Chapter 6.8

Chapter 6.8

A few days later, a lady-in-waiting handed a document to Sienna as soon as she woke up.

“Your Majesty, Sir Gilbert dropped this off late last night.”

The envelope was thin. With the intention of taking a glimpse of it before having her breakfast, she took out the documents inside. The title caught her attention from the start.

— Kaligo Company

Sienna settled down onto a chair and began to read the document earnestly.

After the information merchant had visited her a few days ago, Sienna called Gilbert and ordered him to investigate the leader of Kaligo for her. She ordered these two people to give her the same information in order to compare the two reports.

Sienna forgot that she was only going to take a glimpse and became immersed in the contents of the report. She canceled her morning appointments and studied the report, almost memorizing it.

‘To think a military force like this existed.’

When she heard that they were mercenaries, she thought them to be no better than ruffians. However, Sienna now realized how shallow her understanding was.

Even though they weren’t well known amongst the Empire’s subjects, the Kaligo mercenary company was basically considered a legend in the rest of the continent. The reason why they didn’t operate within the Empire was pretty straightforward. The Empire was already secure, so there was no need for mercenaries here.

‘They kept the same name and only changed its leaders through the years.’

Just like how a king of a country changed with every generation.

‘Two of Kaligo’s men can hunt down a Desert Mantis? It takes at least four skilled knights to take one down. Can this be true?’

The Kaligo mercenaries were the best in their field. Compared to the many other mercenary organizations in the continent, the Kaligo company was an adult among children. That was how great the gap between them was.

More importantly, hunting a Desert Mantis was no joke. Others fought a Desert Mantis. These people ‘hunted’ them.

— The black sword is a symbol of the Kaligo mercenaries.

This part of the report interested Sienna greatly. She had personally seen a black sword before. At the time, she hadn’t realized how famous it was.

— All the mercenaries of Kaligo brandish a black sword. However, they say that the leader owns a unique kind.

What was unique about it? She couldn’t tell if the sword she had seen was normal or unique. That man’s identity was still ambiguous to her. When she had mentioned the Kaligo company to gauge his reaction, he had remained silent. He never claimed to be a mercenary with his own mouth.

However, even if he were a mercenary, he definitely wasn’t in a normal unit. He was probably one of the captains. She couldn’t see him as someone who took orders. That was her guess.

“Your Majesty, Gilbert has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

When Gilbert came inside and greeted her, Sienna held up the report in her hands.

“This was an interesting read. Good work. However, it seems to lack something that I was looking for. If I give you more time, will you be able to find out more?”

What Sienna had wanted to know was information about Kaligo’s leader. That person’s skills, appearance, age, and anything else that could help her identify this elusive leader of Kaligo.

However, what Gilbert had given her was a general report on the mercenary company itself. And the report didn’t objectively assess the skills and popularity of the group. Instead, it felt like she was reading a promotional brochure about them.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. Even if you give me more time, I don’t think I will be able to find out anything more.”

“Then can you send someone who might be more qualified for this kind of assignment?”

“Your Majesty, I don’t mean to be rude, but…”

Gilbert hesitated and didn’t finish his thought.”

“I won’t twist your words, so go ahead.”

“It won’t matter who you send. There’s limited information on this topic, so it will be difficult to find out anything more.”

“There’s a limit? Your report said that they aren’t affiliated to any country. Do they have some other type of support behind them?”

“The Kaligo company themselves monitor what kind of information is released. Other than the information they let out intentionally, there is nothing else we can find.”

“And who is enforcing this?”

“It’s a tacit understanding amongst the people. Whoever reveals any information without permission will be punished.”

“A punishment. Does that mean they’d be putting their lives in danger?”

“There are rumors that it’s a form of retaliation, but it hasn’t been proven. They say that if you break a promise with them, they will no longer do any business with you.”

Sienna frowned.

“That’s it? That’s how they’ve been protecting themselves?”

“There were many things that I learned while investigating this as well. They have a considerable amount of influence. They say that there are lines of lords and kings that wish to use the power held by the Kaligo company.”

“It seems that ‘considerable’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

How was this any different from international diplomacy? In a non-barbaric manner, they managed to pressure others with their disadvantages and keep them from acting out.

It was sophisticated. And this method couldn’t be used unless you had a significant advantage over the other party.

“However, there’s no reason for the Empire to feel intimidated by them.”

“Yes, that also means that we have nothing to do with them as well. They only operate on the continent. Our intelligence department doesn’t have much information on them.”

“Then where did you get this information?”

“I used another method.”

“An information merchant?”

Gilbert’s eyes shook in surprise.

“It must have cost you. Make sure to leave a claim.”

“Ah… No, it was nothing, Your Majesty.”

“It was something I ordered you to do, so it can be considered government work. It shouldn’t be paid with personal funds. Claim it.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

Sienna shut the report and got up.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. I prepared the carriage according to your instructions. Your Majesty, please reconsider. I have not completely filled your escort unit yet. I’m worried something bad will happen to Your Majesty while you’re out.”

This afternoon, Sienna ordered Gilbert to prepare for an outing. Unlike last time, they weren’t going to travel in a splendid display of carriages. Today, she wanted to travel in secret to keep her identity hidden. She ordered for a coach that didn’t have the Imperial insignia emblazoned on it.

“Sir Gilbert, is the capital a lawless place? Do you feel like your life is in danger when you walk around?”

“No, Your Majesty. The capital is proud to be known as a place of public peace.”

The Empire’s capital was known for its safety. A woman could walk in the streets late at night and not have to worry about any danger.

“Then there’s no need to worry. Let’s go.”

Sienna passed by Gilbert and exited through doors that the ladies-in-waiting opened for her. Gilbert sighed and followed after her.

Gilbert was simplehearted and loyal. He did his best with every task he was given, but he was slow to think for himself. Depending on his master, he could be a useful instrument or an evil one.\n