Supreme Magus

"My grieving is still fresh, and I don’t plan to enter another relationship any time soon. I just want to stop hiding from the world and start living a bit." The First Queen said.

"Forgive our insolence, Your Majesty." Sylpha dropped to her knee in shame, realizing how shocked her expression must have been for Tyris to read her mind like an open book. "Also, with all due respect, fresh?

"You’ve mourned our beloved Valeron Griffon for over seven hundred years. No one would blame you even if you remarried tomorrow."

’Whose side are you on, woman?’ Meron inwardly groaned.

"Thank you, Sylpha." Tyris’ cheeks flushed in such a lovely manner that the King could already count four wars on the horizon. "Can we go back to the Ishara issue, please?"

"No!" Sylpha replied, hungry for gossip about the Guardian’s personal life after decades of nothing. "I mean, yes. Is there something else we should know about them?"

"Only one thing." Tyris nodded, making her long hair sparkle like a golden waterfall under the mystical lights of the Throne Room. "The Blood of Selkis is desperate, Sylpha. They believe that their foremother’s death cast a curse on their species.

"The Isharas have convinced themselves that Mogar is slowly turning its back on them and soon will slam the door in their faces. They are wrong. Mogar leaves little room for doubt in such matters.

"Yet this doesn’t make the Isharas any less dangerous. Never underestimate a cornered beast, Meron, even when that corner is only a figment of its mind."

***

Verhen Mansion, at the same time.

"What do you mean, the Isharas have infiltrated all regions?" Lith asked in disbelief.

He and Solus had just finished delivering basic supplies across the Distar region and had returned home for lunch when Jirni shared her latest report with the Verhens as well.

"Exactly what I just said." Jirni furrowed her brows at his unusual reaction. "Why so surprised? Can you identify a pattern I missed?"

’Lith has never cared about politics as long as no one bothers him. On top of that, the Isharas attacked only the nobles at the bottom of the power ladder. Even if you put them all together, they can’t even harm his little finger. Then why is he reacting like that?’

"No, but all regions means all regions." Lith said, and when he noticed that everyone looked at him like he had gone insane, he added: "If those bastards stage a coup in the Kellar region, Baron Wyalon might be in danger!"

The Verhens gasped at the revelation, worried about their friend and moved by Lith’s care for the distant nobleman.

"My silver mines are in danger!" Nalrond jumped from his seat, drawing many reproachful glares on him. "I mean, our mines. I have only a small share, but it’s all I have."

"Exactly!" Lith said, receiving a volley of frowns. "The Isharas want money and magical resources, and guess what? Silver is both. I need to contact Eiros as soon as we’re done eating."

"That’s what you are worried about?" Kamila said in disbelief. "Your silver mines? Not our friend, his loving family, or our house in Belius?"

"Please." Lith snorted. "I would worry about Eiros if the Isharas killed their victims instead of gently pushing them off their throne. I can have him reinstated as Jambel’s baron with a snap of my fingers.

"As for our house in Belius, you investigated the matter with Jirni, Kami. You should already know the Ishara avoided all important cities. Messing with Belius would be like playing with fire in a coal mine.

"My silver, instead, can’t be recovered once stolen, and there’s no telling how much those bastards can mine even in a few days if no one bothers them. They are Divine Beasts with Life Maelstrom.

"It wouldn’t surprise me even if they already stripped my mines bare of every vein I found of precious metal."

"Well, yes, but you’re still an insensitive meanie!" Kamila couldn’t object his reasoning, but she still didn’t like Lith’s delivery.

"No! Dya no ba!" Elysia clung to his father’s head, shielding him from all vile accusations with her small body.

"Dya." Ral couldn’t use such big words yet, but he nodded in approval.

"Dad’s not a meanie, Mom." Valeron the Second said while clenching his family pendant. "Dad is good."

Contradicting a small child was already hard. They were so cute with their round faces and big eyes that most Verhens considered ruining their precious happy smiles a criminal offense.

In Valeron’s case, however, it was much worse. With his thick, luscious hair, shiny silver eyes, and the handsomeness he had inherited from his parents, he looked like a cute little sprite begging for affection.

Kamila could only retreat when faced with the firing squad of adorable stares.

"You are right. Your dad is not a meanie." Kamila said. "I apologize. Now stop looking at me like that. You’re making me feel like a monster."

"Mama!" The babies jumped on her next to defend their mother from such a vile accusation. "Mama goo!"

"Thank you, my adorable little imps." Kamila sniffled, feeling like she could die of cuteness overload at any moment. "I apologize again."

While the rest of the family awwed at the tender scene, Jirni tapped her foot in annoyance, waiting for the moment to give her daughters a piece of her mind without ruining the moment for everyone.

"What’s the meaning of this, young ladies?" She asked after the Verhen babies left the room to chase after Shargein’s tail.

"The meaning of what- Good gods!" Friya gasped in surprise seeing Dripha in her mother’s hands and the Water and Air Stores floating around the baby girl.

"I trusted you two to take good care of your little sister while I was away, not to set up a magical boot camp for Dripha and force her to use these contraptions." Jirni’s nostrils flared in annoyance, which was a bigger reaction than she usually showed in a life-or-death situation.

"Look at her. She’s exhausted. How could you do something like this? This is the Ernas Household, not the..." Jirni stopped herself before she said something she would regret.

Even in her anger, she noticed that the only emotions on her daughters’ faces were surprise and worry.

’There’s not a hint of the guilt and remorse I should expect to find while confronting them. Quylla and Friya didn’t know anything about this.’ She thought.

"We didn’t do anything to Dripha, Mom. I swear!" Quylla said.

"Nothing? Are you telling me you’ve left her alone until my return?" Jirni’s eyes narrowed at the confession.

"No! I mean, sure, we fed, changed, and played with her, but we didn’t teach Dripha magic. We even took the Rune Stores away whenever she was with the other babies, no matter how hard she cried."

"She cried when you took away the Rune Stores?" Jirni looked at her baby daughter, who giggled and smiled, happy to have her mother with her again.

"Goo, mama?" Dripha asked.

"What?" Jirni replied.

"Goo?" Dripha patted her little hands on her chest. "Yoo ’tay ’ow?"

Dripha clenched Jirni’s fingers with her little hands.

"Yes, baby girl. You’re good. The best." Jirni held Dripha close to her chest, inwardly cursing the Gernoffs for the umpteenth time.

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