That'll cost extra!

His words faded.

An exceptionally tall, burly soldier of the North strode over.

He removed his slightly loose helmet, revealing a weather-beaten face with hard lines. Four other soldiers followed behind him.

At the sight, the corners of Corleone's mouth lifted slightly.

His earlier actions had not been aimless. With [Insight Lv1], he had already noticed that these Karstark soldiers were not a united front.

During the earlier fighting, while resting, and even while watching the interrogation just now, there were always three to five men who unconsciously kept a certain distance from most of their companions.

Their expressions were cold, even carrying a trace of barely perceptible contempt.

When Corleone proposed using Arya to threaten the Hound, disgust and indignation had visibly flashed across their faces.

Disagreement meant a rift he could exploit.

"Let's have a look!"

The tall soldier's voice boomed as he looked around and sneered, "What great deeds are the valiant soldiers of House Karstark performing!"

"Ganging up to bully an unarmed little girl?"

His expression was utterly scornful. At his words, Rhaegel immediately stepped forward to block his path.

"Stop, Halsen!"

"We're questioning them about where the Gold Dragons are!"

"If you want a share, stand there and watch. If you're stupid enough to turn down money, at least don't stand here telling us what to do!"

The tall soldier named Halsen sneered again at that. "How very clever of you, Rhaegel!"

"A few nonsensical words from a stranger and some Gold Dragons that might not even exist are enough for you to lay hands on an unarmed little girl?"

"Take a good look. Her name is Arya Stark, the King in the North's own younger sister. The blood of House Stark flows through her veins. They've ruled the North for over ten thousand years and command the respect of all its people. How dare you touch her with those filthy hands!"

"Have you no fucking shame!"

His tone was stern, and his righteous accusations left Rhaegel speechless, his face flushed crimson.

"You..."

"I'm doing this for the men! What do you know? How can you call it bullying!"

Then came a stream of stammering, words like "honor" and "Gold Dragons," and the woods were filled with awkwardness.

Halsen sneered at the sight and was about to provoke him again when an even grimmer voice came from behind him.

"Aren't you impressive, Halsen."

He turned to find that Stow, who had been tending to Hogg, had come over at some point. He strode forward and stood face-to-face with Halsen, his expression dark.

The two men were similarly built, and neither yielded an inch in presence.

"What, being a squad leader makes you this important? If you ever become captain of the guard at Karhold, will you stop respecting House Karstark altogether?"

Stow spoke again, taking a step closer. His voice dropped, but grew more threatening. "Don't forget, your loyalty is to the White Sunburst, not the direwolf of Winterfell!"

"What has House Stark given us?"

"That damned bastard cut off Earl Rickard's head with his own hands!"

Halsen narrowed his eyes slightly at that, meeting Stow's gaze without flinching. "Of course I haven't forgotten!"

"I haven't dared forget avenging Earl Rickard for a single moment!"

But then his tone shifted. "If you want revenge on the Kingslayer, I'll follow you. If you want to take Lady Stark away and force Robb Stark to admit his wrongs and repent, I can stay out of it!"

"But using these despicable methods right before my eyes to humiliate and torment a little girl, a Stark-that I won't allow!"

"The honor of Karhold's warriors cannot be sullied like this!"

"Honor? Hahaha!"

Stow acted as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "Ever since we left Karhold and marched south, you've stopped the men from taking spoils again and again, saying there's no honor in slaughtering those damned commoners."

"Fine. It was only a little money, so I put up with it!"

Suddenly, his voice grew shrill. "But today, these forty thousand Gold Dragons mean a future for all of us and the funds for our revenge. That money is enough to buy me a vast estate, or even an earldom!"

"I'm getting that gold. Not even the Seven can keep it from me. You have my word!"

With Stow's true intentions laid bare, Halsen fixed his stare on those greed-filled eyes and rebuked him. "I saw through you long ago, Harag Stow."

"You keep saying it's to avenge Earl Rickard, but you're really only after money!"

Shing!

With all pretense gone and Halsen still showing no sign of wavering, Stow finally ran out of patience.

He abruptly drew the sword at his waist and pointed it straight at the other man. "Would you like to test how sharp my sword is?"

"My sword is no less sharp!"

At the same time, Halsen drew his own longsword and faced him blade to blade.

Swords were drawn!

The soldiers behind Stow drew their weapons one after another, and Rhaegel could hardly wait to raise his sword.

Behind Halsen, the four soldiers also drew their blades without hesitation and stood beside him. Though outnumbered, they were no less imposing.

For an instant, the air seemed to freeze.

Cold light glinted between the swords, illuminating the faces on both sides, with something of a fight to the death about it.

Yet Corleone noticed a flicker of hesitation in Stow's eyes.

Well, looks like they won't be fighting.

He shook his head slightly in disappointment, but on second thought, it made sense.

After all, they were now south of Harrenhal and could run into Lannister troops at any moment. Unless Stow was utterly stupid, he would not choose this moment for infighting as their captain.

"Stop!"

Though he felt a little regret, Corleone still took the initiative to step forward and speak.

"This has nothing to do with you, you shameless bastard!"

Halsen glanced at him and growled, "Keep running your mouth, and sooner or later I'll cut you down too!"

At the same time, Stow also glared at Corleone, but the relief in his eyes was clear.

Facing everyone's gazes without fear, Corleone merely spread his hands slightly. "I only wanted to say that I have a solution that satisfies both sides."

"What solution?"

Before Halsen could react, Stow readily took the offered way out, sheathing his sword at his waist as he eagerly pressed for an answer.

"Let me return to my camp."

Corleone spoke calmly. "I have some specially prepared potions in my baggage. They can loosen even the tightest lips."

"In other words, I can use them on the Hound alone, without having to lay so much as a finger on Lady Stark."

As he spoke, Corleone looked at the two men. "That way, Captain Stow can obtain the wealth he dreams of, while you, Master Halsen..."

"You'll have upheld your honor without preventing your companions from getting their rightful 'spoils.' How does that sound?"

At those words, silence fell over the gathering again for a long time. Both groups began to look uncertain.

The proposal was simply too tempting, resolving the immediate impasse almost perfectly.

Especially for Stow.

Since Earl Rickard's execution, he had only managed to gather this force with considerable difficulty, relying on what little authority he had built up before. These past days, he had also tasted some of the perks of being a "power broker."

Now that there was a respectable alternative, he naturally did not want to see his group fall apart.

As for Halsen, he was fighting to stop brutality and uphold honor, not insisting on spilling blood in a reckless fit of rage.

"If I see you planning to lay hands on Lady Stark again, you know the consequences!"

After delivering that threat, Halsen said no more. He turned away with his men and returned to where they had been sitting.

It amounted to giving Stow a way to back down.

"Well done, doctor!"

Once they had left, Stow clapped Corleone heavily on the shoulder and praised him with satisfaction. "That head of yours works even better than Maester Vell's!"

Without waiting for Corleone's response, he turned and waved at Rhaegel. "You, take four men and go back with him to fetch the potions. Now!"

"Yes, boss!"

Rhaegel answered excitedly.

At that, Corleone felt reassured. Without wasting words, he turned to leave.

Yet the instant he turned and took his first step, Stow's voice sounded behind him again, this time carrying a hint of suspicion.

"Wait! Doctor."

Corleone stopped and slowly turned around, showing just the right trace of puzzlement on his face.

Stow narrowed his eyes and looked him up and down, as though he had noticed something. "You've done all this... what exactly are you after?"

It was undoubtedly a fatal question.

A poor answer could undo all his earlier groundwork.

But Corleone could always give the perfect answer.

"Ha!"

Under everyone's gaze, Corleone smiled. The calm concentration on his face gave way to a smile mixed with a touch of mercenary calculation.

Yet appearing on his seemingly harmless face, that expression was especially convincing.

"I forgot to tell you, Captain Stow."

"I love doing business with people, whether that means treating Hogg or solving whatever problems I can for you."

"But I need to make this clear up front. I don't work for free."

He paused, met Stow's gaze, and gave a reason that no one could doubt.

"If I really find out where those forty thousand Gold Dragons are, the two hundred you promised me earlier won't be enough."

"...That'll cost extra!"

(PS: Seven above, illness really does strike like a falling mountain. If my symptoms don't improve within a week, I swear I'll give that doctor a good hard kick in the arse with my boot!)