The moment he had entered the chamber, Lith had noticed a signboard informing that it was possible to use dimensional items inside the briefing room . He decided to exploit it to achieve the most dramatic effect possible .
"Did you carry that thing all along?" All those in the room had seen their share of dead people . What shocked General Morn was the ease with which Lith performed his stunt .
"Yes . I have the rest of the body too if you are interested in examining it . It bears some unknown runes as tattoos which I was planning to study in the near future . " He had already copied them before the meeting, just to be safe .
"If you read the report I presented to Lieutenant Yehval right after the events, it matches the description of my assailant . Also, I have this . " Lith provided them copies of the spells he had learned from the clerics of the High Sun, in both Kadurian and common language .
With the Black Star destroyed, they were just a relic from the past .
King Meron used his communication amulet to summon Brigadier General Vorgh and the resident Forgemaster . It was a bulky woman in her sixties, with eyes cynical enough to remind Lith of Nana .
Lith had to repeat the last part of his story to them and show them the evidence he presented to the committee .
"I can confirm that the parasite array's design originates from the Blood Desert . " Vorgh stated while looking at Treius's corpse . "Also, these runes share a similarity with the array . It's my opinion that they were made by the same hand . "
"These are indeed powerful spells . " The Forgemaster was also a Major General . "They are designed to sabotage their host's enchantments, making the energies coursing through the artifact destroy it from the inside .
"Too bad that without the original blueprints they are useless . We could have learned a lot from them . As it is, they belong in a museum . "
After the King dismissed the experts, Lith continued his story . He omitted the part where Treius fused with the Black Star and most of the fight .
"So, without my 'crazy research' I would have never been able to understand the clerics . If I 'just followed orders', once I left Kaduria the enemy would have claimed the artifact and now there would be not one, but two power hungry monsters knocking on the Kingdom's door . " His words were filled with sarcasm and contempt as he stared at the General .
Morn wanted to admonish Lith that his behavior was bordering insubordination, but King Meron's cold gaze stopped him .
"I did what was necessary to protect our country and save those poor souls . Neither the Kadurians nor Belius deserved to live in constant fear of each other . " After Lith had finished his speech, the three Royals retired in an adjacent room to deliberate .
"Lady Tyris, you have heard him . " The General was aware of the Guardian's true identity and longed for both her affection and a long life .
"By destroying the Black Star, he mercilessly killed all those people . He let an entire civilization be destroyed because of his incompetence . He should be dishonorably discharged . "
"Please! You couldn't care less about the Kadurians . You are simply scared at the idea that a grassroots mage is now considered a hero both in the north and in the south . " Tyris stared at Morn until he lowered his eyes in shame .
"It's because of those like you that we went so close to a civil war . If you so called pureblood mages want to be respected, you should do more than flapping your gums or sabotage your betters . I wish that thirty years ago you tried becoming King instead of Meron . "
"Really?" Those words made him too happy to notice the trap lying ahead .
"Of course . " Tyris nodded . "So I would have you for dinner, like you dream about for years, and I wouldn't be forced to hear your nonsense anymore . It would have been a win-win situation . Now shut up . I have a call to make . "
Meron chuckled at the idea of his arrogant cousin devoured in a single gulp . Morn, instead, suddenly realized why the King had brought him along . Not because Meron valued his opinion, but to humble him .
Tyris opened her mind link with Leegaain, sharing with him what she had discovered about Lith with Mother Earth, her Invigoration technique .
'Fascinating . ' Was his reply .
'Tell me something I don't know . ' Tyris said with impatience . It was her country the anomaly lived in . Charm and danger could only go hand in hand when talking about someone else's problem .
'Death energy usually lingers around those who somehow escaped their final hour, but the amount you describe is overwhelming . It would require for him to have died multiple times, but we know it's impossible . ' Leegaain explained .
'It should make the anomaly more sensitive toward sensing impending death, but nothing more . It's a nasty curse . I'm surprised he hasn't gone insane already . '
'What about the two life forces?' Tyris asked .
'Ah, so you are finally interested in Menadion's Desperation . Well, it all started…'
'Okay, three life forces . Save your anecdote for later . I'm not interested in that ring of his . Whatever it is, is harmless . ' Tyris cut him short, making Leegaain sigh .
'It just proves we're right about him . He's a hybrid, but only Mogar knows how . The first life force is the common human one . The second one, though, it's actually two other life forces mixed together . ' The dragon's words made her deeply frown .
'The black sphere is typical of Abominations, but usually it's empty . That's why they constantly need to assume world energy to keep themselves alive . The small star is the mark of powerful Evolved Monsters instead .
'It allows them to easily shapeshift because most of their energy it's not stuck in a fixed form . I have no idea how they can coexist, nor why he has them . He's too old for that . '
'What do you mean with too old?' Tyris was perplexed .
'Let's say I had a child with a human . The child would be a hybrid, bearing both our life forces . When they come of age, they would be forced to choose between one nature .
'The children you had with Valeron perceived themselves as humans, that's why none of them ever turned into a griffon . The opposite happened to the anomaly . According to Scarlett, when he had a cyan mana core, there was no second life force .
'It means that its appearance is related to his now blue mana core, as if before he couldn't bear its power . I wish he lived here . This Lith would make so fine an apprentice . You know, when Milea was younger…'
Tyris closed the communication at the last second, dodging the surely long and boring story by a hair's breadth .
"Meron, you have my blessing . " She said before the three returned to the other room .
Lith was still sitting, his mind wondering what he could possibly gift to Kamila without wasting too much money nor flexing his forgemastering skills .
"Ranger Verhen . " King Meron said while Lith stood up at attention in a sign of respect .
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