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EP.93 [A New Bond Approaching Eugene...?]
"Yes, that's right. Count Alfonso's territory is being used as a trade route."
A few days later, a guest visited the Red Fox Mercenary Band's storage meeting room. It was the deputy commander of the noble knight order, who had come to propose a collaboration for the Tyrannos conflict area quest.
Jeanne listened to the general situation of the quest and nodded slowly.
"Count Alfonso is a figure with great trust among the people of his territory. Therefore, the risk of information leaks is significantly lower compared to other places, and it has been used as an important secret trade route for a long time."
Alpha-level collaboration quests have a high quality, and their procedures also require a certain level of thoroughness. However, depending on the nature of the mercenary band, some quests may proceed quickly without much fuss. When requesting sufficient data for situation assessment, it is customary to provide a certain level of information as a matter of etiquette. Jeanne made such a request to the opposing knight order, and they sent someone in response.
Under these circumstances, the deputy commander of the noble knight order explained the detailed inner workings of the quest to Jeanne.
In the knight order society, there are two official groups: the Imperial Knight Order and the Noble Knight Order. The Imperial Knight Order typically includes elite noble swordsmen who have graduated from the academy or a small number of commoners with significant careers.
On the other hand, the Noble Knight Order includes lower-ranking noble swordsmen, and their main task is to protect the territories of nobles.
The noble knight order that requested collaboration with the Red Fox Mercenary Band is called the Iron Cross Knight Order. It is affiliated with nobles close to the Saint Huang faction, and the name of the deputy commander is Davis.
"Hmm, I was a bit nervous, but fortunately, he didn't recognize me. Not attending social gatherings after puberty helped."
Jeanne maintained her mercenary leader's demeanor while reading the quest documents, but she also kept an eye on Davis. As a noble, Davis might recognize her as the second daughter of the Grand Duke's household. However, Jeanne's appearance as a mercenary had diminished her beauty by more than 25%, making it difficult for Davis, a lower-ranking noble, to recognize her. If it were Charlotte, who is well-known throughout the empire, she might have been recognized, but Jeanne, like Elisabeth, had not engaged in external activities with nobles, so few people knew her face even if they knew her name.
"Tyrannos's forces are that strong? If the Iron Cross Knight Order were to form an alliance with other noble knight orders, it seems there would be no problem defending them."
With her concerns about being recognized alleviated, Jeanne asked about the specifics of the work. The quest involved guarding a trade route for a certain period, which wasn't very aggressive. This raised Jeanne's curiosity.
Usually, when knight orders collaborate with regular mercenaries, they request them to act as vanguard units. However, in this case, the possibility of such a situation arising seemed low. Therefore, Jeanne couldn't understand why they were requesting collaboration with mercenaries from another region.
"The decision was made due to the issue of information leaks. Initially, Count Alfonso's territory was used as a secret trade route for the empire, and that was disclosed."
Davis's response indicated a leak of confidential information. In other words, they needed a reliable mercenary band that wouldn't leak information, and the Red Fox Mercenary Band fit that requirement.
"Huh? This is too radical. If they said it was because of our exceptional skills, I could understand, but is our reputation for living a virtuous life known all the way to Alexandria?"
Jeanne was puzzled by the Iron Cross Knight Order's reasoning. The quest was requested from Alexandria, a city far south of Pangea. While skill and stats can be assessed from a distance, reputation is different. Therefore, Jeanne found it strange that the Iron Cross Knight Order mentioned something other than skill.
"He seems polite and doesn't have any suspicious gaze. He gives off the impression of a young master raised with good family education."
However, Jeanne, who had developed a keen eye for people as a mercenary leader, saw that Davis and the Iron Cross Knight Order didn't seem to have a manipulative nature.
"Most importantly, I like the quest because Eugene is less likely to encounter the Sophists directly."
However, one can't judge what's in someone's heart. Despite this, Jeanne wanted to accept the quest because it didn't involve deep infiltration into enemy territory, which would minimize variables for Eugene.
"Wow, it's been a while since I've been to Alexandria. Even when I was a wandering mercenary, I never got to go there."
In the end, Jeanne accepted the quest. She was a woman who thought only of Eugene.
As a result, a few days later, the Red Fox Mercenary Band headed to Count Alfonso's territory in Alexandria. As they left Pangea's high walls behind and entered the vast plains and fields unique to Alexandria, Ivan's face showed a sense of novelty.
"It's really different now that we're Plus! The noble knight order is treating us so well and escorting us."
Sofia was also excited. The expedition to Alexandria was a long journey unlike anything they had experienced in the Dark Forest. Even for a 30-member, Blackstone-level mercenary band like the Red Fox, the expenses would be substantial. However, the requesting party usually covers these costs. The Iron Cross Knight Order went beyond that by providing horses for everyone and even assigning camp support personnel. As a result, the Red Fox Mercenary Band now looked like a luxurious mercenary band.
This delighted Secular Priest Sofia, who had always wanted secular recognition.
"How is it, Miss Priscilla? How does it feel to be traveling so far on such a high-quality carriage?"
At that moment, Marie turned around on her horse and mentioned Priscilla with a raised voice.
Usually, Priscilla would ride on a supply cart during expeditions, but not this time. She was now sitting on a large, luxurious carriage, enjoying the scenery. This carriage was also provided by the Iron Cross Knight Order.
"It's so nice that it doesn't bounce around. No need to worry about motion sickness. Marie, you should come up too; this area isn't very dangerous anyway. Hehe!"
For Priscilla, an elf who loved looking at scenery from high places, this was the perfect travel situation. Previously, riding on carts was bumpy, making it hard to drink fruit juice, but this carriage was so smooth that she could enjoy her drink even while standing on top. Priscilla was very satisfied and invited Marie to join her.
"You should be more cautious when things seem safe, Miss Priscilla! I'll make sure your enjoyable journey continues by strengthening our guard."
"Aww, you're such a straight-laced kid."
Marie's romantic suggestion fell flat.
"This treatment is beyond imagination. Is it always like this for Plus mercenary bands, as Sofia said?"
Eugene had little mercenary experience, so he couldn't compare, but his companions' reactions were impressive.
He felt curious and whispered to Jeanne beside him.
"It's not like that. If the other party is a noble knight order, being treated as equals without using informal language is already a blessing. This level of treatment is almost like that for close friends or comrades on the battlefield."
In response to Eugene's question, Jeanne stuck out her tongue slightly.
After agreeing to collaborate with Davis, the deputy commander of the Iron Cross Knight Order, and signing the contract, Jeanne was surprised by the extensive support they offered. She had previously wondered if they had ulterior motives, but now she felt embarrassed for thinking that.
"Do you have friends in Alexandria who might recognize you?"
Eugene asked additional questions, thinking that someone in the Red Fox Mercenary Band might be connected to this situation. Given the scale of the relationship, it seemed plausible.
However, there's an unwritten rule that prevents Eugene from prying into his companions' pasts. Based on that, the most likely scenario is that someone recognized Jeanne's identity as a Grand Duke's daughter.
"I don't have friends. There's someone I dislike who lived there briefly, but that's about it. And relationships among noble daughters aren't as romantic as you might think. It's a fierce competition, so even if you're close, it's not like that."
Eugene's probing was unsuccessful. Jeanne had never lived a life that would warrant such hospitality.
Of course, Jeanne had something to say. The noble society itself didn't suit her nature. She had stopped attending social gatherings since puberty due to the intense competition and boasting that went on there.
"The person you dislike? Do I know them? Your reaction seems genuine."
Jeanne's eyebrows twitched slightly as she responded to Eugene's question. He had asked out of curiosity, but Jeanne's reaction was intriguing.
"It's someone I used to argue with before I came here. We still argued a few times after I arrived, but it was outside, so... If I told you, you wouldn't know anyway, so just forget it."
"Aww, too bad..."
However, Jeanne firmly blocked Eugene's playful inquiry. While she seemed like someone who would share everything with Eugene, she wasn't the type to tell him about her past experiences outside.
Eugene found Jeanne's situation pitiful, as she had felt inferior among her genius family and had been hurt deeply.
"But I'm really curious... Who is the person you dislike? It seems like a noble daughter."
However, Eugene now and Eugene in the past are different people. He found everything about Jeanne amusing, and imagining her face turning red near the person she disliked was entertaining.
Thus, the expedition to Alexandria began with many questions, and when they arrived at the Iron Cross Knight Order's camp in Count Alfonso's territory after two days, all of Eugene's questions were answered.
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