Chapter 927

“I don’t mean to be pushy, but ever since you enrolled in the White Griffon, you have done a great service to the Kingdom and have been paid accordingly . Why this sudden change of heart?” Marchioness Distar asked .

“Who has offered her heart, body, and soul to the Kingdom more than Phloria Ernas?” Lith’s voice was stone cold . “Yet it didn’t save her from suffering an unjust fate . She’s still just a Captain, isn’t she?”

“Yours is a rash judgment . Nothing has been decided and she could be acquitted at any time . ” The Marchioness was now on shaky ground .

Phloria’s still ongoing trial was a sour note that all the friends and the enemies of the Ernas played constantly . The former demanded acquittal and an apology, while the latter demanded an exemplary punishment .

“A trial that should not have even started and yet in a few months it will become one year old . If politics can push a family as powerful as the Ernas to such a degree, I’d rather stay out of it before it turns my blessings into curses . How is Brinja?” Lith asked .

In the Griffon Kingdom’s social circles, asking about a relative was the polite way to put an end to a discussion . The Marchioness caught his drift and moved the conversation to less controversial topics, like the development of Lustria county .

“Care to join us, Trequill?” She had noticed for a while the excitable man waiting for the right moment chime in . The future of the Kingdom or of a Great Mage were out of the reach of a countryside noble .

“With pleasure, dear Marchioness . ” Count Lark literally jumped at the occasion, making his monocle pop out of the eye socket .

Count Lark hadn’t changed much since the last time Lith had seen him in person . He was in his late fifties, around 1,83 meters (6′) tall with a thin build, that made him appear even taller .

The Count had thick black hair with streaks of grey and a short-trimmed goatee . His inseparable black-rimmed monocle was attached to his breast pocket with a blue silk string .

“How are things going for the Lark family, dear Count?” Lith said while they shook hands .

“They could go much better . ” Lark sighed . Looking at how Lith had become as tall as he was and thinking about his achievements, Lark regretted the rumors about Raaz being his illegitimate son being lies . “Thank the gods we had three Rangers this winter .

“The problem is not the undead, but the panic they cause . Everyone who died during the last few months had their corpse decapitated and a few villages have been decimated due to violent cases of mass hysteria . “

“It’s the same everywhere . ” Lith shrugged . “In the north, a traveler who reached a village at night wouldn’t live to see the day . People were so scared that they would mercilessly kill any stranger knocking at their doors .

“How are Jadon and Kelya doing?”

“Great, just great . Maybe too much . After acquiring the assets of my late wife, I let them rule one county each while I supervised their work . Our counties developed so much that my children almost didn’t attend their own marriages .

“Never become a feudal lord, dear Lith . It sucks the soul out of you . ” Lark said before noticing the Marchioness glaring at him .

“Hi, Lith . Where have you been? We all missed you at the White Griffon academy . ” A gentle hand tapped his shoulder, prompting him to turn around .

“Professor Wanemyre, I thought you hated social events . Meeting you here is such a pleasant surprise . ” Lith gave her a bow and a hand-kissing .

Lyca Wanemyre was one of his favorite Professors and the woman who had taught him all he knew about Forgemastering .

She was a woman in her mid-thirties, 1 . 65 meters (5’5″) tall, with waist-long black hair with shades of red held up . She was wearing an evening dress and gloves that highlighted her long and nimble fingers .

Not even the puffy fabric could hide her soft, luscious curves . It was one of the rare occasions where Professor Wanemyre would use make-up, making her lovely heart-shaped face stand out and appear younger than her age .

Before Nalear’s betrayal, Wanemyre had a calm and composed attitude, but after being possessed by a slave ring, she had become paranoid and cold . Wanemyre had stopped trusting people, living as a recluse for over two years .

During his time as Assistant Professor, Lith had been the liaison between her private quarters and the outside world . He had taken care of both the theoretical and practical Forgemastering lessons while she struggled with the post-traumatic stress disorder caused by Nalear’s orders .

“This is actually the first time I get out of the White Griffon ever since the… accident . ” Her eyes became veiled for a split second while the ghosts of the past tried to drag her back into her personal hell .

Wanemyre took a deep breath and regained her focus .

“You never call, never visit so I thought that meeting my favorite student was the perfect occasion to see how rusty my social skills are . Are you sure you don’t want to become a Royal Forgemaster? I would be glad to have you as my pupil again . “

Lyca Wanemyre was one of the youngest and most talented Royal Forgemasters of her generation . It was one of the reasons why the late Headmaster Linjos had made her a Professor despite the fact that she was way younger than her peers .

Even her actions during Nalear’s betrayal didn’t affect Wanemyre’s skill or reputation . Lith had considered asking her help to learn Runesmithing after Orion had declined his request, but the price the Kingdom asked was too steep .

During the evening Lith met Professor Vastor and Headmaster Marth, who were flabbergasted learning that Rena’s child had survived .

“If you found Manohar, not revealing his position is an act of treason . ” Marth said, half-joking and half-serious .

“If I did, I would deliver him to you in a body bag . ” Lith said with a dead-serious voice . “It was my mentor saving the kid . She’s an incredible Healer and an even more amazing person . “

Vastor was trying to have Lith promise that he would introduce such a genius to them when his father, Raaz, interrupted their chit-chat .

“I’m sorry, Professors, but I need to steal my son for a while . It’s a minor family matter that still requires his attention . We’ll be right back . ” Raaz was many things but a good liar wasn’t among them .

Everyone understood that something was wrong, but pretended to not notice and didn’t ask questions . For a moment Lith feared that something might had happened to Falco, but he caught a glimpse of Rena amiably talking with Quylla .

There was no force on Mogar that could keep Rena away from her son if he so much as sneezed so it had to be something else . Raaz led Lith to a servants’ passage and then to a secret opening in the wall .

Lith found himself inside a hidden living room, without no windows nor doors except that through which he had entered . The entire room was made of solid stone and so heavily enchanted that Lith could feel the hair on his neck standing up .

The room was furnished only with a long oval table and many padded wooden chairs . There was no light source except for the magical gemstones embedded into the walls, giving the place an even claustrophobic look .

It was the perfect place for torturers and conspirators so Lith was surprised when he noticed that the person waiting for him was Orion and not Jirni .