Warrior Training System-Chapter 478: Whispers of War, Warm Rooms

It took Cassian and his team only two days to reach Magisteria City. The war had reached this far as well—but not with the same intensity as in the Karmen Earldom. Here, it was quieter on the surface: scattered skirmishes, assassination attempts, infiltration rumors. Enough to keep everyone tense.

Security was tighter. People were hoarding rations, preparing for a war no one knew would last months or years.

Yet business was booming.

Especially anything tied to war. Weapon shops were popping up everywhere, magic stores alongside them, selling charms, potions, enchanted gear—anything that promised survival. Gold was flowing, fear driving it.

"I’m going to look for Cassandra," Lumine said suddenly, worry clear on her face. She didn’t wait for a reply. "I’ll meet you all tomorrow."

Before anyone could respond, she was already gone, disappearing into the crowded streets in search of her sister.

The others split off as well, heading their own ways to check on friends and family. They agreed to meet again the next day at noon, and with that settled, Cassian turned toward the city center.

There was someone he needed to see.

Judging by the faint smile creeping onto his face, whoever it was clearly mattered to him—something precious, or someone he’d been looking forward to meeting far more than he cared to admit.

As he approached the tower that pierced the sky, Cassian couldn’t help but give it an admiring glance—he always did. The sheer scale of it never failed to impress him.

But this time, the admiration was brief.

He was far too eager, knowing that Katherine would be in her room this evening. She already knew he was coming; he’d contacted the tower ahead of time to announce his arrival.

That thought alone quickened his steps as he headed inside.

He knocked on her door, barely able to hide his excitement."My lady?"

After a brief pause, the door opened to reveal Lucy’s smiling face. She looked just as pleased to see him. Over her shoulder, Cassian caught sight of Katherine sitting calmly with her hair loose, a small kitten curled in her lap, purring as she stroked it.

Cassian bowed at once.

"Well, look who’s here," Lucy said with an amused grin. The kitten meowed softly, blinking in confusion as Lucy added playfully, "See that, you naughty little thing? It’s your naughty owner."

"Miss Lucy, long time no see," Cassian said with a smile. He also gave a polite nod to the tall woman standing beside Katherine.

Lucy looked him over slowly, then clicked her tongue in mock disappointment. "You’ve grown quite a bit since then," she said. "Such a shame... I would’ve given anything to squeeze those cute cheeks of yours back then."

Katherine finally looked up from the kitten in her lap, pale fingers idly stroking its fur as it purred louder. Her gaze settled on Cassian—slow, assessing, calm as ever.

"So," she said evenly, "you’re still alive."

Cassian straightened a little, the grin tugging at his lips despite himself. "Disappointing, I know."

"Don’t be so harsh on the poor soul, my lady," Lucy said lightly as she tugged Cassian closer. "I half-expected him to show up missing a limb or two."

Cassian chuckled at that. Brigid taking his arm, getting crushed by a troll—yeah, she wasn’t exactly wrong. If not for his healing, he would’ve been a mess by now.

"There were... some incidents. I lost an arm here and there," Cassian said lightly.

Ravees gave him a strange look. She still remembered his relationship with her lady, but she kept quiet. Katherine, on the other hand, frowned.

"Oh? Then things must be bad if you were pushed that far," she said.

"It’s fine," Cassian replied with a shrug. "You know—war and all that. Mine was a bit different, though. I managed to infiltrate the cult, so it was dangerous, but not completely reckless."

All three women froze. Even Ravees looked startled.

Katherine’s expression hardened immediately, anger flashing in her eyes."Who sent you?" she demanded. "That’s no place for a First Circle warrior—especially not someone as young as you—to be wandering around enemy camps."

"Yeah... you were just a kid a few months ago," Lucy added, trying to joke, though the worry in her eyes gave her away.

Ravees, on the other hand, looked genuinely impressed."Soldiers aren’t chosen based on age," she said calmly. "They’re given orders, and they carry them out. He did exactly that—which makes him the best kind of soldier, young or not."

Katherine shot Ravees a sharp look, clear displeasure flashing across her face. It was the kind of look that usually made people back down.

Ravees didn’t.

She met Katherine’s gaze evenly, expression unchanged, and the room slipped into an awkward silence. Even the kitten in Katherine’s lap stopped purring, as if it sensed the tension.

Cassian cleared his throat, breaking it with an uneasy chuckle."Uh... thanks. I guess," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Then he turned toward Katherine, trying—poorly—to lighten the mood."It really was dangerous," he added. "But... well, I did end up meeting some... nice people there."

Katherine’s eyes narrowed just a little."Nice people?" she repeated flatly.

"Yeah... not everyone joins the cult because they want to do evil," Cassian said, taking a seat as he gently coaxed the kitten onto his lap. It hesitated for a moment, then climbed over, curling up against him."For some of them, joining was just the only way to survive."

He paused, fingers absentmindedly stroking the kitten’s fur, then added plainly,"Though most of them are still rotten. Those ones deserve to be tortured before they die."

"Yeah, they should," Lucy agreed, then waved it off. "But enough of that. What actually brought you back? The Karmen forces are still fighting, aren’t they?"

She tilted her head, thinking. "Vivienne told me the city’s sending more reinforcements there tomorrow."

Cassian nodded lightly. "Yeah. They are."Then he shrugged. "I had... other obligations."

He didn’t explain further—just gave them a small, easy smile that made it clear he wasn’t going to say more.