Supreme Magus novel Chapter 225

Griffon Kingdom, Tyris’s underground dungeon.

"Please, tell me that you found the time to go and check on the anomaly this time."

Leegaain was burning with curiosity.

"Yes, I did." Tyris nodded without moving her eyes from the archives’ records of the last ten years. She was investigating those who had access to the remains of Arthan’s Madness, hoping to find a clue about the mastermind behind the Abomination threat.

"It was nothing special. It was a male human Abomination hybrid, just as we sensed the first time. The only odd thing about it is that he underwent a tribulation similar to our own. The second test was about self control, like for evolved beasts."

"What happened then?" Leegaain was eager to hear the whole story.

"I don’t know." She shrugged. "I left while he was in the middle of an elaborate suicide attempt. He chose to trade his life to rescue someone from death. I don’t have time to waste with the small stuff. He has failed the tribulation or he managed to save his friend, either way he is dead now."

"What?" Leegaain jumped in surprise, the combined impact of his four claws on the ground sent a small tremor through the Gorgon Empire’s castle. Its inhabitants went into a panic, since floating castles weren’t supposed to be affected by quakes.

"Tyris, old friend, after hearing your words I’m almost tempted to rule a country for the first time in my long life. It seems that between civil wars, plagues, gods of death, and the internal strife between the nobles and the Crown your life must be really exciting.

"Otherwise, how the heck could you brush off the existence of a new life form that has already undergone two tribulations within such a short time frame? What if he survived? What if he isn’t Guardian material, but something else entirely?

"Very few beings manage to pass the second tribulation. Getting a hold on your own desires is one of the hardest things to do. We could likely have a being that could side with the Abominations and upset the balance permanently on our hands.

"If the anomaly is still alive, we must absolutely keep watch on his next tribulations to understand what the heck is going on. A human Guardian would already be a shocking enough piece of news, let alone a hybrid!"

Tyris froze for a second. Aside from his stupid jokes, Leegaain’s words always held great significance.

"Maybe you are right." She replied trying to cover her blunder.

"I seem to remember he wore a White Griffon academy uniform. I’ll send someone to keep an eye on him so, in case your fears come true, we can take him out before he becomes too dangerous."

***

During the following days, life was hectic for most of the Griffon Kingdom’s upper echelons. Countless scouts were sent to the Blood Desert to search for Balkor’s whereabouts. Killing him was the safest way to prevent the next attack from happening.

The Alchemists of the Mage Association were having a hard time studying the toxins extracted from the undead. With each passing year, the god of death would make them more complex and harder to cleanse. If they didn’t keep up with him, their antidotes would become useless.

This time, the Healers had collected a great number of tissue samples from the captured undead. It had allowed them to discover the Abomination fragments mixed with the flesh, causing an uproar in the field of research. Until that moment, Abominations had simply been considered another species of monsters, a twisted evolution of magical beasts.

However, thanks to Balkor’s effort to stabilize them and the ten year long experience of the royal Healers in preserving the samples, the human scientists managed to gain a deeper understanding of their nature.

Researching Abominations became the top priority. It would help the Wardens to create new defensive arrays capable of weakening, if not killing, Balkor’s thralls.

The remaining four of the six great academies were in desperate need of staff. Between the injured, the dead, and those who had resigned to look for a less dangerous job, like hunting dragons or defusing explosive arrays, there were many classes left unattended.

Balkor’s shadow made serving as Professor in an academy less of a prestigious position and more like a death sentence.

Among the Headmasters, Linjos had gotten the short end of the stick again. Not only did he have to find trustworthy mages to replace the Professors he lost during the attack, but he was constantly bothered by the other Headmasters.

His plan had saved their academies, their careers, and most importantly their lives.

They no longer saw him as a young, arrogant brat that had become the youngest Headmaster ever only because he was the Queen’s new pet project. They finally recognized his worth and the brilliance of his mind.

They were willing to set aside their pride along with the old ways, often asking Linjos for advice about who to hire and how to change their academies for the better.

He was really flattered by all their attentions, but he was forced to spend half his time taking care of their academies instead of his own. Yet Linjos could only grin and bear with it, he knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

If he managed to obtain their trust and cooperation, the academy system could finally be changed for good. Once the Council of the Headmasters made a decision, the nobles could only comply.

It would solve one of the most pressing matters that had plagued the Kingdom for years. Sure, it would still take decades to iron out all the details and to win over enough of the old noble families to prevent other sabotages from happening, but it would still be a great start.

***

House Ernas, five days after the attack

Lith’s condition was getting better with each day. The fever was gone and thanks to the constant care he received from both families and Solus, his shriveled body was slowly returning to normal.

Yet he still looked like an old man and gave no sign he would wake up any time soon. Jirni proved to be an amazing host, providing Lith’s family with the best rooms and with everything they could need.

She had taken her time, showing them around the house little by little and telling them about its history.

Protector’s death had crushed that illusion, shattering the beliefs on which he had based his whole existence up until that point. _{ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm}