There Is No Mercy

Chapter 53

Aden continued to stare at the frightened Altas and nodded slightly.

“Is there any new information?”

“I’ll organize it and report it by tomorrow morning.”

Aden gave a short nod and then turned to glare at Altas.

As Aden quietly left the room, Baran turned back to Altas.

He approached and grabbed his shoulder.

“What’s going on…?”

“Listen well, prisoner. You’re going to leave here tomorrow and be taken back to your family in a transport cart. Congratulations, you’ll lose the title of prisoner then. But you’d better remember this.”

Baran leaned in closer to Altas and brought his lips near his ear.

The sound of his breath echoed sharply in the close distance as Baran spoke slowly.

“Remember who you tried to mess with and whose mood you disturbed. If you ever come back here, starting from your fingernails, and then your feet, muscles, bones, teeth, and even your intact ears, you’ll suffer such terrible pain that you’ll wish you were dead. I’ll pull out memories you’ve long forgotten.”

“Wha—”

“Do you understand? Nod if you do.”

With a dazed look, Altas nodded his head.

Baran watched his movement with a calm smile and then stepped back.

He glanced down at the sword in his hand and grinned slightly.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

With a gentle expression, Baran turned and left the room.

As Altas stared at his retreating back, he slumped down, feeling a sudden release of tension as the door closed.

He didn’t have the energy to react anymore and simply stared blankly at the bed before collapsing.

* * *

Two days after the incident, things had settled down enough to deal with the internal chaos.

I was able to confirm that some of the dismissed servants were missing or unreachable.

The count was now ten.

It was a result of Belietta openly using people to eliminate them.

I tried to track them down, hoping to save them and catch any leads, but it was like they knew what I was planning and managed to escape from Brilloxen.

After two days without anyone else going missing or getting hurt, I finally relaxed my guard and was able to wrap things up.

Kestian stayed in Brilloxen, working on his own tasks while helping me identify the people Belietta had sent out.

Even though we didn’t achieve great results, his help was definitely valuable.

“Thank you for your help, Prince Palieva.”

I approached Kestian, who was getting into the carriage to return to Palieva.

Noticing me coming closer, Kestian stopped getting into the carriage and smiled at me.

“Not at all. We’ve spoken a few times now, so why keep calling me so formally? Just call me Kestian, Sierra.”

What does he mean by that? Does he want me to just drop the title or just call him by his name like everyone else?

As I looked at his smiling face, Aden suddenly came to mind.

Tilting my head in thought, I nodded.

“Alright, Kestian.”

“Just the name?”

“Yess?”

“I thought you’d at least add ‘Prince’ after my name, but just using my name isn’t bad either. It makes us seem closer without hesitation.”

Kestian grinned, nodding his head.

He then reached behind him, took a box from a knight, and handed it to me.

Curious about what it was, I opened the lid to find a small pair of earrings inside.

A gift out of nowhere?

As I slowly lifted my head with a puzzled expression, Kestian opened his palm to show me.

He placed the box back in his palm, pulled out the earrings, and said, “Since you called me by my name, I should call you by yours too, Sierra.”

I hesitantly nodded at his gentle smile.

Kestian approached me, holding the earrings, and gestured as if asking if he could put them on for me.

‘Suddenly?’ I thought, but since he was the one who helped and saved me, I didn’t hesitate to remove the earrings I was wearing.

Kestian stepped closer, extending his arm toward my ear.

The rustling sound was clear, and his fingertips brushing against my ear felt incredibly warm.

Moreover, being so close, his breath brushed against my skin.

For a moment, I heard murmurs from the people around, but Kestian didn’t seem to care, as he skillfully attached the earrings and stepped back.

“This is a magically enhanced mana stone made by a wizard. It’s designed to perfectly block incoming arrows for a certain period.”

“Isn’t that an artifact?”

Artifacts engraved with magic on mana stones are pretty expensive.

Not only is the mana stone itself costly, but engraving a spell onto that small mana stone is much more difficult.

Feeling flustered by the sudden gift, I hurried to take the earrings off, but Kestian shook his head calmly.

He lowered his head slightly to meet my gaze and examined my ears before looking up.

His vivid purple eyes sparkled.

“Sierra, you’re beautiful, intelligent, and brave, but sometimes, that makes you a target for danger. It was a good choice to come to me for help, but there won’t always be someone reliable around you. So this is a gift for you to be prepared for such times.”

Kestian, who had been looking straight at me, flashed a gentle smile and took a step back.

He carelessly tossed the empty box into the carriage and turned back to me.

“Did I mention? I like capable and trustworthy people. In that sense, I really like you, Sierra. You’re the first person who’s used me so openly.”

“I’m sorry for that—”

“I’m not blaming you; I’m thanking you.”

Kestian laughed and elegantly bowed his head.

“I’m saying thank you for relying on me, Sierra.”

“…”

“In such a pressing situation, seeking me out means you consider me trustworthy.”

Does it really mean that?

Thinking it over, I realized it wasn’t really wrong, so I slowly nodded.

Kestian, with the sunset behind him, gazed at me quietly and smiled, drawing a line with his lips.

“See you again, Sierra. Until then, may the whispers of the spirits linger in your ears.”

With that, Kestian, known as a descendant of the spirit, got onto the carriage and slowly disappeared.

I watched his departing carriage, feeling frozen, then brushed my fingers against my ear.

The cool and distinct feeling of the earring made me bite my lip.

“What a strange person.”

He was a peculiar man who felt different from Aden yet had some similarities in that regard.

I let out a small sigh and turned to approach Jin, who was standing behind me.

“Let’s head back.”

“Are we taking all the bodies with us?”

“They need to be returned to their families. That way, it’ll provide comfort to those left behind.”

“Understood.”

I calmly responded and walked toward the carriage, followed by Jin.

The sunset cast long shadows behind us.

As I gazed at the shadows stretching across the ground, I lifted my head.

“Is it only the shadows that die?”

I wondered if my sense of kinship with them was because I resembled them in some way.

A bitter taste lingered in my mouth as I sighed.

“Sierra!”

As I moved to get on the carriage to return to the mansion, I heard a voice behind me.

Turning my waist, I saw the mansion’s servant approaching.

I tilted my head, not knowing what was going on, and he spoke in a calm voice.

“The Count has ordered me to fetch you.”

“My father?”

“He says a letter has arrived from Bozbourne.”

The mention of Bozbourne made my face harden.

It was the same as before, but it felt worse lately.

Just hearing the name Bozbourne made my teeth grind and my anger boil.

Especially on a day like today.

“Tell him I’ll go.”

After a brief reply to the servant, I glanced at Jin, signaling it was time to return.

I got into the carriage, leaning my head against the wall and closing my eyes.

I opened them again, recalling the image of Rita that still wouldn’t fade.

“You should have seen it too, Belietta.”

So you would know what kind of mess you’re getting into.