Chapter 97

Serena de Verchello walked down the street, holding a pouch filled with coins.

Her steps were hurried.

She clutched the basket, which concealed her coin pouch, even tighter, feeling uneasy despite walking this same road every day.

‘Good morning.’

‘How are you, miss?’

‘Have a nice day.’

After steadily declining for nearly half a century, the Verchello family’s name now felt like a heavy burden.

But the people of Merion still called her ‘miss’ and treated her kindly, for which she was grateful.

Serena bowed her head and hurried on, replying with yes, yes.

She felt a little heavy-hearted for not being able to respond to their gentle greetings with equal gentleness.

It was because of her rushing heart.

“Hello, Miss Serena.”

Another familiar voice.

Serena forced a smile and offered a greeting.

“Hello, Shion.”

The boy called Shion smiled brightly and waved his hand.

He was an employee at the old bookstore she often visited and as always, he had a delicate appearance.

“The book you mentioned before came in, would you like to take a look?”

“I’m sorry, I’m in a hurry right now.”

“It’s the first edition with Viscount Mustas's commentary. We barely managed to find it in Maesh, are you really just going to leave?”

“…I’m truly busy.”

Serena sighed.

Under normal circumstances, she would have rushed into the store right away.

Living as a lady of a fallen house, she had to give up many things, but she could not give up her innate love for reading.

She wished today was a normal day.

“You really do look at it.”

Shion smiled, his blue eyes crinkling.

I could see beads of sweat on her forehead between her black hair.

For the lady of the Verchello family to be sweating and in a hurry, it would be rude to press her further.

“But no matter how busy you are, a glass of cold carbonated water wouldn’t hurt, would it?”

“Carbonated water…”

“I was just drinking some sweet Seramade mixed with Seram fruit syrup.”

Unconsciously, Serena swallowed.

Now that he mentioned it, she hadn’t eaten anything since morning.

Sweet and cold Seramade for her tired, sweaty body… she simply couldn’t refuse.

“Then, just one glass…”

“Please, have a seat.”

“I’ve always wondered, why does an old bookstore have an outdoor tea table?”

“It’s for my personal hobby.”

No, and I told you we’re an art gallery, not an old bookstore.

The boy called Shion grumbled but quickly brought out the Seramade.

It was so sweet and sour that she couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s delicious.”

“I made it myself.”

“You’re very skilled.”

Serena de Verchello smiled faintly.

Her eyes were the color of raspberries.

She had the basket with the hidden coins on her lap.

She looked as if she was worried someone might steal it.

“Where are you going in such a hurry? There’s only Droea Street over there now.”

“I’m going to Droea Street.”

“Pardon? You, miss, to Droea Street?”

Shion pretended to be surprised.

“Droea Street is full of dangerous people!”

“I know.”

“Oh my… should I go with you?”

“You, Shion?”

Serena chuckled and looked at Shion.

He was a slender boy.

So much so that he could be mistaken for a girl.

She wondered if he was even fourteen years old.

If they walked side by side, they would certainly look like sisters.

“I’ll just take the thought.”

“But it’s dangerous to go alone…”

“It’s fine. I’m meeting someone over there.”

She put down her glass and politely bid farewell to the kind bookstore employee.

“Thank you for the drink, Shion.”

***

‘…The quality doesn’t seem good.’

As soon as I entered Droea Street, the atmosphere changed completely.

Even though it was an alleyway under the same sun, the air felt strangely gloomy and thick.

The eyes of the people passing by were dark as well.

‘It wasn’t like this when I was a child…’

Serena had lived her entire life in Merion.

This wasn’t her first time on Droea Street.

Though it was a place with many rough people who did manual labor, it hadn’t felt this gloomy and low-class before.

To think it had changed so much.

‘It must be because of the Bururade Grand Canal.’

The Grand Canal, which cuts through the Bururade Peninsula, bypasses Merion.

As a large waterway was opened, the city’s center naturally shifted.

At the same time, there were people who couldn’t keep up with the change.

They gathered on the opposite side of the Grand Canal, in Droea Street.

It wouldn't be wrong to say they were pushed out or driven away.

Serena bit her lip slightly.

The Verchello family was once almost the masters of Merion.

As a member of the Verchello family, she felt a sense of responsibility.

But she was powerless, which made her feel disheartened.

“Whoa.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Look, over there.”

A few men gestured towards Serena with their chins.

Gathering on the street in broad daylight and reeking of alcohol, they didn’t look very well-mannered.

“Isn’t that the Verchello lady?”

“So she comes to a place like this too. Without any fear.”

The people of Droea Street quickly recognized Serena.

There couldn't be two girls in Merion with such jet-black hair and a tall stature.

Despite the men’s stares, Serena walked on with determination.

However, she couldn't help but feel tense, clutching the basket in her hand tightly.

Once one person recognized her, two or three more did.

Soon, all eyes on Droea Street were on Serena.

It was strange to see the only lady of a noble family, the Verchello, even if fallen, walking alone in a lower-class district.

“Did you come alone, miss?”

Eventually, one of the men stepped forward.

His nose was red, so he must have had a lot to drink.

Serena found the smell of alcohol unpleasant but didn’t show it.

“Where are you going? I’ll guide you. It’s dangerous.”

“…It’s fine. I’ll just take the thought.”

“Don’t be like that…”

The drunken man chuckled and reached out to grab Serena’s wrist.

“Hey!”

A shout rang out.

“Get lost, you street rats!”

“…Street rats? What kind of guy… Oh…”

“You want me to give you a physical defect that will last a lifetime?”

It was a man with three deep scars on his face.

One scar crossed his left eye, another the bridge of his nose, and the third was above his lip.

The scars made his mouth look crooked, as if he was baring his teeth.

He had a more villainous appearance than anyone else on Droea Street and he was likely just as dangerous in reality.

“…Ah, I was just trying to guide her, Guild Master.”

“Shut up and get out!”

“…Yes.”

The man called Guild Master shouted once more.

Why are you all standing around?

Is a person a spectacle!

The crowd that had gathered scattered instantly.

Only after the man had quieted the street with a few words could Serena finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Miss Serena!”

“…Guild Master Veranio.”

“Did you really come all the way here?”

“I told you I would.”

“I thought you were joking! Why would a lady like you have a request for guys like us…”

The scarred man, Veranio, sighed.

“Let’s go inside for now, there are too many eyes on us.”

***

“Please, sit comfortably.”

It was a shabby reception room.

Serena was troubled, wondering where on the dusty sofa she could sit to stain her skirt the least.

Veranio rattled the cupboard, looking for a drink to offer his guest.

“…Miss, if I may ask, do you need a drink? I only have three kinds.”

“What are they?”

“One kind gets you drunk.”

“…You mean alcohol. What about the next one?”

“It gets you terribly drunk.”

“…If I may ask, what about the last one?”

“It’s a kind that you can’t get up from after drinking.”

“…Is that really a drink?”

I’m not thirsty, so it’s fine.

Serena politely refused.

She had just had the Seramade from Shion, so she didn’t really need another drink.

“It’s embarrassing, our guild is so poor.”

Guild Master Veranio plopped down on the opposite sofa.

He was the head of the Merion Mercenary Guild, which also served as the Rogue Guild and the Gangster Guild.

Since rogues and gangsters were not legally recognized professions, his official title was the Merion Mercenary Guild Master.

Even in the peaceful metropolis of Merion, there were shadows.

Rather than being dark, Veranio—often called the Guild Master of a "miscellaneous bunch"—managed the various lower-class districts.

“But what is the request about?”

“It’s a long story. I don’t know where to start.”

Serena held her head in her hands.

“The Del Conti family has challenged me to a duel.”

“…A duel?”

“So I need a champion. The Verchello family doesn’t even have proper knights or guards anymore.”

Veranio snorted in disbelief.

The three lines of scars twitched, further distorting his villainous face.

“No, a duel? On what grounds?”

“A few days ago, the Del Conti family suggested a marriage alliance between our houses. But I’m the only one left in the Verchello family…”

“…They must have wanted you, miss.”

“That’s right.”

Serena’s eyes grew distant.

“I naturally refused.”

Her eyes were the color of raspberries.

“They said they were insulted and challenged me to a duel.”

“Their shamelessness knows no bounds! They must have proposed the marriage with that intention from the start, right?”

“Anyone can see that.”

“The cuckoos really do love a dirty fight.”

They proposed a marriage, and when they were refused, they challenged her to a duel.

There was no other word for it but pathetic.

Yet, it wasn’t surprising.

Everyone in Merion knew that the Del Conti family were those kinds of people.

“Even if the Del Conti family doesn’t have any honor left to lose…”

“Our Verchello family is different. All we have left is our former prestige.”

It would certainly be fatal for the Verchello family.

Veranio muttered to himself.

The Verchello family, once one of the leading noble families in the entire Bururade Alliance, was now a thing of the past.

Nowadays, it was even difficult to maintain their old prestige.

‘If she refuses the duel or the result is too tragic, it would be a declaration that the Verchello family no longer has any chance of recovery.’

It would mean they were too weak to even handle the Del Conti family’s petty quarrel, and a pack of wolves would come running from all sides.

No matter how talented Serena de Verchello was, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

If that happened, the Verchello family would be finished.

“Hmm… So that's what happened.”

Veranio’s face twisted.

“Actually, a few days ago, the Del Conti family put in a request. They said they needed a combat force urgently because a gang of rogues was rampant near their business locations.”

No way.

Serena’s face turned pale.

She had never thought that the Del Conti family would have reached out this far.

Veranio felt sorry for her but continued speaking.

“I’m truly sorry, Miss Serena. It seems our guild won’t be of much help.”

“…There isn’t even one person?”

“…We were in a financial pinch, so we sent everyone we could, even the ones who just do office work. They’re useless except for fighting, but they offered two Maesh silver coins per head, so they went crazy with excitement…”

“…I wondered why there was nobody at the guild building.”

Serena spoke carefully.

She couldn’t back down now.

If she couldn’t find a champion for the duel, the Verchello family would truly be finished.

All their efforts until now would have been in vain.

“…There’s really no way, is there?”

“…I’m truly sorry, miss.”

Veranio bowed his head deeply.

He felt extremely regretful.

‘If I were to contact someone outside the city, I might be able to find a decent person…’

But doing that would mean completely turning against the Del Conti family.

From Guild Master Veranio’s perspective, that was too much of a burden.

Regardless of their reputation, it was a fact that the Del Conti family held the wealth of Merion.

‘…And a marriage alliance.’

Veranio glanced at Serena.

Her face was pale, but she was trying to come up with a solution.

How old was she?

Eighteen, he thought.

‘Aside from the family, for Miss Serena, it wouldn’t have been such a bad offer.’

The Del Conti family’s wealth was immense.

It was no exaggeration to say that all the prime businesses in the Merion area belonged to them.

In addition, they owned some of the rights to the Bururade Grand Canal, so they must be earning an unimaginable amount of transit fees every month.

In terms of wealth, they already surpassed the Verchello family at its peak.

The life of a daughter-in-law of such a family would be much more comfortable than living as the head of the fallen Verchello family.

Yes, the daughter-in-law of Del Conti…

“…Hmm?”

Veranio made a questioning sound.

“…Miss, was there a male child of marriageable age in the Del Conti family?”

“No. The current head, Kukulo, has only three daughters.”

“No, then, don’t tell me…?”

Serena spoke as if it wasn’t strange at all.

“The one who wants to marry me is Kukulo Del Conti himself. He wants me to be his third wife.”

“That crazy bastard.”

An expletive burst out.

Veranio’s face became even more villainous.

“The cuckoo bastard, he’s completely insane. Even so, to the Verchello family…”

“…”

Serena silently fidgeted with her hands.

They were rough, not what one would expect from a lady of a noble family.

Her fingertips were trembling slightly.

Was it out of anger or humiliation?

Or perhaps both.

He felt pity for her.

How much she must have suffered at such a young age, eighteen.

He was ashamed of himself for being so cold, considering the favor he owed the Verchello family.

Veranio quickly made up his mind.

“Alright, let’s do this, miss.”

Serena looked up.

A slight glimmer of hope flickered across her face.

“It’s difficult for our side to help you.”

“As I thought…”

“Don’t be disappointed yet. After all, there’s no one in our guild who can do anything against the Del Conti’s retainer knight anyway.”

And bringing us thugs would only bring disgrace to the Verchello name, wouldn’t it?

“Instead, I’ll open a better path for you.”

A better path?

Serena muttered carefully.

There was a fear that it might be in vain.

But she still wanted to hold onto hope.

“Aren’t you looking for a person who is very strong, and whose identity is unknown, making it easy to pretend that they were originally a person of the Verchello family?”

“…Is there such a person?”

“Yes, as it happens, there is. He’s a total unknown, so I had no intention of introducing him to you, but…”

Serena fidgeted with the basket she was holding.

Inside, there was a hidden coin pouch.

It was so full of copper coins and so few silver ones that she was ashamed to call it a large sum of money.

“…I wonder if I can afford to pay for such a person.”

“Don’t worry. If the talk goes well, you won’t have to worry about the cost.”

Veranio took out a quill pen and scribbled something.

“I’ll write you a letter of introduction. Go to this place.”

Serena accepted the parchment handed to her by the three-scarred man.

“…Just who is this person?”

“I don’t know him well either, he’s full of secrets.”

Guild Master Veranio shuddered.

He looked as if he didn’t even want to think about it.

“But one thing is for sure, he’s probably the most dangerous man in Merion.”

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