For the first time since he had started wearing uniforms, Lith shapes.h.i.+fted the Skinwalker armor into normal clothes even though he had no social event to attend to. With a beige overcoat, white s.h.i.+rt, and black pants, he looked like a small time n.o.ble.

"Too many people here know my face and I can"t afford being recognized." He thought while nervously looking at the communication amulet in his breast pocket. "I have no time to lose being polite and exchanging niceties. I expect the news of me becoming a Great Mage to spread like wildfire."

The moment he stepped outside Derios"s branch of the Mage a.s.sociation, Lith took off toward Lutia. He was now powerful enough that a single Warp Steps allowed him to cross dozens of kilometers.

Six Warps and less than a minute later, he reached his home. He appeared in the sky and landed slowly to not scare his parents" farmhands. He had learned from experience that sharp tools and fear made people accident p.r.o.ne.

"Hey, kid. Do yourself a favor and bug off." Said a harsh voice coming from behind him.

"Our young Lady isn"t home, and even if she was, she chews and spits guys way better looking than you for breakfast."

Lith laughed out loud hearing Tista being referred to as a n.o.ble dame. Being mistaken for a suitor of his own sister was also quite funny to him.

"Do what you want." The man laughed too. "There"s a reason that Lutia is called the Graveyard. Hot shots like you, be them criminals or n.o.bles, always get out of here feet first. I"ve warned you, so don"t blame me when I"ll spit on your grave."

"I"d like to see you trying, Bromann." Lith turned around with a cruel smile.

"Oh G.o.ds! I"m so sorry, Lith." Bromann wasn"t scared, mostly embarra.s.sed. He knew Lith since his son, Rizel, had ambushed him at Selia"s house years ago. When Raaz had started to expand his farmlands, he had been one of the first farmers to sell his own.

The pay was good, he would have to pay fewer taxes, and the free healthcare made the offer hard to refuse.

"I didn"t expect you would return so soon plus I"m not used to seeing you all dressed up. Usually, you either wear your uniform or dress like one of us. What"s the fancy suit for? Are you finally bringing home a fine lady or what?"

"It"s a long story." Lith dodged all the questions. "Why the double standard? You refer to Tista as "your young Lady" yet you call me by my first name."

"That"s just for show, Lith. If a farmer speaks like that to a n.o.ble, they could easily get whipped. Hara.s.sing a servant of the Verhen family is bad for business, instead. Especially if they want to suck up on you." Bromann replied while tapping at his temple with a forefinger.

Lith couldn"t refute that logic, so he waved a quick goodbye and entered his house.

"Daddy!" A shrill voice yelled as a small boy clung to Lith"s leg.

"Not even close, little brother." Lith said while lifting Aran off the ground and making him sit on his shoulder. The child was almost a meter (3"2") tall but to Lith"s frame, he was weightless.

"Mom! Big brother is back!"

"Welcome home, sweetie." Elina came out of the kitchen and embraced Lith tightly.

"What happened to your uniform? Is everything all right?" She took his face between her hands, checking for signs of malnutrition as if she hadn"t seen him in months instead of four days

"Kind of. Let"s just say the gla.s.s is half full." He sighed. "As soon as everyone gets home, I"ll give you great news. Where"s Tista?"

"Where do you think she can possibly be?" Elina replied with a soft smile.

"She"s at the White Griffon academy to plan her own journey. She wants to follow her little brother"s footsteps and travel the world. Your sister looks up to you, sometimes a bit too much."

"What does that mean?"

"She turned nineteen this year, yet she refuses to attend to parties, rejects all of her suitors, and only thinks about practicing magic. Does this behavior ring you any bells?" Elina said while pouting.

Lith feigned ignorance and called both his sisters. Tista was glad to hear from him, but couldn"t come back before an hour. Rena asked him to pick her up instead.

"Don"t play dumb with me, young man." Elina had her hands on her hips while tapping nervously on the floor with her foot.

"Is it too much to ask for a grandchild or two? I"m not getting any younger and neither are you. When will you bring a girl home?"

"Mom, I"m still young!" Lith tried to defend himself while casting the fastest Warp Steps in Mogar"s history. "At least I date. It"s not my fault if I can"t find someone special."

"That"s not dating, it"s fooling around." Elina rebuked. She wasn"t willing to let it slide this time. "You didn"t have these clothes four days ago and their style is not from the Marquisate. Did you buy them because of a girl? That would be a miracle."

Elina"s observation skills stunned Lith.

The Warp Steps opened and Rena joined the fray.

"Looking good, little brother. Tailor made foreign clothes, and made of high-end fabric at that." She said while rubbing her fingers over his suit.

Just when he believed he was doomed, help arrived from an unexpected ally.

"Uncle Lith, you"re back! Tell me a story." Leria, his niece crossed the dimensional door and tugged at his leg demanding her due. She was the same age as Aran and resembled her mother more with each pa.s.sing year.

Her blond hair had shades of black just like Rena"s.

Aran promptly joined the plea. The duo was noisy and stubborn enough to force their mothers to back down to have some quiet. Lith used light and air magic to stage every single fairy tale he knew until all the family was a.s.sembled.

"There"s no way dad backs me up, but as long as Tista is here I can play the "she"s older than me" card and throw her in the lion"s den to save my hide." He thought.

He then told them everything that had happened after he left home, using the Hush spell to cover the kids" ears whenever the story wasn"t family friendly. When he arrived at the part where the King had made him a Great Mage, everyone but Tista rejoiced.

"d.a.m.n, this is bad. I must leave Lutia before the news spread, otherwise the White Griffon and the Marchioness will force me to attend to every single social event until this blows over. Not the mention all the drones that will swarm at our door." She said with a sigh.

"It"s not just that." Lith explained. "The ancient n.o.ble households will try to get back at me, which makes every one of you a target. My stunt made them lose a lot of money and face."

"Don"t you dare call it a stunt." Raaz stared at his son and grabbed his shoulder.

"You saved countless lives. I couldn"t be prouder of you. As for General Morn and all those petty n.o.bles they can go f…." Raaz managed to stop in the nick of time, noticing both the children"s curious look and their mothers" deadly gaze.