While pondering about her poor choice of words, Solus found herself resting on his lap. Lith was planning ahead the procedure while caressing the wisp as it was a puppy.
Before she could realize it, Solus fell asleep for the first time in over eight years.
Chapter 256 Preparations Part 1
Lith didn't have the heart to wake Solus. She had never slept before and he had no idea if it had been made possible by her improved wisp form or because of their temporary fusion. In the past, even when she accompanied him in his dreams, Solus was wide awake.
She was able to follow him only thanks to their mind link and would get no rest from the experience.
After an hour, Lith had finished planning the procedure to cure his mother and even devised contingency measures for everything that could go wrong he was capable of foreseeing, yet Solus was still sound asleep.
After shielding her with the Hush spell, silencing the area around the wisp, he called Professor Vastor. Over the last year, Lith had exchanged contact runes with all the Professors he had a good relationship with.
"Lith, my boy. Glad to finally hear from you." Vastor said with a jovial voice while twirling his mustaches.
"I was a little offended when you left without even saying goodbye, but now I understand why you did it."
"You do?" Lith had no idea what Vastor was talking about. He was inwardly cursing at himself for committing such blatant discourtesy. Between Solus and his foul mood, he had been too sick of the academy to stick around even a second longer.Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
"Yeah, thank the gods you left so quickly. When the rankings got out, everything went south. The whole top three in the Light department is something that hasn't happened in years.
"A commoner, a noble and an old noble at that. It sounds almost like the beginning of a joke. Too bad so many people can't see past the end of their noses. In less than an hour, we have been swamped in complaint calls and letters. Most of them are currently warming my old bones."
Vastor showed him a fireplace fueled by still closed envelopes.
"I expected to find you upset, maybe even outraged. I see you are pretty calm despite Linjos's trickery. He should have told us. It would have spared us a lot of troubles."
"What do you mean? What trickery?" Lith's surprise appeared genuine.
"Son, remind me never to play cards against you." Vastor laughed.
"You know, even if we aren't allowed to share the students' grades, we Professors do something called 'talk' about our most promising student. When I heard about you placing third, I asked Wanemyre why she gave you such a bad grade, right before she asked me the very same question.
"Bottom line, we know what happened and we understand why it was necessary. If a third place triggered such a mess, I can't think what would have happened if it was the second or the first." Vastor sighed.
"Wanemyre sure didn't take it well. When the Warden specialization Professor started boasting of their first place, she almost roasted him alive. That woman really has a soft spot for you. It makes one wonder if the rumors about you two are true."
Vastor said it as a joke, but Lith could sense it was actually a serious question.
"I wish." He replied honestly, it was the best way to avoid ruining both their reputations and tainting his achievements with false allegations.
"Don't be so impatient. I get older women are charming, but time only moves forward." For a moment Vastor seemed to be really tired.
"Soon you'll be old enough to court all the Wanemyre in the world. After that, you'll be so old they will pay you no attention unless marriage is at stake. If only there was a way to live forever young. Enough with my whining, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
"I was thinking about healing cut tendons, regenerate missing fingers. Little things, just to make a quick buck." Lith explained.
"I have no idea how much I should ask for it." He wasn't worried about asking too much, but to be underselling his services. As an intern at the academy, he always did what he was asked to, without thinking about the fares.
Vastor pondered for a bit before answering.
"Skin, tendons and maybe a tooth or two are manageable for a single mage, but I wouldn't call even a finger a little thing. Without a mage providing the treatment and another the life force at the same time it's a risky procedure.
Anyway, there is no law against being young and reckless. If you were already graduated, I'd say ten silver coins to split between two mages is a fair price. Since you are still a student, one is more than enough.
"After you kill your first patient, feel free to call me or Marth at any time if you need to talk."
Since Solus kept sleeping, Lith used that time to call Wanemyre and Marth to make up for his blunder. They were happy to hear from him and wished him a good winter break.
When he could finally go back home, it was almost dinner time, but he was forced to skip it due to all the food Solus had shoved down his throat while they were fused.
The next morning, Lith woke up in his bedroom perfectly rested. No matter how effective Invigoration was, he wanted to be at his peak condition for the procedure. Solus could act as a life support system in case something went wrong, but everything else weighed on his shoulders.
'I really don't want another sibling, but I realize how lonely my parents must feel having gone from living with five kids to just one. Once Tista and I leave, maybe I should buy them a house somewhere so they do not feel so isolated from the rest of the world.'
Lith opened the window of his room, letting the chilly morning air in. The sun had still to rise and during the night had snowed a little. He warmed up the house and the floors with fire magic before leaving for the bakery.
Even after a good night's sleep, Lith was still full. The thought of going to the village's bakery was enough to make him sick.
Yet Elina had expressed so much joy at the idea of eating fresh white bread that he couldn't deny her that small luxury.
'No matter how much she trusts me, mom is bound to be scared. Even if I'm not going to cut her open as a surgeon would, she is aware of the risks any procedure, even the simplest one, implies.' Lith thought.
'A positive mindset can help me during the operation and make her recovery faster. Also, I'm curious to see how that b*stard will welcome me now that he needs me.'
Vexal Cornerstone, Brina's father was one of those that almost died at Lith's hand for not defending Tista from Garith's harassment. Ever since then, he lived in fear of Lith coming to finish what he had started, to the point of closing the shop whenever Vexal saw him.
Lith grinned while opening a Warp Steps from his front door to outside the bakery. He could have gone right inside, but he preferred giving the people of Lutia the illusion Warp Steps had limits.
Otherwise as soon as they lost something, they would blame him.
Chapter 257 Preparations Part 2
Sure, there was nothing they could do to him or his family but it would still hurt his reputation. Based on what Professor Vastor told him, many nobles were probably out for his blood.
He couldn't afford to risk for the rumors to turn into mass hysteria, giving those old farts a pretext to doubt his integrity, or even worse get him expelled. The fifth year was the last one he had to pretend to be a normal mage. After that, he could just reveal to be a "genius" magician, just like the Magi of the past.
'I'm really sorry about yesterday. I knew I shouldn't have eaten so much.' Solus said.
'Don't worry about it. A little fasting has never killed anyone. How was sleeping?'
'Incredible.' She replied. 'All of my stress and worries feel so distant now. It's like being born anew. I even dreamed a little, I think. Too bad I can't remember anything.'
Lith nodded while crossing the dimensional corridor to his destination, a few kilometers away. When the shop's door opened, the little bell above
it chimed, alerting Vexal of a potential customer.
"Welcom¡" The baker almost choked on his words when he recognized Lith. He was dressed like a farmer, with a simple brown shirt and pants, but looked nothing like one. His clothes were pristine, without one spot on mud and so were his shoes.
Vexal looked through the window, noticing that the snow outside was still immaculate.
"I'd like five loaves of bread and twenty pastries, thanks."
Vexal had prepared a speech, hoping to make him feel guilty for his lack of sympathy towards someone less fortunate than him. Brina was the same age as Tista after all, and they both suffered from their condition.
How could he be so insensitive despite knowing the pain she was going through?
Yet he was unable to speak. Lith exuded a cold aura that sent a shiver down Vexal's spine despite the heat coming from the oven in the backroom. There was something wrong with him. He managed to move over the squeaky old floor without making a noise.
'Why the heck does he say nothing?' Lith was surprised by Vexal's meek attitude. Usually he doesn't hide his hostility.
'Opps! Sorry, I'm out of practice.' Solus explained.
'I forgot about having to cut down the killing intent you emit naturally. Since your last two breakthroughs, you always mix a bit of darkness magic with your usual glare whenever you are angry.
Mages don't notice it because their mana flow protects them from it, but normal humans are weaker.'
Once Solus took action, Vexal discovered to have held his breath until that moment. Lith didn't look like a ferocious beast anymore, he was back being an annoying prick.
"Can I get my food? I don't have all day." Lith snorted.
Vexal inwardly cursed at himself, handing over the bread and the pastries as efficiently as he could.
"It's on the house."
With a single wave of the hand, Lith made the goods on the counter disappear in the pocket dimension, replacing them with the money at the same time.
"I owe you nothing and I like things as they are." Lith sneered at him.
"You should have thought about it when I was starving, not now that I have enough money to have a bakery of my own. Keep your fake kindness for yourself, or I'll shove your bulls*it right where it came from. Who knows, you may even like it."
"Lith? Is that you?" Brina's voice came out of the backroom, soon followed by the sound of quick steps that announced her arrival.
"Hi, Brina. Have you considered my offer?" Lith's voice was calm, but lacked any warmth. He was neither hostile nor friendly towards her.
Brina was carrying a basket of bread with her right arm, always covered by a long glove, while her face and left arm were dusted with flour. She wore a net over her air and was smiling a lot.
"Yes, of course. How much is it?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.
"One silver coin for the whole skin. Five silver coins for each finger."
The idea of losing sixteen silver coins at once made Vexal's heart skip a beat.
"That's it?" Brina sighed in relief, making her father inwardly curse at her.
'Ask for a discount, you damn woman! If you flaunt our money, he will find an excuse to raise the price even more!'
"When you can start?"
Lith had actually asked much more than Professor Vastor suggested, to leave some space for negotiations. The outcome was a pleasant surprise.
'I could ask for more, but it's better to shear a sheep rather than butchering it.' Lith thought.
"Not today, I already have another client scheduled. Is tomorrow fine with you?"
"Yes." She nodded, incapable of hiding her surprise. "How did they find you so fast?"
"Word travels fast. Plus I'm that good." Lith gave her a thumbs up.
"I need you to be perfectly rested, so take it easy today. Also, the procedure will take a toll on you. Before we start, eat as much as you can. You'll need energy. Remember I'm a healer, not a miracle worker."
Lith walked out the door, disappearing from sight before it closed behind him. Vexal and Brina looked out of the window almost at the same time. The snow on the porch was still immaculate.
"Dad, do you think the blacksmith is right? Is he really a god?"
"Zekell Proudhammer is just like my chamber pot, full of sh*t." Vexal wanted to spit out of disgust just by hearing that name, but managed to stop in time.
He hated the blacksmith's guts. Ever since Rena had become part of his household, Tista would always treat them first and for free while Vexal had to stand in line like an idiot.
During the city assemblies, Zekell would always have his way, getting to pay fewer taxes compared to others simply by casually mention Lith or his daughter in law. To make things worse, the blacksmith always flaunted the enchanted tools he bought from Lith, saying they were all presents.
Unbeknownst to Vexal, it was a lie. Lith only gave presents to Rena while Zekell exchanged with him precious metals to get what he wanted.
Before going back home, Lith went to Rena's house. Giving her some sweets, a few potions and checking on her and the baby, just to be safe.
Chapter 258 Learning Part 1
After going back home, Lith finished preparing breakfast for everyone and used Invigoration to recover the energy spent by using the Warp Steps.
The procedure took place in his parents' bedroom as soon as they finished eating. Lith had Solus take the form of a small disc that he placed over his mother's belly.
"What is that thing?" Elina asked.
"It's a focus. It will help me direct and control the magical energies." He lied in response. Solus's core was weak and her mana capacity small, but she was able to use Invigoration as well.
Her role was to check Elina's condition, using her own mana to fix any mistake Lith could make or at least buy enough time for him to stabilize his mother.
He also needed Tista's presence, to use her as a blueprint. First, he blocked Elina's abdomen pain receptors, then he destroyed the scar tissue causing infertility while reshaping the organ to make it resemble Tista's healthy one.
It was the first time he attempted something like that, so it took Lith several hours to complete the procedure. When he finished, he was exhausted.
'Damn, ever since I burned part of my life force, I get tired faster than usual and my stamina has yet to completely recover.
'Using Invigoration on two people at once for imaging was more difficult than I thought, then I had to cut away the scar tissue one layer at the time to not cause too much damage.
'I also had to prevent her from losing too much blood or going into shock. Unlike when I cured Tista, I couldn't immediately replace the destroyed tissue with a healthy one, since it was the excess tissue causing mom's infertility.
I can only hope that everything is fine now.'
"Is it over?" Elina asked with watery eyes. Despite Lith's precautions, she had experienced a burning sensation in her abdomen the whole time. The blood loss had made her dizzy from time to time, stopping only when Lith infused her with part of his life force.
"Yes." he used a clean towel to wipe the sweat from his face.
"Can I get up now? I really need to stretch my legs a bit."
"Not a chance."
Lith forced Elina to rest while he sat near her, checking her condition from time to time. Regrowing organs inside the human body was something he had practiced at the academy, but altering their shape by switching between darkness and light magic was another thing entirely.
He realized how big was the edge true magic gave him compared to normal healers. Unlike them, Lith was able to split a procedure into different steps instead of being forced to complete it in one go.
It had given him the time to share part of his life force with his mother when necessary and to lessen the strain on her body by taking a break from time to time. He also used those pauses to recover his strength with Invigoration.
The procedure had turned out to be much harder than predicted.
Using Invigoration on two people at the same time while exerting surgical precision magic was taxing for both the mind and the body. There were so many things to check at all times that he was sure he would have failed if not for true magic coupled with Solus's help.
She had checked Elina's physical condition at all times, allowing Lith to focus only on the procedure, and as a life force IV replacing most of the blood lost by herself. Only when she couldn't keep up due to her low mana capacity, Solus had asked for Lith's help.
Solus remained with Elina all night long, making sure that everything was all right. Only after twenty-four hours had passed without complications Lith could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Only then Lith went to Brina's house, removing the scar from the whole arm and making the two fingers she had left perfectly functional. The only downside of the treatment was that the new skin was pale as milk, but Brina didn't care one bit.
"How do you feel?" Lith checked her with Invigoration. Since the procedure was only on the external skin, he had not shared with her any life force, hoping it wouldn't be necessary.
"I feel good. Can I show it to my mother now?"
"Feeling okay doesn't mean being okay. Stand up slowly."
Brina did as asked, but she felt so dizzy she needed to sit again.
"I guess you were right. Gods, suddenly I feel so weak and hungry."
'It seems I almost pushed her physique too far. Vastor is right, a single healer can't restore fingers without endangering the life of the patient.'
He decided to split the treatment in three different days, one for each finger. It made everything easier for both of them and allowed him to better study the regeneration process without witnesses that could notice the anomaly his magic was.
While at the academy he had to use true magic like it was fake, now he could finally use it as he saw fit. After Brina, several other villagers came to him for help and every single patient provided Lith with invaluable knowledge.
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