Cassian hugged the bear golem tightly, burying her head in its soft fur as she continued.
“I said no. So, we fought, and this is the result.”
A duel.
I glanced at her wounds.
Even with Mira’s healing and her own regenerative mana, the injuries were still severe.
I couldn’t imagine how intense the duel must have been.
“Did you lose the duel?” I asked cautiously.
Her injuries were grave enough to make me assume so.
But to my surprise, Cassian grinned triumphantly, raising a fist.
“I won. That’s why I called you here. If I’d lost, I’d have been taken away.”
I fell silent, deep in thought.
The Blade Association was a powerful organization that dominated the city.
If Cassian’s goal was solely to grow stronger, their offer might not have been so bad.
An organization of their scale would have vast information and resources, allowing for efficient growth.
‘Yet, she had refused. Why?’
I asked her.
Cassian stroked the bear golem’s fur thoughtfully.
“If I stay here, this little one will stop moving. Maybe I’ll have to fall… I can’t let anyone take what’s mine again.”
Her touch was so delicate.
The way she looked at the bear golem was not as if she were gazing at it, but rather at some distant memory from her past.
“Besides, I also carry the expectations of others.”
Cassian said with a soft smile.
She didn’t say anything more and simply stared at the door.
Behind the firmly closed door, faint traces of movement could be heard.
It had been six hours since we were confined here.
For a while, I thought they were just going to keep us locked up, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Soon, the door opened, and three people entered.
Their presence emanated strong mana.
At the front stood the young man who had brought us here earlier.
He gave a slight bow.
“Did you rest comfortably?”
He glanced briefly at Cassian.
She nodded nonchalantly.
“Following the result of the first duel, we granted the request to bring your companions.”
He looked at us.
‘So bringing us here was the result of her duel?’ Considering Cassian’s position, it was likely the best course of action.
In this city, the only people she could trust were likely us.
Calling for the people she brought herself and entrusting her safety to them would have been her only option.
The young man’s gaze lingered on Mira, who continued tending to Cassian without sparing him a glance.
Faint mana emanated from him, reaching toward Mira.
But the mist surrounding Mira gently pushed it back.
She smiled faintly and spoke.
“You shouldn’t do that. You should consider him as me, you know.”
At her words, the young man paused and observed us for a moment.
After a brief silence, he gave a small nod and began to speak.
“If the talent we sponsor falls short of expectations, we reclaim them as our own. That’s the nature of our association’s sponsorship. However, since Cassian rejected this, we decided to reassess her through eight duels. The next one will take place in a week.”
Duels.
I thought back to the many swordsmen we had seen while wandering the city—those who occupied the middle of the streets, brandishing swords against one another.
“Why do you hold these duels?”
I asked, glancing at Cassian.
The young man briefly looked at me, his expression making it clear he hadn’t considered me worth noticing.
His gaze carried a hint of irritation.
A sharp wave of mana surged from him.
It happened in an instant—too quick and overwhelming for me to handle.
But Mira’s mist intercepted it, dissipating the mana with ease.
Mira chuckled softly.
“You shouldn’t do that. Please consider him as you would me.”
The young man hesitated, then nodded slightly and began speaking again.
“The sponsorship of our association includes taking charge of someone if their talent doesn’t meet expectations. Since Cassian refused, we are now assessing her through these eight duels. If she wins all eight, she will be released, and the sponsorship will proceed as planned.”
His piercing gaze shifted to Cassian, glowing with a cold blue light.
“This is also a tradition of our association. The duels are conducted with limited mana, relying solely on willpower and swordsmanship. If she wins all eight, she will be freed. But if she falters even once, we will take full control of her, as per the sponsorship agreement. The sword granted to her by Evan will also be reclaimed.”
Cassian lowered her gaze, her expression dejected.
I glanced at her.
‘Was this the “expectation of others” she had mentioned? If she failed, it would harm Evan as well.’
“There’s no need to worry. Joining our organization and allowing us to guide her talent doesn’t mean she’ll face significant disadvantages.”
He handed over a few sheets of paper.
I accepted them on Cassian’s behalf since she couldn’t move.
A quick glance revealed brief information about someone.
“The next opponent is Jeroon. He was previously sponsored by us. He also failed to advance and was reclaimed, but he eventually rose to the third level. It should be a good match.”
He gestured with his chin.
The individuals behind him moved to stand on either side of the door, their postures rigid and alert.
They closed their eyes and remained still, breathing quietly.
“If you need anything, feel free to tell them. Over the next week, they will bring you whatever you require. Please rest comfortably.”
With that, he bowed slightly, turned, and left the room.
It all happened so quickly.
***
I stared at the two guards positioned by the door.
‘Were they stationed here to ensure we stayed put? It seemed we were stuck here for a week.’
I turned to Cassian.
After setting up a barrier to prevent the guards from overhearing, I asked her, “Did you know this was the nature of their sponsorship?”
She shook her head slightly.
“I just thought it would be good to have a sponsor. I had no idea things would turn out like this. I doubt even my father knew.”
She slumped over, and the bear golem comforted her gently.
I fell silent, lost in thought.
Something about this situation felt familiar.
Sponsorship meant being evaluated.
They had used that as bait to entangle Cassian like this.
I had fallen for something similar once before.
It had been nearly two years, but the memory was still vivid, as if it happened yesterday.
My own path had been blocked in much the same way.
I hadn’t resisted and had simply accepted it.
If not for my professor, I would have been completely ensnared.
Of course, Cassian’s situation was different.
They treated her with much more respect.
Still, the underlying structure felt eerily similar.
This seemed to be how organizations operated—an efficient system that preyed on ignorance.
But Cassian’s choice was different from mine.
She chose to fight against this overwhelming pressure, unlike me, who had run away.
Even if she faltered in these duels, her will would remain.
‘Was this the “40 points” my professor had deducted from me?’ I let out a bitter laugh at the thought.
“My, this does put us in a difficult position,” Mira said as she stroked Cassian’s body.
The wounds beneath her touch slowly began to heal.
Cassian closed her eyes and let out a deep breath, seemingly on the verge of sleep.
Mira must have put her to rest.
Mira turned to me with a smile.
“If she loses even one duel, she’ll be bound to them.”
She glanced at the guards by the door.
Then, placing her hand lightly near Cassian’s chest, she added, “I don’t want to lose this body. Besides, I’ve grown fond of her. She’s too valuable to give away to them.”
Mira covered her mouth and laughed softly.
I nodded calmly in agreement.
She was right.
‘After all, why had we followed Cassian in the first place?’
‘It was to tame her body. If she didn’t go to the tower and stayed here instead, we wouldn’t be able to use her body there.’
We’d end up being thrown out of the treasure vaults after struggling all over again, which was something my plans couldn’t afford.
And there was also the matter of points.
We had already received a fortune of 20,000 points—although they were technically in Mira’s possession.
‘If Cassian were taken away, we might have to cough up every last one of those points.’
‘But what could we do?’
I looked at Cassian.
She had just fought her first duel today, and it had left her in this state, covered in blood.
The opponents in the upcoming duels would only grow stronger.
If she were left to face them alone, there was no way she’d make it through all of them unscathed.
“Let’s come up with a plan together. If Cassian is tied down here, things will become difficult for us too.”
“Now that’s the right attitude. I’m starting to like you more,” Mira said with a clap, laughing.
The bear golem pulled a blanket over the sleeping Cassian and looked at me with pleading eyes.
‘So, what should we do?’
I pondered the young man’s words carefully.
Cassian had called for us, believing we could help her.
‘So how could we support her?’
We couldn’t directly intervene in the duels.
Fighting was her domain.
What I needed to do was ensure she could focus entirely on the duels, using her talents to their fullest.
I turned to Mira.
Alone, I couldn’t achieve this.
But with her, it was possible.