Shawn felt nothing but profound contempt for old Grian's decision.
Old Grian never lifted a finger without something to gain. Would he choose to accompany Shawn to the Deadmines to meet VanCleef if there weren't enough profit in it?
The place was practically a death trap, packed with Defias bandits and vicious thugs of every race, not to mention the undead that lingered in Moonbrook and refused to leave.
Well, VanCleef probably didn't particularly hate Shawn, Rick, or even Mathias Shaw, but he certainly regarded old Grian as a mortal threat.
Why?
Because those two were sworn enemies!
VanCleef and his Defias Brotherhood had destroyed old Grian's hometown, Moonbrook, while old Grian and his Sentinel Hill guards opposed VanCleef at every turn. If VanCleef saw old Grian, he would probably call everyone over to gang up on him without a second thought.
At that point, never mind that old Grian was only a High-Level Paladin-even if he were a Legendary Paladin, death would be his only fate.
So the question was: why was old Grian so determined to accompany Shawn to the Deadmines to persuade VanCleef?
"It's all for the people of Westfall!" Meeting Shawn's suspicious gaze, old Grian declared passionately, "Only by completely rooting out the cancer that is the Defias Brotherhood can we give the people of Westfall peaceful, stable lives. For that ultimate goal, I would brave any danger and die ten thousand deaths without hesitation! Now that you've decided to persuade VanCleef, what reason could I possibly have not to do my part?"
Shawn continued to regard him suspiciously, a faint, knowing smile on his lips.
Without blushing or missing a beat, old Grian immediately changed his tune. "All right... I'll tell you the truth. You know I have a whole lot of soldiers to support.