Chapter 101
“Negotiation”
Edwin’s sword slashed across the man’s back, the blade flashing blue. Watching it, Ban squeezed his eyes shut.
“Damn it! What on earth was he thinking…!”
He couldn’t begin to understand what drove that man—who could barely protect himself—to charge in like that. And frankly, he didn’t want to know.
Right now, Ban only wished he could pretend he didn’t know Count Elliana, who had acted without so much as a word of warning.
“E-Edwin? How are you here…?”
“Anna…”
Ban saw the woman’s eyes shake violently, and clenched his jaw.
He had already been sure, but hearing their words confirmed it: this woman was indeed Anna Piace—Rebellia Piace’s mother.
If that was true, if the mother of the woman the Grand Duke of Esperos had in his heart was really this woman…
‘Then letting her die here is not an option.’
His head spun.
“Come behind me, Anna.”
“Edwin, but you—!”
“It’s fine. Trust me, Anna.”
Nervous, Anna stepped slowly behind him. Ban noticed Edwin’s sword trembling faintly and bit down on his lip.
‘So my guess was right—he really isn’t good with a sword.’
He counted the mercenaries appearing one by one from around them.
‘Five left alive… plus two burdens.’
As they surrounded Edwin and Anna, the mercenaries snarled:
“Well, well. To think we’d run into Count Elliana here.”
“….”
“Since you’ve stepped into this matter, I suppose you’ve chosen this place as your grave?”
“You’re nothing but men hired by the Marquess.”
“….”
“I’ll pay you double what he offered. Leave us alone.”
‘Double?’
Ban’s head throbbed.
‘How naïve can this noble be?’
The mercenaries glanced at each other. Their leader grinned.
“Can you pay us right now?”
“…What?”
“To be honest, nobles like you change your words far too often. Hard to trust.”
Edwin sighed.
“…I can’t pay now, but once we return to the capital, I will. I promise.”
The leader burst out laughing.
“Once we’re in the capital? Ha! Why not just promise we’ll die in the capital instead?”
“I don’t lie.”
Firmly, Edwin pulled the brooch from his chest and tossed it at their feet. The mercenary picked it up, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s made of sapphire and diamond. Even sold quickly, it’ll fetch at least five hundred gold.”
“Ohh…”
“And once we return to the capital, I’ll give you a thousand more.”
Tempted, the man glanced back at his companions. They smirked wickedly.
“Well, fifteen hundred gold isn’t a bad price for your life, Count. After all, your life wasn’t part of the original deal anyway.”
“….”
“And what about the Marchioness behind you? How much is her life worth?”
“…What?”
“And since you killed one of ours, you’ll have to pay for his life too.”
“….”
“We were like family, and now he dies so pitifully. Our hearts are torn apart!”
The man laughed nastily. Edwin clenched his teeth. They hadn’t blinked when their comrade died, yet now they spoke of grief.
‘Heh. Not even a stray dog would laugh at that.’
But faced with death, Edwin’s choices were limited.
“Name your price,” he muttered.
The leader studied him like prey, stroking his chin before opening his hand wide.
“Five times.”
“…What?”
“Five times the one thousand gold you promised in the capital. Five thousand. Pay that, and we’ll let you go.”
Ban sighed—he’d expected this.
Edwin’s grip tightened on his sword. Behind him, Anna’s trembling hand clutched his clothes.
“Edwin…”
“I’ll pay it. I promise.”
The mercenaries’ lips curled in satisfaction.
“If we’re done talking, step aside.” Edwin’s voice was firm.
“Fine, as you wish.”
At the leader’s signal, the mercenaries slowly retreated.
Just as Edwin tried to leave with Anna, the man’s cold voice rang out:
“But before you go, you’ll pay the five thousand here and now.”
“I told you—I’ll pay once we return to the capital—!”
“No, not the capital. Five thousand here. Immediately.”
His smiling mouth twisted into a cruel sneer. He ignored Edwin’s glare.
“Surely you don’t mean to say the Marchioness and my comrade’s lives aren’t worth that much?”
“…I said I can’t pay right now.”
“Then there’s only one option.”
“….”
“You die here.”
The man raised his sword again. Ban ruffled his hair, cursing under his breath.
Even if Edwin paid, men like these would never let them live. More likely, they’d sell their corpses afterward.
Ban muttered a curse and pulled a small vial from his coat. He’d taken it earlier from one of the men threatening Edwin and the knight.
No mercenary would normally carry medicine. Odds were high it was poison.
Ban hesitated—using an unknown poison was risky. But letting them all die here was worse.
His mind made up, he uncorked the vial and spread the contents on his blade.
When the mercenary leader raised his sword toward Edwin, Ban charged.
“Urgh! Who the hell—!”
He’d aimed for a killing blow, but the man’s skill was sharper than expected. Instead of a fatal strike, Ban only cut his arm.
‘Should’ve stabbed instead…’
Regret flashed through his mind—then the man stumbled, fell back, and hit the ground hard.
“D-damn it…”
“C-captain?”
“What the hell did you smear on that sword…”
The man coughed blood, collapsing. The cut on his arm turned black, his eyes rolled back white.
Tremors racked his body—then he went still like stone.
“Captain? Captain!”
The mercenaries shouted, too afraid to approach while Ban held his blade ready.
Ban’s expression hardened as he stared at the corpse.
‘I coated my sword, but for him to die instantly… That poison must be… Girnen’s poison?’
He couldn’t be sure. What mattered was—he finally had a chance to win, even while protecting the two burdens.
“Who the hell are you?!”
“What did you do to our captain?!”
Ban’s voice was cold:
“If you want to know, go ask him yourself. I’ll send you to join your dear captain soon enough.”
Gripping his sword tighter, Ban charged at the mercenaries without hesitation.
And when this was over, he swore he’d deal with Count Elliana first.
Calliere and I, now with more mouths to feed, had no choice but to return straight to the Grand Duke’s castle.
With Mei’s help, I prepared a place in my room where the puppies and their mother could rest. By the time we finished, the sun was already dipping low outside the window.
Mei glanced at me staring out the window and asked gently:
“Young Lady, do you know something?”
“Hm?”
“People often wonder where the best place to watch fireworks is… but actually, the very best spot is right here in the Grand Duke’s castle. After all, it’s the tallest building in all of Esperos.”
I tilted my head at her sudden comment. Mei smiled and added:
“I thought maybe you were sad about missing the fireworks, since you couldn’t take your eyes off the sky.”
“Ah…”
“I’ll watch over the puppies. If you’d like to see the fireworks, go to the bell tower behind the library! The view from there should be amazing.”
“There’s a bell tower in the castle?”
“Yes. It hasn’t been used in a long time, but it’s still cleaned regularly, so you won’t find it unpleasant.”
Looking at Mei’s bright smile, a thought suddenly passed through my mind.
‘If that’s the case…’
“Mei, can I ask you one thing?”
“Of course.”
“Do you know if His Grace is in his office right now?”
Mei smiled knowingly and nodded slowly.
At that, I leapt to my feet and dashed for the door.
“Then Mei, I’ll be right back!”
“Careful! Don’t run, or you’ll trip!”
“Okay!”
I waved back at her cheerful figure, then hurried down the corridor toward Calliere’s office.
