( Leo's POV )
Leo was greeted personally by Arch-Duke Nico Paz when he arrived at his mansion in Thumba City.
"Greetings Baron 'TheBoss' and Sir Ben Faulkner, thank-you so much for capturing and escorting this criminal to my city" Nico said, as he signaled for his men to take custody of Eren.
Judging purely based on appearance, Duke Nico did not seem like a special man.
He had the looks of an average middle-aged man who was slender with red hair.
However, instead of having fiery red hair, he had lustreless red hair that looked more sad rather than eye-catching.
Nonetheless, his physical features did not matter, as once Leo tried to assess his level, he was met with a block of question marks, suggesting that the Duke was a man of significant ability.
[ Arch-Duke Nico Paz ] ( Knight ) ( Lv- ???)
"Greetings Arch-Duke, we are just completing the mission entrusted to us by the Emperor, so there is no need to thank us" Leo replied, as he shook hands with the Duke.
Almost immediately, Leo could feel the man's strength as his grip was as strong as his master Ben, if not stronger.
'This man is strong…' Leo thought, as he realized that the Duke was a master level fighter himself for sure.
"Please, join me for lunch, I insist. I know you have traveled from afar, so please give me an opportunity to show you the southern hospitality, even if it's just for a day" the Duke said, as he completely ignored the pressing issue of interrogating the Demon Whisperer and seemed to instead focus on having lunch with Ben and Leo.
"Are you sure that you have time for this? Duke Nico? Should you not be interrogating the Demon Whisperer at once?" Ben asked, raising an eyebrow as Duke Nico simply waved him off.
"The Vice-Commander is already on it. He will probably need a few hours to break the morale of the captive, so we can have lunch in peace before I'm needed in the interrogation room" Nico said as he seemed to overestimate the mettle of the Demon Whisperer.
In Ben's understanding, the Demon Whisperer was going to sing like a canary the second his restraints were removed, however, the Duke did not seem to know that yet.
"Very well…. Please lead the way" Ben said, gesturing for Nico to lead the way as he followed him into the mansion.
*******
As Ben and Leo entered the Arch-Duke's mansion, the two were stunned by the luxury that the Duke lived in.
A few seconds after soaking the scenery in, the two looked towards each other at the same time with a knowing look in their eyes, as they conveyed their sadness without sharing a word.
'This is the life we dreamed off–' both thought at the same time, as they were reminded of their dreams before they reached the Crest-Hill Barony.
Duke Nico had it all….. beautiful maids, a luxurious mansion, a luxurious city to look over while getting adored by the masses…..
It was the dream life that Ben and Leo had, however, they did not get to live it while others did.
Letting out a deep sigh, the two thought about how they would someday get here too, however, that someday was probably still a few years of hard work away at the least.
Led straight to the dining table, Leo and Ben were presented with a wide array of southern speciality dishes, as before talking business, Duke Nico insisted that they have a hearty lunch first.
"Please, have some of our southern speciality dishes…. Us southerners do enjoy a good meal with a slight spicy kick to it" The Duke said, as his staff served several flavorful dishes to the duo, which packed a real punch.
For 40 minutes, Leo and Ben were treated to some of the most exquisite cuisine within the world of Terra Nova and they thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.
However, the more patient that the Duke was and the more expensive the dishes became, the more nervous Leo became as he knew that nothing came for 'Free' within noble society.
Since the Duke was taking so much of his precious time and investing it in Ben and Leo, he surely had an equally big ask from them too.
"I'm full…. I can't eat anymore" Leo said eventually, as after eating the fifth dessert he really had no room to eat anything anymore.
"I'm full too…. Thank-you for the amazing meal Duke Nico" Ben said, as the maids cleared their plates from the table and swiftly left the room, leaving Duke Nico alone inside with Ben and Leo.
"Respected Sir Ben….. and young champion 'TheBoss', I have a slight request to make if you will consider hearing it….." Nico said, as at that moment Leo scoffed slightly.
He knew that the lunch was a facade and that the Duke's real intention was to ask them for a favor, however, since the food was genuinely good, Leo decided to lend the Duke an ear.
"Please go on…. Since the Arch-Duke wants our help with something, the least we can do is to lend you an ear.
However, whether we help you or not will depend on the nature of your request and the compensation you give us" Leo said, as Ben nodded at his words.
The two of them had been away from Crest-Hill Barony for too long and if the Duke's request was going to consume too much of their time then Ben was not keen on accepting it.
However, for the right price, everything was negotiable, hence he did not mind hearing the request first.
"As you must already know…. There has been a rebel movement gaining steam within the Southern Duchy.
A Viscounty has already been captured by the rebels and they are planning to expand the land that they control as well.
I wish to launch a counter-operation against them, however, with them holding citizens hostage, I'm afraid that launching a counter-operation will lead to a loss in lives of common people.
Hence, I can't help but turn to the two of you for help…." Nico said, as to the surprise for Leo, the Arch-Duke seemed to approach him with a problem regarding the 'Uprising'.