Supreme Magus (Web Novel)-Chapter 3608: Silence and Suspicions (Part 1)

"We have many wardrobes." Solus replied. "Pick anything you like."

After many tries and a few minutes, Friya came out of her room wearing one of Elina's dresses.

"This is a bit short and old-fashioned for my taste but it will do until we find a clothing store." She said while straightening her sleeves.

"It's weird seeing you dressed like my mother." Lith was actually creeped out but preferred making no mention of it. "Couldn't you use one of Solus' dresses?"

"Tight on the chest, large on the hips, and barely reaches below my hips. I looked like a slutty barmaid." Friya shook her head.

"The moment you heal, I'm going to kill you." Solus snarled in embarrassment.

"What about Tista, then?" Lith ignored her.

"Large on the chest, tight on the hips, and too long. I looked like a girl in her mother's clothes." Friya burned with envy, and Faluel had a hard time repressing a chuckle. "Rena's clothes would have been a perfect fit if she had your mother's breasts-"

"Stop right there!" Lith put his hand on her mouth. "The only thing I'm willing to discuss about my mother is her personality. Are we clear?"

"Cfhtl." Friya's muffled voice replied.

The group left Salman in Faluel's care and Warped them both to her lair before returning to the Silvar region. Lith found it unsettling how Elina's dress fitted Friya and was willing to buy her a dress out of his own pocket, but that had to wait.

Every minute mattered, so they reached the Singing Dryad hotel as fast as they could for an early lunch. The Awakened apprentice surveilling the place spotted them from a distance and reported it to his allies, establishing Lith's group's alibi.

Lith and the others were all smiles and laughs, bearing no sign of the fight against the two Council Elders. On top of that, there was no way to cross the distance between the Blood Warlock's turf and Khidem in such a short time without employing one of the Warp Networks.

The group spent the rest of the day touring the city of Khidem for real and enjoying the local delicacies. When the news of Iraka's and Axiran's death spread, no one suspected Lith or one of his allies.

The investigation came to the conclusion that the two Council Elders had come to blows for some reason, and the fight had ended in mutual destruction. After all, Iraka's last known position was inside Axiran's turf, and their communication runes had disappeared at the same moment.

On top of that, before leaving his mansion, Axiran had warned his slumbering disciples that he was going to meet Iraka and she was to blame if anything happened to him.

The Blood Warlock had kept the existence of the Rezar a secret not to tempt the young undead but he had made sure that if the human Elder betrayed him, she wouldn't live long enough to enjoy the fruits of her treachery.

The investigation stopped as soon as Axiran's apprentices reported that piece of information. Looking any further would have been a waste of time since there was no evidence leading in another plausible direction.

Lith laughed hard when that night Faluel shared the Council's report on the disappearance of the two Council Elders with him.

"Let this be a lesson for you, Lith." Faluel lay in her bed of gold coins, still in dire need of rest. "There is such a thing as too many secrets. Had Axiran been honest with his disciples, you might be in trouble right now."

"The only lesson I see here is that paranoia saved me once again, and this time it wasn't even my own." He shrugged.

"Very funny." She grunted.

"How's Salman? Is he okay?" Nalrond asked.

"He's damn fine." Faluel said with unusual excitement.

"Please, don't let him go anywhere until my return." Nalrond's expression hardened. "I need to talk to him."

"Don't worry. He'll be my honored guest for as long as you need. Bye!"

"Is it me, or did she sound happy?" Lith asked. "She should be sore and grumpy from the ritual."

"She did sound happy." Friya had felt something from the Hydra despite the distance separating them, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "That can wait, though. I need your help to talk to my parents.

"My amulet doesn't work yet, and if they tried to contact me, they must be worried to death. I want to reassure them in person. A call would just make them think I'm hiding something from them."

"Why do you need us?" Solus asked in confusion. "The investigation is over, and Khidem has a Warp Gate. You can go straight to the Verhen Mansion."

"I need reinforcements." Friya cleared her throat. "If I go alone, my parents will overreact and won't let me out of their sight for days."

"Fine by me." Lith replied. "I haven't seen Kami and the babies in person for two days. In my book, it's two days too long. Let's go."

As Friya had predicted, Jirni had noticed the oddity the moment it had started. She had not contacted Faluel or issued a grid search for her daughter only because she knew Friya was on a mission.

"My baby girl!" Orion charged at her in relief, yet stopped before even touching her. "Is everything alright, Friya? You feel weaker than usual, yet stronger. Also, there's something different about you."

"I'm fine, Dad. Please, sit down. There's something I need to tell you." Friya sighed.

"She's not pregnant. Also, she's holding Nalrond's hand so they are not calling off the wedding, dear." Jirni studied her daughter like one of her suspects. "Whatever this is, it happened on the mission."

"Ma!" Dripha said from her crib, prompting Orion to take her into his arms.

"Mom, let me do the talking, please." Friya pinched her nose in annoyance. "Dad, it's better if I take Dripha."

"Fa!" The baby girl giggled.

Once Friya was done talking, Orion clenched Grimlock so hard that his knuckles became white. His eyes were lit with cold fury, and only sheer willpower kept him from making a few calls and teaching the remaining Awakened Lords of the Silvar region a lesson.

As for Jirni, her left eye twitched once at the mention of Friya's mana core cracking, but everyone assumed it was a moment of weakness caused by all the stress she had endured until the very end of her pregnancy.

"Are those guys dead?" Orion's voice was low and controlled not to scare the baby.

"Yes, Dad." Friya nodded. "Pulverized."

"Damn!"

"Language!" Jirni looked at Dripha, who kept pulling at Friya's long hair.

"I thought you would be happy, not disappointed, Dad." Friya said.

"Happy doesn't even come close to expressing how relieved I am knowing you're safe, kid." Orion put his sword away, sighing. "And I'm not disappointed, just frustrated that once again one of my daughters was in danger and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Don't be silly, Dad." Friya walked to him and gave him the hug he sorely needed. "It's not your fault. I knew the risks of the mission. I knew we were facing two Council Elders yet I got cocky."