According to the Lordship Code of the Glorious Empire, nobles who lose their fiefdoms are stripped of their titles.
But there is one way to restore that noble title—
They must reclaim their lost lands through their own strength.
Otherwise, even if the fief is eventually recovered, it would be granted to a newly rising noble who contributed to the campaign, not returned to the original lord.
This kind of survival-of-the-fittest rule ensured a regular renewal within the empire's noble hierarchy, preventing it from being overrun by degenerates who coasted on the glory of their ancestors while doing nothing themselves.
This was precisely why the real Karn Sudo chose to go to Fallen Eagle City and seek help from Count Wuman, his uncle by marriage, rather than turning to the Sudo family's liege lord—Duke St. Hield.
If he had gone to Duke St. Hield, even if the duke retook Icecrag City, it would never be returned to the Sudo family.
But Count Wuman was different. Although he wouldn't help without expecting something in return, he would at least take their family relationship into account and provide some degree of support.
At the very least, Icecrag City had a chance of being restored to the Sudo family.
Now, the real Karn might still be deep in negotiations with his uncle, but the fake Karn, played by Colin, had already attracted a potential backer.
"Mr. Oliver, thank you for your kind offer. But forming an army capable of capturing cities is a far cry from hiring a few mercenaries to escort a caravan. The costs are on completely different levels."
"Of course I understand that." Oliver chuckled, eyes gleaming strangely. "My father used to be a quartermaster. Later, due to some… indiscretions, he was dismissed. But I did learn a thing or two about the cost of maintaining a real army."
"Oh?" Colin finally gave this chubby merchant a serious look.
If earlier he had seen Oliver as a reckless opportunist, now he seemed more like a boldly reckless opportunist.
Even though Colin himself was a fraud, he became intrigued. He wanted to see how far this unremarkable merchant was willing to go.
"So then, Mr. Oliver, how much gold can you personally invest?"
"Hehe, well, I don't have that kind of money to fund an army. Actually, it's not just me—my trading guild is interested in sponsoring you."
"A guild?"
"Yes. Allow me to properly introduce myself—I'm one of the managers of the Tulip Trading Guild.
If Sir Karn is willing to accept our sponsorship, I can present your case to our guildmaster.
Then the guild will evaluate your strength and estimate the cost of recapturing Icecrag City to determine the size of the investment—and, of course, the return on it."
"Tulip Trading Guild?" The name suddenly rang a bell in Colin's mind. After searching his memory, he asked, "Ice Lake Town, two years ago?"
"That's right!" Oliver puffed up his chest, clearly proud. "Two years ago, Baron Billy accepted our guild's sponsorship, rebuilt his army, and reclaimed Ice Lake Town."
Merchants in this world didn't hold much status—no amount of gold could buy them a noble title.
But clearly, some keen and daring merchants had begun to use their wealth to expand their influence.
The Tulip Trading Guild seemed to be one of the leading examples.
"So what did Baron Billy offer your guild in return?"
"Apologies, Sir Karn, but that's a trade secret. I can't disclose that."
"All right," Colin stroked his chin and changed the question, "Then what does your guild expect from me?"
"Hehe, the exact terms can be discussed in detail once you meet our guildmaster." Oliver replied smoothly, not letting anything slip.
"I'll need to think about it."
"Of course. When you're ready, just come find me." Oliver squinted as he smiled, adding with a hint of pride, "But I assure you, neither Duke St. Hield nor Count Wuman can offer you more favorable terms than we can."
"But neither can your guild offer the same level of support as a duke or a count."
"That's true. But our expectations are also much lower."
Colin nodded. This Tulip Trading Guild was starting to look quite interesting.
Even though he was a fraud and didn't actually need their backing, he still asked, "Does your guild have a branch in Fallen Eagle City?"
"Of course. It's right next to the slave market in the city's western district. We'd be honored to have you visit."
Colin quietly memorized the location, just in case.
Then he shifted the topic, engaging Oliver in casual conversation.
Oliver, being a seasoned traveling merchant, had seen and heard much. Combined with his efforts to flatter Colin, their talk grew more animated. It was as if they were long-lost friends who had finally reunited.
As night deepened, the camp gradually quieted. Most of the mercenaries had gone to rest.
Oliver warmly invited Colin to his own tent. After a bit of polite hesitation, Colin saw that the tent was indeed quite luxurious and agreed to go in.
But in the middle of the night, Colin was suddenly awakened by a faint noise.
He immediately sat up, tilted his head, and listened. Then he shook Oliver awake.
"Wake up! Wake up! Someone's approaching our camp!"
Oliver was fairly alert himself. He quickly got up, but after a moment of listening, he frowned in confusion. "Really? I don't hear anything."
"Listen more closely," Colin said with confidence.
He had noticed that his hearing had greatly improved at night. Even the faintest noises from nearly a kilometer away couldn't escape his ears.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Sure enough, the mercenaries on watch had also discovered the intruders and started shouting in alarm.
"Calm down! Don't panic! Light the torches, find your comrades, hold your positions—don't leave the camp!"
The loud, commanding voice of Fire Fox Mercenary Corps' leader Saru echoed through the chaos, quickly stabilizing the situation.
"I'm going out to check," Oliver said. Worried about his goods, he hesitated a moment and then ran out.
Colin followed him. Outside, he saw the invaders already clashing with the Fire Fox mercenaries.
He didn't join the fight. Oliver hadn't paid him any fees, and Colin had no intention of risking his life for the fat merchant.
After observing for a while, Colin felt at ease.
The attackers seemed to be a group of bandits—weak ones, at that. Not a single proper warrior among them.
There weren't even that many of them, only seventy or eighty in total. Where had they found the nerve to attack a camp guarded by over a hundred mercenaries?
After the initial panic, the Fire Fox Mercenary Corps quickly regained control and began pushing the bandits back.
In less than half an hour, the bandits had abandoned over thirty corpses and fled in a complete rout.
"Do not pursue! Do not pursue!" Saru shouted coolly, stopping the overzealous fighters from chasing into the forest.
Once the raiders had vanished, Saru began organizing cleanup of the battlefield.
Oliver hurried to check on his goods and assess the damage.
Colin, on the other hand, quietly moved to a secluded, shadowy corner of the camp. Crouching beside one of the bandit corpses, he drew a dagger and a waterskin.
"Slice!"
"Gulp, gulp…"