Chapter 4128: Competition to Avoid (Part 1)

"Also, I’m bloated. I’m huge! Not Quylla huge, but still." Kamila said.

"Believe me, I didn’t miss that detail." Lith said while staring intently at her breasts.

"Pervert." She giggled. "I mean that I feel weird about myself, and I’m worried about what’s about to come. Your birthday is around the corner, and I’ll have to attend a gala while I still look like this.

"Then, Ral should be born soon after, and I’ll have to attend another gala while struggling against my depression after losing my powers. Then it’s Elysia’s birthday, and I’ll have yet another gala." Kamila started to sob, her emotions going up and down like a rollercoaster.

"I’m afraid of what might happen this time. I don’t want to waste my time moping instead of welcoming Ral into this world. I don’t want Elysia to see me like that. Not now that she is old and intelligent enough to understand what happens around her.

"I don’t want her to think that Ral makes me miserable or worry if she had the same effect on me as well. All the while, you have your special bond with our children, and I won’t be able to communicate with them anymore."

"I can see why you are nervous." Lith caressed her hands with his thumbs. "You’ve given this a lot of thought."

"I have too much free time." She sighed. "And you going on missions and risking your life doesn’t help."

"Do you want to get back to work as a Constable?" He asked.

"No way!" Kamila’s snarl was too enthusiastic to be a lie. "The crazy eating and bathroom routines are something I wouldn’t show anyone. On top of that, once Ral is born, I want to be there for him.

"There will always be criminals, whereas he will have only one first word and first step. If I miss those, I would never forgive myself."

"About that. Mama. Mama." Lith whispered to her womb, making her chuckle. "Remember to say Mama, Ral. The fate of Mogar depends on it!"

The baby boy kicked in reply, making Kamila flinch

"Also, I’d really like to take a short vacation before those damn galas." She said. "A bit of peace in between storms would do wonders for my mood, and if we wait for too long, I’ll give birth and be unable to move for the gods know how many weeks."

"At least with Ral in your womb and Elysia in your arms, nothing can happen to you. You won’t be this safe after giving birth." Lith pondered. "It’s funny. If Mogar had months, I’d be born mid-December and Elysia mid-February.

"What if Ral is born mid-January?"

"That’s far from funny in my book." She groaned. "One birthday per month is already hard. If the children also spend the rest of the year arguing about who shares the most special connection with dad, it would be a nightmare."

"Still, it’s better than being born in the same month or sharing the birthday." Lith shrugged.

"Gods, don’t make me think about it!" Kamila whined.

"We’ll take our vacation as soon as things settle down, Kami. I promise." He said.

"Not so fast, Magus." She showed the moon pendant hanging from her neck. "We need to think about something to give Ral. Elysia can’t be the only one."

"Great." Lith joined her whining. "More work."

***

Gorgon Empire, Regalia Plains, over a powerful mana geyser near the borders with the Kingdom.

"What’s taking you so long?" Jorl snarled. "We have to go back to Jiera, or the Dead King might suspect something."

"I’m reading about this Verhen, child, and analyzing thoroughly every bit of news available." The Black Throne replied. "Besides, you have no reason to be so impatient. You can’t return so soon to your former lord.

"You need plausible deniability for the death of the Upyrs that accompanied you."

"I thought about that." Jorl paced the control room nervously. "I can just say that the Upyr whom Orpal sent after us got caught and that the Kingdom’s troops found us too. I can blame everything on Orpal, but that’s not the issue.

"What if Verhen spread the news about the new mage tower at the service of the Dead King? If your existence gets exposed to the public, all my careful plans and preparations will be for naught!"

"Unless what I’m reading is shameless propaganda, Verhen is too smart to do something like that." The cursed tower kept reading, finding many new questions and very few answers to his suspicions.

"What do you mean?" The Storm Griffon asked in confusion.

"Think about it." The Black Throne replied. "What does he get from exposing your plans? What if he keeps them a secret instead?"

"You’re right." The moment Jorl regained his cool, his situation didn’t look so dire anymore. Quite the contrary. "Verhen will wait for Orpal’s bragging message, and when that doesn’t happen, he’ll remember what I said to him and realize I’m staging a coup."

"Exactly." The Black Throne read about Lith’s exploits in chronological order, studying the meteoric rise of the Supreme Magus with the same care as if they were his research notes. "Verhen hates his brother. He wants you to succeed.

"Even better, he can reveal your betrayal the moment the Upyr faction gains too much momentum and split your forces without moving a finger. At least, that’s what I would do.

"Why fight two towers when you can put one against the other? Why fight an army of Upyr when you can spark an internal struggle and dispose of whoever emerges victorious yet weakened from the conflict?"

"That would be stupid." Jorl nodded. "Which means we need to push my plans forward. We must get rid of Orpal before the war he’s going to start reaches a turning point."

"That’s what we’ll do, and you’ll succeed, child. Because you have me." The cursed tower replied. "Yet once the Dead King falls, Verhen will come for us. We can’t be caught unprepared, because while we plot against Orpal, Verhen plots against us."

"What do you propose to do?" The Storm Griffon asked.

"We start by understanding our opponent and the threat he poses." The Black Throne finished reading the news about the rebuilding of the temple of the All-Father and started back from the beginning.

"According to my sources, he’s suspected to be bonded to a cursed object, correct?"

"Correct, but that was just the whining of the Golden Griffon before its destruction." Jorl dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "There is no proof of it. Verhen almost died multiple times since he was a child, and his life force is crippled.

"Where was this alleged cursed object when Verhen fought against Balkor’s Valors, Nalear, or when he almost got killed by a Wyvern during the fifth year? Why is there no trace of it when he fought in Kulah or Kolga?

"There were plenty of witnesses during most of Verhen’s feats, yet no one suspected anything until the Golden Griffon came up with that bullshit."

"What you say is correct, but I’ve found many inconsistencies during my readings." The Black Throne replied. "Ever since Verhen was a kid, he was too good a Forgemaster."

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