Chapter 47: Dishonor

​Subconsciously, Morghanna would begin questioning his true motives.

’If he genuinely cares about the summon, why provoke me? Why risk her execution? Why escalate the situation?’

​The more she analyzed it, the less sense the obvious answer made, and once an intelligent mind rejects the obvious answer, it naturally seeks an alternative explanation.

​Cassian knew Morghanna was far too intelligent to act purely on emotion.

That was why the psychological shock of having her private secret exposed was so vital: people make their worst strategic decisions when embarrassed.

​Even tactical geniuses. Especially tactical geniuses, because they despise feeling vulnerable.

​The moment she realized an intruder had witnessed that side of her, her composure cracked, only slightly, but slightly was all he needed.

​The threats, the unshakeable confidence, the arrogance, all of it pushed her toward a single, calculated conclusion: that Cassian wanted her to execute the scout to ignite a war.

And once she reached that conclusion, releasing the Mothkin became the one choice that allowed her to regain total control of the narrative.

​At least, from her perspective.

​Of course, everything could have gone horribly wrong. Cassian was far too experienced to ignore that reality.

Morghanna could have ignored his mind games, tortured the Mothkin, or executed her on the spot out of sheer spite.

The entire play rested on psychological assumptions about a leader he had never met face-to-face.

​It was a gamble, nothing more, nothing less.

​Fortunately, the gamble had paid off.

​A familiar, resonant sensation suddenly stirred deep within his soul.

​Cassian opened his eyes. The soul link was strong, stable, and rapidly approaching his location.

​The smile on his face widened into a sharp, satisfied grin.

​"Looks like you’re coming home."

​Far to the north, a violet-winged silhouette cut silently through the night sky, racing back toward Lord’s Hollow.

....

The Mothkin finally returned to Lord’s Hollow.

​The moment her feet touched the ground, she did not pause for even a second before heading straight toward the cemetery.

​Cassian was still seated beside the weathered tombstone where he had spent the last few hours waiting.

​Seeing him, the Mothkin immediately dropped to one knee, her head lowered in reverence.

​"My Lord."

​There was a moment of absolute silence before she continued.

​"I have brought dishonor to your name."

​Her usually emotionless voice carried an unusual, heavy trace of guilt.

​"I was discovered and captured. If not for an unexpected mercy, I would not have returned."

​Her dark wings folded tightly behind her back in shame.

​Cassian merely looked down at her before quietly shaking his head.

​"What makes you think that?"

​The Mothkin froze.

​Cassian’s voice remained completely calm. "You completed your objective."

​She raised her head slightly, her glowing violet eyes meeting his.

​"You infiltrated the Kragmar Dominion," Cassian continued. "You confirmed the size of their forces, identified their leader, and gathered critical intelligence on their culture, military structure, and combat strength."

​He paused, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips. "And most importantly... you returned alive."

​The Mothkin’s pupils dilated slightly.

​Cassian leaned back against the stone pillar. "Intelligence gathering is not about never being discovered, it is about bringing back information worth the risk."

​His gaze shifted toward the dark northern horizon. "Thanks to you, we now know far more about the Kragmar Dominion than they know about us."

​He looked back down at her. "So tell me... how exactly did you bring dishonor?"

​The Mothkin remained silent. After several long seconds, she lowered her head again, this time not from overwhelming guilt, but from profound relief.

​"I understand, my Lord."

​Cassian gave a small nod. "Good."

​The Mothkin hesitated briefly before speaking again. "There is one more thing."

​Cassian gestured smoothly for her to continue.

​"Chief Morghanna released me personally," her eyes hardened at the memory. "Before I departed, she delivered a direct message."

​Cassian listened quietly as the Mothkin repeated the Orc Chief’s words verbatim:

​"Tell him that the next time we meet... the Kragmar Dominion will not be opening negotiations. We will be declaring war."

​Silence hung over the cemetery.

​Then, Cassian laughed softly. Not a booming roar, but a low, amused chuckle.

​The Mothkin blinked in surprise.

​Cassian shook his head, a sharp smile forming on his face. "War? That changes nothing."

​He rose casually from the tombstone. "The Kragmar Dominion was already on my conquest list."

​His cold blue eyes locked onto the northern horizon. "Whether Morghanna welcomes me with open arms or sharpened battleaxes makes very little difference."

​A dangerous, predatory glint flashed through his gaze.

​"Because sooner or later... the Kragmar Dominion will belong to me."

​The absolute confidence in his voice was so unshakeable that even the Mothkin felt her lingering anxieties evaporate into nothingness.

​Yet, as Cassian looked back down, he noticed a faint, troubled stillness lingering in her posture. A knowing smile crossed his face.

​"Enough."

​The Mothkin tilted her head in confusion.

​Cassian pointed toward the temporary staging area set up for his special summons. "Go see your brother."

​"...Brother?"

​"The Bone Worm."

​The Mothkin froze.

​Cassian chuckled softly. "He’s been worried sick about you this entire time."

​For the first time since her return, genuine emotional surprise flickered across her face. She recalled the frantic, panicky mental pulses from earlier and the desperate fear through the link.

​A strange, unfamiliar warmth stirred within her chest.

​She quickly bowed her head deeply. "Yes, my Lord."

​With a graceful sweep of her wings, she departed toward the staging area.

​Cassian watched her leave, the faint smile lingering on his lips, before turning his gaze back toward the silent cemetery.

​Rows of dark tombstones stood quietly beneath the silver moonlight. The soul links connecting him to his recovering summons had already stabilized, signal flares indicating that their deep healing process was nearly complete.

​Only a few minutes remained.

​Cassian’s voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "I’ll have to speed things up."

​The Kragmar Dominion was formidable, far stronger than he had anticipated. But that simply meant he needed to scale his own power even faster.

​And fortunately for him, rapid, exponential growth was the one thing he did better than anyone else in this world.

​Cassian looked toward the glowing grave plots one final time.

​Soon. Very soon... the conquest would officially begin.