"Your team did a good job," Sergeant Hally said with a nod as Cassian shared what they'd uncovered about the Wan family.
Cassian went on to explain about Pastor Abraham Cronus and how he'd helped a lot of families move into the city to spread his teachings.
"Take a break for now. I'll set up some reinforcements to head back with you to Surock Village to follow up on the leads," Sergeant Hally added, standing up with a frustrated look. "I've got to get them from another department, so it might take a bit."
"Any idea how long 'a bit' might be, sir?" Cassian asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.
Sergeant Hally sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Could be a day, maybe two. Depends on how fast the paperwork moves and how cooperative they're feeling over there," he said, his tone almost apologetic.
Cassian wanted to ask why Julius and his team couldn't go as reinforcements, but he held back. He was exhausted from all the travel and just wanted to collapse onto a soft bed. Still, there were a few things he needed to handle before that. Sergeant Hally mentioned the reinforcements would be ready in a day, so he didn't want to put things off until the last minute.
The main task on his mind was buying a sword, but other thoughts kept distracting him. One of those distractions was visiting Lady Katherine and giving her a massage. The desire to feel her soft body won over buying a sword, and he headed to the Beacon of Knowledge.
Within an hour or two, Cassian found himself at Lady Katherine's door. To his luck, she was inside, resting. When he stepped in, she greeted him with a smile. "You're back…"
"Yes, my lady," Cassian replied, bowing with a smile. His eyes flicked to Lucy, who was standing nearby. She smiled and asked, "Did you catch the murderer, then?"
Cassian shook his head with a tired smile as he walked closer. "We've got some promising leads, though," he said.
"Oh? And what are they?" Katherine asked with a smile. Cassian took a seat on her bed while she settled into the chair, and Lucy continued combing her hair.
Cassian leaned back slightly, exhaustion weighing on him. "We found out that a pastor named Abraham Cronus might be involved. He's been helping families move into the city to spread his teachings. One of those families was among the victims," he explained, noting Katherine's curious expression.
Katherine's eyes narrowed in thought. "Cronus? That name does sound familiar," she said, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Really? Where have you heard it before, my lady?" Cassian asked, excitement sparking in his tired eyes. Any clue she had could speed up their investigation.
"I'm not sure," Katherine replied, sounding a bit uncertain. "I'll tell you when I remember."
Cassian's face fell with disappointment. Lucy paused her combing for a moment and glanced at him. "So, what's the plan now? Are you heading back out soon?" she asked before resuming the gentle strokes through Katherine's hair.
Cassian sighed. "Sergeant Hally is working on getting reinforcements. We'll be heading to Surock Village tomorrow to follow up. Since I had some free time, I figured my lady was due for her massage, so I came by."
"Well, I've been feeling my body getting tenser and tenser these last few days…" Katherine said, stretching her neck. "I guess you know my body well, Cassian." She shifted slightly, making herself more comfortable.
Lucy chuckled softly as she finished the final strokes of the comb through Katherine's hair. "I'll leave you two to it, then," she said, stepping back and placing the comb on the table. With a polite nod, she excused herself from the room, leaving Cassian and Katherine alone.
Cassian watched her leave, wishing he had a moment alone with Lucy to cuddle her soft body. But now, with Katherine here, he didn't mind waiting. He turned to her and asked, "So, how's your research been, my lady?" as he took a seat at her feet.
Katherine glanced down at him as he settled at her feet, her expression softening. She seemed to consider his question for a moment before responding. "It's been slow," she said with a sigh, her fingers lightly tapping on the armrest of her chair. "A lot of dead ends, really."
As Cassian's fingers gently massaged her feet, the tension slowly melted away, warming them and easing the strain. Katherine began explaining her research, though Cassian didn't fully understand the details. Still, he was a great listener, so he gave her his full attention.
She described her work, something related to producing a specific type of mana particles that only appeared during the death of certain gods or when worlds were either breaking apart or coming into existence. He wasn't entirely sure what she meant by "worlds breaking," but it seemed like a difficult process to create those particular mana particles.
Being a good listener also meant asking questions at the right moments, so Cassian did just that. As he moved to massage her legs, enjoying the feeling after so long, he asked, "So, these mana particles you've been trying to produce—what are they supposed to do? How will they make you stronger?"
Katherine's face lit up with excitement as she answered, "Do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?"
Cassian grinned. "Yeah, it's the thing that turns anything into gold, right? I wish I had one." He chuckled, imagining how different his life would be if he had such a miraculous object.
"Well, these particles behave similarly," she said with a wide smile. "The difference is, instead of turning whatever they touch into gold, the things get completely destroyed down to its base…"
Cassian couldn't help but feel a chill at the thought of such a thing existing, but then he recalled an instance and muttered, "Just like that spell you used, 'Parisosa.'" He remembered the monstrous Eidolon spawn turning into dust by that spell.
Katherine nodded, her smile growing even wider. "Yeah, exactly. But this would be far more destructive…"