Chapter 902: Scattered Thoughts Of A Love Sick Ogre

Ragnora’s face turned from crimson to something approaching purple.

"Isabelle, you misunderstand—that’s not—I wasn’t trying to—"

"It’s alright, Commander." Isabelle patted her arm with sisterly affection. "I understand completely. Just enjoy yourself."

And before Ragnora could stammer out another denial, Isabelle had already turned back to the clerk, looping her arm through the bewildered woman’s elbow and steering her away.

"Now then! Tell me everything about the western sector. What kind of monsters should I expect? Are there any particular formations I should be aware of? This is my first proper mission, you know—I’m terribly excited!"

"Oh, and will there be lunch provided, or should I pack something? I make excellent sandwiches. My husband says they’re the best he’s ever had, though he might be biased..."

Her cheerful chatter faded as she led the dazed clerk away, leaving Cassius and Ragnora standing alone together in the middle of the command center.

Cassius looked up at Ragnora. Ragnora looked down at Cassius.

"Well." Cassius said finally. "It seems I’m in your hands, Commander."

Ragnora’s heart stuttered. "Yes. It...it seems so."

"I’ve already reviewed the reports." He gestured toward the stack of documents on the desk. "I have some preliminary theories, but I’ll need to see the mines firsthand to confirm anything. Shall we?"

Under normal circumstances, Ragnora would have been utterly astounded that Cassius had memorized an entire volume of complex research in ten seconds.

But right now, her mind was so thoroughly fried by Isabelle’s parting whisper that the feat barely registered.

"A-Ah! Yes! Of course!" Ragnora stammered out, clearing her throat forcefully. "Follow me, Cassius!"

She turned and began walking toward the exit, while her thoughts were going all over the place.

’I’m spending the day with him. Alone. All day. Just the two of us!’

’No focus, Ragnora. FOCUS! This is a professional mission. He’s investigating the mana fiend outbreak. You’re assisting him. That’s all.’

But as they passed through the corridors of the intelligence building, her mind kept straying to the novels on her hidden bookshelf.

To the scenes she’d read a hundred times: two people, thrown together by circumstance, navigating dark and dangerous places side by side.

The tension building with every step.

The glances that lasted just a moment too long.

The accidental touches that sent electricity racing through both their bodies.

She shook her head violently. ’Stop it! Stop thinking such things!’

But the thoughts persisted, and her heart raced faster with every step.

—

While Ragnora was having her own inner turmoil, Cassius himself focused on the mission entirely.

He systematically moved through every major facility—the central sorting hubs, the secondary processing foundries, the ventilation control shafts, and the upper transport junction.

Everywhere they went, workers, guards, and overseers immediately straightened up, bowing with deep reverence to Ragnora.

Many also offered respectful greetings to Cassius, recognizing the noble guest who held the legendary Black Band.

Cassius, however, barely offered a nod in response. He wasn’t trying to be arrogant or rude; he was simply locked into a state of absolute, hyper-focused concentration.

His sharp eyes scanned every wall, support beam, and mana conduit. Every few minutes, he would reach into his spatial ring, retrieving sleek metallic devices that Ragnora had never seen before.

He would calibrate them with precise mana inputs, taking environmental readings, checking background ether densities, and measuring subterranean pulse frequencies.

Watching him work, Ragnora’s admiration for Cassius surged to unprecedented heights.

She had seen dozens of elite mages and royal scholars parade through the mines over the years, all of them putting on grand airs while accomplishing nothing.

But Cassius worked with a terrifying, cold efficiency. Seeing his absolute dedication, a unwavering conviction bloomed in her heart—if anyone could solve this crisis, it was him!

—

At the entrance of Sector 12, Cassius knelt down, using a small, silver device to etch a series of intricate, glowing blue runes directly into the reinforced stone of the mine mouth.

"Commander." Cassius asked without looking up, his fingers deftly guiding the mana flow. "When these Mana Fiend surges occur, do they affect the entire mining network simultaneously, or are they localized to specific sectors?"

Ragnora considered the question carefully before answering.

"It varies. In widespread outbreaks, roughly thirty percent of the upper and lower sectors experience simultaneous surges, though the Fiends that manifest in those broad events are generally lower-tier."

"However, when a surge focuses entirely on a single, isolated sector, the Mana Fiends that spawn are drastically stronger and far more aggressive."

Cassius nodded thoughtfully, finishing the runic circuit.

"And what about their behavior? Do these Fiends act erratically compared to standard wild Mana Fiends? Have you noticed any mechanical or tactical shifts in how they attack?"

Ragnora paused, her eyes narrowing as she pondered the matter.

"They act identically to standard wild beasts. Our analysts haven’t found a single physical or elemental distinction in their corpses."

"You said ’analysts.’" Cassius noted, standing up and dusting off his knees as he turned to face her. "Which means you think differently. What does your instinct tell you, Ragnora?"

Ragnora let out a quiet sigh. "It sounds foolish when put into words, Cassius. Physically, there is nothing wrong with them. But whenever I stand before those spawned Fiends...something simply feels off. They don’t feel natural."

"The energy coiled around them feels wrong, as if they were never meant to exist in those caverns to begin with."

Cassius looked up from his instruments. "That’s interesting."

"It’s just a feeling. Instinct. You shouldn’t base your research on—"

"Commander." He fixed her with those piercing blue eyes. "Your instincts have kept you alive through decades of combat. They’ve helped you protect thousands of people. I would be a fool to dismiss them."

Ragnora felt a flush of warmth at his words.

—

They continued the survey, moving deeper into the mines.

Ragnora carried Cassius between locations, holding him in her arms as she leapt from one place to another and tried very hard not to think about how natural it felt to have him pressed against her.

’He’s so light.’ She thought. ’So...delicate. At least compared to me.’

She imagined, briefly, what it would be like to be carried by someone else. To be held the way she was holding him. To feel small and protected instead of large and protective.

The thought was so foreign that she almost laughed.

’No one could carry me. I’m too big. Too heavy. Too much.’

But the dream lingered.

—

Soon, they descended into the true heart of the Holyfield Mines and even Cassius had to admit, it was breathtaking.

As they ventured deeper into the lower subterranean abysses, the pitch-black stone gave way to breathtaking, cavernous expanses.

Massive, jagged crystalline formations jutted out from the walls and ceilings, glowing with a soft, ethereal blue light.

It was raw Ether Ore in its purest form, casting a mesmerizing, starlit aura over the entire underground world.

Below, complex networks of iron railway tracks crisscrossed the cavern floors.

Miners equipped with the upgraded magi-tech toolswere working smoothly, the atmosphere filled with the rhythmic hum of industry.

It was a place of extreme, lethal danger, yet the harmonious interplay of darkness and radiant crystalline light gave it an almost sacred, magical beauty.

Cassius, however, remained completely dialed into his work.

He speed-ran through mine shaft after mine shaft. He took mineral soil samples, analyzed residual atmospheric mana, and at one point, even licked the air to taste the elemental purity before setting up more monitoring devices.

Ragnora watched it all with growing admiration.

’He’s so dedicated. So thorough. No wonder Evander trusts him.’

She felt her heart warm as she observed him. This was a side of Cassius she hadn’t seen before—the serious, focused researcher. It was different from his playful, teasing nature, but equally attractive.

’Stop that.’ She scolded herself. ’Stop finding things attractive about him.’

But it was impossible. Every moment spent with him only made her feelings grow stronger.

—

By late afternoon, they arrived at the deepest boundary of the territory, a cavern filled entirely with a unique pink crystal known as the Telarite.

Telarite held no functional value in warfare or energy production; it was a cosmetic crystal used primarily in jewelry.

Among commoners and young nobles alike, it was famously known as the ’Lover’s Stone,’ frequently carved into delicate hearts and given as gifts to signify eternal devotion.

Standing inside the warm, pink-lit cavern, the atmosphere between them instantly shifted.

It felt as though they had stepped into an romantic sanctuary, a setting practically engineered for a man to make a bold, passionate move on the woman beside him, exactly as Isabelle had teased.

Yet, Cassius did no such thing.

In fact, throughout the entire day, Cassius hadn’t made a single move toward Ragnora.

He hadn’t teased her, he hadn’t made a single bold remark to make her blush, nor had he touched her in any way that wasn’t strictly professional. He was entirely, unyieldingly focused on his duty.

And to Ragnora’s utter dismay...it hurt.

Of course, a rational part of her deeply respected his professionalism and work ethic.

But after experiencing his intense, breathtaking touch the previous night, a selfish, desperately lovesick part of her had been secretly longing for him to tease her today.

She had spent the entire morning bracing herself and secretly hoping for his seductive banter.

To spend eight straight hours by his side only to be treated like an ordinary business partner left a heavy disappointment lingering in her chest.

’What were you expecting, Ragnora?’

She thought bitterly, her eyes dimming as she stared at the pink crystals.

’He’s a brilliant mage fulfilling a critical mission. Why would he waste time flirting with you?’

’Unless...he only does those things to breathtakingly beautiful women he’s truly attracted to?’

’Was last night...nothing more than a casual service he provided out of pity?

The thought cut through her heart like a serrated blade. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, a look of grief washing over her features.

"Well! That wraps up the lower perimeter!"

Cassius’s cheerful voice suddenly shattered the heavy silence. He stretched his arms, dusting off his coat as he turned to her with a sheepish, bright smile.

"We can head back now, Commander."

"It’s...finished?"

"Yup!" Cassius nodded smoothly. "I’ve completed field surveys for all primary sectors and gathered enough raw baseline data. I still have a few calculations to run tonight, but right now...I am absolutely starving! I haven’t eaten a single bite since early morning because I was so locked in."

He walked over, patting her massive forearm gently.

"But don’t worry, Commander. I already have a few solid leads regarding what’s causing these surges. It won’t be long before I have a complete answer for you."

Under normal circumstances, Ragnora would have been ecstatic—other grand scholars had spent months failing to find a single lead, yet Cassius had cracked the foundation in a single day.

But right now, her heart was entirely consumed by something else.

She looked down at Cassius with a hesitant, deeply conflicted gaze, her fingers nervously twirling a strand of her dark hair.

"Are you...truly done here, Cassius?" Ragnora asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is there...truly nothing else you wish to do before we leave?"

Cassius blinked, looking up at her with complete, innocent confusion.

"What do you mean, Commander? I’m fairly certain I covered every active shaft listed on the master map. Did I miss an unlisted sector?"

"No...not the duties."

Ragnora mumbled, her face burning with intense shame as she desperately tried to hint at her desires.

"I meant...is there not...something else...you wanted to do while we are down here alone?"