Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives-Chapter 397: Inspirational Hero Arc

Warlock Ch 397. Inspirational Hero Arc

Cassius tilted his head. "Do you think she's telling the truth?"

Damian didn't answer immediately. He just stared into the fire, watching the flames ripple and twist like dancing spirits trapped behind glass.

"…It could be," he finally said. "Could be she's trying to warn me. Could also be she's setting me up to walk right into another scandal. You know how it goes."

"Yeah," Cassius muttered. "Slay a demon king, get slandered for treason. Real inspirational hero arc."

"I'm so tired of being inspirational."

Cassius smirked. "I always thought the 'Kaelan the Betrayer' nickname had a nice ring to it."

Damian rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

"I'm serious. Very edgy. Very dramatic. I bet there's fan fiction about you."

"Don't even joke about that. You know Evelyn reads that stuff when she's bored."

Cassius laughed, finally pushing off the mantle and walking toward the bookshelf. He grabbed a thick leather-bound tome and flipped it open lazily, more to distract himself than to read. "Alright. So let's assume, just for fun, that Lysandra wasn't lying. What do we do?"

Damian leaned back again, hands behind his head, stretching until his spine popped. "No idea. We don't even know what she thinks I'm supposed to stop."

Cassius flipped a page. "Maybe we find her. Talk again. Without the running and river diving this time."

Damian snorted. "Yeah, I'll bring tea and biscuits."

"See? That's the attitude."

A long pause settled over them again, softer this time. Just the two of them, the fire, and the constant low hum of layered protection spells humming through the walls like a lullaby only mages could hear.

Damian closed his eyes for a second.

The fire crackled beside him, casting soft light across the room. The couch beneath him was way too comfortable, the kind that made you sink deep and forget your worries for half a breath. But the truth? His mind wouldn't shut up. His body was still aching from that river ride, his muscles sore, his core drained, and his head just—loud.

He opened his eyes and looked over at Cassius, who was now flipping through a grim-looking spellbook while sipping whatever weird potion-tea mix he brewed from blackroot and dried frost lilies.

"Hey…" Damian said quietly.

Cassius glanced up without moving his head, just his eyes. "Hmm?"

"You think we can win this?"

That made Cassius pause.

"I mean…" Damian rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't want this to end up like the last time. I don't want to be the reason everyone gets dragged into some doomed prophecy mess again."

Cassius shut the book with a quiet thump and gave him a long look.

"I hate saying this," Damian added, voice dropping lower, "but yeah… sometimes I'm not sure, man. Like really not sure. I keep acting like I've got everything under control, like I know what I'm doing, but half the time it feels like I'm guessing. What if this isn't the right thing? What if I'm just walking us into another trap?"

Cassius let out a soft breath and leaned forward, arms resting on his knees.

"Stop thinking so hard," he said.

Damian blinked. "What?"

"Seriously." Cassius gave him a look, the kind he used when he was about to drop some painfully simple truth. "Not everything is always that bad. You're not Kaelan anymore. This isn't some cursed solo crusade. You've got us now. And we've got way more evidence, way more power, and way more people on our side this time."

Damian exhaled. "Still doesn't feel like enough."

Cassius pointed a finger at him. "Then stop making that face. You look like you're about to cry and punch something at the same time."

That earned a small laugh from Damian, who rubbed his face. "Gods. I need a nap."

Before Cassius could add anything else, a sharp flutter of wings came from above, followed by a sudden drop in temperature—not cold, but crisp, like the night air before a storm.

A bat swooped through the open upper window, black as ink and nearly silent.

It spun once in the air and landed on the floor in front of them.

And then, in a swirl of dark mist and a flash of crimson runes, the bat transformed.

Tall, sharp-eyed, and way too smug for someone showing up uninvited—Victoria materialized in full, her elegant vampire queen aesthetic in full force. High-collared black coat, form-fitting dress with crimson runes embroidered at the edges, and heels that made no sound when she stepped forward.

Her eyes narrowed the moment she saw Damian.

"What in the bloody abyss happened to you?" she asked, one eyebrow twitching. "Is showering in full clothes your new hobby?"

Damian stared up at her and sighed. "Long story short? I fell into the river."

Cassius helpfully added, "Because a dragon general chased him like a psychotic falcon."

"Chased me," Damian corrected. "And flash-froze the damn river behind me. I had no choice."

Victoria tilted her head. "Let me guess—Lysandra?"

Cassius snorted into his cup.

"Well," Victoria continued, glancing dramatically at the wet floor, "if she wanted to talk, there were easier ways than turning the river into a battlefield. Honestly, dragons."

"Exactly!" Damian said, throwing his hands up.

"But," Victoria added with a smirk, "my condolences for your pride."

Damian gave her a dry look. "Thanks."

She walked over to the edge of the couch and leaned over, her eyes narrowing as she inspected him. "Still in one piece, though. That's something."

"Barely."

Cassius looked amused. "I told him he smells like wet failure."

"I can second that," Victoria said without hesitation.

Damian groaned. "Can we not make this a roast session?"

"No promises," she smirked, then stepped back and flipped her long braid over one shoulder. "Anyway, while you were playing hide-and-seek with flying lizards, some of us were doing our jobs."

Damian perked up. "What about your target?"

Victoria tapped a finger against her chin with mock thoughtfulness. "Oh, he's dead. Very dead. Elegantly dead, if I do say so myself."

"Assassination or public execution?"

"Assassination," she replied smoothly. "Slipped right behind him, whispered sweet nothings into his ear, and then removed his head before he could scream."

Cassius nodded approvingly. "Classic."

Victoria smirked, all teeth. "Because unlike some people, I don't announce my presence with magic flares and rivers on fire."