Chapter 233: Come on, help a hero out

Words : 1919 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 233: Come on, help a hero out Cass felt like this move by the Head Priest was unprecedented. He knew it. Especially as he glanced back at the crowd, the first time he had done so since he had entered the main hall of the temple and found shocked expressions greet his gaze. Cass then turned back to look at the Head Priest before joining him at his side. The Head Priest wrapped his arm around Cass’ shoulders in a supposedly brotherly, or fatherly hold. Cass felt his spine stiffen at the action. He knew it was unacceptable. Lord Blackburn had a father, and while he was banned from the family, that didn’t make him dead. "This isn’t appropriate." Cass whispered quietly and the Head Priest seemed a little shocked that Cass would speak. He didn’t let it show in his calm expression, but his grip tightened slightly on his shoulder. "This is inappropriate?" He asked quietly and Cass swallowed. "I still have a father." Cass told him and the Head Priest did give Cass a strange look, before he began going on a much louder speech about unity and how great it was to have a Blackburn in the temple once more. Cass kind of hoped that the gods would strike him down right now, they already had a replacement ready in Lady Ava, and she was more powerful. Cass waited a few beats, hoping something would happen, but when nothing did, he just sighed softly under his breath. Another disappointment from the gods. Typical. Eventually, when Cass didn’t react like the Head Priest wanted him to, he let him go. Cass turned to leave the few steps that he’d had to climb when his foot caught on the carpet and his eyes widened as he started to fall. It wasn’t Lucian, Vespertine, or Lord Ridgewood who caught him. It was Fiona. She rushed over, her strength magnified from being chosen as the hero and caught him, wrapping him up in her arms much to the shocked gasps of everyone else around them. Fiona’s expression only held deep concern and she looked up at the Head Priest. "Cassian is quite flustered. May we be excused?" She asked. It was bold. Only someone who had never grown up around this kind of ceremony would ask such a thing. Vespertine and Lady Ava were frozen, while Lord Ridgewood was glaring daggers at Cass. It wasn’t his fucking fault that he tripped over the carpet. He blamed the gods. Vespertine’s father was staring down at them, Fiona who had been given the title of Lady as soon as she had been chosen, and how serious, and also brave she was being speaking to the Head Priest like this. Cass chuckled. "Don’t stop the fun because of me." Cass spoke loud enough for others to hear. "It was just a little scare. I’m alright." He didn’t smile, couldn’t with the weight on his shoulders. Fiona tightened her grip on him. "Then we should have your ankle at the very least, seen to." Fiona said sternly, not budging. The Head Priest chuckled. "Why would we need to do that? I can just heal him." He said as if it was the most obvious thing. "No you will not." Fiona said back, making herself the villain. "You know that Lord Blackburn, that Cass has fairy blood running through him. With how powerful of a mage he is and how strong his blood is, holy power could disrupt the balance inside of him." She sounded like a doting wife by being able to list all of this off. It was also the truth, mixed with a heavy dose of a lie. His fairy blood wasn’t the only reason he couldn’t accept holy power into his body. The Head Priest stared at her for a long, long moment. Cass could have cut the tension with a knife before the Head Priest let out a heavy sigh. "But why would the main person of this celebration volunteer herself to escort Lord Blackburn? Dear Lady Fiona, you make me quite sad as your Father-in-law." Cass knew where Vespertine got his abilities. The man was using everything in her arsenal. Cass let out a laugh. It had everyone looking towards him as he patted Fiona’s shoulder and finally turned a smile towards her. Fiona’s face flushed as Cass put as much love and affection into the look as he could muster. "Well, she wouldn’t be the hero that the gods wanted if she wasn’t the kind of person who would turn down a grand procession like this, would she?" Cass then turned to look at the Head Priest and knew that he’d won by the way that the Head Priest was subtly glaring at him. "Ah. How can I argue with that? Off you go, you two. Come back as soon as Lord Blackburn is cleared for walking, alright?" He waved a hand, looking devastated that he was losing his main attraction but Cass was sure that was all for show. Until Cass felt his feet go out from under him and he found himself in a rather familiar, and humiliating hold. Fiona was carrying him in her arms again. Like a damn princess. May the ground open up and swallow him whole. "F-Fiona!" It was involuntary, the shout, and Fiona gave Cass a smug look. "It’s fine. I haven’t dropped you before, have I?" The fact that she was hinting at a closer relationship in front of everyone had Cass growing silent as his face heated. Fuck everything. First he was trying to start rumours with Lucian, but why had he even bothered? Had he known that Fiona was going to pick him up like this, he would have just left it alone. When Cass glanced at the rest of the hero party, he could feel two of them looking on with envy. Lucian, and Lady Ava. Both he could understand, but that didn’t make him feel better. Fiona wasted little time in marching down the long main hall, back to where the priest who had let them in was waiting. She was rushing, trying to get them back to the waiting room, and the priest wasn’t moving fast enough for her. She was muttering in a language that Cass couldn’t understand, but it sounded guttural, harsh. From the chest. Cass was quite fascinated to hear it. "Is that...your native tongue?" Cass asked, surprised that it had never been brought up before. Fiona blinked, before her cheeks flushed. "O-Oh. Uh, no. Not really. It’s a language that was taught to me by some of my mercenary friends. It was theirs, and when I’m stressed I find myself falling into it." She seemed embarrassed that Cass had caught her speaking it, but Cass didn’t mind. That was actually rather fascinating to learn. "I had no idea. Have we spoken about this before?" Cass asked and she chuckled, shaking her head. "No no. Lady Ava doesn’t even know." She said and Cass blinked. The first to know? What an honour. This was probably some bullshit bonding with the wife shit from the angle of the romance novel. This time? He was fine with it. The Priest opened the door for them and Fiona marched in, ordering them all to leave her and Cass alone as she laid him down on the couch. Once they were sure the coast was clear, Fiona deflated. "Holy shit. Are you alright? I even felt like that was too much, and my mark was killing me!" She complained and Cass let out a laugh. "I thought I was going to pass out, yeah. Thank whoever gave the ring to me. Even if it was those fuckers, I’ll take it right now." Cass told her and Fiona sighed, before she got serious. She began to scan Cass, her eyes focused, before she got to his feet and began to pull off his shoes. Cass went to protest, but the look in her eyes kind of scared him. He had a feeling that if he complained too much, he might end up in a cast no matter what. It was the same look his sister used to get, so he just sat there, his mouth shut, as she looked over both ankles and feet. She gave them a squeeze in certain places, watching Cass’ reaction, and when he didn’t scream or start crying she finally relaxed completely. "Good. Nothing broken. Nothing hurt. You just tripped. Thank goodness." She murmured, leaning in and pressing her face against his knee. Cass didn’t move, surprised by the sudden movement and the way she was behaving around him. As if she trusted him. "You know that from being a mercenary, don’t you?" Cass commented and Fiona nodded. She remained resting against his knees for a moment longer before she began to put on his shoes and socks again. "Yeah. The feet are very important, so the group that took me in made sure I knew how to check for injuries, on others and myself." Her voice was slightly bittersweet, and that was when Cass remembered. The first group she had been with? They had died. She had been the lone survivor, and then she had continued being a mercenary after that because that’s all she knew. Until she was found and told she was the next hero. "Your group is doing okay?" Cass asked softly and Fiona nodded. "Yeah. Not getting as many contracts here, so they moved to another country for a little while. No one trusts mercenaries to do the work of heroes right now, and I don’t want them doing it either. Not that they really asked my opinion, but I hear from them." She said and Cass nodded. "You should go visit them soon. I think we’ll have some down time, and I think it would be good for you. A nice break." Cass said and Fiona froze, before she looked up at him. "You know when the next dungeons will open?" There was such a look of hope mixed with horror that Cass froze. Fuck. No, he shouldn’t have said that at all. He shouldn’t have implied that. "No. I don’t." Cass said almost immediately. He needed to nip this in the bud. Quickly. "I think you do." Fiona countered and Cass swallowed as she got up, leaning over him. Her hand pressed against the back of the couch, encroaching on his territory. "Fiona, I don’t know. Do you think I would have kept that kind of information from you?" Cass asked and Fiona narrowed her gaze. "The old Cass would have." He flinched. The old Cass was Lord Blackburn, and yeah, he for sure would have. "Can we drop this? It’s not going to get anywhere." Cass said and Fiona narrowed her gaze. "Because you aren’t going to tell me, or because you don’t know? Or, because you’re just as stubborn as I am and neither one of us is going to budge until someone intervenes?" At least she was self aware. "You already know the answer." Cass said and watched as her lips curled up. She leaned in closer. "Why wouldn’t I take the time to attempt to threaten you to tell me more, other hero? After all, I’m the kind of hero who passes up a celebration to check on another, right?" Cass didn’t like where this was going, nor how close they were. If someone walked in right now....

Chapter 233: Come on, help a hero out

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