"Why would anyone attack you two? I don't get it. Are one of you some secret prince or something?" Eve asked, genuinely confused, while Alix focused on healing the deep gash in Cassian's thigh, the wound visibly closing before their eyes.
"I have no idea, Sergeant. They even used magic and shit," Robert replied, having already explained the bizarre events—the foggy streets, the sudden attack, and then emerging through a wall. It was difficult to put into words, but Alix, being a mage, grasped the situation, suspecting it was either some sort of magic or a device creating a pocket space for the ambush.
"Yeah, exactly. But why use all that on you two weaklings? No offense," Eve added with a smirk. Both Cassian and Robert grimaced at the comment but stayed silent. Most of Robert's injuries had been healed by Alix, except for his dislocated shoulder. Luckily, Sergeant Dallas was skilled at fixing such things.
With a smile, she took hold of Robert's limp arm and said, "This is gonna hurt a bit. Bite down on something."
Robert bit down on his shirt as Dallas, still smiling, said, "On the count of three... one..." Before she even reached two, she yanked his shoulder back into place with a sharp pop. The pain hit Robert instantly, his face contorting as he bit harder into the fabric, but relief quickly followed. That relief was short-lived, though, as Sergeant Dallas gave a slightly sheepish, "Oh...
oops, I did it wrong."
Cassian glanced at Robert's shoulder, noticing it was raised higher than usual. Robert's eyes filled with anger, but before he could react, Dallas gave it another quick jerk, causing him to groan and clench his teeth again.
"See? All fixed," she said cheerfully.
Watching Robert's ordeal, Cassian made a mental note to never let Sergeant Dallas perform any medical procedures on him. Though, her question about why they were attacked lingered in his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that the attack had been aimed at him.
Although both he and Robert had been targeted, the strikes seemed to focus more on him, with Robert merely caught in the crossfire because he was nearby.
Cassian couldn't help but suspect it was because of Lady Katherine. There was no other reason he could think of for someone so powerful and resourceful to go after him. He wasn't worth that kind of effort. But what puzzled him the most was why they hadn't killed him when they easily could have.
He doubted their escape was due to their own abilities or luck—the attacker had more than enough opportunities to finish them off. Even Sergeant Dallas, when they explained the sheer strength of the person who had attacked, seemed surprised they were still alive.
The incident had shaken Cassian deeply, making him realize just how much danger he was truly in. What frustrated him most was that it felt like unnecessary danger—all because he was a servant to a duchess's princess. This attack was bad enough, but he knew worse could come. Torture to force him to reveal Katherine's whereabouts or, even worse, being mind-controlled into assassinating her.
He couldn't afford to waste any more time; he had to grow stronger, and fast. The weight of the attack still hung over him as they stood at the scene, with only a few early risers passing by, the faint glow of sunrise beginning to light the horizon.
"Take these," Alix said as she finished healing Cassian's thigh, now new as before, and handed each of them a small stone wrapped in black thread, resembling a makeshift necklace. Cassian inspected the smooth rock, noticing the intricate wards carved into its surface. Though barely the size of his fingertip, it pulsed with a subtle protective energy.
"Senior Detective Killian cast a protection spell on it," Alix explained, sounding unusually polite and less arrogant than normal, especially toward Cassian. "Everyone in if our department has them now and other departments will soon. It prevents mind control."
"I'm surprised we didn't think of this earlier. Who knows—some of our officers might already be under someone's influence," Dallas chimed in, checking the wall where Cassian and Robert had previously emerged. "Luckily, only lower-ranked officers like you would be vulnerable to such magic.
It's not easy to control the minds of warriors and mages," she added, still finding nothing unusual about the wall.
"That aside, get some rest. It's going to be an early start tomorrow—or today, technically—since the sun's already rising," Dallas said, glancing at the reddened end of sky. "Detective Julius is holding a lecture, and I'll be assisting him, so you two better be there."
Robert's face twisted into a grimace, making Cassian curious, but he didn't ask why. Alix chimed in, "We'll also be visiting the murder scene at noon, so make sure you're ready for that." She glanced at the diary Robert had handed her and asked, "You two wrote down all the details, right? We can't waste time redoing the original investigators works—it'd take forever."
"We copied everything from the investigator's notes and asked a few questions ourselves," Robert said, dusting off his clothes.
"We also wrote down the witness testimonies—or more like the nosy neighbors' gossip," Cassian added. "No one actually saw the murders happen. Some just mentioned hearing noises, like fighting, from the houses where the murders took place at nights of they happened."
Both Dallas and Alix nodded as Sergeant Dallas asked, "Was there any sign of magic or a ritual at the sites?"
"Not to the investigators' knowledge, no," Robert answered.
"Well, it's going to be tricky," Alix said, surprising Cassian once again. He'd always pictured her as someone who didn't care much about others, whether they were in pain or not, and only focused on getting things done. But then again, he had only known her for less than a week. "Let's leave it for the morning. You two should get some rest," she added, her tone unexpectedly considerate.
"But Detective, what about the attack on us? Is anyone going to investigate that?" Robert asked, and Cassian nodded in agreement. He wanted to know who had attacked them and felt it was their responsibility to prevent such incidents in the city. After all, it was a crime to assault anyone within its borders, especially law enforcement officers.
Both Dallas and Alix appeared a bit troubled, unsure of how to respond. Finally, Dallas let out a weary chuckle and said, "Well, you two can handle that yourselves in your free time."