Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!
Chapter 242 - 242: A Bundle Of Firewood

"You?" Julie repeated in a stunned whisper, her brows furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean, you're the solution?"

Aisha's tail lashed, her voice sharp with disbelief. "Yeah Cassius, what are you talking about?" She demanded, her claws glinting as she leaned over the desk. "We need a plan, not...not you playing hero! How's you being the solution supposed to stop a cult with mages and a blood moon ritual?"

"Ladies, ladies, calm down." Cassius looked up at them, his eyes glinting with a playful confidence as he raised his hands in a surrender. "No need to get all worked up, as it's not as confusing as you're making it out to be...It's simple, really." He said as his fingers idly stroking Skadi's back, eliciting a soft hum from her as she nuzzled closer. "You're asking for three hundred knights because you need a formidable force to crush this cult, right? A whole army to storm their stronghold and stop their ritual. But what if..."

His smile widened, his voice dropping to a low whisper murmur.

"What if, instead of an army of three hundred, you had just one person? One man who could do the job better than all of them combined."

"...And that man being me."

"You?" Julie repeated once again, her brows knitting in confusion. "You're saying you can take on the entire Covenant of the Bleeding Moon? By yourself?"

Aisha also snapped, her cheeks flushing with frustration.

"Cassius, are you out of your mind? You're comparing yourself to three hundred knights? You think you can waltz in there, take on fanatics and mages, and stop a sacrificial ritual all by your lonesome?"

"That's not confidence, that's being delusional!"

But before they could argue further, Cassius raised a hand, his smile unshaken. "Hold your tongues, ladies." He said, his tone playful but firm. "Before you call me crazy, let's take a little trip down memory lane. Think back to the first day we met." He leaned forward, his gaze locking onto theirs, his voice dropping to a low cadence that sent a shiver through the room. "Remember how you came for me, swords drawn, ready to kill me on orders from above?"

"You, Julie, one of the continent's deadliest knight, feared for slicing through enemies so fast they don't even know they're dead. And you, Aisha, wand out, ready to blow me apart. Your whole squadron, elite and battle, hardened, came at me like a storm...But what happened in the end?"

Julie's face paled, her breath catching as the memory flooded back. Aisha's tail also froze, her eyes widening as she swallowed hard, the sting of that day resurfacing.

Seeing their reactions, Cassius's smile turned condescending. "I crushed you." He murmured, his words dripping with confidence. "Didn't break a sweat. Tossed you around like you were nothing but ragdolls, toys I could play with all day."

"Julie, you're a legend, but I had you on your knees, your sword useless. Aisha, your spells didn't even graze me...And your whole squadron? Broken bones, bruises, limping back in defeat. And I was just playing with you."

Skadi giggled, her voice bright as she rubbed her cheek against his chest, her tail swishing. "Yep, master was so strong that day!" She chirped, her eyes sparkling with adoration. "He was like a big ol' wolf, takin' down everyone without even tryin'!"

Julie's cheeks flushed, her voice tight as she fought to regain her composure. "That...that was different." She said, her tone wavering but defiant. "You caught us off guard, and we weren't prepared for...whatever you are. But this cult, they're not knights. They're fanatics who fight like they've got nothing to lose, and they've got mages. Powerful ones."

Aisha nodded, her voice nervous but insistent as she stepped closer. "Yeah, Cassius, this ain't like last time." She said, her claws flexing. "Sure, you thrashed us, and I'll admit, grudgingly that you're a monster in a fight. The three of us together, we're stronger than a small regiment, and you made us look like amateurs...But this?"

"You're talking about facing multiple advanced mages and a couple hundred crazed warriors. Mages, Cassius. Humans, not beastkin like me. They're better at casting, faster, deadlier. You might dodge a sword, but can you dodge a hundred fireballs coming at you all at once?" Her voice trembled with doubt and desperate hope as she searched his face for answers.

Julie's gaze hardened, her voice low and probing.

"Exactly." She said, leaning forward, her fingers gripping the edge of the desk. "You're fast, Cassius, and stronger than anyone I've ever faced. But mages don't fight fair. They'll rain fire, ice, shadow, whatever they've got, down on you. Can you really handle that? Alone?" Her eyes narrowed, her expression open but skeptical, willing to consider his claim but needing proof.

"Oh, ladies." Cassius's smirk widened, a spark of mischief in his eyes as he continued stroking Skadi's back. "You're so cute when you doubt me. It's almost tempting to let you keep worrying, just to see how much you'll squirm."

"But I'll put your minds at ease as mages and fireballs, they're not as big a deal as you think. And I've got a little...surprise that might help you understand."

He then turned to Lucius, his voice casual but commanding. "Lucius, my man." He said, his smile sly. "Show them the firewood we use in the office at night, when it gets a bit chilly. Let them see it, might clear things up."

Lucius's brow furrowed for a split second, confusion flickering across his face before his eyes lit with understanding. A broad smile spread across his lips as he bowed, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.

"Yes, Young Master! Right away, Master!" He said, his tone almost gleeful as he strode toward the fireplace at the far end of the room.

Julie and Aisha exchanged a baffled glance, their voices overlapping in confusion. "Firewood?" Julie asked, her tone skeptical as she crossed her arms. "What's that got to do with anything? Cassius, what are you playing at?"

"Yeah, what's with the firewood?" Aisha snapped, her tail lashing as she glared at him. "We're talking about needing an army, and you're showing us...sticks? Are you messing with us right now?"

"I can't just explain it, ladies." Cassius said in response. "You've gotta see it to believe it. Trust me just follow Lucius. He'll show you something...illuminating."

Skadi giggled, her voice bubbly as she nestled closer, her tail swishing against his lap. "Master's got all kinda surprises!" She said, her eyes sparkling. "You're gonna love this, I bet!"

Julie and Aisha exchanged another look, their confusion deepening, but with no other option, they reluctantly followed Lucius to the fireplace and found the butler knelt beside a bundle of medium, sized sticks, each about a foot long, tied together with rough twine.

The sticks looked ordinary, their surfaces gnarled and uneven, but there was something...off about them.

Lucius straightened, holding the bundle with a flourish, his voice proud. "Here they are." He said, his smile wide. "The fire sticks we use as kindling for the office fireplace. Fine quality, perfect for a cozy blaze."

"Sticks?" Aisha's tail flicked, her voice sharp with exasperation. "You dragged us over here to look at sticks? Cassius, what's the point of this? How's a bunch of firewood supposed to convince us you can take on a cult?"

Julie's gaze lingered on the bundle, her voice calm but curious. "There's more to this, isn't there?" She asked, her eyes flicking to Cassius. "You wouldn't waste our time with something meaningless. What are we really looking at?"

"Oh, you're catching on, Captain." He said, his tone dripping with amusement. "Just wait. Lucius, give them a closer look. Let them see what makes these 'fire sticks' so...special."

Lucius nodded, his smile sly as he untied the bundle, letting the sticks spill onto the rug with a soft clatter. As they rolled into the light, Julie and Aisha leaned closer, their eyes narrowing, and then widening in shock.

The sticks weren't any normal sticks at all.

They were wands, carved with intricate runes, their surfaces pulsing faintly with residual mana, each one a relic of powerful magic. Some bore scorch marks, others were cracked, but their quality was unmistakable: these were the tools of mages, not kindling.

Aisha's breath caught, her voice a stunned whisper. "These...these are wands." She said, her tail puffing out as she pointed. "Mage wands. High, grade, by the look of them. Why are you burning these?"

Julie's eyes flicked to Cassius, her voice low and incredulous. "You're using mage wands as firewood?" She asked, her brows furrowing. "These are worth a fortune, each one could arm a skilled caster. What's going on here?"

"Now, ladies." He chuckled as he saw their intense gazes. "Don't go thinking I'm some extravagant fool, burning wands just to keep my toes warm. I may be rich, hell, my family's got more gold than the kingdom itself, vaults stuffed with treasures that'd make a dragon blush, but I'm a humble man at heart." His eyes glinted with mischief as he massaged Skadi's scalp. "And because of that, I wouldn't dream of wasting something so valuable...unless it had a story behind it."

Julie's brows furrowed, her voice wary as she crossed her arms. "A story?" She asked, her gaze flicking from the wands to Cassius. "What kind of story turns mage wands into kindling?"

Aisha's tail flicked, her voice sharp with suspicion as she leaned closer, her claws glinting. "Yeah, Cassius, spill it." She demanded, her cheeks flushing with curiosity. "You don't just find forty high, grade wands lying around. What's the deal?"

"Oh, it's a good one." Cassius's smile turned cold, his crimson eyes glinting with a dangerous colour that sent a chill down their spines. "These wands didn't come from some fancy shop. They belonged to a pack of unruly mages who thought they could waltz into the Holyfield estate and stir up trouble, terrorism, to be precise."

"My own intelligence network sniffed them out before they could light a single spark. And me?" His smile widened, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I dealt with them myself. Took their wands as trophies. So, burning them? Seems only fitting, don't you think?"

The room grew still, the weight of his words sinking in. Julie's breath caught, her eyes widening as she realized the implications, while Aisha gulped, her voice a stunned whisper as she stared at the wands, counting them with growing horror.

"Forty wands." She said, her claws trembling slightly. "These aren't just any wands, Cassius. They're high, grade, engraved with advanced runes. Beginner mages couldn't touch them, they'd explode trying to channel mana through these. Even intermediates would struggle. Only advanced mages could wield them properly, with precise control." She looked up, her voice shaking with disbelief. "You're saying you fought forty advanced mages? Alone?"

"I don't know much about mage levels, Aisha." He shrugged. "Never bothered with the details. But I can tell you this, they were good. They didn't need to chant their spells, and just snapped their fingers and boom, magic everywhere."

"Fireballs, lightning, shadows, cast multiple spells at once, too...Dodging all that was a pain in the ass, let me tell you, but I still managed."

Aisha jumped hearing this, her voice shrill with shock.

"Advanced mages! Those were advanced mages!" She cried, her claws flailing as she pointed at him. "Only advanced mages can cast without chanting, or sling multiple spells at once! That's not just skill, that's mastery! And you're saying you took on forty of them? At the same time?" Her cheeks flushed, her eyes wide with awe and terror.

"Well, they didn't exactly hand me their wands and skip off." Cassius's smile turned cruel, his eyes blazing like twin flames. "So, yes, Aisha, I defeated them. All of them. And I didn't just win, I massacred them." His words dripped with menace, his smile sharp as a blade. "I made sure they felt the fear of God before they breathed their last. Isn't that right, Lucius?"

Lucius nodded, his smile tinged with annoyance as he sighed, his voice casual but vivid. "Oh, indeed, Young Master." He said, his tone almost exasperated. "I'll never forget that battlefield. Gruesome doesn't begin to cover it, body parts scattered like confetti, blood so thick it stung the air."

"And finding those wands was a nightmare. Some were buried under piles of flesh, others...well, let's just say a few were lodged in places they shouldn't be...Took ages to dig them out."

He spoke as if retrieving wands from corpses was a minor inconvenience, his nonchalance sending a shiver through the room.

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