Supreme Magus

'Is it me or is there a clear resemblance between this new Demon and Solus Verhen?'

Meron asked via a mind link connecting the two pieces of the Saefel Set.

'I see it as well.'

Sylpha replied.

'But physical resemblance alone means nothing and we have never met Menadion. This could just be an impostor claiming to be her. Before making any decision, we need some answers.'

'Don't worry, I have a way.'

Meron tapped into the palace's arrays he could still control to take a painting from the Valeron Hall.

The paintings hung on the walls of the Throne Room depicted solely the current King and the feats he had accomplished to be deemed worthy of the crown.

Whenever a new descendant of the First King rose to the throne, the paintings of the old ruler were replaced by those of the new one and stored in a private exhibit that the guests of the Royals would usually visit when given a tour of the palace.

It was a way to display the accomplishments of the royal family and remind the arrogant nobles that no matter how high they rose, only those possessing royal blood could be appointed to the crown.

Among the Royal Exhibits, only two were forbidden to ever be opened to the public.

The first belonged to Arthan Griffon, the Mad King.

Even though he was the inventor of Body Sculpting and the first god of healing of the Kingdom, Arthan was an indelible stain on the honor of the Crown. Even his achievements were a mark of infamy.

Without solid proof, everything he had done was considered the result of Forbidden Magic whose cost had been paid with the blood of countless innocents.

The Royals visited the Mad King's exhibit solely to not forget the mistakes of the past and learn humility. Valeron's blood wasn't enough to make one great and wearing the crown made no one infallible.

On top of that, the Royals were afraid that, among those paintings, statues, and relics left by the Mad King, there might be hidden clues to his legacy. No one wanted another Arthan's Madness and after Thrud's return, security had been doubled.

The second forbidden exhibit belonged to Valeron Griffon, First King and Founding Father of the Griffon Kingdom. Enjoy new tales from m-v l'e|m,p-y r

Such choice baffled many since Valeron had been a wise ruler and an honorable warrior. Even centuries after his death, Valeron was still a figure everyone looked up to and strived to match his feats, not daring to presume they could be surpassed.

Countless people across the Kingdom begged to see the relics belonging to the First King while famous artists offered to make replicas for free. Their goal was to increase their fame and allow people all over the country to bathe in Valeron's glory.

Yet the Royals denied even such requests, sharing only a few paintings of Valeron with the public and only those that depicted him alone or with one of the Founding Pillars of the Kingdom.

The reason for this was a specific request left by the First King in his will. Most of Valeron's friends were powerful Awakened, like Lochra Silverwing and Ripha Menadion.

Were anyone to see the paintings depicting them, Valeron's friends could be recognized and their identity as Awakened exposed. Also, the First King had done it to protect Tyris' freedom.

The paintings of the First Queen resembled her closely but no one would think they were the same person, even if they saw the Guardian standing right beside one of them.

Her current alias as Constable Griffon and those she had used in the past were possible only because of Valeron's wish and Tyris enforcing it.

"Do you mind, taking your human appearance, Lady Menadion?" Meron asked once the painting Warped in his hand.

"Gladly." A touch of Light Mastery hid her extra eyes and turned her jet skin to a pearly pink.

"It's definitely you." Sylpha moved her eyes from the painting to Menadion. "The height, the build, even the eye color match. Yet one question remains. Why all this?"

The Queen weaved her hand at the wild arrays pushing everyone but the Royals and their guests into a kneeling position.

"I'll tell you why, kid." Menadion threw her Fury to Sylpha in a slow lob, to let her examine it. "Because I trusted Valeron, not his descendants. Had he decided to become the eternal ruler of the Kingdom, I would have never put safeguards while building the palace.

"Yet knowing that one day he would step down from the throne, I took a few precautions. We both know that Tyris doesn't intervene easily and that many people would have been tempted to capture me.

"My tower, my skills as a Forgemaster, and the secret of Awakening made me the perfect target for any crowned idiot hungry for power who got access to a painting like that one. History proved me right twice. First with Arthan and now with you."

"Did Arthan-" Meron tried to ask.

"No, he wasn't that stupid." Menadion cut him short with a scoff. "Arthan knew that if he failed to capture me, best case scenario I would have told Tyris and Valeron of his attempt and blown his cover. Worst case scenario, I would have killed him like the mad dog he was.

"If it makes you feel any better, runt, Valeron knew of my meddling with the palace arrays and after Arthan, he understood my reasons and left them in place on purpose. He didn't expect me to die just two decades after him and wanted to ensure my safety."

"I see." The King overlooked the First Ruler of the Flame's disrespect because he indeed was but a petulant child compared to her.

That and because Meron had everything to lose and nothing to gain from further alienating the sympathies of the legendary Forgemaster.

"Yet this still doesn't explain your presence here."

"It's a short story." Menadion repeated the same lies she had told the Eldritches and the Dragon patriarchs.

Solus emitted a low-pitched whine every time Elphyn's questionable moral conduct and her alleged pregnancy were mentioned.

"This is amazing!" Queen Sylpha now looked at Solus like a colossal pile of powerful artifacts. "The Kingdom is glad to have you back, Lady Menadion. May I ask you what your plans for the future are?"

"My tower is lost but since I'm already here I think I'll stay around for a while." Ripha replied. "Once I catch up with modern magical knowledge, I plan to impart my Forgemastering techniques to Solus. After that, anything is possible."

"Would you consider resuming your role as Royal Forgemaster?" King Meron asked. "The Crown would pay you handsomely and finance both your studies and research."

'Well done, dear.'

Sylpha said.

'Demons can't move away from Lith so by securing Menadion we'd get them both to our beck and call.'

"Thanks, but no thanks." Menadion's reply made the Royals stifle a groan. "My mind is still scarred from death. I need time to recover and I doubt politics and power plays would do any good to my mental health.

"Besides, one thing was working for my friend Valeron. Working for you would be another, especially since as I've already said, I don't trust you."