Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 268: Chapter 268: Unexpected Model Recruitment

Chapter 268 – Unexpected Model Recruitment

The day passed swiftly, and before long, Thursday came to an end.

Nothing much had happened, if one didn’t count the Faye Twins slowly losing their minds, trying — pleading, even — to understand what they’d done.

After their parents’ first call, they’d sat frozen in the same spot for a long while, gripped by a shock and fear so total they couldn’t move a single muscle.

Without even pausing to ask how they might raise the money, they instead began wondering how their classmates, the Academy, and the world would view them if they were ever expelled.

Would they survive the humiliation?

In that moment, every answer pointed to a resounding no.

They would die of shame — the worst possible way to die — without ever achieving what they’d set out to accomplish, for themselves or for their parents.

For a brief moment, in the depths of her desperation, Aminata felt an unreasonable urge to blame their parents for all of it.

It was them who’d taken on the debt. Them who needed the money. Them...who’d put them in this position.

If not for their parents, Aminata reasoned, her mind far too gone by that point, they’d have had an easier life, not forced to brew potions every single day just to survive.

She dwelled on it so long that her feelings curdled into bitterness, edging toward anger. She was on the verge of truly believing it.

But her twin sister Awa was far more reasonable. She understood that every one of those debts had gone toward their education, giving them the tools to become who they now were within the Academy.

Without their parents, neither of them would be who they were today.

So as their daughters, it was their duty to make that investment worthwhile, and to help them now.

That divide in understanding sparked a fight between Aminata and Awa, each trying to convince the other she was right.

They cursed at each other in the heat of it. Then they came to blows, wrecking half the belongings they’d worked so hard to buy to decorate their room.

By the end of the day, the twin sisters lay side by side on the floor, their bodies riddled with wounds and blood.

They stared up at the ceiling in despair, a despair that reduced them both to tears, imagining their futures crumbling into blood and ash.

And through it all, one question lingered unanswered the whole day...

"...what did we do?"

...

Night fled the sky in a hurry, chased away by the blinding sun, its orange glow washing over the world like a sea of molten gold.

It was Friday.

Cassius, having finished his morning training with his master, stood at a corner of the Street Housing, staring up at the sun.

Something about it fascinated him.

It was that ever-present sliver of white light burning within a small part of the sun’s disk. Even for Cassius, looking directly at it felt like it was scorching the back of his eyes.

The sensation was deeply unpleasant, but he couldn’t look away.

"The Sun." He whispered, arms crossed over his chest, back leaning against a sun-warmed wall, "That white flame burning right at its heart, I’ve thought about it often, and every time I arrive at the same conclusion."

He tilted his head, lips curving into a smile.

"The White Phoenix, right?"

It seemed the only possible answer.

"But knowing the answer doesn’t help much if I actually want to get close to her." He muttered, then asked his goddess, "Can I go to the sun?"

[With your current power?]

"Yes?"

[You’d be burned to ashes before even getting within 20km of it.]

"By the sun itself, or the white light?"

[Both.]

"That strong?"

[Cassius, the sun is a literal star. A true one. What did you expect?]

"How powerful must the White Phoenix be, then, to reach the sun itself?" He asked, frowning.

[Powerful enough to kill you with a single thought.]

"Thank you." He rolled his eyes, "Very comforting, Queen."

Ananke smiled and said nothing.

He kept staring at the sun and its white light, eager to begin training his power once he got the chance.

After today’s session, he could now detect the traps easily. His Snake Loop needed only a small piece more to be complete.

He was so close. All that remained was climbing the mountain under his own physical strength.

That, he figured, would be the easiest of the three hurdles. He might even manage it in a single session, now that he’d learned how to distribute his strength across his body to make it last.

Cassius reckoned he’d finish the training tomorrow.

"How sweet—!"

His words cut off as his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and saw it was Meadow.

A smile crept onto his lips.

He answered, "Morning, Meadow."

"Good morning, Cassius." She replied, "I’m calling to let you know I’ve done what you asked."

"The twins?"

"Just as you expected, they responded to the task I posted, saying they have some interesting potions to sell."

"Alright. When and where am I meeting them?"

"I’ve rented a room in LeBon, on the third floor. I’ll send you the address, the runic code to show them, and everything else." She said, "The meeting’s in thirty minutes. Will you make it in time?"

"Most certainly."

"Perfect, then."

"You’re not coming with me?"

"I have the Second Auction to prepare for tomorrow, dear Lord Earth, remember? I need to head to Vorn City with Omm today."

Cassius nodded, "Oh yes, right. For this auction, the three items are the Cloak of Invisibility, a Tier 5 artifact; the Greenflower Sun, a Tier 3 alchemical ingredient; and—!"

"A monster as a loyal subordinate." Meadow finished, then smiled, "I honestly don’t know how you managed that one, Cassius."

’Don’t remind me. Losing one of my Subordinate Tokens still stings.’

"Which monster will you go with?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I’m torn between a Shadow Cat, an Ever-Burning Crow, and a Lightblessed Butterfly."

"Hard choice, I admit. You could offer all three and let the winner decide." Cassius said, "But make sure to keep the process of making the monster a subordinate hidden from everyone."

"I think that’s the best choice. And yes, I’ll be careful."

"Perfect."

Cassius started walking toward the street to hail a carriage bound for LeBon and his meeting.

Meadow kept talking.

"Oh, and I still haven’t picked the three models, Cassius." She said, reminding him of what they’d secured in their First Auction, "I want to choose people capable of serving our goals."

"Why not Sarah?" He suggested, raising a free hand to call a carriage.

"Sarah, huh? Would that work? It’s a new field she might not be very familiar with."

The carriage rolled to a stop just in time in front of him. The driver, a woman in her mid-twenties with curly black hair, stepped out and opened the door.

Cassius thanked her with a smile and climbed inside.

After giving her the destination, she took off immediately.

Cassius then answered Meadow, "It might be difficult. Well, it will be difficult. But her Aspect suits this kind of work well. Either way, we’ll ask her and let her decide. I don’t mind if modeling isn’t something she loves."

"Alright." She agreed.

"Either way, the best approach is to look among the poorer, common folk." He suggested, "Some of them are diamonds, rusted only by their circumstances."

At that moment, unexpectedly, his eyes caught his driver’s face in the mirror.

Cassius smiled, "and you know what...I think I might have just found you one."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I’ll confirm it in a moment. See you, Meadow. Good luck with the preparations."

"I’m only supervising. Omm’s doing all the actual work."

"Poor man."

"He’s paid for it."

"Fair enough."

"Well, goodbye, Cass. Tell me how it goes with the twins."

"I will. Thanks."

"I’m rich, but make my money worth it."

"Don’t stress me out, woman."

The call ended there. Cassius tucked his phone back into his pocket and looked intently at his driver.

So intently that she felt it, glancing at him through the mirror.

"Is...is there something you need?" She asked hesitantly, her voice strangely hoarse, wary as ever around Academy students.

"Do you know who I am?" Cassius asked first.

The driver furrowed her well-shaped eyebrows, then shook her head, "I don’t. Sorry if I should. I don’t have a phone to check the Net."

"Oh, that’s completely fine." His smile widened, "I’m just a simple student. But I do have some connections with a modeling agency. And I hope I’m not overstepping, Miss Driver, but I think you’d really make it as a model."

"Huh, what? Me?" The driver blurted out in surprise, her almond-shaped gray eyes going wide.

"Yes, you." Cassius said. "A model. I know it’s a bit sudden, but I’ve learned to seize opportunities when I see them. So..."

He leaned forward slightly.

"...what do you say to becoming a model sponsored by a fairly well-known Auction House, Miss Driver?"

—End of Chapter 268—