It was just a matter of days before the King recovered his vigor and even though the damage from the use of Forbidden Magic remained, there was no more risk that his lifespan would shorten further.
Quylla had warned the Queen that she was unlikely to find a way to fix the cracks in the King’s life force, but Sylpha had granted Quylla’s research about the matter unlimited funds anyway.
The idea of wasting mountains of gold was nothing compared to the pain that just the thought of losing her husband caused her.
Sylpha had also decided to grant Quylla the title of Great Mage to reward her for her efforts and to remind her of the gravity of the expectations the Kingdom had for her.
Getting an Archmage and a Great Mage in a single day was an event that hadn’t happened since the time of Valeron the First, giving the Ernas a lot to celebrate. Yet due to the ongoing war and the food rationing, the party was strictly limited to their closest friends and family members.
Which still meant a few hundreds of people since the event involved the Ernas and Myrok Households, the White Griffon, and all the colleagues and political allies that the Lords of the house couldn’t afford to offend.
Lith was not in the mood for partying and celebrating which was the reason Elina had forced him to attend. After her son had shared with her the events of the Golden Griffon, she could understand his pain.
The fight with Jormun had left both physical and mental scars that she had no idea when or if they would heal. On top of that, she hadn’t missed that there was something wrong with Kamila.
Her daughter-in-law was great at keeping her cool and faking her emotions, but there was no way for Elina to miss the sudden awkwardness between Kamila and Lith.
‘I don’t know what happened, but staying cooped up at home won’t help.’ Elina thought. ‘Here they can share their friends’ happiness and have someone to speak with if they want to.’
“I can’t believe that I’m finally a Great Mage!” Quylla had never taken off the deep green robe ever since she had received it, flaunting it around as proud as a peacock.
Everyone but the two newly appointed High Mages wore luxurious gala clothes but no robes in respect for their hosts and to not outshine the achievement of the Ernas Household.
Quylla and Phloria, instead, wore respectively the Royal Healer uniform and the army ceremonial uniform.
“I told you that you just had to be patient, dear.” Jirni said. “You had already quite a few merits from Zeska and Kulah, it was only a matter of time before you became a Great Mage.”
“Yeah.” Friya said, a bit annoyed for being the only member left of the original group who was still just a Mage. “War is a terrible thing but because of it, merits get handed down like confetti.”
“Don’t be jealous, sister.” Phloria puffed her chest out with pride while putting her arm around Friya’s shoulders. “I’m sure that if it wasn’t for Faluel keeping your role in the war and as her Harbinger a secret, you’d be a Great Mage as well by now.”
“I’m so proud of you, my Little Flower.” Orion embraced his daughter, glad to have her back home safe and sound. “You have now reached the same title as your old man. This is the perfect moment to find you the perfect boyfriend.”
“Dad!” Phloria pushed him away, her cheeks slightly flushed in embarrassment.
“Don’t you ‘dad’ me, young lady!” Orion threw her a reproachful gaze while waving his finger under her nose. “Do you know how scary war is? How terrible it is to see your children get out in the morning and not know if they’ll come back alive for dinner?
“With great merits comes great risks. If before I was willing to give you all the time you needed, now we cannot afford to wait any longer. The Ernas Household needs an heir and while your brothers have already done their part, you girls are still wanting.”
“Dad!” Friya and Quylla blushed as well, mostly because they had finally understood why Nalrond and Morok had been invited to the event.
Until that moment, Friya and Quylla had been amazed by their parents’ odd behavior. Jirni had dressed up their respective boyfriends with tailormade clothes bearing the Ernas insignia and Orion had introduced them to the guests with uncharacteristic pride.
“Don’t you ‘dad’ him, young ladies!” Even though Jirni had to look up at them due to the height gap, they were the ones feeling small in front of her scowl. “This is the perfect moment to give us a grandchild each.
“Look at Kamila, she doesn’t have an ounce of your magic talent and now she can run circles around most mage Constables!” Jirni dragged her unwitting trophy in the middle of the quarrel, showcasing both her and her Guardian bodyguard.
“It’s not true! I have no magical education and I only know chore magic. I swear that I had no idea Lady Ern-“
Jirni pushed her away, cutting Kamila short and resuming the pep talk as if she had said nothing.
“Think of what you could do with a beautiful baby growing in your womb. Your power and chances to get back home in one piece would increase dramatically. On top of that, starting from the second half of the second trimester you would get a forced leave.
“War or not, you could spend quality time with your family in the safety of your home.”
“You made an excellent point, Jirni.” Elina nodded, nudging at Raaz so that he would join her in glaring at Tista which he promptly did.
The young women blushed, taking big sips from their drinks while searching for a plausible excuse.
‘Dammit. Before Kamila got pregnant, I could have revealed Morok’s/Nalrond’s true nature to Mom and Dad and that would have made them back off immediately.’ Quylla and Friya thought in unison.
‘Yet now that my parents have learned how a Beast’s blood would also greatly enhance my physical prowess, it would only strengthen their resolve.’
“I’m sorry, Lord Ernas, but I don’t think you should pressure your daughter so much.” Nalrond stepped forward, making Friya sigh in relief. “We have been dating only for a while now and I have personal circumstances that don’t make me a proper candidate as Friya’s spouse.”
He couldn’t tell them that he was one of the fabled werepeople and that he had no intention of settling down until he had merged his two different natures. His voice was stoic with just a tinge of shame, sealing his fate.
Orion and Jirni just assumed that Nalrond realized the burden that the Ernas name implied and that he was conscious of his humble origins. All things that showed maturity and humility.
“That’s for me to decide, young man.” Orion said, turning toward him.
“Actually, that’s up to-” Friya tried to stop her father, but Jirni stopped her instead.
“Let me ask you a few questions. Are you a powerful Light Master?” Orion asked.
“Yes, but-“
“Yes or no is enough. In my experience, everything that comes after a ‘but’ is bullshit.” Lord Ernas cut him short.
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