"Also, since no number of merits can expand an Archduchy and your noble title is second only to the Crown, the only way I have left to not waste your considerable merits is to bestow upon you the title of Great Mage of the Griffon Kingdom."
The King said while tapping the flat side of the blade on Phloria's left shoulder, then on the right one, and lastly on the top of her head.
"Great Mage Phloria Ernas, if you ever change your mind and decide to actively join the Mage Association or the Army again, the Griffon Kingdom will always welcome you with open arms. You may rise."
The five assembled heroes stood up and the crowd welcomed them with a burst of applause and cheers as they returned back to their positions.
"Ainz Flemstar Distar, step forward." Sylpha's words made the crowd freeze in surprise.
The award ceremony was supposed to be over and Archmage Distar had played no major role in any recent event.
Brinja's husband walked up to the Royals' raised stand, stopping exactly where Lith had been until a second ago before kneeling.
"Cocky brat!" Jirni grunted.
"Someone wants a measuring contest." Faluel giggled.
"Yeah, too bad for him that I can change size at will." Lith said with a scoff.
"Yeah. Your next girlfriend is a lucky woman." Faluel threw him a naughty look that made him blush.
"What do you- Oh!" Friya nudged Quylla, cutting her short as she turned to a bright shade of purple.
"Archmage Distar, you've always been considered the most talented student that has graduated from the Black Griffon academy in the last century. Headmistress Onia's age makes it hard for her to keep up with all the changes that these difficult times require and she applied for retirement." Sylpha said.
Many turned to look at Onia, mistaking her staring at the ground as a sign of sadness for not being able anymore to perform a duty that was supposed to be life-long. What they didn't know was that the earlier fight between Lith and Kwart had been more political than magical.
By showcasing his talent and clearing the doubts that Deirus's faction had planted in the Royal Court, Lith had also proved their trickery and their willingness to twist the truth to get what they wanted.
Onia knew from the start that Kwart's defeat would have meant not only for her enemies to gain something, but also for her to lose something along with all of her cohorts.
Even if the Royals didn't force her to step down from her position as a consequence of the fight, Phloria's acquittal would have forced Onia to resign as Headmaster anyway.
She had called in too many favors and put too many assets on the line to stand up against Jirni and the Royals. After being defeated on all counts, she would become the laughing stock of the magical community if she kept her seat at the Black Griffon.
"It's all over." Onia wept on Kwart's shoulder who had been brought back to his peak condition to fully "enjoy" the rest of the gala.
"Deirus is done, but you're not. I'm still the Chairman of the Association and even in defeat, I proved my valor. The Royals cannot replace me without looking vengeful and unfair. I can offer you a position as my assistant." Kwart said.
"I'll gladly accept your offer." Onia nodded. "A mage's funeral doesn't take place the day they die but when they stop working."
Kwart didn't offer his help out of the goodness of his heart so much as because Onia knew too much, and once she fell from grace, there was no telling when she would become desperate enough to drag them all down with her just to have company in her misery.
'Keep your friends close, and your accomplices even closer.' He thought.
"The Black Griffon needs a new Headmaster. Someone young, talented, and powerful enough to face the many academical challenges ahead and to protect our students from any threat. Are you willing to accept such a burden?" Sylpha asked.
"It would be my honor." Ainz lowered his head even lower.
"Then you may stand, Headmaster Distar." The Queen tapped his head with two fingers, making his blue Archmage high uniform turn black while that of Onia turned blue.
"Let the dances begin!" Meron sheathed the Sword of Saefel and clapped his hands to signal the orchestras to play.
Lith danced with Faluel first, to make it clear that he was already taken and that any approach would have been pointless. Only after he was certain that the message had been received did he change dance partner.
"Gods, this sure brings back a lot of memories." Phloria said while they danced the Mogar equivalent of a waltz.
"Yeah. Do you think they cleaned our footsteps after I used Gravity Magic to make us dance on the ceiling or did they keep them as a memento?" He said with a chuckle. "By the way, congratulations for becoming a big shot in the army."
"Thanks, master." She giggled. "Does Solus want to cover my evening gloves so that she can experience dancing with you?"
The stone ring seeped through Lith's gloves, covering Phloria's with grey for a split second before adjusting the color.
'Thanks. You have no idea how much this means to me.' Solus said to her via a mind link.
'Then you should have said it earlier and we would have arranged a small gala inside your tower.' Phloria replied. 'It's not a bunch of stuck-up people that make this a party, only the pretty clothes and the good music.'
'I guess you're right.' Solus chuckled. 'By my Mom, some of these guys really abuse their cologne.'
'That's because it's still better than their smell.' Phloria said, making Solus happy about not having a nose.
The couple danced in silence for a while until Phloria found the courage to speak up.
"You know, in hindsight, I regret breaking up with you." Her words made Lith miss the step and stomp her foot. "Not because you're an Awakened, the Lord of Destruction, nor because you can change size at will." She chuckled.
"That was just joke! Me and my big mouth." Lith blushed.
"The reason I regret my choice is that you have been the only person who has never been intimidated by my name, by the gap in our status, or by my physique." Phloria had long since accepted the consequences that her rigorous training had brought upon her body.
Alas, during social events, most people seemed to be incapable of looking past the comparison between her and Jirni. When Friya was involved as well, Phloria would be treated like a wallflower by anyone but gold diggers.
"You always understood why the practice of the sword and of magic meant so much to me. You've been more than my friend and boyfriend. You've also been my colleague and sparring partner.
"I've never found someone with whom I could share so much of my life as I did with you. On top of that, the fact that you didn't stop caring for me the moment after we broke up and that you've always been there for me makes it hard to forget about you."
