The fact that magical talent could increase until the 20 years of age was public knowledge, which allowed Lith to showcase the progress of his core whereas Vastor had to hid his own.
The magical community valued people like Manohar, Kwart, and Ainz not only because of their genius, but also because of the violet light in their eyes. For the same reason, once Vastor had reached 20 and remained bright blue, he had been classified as a second-rate genius.
'This stupid game allowed me to kill two birds with one stone.' The King thought. 'I foiled Deirus's plan and I finally confirmed my suspicions. Lith is an Awakened. Amazing talent my royal ass, the only way he could beat Kwart was with body casting.
'Still, reaching the violet core at nineteen is even more impressive, unless Lady Faluel the Hydra taught him, of course. Yet this will be a question for another day.'
"I won! I won!" Manohar and Ryssa hugged each other, each of them lost in their respective fantasy.
"Pay up, pal." Orion said to those around him, collecting a small fortune.
Only those who wanted to bet against Lith had gone to him, making Lord Ernas have only gains and no losses.
"That was crazy. Why did you show off like that?" Faluel said after congratulating Lith.
"To send a message to Deirus, to the person who sends the Balkor cards, and to anyone who might be considering to mess with me." He replied. "To let them know that once I start attacking, I won't stop unless I'm forced to."
The banquet went on only until the Dance Hall was cleaned up and everyone calmed down. Then, the moment for the Award ceremony arrived.
Princess Syntilla, Wynna, and Peonia, the only ones still unmarried and of a suitable age for Lith looked at him with annoyance. Faluel was glued to his arm like a clam to a rock and he didn't give them of a single look.
"Brinja is right, he is an Archole." Syntilla had gone to the Desert to reach Mage Hossa and undergo Cosmetic Magic for the occasion, yet she couldn't compare with the Hydra.
"Agreed." Wynna replied. "Marrying a princess is the dream of every commoner, and yet he never accepted to go on a single date with any of us."
"I'm happier this way." Peonia shrugged. "He may be strong and talented, but he brings nothing but trouble. I don't care about what Mom and Dad say. I already live in a cage and Verhen is not worth receiving a Balkor card."
The other princesses pondered her words for a while before deciding that the grape was sour and that they had actually dodged a bullet.
"Please, Heroes of our Kingdom, step forward." The King said while magically amplifying his voice.
A red carpet split the room in two halves where the guests lined up on either side, leaving both the red carpet and the space in front of the Royals' raised stand open. General Vorgh, Manohar, Lith, Tista, and Phloria were lined up in this order, bending their right knee in a sign of respect.
"General Vorgh, you are a soldier and our loyal Master Warden. With this award, I'm not only thanking you for your services but also all of the Wardens and the soldiers who fought bravely to keep Belius, Prode, and Vesta standing.
"Without those courageous men and women, the Kingdom would have fallen. For your hard work and sacrifice, you have my gratitude." Meron gave Vorgh a golden staff that guaranteed honors to him and annuities to the families of the fallen soldiers.
"Spellbreaker, Archduke, Archmage…" Here the King had a hard time not adding Archole to the god of healing's many titles.
Brinja's buzzword had quickly become popular.
"…Light Master, Krishna Varaja Manohar. Your talent and amazing feats are a beacon for every mage in our Kingdom. With this award, I'm not only rewarding you for protecting Belius, but also all the mages out there that will remain unsung heroes yet will never be forgotten."
Meron spoke only about his talents, not of Manohar as a person because he was still a nightmare for everyone who had the displeasure to meet him.
"Couldn't you give it to one of them, then? I've got stuff to do and-" The King's glare triggered a powerful array that made the god of healing shut up as he received a golden robe that symbolized the wealth that the mages of the Kingdom but him would receive.
Until Manohar cast a spell powerful enough to replace the When All Are One array that he had wasted, there would be only training in his future.
"Spellbreaker Archmage Lith Verhen, ever since your days as a student of the White Griffon, you have shed countless tears, sweat, and blood for this Country. Your feats are too many to list them all in the space of a single night, yet two of them deserve a very special mention.
"The first is the destruction at your hand of not one, but two lost cities.
"The death of those eternal monsters allowed the Kingdom to create safer and faster trading routes that save people days of travel. To turn wastelands into cultivated fields that produce enough food to make the winter of the north less scary.
"To invest the resources that are no more necessary for the surveillance of the living legacies to make life better for the inhabitants of the Kellar region. Just one of those things is worthy of praise, but all of them at the same time are the most precious gift that the Kingdom could have asked for.
"The second, instead, is an act of creation. The DoLorean you crafted bent the boundaries of magic and law as we knew it, but that's not a bad thing. Even though you refused to share its secrets, you showed us that the impossible is actually possible.
"You didn't show us the way, but now that we know where the destination lays, others will be inspired by your work and find their own way to reach it. It's for this reason that I have the pleasure to announce that the Verhen Household will soon have a mansion worthy of its name."
At a snap of the King's fingers, one of the gemstones in the ceiling generated in the middle of the Dance Hall a 3D hologram of the blueprint for the Verhen Mansion that Mirim had designed.
"The Crown will take care of building your new home and fund its array system, also bestowing upon you the title of Protector of the Lustria County that gives you full authority over those lands.
"I will not offer you lands or titles because I know that you'd refuse them. What I can offer you, however, is this."
Another snap made a solid block of Adamant appear in front of Lith.
"Your blade is a masterpiece that can hardly be equaled, let alone surpassed, whereas I know that your current armor is but your first piece as a Runesmith. I'm certain that once you've achieved enough mastery, you'll need Adamant to put your skills to the test."
'It's still impure and much smaller than Zolgrish's, but together with the Adamant I got from Jiera, it should be enough for a new armor even after purifying it.' Lith thought while giving the Royals a deep bow of gratitude.
