If the King didn't award Lith and his group during the ceremony, he would send a clear message to everyone who had half a brain. It would let the upper echelons of the Kingdom know that Verhen had fallen from grace and that there was something fishy about his alleged achievements.
It would destroy Lith's public image and make him lose all the political supporters that he had left after Mirim's death. Few of them cared about the opinion of the young magical bloodlines, but none of them would risk losing the Royals' favor for a nobody.
'This would have never happened if Mirim was still alive.' Solus said via the mind link. 'Thanks to her nature of fake Awakened and to her bond with Tyris, she would have found a way to disprove whatever accusation Onia is about to throw at you.
'Now that she's gone, however, Tyris has no direct connection to those factions of the Court and of the Awakened community that like you. Mirim's successor is probably too busy finding a new member of the Corpse and adapting to their new responsibilities to care about you.'
'I know. Without Mirim, I'm politically exposed from every side. Let's see what Onia has prepared for us.' Lith replied.
"Very well. Onia, proceed." Meron took a step back, letting the Headmistress face Lith.
"Know that I draw no pleasure from what I'm going to say, yet it's something that any loyal subject of the Kingdom would do." Onia was as genuine as a three-dollar bill but her acting skills impressed even Jirni.
"You see, after reviewing your amazing feats there's something that's really bothering not only me, but the entire Court. Every time you achieved something unprecedented, like fighting Dawn, you were alone.
"Casually, whenever witnesses or treasures were involved, like the orc crystal, you failed.
"The mission in Kulah was a disaster, you barely provided assistance against Thrud in Othre, and in Jambel you cost the Kigdom precious silver mines that later you conveniently took over with means considered impossible for humans." Onia's eyes and voice oozed sarcasm and spite.
"We all have witnessed Dawn's prowess. She brought the legendary god of healing on his knees, a peerless genius, who needed one of the Royal artifacts to survive, yet somehow, you lived to tell the tale. Some even say you actually won.
"You've crafted the DoLorean, something that not even our best Royal Forgemaster can replicate, and last, but not least, you've brought down another lost city. Countless geniuses tried and failed, yet you succeeded despite being no genius at all.
"I've reviewed your academic scores, your patents, and albeit impressive for someone your age, they are nothing much if compared with what Manohar achieved during his youth.
"On top of that, not only did swarms of powerful beasts intervene when your home was attacked, but also you followed an Emperor Beast past the Kingdom's borders, uncaring of causing a diplomatic incident with the Empire, to solve their problems.
"Finally, during your last birthday, several Phoenixes visited your home and I can see they gave you a pretty gift." Onia pointed at Lith's Phoenix-shaped brooch.
"As I and many like me see it, this poses the question where your loyalty or lack thereof lies. For years there have been rumors of beasts disguising themselves as humans and infiltrating our society the same way the Undead Courts do."
Onia took a holographic device out of her sleeve, depicting Lith's fight against the Vagrash while the Beast had shapeshifted from his human form.
"What are you accusing me of, exactly?" Lith asked.
"Everyone knows that for some reason you've always been on the best of terms with Emperor Beasts, to the point that one of them even took you in as her apprentice. Something that's rarer than a double rainbow.
"What I'm saying is that I suspect you to be a double agent of the Beasts. That I suspect that you achieved nothing on your own and relied on their help to perform any of the alleged miracles listed in your resume.
"It would explain everything, included why you've taken care of bringing to the beasts' side some of the most promising youths of our Kingdom, like Mages Quylla and Friya Ernas and even the ex-Ranger Eari." Onia stepped back, leaving the stage to the King again.
"Sadly, I can't refute Headmistress Onia's allegations without a proper explanation." Meron believed that Lith was an Awakened, but even that wasn't enough to dispel the doubts that Deirus' faction had planted in his head.
Not after Xedros had become Thrud's follower and with the ongoing war against the undead. The Royals couldn't afford a war against the Beasts as well. If they really were infiltrating the Kingdom for political reasons, they had to be weeded out before it was too late.
"Your Majesty, how am I supposed to prove that I didn't do something? It's impossible. I can't make Dawn come here and fight her in front of you again.
"I can't craft another DoLorean in the presence of witnesses because it would mean giving away my secrets." Lith wasn't referring only to his spells, but also to Solus's existence and Friya's involvement in the project.
"Also, I can't topple another lost city on demand. Both times I succeeded thanks to luck and because I got help. In Kaduria, against the Black Star, I would've never won if not for learning its ancient language and for the aid of the very Forgemasters who crafted the living legacy.
"Kogaluga would have never fallen if I didn't find by chance the device that fueled the dark rift and without the help of my sister and Captain Ernas. You can ask them if you don't believe me." Lith said.
"Questioning two people you've brought to the beasts' side months after those events would prove nothing." Onia chimed in. "You had all the time you needed to make your versions of the story match."
"Then what do you want me to do?" Lith ignored the Headmistress and looked only at the King. "Unless someone can conveniently turn back time and bring us on the sites of my missions, my words would be just as empty as Headmaster Onia's."
"Correct. Words can't prove anything. Actions, however, would speak volumes about your character." Meron said.
"I beg your pardon?" Lith raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"I can't ask you to disclose your secrets without setting an even worse precedent that taking back merits would, but I can ask you to prove your talent." The King curled his upper lip in disgust looking at Onia's smug expression.
"Everyone knows that you are an incredible fighter. The army even marked you as an M tier soldier which makes your physical prowess out of question."
At those words, Lith sighed in relief. For a moment, he had feared that someone would check his life force again, suspecting him to be an Emperor Beast in disguise. Yet Thanks to his many medical records and having been examined by the best healers of the Kingdom in the past, the loss of his humanity wouldn't be discovered.
"The problem is that even during the Academy's ritual fight, you always settled things up with raw strength, never with spells. What Onia said is right. The only notable thing from your academic records is your skill as a diagnostician.
