CHAPTER 231: BLACK WINGS TROOPS (2)

"Black Wings troops from the north?" Aston’s eyes widened at the news.

The Black Wings was a famous mercenary force in the Northern region. They hired out their services to fight in wars, and their strength was unquestionable.

Of course, hiring them came at a tremendous cost, but the results were always worth it. Many kingdoms and empires had relied on their services, and every time, victory followed.

Their legend had spread across the continent—there was hardly anyone who didn’t know their name.

But the most notorious of them all was their leader, Galian. He was known as cruel, ruthless, and merciless. Hundreds of thousands had already died by his hands, earning him the title of the most fearsome figure in the world.

And now, that sinister man and his army stood before him, pushing Aston’s vigilance to its peak.

How could the Castellan family hire them? He wondered silently.

It was known that hiring the Black Wings required at least five million Sharn—and that was the minimum. They offered assassination, battlefield support, ambushes, and more.

Each service had a different price. As he recalled, an ambush alone cost ten million Sharn.

Moreover, they had dozens—no, hundreds—of high-level mages, and even some Sages among them. The cost to summon all of them must have been unimaginably high.

Considering the Castellan family’s finances had taken a severe hit over the past two months, it seemed impossible that they could afford this.

Then, a name came to mind—the Red Obsidian Trading House.

His heart raced as he whispered, It must be them...

His teeth clenched, anger rumbling within him. If anyone was capable of this, it was them.

And it wasn’t surprising. Through the Castellan family, they had been relentlessly trying to undermine the Valmire family’s dominance in the eastern weapons industry.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Aston fixed his gaze on Galian and said coldly, "Are you really going to do this? Step aside, and I’ll give you double what the Castellan family paid."

The Valmire family was extremely wealthy, and Aston had no hesitation in spending a fortune to force them to back down.

"Pfft!" Galian chuckled and shook his head. "Aston Valmire, it seems you’ve misunderstood. In the past, the Black Wings worked for money—because we were strapped for it. But those days are long gone. We’ve completed countless missions, and now, wealth is no longer something we lack."

A wide grin spread across his face as he continued, "The Red Obsidian Trading House made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. So I’m afraid your money means nothing to us."

"An offer you couldn’t refuse?" Aston was taken aback. "What did they offer you?"

For some reason, he had a bad feeling. The Black Wings was a foreign force from the northern continent. He couldn’t understand what the Red Obsidian Trading House had offered to make them reject his deal so easily.

"That’s a secret, my friend. How could I tell you?" Galian burst into laughter, his comrades joining in behind him.

Anger flared in Aston once more. He raised his sword high and shouted, "Fine, if that’s what you want! I admit that you and your army are strong—but that doesn’t mean I’ll surrender so easily! You’ve obstructed my plans, so be ready to face my wrath!"

He yanked the reins of his horse and roared, "Everyone, attack!"

"Attack!" his soldiers echoed, raising their weapons as they charged toward Galian and his men.

But Galian showed no fear. Instead, he licked his lips eagerly and shouted, "Everyone, attack! Show them the terror of the Black Wings!"

"Yes, Boss!" His soldiers roared back with excitement.

They unsheathed their swords and spurred their horses forward, colliding head-on with Aston’s troops, who had charged first.

...

"War between the Valmire and Castellan families?"

Ragan, busy with his work, froze the moment Orion spoke.

"That is correct, Your Majesty. The Valmire family declared war on the Castellan family a few days ago. And today seems to mark the official start of the conflict," Orion replied respectfully.

Ragan fell silent for a few moments before regaining his composure. He drew in a deep breath to steady his shock.

"Why has this news only just reached me?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

He hadn’t expected such an important matter to be reported so late. The eastern region had only just emerged from a crisis and was still recovering. If the two Marquis families went to war, it was not impossible that the crisis would flare up again.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty." Orion dropped to one knee, bowing his head. "This matter is extremely complicated. There has been an invisible hand suppressing the news. I only discovered it myself two days ago, immediately launched an investigation, and the findings surfaced just an hour ago."

Ragan’s eyes widened at that, his expression turning grave.

"Do you know who’s behind this?"

Anyone capable of concealing such news from the Empire for days was clearly both powerful and dangerous. Leaving such a person unchecked could pose a threat to his empire.

"I’ve been investigating, but so far, there are no definitive results. Still, I suspect one party—the Blue Moon Trading House," Orion explained.

"The Blue Moon Trading House?" Ragan was once again surprised. "Are you certain it’s them?"

"The results aren’t conclusive, but every trail of the investigation points in their direction. The conflict between the two families began when the Castellan family tried to shake the Valmire family’s dominance in the weapons industry. They sought the help of the Red Obsidian Trading House—and succeeded," Orion explained carefully. "But the Valmire family did not remain idle. They turned to the Blue Moon Trading House and managed to push the Castellan family back."

"According to the information I obtained, one of the Valmire family’s factories was attacked. Many were injured, and some even lost their lives. The perpetrators were soldiers of the Castellan family, and based on the evidence I gathered, this attack became the spark that escalated the feud into open conflict."

So, this isn’t just a conflict between two families but also between two trading houses? Ragan whispered, hooking his fingers together and pressing them beneath his nose.

With Orion’s explanation, he could now see where this struggle was headed. The Red Obsidian Trading House and the Blue Moon Trading House were clearly at each other’s throats.

Overall, the Red Obsidian Trading House suffered a crushing defeat. They were driven out of three major regions, leaving only their dominance in the eastern region intact.

But that was no surprise. The Blue Moon Trading House was simply too powerful. In both internal management and innovation, they excelled in every way. In many respects, they were the revolutionary force that had shaped the Great Velmora Empire into what it is today.

That was also why Ragan had never interfered in their conflicts, despite the Red Obsidian Trading House belonging to his father-in-law—through his fourth wife.

"By the way, Your Majesty, there is another important piece of information," Orion said gravely.

Ragan gave a small nod, granting him permission to continue.

"The Valmire family and the Blue Moon Trading House had never been close, nor were they related. But everything changed because of one person."

"One person?" Ragan’s brows lifted slightly. "Who?"

Orion lowered his voice and replied, "His Highness... Nolan."