Warrior Training System-Chapter 477: The Long Game

"Why are they sending us back?" Theon complained while stuffing gear into his storage ring.

Cassian didn’t answer right away. The others had already paused what they were doing, all of them looking at him. No one wanted to leave—not when the real fighting was here, not when progress was finally being made on the battlefield. Even the mages felt it.

Wanni frowned slightly. "Is it another mission?"

Cassian let out a slow breath and nodded. "Yeah. Sort of."

He glanced around, then his tone sharpened just a bit."But before anything else—put up privacy spells."

That alone told them this wasn’t a normal reassignment.

Wanni finished setting the privacy spell, the air around them sealing off.

Cassian didn’t drag it out. "You all know I was spying on the cult," he said. "They want me to keep doing that. And on top of that, I’m supposed to help you infiltrate their ranks too."

That was it. Straight to the point.

The tension eased a little. Leaving the battlefield stung less now that they understood why.

Theon frowned. "Then why are we heading back to Magisteria? Why not straight toward the cult’s camp?"

"And why only you?" Lumine added. "Don’t they have other people spying on the cult?"

Cassian rubbed the back of his neck. "Magisteria because there are cultists there I already have connections with. As for others—yeah, there are more of our people inside the cult. I just haven’t met any of them."

He looked tired now, but serious."As for before I’m going to help you infiltrate..." He paused, eyes moving over each of them. "There are a few things I need to explain."

His voice dropped."And none of it leaves this group. Not to Commander Naset. Not to anyone else."

"Why not? He’s our commander—you answer to him too," Althea said, clearly confused.

Cassian exhaled sharply. "Because I don’t trust him with this," he said, irritation creeping into his voice. "I risked my life bringing back information, and he barely cared. Now he’s sending me off again without clear instructions."

Wanni tilted her head, thinking it over. "That’s kind of how spy work goes," she said calmly. "As long as you keep your cover intact, it doesn’t matter if you look idle. One tiny piece of information—something that seems useless—can end up deciding a battle. Or even a war."

She glanced at the others. Unlike them, she actually understood this side of things."Spies don’t get glory. They get ignored. But when they matter, they really matter."

"I’m not asking for glory," Cassian said, a bit heated now. "And yeah, my time in the cult was... honestly, pretty relaxed. Even enjoyable at points. But it should’ve mattered a little. It feels like none of it did—like they already knew who the traitors were anyway."

He exhaled, the edge draining out of him."...Guess he just wants me to get used to it."

Lumine nodded slowly. "One don’t become commander just because he’s strong," she said. " As at this scale, wars aren’t won by duels. It’s long-term strategy. Ugly, boring, patient thinking."

The mood shifted as that settled in.

This wasn’t a skirmish anymore. Everyone felt it. The cult wasn’t probing or testing—they were fully committed now. Battles had been breaking out daily, numbers climbing into the double digits just in the past week.

And soon, every force in the region would be dragged toward the vast, ancient forest—where this war would either be decided... or spiral completely out of control.

Cassian fell silent for a moment. The others did too, sensing the shift. Then he spoke again.

"Now the things I needed to tell you," he said. "About what I did while I was inside the cult."

He explained calmly—how he’d moved through their ranks, how he’d survived there. He talked about Brigid, how he’d met her, and how Naset had maneuvered things until she’d ended up bound to him as a slave.

The reaction was immediate.

Shock rippled through the group.

Slavery—even in watered-down forms—had been taboo for thousands of years. It was outlawed, condemned, something only spoken of in history books and horror stories. Lumine’s eyes widened, anger flashing as she raised her voice.

"How could he do that?" she demanded. "It’s forbidden."

Cassian looked away, shame creeping into his expression. He opened his mouth—about to admit there was more to it, that Brigid wasn’t the only one—

But Theon cut in before he could.

"They’re cultists," Theon said bluntly. "People like that gave up their rights the moment they chose that path."

Everyone nodded. Even Lumine looked conflicted, clearly bothered but not arguing further. Cassian chose, deliberately, not to mention that Brigid wasn’t the only one. That truth stayed buried.

"She’s not completely under my control anymore," Cassian said instead. "You could say the only thing binding her now is that she can’t reveal my identity. That’s it. I can’t make her do the same for any of you."

He didn’t add that he could—only that he wouldn’t. He’d already promised himself he wouldn’t use the ring on her again, even though she’d never asked him to break it.

Wanni tilted her head, curiosity winning out. "Then how are we supposed to infiltrate them?"

The others were clearly wondering the same.

Cassian looked around at their faces and let out a breath."I won’t lie—I’ve been racking my brain about this ever since the commander dumped it on me," he said, irritation slipping through. "That bastard has a real talent for being annoying."

He waved a hand."First thing: none of you need to infiltrate the cult group I’m already part of. That would just complicate things."

He paused, then continued more evenly."So for now, this is what I’m thinking. I move with the cultists like planned. You all trail behind at a distance—slow, careful, no contact. Just keep following us and we use some oppurtuntie to make cotanct and see ahead..."

"That sounds workable," Wanni said, nodding along. She didn’t see a better option either. Infiltrating the cultist group Cassian was already part of would be far too suspicious, and trying to slip into a different group outright would be even more dangerous.