Chapter 41

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: There is No Mercy 41

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Count Ricardo's voice rang out.

Marquis Mormond, already intoxicated by the anticipated victory, lazily lifted the corner of his mouth and turned his head.

"Chairman Leviten."

"In favor."

"Chairman Clea."

"In favor."

"Chairman Regiludin."

"In favor."

"Chairman Chek."

"......"

As Count Ricardo pointed with his hand and called each name, the chairmen raised their hands in response without missing a beat, as if they had been waiting for it.

Their movements were swift, as though hesitation was a luxury they couldn't afford.

Biting her lip, she faced the plump face grinning with greedy satisfaction, as if he had expected exactly this.

Count Ricardo swallowed a long sigh at the chairmen's attitudes, who raised their hands without a moment's hesitation.

Count Ricardo slightly turned his body to look at the last remaining chairman, Daria.

After swallowing hard, Count Ricardo quietly opened his mouth.

"Chairman Daria."

"......"

This time was different.

Unlike the other chairmen who had raised their hands quickly, Daria remained silent with his eyes closed.

His sudden demeanor caused a stir among the surroundings.

Even Count Oxiad, who had been smug, and Marquis Mormond, who had been smirking, were the same.

They shrugged their shoulders and shifted in their seats.

"Why is he suddenly acting like that? Could it be that he overheard our conversation earlier and changed his mind......?"

"Who knows. But something feels off. Unlike what he told us about voting in favor, he seems to be agonizing over it now."

Did my words get through to him? Did my straightforward expression sway his heart?

She couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but Daria stayed silent.

"Chairman Daria?"

As his silence dragged on, anxiety crept over those who had voted in favor, while hope swelled on the opposition side.

The expectation grew that perhaps he would vote against it.

If Daria opposed, there would be no need to push for the amendment.

Count Ricardo opened his mouth again at the sight of Daria sitting in silence with his mouth and eyes shut.

"Da......"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

A roar erupted.

The gazes focused on Chairman Daria shifted to Marquis Mormond, who had exploded in anger.

Count Ricardo looked at the marquis in surprise.

Marquis Mormond rose from his seat with a twisted face.

"Do you think this meeting is a joke? Everyone gathered here is busy as hell. You've called people for whom time is money, and you're dragging out a simple vote like this. If you're sleepy, go sleep, or do your damn job!"

"......"

Marquis Mormond's fury pierced straight toward Daria in an instant.

Daria, who had been silent, opened his eyes and bit his lip.

"Cowardly......"

It was a despicable ploy.

Marquis Mormond hadn't lost his temper because it took too long.

It was a warning to prevent Daria from entertaining any foolish thoughts.

A warning that if he went against his will, he had better be prepared.

It was a shout that stole away Daria's judgment and time as he pondered.

It was dirty and underhanded, but it confirmed that Marquis Mormond was no pushover.

"I vote in favor......"

The result backed up Marquis Mormond's actions.

With the slow raise of his hand, joy and sorrow crossed paths.

Daria averted his gaze from Marquis Mormond, who sat back down with a satisfied look, and glanced at her before looking away.

Knowing he had wrestled with countless conflicts in that brief moment, she couldn't blame his decision.

No parent wanted to block their child's future.

She couldn't shove him toward investing in an uncertain tomorrow.

"......We need to prepare."

Chellano muttered in a heavy voice.

As she nodded and organized her documents, Count Ricardo's voice resounded.

"Silence, please. The vote is not over yet."

Not over?

The murmuring meeting hall fell silent at Count Ricardo's words.

Count Ricardo scanned the hushed room before pulling a single sheet from the stack of documents he had brought.

"One chairman sent a letter stating they would be late to the meeting."

"What are you talking about? Another chairman? I've never heard of such a thing."

"Normally, they do not exercise their vote, but by imperial law, there is someone who must participate for the military supply council to be valid."

Count Ricardo responded calmly to Marquis Mormond's irritated voice.

Count Ricardo unfolded the letter in his hand and began reading its contents aloud.

"Do you know who Lady Sierra is?"

"Well?"

She crossed her arms with a faint smile. She withdrew her gaze from Count Ricardo's bewildered expression and cast it far away. Through the open door in her line of sight, light streamed in. And in that light, one person's figure emerged.

Amid the silence, the sound of footsteps echoed on the marble floor—thud, thud.

People who had been focused turned their gazes one by one to look behind them.

And as if realizing something, they let out sighs.

"......Why is she here?"

As she muttered in surprise at the unexpected appearance, Count Ricardo spoke up.

"I will now announce the vote of the final chairman."

Count Ricardo glanced alternately at Mormond and Oxiad before unfolding the paper.

"Against."

"That's impossible!"

Count Oxiad sprang up hysterically and shouted, and likewise, Marquis Mormond shot to his feet.

He glared at Count Ricardo with a furious face and yelled.

"To vote against an important bill without even attending the meeting!! This is unacceptable!!"

"There is no provision in the military supply council regulations that strips voting rights for late participation."

Marquis Mormond's neck veins bulged as he shouted and ground his teeth, then slammed his fist on the desk.

The desk cracked under the angry blow, shards flying everywhere.

"What...... Who the hell is it! Who dares commit such an uncouth and ignorant act?!"

"That would be......"

"I did it."

A deep voice cut off Count Ricardo's words and boomed out.

Marquis Mormond turned his head toward the source of the voice, and upon seeing the face, it stiffened rigidly.

The man who had been sitting rose to his feet.

His face was dim in the shadows, but his golden eyes, sharp and vivid enough to send chills down the spine, gleamed with feral savagery.

"The idiot who committed that uncouth and ignorant act......"

A beast emerging from the darkness into the light.

A figure even Marquis Mormond couldn't trifle with lightly.

"That would be me, Marquis Mormond."

The Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army.

Aden looked down at Marquis Mormond with a cold expression.

Chapter 05

A law not limited to the military supply council, but applicable to all military-related businesses.

'All military operations fall under the authority of the Imperial Army Commander-in-Chief.'

In simple terms, it meant the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army held the representative qualification to exercise veto power over all military matters.

It was a safeguard to prevent profit-driven businessmen's decisions from harming the military.

For about a century, the Ripltons, who had monopolized the Commander-in-Chief position, had not exercised this right.

As a result, it had naturally faded from people's memories.

Even Marquis Mormond, a battle-hardened veteran, let out a low sigh as something dawned on him at Aden's appearance.

It was a detail even he hadn't grasped.

As Marquis Mormond bit his lip with a flustered expression, Aden took one more step toward him.

The overwhelming pressure emanating from his entire body, combined with golden eyes like those of the demons haunting the Ripltons, bore down on Marquis Mormond.

Marquis Mormond tried to stand his ground against Aden, but as Aden's aura grew more ferocious, he ultimately stepped back.

"Marquis Mormond. Where are your manners toward a superior officer?"

As the words fell from Aden's lips, Marquis Mormond closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"I greet the Commander-in-Chief."

In the end, at the sight of Marquis Mormond bowing his head fully, Aden let out a slow smile.

Aden stared intently at Marquis Mormond below his gaze before turning his body.

Approaching Count Ricardo in the center, Aden examined the documents and twisted the corner of his mouth.

"Trying to ram through this absurd bill with brute force. Whoever proposed this nonsense clearly doesn't even know that exporting weapons beyond the permitted quota is treason."

Despite the blatant mockery, Count Oxiad, who had proposed the bill, felt fear before anger.

Realizing the situation was spiraling in an odd direction, Count Oxiad's eyes darted around.

"What should we do?!"

Count Oxiad berated Krembel, whom he had met with Bellieta.

He had done exactly as instructed, and this was the result.

A bill that had passed almost to the end was blocked by none other than the head of the Ripltons, called the empire's monster.

If it had been a normal bill proposal, there'd be no reason to fear, but the problem was the web of entangled interests.

If this blew up and the identities of Marquis Mormond and the puppet master behind him surfaced, he would be the one discarded in the end.

Count Oxiad was a petty man with a narrow mind, unlike the overflowing flesh on his belly and chin—he wanted to live long and prosper.

Krembel merely bit his lip at Count Oxiad's scolding.

Where the hell did it go wrong? Why did that man suddenly appear?

Krembel had thought it was a sure pass since Bellieta had pulled strings.

But far beyond Bellieta's reach, the moon had risen.

A golden moon like the eyes of a demon beast.