Supreme Magus (Web Novel)-Chapter 3554: Feelings and Business (Part 1)

"Welcome back home, Lith. That was-" Kamila tried to hug him after he rushed through the door but he sidestepped her with a spin and moved forward. "Fast."

"Thank the gods you’re alright, Mom." Lith crossed the kitchen in the blink of an eye and wrapped Elina in an embrace. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, baby." Lith coming to her first flattered Elina but she could tell something was wrong with him. "Are you…"

She didn’t realize how bad it was until she returned the embrace and his wings popped out of his back, forming a protective cocoon around her.

"Alright?" Elina had been examined with Invigoration enough times to recognize the feeling of foreign mana flowing through her body just like she could sense the slight tremble in Lith’s fingers as he held her shoulders.

His breathing technique confirmed that she was alive and well. Elina’s smell filled Lith’s nose and the steady sound of her heartbeat was the most amazing music he had ever heard.

Slowly, the image of Chyrsha’s dead body stopped overlapping with Elina. Reality reaffirmed itself so strongly that not even Lith’s paranoia could deny it anymore. After almost two days of internal agony, he could finally relax.

"I’m very happy you’ve embraced me with your wings for the first time, sweetie, but you are making me worry." Lith wasn’t one for long hugs yet he had still to loosen his hold. "What happened in Kophar?"

Elina gently caressed his hair and back, holding him tight.

"Where are Aran and Leria?" He asked while stepping back slowly.

"At school." Elina replied. "The triplets are with Zekell to watch him work at the forge while Elysia and Valeron are sleeping in the other room."

"Good." Lith nodded, moving to embrace Kamila and then Raaz. "I’m not in the mood to come up with a fairy tale and I need to take this off my chest."

"You better have a good explanation, you jerk." Kamila’s voice was filled with worry and didn’t match her words. "Dodging me like that was rude."

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She was just trying to act like everything was normal. Lith’s wings wrapped around her as usual, allaying her worst fears.

"First Kami, then Elysia, and now your mother." Raaz sighed when no wings welcomed him. "I guess your old man is not beautiful enough to be a member of your exclusive club."

"It’s not a club, Dad." Lith couldn’t help but smile.

"And it’s not based on beauty or I’d be part of it." Rena grunted, receiving no wings as well. "Either that or I’ll kick your ass, Lil Bro."

"Please, sit down and listen." Lith took a hot camomile tea with clover honey out of his pocket dimension along with oven-fresh pastries from Kophar’s bakery.

He emptied his cup in one gulp and filled it again before recounting the events of the final days of his mission.

The various fights against the Emperor Beasts would have been the climax in a bard’s tale but it was the most unimpressive part of the story to Lith’s family. The potential return of Hatorne’s toxins and parasites scared them much more than any claw or spell could.

Yet none of the tension the Verhens felt as Lith recounted how he had located the Emperor Beasts’ base held a candle to the horror they experienced when he described the scene of the parasites’ breeding grounds.

Lith used no holograms but their imagination painted an accurate portrait of the events on the canvas of their minds.

"Chyrsha died in my arms, Mom." Lith neared his hand to Elina who squeezed it. "A miracle baby lost his mother that night and I almost lost my mind. I couldn’t stop picturing you in your bed after the Awakened tried to kidnap you.

"I couldn’t stop thinking about Rolam’s pain and how I would have felt if I were in his shoes. Until a minute ago, you and Chyrsha were one in my mind. I fought to avenge you, Mom. I managed to shatter that illusion only after holding you in my arms."

"My poor baby." Elina caressed Lith’s hand with her thumb. "What happened to Rolam?"

"I’ll get there in a minute." Lith spared his family the details of the rest of the fights, mentioning only the number of the breeding facilities he had found and of the Emperor Beasts guarding them.

After that, he told them how he had taken care of the survivors. A few of the hosts of the anti-mana parasites had died a few hours after their rescue, their bodies too weak to recover despite the best care the Kingdom could offer them.

The condition of the rest of the war refugees had quickly improved after the removal of the parasites and there had been no more victims.

"I’ll be honest with you." Lith sighed. "I thought about bringing Rolam to Lutia and finding someone willing to adopt him but I decided against it. I’m his savior, sure, but I’m also the one who let him down.

"Meeting me often would reassure him, but also remind him of the day his mother died. It’s better for him to grow away from anything that might arouse the painful memories of his days as a hostage.

"I’ve already contacted the social services and made sure Rolam won’t slip through the cracks of the system and into another nightmare."

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"I see." Kamila nodded while rubbing his shoulders. "Do you want to see the babies now? It usually improves your mood."

"I think I will." Lith sighed. "After that, I’ll take a nap until lunch. I haven’t slept in two days."

Lith stood up from the table while looking at Elina, hesitating to let go of her hand.

"I’m sorry, Mom, but I might be a bit clingy in the next few days. Until I fully recover, I’m not leaving Lutia."

"It’s wonderful!" Elina beamed with joy before remembering the somber circumstances that had led Lith to that decision. "I mean, it’s no inconvenience at all. Take your time."

Lith went to his bedroom and despite the Hushing array of the Doomslayer crib, Elysia woke up.

"Dada!" She said, waking up Valeron. "Dya! Dada! Dya!"

"How’s my princess?" Lith lifted the baby and his wings formed a cradle around her.

’I used to be his princess.’ Kamila inwardly sighed as Lith lifted Valeron as well.

"Why the long face, my queen?" A membranous wing opened, pulling Kamila close and making her join the family embrace.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about." She replied with a dazzling smile.

***

The news of the raid in Kophar spread like wildfire throughout the Kingdom and beyond. The reports made no mention of Hatorne’s toxins and hid the alchemical experiments of the Emperor Beasts behind a cover story of human trafficking and Forbidden Magic.

Even without that part, Lith’s feat was beyond amazing to commoners and high nobles alike. The Supreme Magus of the Kingdom had eradicated an entire criminal organization of Emperor Beasts that spanned throughout Kophar in a single night.

On top of that, there had been no military or civilian casualties during the rescue operations and he personally ensured that the kidnapped war refugees would have their assets returned to them.