"None of the three great Countries can allow the Undead Courts to have such a stable foothold. Not with the current migration of undead both boosting their numbers and resources.
"If Erlik gets his hands on the plants' Gate network, he will achieve a high seat in the Courts, and in turn the Courts will become able to travel Garlen without restrictions, something that so far we managed to prevent."
"Draugr Treant?" Quylla said. "I thought that plants couldn't be turned into undead."
"That's only part of the truth." Lyta said. "Unlike you fleshlings, our bond with life is so strong that undeath can't reach us unless we wish so. For the same reason, those of us who choose to give up on life are scorned and expelled from our society.
"Yet our law only applies to those too weak to face its enforcers. By defeating Leannan's constables, Erlik has gained the right to defy her law and challenge her rule."
An eerie silence fell in the room. The rumors about the Lich ravaging the Empire were already bad. No one had any idea how the Empress managed to hold her own alone against such an ancient and powerful being, nor they wanted the phenomenon to spread.
Undead claiming the land of the living would mean having all races being raised as cattle to feed an ever-growing horde of living corpses.
"Okay, the situation is dire, but I don't understand why you are here instead of the army or the Spellbreakers, Headmaster Marth, nor how Quylla can help you." Lith said.
"She's working hard to learn tier five magic, but she's far from being a Battle Mage. Not to mention that you shouldn't even be aware of this."
"Lith, even though the outcome of Laruel's internal strife will affect the Kingdom, the city isn't part of it. We don't meddle with other states' affairs, nor we can afford wasting manpower while dealing with the invasion of undead and preparing to colonize Jiera." Marth explained.
"I'm not here as a fighter, but as a Healer. As Lyta has just told you, plants value strength above all. If Leannan needed the help of humans to keep her throne, her subjects would deem her as weak as unworthy, giving Erlik the victory by default.
"This is an all-out war and Erlik is abiding by the plant folk code of honor just enough to not lose his right of conquest. In other words, he's bending the rules as much as he can.
"Erlik knows that he can't beat Leannan's army, since only plants can take part in the conflict and undead plants are too few to win the battle. So, he devised a way to grow the numbers of his followers without breaking the rules.
"He has engineered Jiera's plague so that it now affects only plants, but it doesn't kill them, it just partially turns them into undead. Yet since innocent citizens are being turned against their will, Leannan could ask the three great Countries for help.
"Not against Erlik, but against the disease. Due to their extraordinary regenerative abilities, plant folks usually don't need Healers, so they know little about light magic. The Kingdom sent me here because I'm both a Healer and a Spellbreaker.
"If necessary, I can covertly help Leannan and defend myself in case Erlik plays dirty. Moreover, I need Quylla's help because she's the most brilliant mind of her generation and, unlike you, she knows very well plant folks' biology."
"I'm flattered by your offer, Headmaster, but why me?" Quylla asked. "Professor Manohar is the most brilliant mind of this century and even though he knows nothing about plant folks, you could easily bring him up to speed…"
Quylla suddenly realized that maybe Manohar was already there. Maybe the legendary god of healing had finally hit a wall he wasn't able to overcome.
"You're right." Marth sighed. "Gods, I hate that man so much. Here's what happened…"
***
White Griffon Academy's forest, two weeks before.
Tired of Manohar's unreliability, the Queen had the Royal Forgemasters create an ankle bracelet for him. It couldn't be removed without Marth's external help and also prevented the Mad Professor from using dimensional and flight magic, making it impossible for him to escape again.
Just to be on the safe side, it also contained a locator spell that allowed the Royals to always know his position. Manohar had thrown more than a tantrum against such unfair treatment, saying that the artifact violated his civil rights.
Only showing him the list of his crimes for which he was still on parole managed to shut him up. Manohar had been forced to perform his duty as a Professor and as a Healer, even doing rounds with the students.
Life had become much easier for Marth, who could finally sit back and relax. At least until the problem with the undead horde reached the academy first and the news of Laruel's problem later.
Then everything went back being a nightmare. The stress from his duties as Headmaster, Spellbreaker, and one of the Royal Healers, made him forget about his scheduled appointment with Leannan.
So, when the dimensional corridor opened in his office, the academy registered it as a perimeter breach and sounded the alarm. Both Emperor Beasts and plant folks living in the forest were authorized to use dimensional magic, but not inside the academy.
The members of the staff adept at combat used their Professor rings to Warp on the scene, and alas, Manohar was among them. He would have usually ignored the call, but anything was better than paperwork.
When Manohar stepped through the Steps, he saw Leannan staring menacingly at Marth, her court on the other side of the Gate, and an opportunity.
"You guys deal with the old hag! I'll block her reinforcements." He said while jumping on the other side of the Gate and finding only a flabbergasted blonde Dryad, Ryssa, waiting for him.
"Dammit, woman. Where's your invading army?" He rebuked her. Manohar's plan had been to act heroically and then pretend to be captured by the enemy as a cover story for his imminent escape.
"What army? It's a diplomatic mission." Ryssa showed him her empty hands in a sign of peace and so did the member of the court.
"Oh, that." A light of comprehension shone behind his eyes as all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "Well, the good news is that this means that the academy is safe. The even better news is that what happens now is all Marth's fault."
The ankle bracelet was just like a Ballot. It needed the academy as a power source to work. Even with the dimensional tunnel still open, the arrays from Laruel interfered with those of the academy, making it easy for Manohar to deactivate it.
He wasn't a Forgemaster, but there was little he couldn't do when he put his mind to it
Manohar gave Ryssa the ankle bracelet along with a psychological evaluation that certified Manohar as clinically insane and hence not responsible for his own actions. Then, he had flown away and no one had seen him ever since.
***
Free Country of Xarion, City of Laruel, now.
"How bad is the situation?" Phloria asked. She had never counted on Manohar. The man clearly had his own agenda and had never shown interest in the matters of the state unless they aligned with his plans.
