The previously smooth conversation snagged on this question, unable to proceed. Nicholas seemed to have something difficult to say.
So, after chatting vaguely about local customs and other inconsequential topics, Aldric took his leave.
Walking out the main gate of the Solag fortress, he pulled Roland aside. "Come, let's find a place to talk."
Finding a quiet corner in the village, Aldric asked, "Roland, on the road, you didn't want to explain too many details."
"Now that I've met the Sheriff, surely you can tell me what exactly is going on with your village?"
Roland sighed. "Gage... is my cousin. His mother was my father's sister."
Roland's grandfather was a somewhat wealthy merchant who raised a daughter and two sons. After paying a huge dowry, his daughter married Gage's father. So, although Roland was a decade younger than Gage, they were indeed first cousins.
The Solag family had guarded Purple Wisteria Village for House Stark for five generations. Gage, as the current head, married a woman from another sheriff family, who only bore him two daughters in her lifetime.
In this era, even for great nobles, ending a lineage without male heirs was common.
So after marrying off his eldest daughter, Gage kept his younger daughter, Anya, by his side and recruited the youngest son of the Jenkins family, Nicholas, as a live-in son-in-law, preparing to groom him as the successor.
But fate is unpredictable. About ten years ago, Gage's first wife died of illness.
At that time, Gage was still a vigorous, powerful warrior. After pondering for two years, unable to bear the loneliness, he married a girl even younger than Anya as his second wife.
Six years ago, Gage followed Lord Eddard to suppress the Greyjoy Rebellion. Not long after returning, his second wife gave birth to a healthy son. Sadly, the child hadn't even opened his eyes when his mother died of a massive postpartum hemorrhage.
The death of his second wife dealt a heavy blow to Gage, weakening his spirit significantly. But having a son in his old age made Gage dote on the child immensely, solely focused on raising him to inherit the post the Solag family had held for five generations.
Nicholas Jenkins, the son-in-law groomed for seven or eight years, was thus marginalized.
Afterward, Gage relied more on the veterans who had fought alongside him to manage village affairs. Most of these veterans were also descendants of the Solag family's branch lines.
Unfortunately, old Gage's plans couldn't beat fate's arrangement.
Over two years ago, Gage led men to hunt in the Northern Mountains. He suddenly fainted and fell from his horse. After his companions brought him home and woke him, he slowly began to become confused.
With the old man unable to manage affairs, Nicholas stepped up to lead the village. But Gage's old cronies refused to obey his orders.
Using the excuse that the Sheriff was still alive, they overtly and covertly resisted Nicholas's decisions, leaving him powerless to control the village.
A Sheriff isn't a landed lord; essentially, this group is hereditary stewards managing the territory for the lord.
If a Sheriff dies without recommending a suitable family member to House Stark, the title could be revoked, and the family could revert to commoners.
The chance for a common retainer to be raised to a landed lord happens once in a millennium. That's why House Mormont of Bear Island and House Manderly of White Harbor are so loyal to House Stark.
Old Gage had selfish motives, hoping to last until his biological son came of age to inherit his position.
His old brothers had selfish motives, unwilling to give up their benefits or see Purple Wisteria Village taken over by an outsider surname.
And Nicholas? Who dared say he stepped up without any selfish motive?
These messy affairs tangled together, resulting in chaotic order within Purple Wisteria Village. Just holding the village against bandit attacks was commendable; launching an offensive was out of the question.
Aldric asked Roland, "Does Nicholas really intend to fight for this position? Which side are you on?"
"Nicholas hasn't said so openly... but if he really grasped real power in the village, I'm afraid it wouldn't be up to him anymore."
"As for my stance... since coming of age at fifteen, I've followed Gage into battle, carrying his banner. I stand where he stands."
"But Little Crow, Gage's son, is too young. Only five."
"Ten more years to adulthood. Can Gage last ten years?"
"And I watched Anya grow up. Since before she could speak, I carried her around the village. Later she grew up, married Nick, and lived well..."
"If Gage wants to pass the Sheriff position to Crow, I support it."
"If Nicholas Jenkins takes over, I don't object."
"Other veterans lived and died with me on the battlefield; I can't ignore their thoughts either."
"But I worry if this drags on and the village is breached, news that the Purple Wisteria Sheriff couldn't protect the subjects will reach Winterfell. The Lord will likely pick someone from his current entourage to be the new Sheriff."
"Then, whether Crow, Nicholas, or the other old brothers, none will end well."
"That's why I volunteered to find reinforcements in Winter Town. Even the fifteen Gold Dragons I promised you were collected household by household."
After listening, Aldric said bluntly, "Since you have enough prestige to raise mercenary fees from the village and followed Sheriff Gage for years, why can't you be the Sheriff? Is there anyone more suitable than you?"
Roland was stunned, then smiled bitterly. "What nonsense. I don't have a drop of noble blood; how can I be a Sheriff? Even if the Lord forced the position on me, others wouldn't accept me."
Aldric nodded. So that's it. The terrible power of bloodline politics.
This was Purple Wisteria Village's internal affair. Aldric didn't plan to intervene, so he changed the topic. "So, what's our next plan?"
Roland nodded. "Next plan? You go wipe out the bandits. That's the next plan."
"...Very good, very complete. What about the two scouts you promised?"
"I'll go find them later. Have them report to your camp tomorrow."
Leaving Gage's house, on the way back to camp, Aldric couldn't help but complain, "A succession issue in such a crappy little village can cause so much trouble."
Rennel laughed. "Forget a Sheriff's position. Even for one Gold Dragon, if an old man doesn't clarify things before dying, it could cost lives."
Aldric took a deep breath. "Forget it. It's their family matter; we stay out. As mercenaries, we just consider how to wipe out the bandits for them. I just feel sorry for the commoners in the village."
Back at camp after dinner, Aldric gathered the officers, including vice-captains, and relayed the information gained from visiting the Sheriff.
Conrad listened and said sullenly, "Fifteen Gold Dragons, covering supplies and extermination. The price is really a bit low."
Aldric felt it was a loss too. But what could they do? A startup company had to take the scraps others rejected or starve.
He shook his head, comforting everyone. "It doesn't matter. Our goal isn't to be thugs forever. We must grow into a unit capable of independent combat missions to demand high prices later. This is an opportunity."
Coming to this unfamiliar place, solving everything from camping to supplies to intelligence themselves was undoubtedly a huge challenge for the newly formed Silver Hand.
But it was also an excellent training opportunity. Only by passing this hurdle would the Silver Hand reveal its edge like a tempered sword—tough and sharp.
However, as the ancients said, Military matters are the ground of life and death, the path of survival and destruction; they must be examined.
Rushing into the mountains blindly with the team would be suicide. Intelligence work had to be solid to formulate effective tactics.
The next morning, Roland brought two hunters to the Silver Hand camp. Aldric handed them over to Eddie, letting Eddie take them up the mountain to find the bandit camp and scout their strength and equipment.
Aldric stayed to lead the soldiers in training.
At noon, Aldric suddenly heard low growls from Ghost the direwolf and Bell the bear cub, followed by a child's terrified crying.
Aldric cursed silently and immediately followed the sound. He saw Ghost lowering his body, growling at a child of about five or six, while Bell the bear cub tried to sniff the child's foot, scaring the kid into kicking at its nose.
Seeing this, Aldric shouted sternly, "Ghost, Bell, back off!"
Ghost was a silent, cold fellow, only showing a bit of cub nature when playing with Bell. And in the entire Silver Hand team, besides Jon, he only listened to Aldric's orders—after all, even Jon had to listen to him.
Under Aldric's command, Ghost and Bell retreated to the side and lay down obediently.
Aldric picked up the child, brought him into the camp to sit, and checked him. After confirming the child wasn't bitten, he relaxed.
Out of danger, the child cried even louder. "Wah! Wah! Sister! Sister! I want my sister! Fenna! Nick!"
Chasing away the onlookers, Aldric comforted him repeatedly. "Child, it's okay, it's okay."
He had Jon bring a small cup of honey used for roast meat and some jerky from the supplies. Only after stuffing them into the child's hand did the boy quiet down.
After the child drank the honey, ate a piece of jerky, and drank a bowl of mushroom cheese soup, Aldric asked, "Kid, how did you run here alone?"
The little boy shook his head. "Not alone. Kant came with me, but he ran when he saw that big dog. If I wasn't slow, I would have run too."
"What about the adults? Don't they watch you?"
"My sister takes care of Father, and brother-in-law is busy too. Usually, Suna looks after me. But when Fenna cooks and can't watch me, I can sneak out to play."
Fenna, Sister, Nick, about six years old. It seemed this little boy was Crow Solag.
A child with no one to discipline him. Aldric patted the child's head, feeling a bit sorry for him.
Mother died early, father lost the ability to care for himself, living under the protection of his sister and brother-in-law, yet unfortunately becoming the focus of this small village's power struggle. His life couldn't be easy.
Aldric rubbed the child's head. "Is the smoked jerky good? I'll get you another piece if it is."
For a five or six-year-old, smoked jerky was tasty, mercenaries training were fun to watch, and the clumsy brown bear cub was amusing. Unknowingly, he forgot the time passing.
Not long after, Nick arrived at the camp with several men carrying swords and knives. Seeing his brother-in-law looking grim, Crow quickly hid behind Aldric, burying his head under his armpit.
Instead, seeing Crow safe and sound in Aldric's camp and knowing to hide, Nick breathed a huge sigh of relief and shouted angrily, "Crow, who let you come here!"
"Sorry... Nick..."
The little boy said timidly, "They said mercenaries came to the village, so I wanted to see... I didn't do anything bad..."
"Commander Aldric, I'm truly sorry." Nick sheathed his weapon and apologized. "Someone ran to tell me Crow was bitten to death by a wolf, so we came armed. No malice intended; hope you don't mind."
Rushing into someone's military camp with weapons wasn't polite.
But Aldric didn't pursue it, laughing it off. "It's fine. Indeed, there are a wolf and a bear by the camp, our pets for guarding."
Nick looked at the direwolf and bear lying nearby and nodded. "I'll tell villagers to stay away from the camp."
Aldric nodded and pushed Crow out. "It's normal for children to be naughty. Don't beat him too hard when you get back."
Nick smiled bitterly. "I wouldn't dare hit him. Let's go, Crow. Your sister is worried to death."
Crow walked reluctantly to Nick, holding his brother-in-law with one hand and the last bite of jerky with the other. He looked back at Aldric. "Can I come watch you train again?"
Aldric nodded. "Yes, but an adult must accompany you."
Crow turned back regretfully and left with Nick.
Watching the two walk away, Aldric noticed they looked quite alike, and their relationship was obviously very close. It didn't seem as tense as Roland described... Maybe things aren't as everyone imagines.
Eddie's scouting needed time, so no results came back yet. But Rennel gathered some news.
On the third night in Purple Wisteria Village, Rennel returned from the village and whispered to Aldric, "I heard Gage's son-in-law, Nicholas Jenkins, has dealings with the Wildlings on the mountain."
Conrad, hearing this nearby, exclaimed, "Huh? How dare he!"
Aldric frowned, skeptical. "Contacting Wildlings... isn't that treason?"
Rennel explained, "He probably did it out of desperation."
"Last month, the Wildlings raided again. The numbers doubled from over a dozen to over thirty."
"The warriors guarding the fields retreated into the village, refusing to fight. The village was disunited, watching the crops being ravaged."
"Unable to watch any longer, Nicholas went out alone to negotiate with the Wildling leader. Finally, he paid a month's worth of grain to make them leave."
"Since the grain came from the village's public granary, many call him a coward in private. They cursed so loudly I heard it."
Listening, Aldric turned to his student. "Kevin, what do you think?"
"Hmph, trash."
"Jon, what do you say?"
"Saving villagers' lives is always a good thing, right?"
"You're both only half right."
"Nicholas used a month's grain to buy the bandits' retreat. Although he secured the village's safety temporarily, he also fueled the bandits' arrogance."
"When the bandits finish that grain, what do you think they'll do?"
"They'll only come back here and demand more."
"The first time, there were a dozen bandits. The next time, over thirty. What about next time?"
"I fear that after draining Purple Wisteria Village dry, the bandits will eventually breach the village, killing and looting."
"And Nicholas Jenkins's ending will only be a dead end."