They widened their eyes, staring straight at Aiden.
"Aiden, what do you mean?"
"Are you suggesting that we invited the Bandit Corps? So thatās why our lands havenāt been attacked by bandits?"
"..."
Facing the rebuke from several Manor Lords, Aiden showed no fear, "Manor Lords, I have never said such words."
"You are falsely accusing me in front of Lord Lawrence!"
The words of the Manor Lords suddenly softened, and they turned to look at Lawrence.
Sure enough, his expression turned grim, and they hurriedly shut their mouths.
Lawrence extended his right hand, gently massaging his temples to relieve minor headaches.
He murmured to himself, "So, where did the Bandit Corps go?"
The Manor Lords had no words, lowering their heads.
Jonas also frowned slightly.
Standing in place, Aiden spoke up, "Lord Lawrence, could it be that due to the fear of your army, the bandits fled Morgan Town early?"
"Bandits usually roam around..."
Lawrence seemed not to hear his words and continued speaking, "Since weāve arrived at this frontier town, letās wait and see."
Upon hearing this.
Jonas seemed somewhat restless, raising his head to speak, "Lord Lawrence, since the bandits have fled, thereās no need for you to endure hardship here."
"We assure you, if the Bandit Corps attacks Morgan Town again, we will unite and exterminate them!"
The Manor Lords glanced at Jonas perplexedly.
They had no understanding as to why Jonas would suddenly speak like this.
Lawrenceās eyebrows raised in a taunting manner, "Now you know how to unite for extermination? What were you doing before?"
"Or is it that my 3,500-strong army has come to Morgan Town for just a few days and already made Old Jonas Manor Lord uncomfortable?"
"If thatās the case, I will call upon the tax collector to carefully review whether Morgan Townās annual tax payment is accurate!"
Jonas lowered his head and explained, "Lord Lawrence, I didnāt mean it like that, I..."
Lawrence waved his hand, interrupting Jonasās words.
Somewhat displeased, he said, "Alright, alright, weāll end it here for today, dismiss."
Jonas and the others heard this, stood up, respectfully bade farewell to Lawrence, and walked out of the meeting room.
In the meeting room, only Lawrence and the middle-aged knight Godfrey, who had always stood behind him, remained.
Lawrence rubbed his temples with both hands, speaking coldly, "Godfrey, what do you think?"
Godfrey stepped forward from behind, entering the candlelight of the room.
He recalled for two seconds and said, "Perhaps they really donāt know the whereabouts of the Bandit Corps..."
"Some people must know other hidden truths, but they donāt want to tell you, master."
Hearing more ambiguous words, Lawrence exhaled two breaths from his headache.
Lawrence stood up, walking towards the door of the meeting room,
"Godfrey, you can deploy the soldiers as you wish, I give you one week to investigate clearly."
"If after a week, you still canāt find the Bandit Corps, weāll leave Morgan Town."
Godfrey spoke up, "Return to Bordeaux City?"
Lawrence stopped in his tracks, looking back at Godfrey, "No!"
"Target: Duke of Red Dragon!"
Godfreyās pupils instantly contracted.
Attacking the Duke of Red Dragon?
Coming to Morgan Town to exterminate bandits was just a guise?
The true target is the neighboring Duchy of the Red Dragon?
This...
If not for Lawrence telling him this information, he would be completely unaware of the real objective of this outing!
Godfrey pondered for a moment, it all made sense!
If itās just to eliminate a gang of roaming border bandits.
As Marquis Mark Ducas, he only needs to issue a few orders to unite the Manor Lords around Morgan Town for a joint bandit extermination.
Mark Ducas didnāt do this, instead, he sent Lawrence and a 3,500-strong army.
Everything makes sense!
As for why this would happen...
Godfrey thought briefly, vaguely guessing some reasons.
Perhaps it is related to Mark Ducas attending Princess Yunaās coming-of-age ceremony!
If Marquis Ducasās soldiers, without permission, directly press forward...
War, is about to begin!
...
Downstairs in the three-story building, five figures stepped out the door.
In an instant.
Numerous biting cold winds blew against their bodies.
Several of the followers quickly approached their masters by the carriage, wrapping them in a thick wool cloak.
Aiden tightened the cloak Ackman put on him, just about to head towards a distant carriage.
A sharp voice sounded from behind.
"Aiden, what do you mean by what you just said?"
Aidenās steps instantly halted, turning to look behind him.
A middle-aged man with short hair and beard was glaring at him with wide eyes.
Aiden stared directly at the middle-aged man, "Theodore, whatever meaning you think I said, thatās what I meant!"
Theodoreās expression was cold, "Aiden, do you really think I donāt dare to act against you?"
"With the strength of your manor, I could level it within a single night!"
Aiden stared back fearlessly.
A few seconds later, he turned his head to look at Jonas walking in the distance, speaking, "Sir Jonas, kindly leash your dog..."
"I think Lawrence wouldnāt mind earning more merits for Marquis Ducas!"
Theodore shouted, "Aiden!"