Warrior Training System-Chapter 466: When Priorities Shift

Cassian hesitated, unsure if he should tell her what he’d learned about the cult’s base. She wasn’t his commander, and from how things looked now, she might not even be in command of her own army anymore. For some reason, Naset had taken over overall command.

She explained why soon enough.

"Another small kingdom fell to the cult a week ago," Aria said. "And Ironclad has officially declared itself cult-aligned. They’ve started attacking Magisteria from the rear. Because of that, the people actually running things decided to take this seriously. Strong local forces are being pushed to cut off the cult’s expansion as fast as possible."

"Then that base is going to get crushed soon," Cassian said after a moment of thought.

Aria nodded. "Yeah. It was only a matter of time. Once Commander Naset arrived here, the cultists were basically finished. I don’t even understand their strategy anymore—the monsters they send just end up as ingredients for potions and supplies for our forces."

Cassian frowned. He’d assumed things were far worse. "Then why was I sent in there at all?"

"To satisfy my father, I think," Aria said as she took a seat.

Cassian barely noticed her then, despite her presence and the strength that marked her as a Circle Warrior. His thoughts were stuck on one thing—why send a First Circle warrior on a mission like that just to appease the Earl? Was the man really that reckless?

Aria seemed to read his confusion and continued, "You know my father’s reputation. I’m not proud of it. He was strongly against receiving help from anyone. I used the suspicion of a mole within the Karmen family to force his hand and make him accept aid. He wanted to know who the traitor was, so Commander Naset sent you to investigate."

She paused briefly, then added, "But now that he no longer needs my father’s permission to act, finding the spy isn’t his priority anymore."

Cassian let that sink in, then exhaled through his nose. "So my little vacation in cult territory turned into... leverage."

Aria nodded once. "Exactly. At the time, identifying the traitor inside my family mattered. It gave us an excuse to force cooperation. Now?" She shrugged lightly. "The war escalated faster than expected. Priorities changed."

"That explains why Naset suddenly has authority over everything," Cassian said. "And why no one’s panicking about that base anymore."

"It’ll be dealt with," Aria replied. "Quickly. The cult made too much noise. Between Magisteria and the surrounding forces, they won’t survive long enough for internal spies to matter."

Cassian frowned. "Spies still matter. Even if the base falls, anyone feeding information can keep doing damage."

"I agree," Aria said, nodding once. "So tell me—what do you know about the traitor in my family?"

Cassian frowned slightly. He’d suspected the spy was tied to the Karmen family, but Aria sounded far more certain than he was. "You seem sure it’s someone from your own family," he said.

"It is," Aria replied, irritation slipping into her voice. She leaned back in her chair. "I have proof—just enough to confirm that much." After a brief pause, she added, "So if you know anything, tell me. I’ll make sure you’re rewarded properly."

Cassian hesitated. He’d already burned through most of his saved wealth on slaves—even risking his own freedom in the process. In hindsight, it felt like he’d been cheated more than once. Still, money could be earned again.

Cassian smirked. If Naset didn’t care about him anymore, then he didn’t owe him anything either. And even if Aria herself turned out to be the spy, it wouldn’t really change much at this point.

"I don’t know the identity of the spy," Cassian said plainly. He pulled out the file Naset had given him and handed it to her. "But this should help a bit."

Aria’s eyes lit up as she opened it. She skimmed the pages, then smiled. "Yeah. It will."

She smirked faintly and muttered, "So he’s number one on Naset’s list too. No surprise. I even suspected my father might’ve been a clone at one point... he was close with those valtross assholes. Though, to be fair, my father’s an asshole too."

She kept muttering under her breath. Cassian heard it all, but it didn’t surprise him much. After dealing with families like Brigid’s, he’d learned just how messy noble bloodlines could get.

"So for my reward," Cassian said with a smirk, "I’d normally ask for a beautiful woman... but gold will do just fine for now."

Aria’s brows drew together instantly. "And why wouldn’t I count as beautiful?"

Cassian blinked, then laughed softly. "That’s not what I meant. I wasn’t trying to offend you," he said, then paused. "...though it looks like I did. My apologies."

Aria scoffed softly, shaking her head. "This is enough to narrow things down. Maybe not catch the traitor outright, but combined with what I already have..." She paused, then nodded once. "You’ve earned a reward. So tell me—what do you actually want?"

Cassian’s lips curved into a familiar smirk. "Well, since there’s a beautiful lady right in front of me, a kiss wouldn’t be a bad start."

Aria raised an eyebrow, clearly amused rather than offended this time. "I might’ve given you that," she said lightly, "but since you suddenly care so much about money..." She waved a hand dismissively. "You’ll get paid tomorrow morning."

Cassian chuckled and nodded. "Fair enough."

He hesitated, then added, "One more thing I almost forgot—there’s a long-range magic communication channel the cult set up. Quiet one. Tied to a traitor somewhere near... or inside the earldom. You should keep an eye out for it."

Aria’s expression sharpened a notch. "Naset didn’t mention that."

"Doesn’t seem like he’s planning to," Cassian said, shrugging. "Maybe he thinks wiping one camp makes it irrelevant. I’m not so sure. Cultist’s don’t usually put all their eggs in one bloody basket."

She tapped a finger against the table, thinking. "If that channel exists, it explains how they stayed a step ahead even after losing people."

"Exactly," Cassian said. "Cut the camp, sure—but if the line’s still open, someone’s still whispering."

Aria nodded slowly. "I’ll have my mages look for it. Quietly."

Cassian smiled, satisfied. "Good. Then my little trip wasn’t completely pointless."