Ch.176Report on the Downfall of Charity (18)

# Vito Mancini is a spider. He curls up in his room without eating, drinking, or sleeping properly. But he’s not doing nothing—he’s busy reading information that comes through his fine spider webs.

Vito only moves when he’s hungry or when prey is definitely caught in his web. The Stonemason Guild’s power isn’t great right now, but just wait. When I become the Doge, he’ll be the first one I’ll get rid of. If left alone, he’ll become a very fat spider.”

Beatrice was right.

Vito Mancini had become a big shot. But he wasn’t the type to command from the front lines. He was closer to a director who coordinates and designs the movements of actors rather than being a prominent actor himself.

“Vito is a frightening person. He knows exactly what benefits him. He doesn’t jump into anything disadvantageous or dangerous. A politician who doesn’t make mistakes—how is that different from a demon?”

That man was now walking up the stairs. Antonello greeted him respectfully. Angular face with a sturdy build. Broad shoulders and strong forearms. A physique befitting a stoneworker.

Unlike his appearance and position, Vito was a polite and courteous man. When Antonello introduced Kain as “the mercenary Iago,” he tilted his head curiously, but that was all.

Antonello explained that “the man lying over there” was Giuseppe Conrone, who had worked at the Venelucian office, and how he came to serve on the ship of fools. He then introduced “Iago” as the one who had brought Giuseppe here.

Vito showed little reaction even after hearing all the explanations. He merely stretched out a “hmm” and then firmly shook Antonello’s hand.

“Antonello. Although you are not my blood brother, our family has always placed trust in your mercenary group. Just as my father trusted your father, I too trust you.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency.”

“So, I hope you won’t feel too hurt by my request for you to leave us for a moment.”

Antonello didn’t feel particularly hurt. Rather, he seemed relieved as he vacated his seat. At Vito’s request, he didn’t forget to bring a bottle of strong liquor. Only then did Vito look at Kain.

“I’ve been wanting to meet you. Mr. ‘Iago.'”

“You mean me?”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you for quite some time. Your actions are, how should I put it… not like those of a typical Venelucian mercenary.

To be precise, you’re more like the mercenaries from Niccolo Dandolo’s time. Saying it like this makes it sound like ancient history, but if you knew how much this city has changed in just four years, you’d understand what I mean.”

“This is my first time in this city.”

“Of course it is, Mr. ‘Iago,'” Vito replied with a smile.

“So I won’t ask further about your friendship with the renowned staff craftsman Francesco, who was also called a horny bastard. Francesco doesn’t spend that much time with men, only with women.

For someone who has ‘just arrived’ in this city to share drinks with such a man—your social skills must be quite extraordinary, right, Mr. ‘Iago’?”

“Indeed. I’m even having a private meeting with you right now.”

Vito merely smiled. Now he was even leaning back in his chair. He looked more relaxed. Kain tried to state his business, but the Stonemason Guild Master held up his palm.

“Isn’t it a lovely day?”

Kain wondered if this was the time to talk about the weather. But he decided to play along for now.

“A clear day without a single cloud. I don’t particularly like it. It burns my face.”

“It must be an unpleasant day for people who work outside. It looks so nice when viewed from inside a window.”

“What wouldn’t be enjoyable if it wasn’t your job?”

“I used to think that way when I was your age,” Vito rubbed his forehead. “I can’t think that way anymore. Only people with few connections to the world can say such things. Young man, the more points of contact you have with the world, the more you realize there’s no such thing as ‘not my business.’ Like my daughter.”

Kain was about to retort that he must have more than one daughter, but then remembered Bella, who was learning from Francesco.

“I thought you weren’t interested in your spirited daughter.”

“Ask all the parents in the world. Is there any finger that doesn’t hurt when bitten? They’ll tell you this: There’s no finger that doesn’t hurt, but there are certainly fingers that hurt more than others.

Poor Niccolo Dandolo. I think I understand that old man’s feelings a bit now. Though difficult to handle, she’s still my daughter, and if she’s meeting strange men I never expected, imagine how upset a parent would feel.”

“But Francesco doesn’t seem to have made any mistakes with Bella.”

“I’m not particularly interested in him. Bella may like him, but everyone goes through something like that at that age. The person I’m interested in is someone else. It’s you.”

Vito pointed his finger at Kain, as if pinning a collected butterfly.

“What do you want to say?”

Kain found this interrogation tiresome. He also didn’t like being investigated by someone he had called to make a proposal to.

But Vito was in no hurry. It was a puzzling leisure. Surely the commotion at the harbor must have reached his ears too, so why was he so relaxed?

“Mr. Iago. You are no ordinary mercenary. And this isn’t your first time in Venelucia. You came here four years ago, and back then you used the name ‘Angelo.’ You worked with the Rose Party members.

Then you disappeared with Beatrice’s death, only to reappear now and turn Venelucia upside down once again.

If you deny, make excuses, or add anything to what I’ve said, I’ll take it as an insult to my intelligence, and I’ll leave here without hesitation.”

“Then I too will use words that politicians in Venelucia favor,” Kain solemnly declared. “I neither confirm nor deny. Those are your words.”

“Then let me continue,” Vito chuckled.

“I heard from Antonello that you have a great interest in that embezzler. But in fact, that embezzler didn’t commit such a serious crime, and there’s clear evidence that he was slandered by a priest of the order. That’s what the attendant butler who went to the document room at my daughter’s request told me.”

Come to think of it, it was that goat-bearded butler who had looked up the records at the courthouse. Of course, while the butler had a duty to take care of Bella, he had no obligation to keep her words and actions secret.

So all of his daughter’s movements would have been reported to Vito.

“That’s right.”

“Yet that man, Giuseppe, didn’t raise any objections. He silently endured all those insults. As a result, his family had to leave Venelucia, but they were able to live without worrying about money or medical expenses for the rest of their lives.”

“This is the first time I’m hearing this.”

“Of course it’s your first time. I only found out recently myself. When my attendant butler was grumbling about doing strange things because of Bella, I became curious.

So I dug a little deeper into it, and it was quite interesting. Giuseppe’s family has been receiving financial support from Leonardo of Charity. His mother suffers from an incurable disease.”

Kain remained silent. He hadn’t thought there would be such circumstances. He was also puzzled as to why Vito was telling him this.

“Leonardo knows how to use ‘charity’ wisely. When he sees someone who could harm him or testify against him, he approaches their associates and wins their favor. If they’re in trouble, he either sends his subordinates or spends money.

It’s quite interesting. Without touching the person directly, he keeps pushing those around them up and up. Then at some point, he abandons them. He suddenly cuts off funding or stops helping people.

When the poor souls ask, ‘Why suddenly? What did we do wrong?’ Leonardo always points to someone. He makes excuses that he had to cut off support because of those who hold his weaknesses.

As far as I know, ten out of ten people don’t blame Leonardo. Instead, they blame the person they’ve been friends with for a long time, lived next to, and had a relationship with.

I don’t know why this happens. Humans are complex creatures. That’s how he isolates people, makes them lonely, and then—whoosh—pushes them away. Either pulls them to his side or buries them completely.

I already knew he was like that. I just found out recently that he did this to Giuseppe Conrone’s family.”

“If you knew, why didn’t you take action?”

Vito grinned at Kain’s question.

“Iago, or should I call you Angelo? I doubt either is your real name, but let’s go with ‘Iago.’ Mr. Iago, we didn’t need to concern ourselves with his affairs. There was no particular reason to take action.”

“He’s intimidating people with his good deeds.”

“It was those very people who readily accepted those good deeds,” Vito replied sternly.

“Like fish that bite the bait on a fishing line. You must have seen night fishing. Fish trembling in the darkness rise toward the light, but that light is actually the light of death that takes their lives. But no one threatened them. They walked into hell of their own accord.”

“Not everyone has everything like you do, Master Vito.”

“You don’t need to have everything to make choices, Mr. Iago.”

“You misunderstood me,” Kain shook his head.

“For some people, life is like a boat drifting in rapids. Even if they stay still, the world drags them into the abyss. They grab those lines because they have no other choice. Not everyone has as many options as you do.”

“True. That’s why Beatrice failed.”

At this unexpected remark, Kain grimaced. It was a mistake. Vito had mentioned Beatrice’s name precisely to elicit that reaction.

“Beatrice’s ideals were noble. To make each citizen bear the consequences of all freedoms, duties, and choices. She said that was what befitted the ideology of a republic. But she was too naive.”

“Naive indeed. That’s why she failed.”

“No. For a different reason than you think, Mr. Iago.” Vito’s smile remained twisted.

“That people can throw away their dignity for a piece of bread. And even then, they shamelessly hold their heads high, saying, ‘I chose this, so I have no shame.’

Beatrice only saw how high and noble people could be, but she closed her eyes to how mean and crude they could become. That’s why she had to die.”

“I don’t quite understand. Why? Why?”

He tried to remain calm, but couldn’t. In an unexpected situation, having an unwanted conversation with the person she had been most wary of. Kain’s instinct told him to retreat.

But he couldn’t. He was trapped like prey caught in a spider’s web. And Vito seemed intent on fully exploiting Kain’s predicament. Because he was a ‘politician.’

“Beatrice showed people that there was another path. That they could choose a better path, that there was a nobler way. She saw it as a beautiful future that everyone could step into, but what people saw was something entirely different.”

“So what was it?”

“What she revealed to people was the miserable realization that they could have chosen something better, but chose something worse.

If individuals could have been given freedom of choice, rights, and if that was truly the zeitgeist of Venelucia, then what have we been doing all this time? Why have we been living under the powerful, like those serfs of the Empire?

So let’s play a game.”

“A game in this situation?”

“Ah, a very simple game. A game you can’t help but win,” Vito rubbed his hands.

“Tell me in your own words what choice the people of Venelucia made, and you win. If you can’t bring yourself to say it, I’ll tell you. Come on, tell me. In response to Beatrice’s appeal, apart from those chaff-like men who were enchanted by her appearance and eloquence, what did the ordinary citizens do?”

It was a trap. Kain knew it. If he answered this, he would be admitting that this wasn’t his first time in Venelucia. No, even responding emotionally would be evidence that Kain himself had deep connections with the Rose Party.

“Vito Mancini,” Kain sighed.