Meanwhile Lith spoke with the Royals about the many things he would like to receive as compensation for his troubles, Jirni rea.s.sured the other members of Othre"s group about the mission"s positive outcome.

In her book, every mission she could walk away from was a good one.

"We still have to deal with the paperwork, but that can be done anywhere. I can"t wait to leave this awful place. No offense, Dorian." She said after sharing everything she was allowed to with them.

Both Thrud"s existence and Arthan"s Madness" were strictly on a need to know basis.

"None taken." He replied quietly. The team had accomplished feats beyond all expectations, which meant the a.s.sociation would award him handsomely. Yet his future personal gains were overshadowed by his guilty conscience.

Not only did Dorian put everyone in mortal danger, but also none of the missing persons had survived the hideout"s explosion. With Thrud"s escape and countless casualties, he couldn"t consider it a victory.

Kamila and Tista sighed in relief. No amount of paperwork was worth the weight that had just been lifted from their chest. They had spent most of the night talking. It didn"t make them friends but they felt much closer to each other than before.

"Constable Ernas, I have a few questions for you." Kamila asked.

Jirni turned toward her and noticed she was still holding the camellia like it was some kind of charm. Kamila had retrieved the mystical flower while Lith was dealing with the Dawn Court and she had him imprint the flower before they left for Thrud"s hideout.

As long as he was alive, the spell which shaped the hologram would hold it in place.

"Sure. What can I do for you?"

"I have always followed your career, dreaming one day to become a Royal Constable myself. However, this mission made me doubt my abilities. I"m not your match and I don"t think I ever will be. Are all Constables required to fight like you do?"

Kamila had proven herself useful more than once. Before asking Commander Berion to put her up for the Constable training course as reward, she wanted to make sure she wasn"t just wasting her time with pipe dreams.

"G.o.ds, no." Jirni laughed at the thought. "Otherwise the Knight"s Guard would be useless. A Constable is required to be smart, cunning, and above all, loyal to the Crown. Most of them don"t see a fight in their entire lives. That"s what mages are made for."

"Does a Constable need to be able to use magic?" Kamila was aware that her battle prowess amounted to almost zero. Her brain was all that she had.

"Not at all. Most Constables aren"t mages and for a good reason. Take my husband, for example. His heart is that of a soldier, but his soul belongs to Forgemastering. People usually love doing what they are good at, and mages are good at magic.

"When he isn"t busy protecting someone, his mind longs for his forges. In my experience, a mage who doesn"t enjoy researching the mystical arts is usually a parlor dog. Is that…?" Jirni asked pointing at the camellia.

"Yes. Lith made it for me." Kamila replied while blus.h.i.+ng a little. She was too embarra.s.sed to mention it was also named after her. It would sound like marking her territory.

"It"s beautiful." Jirni sighed in envy.

"My blockhead of a husband has never made anything like that for me. Plus, Lith has yet to ask me about Phloria. Either he is really taken by this woman or maybe my daughter"s s.h.i.+p has sailed. Only when I see them together at my birthday will I know for sure."

"Do you think someone like me could become a good Constable?" Kamila snapped Jirni out of her reverie. Jirni was her idol, her words meant the world to Kamila.

"I don"t know you well enough to be sure, but you performed much better than I expected from a political puppet." Jirni wasn"t the type to mince words, making Kamila turn pale.

"You found useful information and even risked your life to save your companions. That"s a plus in my book. I could recommend you for the role of field a.s.sistant. It"s basically the Constable trainee course.

"It teaches you the ropes and gives you the opportunity to understand if you are fit for the job." She said while sipping her tea.

"Would you really do that for me?" Kamila"s head was spinning at the sudden turn of events.

"It"s not a big deal. I"m just giving you an opportunity. Failing or pa.s.sing is entirely up to you. Just a few words of advice. The things you see while doing this job will often make you feel dirty inside. It"s not for the faint of heart.

"Also, I recommend you fetching yourself a Forgemaster for a husband. Enchanted items are like true friends, you never have enough." Jirni winked, making Kamila become beet red.

"I can always play the long game. As long as the Verhen and Ernas families get along, there"s always the next generation." She thought.

***

In the end, every member of Othre"s group received a reward proportionate to their contribution and one week paid vacation. Dorian Felhorn was promoted to Great Mage, while Manohar was pardoned for his last escape.

The Mad Professor exploited his vacation and disappeared for a few months, but that"s a story for another time.

Jirni already possessed everything she wanted plus several royal pardons, so her reward consisted of giving both her husband and daughter a week leave to spend some time together with the rest of the family.

Much to Lith"s surprise, Kamila asked him to spend a few days together. Commander Berion"s ploy of using her to keep an eye on Lith had messed up their newborn relations.h.i.+p.

During the last week in Othre, they had gone through thick and thin. All the more reason why he a.s.sumed she would have distanced herself from him to evaluate the effects that his presence had brought into her life.

They both agreed to leave Othre and never return. Lith was sick and tired of not being able to Warp or fly at will while Kamila had never visited the Griffon Kingdom"s southern regions, so he brought her to Derios, the Distar Marquisate"s capitol.

He had been there many times both as a Professor and for other dates but he had never visited the city. They stayed in the same hotel but in different rooms. It was something Lith didn"t know whether to be happy or worried about.

"I enjoy my privacy, but she was the one who proposed this vacation and she even brought the camellia along. Then why the different accommodations? I"m getting mixed signals here." He inwardly griped.

One of the reasons why he had picked Derios, was that it was not only an open-air museum where historical monuments and luscious gardens coexisted, but Lith was also pretty well known. Most establishments would offer him discounted prices.

"I need your opinion about one thing." Lith asked during lunch, after they toured the ancient quarter of the city.

"Shoot." Kamila was amazed by Lith only picking good restaurants that offered local delicacies and always offering to pay the bill.

"This mission made me rack up a lot of merits. I also had the opportunity to remind the Crown that I don"t like people messing with my personal life."