*cough cough* Cassian coughed as the arm let go of his neck. Turns out it was his own—the one he had given to Brigid before coming.

"I thought it felt familiar... turns out it was my own arm..." he said, watching it disappear into a spell circle on Brigid’s hand.

"It’s still a work in progress. I need a few more..." Brigid said, smiling mischievously as she walked toward him, placing one foot in front of the other like a dangerous feline about to devour her hunted meal. "Anyway, the days I’ve been away from you... made me realize, I really loved being fucked by you..."

As she put her hand on his penis, she added, "Shocking, right?"

Cassian shook his head. "Not even a bit. Even your grandma loved getting fucked by me..."

The mention of her friend made her glare at him.

"You know I could’ve killed you just now, and you’re still saying stupid things like that," she said, pulling her hand away from him.

She let out a sigh as she sat down behind the table, then added in a disappointed tone, "I was actually looking forward to having sex with you... you ruined it."

Cassian chuckled lightly as he took a seat on the other side. "No big deal... we can do it another time," he said casually. Then his tone shifted a bit as he added, "For now, explain what you’re doing here—and who were those new faces I saw leaving earlier?"

Brigid looked offended, her expression turning slightly angry. "I don’t have anything to explain to you..."

Cassian kept his smirk as he spoke. "Just because you’re not bound by the spell anymore doesn’t mean those warriors I gave you aren’t still under my control..." he said, a quiet warning in his tone—reminding her he still had some leverage, even if she was stronger than him.

She looked annoyed but replied, "You’re so annoying, you know that?"

Cassian nodded casually. "Yeah... I’ve been told before."

That only seemed to annoy her more. She let out another sigh. "They were mercenaries. I’ve been hiring them to help us travel by sea and reach the Magic Empire..."

Cassian frowned slightly. "Why? Don’t you already have enough protection?" he asked. After all, he’d personally helped recruit a few First Circle warriors, a couple of Second Circle ones, and even some mages. That should’ve been more than enough for a safe journey—unless they ran into some rogue evil mage. Who was he kidding? Where would they even find more evil mages than the cult itself?

"No, we don’t," Brigid replied, placing a map on the table. "With the war spreading, all the other kingdoms—and even the Magic Empire—have tightened security. Checks on every route have nearly tripled..." She tapped the map lightly. "Which makes it a lot more dangerous for followers of the Dark Lord like us to move around safely."

Cassian listened as she explained her plan, and it turned out the mercenaries she was gathering weren’t really for protection—they were for show.

She had created a fake identity for herself: a princess from a small island kingdom near the Magic Empire. According to the story, she had come to Magisteria to study but got stuck because of the war, and now she was hiring mercenaries to escort her safely back home.

With that cover, no one would question her much. She’d mix her own people in as hired guards alongside real mercenaries, making everything look legitimate.

"Pretty brilliant plan..." Cassian admitted, then tilted his head slightly. "But what if your identity gets exposed? Wouldn’t all of this fall apart?"

"It won’t happen," she said confidently, and Cassian didn’t bother pressing further. "Besides, there are plenty of other prince and princesss doing the same thing, so it’ll look less suspicious..."

Cassian nodded. "Alright... so should I join as a mercenary too, or what?"

"That would be better," Brigid said with a nod. "But join with a few others—it’ll look less suspicious to the other mercenaries. And try not to act too familiar with me in public..."

Cassian’s eyes lit up for a moment, though he didn’t show it. She’d basically made it easier for Lumine and the others to stay close.

She continued, "You don’t have much time, though. We’re leaving in three days, so make sure you have enough people to pass as mercenaries. You can bring a few of your own slaves if you’re short..."

Cassian leaned back slightly in his chair, tapping a finger against the table as if he were thinking it over.

"Three days..." he muttered, then glanced up at her. "That’s tight, but manageable."

Brigid watched him closely, like she was trying to read what was going on behind his eyes. "You don’t look worried."

"I’m not," Cassian replied simply, a faint smile returning. "I already have people in mind."

That caught her attention. "Oh? That fast?"

"Planning ahead," he said casually, though there was a hint of pride in his tone. "You’d be surprised how useful it is."

Annoyed by his smugness, she narrowed her eyes. "Mind telling me who?"

Cassian just smirked, playing it mysterious. "Just some people I met along the way... a few beauties."

"Beauties or not, make sure they’re not shady," she said, smirking. "Last thing we need is trying to blend in with sheep and ending up with more wolves." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Don’t worry," Cassian replied with a grin. "There aren’t many people shadier than cultists. And if there are... well, you guys will probably get along just fine—same kind of tendencies."

That earned him another glare from her, and said in serious tone, "Just remember what I said. In public, you’re just another mercenary. Nothing more, no flirting, no perverted remark..."

Cassian leaned back slightly in his chair, relaxed again. "You’re really putting a lot of effort into this."

"I have to," she replied flatly. "This isn’t some random trip. If we reach that fragment..." Her eyes sharpened slightly. "It changes things."

Cassian’s smile returned, slower this time. "Yeah... I figured."

There was a brief silence between them.

Then he stood up.

"Alright then," he said, stretching his shoulders a bit. "I’ll gather few people and get things moving."