There Is No Mercy

Chapter 54

“Hey, have you seen Belietta? There’s something I need to tell her urgently.”

The Duke of Bozbourne, who was always curious about his hard-to-reach daughter, often sent letters to me asking for news about her.

Every time, searching for Belietta, who always avoided me, was a real hassle.

Whenever I asked around, the kids would cry, and the teachers would just say they didn’t know.

That day, Belietta was nowhere to be found.

I searched everywhere, but she was impossible to track down.

Eventually, my frustration started to show on my face.

I couldn’t understand why I even had to do this.

Just when I was about to lose it and mutter some curses, an all-too-familiar figure caught my eye.

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

Blonde, like Belietta, but a bit duller, with reddish-brown eyes.

Even though I suddenly grabbed her, she didn’t look surprised at all. Instead, those calm brown eyes casually glanced at me.

Usually, people reacted in one of two ways when they saw me.

They’d either freak out or cry.

But this girl just looked me up and down like she was observing something, then slowly replied.

“She’s in the annex. I just came from there, so you should find her if you go now.”

Her voice was calm and soft.

Her reaction was so different from the usual behavior of young noble ladies that I was the one who froze.

When her gaze flickered as if to say, “Can you move your hand?” I couldn’t help but flinch.

“Do you not know who I am?”

I asked, reflexively, because of her dry response.

The young lady stopped in her tracks, turned back to me, and said,

“Should I?”

It wasn’t a simple “yes” or “no.” It was a fundamental question that caught me off guard, as I had taken it for granted that she should know.

I just stood there, dumbfounded, watching her walk away.

It’s a blurry memory now, but sometimes it comes back to me.

That calm, yet piercingly sharp gaze she gave me.

 

* * *

Baran Nemir, Aden’s deputy, was carrying a stack of documents as if they were precious war tools.

The staff glanced at him with surprised eyes as he passed through the hallway.

“What’s going on?”

“Isn’t it always like this? Around this time, reports start pouring in from all over Hermonia. That’s probably what it is.”

“Oh, so that time of year is coming again?”

“Looks like it.”

Leaving the murmuring servants behind, Baran headed toward Aden’s office.

The knights guarding the door looked stunned at the sight of Baran struggling with the massive pile of papers, quickly knocking on the door.

A swift “Come in” sounded from inside, and the knight hurriedly opened the door.

Thanks to the knight’s help, Baran managed to avoid the disaster of dropping everything.

Aden’s eyes fell on the mountain of papers before him, his previously calm expression hardening as his eyebrow raised.

With a sarcastic chuckle, Aden set down the quill he had been holding.

Baran, meanwhile, placed the stack of papers on the empty desk.

“Whew…”

Aden, watching Baran wipe sweat from his forehead, leaned back in his chair, looking utterly unmotivated.

With a face full of displeasure, Aden stared at the stack of papers before slowly speaking.

“I thought this year would go by quietly, but it’s starting again, huh?”

“It’s the annual tradition, after all.”

“The one tradition I’ll never get used to. How many reports this time?”

Aden stood up and approached the stack, placing his hand on top of it.

Just by eyeballing it, it looked like well over a thousand pages.

“Exactly 1,320.”

Aden picked up the topmost paper, gave it a glance, and shook his head in disbelief.

After setting the paper back down, he walked to the other side and poured Baran a glass of water.

“Ah, thank you.”

“Every year we handle this, but the paperwork never decreases.”

“Still, there are fewer reports than last year. Probably about twenty fewer.”

“Wow, such a huge difference,” Aden responded dryly, making Baran blush.

Aden sighed deeply, staring at the stack, then ran his fingers through his hair.

“What’s the point of holding a hunting competition every summer to eliminate these beasts when their numbers never go down, Baran?”

“Because there are far more monsters in the vast mountain range than we’re able to eliminate. It’s almost impossible to keep up with their numbers. And it’s all because of the shadow powerstones buried somewhere in that mountain range, drawing the monsters toward us.”

Aden massaged his temples at Baran’s report, his gaze lowering.

With his hands shoved in his pockets, Aden quietly stared at the floor, his lips slowly parting.

“Every year, we hold this hunting event to protect the people and reduce the number of monsters, but the numbers keep increasing instead of decreasing.”

“We’ve regularly hired knights and mercenaries to clear out nearby monsters, but it’s been overwhelming. Thankfully, Lady Brilloxen’s support has allowed us to make significant progress this year. The number of reports, which typically increased by the hundreds, has finally decreased this year. Without her help, it wouldn’t have been surprising if several villages vanished within five years.”

Aden nodded briefly at Baran’s words.

Sierra had only a vague understanding of Aden’s debt.

Without knowing the full extent of Hermonia’s situation, Sierra could only grasp the surface of things.

Aden didn’t feel the need to burden her with the details, so he simply summed it up as a “debt.”

“She doesn’t realize it, but she’s saved thousands, maybe tens of thousands of lives. ‘Gratitude’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

“Those aware of the situation call it a blessing.”

“A blessing?”

Aden murmured the word, then let out a soft laugh, shrugging his shoulders.

“They’re not wrong. It’s a blessing. For all of Hermonia, and for me as well.”

“How should we proceed with preparations of competition?”

Baran asked, already knowing what Aden would command but going through the formalities.

Aden’s lips curled into a satisfied smile as he thought of Sierra.

His gaze shifted from the floor to meet Baran’s eyes.

“As always, the same. Prepare everything. Especially this year, we can offer more rewards, so let’s wipe out those monsters. Spread the word about the monster-hunting competition.”

“Understood.”

Baran turned and disappeared as Aden returned to his desk.

Just as he was about to sit, a thought crossed Aden’s mind, and his mood brightened.

He grabbed a piece of paper, thinking about inviting Sierra to the competition.

 

* * *

“A monster-hunting competition?”

I tilted my head as I read the letter that arrived while I was having dinner with my family.

Butler Dayton nodded and explained.

“Yes, there’s a rumor going around that the Bosbourne family is hosting a monster-hunting competition. It seemed like just a rumor, but since you’ve received an invitation, it looks like they’re serious.”

“A competition out of nowhere?”

“Yes, my lord. It’s extremely rare for the Duke’s family to host such an event. And in the middle of summer, after the rainy season?”

Listening to Father and Dayton’s conversation, I unfolded the letter.

As usual, Belietta’s familiar handwriting greeted me, starting with her signature phrase, “To the dearest friend in the world, Sierra.”

I skimmed over the usual pleasantries about our relationship and went straight to the important part—an invitation to the hunting competition.

After closing the letter, I looked at Dayton, who had just finished his conversation with Father.

“You mentioned it was a rumor, but isn’t it odd for a hunting competition to generate so much buzz? Usually, these are private events for nobles, not something the public would care about.”

“It’s probably because of the timing.”

“The timing?”

I checked the date written in the letter at his words.

Something felt familiar.

I thought for a moment, trying to figure out why, and then recalled an event I had looked into before.

“The Rippleton Monster Hunt is on the same date, isn’t it?”

“The Bozeborne Hunting Tournament is about a day later, but yeah, the dates are pretty close.”

I paused, wondering if this was really okay, when my mother, who had been quietly eating on the other side of the table, spoke up.

“The Rippleton Monster Hunt is an annual event held to reduce the rapidly increasing number of monsters and ensure safety. There’s a bounty placed on the monsters’ heads, and mercenaries, wandering knights, and many nobles interested in Rippleton usually take part.”

“I know. It’s not just about strengthening bonds or showing off; it’s an essential hunting event for Rippleton’s safety. I’ve heard it’s crucial for survival…”

On such an important day, Bozeborne decided to hold their tournament.

Normally, events like these wouldn’t overlap.

It’s not a law, but it’s considered manners and common courtesy.

“If they’re just a day apart, the people who participate in Rippleton’s event won’t be able to attend Bozebourne’s.”

“They’ll likely have to choose between the two.”

“Then most will probably head to Bozebourne, not Rippleton. That’s bad news for Rippleton. They usually rely on the knights and soldiers that the nobles bring, but this time, they won’t even get half of them. It’s not looking good.”

Even though Rippleton is a grand duchy and Bozebourne a ducal family, Bozebourne’s influence and power far outweighed Rippleton’s.

In everything but military strength, Bozebourne was far superior.

On top of that, those with political ambitions in the central government preferred Bozebourne.

If these two events overlap, the outcome is obvious.

“They planned the date on purpose.”

I’d been wondering why Belietta had been so quiet recently, and now I knew.

There had been no special reports from the people I’d placed around Belietta.

It wasn’t Belietta behind this—Duke Bozebourne was pulling the strings.

“Anyway, an invitation to a hunting tournament, huh? What are you going to do about it?”