"They plan to have the Viscount leave through the grain supply route tomorrow morning and head to the imperial capital to seek the Count's help."
Emma's voice trembled slightly, but she remained neither servile nor overbearing. "I betrayed my former master because I wanted to survive. My value lies in being your inside source."
The kerosene lamp above the table flickered with warm yellow light. A heavily bearded man in a military uniform sat at the far end, lounging in his seat as he scrutinized Emma with a cold, probing gaze.
Orion stood below the bearded man. After hearing Emma out, he instinctively looked toward him.
He knew which point in history he had arrived at, and he had heard the bearded man's name in the historical accounts.
The renowned hero who had dared to rebel-General Freeman Luo. He had led his legion in a desperate effort to turn the tide as the duchy fell, only to die because of a treacherous leak. Viscount Scheid was the culprit behind his army's annihilation.
Was the Instance asking me to kill that Viscount to eliminate a tyrant, protect the innocent, and change the outcome? Orion wondered.
"Adjutant." The bearded man spoke slowly, his voice deep and resonant. "Take a squad to the grain supply route tomorrow and investigate. If it's true, capture him and escort him here with all due respect."
"Yes, sir."
Orion pondered whether he could simply kill the Viscount when he captured him tomorrow.
But from what the General had said, they seemed to want to keep the Viscount alive.
Orion reviewed the history in his mind.
General Freeman Luo had only just launched his rebellion, and the conservatives still held power in the duchy. He needed supplies, money, and time to build his strength before he could dominate