"Why are we walking? Aren’t you in a hurry to infiltrate the camp?" Brigid asked. They had left Karmen’s frontline camp almost half a day ago, and she had expected the young boy assigned to watch her to be eager to finish the mission. Instead, he strolled along as if it were a pleasant evening walk.
"Nah," Cassian replied with a grin. "The commodore back there didn’t say anything about rushing. Let’s take it slow—after all, it’s not like either of us has somewhere else to be, right?" He looked around, clearly enjoying the scenery.
Originally, he had rejected this mission—he was already working on a secret one. But when he realized it had the same objective Naset had given him—finding the mole within the Karmen Earldom—he decided to take it.
Now, as Cassian glanced at Brigid—annoyed for reasons only she knew—his fingers brushed against the ring on his hand. Hidden by a magic circle, it remained invisible, yet very much there.
The ring wasn’t just a tool to control her; it let him see what she saw, hear what she heard. A perfect device for domination. Still, it made him wonder—if this was the "less cruel" method Naset had chosen, what horrors had the man dismissed? Even the slightest defiance from Brigid would strip away years of her life in an instant, drowning her in unbearable pain.
Curious about other control methods—if only to avoid falling victim to them himself, or perhaps to learn how to break free—Cassian asked, "So... you know any way to get out of this slave mark the commander put on you?"
Brigid stared at him for a moment before replying coldly, "Are you just asking... or is that an order?"
"Uh... an order?" Cassian said, a little puzzled.
"Then yes, I know a few ways. Killing you is one of them," she said casually, making Cassian chuckle. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NovᴇlFɪre.nᴇt
"Well, I guess it wouldn’t be the worst way to go—killed by someone gorgeous...," Cassian said, his tone teasing. He found the Luminara-ranked mage undeniably beautiful, though with enough bite to make it clear sweetness wasn’t her game. She showed her dislike for him without holding back.
"If you’re not in such a rush, let’s stop here. Night’s coming, and I’m hungry," she said with a faint scowl, dropping onto a boulder beside a small pond.
Cassian smirked. "Hungry for food, or me? I’ve heard Circle Warriors like me are a rare delicacy for you cult folks..."
"Well, what can I say? It’s not easy to get a taste of a Circle Warrior like you—especially one who can grow back a pound of flesh in seconds," Brigid said, licking her lips before adding with a wicked glint, "That’s the dream... so don’t be a cheapskate. Let me have a piece of you."
"Why stop at a piece? You can have the whole thing," Cassian shot back, smirking as he sat down beside her. He tilted his head, eyes dropping suggestively toward his crotch. "Start here. Just... maybe give it a little taste first."
Brigid’s smile tightened, veins twitching at her temple as she glared at him furiously.
Brigid let out a slow breath through her nose, clearly restraining herself. "Careful, boy. Keep talking like that and I might take you up on it just to shut you up."
Cassian grinned wider. "Wouldn’t be the worst way to go."
She rolled her eyes and took out a strip of dried meat from her space ring, "Sorry to disappoint, but I’ll stick to this for now." She bit into it deliberately, never breaking eye contact, as if daring him to make another remark.
He leaned back on his hands, watching her with lazy amusement. "That’s cold. You’d rather chew on that than me?"
"Chews cleaner. Less chance of biting off something important by accident," she replied with a mock-sweet smile.
Cassian chuckled, shaking his head. "Guess I’ll take that as a compliment. You’re saying I’ve got important parts worth protecting."
Brigid didn’t answer—just gave him a faint smirk before turning her gaze toward the darkening treeline. "Eat something, Circle Warrior. It’s going to be a long night, and I don’t want you whining later."
"Whining?" Cassian echoed with mock offense. "Please. I only make noise when I’m enjoying myself."
Ignoring her glare, Cassian only chuckled at her anger before reaching into his space ring. He pulled out a hot, steaming bread bun and held it out to her. "Here. Eat this. It’s better than that dried crap you’ve been gnawing on."
Brigid shot him a mildly surprised look but took it anyway. After a brief pause, she bit in—steam curling from her lips as her eyes widened at the taste. The juicy, spicy meat filling burst across her tongue, the sweet, soft bread soaked through with savory juices. For a moment, her irritation seemed to melt away.
Seeing her actually enjoy it, Cassian bit into his own with a grin. "So," he said through a mouthful, "what’s the plan once we reach camp?"
Still chewing, Brigid replied casually, "You’re in charge. You think of one."
"Then I’m ordering you to make one," Cassian said with a smirk.
Her eyes narrowed again. "Why the hell did they send a muscle-head like you with me? You’re gonna get yourself killed—and probably take me with you. What the hell did that bastard see in you, anyway?"
Cassian shrugged. "Dunno. But honestly? He also told me to kill you when this is over... though I’m not gonna do it."
Brigid’s brows rose—not at the fact someone ordered her death, but at his casual refusal. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "So you’re planning to keep me as your slave forever, then?"
Cassian chuckled and shook his head. "Tempting thought... but nah. Even if everyone of you cultists makes my blood boil—"
His red domain flared to life, making Brigid’s eyes widen as his gaze burned crimson, demonic in its intensity. "—making me want to kill every last one of you with my own hands."
The killing intent radiating from him made her flinch before it abruptly faded as he exhaled. "But that’s a pipe dream. So, I’ll let you go—if you help me deal with this mess. One evil left alive in exchange for thousands of innocent lives saved... sounds like a fair trade to me."
He gave her a small smile. "Don’t you think so?"
She stared at him for a moment before he turned back to his meal, biting into the steaming hot meat bun without a care for the heat burning his mouth. Steam curled from his lips with every chew, but he acted as if it were nothing.
Brigid eventually looked away, focusing on her own bun. After a few quiet moments of chewing and thought, she finally spoke. "I’ll help you get—"
She didn’t finish. Cassian suddenly cut her off with a sharp, quiet hiss. "Hide..."
Before she could even ask why, he vanished from her sight. One blink, and he was gone—so completely that even her mana sense couldn’t find him. A curse slipped under her breath; whatever had prompted him to say that, it wasn’t good. She didn’t waste a second, slipping behind a nearby boulder and layering every camouflage spell she knew over herself. She wasn’t about to get caught out in the open like last time.