There Is No Mercy

Chapter 24

In the basement of the Brilloxen Mansion, there was a small dining room.

It was a dining room operated for the servants living at the mansion.

Any servant could use it for free.

Usually, it should have been a bar where servants gathered after finishing their work in the evening, but for the past few weeks, it was only knights hanging around there.

“Haha! Did you see the looks on their faces earlier? It was priceless.”

“That guy Gibson. He looks like a gang leader, but every time he opens his mouth, he says the cheesiest stuff. Today he really showed his true colors.”

“What did he say again? He was spewing some pretty explicit insults.”

“Haha, yeah, it was scary enough to make you wet yourself.”

“I already did, man.”

Loud voices with no regard for their surroundings, exaggerated arm movements.

Their manner of speaking was so vulgar that it was hard to believe they were knights.

Sitting in the middle of the dining room, the four knights were openly talking about what happened today.

One hand holding a drink, the other grabbing snacks or hitting the other knights—actions unbecoming of knights.

“But, Gibson, that guy is single-minded. Who would have thought that he would give up in that situation?”

“Of course. If it were me, I would have made a fuss, saying we should draw our swords and have a fight. “He’s a bit of a brainiac.”

“Why bother understanding a guy like that? Don’t you know all those country bumpkin knights are like that? It’s always the ones who talk a lot who come from the sticks.”

The knights nodded while sipping their drinks, occasionally glancing at Gilbert, who was just drinking silently without joining the conversation.

The knights exchanged looks, noticing how odd it was that Gilbert hadn’t said a word.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

Gilbert responded briefly, finishing his drink.

One of the knights, still curious about the unusually quiet deputy leader, gently prodded him again.

“What’s up? Something happen?”

Despite the concerned knight’s question, Gilbert remained silent.

The knights kept an eye on Gilbert, who stared at the table in silence and just drank, but they had no idea what was going on in his mind.

‘…Damn it.’

As Gilbert cursed under his breath, drowning his frustration in drink, a slow voice echoed in his mind.

“Why did you call for me?”

As soon as Gilbert entered the office, he got straight to the point.

Sierra, who was working at her desk, glanced at Gilbert as he came in and nodded her chin.

She silently gestured to a chair, and Gilbert frowned slightly as he took a seat.

Scratch, scratch.

In the quiet office, the only sound was Sierra’s pen moving on paper.

Gilbert looked around the office before lowering his head to look at Sierra.

With the sunlight behind her, her thick blonde hair shimmered like gold.

Looking down, her long, neat eyelashes were visible, and her skin was almost transparently white.

Just as no one in high society didn’t know Belietta, it was rare for anyone not to know Sierra’s name.

As Belietta’s fame rose, so did Sierra’s notorious reputation.

But despite her notoriety, no one questioned Sierra’s looks.

Saying she resembled Belietta was another way of saying Sierra was equally stunning.

“What are you staring at?”

Startled by her voice, Gilbert flinched, having been lost in thought while looking at Sierra backlit by the sun.

Sierra was still focused on her documents, pen moving.

Embarrassed by the realization that he’d been staring, Gilbert cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I was just watching what you were doing since you weren’t saying anything.”

“Are you complaining about me calling you in and then just working?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

Sierra cut off Gilbert, who was hastily shaking his head, and stood up.

She walked around the desk and took a seat opposite Gilbert.

“You’ve got work to do too, so I’ll keep this brief.”

Sierra placed a document she brought from her desk on the table and pushed it towards Gilbert.

Gilbert looked at the document pushed in front of him with a puzzled expression before picking it up.

“I heard it’s been two months since you were appointed to the Brilloxen family and became the deputy leader. It’s a long time if you think about it, but also short, and you’ve done quite a lot during that period.”

“This is…”

“Reading the reports, I thought, ‘Wow, impressive.'”

Sierra smirked, rubbing the armrest of her chair.

Gilbert’s hand trembled as he read the document, and his eyes were just as unsteady.

“People have different work abilities and adaptation periods, so I can’t evaluate that. But even aside from that, there are many issues with your conduct.”

“….”

“Not only did you create groups within the knight order, but you also used them to instigate fights. Since you were recommended by Sir Obern for the deputy leader position, it must have been hard to impose restrictions on you. You took advantage of that to abuse your power, and recently, there have been more incidents of knights other than your group getting injured during training.”

“This is a misunderstanding. I mean…”

“What’s the misunderstanding? Forming groups? Abusing power? Or causing injuries during training with excessive actions? Which one is the misunderstanding?”

Sierra’s sharp question made Gilbert bite his lip.

After rolling his eyes as if trying to think of a way out, Gilbert slowly started to speak.

“It’s true that I formed groups. I won’t deny that. But I didn’t abuse my power or intentionally injure other knights.”

“I saw something today. You were arguing with Sir Gibson over the training ground. How do you explain that?”

“That was just a simple argument. The training ground is small, and the number of users is limited. I only came up with a rational method for everyone to take turns using it.”

“So, you’re saying Sir Gibson was upset with your method?”

“That’s correct.”

Sierra stared intently at Gilbert, who answered with unwavering eyes.

Gilbert met her red eyes but found them so unsettling that he couldn’t help but look away.

As Gilbert lowered his head, Sierra’s voice followed.

“Then, if we investigate the knights who used the training ground on time over the past three days and identify the number of knights in your group, it should clarify things quickly.”

“I scheduled the training ground use based on skill. And yes, the knights you mentioned are skilled and used it during those times. But that’s not an abuse of power…”

“That is an abuse of power, Deputy Leader Gilbert!”

Sierra shouted, frowning at Gilbert, who kept trying to justify himself.

Her small frame belied the heavy authority in her voice, silencing Gilbert.

As she watched Gilbert flinch and stop talking, Sierra let out a small sigh.

“Using the training ground should be fair regardless of skill level, and those with less skill should be given more time to improve. While evaluating the knights’ skills is within your discretion as deputy leader, discriminating against them is not your right.”

“…”

“Moreover, I’ve heard some very interesting things.”

Sierra picked up a document next to her and opened it.

As the pages fluttered, Sierra’s eyes scanned from top to bottom.

“The conversations within your groups are appalling. Hurting other knights during training and criticizing their skills without hesitation.”

“That’s…!”

“Furthermore, you didn’t hesitate to badmouth and belittle the family you’ve sworn loyalty to.”

Sierra’s hand stopped flipping the documents.

Her eyes narrowed as if she encountered something unpleasant.

“You even made terrible comments about me. Knights who value obedience were enraged by your words, but you suppressed them with your authority. Isn’t that right?”

“No! How could I, as a knight, say such things? This is a setup. It’s the slander of knights who have issues with me…”

“The statements were confirmed by staff from the basement dining room you frequent and echoed by other knights. Is that also a setup?”

Now pale-faced, Gilbert bit his lip hard.

Sierra watched the stiffened Gilbert quietly for a moment before sighing.

Gilbert tried to find an excuse, but the words swirling in his mind never formed a sentence.

Sierra stared at Gilbert, who was now just looking at the table and crossed her legs.

“You have a lot of debt. As a royal knight, you got involved in gambling, amassed a huge debt, and were eventually dismissed. Obern told me. He said he vouched for you despite your disqualifications because you swore to live as a faithful knight again. But where is that faithfulness now?”

“…”

Sierra watched Gilbert, who remained silent, and then stood up.

Gilbert was still staring at the floor.

Sierra threw the documents she had placed next to her chair in front of him.

“I’ll give you a chance.”

“…A chance?”

“People chased by debt always look for a way to strike back. If you were really desperate for money, you wouldn’t have done something this reckless. But you didn’t, so there’s only one thing to think about. You were following someone else’s orders or were instigated to use your position to infiltrate this place. That’s the only explanation.”

Gilbert’s gaze quickly shot up from the table to Sierra.

Sierra nodded towards the documents.

“Confess whose orders you were following to come here. Then at least you’ll just be dismissed. But if you plan to keep your mouth shut until the end, you’ll find out how serious your actions of deceiving Brilloxen and me for the past two months are. So, think carefully and write it down there.”

Sierra returned to her seat and picked up her pen.

Gilbert, still frozen in his seat, couldn’t take his eyes off Sierra.

Sierra went back to reviewing the documents she had been working on.

Scratch, scratch, the sound of the pen echoed.

“You may go.”

Sierra’s voice marked the end of the conversation.