"My lady, you are expected in the lab within the hour by the vice tower head," Ravees said, looking a bit awkward without Cassian's binding presence between her and Katherine, who was now fully clothed and showed no signs of the mind-boggling intimacy from earlier.
Katherine nodded with a serious expression, but seeing Ravees' awkward, slightly embarrassed look, she blushed a bit, recalling moments from an hour ago when she was under Cassian, moaning loudly and admitting to who-knows-what embarrassing things, which she could only blame Cassian for, leveraging his sexual power over her.
Cassian was absent from the room and would be for the next few days or weeks, summoned back to the frontlines. His brief leave had been cut short as the cult's attacks grew more serious, their initial controlled monster waves yielding little success.
"Ravees?" Katherine said, her face slightly flushed, her voice low. Ravees looked up and replied, "Yes, my lady?"
Katherine seemed troubled, hesitating to speak, but as she walked toward the door, she said, "I just wanted to say, don't worry about it…" She paused to gauge Ravees' reaction, but seeing her confusion, Katherine's blush deepened. "About what happened this morning, don't worry about it, okay?"
Ravees blushed but nodded, finally understanding that Katherine wasn't concerned about her and Cassian's involvement in those intimate moments. Though Katherine didn't say it outright, her words could only mean that.
Confusion still lingered in Ravees' mind, as Cassian hadn't even touched her while Katherine watched, too consumed with ravishing Katherine. Meanwhile, Ravees had pleasured herself, her fingers working her folds and pinching her nipples, absorbed in their intense display.
"Yes, my lady…" Ravees said in a soft, embarrassed tone, her head lowered as they left her room, uncertain of what Cassian's next return would bring.
Cassian, who hadn't yet returned to his assigned post, made a stop in the city, specifically at the law enforcement office, to keep a promise of sorts to his direct superior, Commandant Sher.
An eighth-circle warrior, Sher didn't appear as old as her near-century of life might suggest, her well-proportioned figure and strikingly beautiful face belying her age.
"I know you said you'd meet me at noon, but isn't it reckless to disobey a direct order to report to the frontline as soon as possible?" Sher asked, slightly surprised by Cassian's presence in her office.
Cassian smiled as he walked behind her chair, unfazed by the risk of offending his boss, who looked amused as his hands rested on her shoulders. "You won't believe how much I didn't wanted to skip my duties, Miss Sher…" he said, feigning the tone of a troubled soldier.
Sher smiled and replied, "But I still have my obligation to you. I promised yesterday to give you that much-needed massage, so how could I leave without keeping my word?"
Sher's amusement grew, her lips curling into a knowing smile as she leaned back in her chair, fully aware that Cassian's presence was only required not so early, she chose to indulge his act. "How about you start with my feet instead of my shoulders?" she suggested, her tone teasing yet composed. "My legs have been feeling a bit tired since yesterday."
Cassian nodded eagerly, his grin widening as he moved to sit under her desk. Without hesitation, he slipped off her shoes, his hands steady and practiced. The task reminded him of a passage from Feet is Life, a book Katherine had given him to learn how to massage her feet perfectly, but he brushed the thought aside. Sher's choice of loose, pajama-style pants made it easier for him to work, and though he could have slid his hands up her legs to her thighs, he resisted, focusing solely on massaging her feet with care.
As his fingers worked, he glanced up and asked, "About my sudden recall to the frontline, do you know anything about that, Miss Sher?"
Sher went silent for a moment, thinking, then leaned back in her chair. "You know Sir Julius, right?" she asked.
"Yeah," Cassian replied, well aware of Julius Raseac. He had trained alongside him, solved a case together, and lately, Julius had been the driving force behind Magisteria City's resistance against the cult.
"Well, he's been on a rampage these past few days," Sher continued, her voice steady as she felt Cassian's hands easing the tension in her feet, moving gently to her calves. "He's taken down nearly all the high-ranking monsters, even a few calamity-ranked ones, including a top-ten-star beast. It's made defending this part of the vast ancient forest much easier." She paused, then added, "Other territories around the forest under attack have also gotten some relief from the constant onslaught of these monsters."
Cassian frowned, puzzled, as he said, "Wouldn't that make my recall even more confusing? If there's no immediate danger, why would they need a first-circle warrior like me to come back?"
Sher chuckled, her eyes glinting with amusement. "Aren't you a bit too proud of yourself?" she teased, making Cassian look at her with even greater confusion. She continued, "You're not the only one being called back. More people are being summoned even now. The cult's monster releases didn't achieve much, so they're preparing to attack themselves. Spies from various intelligence teams report that the cult has been gathering their armies at different locations, gearing up for an all-out assault soon."
Cassian nodded, his face turning serious and thoughtful as he processed what Sher's words meant. The implications of the cult's shift in strategy weighed heavily on him. Sher, watching his contemplative expression, chuckled softly and said, "I'll be heading out soon too if the cult decides to send their higher-ups into the war. Julius can handle warriors ranked above him, but he won't be enough if they deploy an experienced old fogey like the Artistic Butcher."
"Really? He'll be there too? Then the city head will be there as well?" Cassian asked, surprised, unaware that the conflict would escalate so quickly.
"Yes, the city head will be there too, but not to fight that feral magician. Even Sergeant Hally would be enough for him," Sher replied, her expression turning serious as she gazed into the distance. Then, catching Cassian's gaze from where he sat at her feet, she softened and smiled. "But you don't need to worry. You'll likely be assigned to tend to the injured or relay information back and forth. Just remember, don't pick dangerous fights like the last one."