Never Expect a Vampire Like You

Chapter 11 The Banker's Son

As the financial hub of the entire continent, Florence naturally housed banks beyond the Medici. Moreover, after the current head of the family, Lorenzo de' Medici, known as "Lorenzo the Magnificent," took office, he spent vast sums vigorously supporting Florence's artistic development and public works. This plunged the entire city into a world of art and relative extravagance. Yet, he paid little heed to his own family's business. Not only did the family's holdings shrink significantly, but several branches of the Medici bank closed in Florence and other cities. Consequently, other family banks rapidly rose to prominence, making Florence's banking scene a veritable hundred flowers in bloom.

According to Riccardo, over a decade ago, there existed in Florence an Auditore International Bank. This bank maintained close ties with the Medici Bank, frequently engaging in collaborative ventures. Its operator was named Giovanni Auditore, a nobleman from Monteriggioni, a town near Siena.

The name Giovanni was exceedingly common in Italy; since her arrival in this era, Chiara encountered at least twenty Giovannis every year. To distinguish them easily, whenever she heard someone introduce themselves as "Giovanni," she would silently add a number in her mind. So, when Riccardo mentioned Giovanni Auditore, Chiara nodded inwardly.

Hmm, Giovanni No. 551.

"However, I haven't seen an Auditore International Bank nearby during my outings these past few days," Chiara remarked.

"You haven't been out for many days," Riccardo chuckled.

Chiara rubbed her nose. She couldn't very well say she'd been sneaking out for nightly strolls. Being new to Florence and unfamiliar with its buildings and streets, she worried about venturing too far and losing her way back. Thus, her activities remained confined to within a one-kilometer radius.

"Even if you went out every day, you wouldn't see it," Riccardo tapped his plate with his fork. "The Auditore Bank is gone."

Chiara asked casually, "Did it go bankrupt?"

Business inevitably had its booms and busts; she saw this clearly. After all, even the Medici, under Lorenzo's management, had shuttered several banks.

"No," Riccardo sighed, as if recalling the past. "Over a decade ago, Giovanni Auditore was accused of treason by the then Gonfaloniere of Justice, Uberto Alberti. He and his two sons were hanged in the Piazza della Signoria. Naturally, the Auditore International Bank ceased to exist."

Chiara's hand trembled; the food on her fork nearly dropped back onto the plate.

Hearing Riccardo's words, Silvio, who had been standing behind him, added, "I remember that too. I was very young then. My father took me to the Piazza della Signoria to hear Uberto's judgment on the Auditore family. Giovanni refused to confess even before his execution, but Uberto gave him no chance to explain and ordered the execution immediately."

Lisa beside him looked surprised. "Your father took you to an execution scene when you were that young?"

Silvio shrugged, seemingly also perplexed as to why his father had inflicted such an early psychological shadow on his young mind.

Riccardo showed no displeasure at his servants' interjection and simply said, "That's how it happened. And two years later, after the Bloody Mass, Signore Lorenzo de' Medici cleared the Auditore family's name, proving they had committed no treason."

Chiara nodded.

She wasn't familiar with the Auditore family affair, but she knew a little about the Bloody Mass Riccardo mentioned.

The two parties involved were the Pazzi and Medici families. Resentful of the Medici's de facto rule over Florence, the Pazzi conspired to assassinate Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano during the High Mass on Easter Sunday inside the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Giuliano perished in the attack, while the wounded Lorenzo hid in a sacristy and survived.

Subsequently, enraged Florentine citizens captured several Pazzi family members who had planned or participated in the assassination and executed them, hanging their bodies before the Palazzo della Signoria. The renowned painter Botticelli even depicted this scene on the walls of the government building.

It was said his brushstrokes were exquisite and remarkably lifelike.

Chiara was somewhat interested, but the daytime heat was oppressive. Opening the window, she was instantly dissuaded by the sight of pasta drying on terraces and rooftops throughout the streets and alleys, glittering blindingly in the sun. At night, she dared not venture far. Thus, since arriving in Florence, she hadn't yet found the opportunity to visit the bloody masterpiece painted by Lucrezia's favorite artist – the one Arturo's secret crush swore to marry – on the government walls.

The Pazzi conspiracy was also linked to Pope Sixtus IV at the time. Chiara, however, was in the Vatican then; the cardinals spoke of it only in hushed tones, vaguely alluding to it, perhaps thinking her too young to understand, which is why they mentioned it in her presence.

After learning some basic information about this Florentine noble family from over a decade ago, Chiara asked, "So, the person you mentioned earlier, the one who used to scale walls and leap across rooftops in Florence... who was he? Was he related to the Auditore family?"

Her questioning was somewhat urgent, a departure from the gentle yet distant attitude she had shown upon first arriving in Florence. The three servants found it strange, but Riccardo merely smiled and said, "Of course he was related. That person was Giovanni Auditore's son."

"An Auditore son?" Chiara was stunned, then crestfallen. "Then he must be long deceased."

Over a decade ago, Giovanni Auditore and his two sons had already been hanged in the Piazza della Signoria. If he was Giovanni Auditore's son, then this person must have died long ago. No wonder Riccardo said Florence hadn't seen anyone scaling walls and leaping rooftops for a long time.

Chiara had been in this world for fifteen years. From initial bewilderment to calm acceptance, and then to full adaptation, things uniquely hers were slowly being eroded by this era. Only that night, when she used her still-youthful body to climb the tower of Palazzo Orsini, collapsing exhausted onto a haystack on the roof, gasping for breath, did she truly feel she was still herself.

She longed to meet someone who shared her passion, someone who could leap with the wind across the city's rooftops.

Hearing from Riccardo that such a person had existed in Florence, she had eagerly pressed for details, listening without blinking as Riccardo told a story from over a decade ago.

Had Rodrigo been present, he would have been astonished and scarcely recognized this daughter, whose face usually bore only a composed smile, never betraying such intense emotion.

Riccardo, seated opposite her, observed the change in her eyes. He chuckled and said, "That person didn't die."

Chiara frowned tightly, her expression clearly puzzled. "Escaped the gallows?"

That would be more miraculous than a witch escaping the stake. Could this man be a warlock?

—After encountering vampires and vampire hunters, Chiara now viewed this world through the lens of a medieval magical realm. If one day Rodrigo told her a dragon lived on Mount Vesuvius and intended to abduct a beautiful maiden from the Vatican to be its bride, she wouldn't be surprised.

Facing Chiara's question, Riccardo shook his head. "The ones executed alongside Giovanni Auditore in the Piazza della Signoria were his eldest and youngest sons. His second son—the protagonist of our discussion—had already fled elsewhere with his mother and sister before that."

Chiara: "...You didn't mention he had a second son just now."

"Nor did I say all his sons were executed," Riccardo smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly, his drooping eyelids making him appear even more honest and simple. Chiara now found great wisdom in Rodrigo's adage about appearances being deceiving.

"The Auditore family's eldest and youngest sons, from a very young age, loved to run through Florence's streets and alleys, much to the citizens' distress. As they grew older, their running grounds were no longer limited to the ground." Riccardo raised his right index finger, pointing towards the ceiling. "People sleeping in top-floor rooms often heard tiles clattering overhead. Needless to say, it was those two brothers up to mischief."

Listening to his description, Chiara pictured two carefree youths dashing across Florence's red rooftops. They had just conquered a towering church dome and were exhilarated by the feat, while behind them, Florentine citizens, unable to give chase, jumped with rage. The image was amusing and somewhat heartwarming, so she smiled along with Riccardo.

Their shared mirth didn't last long. Riccardo lowered his hand, straightened up, and sighed. "When the guards went to the Auditore residence to make arrests, the second son happened to be out on business and thus escaped. By the time he saw his family again, it was on the execution ground, witnessing them hanged before his eyes. Fortunately, he ultimately relied on that very skill which had caused countless Florentines so much grief to evade the soldiers sent to hunt him down."

"And then?" Chiara asked.

"Then..." Riccardo narrowed his eyes. "Not long after, an exhibition of Verrocchio's new works was held at the Basilica di Santa Croce. Uberto attended this grand event. While he stood, wine glass in hand, discoursing loftily with city officials, a young man cloaked in white plunged from the sky. With a concealed blade in his sleeve, he struck Uberto dead in a single blow. Amidst the ensuing panic and screams, he pulled back his hood and declared loudly, 'I am Ezio Auditore! The Auditore family still has me! The Auditore are not extinct!'"