Suspiciously Good Loot
There were a suspicious number of magical plants in the area, that much was clear to everyone, but they were doing their best to collect what they could, not leaving much to regrow, unlike an area that could be safely farmed later.
The magical plants would attract more powerful monsters, and that was the last thing that the region needed when it was already short on Elites who were over the Awakened Rank. Most of the patrols only had one or two Ascended members, and Alice was the only Commander Rank Elite in the area before the Church Guard showed up.
Karl wasn't certain of the strength that they brought with them, but there were at least a few Commander Ranked Guard Captains in the mix, if he had checked the uniforms right.