"Did I state your name wrong? Please forgive me if I did..."
"No," Warden said slowly, scrutinising the woman for a second time. How did she see through his disguise? True, he hadn't applied makeup to his face, but such details are easily detectable with the heightened senses of a ranker. Warden hadn't bothered with them; instead, he opted for an aura disguise, wearing a janitor's suit.
His control of aura made him less conspicuous, and even if someone managed to see his face, they would likely dismiss him as just another face in the crowd.
Warden had tested this with Agnes herself, and it took several seconds of conversation before she saw through his disguise. However, this person was different. Was she exceptionally skilled in aura control, or did she possess something unique? Either way, he needed to handle it delicately.
Not that he had done anything wrong, but if others found out about his disguise, he could feign ignorance, claiming they weren't paying attention.
"No, you haven't mistaken," Warden affirmed.
Cassandra stifled a relieved sigh. "Good, because if I called you by the wrong name, it would have been really embarrassing."
"Good thing you didn't, then," he replied.
"Well, it never really happens to me, being unsure, I mean," she said hesitantly. "I didn't notice you at first, probably because of the clothes you wore, but then I overheard you guys talking about Azalea Garden, and I took a deeper look. But even still, I was not completely sure, because I remember you being an Adept Runesmith, on top of having tyrannical combat power."
Warden took note of what she said. Firstly, she still wasn't aware of his Master Runesmith status – that's for the best for now. Perhaps he could use it to maintain his disguise. Secondly, she had heard them talking about her organisation from over a couple of hundred meters away – not a natural feat for any common lower ranker.
Even Silver rankers had to spread their awareness to eavesdrop on someone else, and if you're not a mind mage like June, it was tremendously difficult for someone to spread their awareness for over a hundred of metres in one direction. Her elemental power seemed to involve supersonic voices; maybe she was highly sensitive to the vibrations created by sound.
Warden wanted to test this at that very moment but suppressed his urge, considering it wouldn't be polite.
"Please, you overpraise my accomplishment," Warden said reverently, pretending to be genuinely captivated by her looks and ethereal presence. However, he couldn't reveal being entirely enamored, as that would betray a weak will. This woman did not seem to tolerate weakness, and, truthfully, people, in general, did not either. "All that was only a hobby of mine...
"Ahh, Lady Cassandra," Marcus said, acting as if he wasn't looking for her and had just stumbled upon her on the way. "I see you've met the last of my recruits."
"I have," Cassandra said, presenting him with her mesmerizing smile, tinged with sarcasm when she realized Marcus had no idea about Warden's true identity. "I see you have found yourself a great cook."
She shot Warden a look as their eyes met for an extended moment, conveying a secret message of sorts. Isn't it fun to know a secret that others don't, as if Warden said to her?
"Unlike Lady Cassandra, who has the fortune of the heavens, we merely took our chances and acquired him, even though I did not like the way he fought," Marcus said. "So what if I use a slot for helpers for a cook? It's not as if my success—"
"You would have sent him away; don't take credit for my find," May chimed in, also attempting to impress the striking woman with purple hair.
"Well, great find, Miss May," she said. "Perhaps you have recruited the most promising prospect for Young Lord Marcus on this expedition."
Cassandra had already finished her meal at this point, and her companions had returned along with the helpers she recruited.
"Well, not everyone can have divination power like yours," May said, smiling crookedly. "Unlike you, who can recruit all 18 of your dependable helpers just by looking at their faces... I could only verify Mr. Janitor's claim before taking him."
"You overpraise me too much, Miss May."
"Divination?" Warden perked up from his spot, his eyes wholly focused on the purple-haired woman. "Like foretelling the future, like an oracle?"
"Please, it's more predicting than foretelling," Cassandra said, waving off her palm, seemingly unsure why he had taken an interest in that. "And my luck in Divination is merely fifty-fifty and cannot claim anything more."
A frown crept to his brows, as he was about to question her more, but Marcus beat him to it.
"Miss Cassandra, have you heard the twenty-fourth prince will be joining the expedition...