by Funa
This is why Kaoru had gone in with an optimistic attitude, and ended up being surprised that her first attempt had actually worked out.
“...Now, let us begin.”
Kaoru ignored the retainer’s words, facing the six horses with a serious expression.
“I am Kaoru. I have come here to fulfill the wish of my devout servant, Carlos. Which of you wishes to avenge your master?”
“Whaaaaaaaaat?!” the six horses shouted in surprise.
“C-Carlos... Even in death, you think of our young mistress... A-Aaaaaaahhh!”
“I couldn’t do anything, despite still being alive... I’m so ashamed...”
Tears fell from the eyes of the horses.
“We would do anything for our master and the young miss!”
“We, too, swear loyalty and shall become sacred horses as Carlos did!”
“Uoooooohhh!” the horses wailed together.
“Oh, Carlos is still alive.”
“Whaaaaaaaaat?!” they yelled, their wailing stopping abruptly.
The household of Viscount Raphael simply watched the horses getting riled up, entirely dumbfounded...
Chapter 33: Road to Revenge
Something was clearly off.
The mysterious girl and horses continued to neigh and whinny back and forth. The only possible explanation was that they were communicating somehow, and the horses were reacting extremely strangely as a result.
The members of the viscount’s household remained frozen in confusion, but the current head of the house, Mariel, was the only one motionless due to an emotion other than surprise.
Ahh, if only I had met this girl sooner! Maybe I could have talked to Carlos before he died...
Apparently, Mariel had been told that Carlos had died suddenly and unexpectedly.
Kaoru’s conversation with the horses continued, regardless of what was going through the minds of the others.
“Oh, I came in here claiming to be a veterinarian. I need to do something to make it look believable. Do any of you have any injuries or illnesses? I’ll make you all better. If you have anything you want to tell these humans, I can relay those messages too.”
“Really?!” the horses said.
Then, they conversed for a while in neighs and whinnies.
“This horse says, ‘A horrible man whipped me needlessly just to work out his frustration. My butt still hurts.’ Did someone lend this horse to a piece of trash who abuses animals?”
“Wha...” the humans replied, stunned.
The only person I could think of was that uncle in question.
“And this other riding horse says, ‘My knee hurts because the man who sold Carlos to a stable to dispose of him rides very aggressively.’”
“Ah!” said Mariel, having been rendered nearly speechless by the first half of Kaoru’s comment.
“Oh...” the butler and old stable keeper said quietly. They had frozen up, as the truth they had decided to keep secret from the young mistress had just been revealed.
But the bombs didn’t end there. If that had been a 50-kilo bomb, the next one would be an atom bomb.
“And this carriage horse seems to be experiencing some mental anguish. ‘I hate that I have to let the killer of my master and his family ride me. The young mistress is being deceived. I don’t want her riding with him...’”
“Whaaaaaat!!!” they all yelled out.
They were shocked. Dazed.
“Wh-Wha... What do you mean...?”
“I mean, that’s what the horse is saying. I don’t know anything about it. You should also be aware of their other concerns...”
Mariel was trembling, all the color drained from her face. The butler should have been supporting her, for fear of her falling over, but he was too preoccupied with his own worries.
“The carriage leans to the left due to a faulty wheel, which makes it hard for the horses to run. This one’s saddle has a thorn in it, so he wants you to take it out. They also want apples and corn in their food every day, and sweets every once in a while.”
Each of the things Kaoru pointed out were confirmed to be accurate by the stable keeper. A wound that seemed to be caused by a whip on a horse’s rear. A horse that had been favoring its left leg to keep pressure off the right. A splinter stuck in a saddle. The left wheel of the carriage wasn’t turning smoothly...
Did that mean the girl was right about the other things, as well? Could the horses really have told her such things, and could they be true?
“...”
The silence, which had only lasted a dozen seconds, felt like an eternity. A never-ending, dragging silence...
Mariel seemed to finally reboot afterward, and asked Kaoru to translate for the horses. It was obvious what she wanted to ask about...
“...Is what they said,” Kaoru finished interpreting for the horses.
Previously, they had conducted various experiments, such as blocking Kaoru’s view of the horses by standing between them and making her turn the other way while keeping an eye on her, then having Kaoru order them to do complex movements and to neigh a specific number of times.
They also asked her things that only the stable keeper would know. Her credibility was proven without a shadow of a doubt. Silence filled the room again. They knew who the culprit was, but there was nothing they could do...
They could publicly accuse him, but the only proof they had was the word of some strange girl saying that the horses told her so. No one would take that seriously. The others had only heard horse noises, so this suspicious girl could just say whatever she wanted. And even if the horses could testify in the human tongue, they belonged to the person making the accusation, so they wouldn’t be credible witnesses.
They needed something concrete that would be considered usable evidence by everyone. It was impossible to match fingerprints or extract DNA from hair in this world; even if that technology did exist, it wouldn’t help find the culprit in this case. After all, the general population and those who conducted the trial wouldn’t understand their significance.
“What should we do...?”
Mariel’s question wasn’t the query of someone who was actually at a loss for what to do. There was really only one thing to do; the question was how she could accomplish it for certain. Mariel didn’t mean to ask what they should do about this situation, as such, but how to make it a reality. This was evident by the look in her eyes.
She intends to do whatever it takes...
It originally seemed that she had gotten married to her uncle as part of simply going with the flow, without ever thinking for herself, but that didn’t seem to be the case. It turned out that she thought it was what her parents wanted. That must be why she had agreed to a marriage she didn’t even want.
But if that was a lie, and her parents had never truly wanted such a thing... And if the very man who had tricked her was responsible for the death of her parents and brother...
Kaoru had considered withdrawing from this whole ordeal if Mariel was hesitant to do anything about it. She could create a potion that would make everyone involved forget about everything that had transpired in the last few minutes. The girl could marry her family’s killer and live a modestly happy life.
Surely, she wouldn’t mind such a fate. Ignorance is bliss, after all.
Carlos would be taken care of for the remainder of his life, at least so long as that old man was paid. Assuming the old man didn’t die first, that is. That said, Carlos was quite old himself, and it was far more likely for a horse, which has a shorter life span than a human, to pass away first.
But this girl was prepared to take action. There was no sign of hesitation. And so, Kaoru knew what she must tell her.
“I actually do other work besides being an animal doctor.”
This line was completely out of place in this heavy atmosphere. Which meant there must be something to it. Mariel gulped, waiting for Kaoru’s next words.
Then, Kaoru spoke.
&nbs
p; “To strike down unforgivable evil, and help the powerless achieve vengeance. They call me the Divine Punisher of Annihilation!”
Mariel and the others stood dumbfounded, then the girl remembered Kaoru’s words from earlier.
“I actually do other work besides being an animal doctor.”
Work. If this is her job...
“Please, fulfill my... no, House Raphael’s request!”
The butler and the old stable keeper didn’t seem surprised by Mariel’s words, nor did they try to stop her. This was to be expected. That’s what their calm demeanor seemed to convey. But in their eyes, there burned a flame of hatred.
Kaoru’s reply was obvious:
“I refuse.”
“Whaaaaaat?!”
A flat-out refusal. This was completely unexpected, considering how the conversation was going. The three from House Raphael stood agape, and Kaoru went on.
“I don’t do double contracts.”
Confused, Mariel gave her a blank expression, and Kaoru continued.
“I’ve already taken on a request from Carlos.”
Mariel’s eyes widened, then she shouted out loud.
“Oh Carlos! You care for me even in death!”
“Ahh... Carlos...”
“What a loyal horse he was...”
The stable keeper and butler crumpled in tears next to Mariel.
“Oh, uh, Carlos isn’t dead... But no one’s listening...”
＊ ＊
“What? Carlos is alive?”
“At least when I received his request, yeah. It seemed like he had a few years in him before he died of old age,” I explained to Mariel von Raphael.
Though, it was possible that the old horse could have died an hour ago without me knowing, so I didn’t make an irresponsible remark like, “He’s alive right now.” You just never know when it comes to the elderly. But I had given him a potion, just in case, so I doubted that would be an issue.
And so, the investigation was done, and now it was time for the revenge stage.
“I will be fulfilling Carlos’s request now. Can I ask for your cooperation?”
Nod, nod.
It was time to execute the plan. I didn’t intend to have the humans help directly. This was a request from Carlos, on behalf of his owner, the previous viscount, and this young girl. That was why Mariel, the current viscountess of House Raphael, didn’t want to involve the others, either. The only ones who would be part of this were the ones who were in the same position and held the same feelings as Carlos.
“Please show me where you keep the dogs here.”
＊ ＊
“What... is that?”
“Creeps me out...”
The people regarded the residence with fear and loathing.
It didn’t seem particularly out of the ordinary, though it was a bit more luxurious than the average commoner could afford, the kind of home that a modestly wealthy merchant or a noble without a title would live in. Yes, nothing out of the ordinary.
That is, if one disregarded the massive murder of crows atop the roof, trees, and walls, and the many dogs sitting around its perimeter...
“Damn it, just what is going on here?! Why are there so many crows and dogs all around this house? Did someone scatter food as a prank?”
Aragorn von Raphael... The younger brother of Mariel’s father. In other words, the second son of the previous generation of House Raphael, and Mariel’s uncle. Currently twenty-eight years old.
He was a bit far from Mariel’s father in age, and Mariel was currently fourteen, having been born when her father was twenty, so her uncle was now exactly twice her age. When it came to marriage between nobles, a twenty-year difference in age was quite common, and a marriage between an uncle and his niece was not uncommon, particularly when the purpose of said marriage was to protect a family’s inheritance.
A second son was only considered the “reserve” in matters of inheritance, and as soon as the first son and heir had a child, the second son’s role as that reserve was greatly diminished. This was particularly true if the newborn was a boy, but it was also much the same for girls. In that case, the girl would simply be married off to a noble house’s second son, or even lower, and there would be plenty of willing candidates.
Such a marriage would result in blood ties to that family, and such strategic marriages could be quite beneficial. So, if something did end up happening to the firstborn son, House Raphael would have arranged a strategic marriage for Mariel.
Mariel would have been able to choose one of the many candidates with good backgrounds, charming personalities, and fine appearances, and House Raphael would thus have gained a strong tie to a powerful noble’s house. The son of the other house, who didn’t have a future as the successor of the family title, would become the husband of the future head of household, and his family would eventually have their grandchild as the head of a noble house, so everything worked out in the end.
The firstborn son of House Raphael was clever and healthy, and Mariel was a beautiful and astute young girl. Whether they both grew up healthy, or if one of them happened to perish due to accident or illness, the future of House Raphael was stable. If everything had stayed as it was, everyone would have been happy.
That is, everyone other than Aragorn, who had no chance of inheriting the family title, and thus had no other choice but to become a military officer or a bureaucrat. And so, he had risked it all on one move: hiring assassins to murder his brother, his brother’s wife, and his nephew.
Afterwards, he claimed that his brother had told him to take care of Mariel if anything happened to them, and so he demanded her hand in marriage. He figured his niece was an obedient child who loved and respected her parents, making her unlikely to resist his advances. Mariel would turn fifteen soon, making her an adult, and at that point they would get married, just as he had planned...
Making him the new head and viscount of House Raphael.
Normally, a man marrying into the family wouldn’t inherit the family title, and he would simply be the “consort of the viscountess.” This was to avoid a stranger with no blood ties ultimately inheriting the family title, in the case of divorce or remarriage after the wife passed away. But this time was different.
Aragorn himself had a right to inherit the family title, and if his brother’s bloodline ended, the title would go to him. As such, there would be no inheritance issues if something were to happen to Mariel. His original plan was actually to wipe out the entire family, including Mariel. She ended up surviving due to her not being present at the time of the attack, but he was fine with that result.
Aragorn hated his brother for making him feel inferior and robbing him of the family title and fortune, and now he could make his brother’s young and beautiful daughter serve him and do with her as he pleased. He was reveling in the sweet, sadistic joy that this thought brought him. If she refused, he would just have his assassins kill her, as he had the rest of her family. The title would still fall into his lap in the end.
With these thoughts in mind, Aragorn was completely unconcerned with the future. Such incidents occurring in a short time span would be problematic, but the “accident” would simply need to happen before Mariel married anyone else and had a child. And even if she did have a child, they would both just need to end up in an accident together. After all, whoever married her wouldn’t have the right to inheritance if they weren’t of Raphael blood.
But all of this planning soon became unnecessary, since Mariel had immediately agreed to the marriage. The first and second in line of House Raphael were to be married, and so the inheritance question was set aside. Just a few more months... Mariel would become fifteen in just a few more months, then...
His days had been spent in excitement with such thoughts, then this happened.
“What in the world... How ominous...”
With such a highly unusual thing recurring for multiple consecutive days, rumors had begun spr
eading, along with speculation.
“A house surrounded by a mass of crows and dogs.”
“Maybe a witch or demon lives there.”
“Someone who made a pact with a demon could be living there...”
From there, someone who had knowledge of the situation added to the rumors.
“I heard a noble husband and wife and their child were killed there.”
“They say he’s marrying the fourteen-year-old girl, who’s the last survivor in line for the title...”
“Wait, don’t tell me...”
“Who do you think those crows and dogs serve? The demon, or the husband and wife?”
Then, the house gradually became covered in the urine and feces of the crows and dogs. Not just from the crows and dogs in the area, but crows that flew in from other regions and dogs that walked over out of nowhere. They all left some droppings and went about their business. No one could deny the involvement of something supernatural after seeing such a sight. After all, this was a world where the existence of a goddess was an undeniable fact.
＊ ＊
“Finished my shift! Can I get paid now?”
“Yes, yes. Here’s your minced meat, bread, and corn. I made sure to give you the fatty bits of meat. Oh, and I put your take-home portion in a bag, so it’ll be easier for you to carry.”
“Whoa, now that’s what I call service! All right, I’ll be back tomorrow to work hard some more!”
The crow began to eat with glee. Many of its comrades were already eating nearby, and take-home bags were lined up next to them.
If I take this home, my wife and child won’t have anything to complain about. What a great job... or, rather, a great feeding place... I found.
The crow hoped this gig would go on for some time, but didn’t expect whoever lived in that house to be able to hold out much longer. Besides, there would be more tasks to do, starting tomorrow.
I’ll have to work more from tomorrow, but it sounds like fun. The food is supposedly going to get better, so I say bring it on!