Ch.170Report on the Downfall of Charity (12)

I thought there was only one person, but soon Bella’s goat-bearded butler arrived with another man. The butler introduced these two as new mercenaries who would protect Bella. Though Bella nodded without much enthusiasm, she still glanced cautiously at Francesco and Kain.

“Aren’t you pleased? I thought you’d be happy to hear the mercenaries were changed. Weren’t you complaining all this time?”

Even the goat-bearded butler seemed puzzled by her reaction.

“I was at first, but he doesn’t seem like such a bad person after all.”

Bella simply answered that way. Francesco looked a bit disappointed but offered his hand to Kain.

“Let me know if you need anything. I’ll help if I can. Let’s have another meal before I leave for Venelucia. If nothing comes up.”

“Sure. If nothing comes up.” Kain patted his shoulder and turned away. Antonello was waiting for him.

“Let’s walk a bit.”

The two men walked through the streets of Venelucia. It seemed more like a leisurely stroll. Soon they moved away from Francesco’s workshop and reached a quiet breakwater.

Conveniently, there were benches installed for strollers. When Antonello sat down, Kain followed suit.

“I heard you came from the Genovis family.”

“That’s right.”

“And that you refused their offer without even hearing it.”

“The rumors have spread that far, have they?”

Antonello chuckled at Kain’s response.

“You’re not a Venelucian mercenary, are you? Or perhaps you quit for a while and started again?”

“That’s right,” Kain readily admitted. There was no reason to lie and invite trouble in front of someone in the field.

“But I’m curious what made you think that.”

“You turned down an opportunity to raise your price.” Antonello rubbed his hands together. “That’s how things work these days. When word gets around that someone has skill, other mercenary groups try to recruit them.”

“Isn’t there a mandatory contract period?”

“They either pay the penalty fee for you or bring in someone suitable to replace you. It varies depending on the conditions. When you said you’d only work for 3 days as obligation, I thought you might be that type of person.”

Indeed, it seemed he had been away from Venelucia for quite some time. At least when Kain was operating here, there were no such things as penalty fees or replacements. No matter what happened, you had to fulfill your obligation period. It was closer to common sense than virtue. Now it seems even that has fallen apart.

“Your way is quite old-fashioned. About 5 years ago?”

“So I’m outdated, you’re saying.”

“That’s why I liked you. Nobody respects the old ways anymore these days.” Antonello let out a groan.

“I can’t complain since you didn’t break any contracts, and I too must adapt to the current trends to survive, but I have my familiar ways.

Moving to another mercenary group should happen after fulfilling the obligation period. Penalty fees or replacements—that’s not my style. You probably didn’t know about ‘the current way.’ Let me ask you something. If you had known all this, would you still have moved?”

“I wouldn’t have. I’m a bit old-fashioned in that regard too.”

It wasn’t what he truly felt. But he knew this little seasoning would please Antonello. And judging by Antonello’s grin, it worked well.

“I quite like you. Would you consider working with me? If you’re planning to return home anyway, it might not be bad to have some capital rather than going back empty-handed.”

“I’ll visit home first, and if I get bored, I’ll come find you then.”

Antonello cackled and reached into his coat. He handed over a rather heavy-looking money pouch. From the lack of jingling, it seemed to be packed full.

“I put in enough so you won’t feel shortchanged. What are you doing? Take it.”

Kain accepted the money pouch. Then he immediately held it back out to Antonello. Antonello’s eyebrows twitched in confusion.

“What’s this?”

“I’d like to make a small request from my side.”

“You really are an oddball.” Though he said that, Antonello seemed quite interested.

“Fine. Let’s hear it. But it better be interesting. Otherwise, I might get unpleasant.”

“It will be. Do you know someone who’s knowledgeable about poisons?”

“Poisons?” Antonello blinked.

“Nobles know best. Especially high-ranking nobles. Assassination methods like slipping poison into tea or applying it to parts that touch the lips were popular. That was during the chaotic period after Niccolo’s death.”

“No, not assassination poisons, but types of toxins.”

Antonello opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. One corner of his mouth curled up.

“You’re not looking for an ordinary person, are you? How much of an expert do you want? I need to know to make my search easier. Such people hide their identities. What good would it do to be known as a poison expert?”

But Kain was serious.

“Antonello. My request is not simple. ‘On a mercenary’s honor.’ It’s a request made in secrecy. Whether the contract is fulfilled or not, the very fact that I made this request is a secret. Will you accept?”

“Why so serious all of a sudden?” Antonello waved his hand with a smile. “But it’s been a long time since I received such a request. Alright. Tell me.”

“Someone who knows about imported goods. Especially someone well-versed in rare poisons from the north or west. And someone who doesn’t deal with Leonardo.”

The smile disappeared from Antonello’s face.

* * * * *

Waves splashed beneath the breakwater. Kain gazed down at the waves breaking futilely. Like white foam that seemed to cackle and mock, as if they had long given up trying to destroy the breakwater.

Still, the breakwater stood silently and stubbornly in its place. It was possible because the breakwater had no eyes, ears, or mouth.

Unlike Antonello.

“Strange conditions,” he finally answered in a dull voice.

“I can’t know about the last condition. I don’t know who deals with Leonardo or who doesn’t. And Leonardo’s influence is extensive.

Remember? Most noble families receive protection from his mercenary group. Naturally, poison experts also deal with him to some extent. Not to kill anyone, of course, but to identify poisons.

So, a poison expert completely unrelated to him. That will be hard to find. Almost impossible, I’d say.”

“Antonello. There must be someone. No country has as dramatic power struggles as Venelucia, and nowhere do powerful people die like flies as they do here. Not all of Venelucia’s poison experts advise Leonardo.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“You said powerful people hire people like you because they don’t trust Leonardo. I don’t think poisons would be any different.”

Antonello looked like he’d been caught off guard. At the same time, he was clearly deep in thought. Kain pressed harder.

“Antonello. Just find someone for me. I’ll handle the rest. Will you accept or refuse?”

“Does it matter if they walk openly in the square or climb over the walls of the red-light district?”

“It doesn’t.”

The middle-aged man seemed completely baffled.

“Why do you want to know this anyway?”

Kain stared at him for a moment before answering.

“‘The old way.'”

Though it didn’t seem to be his intention, Antonello burst out laughing. Shaking his head as if helpless, he laughed with his shoulders shaking.

“Ah, right. The old way. The old way. A mercenary doesn’t ask for detailed stories. Just consider the money and the request content before deciding whether to accept or not. Fine. Wait at your lodging.”

“How long will it take?”

“Not long.”

Antonello stood up.

“There will be far more people we don’t need to look for than those we do.”

A seagull cried above his head.

* * * * *

For the rest of the time, Kain wandered through Venelucia. He traced the flow of alleys and alleys, main streets and squares, buildings and buildings. Like taking out a long-cherished book from the shelf and reading it again. Like turning the faded pages with a rustle, thinking, ‘Ah, this passage was here too.’

Most places were as he remembered, but there were clearly changes. The wide square that had been used as a hideout for the Rose Party members was still there, but the tavern he used to frequent had been replaced by a fabric shop.

The atmosphere of the streets was quite different too. People rarely smiled. They glanced cautiously around but avoided making eye contact with others. Generally, they walked hurriedly, looking only ahead.

It was in stark contrast to those who were drunk, laughing and making noise in groups. There were many who moved in packs, picking fights with others, identifying themselves as mercenaries. The city guards didn’t stop them but just looked on with contempt. The mercenaries snickered at the guards but refrained from further reaction.

But fights broke out everywhere. They were quite similar to the trouble Kain had encountered. Wherever he went, people were gathered, and fistfights and kicks were commonplace.

The walls and fences weren’t clean either. Long texts were scrawled on cloth or paper, mostly about accusations and denunciations. The atrocities committed by certain guilds, stories of collusion between guild members, pleas of innocence.

It wasn’t just simple disorder.

There was no leisure on people’s faces. The Venelucians who used to sing and dance everywhere were now gone. Those who used to enjoy tea at outdoor tables, sailors who sang lewd songs with their arms around each other, vivacious women who pretended to mingle with such sailors while teasing them—all gone.

Everyone carried swords or heavy sticks. There were no songs, the dancing had ended, and all that could be heard were shouts and screams, the groans of the defeated and the cheers of the victors, those seeking physicians with blood dripping from torn eyebrows.

Kain, walking absentmindedly, reached a certain alley.

Tall buildings stood beside the entrance of the alley, making the inside dark. The interior was winding and branched into several paths. If one knew the trick, one could easily shake off pursuers by climbing over various walls.

That’s how it should have been.

At the entrance of the alley, a withered rose was visible. Someone seemed to have placed it there intentionally. The petals, which must have been red originally, were now trampled and dark like bruises. There were no thorns on the stem. The person who grew the flower must have carefully removed them.

Kain cradled the dead flower in both hands. He retraced his steps. He stopped at a small park where small, colorful flowers bloomed. Like lowering a coffin into a grave, he carefully placed the dead rose among the living flowers.

And he walked again. Away from the alley.

* * * * *

Evening. Kain returned to his lodging. Thankfully, Antonello seemed to have paid for additional accommodation. A servant brought lukewarm bread, adequately heated soup, and roasted chicken. Kain accepted them gratefully.

“Antonello said he would visit tomorrow morning.”

The servant’s quiet message. Kain nodded.

Indeed, Antonello came right after Kain finished breakfast the next day. Since Kain’s room was too small for two people, they leaned against the wall in the alley outside the lodging. It was a straight alley stretching between buildings, with men who appeared to be Antonello’s subordinates standing guard.

“Everyone who knows a fair bit about poisons has a relationship with Leonardo.

Of course, noble families or guild leaders might have their own poison experts. But if they’re that level, they’d be family secrets even I couldn’t know.

So this person is the best I could find. Others would be the same.

“So you did find someone.”

“A man named Giuseppe Colonna. He worked at the Venelucian consulate, and his job was to inspect goods coming in from foreign countries. Especially medicinal items. Among the strange items from the East, there were many that could cause harm. His task was to identify them.”

Then he must certainly be a talented individual, Kain thought. The people of Venelucia wouldn’t have just anyone inspect items from the distant East across the sea.

He must undoubtedly be someone who could determine what was harmful, what was beneficial, and what could be dangerous. In fact, this Giuseppe had reportedly visited the Southern Kingdom, the Empire, and even the North to gather knowledge about identification.

He met all the conditions. Someone knowledgeable about foreign poisons and not in a business relationship with Leonardo. At least, someone working at the consulate wouldn’t likely hire mercenaries.

But one thing bothered him. Did Antonello spend a whole day looking for such a person?

“If he works at the consulate, it seems like it would have been simple to find him. Did it really take a whole day?”

“Well, would it?” Antonello gave a sardonic smile. “That person isn’t at the consulate.”

“Then is he on a business trip to a foreign country or another allied city?”

“No. He’s in Venelucia. And if it had been that simple, I would have found you yesterday. And I clearly said ‘worked,’ not ‘works.'”

“Where on earth is he?”

“There.”

Kain followed Antonello’s finger. It was clearly pointing toward the sea. Just as Kain was about to tell him to stop joking, the sunlight caught his eye. Squinting, Kain looked at the Venelucian sea sparkling in the morning sun.

It was a clear day without a cloud in sight. From here, one could even see the lighthouse keeper dozing on top of the lighthouse. But Kain’s gaze stretched further. Beyond the inner harbor, past the outer harbor that looked like a line drawn above the horizon, to the small, blunt islands.

The prison on the sea that held everyone from petty thieves to failed revolutionaries and captured pirates.

The Ship of Fools.

“The third ship from the left. It has a statue of a bird with its head cut off at the bow, so it shouldn’t be hard to find. And from what I hear… there’s a pirate in the right room and a genuine Rose Party member in the left room.

Do you understand what I’m saying? He’s on the ship for the most serious criminals. Even administrators rarely board that ship. The pirates set their own rules. I’m not sure if he’s still alive.”

“What on earth did he do?”

“They say embezzlement, but who knows.” Antonello shrugged.

“Did he try to sell Venelucia to the Empire? It seems like it would take something of that magnitude to end up there.

From what I heard, the irregularities were discovered during an audit after the Doge changed.

Anyway, he was imprisoned there 2 years ago. I don’t know if he’s still alive.

If he’s lucky, he’ll be alive, and if not… well, I’ve told you all I can. I think I’ve fulfilled my contract’s worth.”

“Are you sure there’s no one else?”

“As I said before, not unless they’re hidden away by families and guilds.”

“Thank you, Antonello.”

Until then, Antonello had been leaning casually against the wall. But the next moment, he slowly moved away from it.

“What are you thinking?”

Kain answered with a look that suggested it was obvious. The smile disappeared from Antonello’s face again.

“You might think I’m meddling, but it’s impossible. How on earth do you plan to approach a prison on the sea?”

“I’ll know if it’s possible or not when I try. There doesn’t seem to be any other way.”

“You’re insane.”

Antonello muttered with a serious expression.

“You’re a madman.”

“I hear that often.”

Kain replied nonchalantly.