Ever since his return home, Lith received countless invitations from noble households that wanted to get to know him or introduce their daughters to him . Most of them came from outside the County of Lustria .
Luckily it was winter, so the fireplace was usually lit . Fire was a great helper in sorting Lith's mail .
"I still can't believe we have a family name . " Elina was radiant with joy . Her life seemed to have turned into a fairy tale ever since Lith's birth . Things were always getting better . If only Lith shared even one tenth of her happiness, Elina would consider her life perfect .
"One awarded by the Crown at that . I wonder if your brother will use it . He makes me worry so much . " She sighed .
"Aran is too little to care about a name . " Lith replied . "Also, he is perfectly fine . I checked on him a minute ago . "
"I meant Trion!" Elina snorted . Her oldest son seemed to have disappeared years ago, yet Lith didn't care . It was another sour note in Elina's life .
'Don't you dare ask "Who?" . ' Solus reprimanded him in advance . If left unchecked, Lith was capable of ruining everyone's mood .
Rena now used both her husband's and her own family name . Her father in law had insisted she and his nephew both keep the Verhen name . Zekell was proud, not stupid . Bearing a mage's name was like having an army .
Like Lith, Tista had managed to enroll at White Griffon thanks to performing Silverwing's Hexagram . Her core was still bright green, but thanks to Lith's teaching, her skills were top notch .
Lith's house had been constantly renovated and now looked like a merchant's home . At least from the outside . On the inside it was almost as good as modern house on Earth . The only thing it lacked was internet .
With his mastery of the magic crystals, Lith had provided the house with thermal insulation, central heating, running water, and even two fully equipped bathrooms . It was so comfortable that Rena and her husband had moved back to her family home for the winter .
Running hot water and two healers was something even most nobles couldn't afford .
"Don't worry, little brother . I'm sure you'll find another girlfriend . " Tista stamped a kiss on his cheek . Her attempt only made Lith snarl . Ever since Tista had started seriously practicing magic, her impurities had slowly but steadily moved towards her core .
To make things worse, she seemed to become more gorgeous by the day .
'Between her Awakening and her beauty, Tista will make me kill so many people that the Griffon Kingdom will miss Balkor dearly . ' Lith thought .
He left the house, going for a stroll in the Trawn woods . As always, he passed by Selia's house first . Lith was still hoping that the huntress would return one day .
Walking was one of the few things that calmed him down . Lith always hoped some magical beast would attack him, giving him the opportunity to vent out his rage . Alas, so far even the surviving Kings of the woods had kept their distance .
So far .
Lith smelled something odd, just a split second before something hit the spot where he was standing with the strength of a freight train . Lith dodged it easily, leaving only an after image to greet the impact .
"You!" Lith was surprised . He would have never expected to meet him so near his own house .
"We meet again, fresh meat . " Phillard the Kroxy (AN: crocodile type magical beast) greeted Lith with a snarl, before attacking him again in a frenzy .
The two had met during the academy's second exam . Phillard looked like a humanoid alligator . He stood on two legs reaching 2 . 5 metres (8'2") in height .
He wore a belt from which several trinkets hung while he wielded a double headed ax and a hammer ax in his hands .
Phillard swung his weapons in an X shape, not giving Lith the space to dodge to the sides . Lith stepped forward instead, arriving right under the Kroxy's massive torso and punched him in the stomach with enough strength to lift him from the ground .
That and the Plague Arrow Lith released at point blank inflicted upon the beast enough damage to send him into the berserk rage typical of a wounded Kroxy . Phillard attempted to bite Lith's head off, catching only air .
Lith had already moved behind his back, sending him flying with a kick and another Plague Arrow . The Kroxy crashed against a tree, coughing a mouthful of blood . Before he could get up, Lith grabbed him by the wrist and slammed him left and right against the ground, like he was just a dirty carpet .
After taking enough damage, Phillard regained his senses .
"Stop it, dammit! You are going to kill me . "
"What do you want?" Lith asked while letting him go . According to Soluspedia, Kroxy had a violent, twisted sense of humor . Since Lith had perceived no killing intent from the initial attacks, he was almost sure that was Phillard's way of saying hi .
Lith was too pissed off to care and replied in kind .
"The only reason you are still alive is that you helped my companions during Balkor's attack . Bear that in mind before you answer . "
"Dude, you're no fun . Can't you take a joke?" Kroxy were sturdy creatures . Phillard was only wounded in his pride, bones, and internal organs .
"Death it is, then . " Lith's hand held enough energy to blast him into oblivion .
"Wait! I have a business offer for you . I didn't come this far just to get killed over a prank . " Faced with imminent death, Phillard turned very talkative . He explained to Lith how after Linjos's death Scarlett the Scorpicore had decided to leave the forest .
She couldn't leave before another Lord was chosen, so Scarlett had helped all her lieutenants to Awaken . Despite all her teachings and efforts, very few succeeded . Phillard was among the failures .
"Why should I care?" Lith asked .
"I spoke a lot with Protector back then . He told me you have a different method . "
"Again, this explains why you need my help, not why should I spare you . "
"Protector also told me about your cubs . How you love your sweet ill, sister . " Phillard almost chocked when he realized his poor choice of words . All the shadows of the Trawn woods converged on them, but while Lith seemed to become stronger for it, the Kroxy felt his life slipping away .
"I mean that by helping me you can also help her . Help all of them . Wouldn't you like to Awaken them?" At those words, Lith stopped the shadows .
"Meaning?"
"I'm damn close to Awakening, just like Kalla was before me . I just don't know how and my life is about to end . " Phillard's body was still battered, but now that the dark energy had pulled back, he felt reborn .
"Protector told me about your experiments . I'm offering myself as a test subject . I have nothing to lose whereas you have everything to gain . Whatever you learn from me, you can use it for your cubs . "
Lith pondered that offer . Magical beasts were very similar to Awakened ones, capable of using true magic from birth . He had never experimented on them because of his bond with Protector and the other Kings . Also because magical beasts were proud creatures . They would rather die than submit .
'I wonder how much I can discover with a subject willing to let me know what works and what doesn't . ' Lith thought .
'I have never spectated someone else's Awakening . If it happens to Tista during the academy, I can use the knowledge for damage control . '
"Deal . " Lith said while helping Phillard get up and healing his wounds .
"Two rules . First, pull another prank on me and I'll kill you…"
"Don't worry, I've learned my lesson . You mess with the Scourge, you get buried . "
"Second, joking about my sister was a bad move . It will cost you a couple of ribs . "
Before the Kroxy could reply, Lith's fist hit his ribcage like a sledgehammer, forcing him to emit the first of many screams of pain .
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