2599 Let's do the Warp Gate Again (Part 1)
The most notable differences between the late Count Lark and his heir were that Jadon was almost ten centimeters (4 inches) shorter and had a muscular build while Trequill had always been wiry.
The current Count Lark was in his late twenties, with pitch-black hair and a goatee. A blue silk string went into the breast pocket of his jacket, where he kept one of his father's black-rimmed monocles.
Jadon had perfect sight, he always kept the monocle on himself as a memento to never forget about his father and never forgive his murderer.
"Please, if you were to list all the titles I got, a single phrase would take hours and our conversations would last days." Lith said with a chuckle. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'll call you Jadon as long as you call me Lith"
"Well, Lith, then I have to inform you that the reason I called you is that your presence is gracefully required in Lutia at your earliest convenience." Jadon replied with mock deference and a formal tone worthy of the Royal Court.
"You mean right now?"
"No, the next year on this very same day." The Count replied with a snort. "Of course right now. I'm waiting for you in the main square. Count Jadon Lark out."
"Wait, are you already there?" Lith's question fell on a hung-up call. "That was weird. What do you think, Solus?"
"That we shouldn't make Jadon wait." She replied. "He's an old friend and he has never bothered us without a good reason. Please, make sure to include me in whatever conversation you two have."
"Will do." Lith knew that even though Solus knew Jadon for as long as Lith did, to the Count she was a complete stranger and that pained her greatly.
Whenever they visited the Lark estate and stopped by Trequill's tomb, she was never allowed to share her memories of the late Count which exacerbated her sense of loss.
Before leaving the tower, Lith checked his amulet to make sure that he hadn't missed any calls or received any messages.
Every time he thought of Lark's death, he felt the need to make sure that the important people in his life were okay.
Only after he checked with Kamila, his parents, the army, and the Council that everything was alright did he shapeshift the inside of the tower to resemble his home and activate the Warp Mirror to reach his destination in one step.
"Seriously?" Solus rolled up her eyes. "Today's is Grandma's turn. If something happens to Kami then I'm-By my Mom!"
A booming applause and stomping of feet canceled the last part of Solus' phrase while she looked around and realized they were surrounded by every citizen of Lutia she knew plus many she had never seen before.
The plaza was empty whereas the streets surrounding it, the nearby establishments, and any available public space were packed with people. The crowd extended as far as the eye could see and an excited hubbub filled the air.
Waiting for Lith in the main square there were Jadon and Kelya Lark, the late Count's heirs, Marchioness Brinja Distar and her husband Ainz, the Headmaster of the Black Griffon academy, the Verhen family in full force, including the Proudhammers, Kamila, and the Royals who were accompanied by four Royal Guards wearing a Royal Fortress armor.
Surprise brought many words to Lith's lips, most of them vulgar and meant to express his abject surprise for being ambushed like that.
Yet according to the books in Soluspedia, never before in the annals of the Griffon Kingdom had the Royal family honored the Lustria County with their presence, let alone a backwater place like Lutia.
Tve met Meron and Sylpha enough times to be sick of their faces but for everyone else, this is some kind of miracle. I can tell just by looking at Zekell's eyes that he's as excited as if the gods have descended among us.
"If even someone as jaded as him is so thrilled, I can't imagine what the rest of Lutia is feeling. I have many questions, but it's better to ask them in a way that won't spoil the mood.'Lith thought.
He dropped to one knee, followed by Solus and everyone else.
The citizens of Lutia had already paid their homage to the Royals upon laying their eyes on the King and Queen for the first time, but they found it unacceptable to be standing while their Supreme Magus knelt.
"Stand up, everyone. There's no need for formalities between friends." King Meron's voice echoed throughout the place without the need for any magical enhancement now that his body had fully adapted to the cracks in his life force.
"Also, and keep this between us, the Royal Chamberlain has yet to figure out Magus Verhen's social status and it's unclear who should bow to who in such circumstances." Yet the people of Lutia waited for Lith to stand up before doing the same.
The laughter at the King's joke continued until he raised his hand, asking for silence.
"I suppose you have many questions, Magus Verben. About our presence in your village. this crowd, and the surprise party, correct?" Sylpha asked while pointing at flying mages that were setting up garlands, decorations, and banners all around the city.
"Yes." Lith noticed that right behind the Royals, there was a majestic building entirely made of stone that stuck out like a sore thumb among the wooden edifices surrounding it.
The front of the building had been covered by a huge drape connected to a rope that was being held by Jadon.
"The answer to all of your questions is that we are proud to announce the beginning of phase one of your Tablets project, one of your contributions to the Kingdom that earned you the Magus title!" The King said, triggering another booming applause that forced Lith to shield his ears with air magic.
It makes sense."Lith thought. During the last meeting, the Royals decided that only the capitals of the various regions, the six great academies, and Lutia would be provided with Tablets until their usefulness is proven.
It explains everything but the presence of the Royals and the enthusiasm of the Lutians. It would if they had any idea how having a smartphone can change their lives, but none of them has ever tried a communication amulet."
Yeah. I also don't understand the need for all of these theatrics. Solus replied. They could have just sent you a message. I don't see why this requires your presence."
"Yet for the Tablets to work, a mainframe has to be built in Lutia." The Queen continued from where Meron had left, without breaking the rhythm of the speech. "Only the Mage Association has the right to supervise such a marvel of magic and make sure it's not tampered with or abused.
"Alas, there's no branch of the Association in Lutia. That's why in the past few months we had one built here and today, the King and I came to officiate its opening."
Lith's eyes went wide at the realization of what was happening. No one cared about a local branch of the Association since it was no charity. Every service a mage would provide had to be paid for.
What everyone was cheering for was what the mere presence of the Association implied.
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