Chapter 967: Necessary Evaluation

Ragnora’s mind went blank. "Choke you? Why in the world would I do something like that?""Darling!" Isabelle lunged forward, grabbing Cassius’s arms and yanking him backward.

She pinched his waist hard enough to make him yelp.

"Please stop embarrassing me in front of the Commander!"

She then turned to Ragnora with an apologetic smile.

"I-I’m so sorry about that! The remnants of the spell are still affecting his mind. Please don’t take offense!"

Ragnora shook her head slowly. "No...no offense taken."

But she couldn’t stop herself from glancing down at her own hand, flexing her fingers absently.

Where Cassius had touched her, her skin felt strangely warm, almost tingling. He’d simply caressed her hand, yet somehow it felt as if he’d done something far more intimate.

She didn’t know how to process that.

Isabelle, eager to move past the awkward moment, quickly redirected the conversation.

"What my husband says is true, Commander. While I’m a capable mage—" The lie tasted bitter on her tongue. "—my knowledge of magical theory and mana mechanics is rather limited. I’m more of a natural talent. I’ve grown strong through instinct rather than study."

The soldiers looked at her with even greater admiration.

Beauty and natural talent? She truly was blessed!

"But my husband..."

Isabelle continued, grabbing Cassius’s arm with renewed enthusiasm.

"...is completely different. His mastery of theoretical mana is overwhelmingly greater than anyone I’ve ever met."

Her voice grew serious. "In fact, the reason I’ve reached my current level at all is because of his guidance. Every step of my journey has been guided by his wisdom."

Ragnora’s eyebrows rose. "Truly?"

"Truly." Isabelle confirmed. "Even now, my path to Supreme Mage is dictated by my husband’s wisdom. He is the architect of my success."

The soldiers looked at Cassius with fresh appreciation.

"So he’s not just a researcher—he’s the one who trained Lady Isabelle herself?"

"Incredible!"

"I never expected to meet someone like that!"

"Wait until I tell the others about this!"

"A match made in heaven." One of the beastkin murmured dreamily. "Both so young, so talented, so beautiful together..."

Ragnora found herself agreeing silently. They did make an extraordinary pair.

Both good looking, both accomplished, both radiating warmth and charisma.

And the way Cassius looked at Isabelle, the open affection, the easy intimacy, it was...enviable.

A small sigh escaped her lips before she could stop it.

No one noticed.

Cassius chuckled, waving off the praise. "No need for all that. At the end of the day, I’m simply my wife’s number one supporter." He hugged Isabelle close. "Any other titles are secondary."

The crowd, especially the women practically melted.

"His wife’s number one supporter..."

"Forget being a researcher. He’s the ideal husband!"

"I’m liking this man more and more!"

Cassius was winning hearts with effortless ease, and Ragnora found herself genuinely satisfied.

The previous researchers had created constant friction with their condescending attitudes. Having someone who could actually get along with her soldiers was a welcome change.

’Julie chose well.’ She thought.

But just as she was about to ask about his investigation plans, a figure approached the table.

It was a lizard-kin soldier. Tall and slender, with scales that shimmered faintly in the lamplight and a long tail that swished behind him.

He moved to Ragnora’s side and leaned down, whispering something into her ear.

Brenda, who was close enough to overhear, immediately bristled.

"How could you even suggest that?!" She hissed, her voice rising. "This is our guest—someone Captain Julie personally vouched for! We can’t just—"

The lizard-kin shook his head calmly. "Lord Evander’s orders. We’re to take precautions."

"Precautions?!" Brenda slammed her hand against the table. "This is disrespectful! Sir Cassius came all this way to help us, and now you want to—"

"Enough."

Ragnora’s voice cut through the argument like a blade. The table fell silent.

She sighed, then turned to the lizard-kin. "You may go. Tell Evander I’ll speak with him directly."

The soldier bowed and withdrew.

Isabelle glanced between them nervously. "Is something wrong? Is there a problem?"

Cassius tilted his head with curiosity.

Ragnora met their gazes with a somewhat sheepish expression.

"It’s...not a major issue. There’s no need for anyone to worry." She glanced at her soldiers, who had tensed as if preparing for battle. "You can all stand down as well."

The soldiers slowly relaxed, though Brenda still looked mutinous.

Then she turned to face Cassius and Isabelle directly, her expression carrying a hint of guilt.

"However, I must confess that one of my subordinates has made a suggestion regarding Sir Cassius. It’s something he may not accept easily."

The couple exchanged glances.

Isabelle smiled reassuringly. "My husband is very open-minded, Commander. You can ask him anything."

Cassius nodded enthusiastically.

"Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it! In fact, if you want a full-body massage to work out all those sore muscles after your battle today, I’ll start right now—" He muttered under his breath, barely audible: "—then I can feel all those muscles under my fingers, trace every curve and groove..."

Isabelle elbowed him sharply.

Ragnora, by now accustomed to Cassius’s peculiarities, continued with a slightly guilty expression.

"The truth is, the person who sent that message is my right hand, Evander Drakostos. You may have heard of him."

Isabelle nodded respectfully.

"Brenda has mentioned him. He’s the one who manages the communication and intelligence network for the entire Holyfield mines. She said he’s as essential to this operation as you are."

"He is." Ragnora’s expression warmed with genuine respect. "And every bit of praise he receives is deserved. Everyone thinks of me as the one who shaped the Holyfield mines into what they are today, but without Evander, I would be utterly lost."

"His strategic mind, his organizational genius...he is irreplaceable."

Cassius felt an immediate pang of jealousy at the way she spoke about this Evander.

The woman who had made him act like a lovesick dog was singing another man’s praises with such warmth and admiration. He knew it was childish. He knew he had no right to feel possessive.

But the feeling was there nonetheless, burning in his chest.

Ragnora, oblivious to his internal conflict, continued.

"Evander has requested that Sir Cassius undergo...a test."

"An evaluation of his theoretical abilities regarding mana to see if he’s truly capable or not."

The table erupted.

"Commander! You can’t be serious!"

"Sir Cassius is our guest! We can’t treat him like this!"

"He was personally vouched for by Captain Julie! This is too much!"

Brenda joined in furiously. "That’s exactly what I said!"

But Ragnora shook her head. "Unfortunately, I have to agree with Evander."

Silence fell over the table.

Ragnora turned to Cassius with genuine regret in her eyes.

"I want to trust you completely, Sir Cassius. Your conduct so far has been exemplary, and Julie’s letter speaks volumes. But..." She hesitated. "Recent events have made us cautious."

Her expression darkened.

"The mages we previously invited, the ones who nearly collapsed an entire mine, they refused to accept responsibility for their failures."

"Evander was...furious."

"He spent three days cursing every high mage in existence, and ever since, he has instituted a zero-tolerance policy for outside researchers."

She shook her head. "Since then, he’s been on guard against all outsiders."

The table atmosphere turned a little tense as the soldiers had also heard about the shitty mood their strategic chief was in lately.

"But it’s also totally understandable even without those mages involved."

Ragnora added and went on to explain,

"You see, the containment arrays supporting the lower mines are extraordinarily delicate. A single miscalculated rune or misplaced mana vector won’t just weaken a spell..."

"...it will trigger a chain reaction that could collapse the entire subterranean mountain, entombing hundreds of miners instantly."

A heavy silence descended over the table.

"Evander cannot afford to take a gamble on an unverified variable. And as Commander, neither can I."

The soldiers understood now. Ragnora was right.

Letting an untested outsider work on critical infrastructure without any verification would be reckless beyond measure.

Even Brenda, still fuming, slowly sat back down.

Ragnora bowed her head slightly toward Cassius.

"I deeply apologize for subjecting an honored guest to such insult. If you agree to this evaluation and prove your capabilities, which I am certain you will, I shall personally drop to my knees and apologize for doubting you."

The soldiers gasped.

"Commander, no!"

"There’s no need for that!"

"We’ll apologize on your behalf!"

Brenda practically lunged across the table. "If anyone should kneel, it’s me! Don’t lower yourself like that, Commander!"

But Ragnora silenced them with a look. "This is my decision. I will take responsibility for it."

Isabelle, too, was panicking. "Commander, please—there’s really no need! We completely understand! It’s an honor just to work alongside you!"

Before the dramatic back-and-forth could escalate any further, a sharp tsk echoed from the center of the table.

"Goodness...aren’t you all taking this a bit too dramatically?"

The room froze, turning to look at Cassius in surprise.

"It’s just a small test." Cassius said with a shrug. "And a completely reasonable one, at that. Why? Did you all think I was someone who’d get offended by something like this?"

He paused, then corrected himself with a rueful smile.

"Ah. Right. You don’t know me at all. So it makes sense you’d make such an assumption."

He looked at Ragnora, and his gaze was steady and warm.

"Nonetheless, Commander, I assure you—I have no hard feelings whatsoever. You can test me as much as you like. And even when I ace that test without the slightest difficulty—which I most certainly will, you don’t need to apologize or kneel or any of that nonsense."

He chuckled.

"If you really feel bad about it, just buy me a drink."

Then he looked at the soldiers with a knowing grin.

"That’s how you make amends in the army, isn’t it?"

The tension shattered. Laughter broke out across the table.

"Yes, sir! That’s exactly how we do it!"

"We’ll throw you a proper party for all the trouble!"

"Drinks on us, Sir Cassius! As many as you want!"

Isabelle beamed, squeezing Cassius’s hand under the table. Her chest swelled with pride.

This was her husband—understanding, graceful, without a shred of ego. She really was the luckiest woman in the world!

But the person most affected by his words was Ragnora.

She had really misjudged him.

At first, she’d thought his character had been difficult to gauge, all over the place and impossible to pin down.

But now, hearing him dismiss the test as if it were nothing, watching him put everyone at ease with a simple joke—she realized Cassius was genuinely a good person.

Kind. Patient. Understanding in a way that most men, with their fragile egos and quick tempers, could never manage.

She smiled, warmth spreading through her chest.

Julie had sent them the perfect allies.

Little did she know that Cassius, even as he smiled warmly at her, was already lost in fantasies—imagining removing her armor piece by piece, tracing every muscle, every curve, exploring every inch of that titanic, magnificent body.

He was a patient man. He could wait.

But he most certainly would not be waiting forever.