Chapter 636: Fortuna Hostilities

CH636 Fortuna Hostilities

***

They prioritised stabilising those with life-threatening injuries first.

Only after ensuring they were no longer in immediate danger did they begin treating the most severely wounded.

To conserve as much mana as possible, those with lesser injuries were bandaged and given lower-grade healing potions to manage their condition.

It might leave scars—but it ensured they would survive until proper healing could be administered.

Meanwhile, Eleanore—and surprisingly, Alex—focused their efforts on the critically injured.

They had just finished tending to the most severe cases when Zora returned.

Her expression was already tense—but the moment she saw the condition of the raiding party, it darkened into a deep frown.

"The city administration denied my request for expansion," she reported. "They also rejected my follow-up request to acquire a larger property."

"What reason did they give?" Alex asked.

"None," Zora replied. "I believe someone is targeting us."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"And what led you to that conclusion?"

"While we were waiting, one of the administrative officers tried to sell us several larger properties," she explained. "He was unusually eager—almost desperate—for us to take them."

"After our expansion request was denied, I contacted him again to finalise a lease for one of those properties. We were close to concluding the deal—until someone approached him."

She paused briefly.

"After that conversation, his attitude changed completely. Suddenly, he had nothing available for us."

A cold glint flickered in Alex’s eyes.

Still, he kept his composure.

He gestured to one of the Fury Knights nearby.

"Go and call Raven Horn," he instructed.

A few minutes later, Raven Horn arrived.

The moment he stepped into the mansion, his gaze swept across the injured—and a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.

"Someone is targeting us," Alex said without preamble.

He briefly outlined both incidents.

Raven Horn listened in silence, his expression growing increasingly serious.

"Give me a moment," he said. "I’ll find out."

He departed swiftly.

When he returned later that evening, his face was solemn.

"The bandit group you eliminated..." he began, his tone heavy, "...belongs to the Lost Heathens—one of the largest dark mercenary factions in the Wildlands."

"Dark mercenaries? Those suspected of banditry?" Alex asked.

"More like known to act as bandits on the side, but no one truly cares," Raven Horn replied.

"The Lost Heathens are fiercely protective of their reputation. So, you flying the banner of one of their units after wiping them out..."

He paused slightly.

"...let’s just say it didn’t sit well with them."

He continued, his tone growing heavier.

"But the real issue is this—the leader of the unit you eliminated was the younger brother of the Lost Heathens’ leader, Brock Peyton."

Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So, this is a vendetta."

"Yes," Raven Horn confirmed with a nod.

For a brief moment, Alex’s gaze turned solemn.

Then he asked,

"How large is the Lost Heathens? And more importantly—how do they have enough influence to interfere with the city administration?"

The city administration was not a place easily swayed.

It was a tangled web of competing interests— a structure built on power, wealth, and mutual benefit.

No insignificant force could influence decisions such as the leasing of major estates, especially when such decisions directly affected one of the city’s primary sources of revenue.

Where there was money, there were vested interests.

And in the Wildlands, no one allowed their interests to be disrupted without consequence.

"The Lost Heathens themselves are not that powerful in the grand scheme," Raven Horn explained.

"They’re roughly on par with the BattleBane group you had me investigate earlier."

He paused briefly before adding,

"However... they serve as the arms and feet of the Drumvale Merchant Company in the Wildlands."

Alex’s expression hardened.

Raven Horn had previously provided them with a detailed dossier on the major powers of Verdantis.

One of the most prominent among them—the Free City of Afordocia.

A merchant city that had not only gained independence, but had managed to retain it despite the greed of surrounding empires.

Like BloodIron, Afordocia was governed by a council.

But unlike BloodIron, its council consisted of the ten largest merchant companies in the city.

Arguably, the ten most powerful merchant entities across all of Verdantis.

And among them was the Drumvale Merchant Company.

Aside from being one of the wealthiest merchant companies in the world, Drumvale was also known to harbour Combat Saint–level powerhouses—

—the pinnacle of strength just beneath the Combat Sages who stood as pillars for empires and temples alike.

They were not an entity one offended lightly.

’I see... so that’s why the city administration folded,’ Alex mused inwardly.

Even so, as he looked upon his injured men, a primal rage ignited within him.

It burned fiercely, fuelled by the Furor aspect of his bloodline.

"What do you intend to do?" Raven Horn asked.

Before Alex could respond, he caught sight of Zora subtly shaking her head— a silent plea.

In that moment, a gentle, cooling sensation spread through him.

The influence of the Auramir aspect of his bloodline soothed the rising fury.

Alex exhaled slowly.

’This isn’t just about me anymore. I can’t act on impulse... not when others depend on me.’

He steadied his thoughts.

’Let’s try another approach first.’

Suppressing the instinctive aggression of his Furor side, Alex spoke calmly.

"I understand Brock Peyton’s grief," he said. "Let’s attempt diplomacy first. If this can be resolved with words rather than blades, that would be preferable."

He looked to Raven Horn.

"Can you arrange a meeting?"

Raven Horn studied him for a moment.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes," Alex replied with a firm nod.

"Very well," Raven Horn said. "I’ll make the arrangements and report back soon."

With that, he departed swiftly.

Zora stepped closer.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I know that wasn’t easy for you. We’re in unfamiliar territory—we shouldn’t create powerful enemies before establishing our foundation."

Alex understood her concern.

They might be capable of defeating Brock Peyton and his forces— but doing so could provoke the wrath of the Drumvale Merchant Company behind him.

If the matter could be resolved peacefully, it would spare them from far greater consequences.

Still...

Alex was not nearly as optimistic.

Though he had suppressed the impulses of his Furor bloodline, he had not ignored them.

’The Diplomacy and military force are tools that complement one another,’ he reflected.

’One does not exist without the shadow of the other.’

Even as he spoke of peace— plans were already forming in his mind.

Later that day, he held a private discussion with Udara.

Not long after, a scouting unit quietly departed from the mansion—their destination and true purpose known only to Alex and Udara.

***