"A spy positioned here before I even arrived," she reasoned inwardly. "That suggests foreknowledge. Either they knew I would receive this land, or this location holds something valuable."
Her gaze drifted briefly toward the lake in the distance, its surface deceptively calm.
"Yet he killed himself immediately," she continued silently. "That means he feared interrogation more than death."
She examined his clothing more closely. Poorly stitched leather armor. No insignia. No graded enchantment. His boots were worn thin at the soles.
"A low-level operative," she concluded. "Not elite. Not noble."
She activated Sage's Eye.
A translucent holographic panel shimmered into view before her vision.
Name: Unidentified
Affiliation: Desmont Bandit Group
Rank: 1-star rank
Description: Lookout for Desmont Bandits.
Her brows drew together.
"Bandit," she repeated quietly.
Desmont Bandit Group.
She had never heard of them.
