Recruitment, Continued

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now Thursday, March 4. Aside from going to the Barracks in the mornings, Sean had been forced to spend most of his time at the baron's Villa chatting with Aunt Angelina. As Aunt Angelina put it, he had trained hard at the Barracks for a month, so once the training was over, he should stay home, rest, and spend time with his family.

However, Sean still made time to visit the house where Thor was currently living and instructed Thor to find a way to verify the true circumstances of the boy Phil as soon as possible.

In less than two days, Thor learned Phil's basic background through other soldiers in the Garrison. It was largely the same as what Sean had previously found out. The only surprise was that Phil was also the leader of a small gang of more than a dozen youths active in the slums.

Sean could not help thinking that after three days in prison, Phil should have suffered enough. It was time to see him. That morning, after making a round through the Barracks, Sean took Thor with him to Linshui City Prison.

The two rode to Linshui City Prison and saw from afar a young woman in civilian clothes desperately pleading with the prison guards at the entrance.

As Sean slowly approached on horseback, he realized that the woman was very young, likely not yet twenty. She had long black hair and gray eyes. Though she wore washed-out civilian clothes, they could not conceal her delicate and rather pretty features.

Sean instinctively frowned and pointed his riding crop at the woman as he asked the guards, "What is this? Who is she?"

"My lord, she is a prisoner's family member. She wants to inquire about the prisoner's condition," a guard answered cautiously when he saw the young officer seated high on horseback. At the same time, he discreetly tugged at the woman, as though afraid she might recklessly say something inappropriate.

After hearing the guard's answer, Sean glanced over the woman's face and saw no sign of denial. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then ignored her and prepared to leave.

According to the regulations, prisoners' families were only permitted to visit them on Sundays. Even then, this applied only to relatively minor crimes. Those who had committed serious offenses could only see their families once a year, during the New Year.

"My lord, please help me. My younger brother Phil was falsely accused. Please let me see him..." Seeing that Sean intended to leave, the woman pleaded sorrowfully. Her face was filled with helplessness, and her soft voice was quite pleasant to Sean's ears.

"You are Alice? Phil is your younger brother?" Sean asked in surprise, no longer paying attention to her voice.

"Yes, my lord. Have you seen my younger brother..." Alice asked anxiously after hearing his question.

Sean did not answer immediately. He needed to think it over carefully. However, he soon made a decision. Perhaps Alice's presence could have an unexpected effect. He said to the hopeful Alice, "I can take you inside, but..."

"Thank you, my lord. Thank you so much. What do you require..." Alice said excitedly, but her voice grew hesitant toward the end. Soon, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to ask, "My lord, what do you require? I will definitely..."

"It's very simple... You may look, but you may not speak. Understand?" Sean looked at Alice, who had gritted her teeth and clearly prepared herself for the worst. He deliberately dragged out the words "very simple," watching despair appear in the eyes of the delicate, pretty woman before him. Then, when she heard his actual condition, her expression turned into one of gratitude. Sean could not help feeling rather wicked...

"If you speak, I will throw you out immediately..." Sean could not help reminding the delighted Alice.

"Yes... yes... my lord, I definitely won't speak." After saying that, Alice covered her mouth tightly with both hands.

Sean nodded in satisfaction. After handing his horse over to the guards, he took Thor and Alice into the prison.

It was the same Detention Room as last time. The young Phil, his hands shackled, staggered into the room after being pushed inside by the prison guard. His hair was disheveled, his face pale, and his eye sockets deeply sunken. It was obvious from the way he walked that he had been injured.

He soon saw his sister Alice staring at him with excitement and tears in her eyes. "Sister..." Phil only had time to cry out briefly before Alice pulled him into her arms.

Sean was not entirely unmoved by the touching scene before him. After waiting for a while, he coughed to interrupt the embracing siblings and said to Alice, "Miss Alice, please stand to the side. Remember what you promised me..."

Phil had already been somewhat confused as to why his sister was waiting here with the officer who had arrested him. Upon hearing Sean's words, he immediately misunderstood. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms without him noticing. He glared furiously at Sean, and even a trace of killing intent brewed in his eyes. If he had not known he was no match for Sean, he would probably have rushed at him already.

"Based on your current behavior alone, I could make you disappear completely..." Sean said coldly as he watched the furious Phil. After a pause, he sneered. "You must have guessed my identity—or rather... part of it..."

"Brother, how could you..." Realizing that Phil had misunderstood, Alice hurriedly tried to explain. Before she could finish, however, she saw Sean staring at her with cold, sharp eyes, making her instinctively cover her mouth.

Sean turned to Phil, whose expression was changing rapidly. Phil was desperately suppressing his anger. After a long while, he finally said in a hoarse voice, "You became a Second Lieutenant Officer in the Garrison at such a young age. You must come from a great noble family..." He then took a deep breath and continued, "You must have received a recommendation from the Noble Academy..."

"Looks like you are not completely stupid. You even know about academy recommendations," Sean said, somewhat surprised, though his tone remained indifferent.

"My father used to be a Garrison soldier. Later, he... died in the line of duty." Phil answered at once, but his tone became strained and pained at the end. He then asked uncertainly, "I once vaguely heard my father mention recommendations from the Noble Academy, but I heard the requirements were very strict..."

"It does not matter if I tell you. I am a Rookie Knight..." Sean said in the same calm tone. After a pause, he continued, "Look at your sister. She loves you so much. Then look at yourself—a thief. How do you intend to end this?"

Sean was not surprised by the astonished expressions on Phil and Alice's faces when they heard that he was already a Rookie Knight. Then, after hearing what he said next, Alice immediately looked distressed, while Phil wore an expression of unbearable guilt.

Sean's words plunged the Detention Room into a brief silence. After a while, Alice spoke with difficulty. "My lord, Phil did not want this either..." Seeing that Sean showed no intention of stopping her, she continued through sobs, "My lord, it is all because I am useless... I am useless... Back then, my father and several of his friends died in the line of duty. Their children all became orphans as well. Later, those children became friends with Phil, and they looked after one another as they lived in the slums..."

Alice suppressed her emotions, paused to steady herself, and continued with difficulty. "They all treated me like a real older sister. To protect me, their sister, they were willing to do anything. This time... it was for me too. Boar Bill was extorting us. He said that if we did not pay, then he would... would..." Hatred appeared on her face, along with a misery too painful to put into words.

"Sister, how did you know..." Phil had completely forgotten his initial anger upon hearing Alice's words and asked in alarm.

"You were thrown into prison. How could they dare keep it from me?" Alice showed an unusual amount of anger at Phil and the others for hiding it from her.

Sean tapped the table with his fingers, producing a dull knocking sound. The siblings, who had fallen into an argument, immediately realized that this was not the place for them to quarrel. They pressed their lips together and looked toward Sean. Alice, in particular, looked at him with panic and pleading in her eyes.

"So someone was extorting you, which led your younger brother Phil to steal?" Sean asked Alice. After seeing both of them nod in acknowledgment, he asked doubtfully, "Who is this Boar Bill you mentioned?"

"My lord, Boar Bill is a gang leader living in the slums," Phil answered before Alice could speak.

"A gang? How many people do they have?" Sean asked curiously. He knew there were people in the slums who lived by extortion, threats, theft, and similar means. They gathered together and formed various organizations, and fights, assaults, and other crimes often occurred between different groups. However, Sean did not care in the slightest. This was not only because of his strength, but also because of his noble background. He knew very clearly that gangs could never have support among the upper class. In other words, no noble would provide a gang with protection, simply because there was no need. Nobles had the right to maintain private armed forces wholly their own. Nor could there be large gangs numbering in the hundreds or thousands. Whether it was the local government or the Noble Council, they would compel the local Garrison to specifically crack down on gangs that showed signs of growing too powerful. In short, anything capable of threatening noble interests would suffer a devastating blow. Once a gang's numbers exceeded a hundred, it would not be far from being targeted by the Garrison.

"My lord, they have more than thirty people..." Phil again answered Sean's question.

Sean lowered his head and pondered for a moment before looking up. "If I wanted to arrest Boar Bill and his men, would you be willing to lead the way?"

Hearing Sean's question, Alice could not help weeping with joy. Phil also answered happily, "I am willing... my lord, I am willing. I know where they all are..." Alice sobbed, "Thank you... thank you, my lord."

"Then this afternoon... no, this evening. Before dusk, I will send someone to take you out. Prepare yourself. No problem?" Sean said gently to Phil. After considering it, he decided that the gang members might not be in their usual area during the afternoon, so he set the time for evening instead.

After seeing Phil nod in confirmation, Sean looked at him seriously and asked, "Phil, do you plan to remain in the slums for the rest of your life?"

Looking at the silent Phil, who had lowered his head, Sean said evenly, "I am still short a few people at my side. You can think about it..."