Chapter 903: You Shall Not Pass

Unfortunately for Ragnora, Cassius completely missed the subtle cue.

"Ah, not really!" Cassius smiled warmly, totally oblivious.

"Honestly, all I can think about right now is eating a massive plate of Isabelle’s home cooking, seeing how her trench deployment went, and crashing in a comfortable bed. Other than that, I’m good!"

Ragnora’s shoulders slumped subtly. A helpless, bitter smile touched her lips.

"Right..." Ragnora whispered, her voice tight. "Of course. My apologies...I was merely thinking nonsense." 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

She turned around, hiding her aggrieved expression.

"Let us head back then. I’ll carry you back—it’ll be faster."

She stepped toward him, reaching out to scoop him into her arms—

And that was when the beeping started.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Cassius’s hand flew to his belt, where one of his strange devices had begun emitting a sharp, insistent chirp. He pulled it free and stared at the screen, his expression shifting from curiosity to alarm.

"That’s weird..." He muttered.

"What is it?"

"A sensor alert. One of the monitoring devices I placed earlier, it’s detecting abnormal mana fluctuations in the ether deposit mines. Sector 37. Specifically, the shaft we visited around midday."

Ragnora’s blood ran cold. "Sector 37?"

"The one with the purest ether veins. The one that looked like a cathedral made of sapphires."

He was already moving toward the exit, his voice clipped and urgent.

"The mana levels are dropping. Dropping. Not spiking—dropping. As though something is drawing the energy away. Redirecting it."

"Cassius, wait—"

But he was already activating his communicator, raising the command center.

"This is Cassius. I need a status report on Sector 37, shaft 44. Are there any miners currently working there? Any scheduled extractions? Any activity at all?"

The response crackled through the small speaker:

"Negative, Sir Cassius. The sector is clear. All personnel were evacuated two hours ago when the afternoon shift ended. Our systems show no activity in that area."

Cassius stared at the device in his hand.

"No activity. No personnel. And yet my sensors are going haywire."

He looked up at Ragnora, his eyes blazing with intensity.

"There’s something down there, Commander! Something that shouldn’t be there. And I think it might be exactly what I’ve been looking for."

Ragnora quickly stepped forward, her voice laced with a strange, forced haste.

"Perhaps...Perhaps it is simply a glitch in your device, Cassius? The Command Hub’s main arrays are immensely powerful—if there were an actual threat, they would have caught it."

"My sensors don’t glitch, Ragnora." Cassius said flatly, his gaze locked onto the device. "The system only triggers if mana is being actively manipulated or drained. What I’m reading right now...it looks as though someone is forcibly siphoning Ether directly out of the stone and redirecting it elsewhere."

"We need to check it out immediately!"

Before Ragnora could say another word, Cassius sprinted down the cavern corridor toward Sector 37 at blinding speed!

"Cassius, wait!" Ragnora yelled, her heart dropping into her stomach.

She had no choice but to give chase. But before sprinting after him, Ragnora hastily tapped a sequence into her wristband console, transmitting a silent command to someone.

Catching up to Cassius in seconds, Ragnora ran alongside him, her voice desperate.

"Cassius, please! There is no need to rush into this blindly! We can return to the Command Hub first, organize a proper heavy strike team, and inspect the area thoroughly tomorrow—"

"If we wait until tomorrow, whatever is happening down there will be long gone, Commander!"

Cassius shouted back, his gaze locked forward.

"This could be the exact clue we’ve been hunting for! If we catch the culprits in the act, we end this crisis today!"

He glanced up at her massive frame. "In fact—pick me up, Commander! We’ll get there ten times faster!"

Ragnora hesitated for a fraction of a second, her mind screaming in panicked conflict, but seeing the absolute determination in Cassius’s eyes, she gave in.

She scooped him up into her arms, leaping through the subterranean tunnels in massive bounds.

Within minutes, they skidded to a halt outside the massive stone entrance of Sector 37.

On the surface, the mine mouth looked entirely deserted. Cold, quiet, and pitch-black.

Ragnora set Cassius down, quickly stepping in front of him. "See, Cassius? There is nothing here. It is completely dormant. We should head back—"

Cassius immediately raised a finger to his lips.

"Shh."

Ragnora froze.

Cassius leaned close to the stone wall, pressing his ear against the cold rock, his senses dialed to their absolute limit.

"Listen." He whispered.

Ragnora listened.

And heard it.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

The unmistakable sound of tools striking stone. Mining work.

But the command center had confirmed there was no one here.

He turned to Ragnora, a victorious grin on his face.

"We found them, Commander! The bastards actually fell for a basic trap! Stand back—I’m going in!"

Cassius took a decisive step toward the mine mouth—

BAM!

A wall of pure, indestructible muscle blocked his path.

Ragnora had stepped directly in front of the tunnel entrance, her massive frame completely sealing the opening. She stood like an unyielding mountain, her head lowered, her shadow completely engulfing Cassius.

Cassius stopped mid-stride, blinking in absolute shock. "Ragnora? What are you doing?"

Ragnora’s jaw was tightly clenched, her eyes swirling with a agonizing mixture of shame, guilt, and fierce resolve.

"I am sorry, Cassius..." She finally whispered, her voice heavy with pain. "I cannot allow you to enter this mine."

Cassius’s smile vanished. "Why not? There’s clearly unauthorized activity happening inside your territory. I hold a Black Band—I have absolute authority to inspect any sector!"

"You do." Ragnora admitted softly, her fists clenching so hard her gloves groaned under the pressure. "And perhaps...later...you may inspect it. But right now...for the next thirty minutes...I cannot let you pass."

The atmosphere instantly turned icy cold.

Cassius stared up at the towering Giantess, his dark eyes narrowing into an intense, formidable stare.

"Is this something I’m not supposed to know about, Commander?" His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. "Something you’ve been keeping from me?"

Ragnora felt her heart splinter. "Yes."

"For how long?"

"Since before you arrived. Since before the outbreak. It’s...it’s not related to your investigation. I swear to you, Cassius. Whatever’s happening down there has nothing to do with the mana fiends. It’s something else entirely."

"Then why can’t I see it?"

"Because too many lives depend on it staying secret." Her voice grew fierce with conviction. "Not just my life. Not just the lives of the people down there. But hundreds, thousands of innocent people who would be caught in the crossfire if this ever came to light. I can’t risk that. I won’t."

Cassius was silent for a long moment. Then, very quietly, he asked:

"What if I forced my way in? What if I insisted on seeing what’s down there, no matter the cost?"

Ragnora’s jaw tightened. "Then I would have to stop you."

"Even if it meant hurting me?"

"Never!" The word came out fierce, almost desperate. "I could never hurt you, Cassius. I would sooner cut off my own arm than raise a hand against you. But I would stand in your way. I would block your path. I would beg you on my knees if I had to. But I would not let you enter that shaft."

She stood there, frozen, trapped between duty and something deeper—something she couldn’t name but couldn’t deny.

And then Cassius sighed.

"Alright..."

She looked up, startled. "What?"

"I said alright." He stepped back from the mine entrance, his posture relaxing. "I won’t go in."

"You...you won’t?"

"No." He looked at her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. "I can hear it in your voice, Commander. Whatever’s down there, you believe it’s important to protect. You believe lives depend on this secret."

Ragnora’s throat tightened. "They do."

"Then I’ll trust you."

Ragnora’s breath hitched. "But...what if I am doing something terrible, Cassius?! What if I am doing something that harms the Holyfield Mines?!"

Cassius looked at her, then let out a soft, melodic laugh.

"Even if you stood before the entire world and proclaimed yourself a traitor to the Holyfield Mines..."

"...I wouldn’t believe a single word of it."

Ragnora stared at him, completely spellbound.

"I’ve walked by your side all day, Ragnora."

Cassius continued, his voice dripping with profound sincerity.

"I watched how you look at these caverns. I heard how you know every single miner by name. I saw the fierce, protective love you hold for this territory and its people. A woman who cherishes her home this deeply could never betray it."

He stepped closer, gently placing a hand on her massive wrist.

"So stop saying foolish things about yourself."

A wave of intense, overwhelming gratitude washed over Ragnora.

Tears almost spilled over her lashes as she looked at the young man who trusted her so completely, even when she gave him every reason to doubt her.

"Now..." Cassius smirked, a keen, intelligent glint returning to his dark eyes. "While I won’t force my way inside...I am thoroughly curious. What could possibly be so massive that you are hiding it from the entire world? From the looks of it...not even the lower staff know about this. Only you and Evander."

Ragnora swallowed hard, deeply conflicted once more. If she revealed the truth...the political ramifications would shatter the continent. Nobles from the capital would demand executions.

Yet, looking at Cassius...she felt a desperate urge to tell him everything.

Seeing her internal struggle, Cassius suddenly burst out laughing, waving his hands playfully.

"I’m joking, Commander! I’m joking!" Cassius chuckled mischievously. "Don’t look so serious! I won’t interrogate you."

Ragnora let out a breath she felt like she’d been holding for hours, a tearful, deeply relieved smile blooming on her face.

"Thank you, Cassius...Thank you so much. I promise you...nothing evil is happening inside. But...many innocent lives depend on this secret staying buried. If it were exposed...they would all perish."

Cassius’s eyes flashed with subtle realization.

’Innocent lives...? So this isn’t a weapon or a illicit gold operation...it involved some people.’

He kept the revelation to himself, simply offering a clean, trustworthy smile.

"Your secret is completely safe with me, Commander. I won’t speak a word of this to anyone."

"Thank you, Cassius."

"Well then!" He stretched his back, turning around to walk back toward the main junction. "Since our survey is officially complete, let’s go get some food! My stomach is practically screaming at me."

Ragnora couldn’t help but laugh—a small, relieved sound. "Yes. Let’s go back."

As they walked away from the mine, Ragnora felt a weight lift from her shoulders. Cassius had trusted her. Even when she couldn’t explain, even when she stood against him, he had chosen to believe in her.

’He’s a good man.’ She thought. ’A truly good man.’

And her heart, despite everything, leaned toward him even more.