His voice was flat, his mind was elsewhere, in a bad place.
"Thank your father for me. This sword truly is a masterpiece." He handed it to her with both hands.
"I will." She nodded. "Has something happened? Do you need to talk?"
"Many things, but none I'm willing to share, sorry. We'll have to postpone our date. I need some time to think alone."
The following days were the worst Lith had lived since his rebirth in the new world. Before finding Solus, he had been knee-deep in his personal hell.
His new family was alien to him, but he had managed to accept that he was some kind of monster and that he would be forced to spend his whole life pretending. His true identity, his past, weren't something he could share.
He had come to accept that he was destined to be alone even when surrounded by people, a shadow in a world of lights. Yet finding Solus also meant finding hope. During the last eight years, he had never been truly alone.
She had been a constant presence in his life, from the moment he woke up in the morning. She would often even take part in his own dreams. At first, he had been scared by her intrusions in his thoughts, by all her questions about him and why he acted as he did.
However, over time their relationship had grown, becoming deeper than he could have ever expected. Solus was the only one to truly know him, the one he could share all his deepest and darkest secrets without being judged.
Whenever Lith had been struggling, either by accepting his new family or the hardships in his life, she had always been his mental support. With every struggle he overcame, Lith's life had become easier, yet the abyss inside him would also become deeper and hungrier.
In the end, everything he had achieved, he had got it through hard work, deception, and the occasional killing. Mogar, the new world, wasn't much different from Earth. 'Every man for himself' and 'power conquers all' were unwritten rules everyone abided to.
Solus had been his moral compass, often questioning his choices and forcing him to ponder about the consequences of his actions, but in the end, she would always be on his side.
Now they were separated, their mind link remained inactive since both of them were unwilling to make the first move. Solus was still consumed with remorse for her lie, living in constant fear to have forever destroyed their bond.
Cutting herself out of Lith's life was her way to atone for her mistake and give him the time he needed to reflect on what she did without external influences.
As for Lith, he longed every day to hear her voice in his mind again. To feel her warm compassion for all the secrets and the sacrifices he was daily burdened with. Hiding in plain sight, lying even to his own family wasn't so bad as long she was with him.
Solus knew the truth and supported him at every step he had taken so far. Yet he wasn't willing to forgive her, nor to resume their usual routine pretending that nothing had happened.
The situation was tearing him apart, it was like the sun was covered by a permanent eclipse. It was still there, but he wasn't able to experience its warmth and light anymore.
The thing that bothered him the most was being angry at Protector as much as he was at her.
'Damn Protector! How could he do this to me? Or to her? Loving me like a son my a*s. He put us one against the other with his idiotic decision. He left me grieving like an idiot, second guessing everything I've done, to the point of almost revealing my secret to my family!'
During that time, Lith realized how dependent he had become on Solus's influence in his daily activities. Without her constantly soothing his rage and filling the void he felt in his life, Lith became colder and detached.
Outside the lessons, he would spend most of his time alone.
Even his grades started to drop, albeit slowly. It wasn't just the feeling of betrayal putting him off his game. He was too used to brainstorming every problem with Solus, being forced to do everything alone only reinforced his feeling of loss.
After failing to approach him a few times, Friya, Quylla, and Yurial decided it was better to give him some space. They thought he was having a hard time to accept what he had seen at the mining town. Lith would barely speak to them and even when he did, his voice was full of ill concealed annoyance.
'If Solus can't be trusted, then I can trust no one.' Was what Lith repeated to himself more and more often.
Phloria was the only one that held onto him, no matter how many times he pushed her away. She would go visit him in his room, sometimes they would spend hours in silence, each one studying for the following day lessons.
She didn't force him to open up, her hope was that her company would help Lith understand he wasn't alone. If he needed help, he just had to ask.
Lith was grateful to her. Phloria was the first person in the new world that had approached him without a hidden agenda. She was more interested in who he was rather than what he was able to do.
Her care and dedication to him were the only silver lining in his situation. Yet at the same time, it made things worse, forcing him to realize she was just a young girl. No matter how much he wanted to share his burden with her, he simply couldn't.
A week passed, Lith's mood was getting worse by the day. Sometimes he would even dine by himself in his room to avoid being bothered by his companions.
Not only his relationship with Solus was at a stalemate, but he was also so used talking to her about everything that in the past days he often established a mind link out of habit just to shut it down immediately.
That morning, before the gong marking the start of the first lesson resounded, a hologram of Linjos appeared in all the classes and the departments.
"My dear students, I have an announcement to make." The Headmaster's voice was firm, but he appeared to be exhausted. He had black circles under his eyes and despite being in his middle thirties, his hair was already turning grey.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
"Many things have happened this year, some good, some bad. All the academies have lost members of their staff because of Balkor's attack, causing a further delay in our activities.
"To allow everyone to mourn their loved ones and in respect of what you have gone through, the Crown has decreed that this year there will be no third exam. Your grades will depend exclusively on your daily evaluation during the third trimester.
"The rankings will be revealed during the last day of academy, but you can already learn your grade in a specific subject by asking the Professor in charge. If for any reason you are not satisfied with your results, you can apply for a practical test to re evaluate your skill.
"Beware that Professors are allowed to raise as well as to lower your grade, in case you decide to take it.
"We have only two weeks left before the winter break. You can schedule your test any time before that deadline. Have a nice day."
Lith's group left the academy for the morning rounds, accompanied by Professor Ironhelm. Lith was happy for the turn of events, he had no desire to babysit his companions again, nor to pretend to care for whatever lesson Linjos meant to teach to the other students.
Every day without Solus was torture, he could feel his rage and hatred grow without limits. It required him sheer willpower to not lash out every time something or someone bothered him.
Lith knew that sooner or later he would have to confront her once and for all. Keeping her at a distance wasn't doing him any good. On the contrary, the void her absence created was a constant reminder of how he needed Solus as a person even more than the abilities their bond granted him.
He was already at the point where he could barely care for Phloria. If the whole academy exploded in front of him, Lith wouldn't bat an eye. He couldn't wait for the winter break to finally have three months only for himself.
Chapter 242 Turn of Events
Their rounds were uneventful. All of their patients were nobles suffering from minor diseases that had exploited their contact
s to have healers come to their homes.
"Okay guys, we are almost done." Yurial said once they had checked all but one of the names on their list
"I have saved this patient for last because he is a friend of my family and it could take a while. Is there any problem if we get back a little later than usual, Professor?"
Ironhelm shook his head, he had no reason to refuse. The longer he babysat them, the lesser paperwork he would find at his return. Having someone else doing it for him was the main reason he had volunteered for the task.
"I'm sure you can handle it without me. I have much to do. Have fun with your friend." Lith snorted, opening a Warp Steps right outside the local branch of the Mage Association. He was about to step through when Yurial stopped him.
"I'm really sorry, Lith. I have a favor to ask you." Yurial didn't like being forced to ask for his help, especially since Lith had been giving him the cold shoulder for no apparent reason for days.
"What is it?" Lith glared at Yurial like the first day they met.
"The person we are going to visit is actually a friend of my father. He doesn't have the authority or the status to get an appointment with one of the great healers of the Kingdom.
"So he did all he could to be included in our rounds. I don't know why, but he expressly asked for you. He even pestered my father until he was promised that I would ensure your collaboration."
"Is this person influential?" Lith asked. One thing was adding another name to the list of those that owed him a favor, another was wasting his time with minor nobles.
"Actually, no. House Tanash is a young magical bloodline that didn't produce a magician in the last two generations. They are on the verge of losing their status. There's not much they could do for you, but if you agree to help, my household would be indebted to you."
Yurial understood the meaning behind Lith's words, so instead of playing the friend card, he decided to make a deal.
Lith nodded. House Deirus was on the rise and he was already on good terms with them. Together with the Ernas, Archmage Deirus was someone that could help him greatly, if ever the necessity arose.
Despite being located on the outskirts of the high-end district, House Tanash turned out to be a magnificent mansion. It was a three-story building, each floor about two hundred square meters. Yet despite the pristine white walls and the enchanted fence surrounding it, Lith could clearly see that it belonged to a declining household.
It was much smaller than the Marchioness' house, something more fitting to a rich merchant rather than a magical bloodline. The mansion had no garden at all, there was no insignia along the walls or on the front door.
It seemed like they were trying to hide their identity.
After Yurial knocked, the door was opened almost instantly. The butler wore quite an expensive dress. His white shirt was made of silk while the deep blue blazer and the pants were cashmere. He was a man around 1.65 (5'5") meters high with blue eyes, blond hair, a beard and mustaches of the same color.
The butler was deadly pale and sweating bullets, several stains could be seen on the collar of his shirt.
"Lord Deirus, thank the gods you are here! I was starting to lose all hope!"
Lith smirked at the bad manners of the man, who was dragging Yurial inside instead of making way to his master.
"You must be Master Lith." The butler said while suddenly grabbing his hand and holding it like it was a treasure. The man's hands were slippery like an eel because of the sweat. Lith wanted to get rid of him but didn't know how to do it without being rude.
"You are exactly as they described you. Tall, calm and with a gaze that would make even a baby stop crying. I hope that everything else about you it's true too. My son is in desperate need of your help."
"Your son?" Lith blurted out.
'They must really be in hot waters if they don't have a butler. Either that or the situation is so desperate that Lord Tanash came to open the door by himself. Yet it doesn't make sense. If his son is so ill, how come they didn't accept him at the White Griffon hospital?' Lith thought.
"Lord Tanash, this is Lith of Lutia." Yurial was truly embarrassed by the lord of the household's behavior, but he kept his cool and performed the proper introductions in their host's stead before Lith changed his mind about helping.
Yurial knew that those days it was really easy for Lith to lose his temper.
"Lith, allow me to introduce you Duke Vinald Tanash." Lith shook his hand, using darkness magic to cleanse it as soon as he managed to get free from the slimy vice.
"Duke Tanash is not himself today because¡"
"Yes, yes! Please, excuse my manners, Master Lith!" The Duke cut Yurial short, giving Lith a bow so deep his head almost touched the ground.
'Definitely desperate.' Lith concluded.
It was only thanks to the efforts of Yurial and of the family butler that they managed to calm Vinald enough to let their guests accommodate in the tea room. Lith noticed that after serving the tea for everyone, the butler spiked the Duke's with liquor.
After several cups of liquor diluted with a bit of tea, Vinald managed to calm down enough to explain himself properly.
"I'm really sorry for earlier, but I just received a piece of news that will be the final nail in the coffin of my household if even Master Lith proves to be powerless against the ruin looming over our heads." Duke Tanash turned pale again, his words on the verge of turning back into a rambling.
The butler had lost all hope to preserve the dignity of his master, so he poured liquor instead of tea into the cup.
"Let me explain. House Tanash was founded by my great-great-grandfather, Gillam Tanash. Born as the son of a humble blacksmith, he managed to become an archmage and served the Kingdom with honor.
Before his death, he received the title of Duke for his achievements.
"Alas, after him no one in our family showed the slightest talent for magic. All we have comes from Archmage Tanash's work, but in a single generation, there is only so much one can do. Over time, our contribution to the Kingdom has become less and less.
"We didn't have a mage nor the necessary funds to gain merits enough to increase our status. That was until my son, Zintar, was accepted in the Lightning Griffon academy. He is no genius, but he is very talented and hardworking. During the first three years of the academy, he always was in the top percentile.
"This year, after the second trimester, his grades started to drop. At first, I thought it was all my fault. With the civil war on the brink of exploding, I tasked him to¡ protect the interests of the family. It forced Zintar to neglect his studies quite a bit."
The truth was that House Tanash had been one of the most active members of the new magical bloodlines party that wanted the civil war to happen. The Duke had tried more than once to escalate the events, aiming to get rid of the ancient households that threatened to take everything away from him.
They constantly reminded the Crown of how useless were the relatively poor and mageless households to the Kingdom.
He had forced Zintar to sabotage the studies of his rivals and engage them in fights outside the academy's walls.
"The lack of practice led him to almost fail his second exam, so he went back to study full time. The problem is that the situation never improved. His grades are still bad enough he is likely to be expelled.
"Now that the Crown has decreed no third exam will take place, he is doomed. If he fails, we'll lose our noble status, our home, everything."
"You want me to tutor him or what?" Lith was exasperated by those ramblings. His fingers almost pierced the armrests of the armchair he was sitting in.
"Gods, no. He already has the best tutors and teachers I could afford. I want you to visit him. Zintar says that something is wrong with his body, that no matter how much he tries he can't focus as well as he did before.
I already had him visited by the best healers I could find, but they found nothing. You are our last hope."
"A mysteri
ous illness that makes you fail in your studies is the oldest excuse in the book." Yurial whispered to Lith's ear.
"Even I used it a lot in the past. Usually the prescribed cure is a good pep talk and a cut on the daily allowance. It sure worked on me."
Lith nodded.
'This man is just sad. He refuses to admit his mistakes and tries to find someone to blame. If his son lost a whole trimester, no matter how talented he is, he cannot catch up.' He thought.
Duke Tanash lead them on the first floor, where his son's study was located. The walls were covered by bookshelves filled with tomes covering all the conceivable magical topics.
Several volumes were missing. Some had been left open on the floor, occupying most of the space, others were piled on a desk behind which a youth was sitting while taking and reviewing notes.
An open door revealed a state of the art Alchemical lab. Just like the study room, the lab was a mess, with shattered components on the floor marking failed experiments and burn marks on the walls.
The Duke introduced the youth as his heir.
Zintar was a fifteen-year-old boy with blond hair like his father and deep set eyes from the lack of sleep. He seemed to be on the verge of exhaustion.
"Nothing, father. No matter how much I study or practice, my results are always mediocre." Judging from his bloodshot eyes, he had no more tears to shed.
"Don't worry, son. Master Lith is here. He is the only White Griffon student that was chosen by his Professors to assist them during the plague. If there is someone that can help you, it's him." Duke Tanash patted Lith's back like he was a long lost brother.
Lith barely escaped Zintar's hug, starting to chant his diagnostic spells and stopping him on his tracks. Lith used everything he had, yet he found that there was nothing wrong.
Even the spell Professor Marth had devised with his help against the parasites gave negative results. Yet the more spells he used, the more Lith was certain that Zintar wasn't making excuses.
After learning Necromancy from Professor Zekell, Lith was now able to follow the mana in his spells even when he used fake magic. Lith could perceive them working properly, but each one would lose a bit of their strength as soon as they reached Zintar.
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