, it was still rough.

 

I opened the window and raindrops ricocheted off her hair.

 

“You’re catching a cold. Close the door, my lady.”

 

The knight, whose name was Ripert, tugged at his raincoat.

 

She glanced at him, checked the path up, and spoke briefly.

 

“How long will it take?”

 

“Half a day’s ride, Miss. But it’s been raining, the roads are slippery, and the horses are tired. We’re taking turns pulling the cart, but it’s likely to take…… a little more than an hour.”

 

Half a day.

 

I looked up at the sky.

 

It was raining with no sign of letting up anytime soon.

 

“I’m worried, by the way. It’s raining so hard, it’s drowning out the sound. It’s washing away the smell, but we won’t know until the beast is close.”

 

“Don’t you think it won’t come out from Ripleton, since they’re regularly slaying it?”

 

“Summer in Harmonia is a painful season for the demons. They’re hunted by humans, which reduces their numbers, and they don’t eat the fruit, so the hungry ones often come out here and attack humans. Of course, with so many people on our side and the demons weakened, I don’t think they’ll attack, but…… you never know.”

 

Ripert grinned.

 

“They’ll do anything when they’re hungry, even raid a group of heavily armored men. Humans are living prey to the demons.”

 

He looked up at the sky and tugged at his dripping raincoat again.

 

“It’s summer, but the air is cold, and your clothes are thin, so keep the windows closed. We’ll get there without too much trouble.”

 

I couldn’t help but shake my head at his concern and reassurance.

 

I muttered a yes, closed the window, and sat in the carriage, breathing heavily.

 

I tilted my head at an angle, enjoying the freedom, and looked up at the roof.

 

The black painted roof of the carriage reminded me of someone.

 

I smiled.

 

It was fun to imagine the look on Belietta’s face.

 

Belietta, who always took from me.

 

This time it was my turn.

 

I looked out the window and closed my eyes.

 

* * *

 

Thankfully, no demons attacked.

 

By the time we crossed the halfway point of the mountain, the rain had slowed down enough to keep us from being late.

 

As we passed Harmonia’s hill and entered Ripleton’s estate, we were met by the knights who had received the telegram.

 

As we followed their lead and entered Ripleton’s walls, my first thought was one of wonder.

 

I opened the window myself and stuck my hair out, scanning the city, then narrowed my brow.

 

“Lord Ripert.”

 

“Yes, my lady.”

 

“This is Ripleton, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes. I’ve been here once before, and it’s the same.”

 

Right?

 

This is Ripleton?

 

The rumored image of Ripleton as a barren land shatters.

 

The city I was looking at had the feel of a large, clean city.

 

People were cheerful, and many shops were open, even if they were closed due to the rain.

 

I even saw a restaurant that was doing a brisk business.

 

“……This is Ripleton”

 

“Wasn’t it a ghost town? I looked around puzzled, then back at Ripert.”

 

“It’s a pretty active town.”

 

“That’s to be expected after 150 years of hard work to build a city that people can live in. Still, the unplantable land and closed terrain keep Ripleton from growing, and it’s hard to get other things, because the wagons from the top don’t reach this far.”

 

She glanced at the horse-drawn cart and nodded her hair.

 

“The castle you see there is where His Highness the Archduke of Ripleton resides.”

 

It was huge, even at first glance.

 

It towered over the massive clock tower in the center of the city.

 

It was the largest castle I had ever seen.

 

Even bigger than the imperial palace where the emperor resides.

 

The castle was dark because it was cloudy and it was raining.

 

I swallowed hard and nodded, thinking it looked like a castle inhabited by monsters.

 

The carriage stopped just as I leaned back in my chair and thought over what I was going to say to Arden Ripleton.

 

Ripert knocked on the window to announce their arrival and slowly opened the door.

 

A cool breeze ruffled her hair as she stepped carefully down the stairs.

 

Her head felt clearer now that she was out of the confines of the carriage.

 

I could see the huge castle standing in front of me.

 

This was Lierg, the famous heart of Ripleton.

 

It was a new feeling to see the castle in person after only seeing it in illustrations, but I didn’t have time to admire it.

 

I saw a man walking out of the castle.

 

A middle-aged man in a well-dressed suit.

 

He approached us and bowed his head.

 

“You’ve traveled a long way to get here,” he said.

 

“I apologize for the unexpectedness of my visit.”

 

Even though we had communicated in advance, it was still too sudden.

 

It would have been a surprise, especially with such a large entourage.

 

But the man who appeared to be the butler showed no embarrassment.

 

“Never mind,” he said, “it’s chilly outside. Please come inside, and I’ll show you to His Excellency.”

 

I nodded and followed him in the lead.

 

He had instructed the butler to greet me and bring me to him, presumably because he wanted an explanation of the current situation.

 

Without a word, I followed him into the castle and was surprised to find that the interior was relatively modest in contrast to the massive and majestic exterior.

 

For a castle of this magnitude, there wasn’t a single painting on the walls, and not a single piece of pottery.

 

What’s more, given the size of the castle, there should be a certain number of people working here, but there were very few in sight.

Are they all working somewhere else?

 

Glancing around, I followed the butler, but didn’t find any more workers until I reached his office.

 

There were too few people of them…….