[Moments Earlier]
'This is a very important mission…'
Asher—known for all intents as purposes as Aldred by the group he was traveling with—was currently in deep thought as he sat in the carriage.
The world was currently shrouded in darkness, which meant this was the perfect moment to think.
His eyes fluttered open, and then he closed then soon after, thinking of the current state of his father's company.
… His birthright.
'Right now, I have to convince the Jaune Councilor.'
Each Council Member of the Obsidian Council had a code name attached to their real names.
His father was the Blanc Obsidian Member; and right now, the plan was to convince the Jaune and Verte Members respectively.
'Lord Verte is too far away, so we'll have to start with Lord Jaune.'
Depending on how much he paced himself, they could get there in an hour. However, Asher couldn't imagine doing something like that.
'There's still etiquette to consider, and we can't just intrude on another's property at such an ungodly hour.'
As such, the eventual plan became for him to simply camp outside their territory and wait for dawn to break before proceeding any further.
'Yeah. That'll work.' As Asher thought this, he looked outside his window and observed the two entourages that sat on their mounts and steadily moved beside him.
There was also one more behind him.
Adding them to the coachman, there were a total of four entourages—five individuals in total.
'Let's hope the delegation ends well.'
Even though his father—Rebal Blanc himself—wanted to be the one to lead this delegation, it would be too risky for him to leave their main area of business.
That was practically announcing vulnerability to everyone who was around.
'Besides, if father comes for this delegation, the other Groups might think we're desperate and we might lose considerable Bargaining Power.'
In the end, this was the best thing they could do.
As the carriage left the green shrubberies behind and reached the tunnel at the end of the lush greenery that surrounded them just earlier.
'It'll be smooth sailing from here.'
If Asher used his Enchanted Item, he could probably see the Jaune stronghold from where he stood.
"We should probably set up camp here, then…" Asher murmured, bringing out a pair of glasses from his pockets.
Everyone halted, and Asher even came out of the carriage at this point. The journey had been a bit stressful, especially since they had to travel at nights
It wasn't something they couldn't handle, though.
As the sole heir to the KariBlanc Group, he had to make sure he was at least this capable.
'I better confirm the state of the Jaune Group…' Asher's thoughts trailed as he looked at the Enchanted Item in his hand.
He put on the glasses and activated its effect.
The item glowed bright blue, and a shiny light surged from Asher's position,
Then—
'I-impossible! What is this?!'
What greeted Asher's already enhanced eyes was a sight so horrible that one could practically chalk it up to a nightmare,
The entire buildings within the vast compound were on fire, and he could see corpses buried in their entrails and blood.
Some couldn't even be qualified as 'corpses', given the messed up states of their bodies.
'This is bad!' Asher's thoughts echoed as he narrowed down his vision.
He could see a few people fighting, but that was about it.
It seemed like the Jaune House desperately needed help, so if the KariBlanc Group assisted them here, then…
'The negotiations might go even better!'
Asher knew he couldn't take any chances, so he decided to rush towards the infernal flames and sea of blood that greeted his sight anytime he focused on the view.
'Let's not get distracted and get this over with!'
The darkened moon hovered him and his subordinates as they prepared to quickly save their potential allies.
Amidst all the preparations and impatience that swirled within the group, a worrisome thought kept on plaguing Asher's thoughts.
'This could only have been done by the Mercenary Gang. No one else has enough power or even the nerve to try this to an Obsidian family member.'
'I didn't think they'd stoop this low! Does that mean Sir Ralyks was right? Did they go to the enemy side?!
'If so, then our plan crumbles from the start. Still…'
A bead of sweat fell from Asher's face as he composed himself well.
'I should first go to their aid and hope for the best!'
With his choice already made, Asher and his men parked their carriages and horses in a secure location, one of them casted a sort of protection Spell, while the other made an Illusion Spell so that their means of transport could not be detected naturally.
Once all of this was done, they proceeded towards their target.
*********
It took nearly ten minutes to complete the distance.
Even though they augmented their speeds with Mana and rushed as fast as they could, it still took some time to arrive.
And once they did… what greeted their sight was the bloodshed and flames that engulfed the entire compound.
'This is just…'
It felt like watching an entire empire crumble to the ground, and Asher began to wonder if the same would happen to his KariBlanc Group one day.
'Never! Father will figure this out. Sir Ralyks is also helping out!'
This thought gave Asher more resolve than ever.
'I have to play my part too.' He looked at his entourage and told them to split up and search for clues.
"Don't get in any unnecessary combat. Retreat when you encounter an opportunity and come back with the information you've gathered."
Asher, on the other hand, chose to embrace the storm by walking straight into the entrance.
He was still a delegate from the KariBlanc Group.
'I better be careful.'
Asher was known to be considerably strong, but after what he had experienced in the past couple of days—perhaps even a week or two—he was sure he was still a novice.
'I'll have to take this very seriously!'