Chapter 26 Bounty Hunters License

After giving it some thought, Rein decided he wasn't particularly interested in Hamilton's invitation.

Although the Night Watchers were "civil servants," officially part of the Empire's organizational structure, there was no real need for him to join! With Lady Cleya's regard for him, Rein could currently build a solid foundation while staying safely within the Habsburg manor.

As if seeing through Rein's thoughts, Hamilton took a small gray pouch out of his drawer and tossed it to him.

"Thud!"

"This is the bounty—five gold coins for Scarface, ten for Blackbeard. A total of fifteen Imperial gold coins."

"Thank you!"

Rein quickly caught the pouch, his heart swelling with immense joy.

He had truly not expected that, even after declining Hamilton's recruitment offer, the latter would neither withhold nor make things difficult for him regarding this bounty.

This instantly improved Rein's opinion of Hamilton significantly.

But...

The joy lasted only a few seconds before Hamilton's next words extinguished it entirely.

"Rein, I must warn you—while killing Scarface doesn't stir up much trouble, Blackbeard, on the other hand, has a brother, the leader of the Hyena Gang in Meist County. He's a formidable man."

"Just now, I was reviewing the dossier on Blackbeard," Hamilton said as he handed the document to Rein.

Rein took the sheepskin scroll and began flipping through it. The more he read, the graver his expression became!

The dossier revealed that the Hyena Gang had hundreds of members under their command. They engaged in every despicable trade—thievery, collecting protection fees, and even human trafficking of women and children from time to time.

Particularly noteworthy was the gang leader, nicknamed the "Dog King" Cole, who had, several years ago, somehow managed to tame a mutated Hyena Queen the size of a wild boar. He had even raised an entire litter of hyena pups, equipping the gang's top members with them.

With the hyenas providing combat power far superior to that of ordinary dogs, the Hyena Gang quickly stood out among the other factions in Meist County. Rumor had it they had even established connections with a certain noble in the city.

Confronted with such an unscrupulous gang, Rein knew that even if he didn't fear them personally, his family certainly couldn't afford to provoke them!

Thinking of this, Rein understood that only the sheriff before him could help him resolve this predicament. It was likely the reason Hamilton had shown him the dossier in the first place.

Hamilton continued, his voice steady:

"From what I know, Blackbeard always had a good relationship with his brother. This excursion of his was merely to earn some extra cash. If his brother finds out his younger sibling was killed by you, vengeance will surely follow."

Rein remained silent for several seconds before looking at Hamilton with a calm expression and saying:

"Lord Hamilton, I imagine that since you brought this matter to my attention, you must already have a solution in mind."

Hamilton's eyes flashed with a hint of admiration. At Rein's age, he himself might not have been able to handle such a situation this calmly.

Just as Hamilton prepared to share his thoughts, he suddenly brightened as he looked into Rein's eyes!

It dawned on him that the Rein sitting before him had undergone a significant transformation since their last meeting.

Due to the poor lighting during last night's events, Hamilton hadn't noticed anything unusual about Rein. But now, under the bright daytime light, after carefully observing him, Hamilton realized that Rein's eyes gleamed with sharp intensity. His breathing was steady and powerful, remarkably similar to how Hamilton himself had been when he first began practicing the Knight Breathing Method!

Hamilton couldn't help blurting out, "Rein, have you started training in the Knight Breathing Method?!"

This startled Rein greatly. *How could he tell?!*

However, Rein maintained his composure, silently keeping his gentle smile as he continued to calmly meet Hamilton's gaze.

Unbothered by Rein's silence, Hamilton instead appeared deep in thought, murmuring to himself:

"You've been undergoing servant training at the Habsburg manor recently, so it must have been one of the knights there who taught you the breathing technique. Now, was it Lloyd the steward knight or Sir Perez, the swordsmanship instructor?"

Hamilton's sharp gaze locked onto Rein, trying to glean the truth from his expression.

This made Rein reevaluate Hamilton once more. *Who would have thought this seemingly burly man possessed such a meticulous mind, coming so close to the truth, save for a few minor details at the end?*

"I'm sorry, Lord Hamilton, but I cannot tell you who taught me the Knight Breathing Method," said Rein.

"I swore to them that I would keep this a secret!"

"Ha, good lad!" Hamilton laughed. "Still, the infighting within the Habs family could pose a problem for you. Even if you've joined the manor, it might not entirely be a good thing. The Earl's two sons are locked in a fierce struggle for power, while his youngest daughter stands out with her extraordinary talent as a knight. It's said she became an official knight two years ago and is highly favored by the old Earl!"

Hamilton waved dismissively, indicating he didn't mind whether Rein answered him or not. Instead, he revealed a startling secret to Rein.

Infighting?

*Was it Lady Cleya and her brothers? Or was it just sibling rivalry among the brothers? No wonder Lady Cleya had told him to keep the matter of her teaching him the breathing technique a secret, warning that revealing it would likely do him more harm than good.*

Suddenly, everything clicked for Rein!

"Moreover, I've heard that the Earl's elder son, Alonso, has some unsavory ties to the Brotherhood of the Wilds. Rein, you're talented. Joining the Night Watcher's Army and serving the Empire would be your best option!"

Hamilton stood slowly, his sharp eyes fixing intently on Rein's, as he continued in a serious tone.

At this moment, Hamilton thought to himself, *Since Rein has already earned the favor of those high up in the Habsburg manor and begun training in the breathing technique, my initial plan—to have him infiltrate the enemy ranks by pretending to be an orphan—no longer seems appropriate.*

"By joining the Night Watcher's Army, I'd have an excuse to redirect a portion of my already-stretched personnel to keep a close watch over your home, ensuring the safety of you and your family. The Night Watchers would be your firmest shield against the threat of the Hyena Gang!"

Hamilton's words deeply moved Rein!

The valuable information Hamilton had just shared was something Rein had never had access to before, but he believed Hamilton wouldn't lie to him about such matters.

After all, some of these things could be easily confirmed as fact.

Seeing Rein still hesitant, Hamilton raised the stakes further:

"Rein, the cost of training in the breathing technique is not insignificant! Completing these two bounty missions has earned you a reward of more than ten Imperial gold coins, which happens to meet the minimum requirement for applying for an Imperial Bounty Hunter license."

Rein couldn't help but agree internally—training in the breathing technique indeed consumed significant resources.

If not for Lady Cleya providing him with both dire bear meat and the Giant Bear Breathing Technique's exclusive secret ingredient—Black Sandalwood Oil—his progress certainly wouldn't have been so quick.

But what puzzled Rein was this Bounty Hunter license. *What exactly was its significance? Wasn't anyone able to hunt down wanted criminals and claim bounties?*