Want to meet me in person? Such a bold mercenary team?
"Where are they?"
"They're at the garrison headquarters, with Sergeant Joseph, my lord. Should I go there myself?" Asrant said.
As the lord, he wouldn't personally handle everything, but this audacious mercenary team piqued Shawn's interest. The place where the rebels vanished was near the Mercenary Guild, so perhaps someone there really knew something.
Of course, more importantly, Shawn wanted to leave the Earl's mansion. Otherwise, Filodiwara would keep hovering here, and kicking her out would be more troublesome. Using work as an excuse to make her leave was better.
"No need. If they insist on meeting me before talking, going there won't help. It's fine, I'll go myself," Shawn said.
"How can that be! The Earl is the lord of Oro City, not someone just anyone can meet." Filodiwara chimed in as expected.
"It's fine. The rebel matter is more important."
Asrant seemed about to speak, but after a glare from Shawn, he caught on and started backing him up.
"Uh, indeed. I've heard the Empire's rebels are quite severe in the northern regions. Many mountain towns have become their gathering points. The Imperial Army can't wipe them out completely, and they've even been active along the border, leaving the nation helpless. Oro City is close to the Edak region, so it's best to nip them in the bud within the Empire's borders. Once they cross the frontier, we can't track them anymore."
Shawn silently gave him a thumbs-up.
As expected of someone from the capital—not only sharp but also tactful.
Among all his guards, Asrant was clearly more capable and smarter than Danti. Though his loyalty might not match Danti's, he was worth cultivating in certain areas. That's why Asrant was his captain now, with Danti as the vice-captain.
"I see. These rebels are truly infuriating—years have passed, and the Empire still can't completely eliminate them!" Filodiwara finally said in frustration.
That remark suddenly struck a chord with Shawn.
Years?
It seemed like many years. According to what the Grand Duke had said, they existed since the Empire's founding, though back then they were remnants of a conquered nation. After all these years, could they still be around?
The Basharan Empire had been founded for two or three hundred years. It was normal to have leftover factions from conquered states in the early days, but without a steady supply of new members, how could they survive for centuries?
In the history of the Wigal family...
One ancestor, invited to participate in a battle organized by the Earl of Koga City, had faced the rebels.
And that was over a hundred years ago.
Now, here he was, dealing with them again.
These people were tenacious!
Or perhaps...
Well, Shawn was just speculating wildly without concrete evidence. He couldn't claim Imperial officials were shielding them, and spanning so many years wasn't something a few officials could orchestrate.
Though Grand Duke Haruman had long suspected Prince Philip of rebellion, for now, he lacked the strength. The Grand Duke hadn't produced solid proof either, or else, given his loyalty to the Empire, he'd have reported it directly to the king.
Shawn followed Asrant out of the Earl's mansion toward the city garrison headquarters.
Given his current financial state, Shawn couldn't afford to establish a full Black Feather Knight unit—the cost was too high, and he hadn't decided whether Joseph or Asrant would be the knight commander. So the city garrison was a mixed force, temporarily led by Joseph and stationed in the southern part of the city.
Joseph probably hadn't expected Shawn to come personally, and his face showed surprise when he saw him.
"My lord, you've come yourself."
"Wasn't there a mercenary team claiming to know about the rebels? And they wanted to see me before talking," Shawn asked.
"There was such a group, but I sent them packing. It's ridiculous—you're too busy to meet just anyone." Joseph looked a bit awkward, never imagining the Earl would actually show up.
"Call them back. I want to question them about the rebels myself," Shawn said, unconcerned, and told Joseph to retrieve them.
He waited at the garrison headquarters.
Not long.
They probably hadn't gone far.
After a few minutes, someone reported the mercenary team had returned.
A group of four: three women and one man.
As they entered, Shawn noted their levels—all above Orderer 6, with the leading man's health nearly reaching the threshold of Level 7.
The Mercenary Guild still had teams of this caliber? Not bad!
Judging by their expressions, their favorability wasn't hostile, ruling out any rebel connection.
But when Shawn spotted a blonde girl with a ponytail in the group, he noticed her favorability was at Worship!
Huh?
Do I know her from before?
I don't think I've seen her.
For a moment, Shawn even considered the possibility of Lucille, but this girl had only 6100 health and no mana. Even Lucille, skilled at changing faces, couldn't alter her class. Judging by her gear, she was probably a warrior.
A mix of leather and chainmail armor, with a greatsword tucked at her waist. Such equipment was common among mercenaries—metal armor offered high defense but was costly to maintain, beyond the means of ordinary folks.
But this team was made up of Orderer 6 and above members. If they wanted, they could take on high-difficulty quests. They shouldn't be broke.
So who was she?!
"You're the mercenary team that wanted to see me?"
He glanced at the statuses above their heads.
Calm!, Curious!, Excited!, and Thinking!
Everyone seemed to be thinking about something different.
"Yes, yes... I've always wanted to meet you, my lord Earl." The blonde girl spoke first.
Excitement! and Shyness! coexisted.
Mostly that expression.
Shawn felt he'd seen it somewhere before.
Oh, he remembered.
Wasn't this the same look fans gave their idols in his past life?
He actually had a fangirl?
"My lord Earl, we know where the rebels are. Barnier, tell the Earl their location." She directly ordered her companion to spill it.
This move left not only Joseph and the others but even her own teammates baffled.
"Hey, Ratina, we were supposed to negotiate terms," the girl beside her tugged at her sleeve.
"Negotiate what? The Earl is right here!"
"But you insisted on meeting him—"
"Wasn't that Barnier's idea?"
Shawn frowned, watching the four of them perform their comedy routine.