CH 105

“If you see Lydia anywhere, could you capture her alive and send her to me?” Ethan asked.

“I am personally indebted to that woman.”

“It’s the same for me, Gareth. Still, I want you to send her to me. I’ll grant you the position of commander for this war if you do so. That will give you the loyalty of my soldiers.”

The far-out suggestion made Gareth immediately recognize that there was a deep grudge between Ethan and Lydia. He watched as Ethan’s eyes turned even darker.

“Will you hold hands with me now? Will you lend me your notoriety?”

Gareth stared at Ethan with an expressionless face, his arms crossed. Intervening in this war was inevitable, but he still had to judge carefully whether or not to side with this man.

“I will restore your title as a duke if you stand with me,” Ethan added.

“I could have done it without your help if I really wanted to.”

Ethan stared at Gareth with an indifferent expression for a moment before slowly opening his mouth. “Then what do you want from me in return, Gareth?”

Gareth thought about why he was meddling in this conflict to begin with. He considered all of the reasons why he had come this far. At first, it was simply because he knew this was going to be a huge war, then his reasons had changed to more personal ones such as avenging his family. However, his mind had been completely changed because of Elena.

‘What can I do for her… for Elena?’ Gareth looked at Ethan’s hardened face, then spoke softly, “Peace.”

‘Peace?’ Ethan thought in confusion. ‘That means his work as a mercenary will be reduced. Why does he want peace?’

“I want a king who can bring order to this insane world.”

It was an answer Ethan had not expected from Gareth. ‘Does that mean he’s accepting me as the king of this country and has decided to support me?’

“I want a king who is not an exiled heir bent on finding his lost place, but someone who can act like a true king,” Gareth further explained.

“Is that your terms of employment?”

“Yes, those are my conditions,” Gareth nodded lightly. He needed peace to live happily with Elena and his child. He needed to stop the storms that might provoke him. He wanted to settle down for Elena and live with her.

“Are you confident that you will win?” Gareth asked once again.

“Did any of the lords that hired you ever lose?” Ethan asked back nonchalantly.

“No, so don’t be the first. When do you expect the war to begin?”

“Is that important? Aren’t you always ready? You’re a mercenary.”

“I have a wife I need to protect. I need to know,” Gareth explained, speaking each word clearly.

Ethan’s expression distorted instantly. “You have a wife?”

“Yes, I am fighting for my wife and child.”

Ethan became strangely agitated at Gareth’s unexpected words. It was hard to believe that the notorious mercenary had a wife and child at home. It was something that he had never imagined would come out of his mouth… The same went for Gareth’s condition of peace. Was it really for his wife and child?

At that moment, Gareth asked coldly again. “I’ll ask you again. When do you expect the war to begin?”

“Most battles start once the weather gets warmer. But I’m thinking it will happen earlier this time. We will move first while the weather is still cold.”

“Good idea.”

Ethan reached out his hand without hesitation and said, “I ask for your help as my friend, Gareth.”

Only then did Gareth uncross his arms that had been folded across his chest and take hold of his hand. “Now let Hansen go. If he’s injured, I’ll make you pay the appropriate price for it,” he spat out.

Ethan recoiled with fright, then soon laughed. “I was simply trying to get some information by keeping him around for a while. I didn’t do anything to him. He is a man of few words, after all. Now, would you like to come with me to properly share the information you have?”

“I’ll think about it after I make sure no one has touched a hair on his head.”