Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

"Deacon Muenzer, I am deeply moved that you have come all the way to Ravenna."

A smartly dressed man tapped his fingertips lightly on the carved armrests of a gilded armchair, the outline of his slender fingers reflected on the scarlet velvet seat.

"But I am very confused by what you said about the murderer of my parents still being at large."

Min Ze'er opened and closed the leather notebook on his lap. The edges of the parchment shone with a fine luster in the candlelight.

"Mr. Steelyard, I know what you are saying to me is incomprehensible."

"But if you answer my question, I will almost know whether what I think is right or not."

The fire crackled in the fireplace, casting their shadows on the wall covering with the family crest.

After checking in at the hotel in the concession, Minzer went straight to the town hall of Ravenna to inquire whether a businessman named Fugger had committed a murder in the city.

As a result, there was no need to search, as the civil servants in the city hall knew about this matter. Indeed, a businessman named Fugger hired someone to kill most of the people in his business rival's family because of business competition.

But unlike what Minzer had heard before, the merchant named Fugger had been sentenced to death by hanging by the local court. The murdered merchant also had a son named Stillyard, who was not only a businessman but also a member of parliament.

So Min Caier followed the address given by the civil servant and arrived at his mansion, but because the only clothes he could wear were too worn out, he was immediately driven away by the guard on the grounds that the owner of the house had not returned.

Minzer returned to the concession empty-handed, but when he passed by, he saw a building called the Helderland National Post Office. After learning that letters and parcels could be sent to the city of Ravenna from here, he decided to write a letter to Stillyard. If he wrote back, he would meet him immediately. If not, Minzer would find a job and buy a decent piece of clothing before going to see him.

Sure enough, after Minzer worked in the hotel's kitchen for a week, a man called the postman delivered a letter to Minzer and asked him to meet him today. After asking for leave from his boss, he changed into his newly bought clothes and went to meet Steelyard.

"Then ask."

Steelyard loosened the silk scarf at his collar. The silver collar pin reflected a cold luster in the candlelight. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window behind him, the lights of Ravenna Harbor twinkled like stars, and the cries of seagulls could be heard in the distance.

"Then may I ask you, is the murderer in that case a businessman named Fugger?"

"Yes, indeed."

"Has he ever lent money at high interest rates?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What is the reputation of Fugger among the people around him?"

"Um……"

Steelyard tapped the armrests of the armchair with his fingertips, a rhythm that coincided strangely with the crackling of the fireplace.

“I was young at the time, but I’ve learned about it since.”

"His peers say he is a gangster or something like that. He is very stingy with his subordinates, but very attentive to senior officials."

"That's right."

Min Caier suddenly slammed the table and stood up, and the wooden chair legs made a crisp sound when they collided with the stone floor.

The shadow behind him shook violently on the wall cloth, startling the seagulls perched outside the window and causing them to flutter into flight.

"This Fugger is definitely the Fugger I know. The probability of two people with the same name, occupation, and personality appearing near the same piece of land is too rare."

"But Mr. Minzer, I still think it's possible that it's someone with the same name."

"I have seen several merchants named Fugger in other places. You can't say he is a murderer just because he has this name. Besides, the city hall sentenced the murderer to death by hanging more than a decade ago."

"And if it was really Fugel, then after he was acquitted, why didn't he stay away from Ravenna, but continued to develop in the southern part of Yoda?"

"And did you see Fugger's execution?"

Minzer leaned forward and asked.

"No, I was busy with the funeral."

"So, what if he found a scapegoat?"

Steelyard was shocked when he heard this. This was indeed a possibility. The court had given him a verdict at the beginning. He had indeed not seen Fugger's body. In addition, he had not seen this man for more than ten years, so he did not think about it too much.

He walked quickly to the desk and pulled out a roll of yellowed parchment from the drawer.

"But the court's death penalty verdicts all require signatures from the court's top judge, the executing judge and other relevant personnel. Unless he is extremely powerful and can revoke the verdict, it is impossible to find a substitute."

Minzer took the yellowed document and ran his fingertips over the words "Fugger Commercial Murder Case of 1497" on the cover.

The densely packed handwritten records on the parchment were interspersed with the red ink of the court seal, and underneath was a blackened portrait - with triangular eyes and a hooked nose, it was definitely Fugger's appearance.

"Yes, it's this person. Even his appearance is the same."

"what!"

This made Steelyard alert, because Minzer had no conflict of interest at all, and there was no reason for him to lie about a case that happened more than ten years ago. If it was really as Minzer said, then Fugger was really alive somewhere.

Steelyard suddenly fell silent, and the emerald ring stopped turning.

"I have to kill him!"

……

"idiot!"

In a mansion near the town hall in Ravenna, the former chief justice Torque smashed the gilded ink bottle against the oak wall panel. The dark red ink flowed along the heraldic carvings and spread a hideous stain on the carpet.

He stood in front of the window with his back to Fugger's men, his fingers leaving several white marks on the mahogany window frame. Outside the window, the fountain on the Town Hall Square was gurgling.

"I've already warned that bastard to stay away from Ravenna for the rest of his life! Now even the janitors are talking about Fugger!"

The bronze clock in the corner of the study ticked. Torque had his back to them, his jawline in the shadows as tight as a fully drawn bowstring.

He suddenly turned around and sat down in the armchair, the scarlet velvet cushions denting his bloated figure.

"never mind."

He grabbed the silver wine jug on the table and took a sip. The dark red liquid dripped down his beard onto the gold-embroidered tablecloth.

"I should have thought about this when I took the money. There's no point in crying now."

"Then Lord Torque, what should we do next?"

Torque wiped his mouth with his sleeve, leaving purple-black stains on his dark purple official robe.

“To solve the problem, we must address the source.”

He grabbed the quill pen, dipped it into the ink bottle, and spoke as he wrote.

"That Steelyard... and that damned clergyman who came from nowhere, all must die!"

Torque handed the letter to the butler beside him:

"Take this letter to the second tavern called Nightingale in Ravenna Harbor and tell the owner to ask Nightingale to deliver a bottle of wine to Steelyard."

"Then let's..."

As soon as one of Fugger's men opened his mouth, Torque angrily scolded him:

"Get out of here! Find out where Min Cai'er lives. If you find out, notify me. If all else fails, tie him up and kill him outside the city!"

After saying this, Torque slumped back in his chair, breathing heavily, feeling relieved.

"I have to kill them."