"Ambitious, are we? You're not the first to ask about that one, sell-sword. And you won't be the last."
He leaned back in his chair. He seemed to enjoy having an audience. "That is Lady Aurelia of House Aris. From Silverwood."
"A noble?" Riku asked, raising an eyebrow. "What did she do to get a price on her head this high?"
"The bounty wasn't posted by the Legion," the captain explained, a cynical grin on his face. "It was posted by another noble house from Silverwood. A rival."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "The charge is treason. Consorting with forbidden magic. The usual political nonsense."
Riku feigned a thoughtful expression. "And these charges... are they true?"
The captain snorted, a look of pure cynicism on his face. "Who knows? When nobles start throwing accusations around, truth is the first casualty. All I know is the bounty is real, and the gold spends the same no matter whose blood is on it."
