"You finally told the truth, Bronn!"
"Now we can talk!"
Arthur's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of imperceptible amusement.
In Bronn's eyes, he was terrifying and unfathomable.
He kept replaying it in his mind.
This young noble must know him!
"You killed someone when you were twelve." Arthur slowly dropped this sentence.
Bronn's mind froze.
This matter was his secret; he had never told anyone about it!
And he was just an unknown mercenary now.
How could anyone specifically know about his past when he was twelve?
"You... how do you know?" Bronn squeezed out a few words hoarsely, his voice trembling slightly.
His eyes were filled with nothing but shock and fear.
What was the deal with this young noble?
"I know everything about you."
"So let's speak openly."
Arthur smiled, not continuing to dig into Bronn's background.
Actually, Bronn's past was not mentioned in the original work.
The incident of killing someone at twelve was something Bronn himself told Tyrion.
But this was enough.
Arthur sat down, leaning back in the chair.
"You are a rare talent, Bronn."
He extended his right hand, making an inviting gesture:
"I have a new plan, Bronn."
"A plan that can truly make you rich."
"Are you interested in hearing it?"
To be honest, Arthur didn't particularly like Bronn.
As long as the price was high, this person had no loyalty whatsoever.
Moreover, this person had no bottom line.
But for Arthur now, he was a rare talent.
His swordsmanship was superb.
And for the now unknown Bronn,
No one would offer a higher price than him.
So, for now, there was no need to worry about his betrayal.
"Lord Arthur? What do you mean?"
Bronn's heart leaped, and he licked his lips, dry from tension, as he asked.
"My meaning is simple." Arthur leaned back in his chair, pointing a finger at Bronn, "I'm short on hands, especially good hands like yours."
There was nothing to hide.
He frankly admitted his intention to recruit him.
Bronn silently looked at Arthur.
"What can you give me?" Bronn finally spoke, his voice regaining the calm and realism characteristic of a mercenary.
This was the question he cared about most.
Loyalty, honor, all that was bullshit.
Only tangible benefits could move a mercenary's heart.
Arthur smiled.
He suddenly felt that the young Bronn seemed a bit foolish.
He actually tried to bargain with him.
"You have no right to choose."
"Bronn."
"Either accept."
"Or don a black robe and guard the Wall."
"Or! Be hanged by me for desertion!"
Bronn fell silent; he felt as if everything was controlled by this young noble.
But he was powerless to refute.
However, he would absolutely not do anything thankless.
"You must have seen my soldiers, right?"
Arthur looked at Bronn, spreading his hands, it was time for some carrot, his tone relaxed.
"Did you notice?"
"They are all very rich."
Bronn looked up at Arthur; he had indeed noticed this strange point.
"My soldiers and I have an agreement: all spoils, half for me, half for them."
"Their half is divided equally according to military merits!"
Arthur gestured for Bronn to stand up.
"I am not hiring you!"
"But with your skill!"
"In my troop! You will earn a lot... a lot of money."
He paused, emphasizing his words. "When the war ends."
"You can leave with your hard-earned money!"
"Most importantly, I'm giving you an opportunity."
"An opportunity to make a name for yourself!"
"This will make your future path smoother, won't it?"
Bronn was truly terrified this time; this person knew everything.
He knew what he wanted, what he yearned for!
"Sounds tempting." Bronn, who had already stood up, grinned. "But the risk is also great, isn't it?"
"War is opportunity, chaos is a ladder." Arthur shook his head, "And you have no choice."
"You can take your time to consider."
"However, I must remind you, my time is limited, and my patience is also limited."
"Once my patience runs out, you will receive a rope."
Bronn's smile froze on his face, that frivolousness instantly vanishing.
He took a deep breath, "Suleiman Foul Castle, Esquire, I... I accept."
In fact, dividing the spoils according to military merits.
For mercenaries, this was simply a heavenly clause.
This was also Arthur's consideration.
With Bronn's way of being, in the form of employment,
It was hard to believe he would be loyal to his duties.
But the nature of this semi-partnership was different.
He would exert his full strength to get more money.
Bronn was not someone who could be easily moved by words.
Only naked self-interest and irresistible pressure could make him temporarily obey.
"Very good, Bronn." Arthur's voice became relaxed again, as if the person who had just spoken wasn't him. "You made a wise choice."
"You are a smart man, Bronn." Arthur casually pulled out the dining knife that had been stuck in the table. "And I like to deal with smart people."
Bronn felt the atmosphere seemed to ease a bit, and finally asked his question.
"Do you know me, Lord Arthur?"
"I know and yet I don't." Arthur answered the question expressionlessly, "I just got to know you."
Bronn looked bewildered.
"You can go out!" Arthur made a gesturing motion.
"One more thing!"
Bronn, who had already turned to leave, heard this sentence and stood rooted to the spot in a daze.
He didn't know what this young Lord Suleiman meant.
"You need to express your apologies to the soldier you injured, my soldier."
Bronn took a deep breath, "I will, my Lord!"
Arthur watched Bronn walk out.
He gestured for Lucien and Laosiman to come forward.
"Keep a close eye on this person!" Arthur slowly said. "However, this person is a very good swordsman; you can take this time to learn swordsmanship from him."
Lucien and Hakon's swordsmanship, with only the brute force of a farmer tilling the land, encountering Bronn might be an opportunity for improvement.
Arthur didn't believe that Bronn would truly cooperate with him; such an old fox would run away at any time.
He didn't possess any kingly aura that could make Bronn bow down immediately.
Moreover, for him, loyalty was the primary element, no matter how incompetent.
Both their faces showed some confusion.
Finally, Lucien spoke:
"Lord Arthur, is he really a deserter?"
Arthur smiled, picked up the parchment on the table, and shook his head, "There are no words on this paper."
Hakon's mouth widened in even greater shock:
"Lord Arthur, do you know him?"
"You seem to know a lot about him?"
He was very surprised; Lord Arthur seemed to know everything about this person, but they had never seen him, nor had they seen Old Lord interact with this person.
"This person is a good sword, but not a good person," Arthur said.