If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 181

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Armed men were causing trouble among the merchants.

The mercenaries, who had come to cause trouble, immediately flipped over a vendor’s stall when they didn’t get the answer they wanted.

Agatha instinctively wrapped her hands around her belly as a protective gesture when she sensed the threat. She had come down for peace after all. It was an unconscious reaction to shield the baby inside her.

“They’re mercenaries hired by County Schuck. They appear regularly to extort money from the merchants and cause havoc like this.”

“Why? This isn’t Count Schuck’s territory, is it? What right do they have to collect money from the merchants here?”

“Most of the small towns along the southern coast owe money to Count Schuck. Technically, it’s not Count Schuck’s territory, but in reality, he holds the practical ownership. Pahel is heavily influenced by Count Schuck.”

“Then why is it that during the two months I’ve been here, I’ve never heard his name once?”

“Because you’ve been on the island. It’s not too far, but traveling by boat is cumbersome, so the mercenaries don’t come and go to the island.”

As Charlotte and Agatha were talking, the mercenaries moved closer and overturned another stall. This time, it was a stall selling dried flowers and herbs, and the goods scattered onto the muddy ground, making it impossible to sell again. Agatha furrowed her brow at the sight.

As the mercenaries drew nearer, Karon instinctively positioned himself in front of Agatha, blocking her view. While he didn’t think they would harm her, it was better to avoid attracting attention.

“Who are you?”

One of the mercenaries immediately recognized the knights’ unusual appearance, which didn’t fit the shabby alleyway. The mercenaries looked them up and down with obvious disdain.

“You don’t look like you’re from here.”

“We’re outsiders.”

“Just calling yourselves outsiders isn’t enough. You’ll need to state where you’re from and who you belong to.”

The largest of the mercenaries stepped forward to challenge Karon. Agatha nervously clutched at Charlotte’s sleeve, hoping this wouldn’t escalate.

“I’m here for a short stay from Leden. There’s no need to reveal my name to mercenaries like you.”

Karon made a dismissive gesture, motioning for the mercenary to move aside. He had no need to reveal Agatha’s name to these hired hands working for the Count.

“Hey, outsider. You seem to not know your place. Here, we are the law. When we ask, you better answer.”

“Who do you think you’re to tell someone to answer or not? You mercenary scum.”

“Mercenary scum?”

The mercenary glared, getting in Karon’s face. But Karon stood his ground.

Having risked his life on the battlefield for years, Karon was unfazed by the crude threats of street thugs.

“Seems like you’re some noble from a small town trying to puff up your chest. But it won’t work here. You’d better start thinking carefully, nobleman.”

“I repeat, there’s no need to reveal my identity to you. It’s for your own good to leave now.”

The mercenary laughed loudly at Karon’s words. His laughter grew louder, and the merchants around them began to panic, quickly shutting their shops and doors in fear.

“Or what? What will you do?”

The mercenary placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. In an instant, all the knights surrounding Agatha also drew their swords.

The atmosphere shifted from pleasant to tension as thin as ice. Although she had been excited to go out for a change, Agatha now regretted leaving the safety of the mansion. She looked nervously around, feeling like her presence was causing trouble for Karon and the knights.

“Huh? I asked, what are you going to do?”

It seemed he wasn’t just making empty threats. The sound of his sword scraping against its scabbard sent a chill through the air. He looked ready to unsheathe it at any moment.

This was about to get worse. Agatha quickly assessed the situation and stepped forward with a.

“I am from the house of Kristin.”

“Miss…”

Charlotte tried to stop her, but it was already too late. The mercenaries’ attention shifted from Karon to the small woman who had spoken.

“Duchy Kristin. Even those of you in the farthest reaches of the South must have heard of the four stars that protect Nikephos.”

The mercenaries began to whisper.

The mercenaries whispered among themselves, their attitude changed drastically now that Agatha had invoked Kristin’s name. After a brief exchange, one of them asked, if it wasn’t a problem, whether they could escort her to Count Schuck. Agatha firmly declined.

She had no reason to meet with him. She had come to this place to find Charlotte and recover, not to make connections with distant nobles.

After the brief outing, Agatha returned to the mansion by boat. The atmosphere was markedly different from when she had left.

The knights, who had stayed behind, asked about what had happened. When they learned that she had encountered Count Schuck’s mercenaries, they were determined to accompany her on every future outing.