"The Kingdom is blessed with four rejuvenators, yet none of them has been called for help. I can't help but wonder if it's because the Undead Courts already got what they wanted." Jirni said.
Her words instilled the doubt that Deirus's side might hide several snakes in the grass. The Royals knew of the ongoing cold war between the Ernas and the Deirus, yet they couldn't dismiss Jirni's allegations lightly.
"We did call them, but they all belong to the White Griffon, Captain Ernas's academy, and they refused to help." Headmistress Onia said once the Queen allowed her to speak. "Mage Verhen said…"
"Archmage Verhen." Sylpha corrected Onia and raised the pressure of the array so much that the Headmistress almost kissed the floor.
"Archmage Verhen said things I dare not to repeat in this hall. Marth and Vastor managed to restore the body of the only youth they accepted to visit, but claimed to be incapable of cleansing the venom. As for Manohar…"
"It's mister Manohar to you." The Mad Professor corrected Onia and slammed her face on the floor with one of his constructs.
"Manohar!" The Royals rebuked him in unison. "The Headmistress is our honored guest and you'll treat her with the respect she deserves."
"Isn't that what I just did?" He sounded honestly confused.
"By the Great Mother." Meron clenched his temples that felt as if they were about to burst open such was the headache the god of healing gave him.
'Why every time I want him to be here, he's absent whereas he never misses an audience when I want him out of my hair?' The King thought.
'This man is a curse and a blessing at the same time.' Sylpha replied.
"Why did you refuse to help them?" The Queen asked.
"Because even though I don't like the old hag Ernas, I like that bunch of has-beens even less. I mean, unless we go down their family tree, their latest achievement is lighting their own farts, yet they act all high and…"
"Manohar!" The Royals cut him short.
"I mean, this lovely granny and I have our differences…" He pointed at Jirni, who couldn't get angry since Gunyin had given her grandchildren for a few years now. "…but we respect each other, whereas I don't even know those guys.
"I've got no obligation to help them, unless your Majesty orders me otherwise, of course." The god of healing gave the Royals a small bow, hoping for the best.
With each order the Royals gave him, one of his escapades would be pardoned. After clearing five branches of the Undead Courts and chasing Night out of the Kingdom, Manohar only needed a couple of pardons to get out of hot waters.
"Not yet. The Balkor department and all academies are studying the new venom as we speak. They only need some time and luck to figure it out." Sylpha shook her head, making the nobles groan.
Manohar had recently returned. Giving him the means to safely run away again was a terrible idea.
"I'd like to point out that, even though Archon Ernas is right about the Undead Courts crippling youths to discipline their families and about how it was due to the victims' stupidity that the attacks were successful, some of the witnesses claim to have seen a diminutive figure dressed in black escape from the crime scene." Duke Nuragor said once the King gave him permission to speak.
He was Kallion's father and his grudge towards the Ernas ran deep. The Duke was already planning his son's marriage with Phloria when he had received the news that she had not only ended their relationship, but also humiliated Kallion in front of the Royals.
"Are you suggesting that I did it?" Jirni was outraged at the accusation.
"The assailant worked alone, was short, and your world-renown needles would match the puncture wounds that crippled those poor youths. So yes, the thought that you might want to get even with us crossed my mind more than once." The Duke said.
"That's impossible." The King said while sweeping the air with his arm to firmly reject such an idea. "Archon Ernas works around the clock and is rarely alone. There are plenty of witnesses who can confirm where she was during most of the attacks.
"More than once she was here, to update us about the latest developments of her investigations." The King's words put no one at ease, they only made Jirni appear as an even more fearsome opponent to her enemies and allies alike.
They were certain that she was behind the attack and that she had left on purpose enough clues to be recognized. Except for the Royals, all those present believed that she was sending a message that said:
"If you destroy my daughter's career, I'll destroy your children's lives and with them the future of your households."
Everyone knew how hard it was to replace a magically talented heir who was also a good ruler for their lands. Velan Deirus was the living proof of how three generations of hard work could easily crumble.
After seeing how even the Mad Professor had sided with her, the members of the Royal Courts believed that in order to achieve her revenge, Jirni had agreed to work with Balkor.
The members of the Undead Courts, instead, after she had systematically destroyed their branches in the Griffon Kingdom, exposed the identities of their elders who had remained hidden for centuries before her arrival, and slain several of their champions, believed that Balkor worked for Jirni.
***
Blood Desert, Forgotten Plume tribe, a few weeks ago, right after Manohar was done with his task and had accepted Orion's offer for help.
After almost losing at the Black Night's hand and seeing how versatile hard-light constructs were, Ilyum Balkor now diligently practiced Light Mastery, Creation, and Chaos Magic every day.
'Manohar might be insane, but he was right about one thing. If Night decided to remain and fight after losing her host, if not for her wounded pride and her obsession with me, she might have easily finished me off.'
'I was too weak to defend myself even against her crystal form. To master higher tiers of Chaos Magic and keep my Creations from crumbling after a few minutes, I need to deepen my understanding of light magic.' He thought.
Thanks to all the years spent studying both undead and Abominations, there was little Balkor ignored about the darkness element. Just like Lith, he had discovered the art of shaping light through his studies about darkness.
The two disciplines were tightly interconnected and at high levels, they shared many more similarities than the average mage would ever think. Most people believed that each element had its opposite, whereas Balkor knew how wrong they were.
All the six elemental energies were able to coexist in both the world energy and the mana all things on Mogar possessed. There was no conflict, only a harmony that had to be upset to trigger their destructive abilities.
It was a mystery so deep that none of the Guardians had accepted to teach him, and to the study of which he devoted every minute that he didn't spend with Leegaain to study the monster-Abomination hybrids or with his family.
"I'm sorry to bother you, dear, but you have guests. Again." Eos Balkor, Ilyum's wife, pulled the curtain of his tent open, letting sunlight illuminate her husband's lab.
