There Is No Mercy

Chapter 62

“Looks like it’d be good to bring that as a gift.”

“She’ll faint as soon as she sees it.”

“A woman with such a big presence won’t faint over something like that.”

The woman smiled as she sheathed her sword.

She brushed back her messy hair and looked at Aden.

“So, what’s your plan?”

“I’m not done yet. I’ll go once I finish up.”

“Alright, I’ll head off first.”

The woman lifted the heavy wyvern corpse as if it were as light as air.

Aden let out a chuckle at her still-impressive strength.

“Good luck.”

“I’ll see you in a bit. Mother.”

***

For a while, Belieta was so caught up with the knights showering her with gifts that she seemed to forget about me.

Then, as if just remembering, she looked at me in surprise.

“Sorry, Sierra. I’ve been so distracted, I forgot.”

Bellieta had this apologetic yet cheerful look on her face, making her expression a bit awkward.

“I asked you to come with me because I wanted to talk more with you, but somehow I ended up leaving you to wait alone. Are you okay?”

“It’s fine. It’s not like anything serious happened.”

“Glad to hear that. Oh, hold on a second.”

Before we could even continue our conversation, another knight approached to offer her a gift from a beast he had slain.

“This might take a while. Do you want to head in first? I’ll come right after I finish up here. Let’s have dinner before we go back.”

Her face was full of a sorry smile, but her eyes told a different story—mockery and scorn.

Was she enjoying this, making me the contrast to boost herself up?

The more beast gifts piled up in front of her, the more knights bowed their heads to her, the more the difference between us was on full display.

The empty ground on my side versus the pile of trophies on hers.

I was basically an ugly accessory that made Bellieta shine brighter.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll wait.”

“Will you? Alright, good call, Sierra. I’m sure there’s someone who’ll offer you a beast soon.”

She says that, but she might as well have spat in my face with that lie.

Her expression made it clear she didn’t believe her own words.

Not that it mattered, since the knights just kept ignoring me and only focused on presenting their gifts to her. And people around us were busy laughing at me.

The whispers grew louder and louder, until finally, one voice hit my ears like a slap.

“I have no idea why she’s standing there. Does she really think she can be like the lady just because she’s trying to follow her? Just a fake trying to imitate the real person.”

I didn’t know who said it.

But that last word hit me right in the heart.

Fake.

That word hurt me deeper than any insult ever could.

‘Too bad… fake.’

On the day I died, those were my last words to Belieta. And now, that word resurfaced from the depths, but this time it chose me instead of her.

No matter how good I am at swallowing my anger, I couldn’t suppress the rage bubbling up inside me.

But I had no intention of letting it show.

Instead, I just smiled quietly.

Go ahead, do whatever you want.

It’ll only make your disappointment hit harder, Bellieta.

“Looks like it’s almost over. Is that the last knight?”

“I guess they’re finished now.”

And I waited patiently for the right moment.

“Don’t feel too bad about not getting anything. What does all this really matter? To me, the time I spend with you is way more precious than any of this.”

One last smile was all I needed.

“Don’t forget you said that.”

I gave Bellieta a small smile, masking my frustration, and then turned my head.

Suddenly, the entrance to the forest was shaking.

The trees swayed from side to side as if something was caught in them, rustling loudly.

The once noisy atmosphere grew silent, with only the sound of the trees shaking.

Startled by the sudden commotion, the knights unsheathed their swords and stepped forward, while the noble ladies hesitated and stepped back.

“Aah! Wh-What is that?!”

One of the ladies screamed as a massive wing beast appeared, not from the forest entrance, but from the thick woods.

“A wyvern?!”

“Why is there a wyvern here?!”

“Get everyone to safety! We can’t defeat a wyvern with swords! Call a mage!”

At the captain’s loud order, the knights hurriedly began to evacuate the people.

But the rush didn’t last long.

The rustling of the trees grew louder, and soon, the face of a creature resembling a dragon appeared, followed by another wing and a huge body.

Finally, a full creature revealed itself.

“… A corpse?”

But it wasn’t a living beast—it was a corpse.

As the chaotic crowd calmed down, the wyvern’s corpse slowly moved.

It crept forward, past the retreating people, until it came to a stop in front of me and Belieta.

With a loud thud, dust billowed up.

“Ugh!”

Belieta stepped back, covering her nose to avoid the dust, but I stayed where I was.

Even as a corpse, the wyvern, with its massive wings and terrifying teeth, was still intimidating.

“At last, I see it.”

As I was staring at the wyvern’s body, a woman’s voice echoed.

From behind the massive wyvern, a middle-aged woman with her hair tied back appeared.

She patted the wyvern’s corpse, her eyes locking onto mine with a curious look, and she smiled slightly.

“You must be Sierra of Brilloxen?”

She had dark black hair and golden eyes.

Her face gave off a strange feeling, as if she reminded me of someone, yet I couldn’t place who.

Still frozen in surprise, the woman approached me with a smile.

“That child will be here soon. He told me to tell you he’s running a bit late because he’s busy cleaning up.”

“That child…”

“Thanks to the mercenaries you sent, we were able to deal with all the beasts safely this year too.”

The woman laughed heartily, patting the wyvern’s enormous wings.

My gaze slowly drifted down and then back up.

“This is a gift. I brought it because I thought you might need it. I hope it helps.”

As she continued tapping the wyvern, the knights quickly rushed over, surrounding her with their swords drawn.

Not only that, but Bellieta, now under the knights’ protection, hurriedly approached as well.

“Wh-Who are you? How did you get in here?”

Even surrounded by dozens of knights’ swords, the woman remained calm, her composure unshaken.

In fact, she seemed amused, her eyes widening in playful delight as she chuckled.

“I guess you didn’t recognize me since I’ve never shown up like this before. Should I be happy about that, or should I feel a bit disappointed?”

She shook her head, mumbling to herself, and then glanced at me with a grin before drawing her sword.

Her sudden action made the knights flinch and take a step back.

The woman calmed the tense knights and held her sword up.

A vivid red emblem was visible on the blade.

“Rippleton…?”

At the captain’s quiet murmur, silence fell over the scene.

Only one person in Rippleton could engrave a red crest on their sword.

“Does this help you recognize me?”

It was none other than the head of the Rippleton family.

“Benicia Rippleton…”

“The former ruler of Hermonia.”

Bellieta gasped, biting her lip.

Benicia looked at her and smiled gently.

“Do you recognize me now, dear?”

Her golden eyes, like those of the wyvern, held a softness that concealed sharpness as she stared down at Belieta.

***

“Are you leaving now?”

A man holding a sword casually spoke to Aden, who had just finished washing up and changed into clean clothes.

Aden paused, glancing over his shoulder, then gave a brief nod.

“I’ve received a lot of help from you. Thanks.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m just a regular mercenary who goes wherever the money is.”

At the man’s casual self-description, Aden let out a rare laugh.

He turned fully, eyeing the man’s rock-solid arms before looking up.

“A mercenary called the King of Mercenaries isn’t exactly ‘regular.’”

“It’s just a fancy title people slapped on me. Nothing special about it.”

“A man who earns the unwavering trust of mercenaries who live and breathe for money—if that’s not something special, I don’t know what is. Even I would find it tough to earn the respect of mercenaries.”

“You’re too kind.”

Aden let out a small chuckle at the man’s stiff, businesslike tone.

Shaking his head, Aden calmly picked up the sword leaning against the wall.

“I may not know much about the ways of mercenaries, but I do know the King of Mercenaries they all respect. A person who’s followed by no one, who serves only money, and yet has the loyalty of mercenaries. Only someone with skill, character, and a sharp mind can achieve that. It’s no easy task to be acknowledged by all mercenaries.”

The King of Mercenaries, Dwayne, held the absolute support of mercenaries.

In a world where money is everything for mercenaries, he was the only person who couldn’t be bought with money.

No amount of gold or even an emperor’s orders could sway him.

“To be honest, I was quite surprised when you came here at Sierra’s request. I never thought I’d see the King of Mercenaries—someone rarer to find than an emperor—in a place I thought no one would come to.”

Aden glanced at the letter on the table.

It was the one Dwayne had brought from Sierra.