It was mutually insured destruction if she didn’t take care of the MC then the ML was going to go to the Lord and say that her brother was the one who was the mole and betrayed the land and let the other soldiers in so basically if she didn’t protect the MC, her brother would die, and her whole line would be burdened with treason and betrayal and basically everything would fall on her son‘s head so in his mind, he’s out fighting a war. He doesn’t really have a lot of power. He’s been put into a corner and this is his one card to play. He literally says that’s his only option. He didn’t think that he would be mistreated because he knew that she did care for the MC but loved and cared for her brother much more and not wanting her son to be involved and he couldn’t do a lot. All of his men were fighting the war with him all the people he trusted were already killed, and he already knew that that was a den of snakes he sent Ida in there, and she was automatically killed.
Not to mention he only has one arm and the mage is the only person who can give him another and the walls of the city and his isolation were so closely monitored that he only gets to go out once and that’s where he meets an ally, the merchant and that’s how he also becomes friends with the little slave boy who want to help and also died anybody who wants to help him has to enter the walls and they cannot, or they are literally putting their life on the line
I’m confused, why did he assume MC would be safe and in good hands. Don’t they have the magic to spy or even simply seek out information through other slaves and servants? Also since he knows she’s not even doing it for MC, but for her brother, is it not obvious MC would have been mistreated.