Supreme Magus

'Once we spot a single Emperor Beast looking for us, even if the raid fails and no one escapes, we have something to fall back on.' Lith said.

'So you just want to set a contingency plan.' Solus sighed. 'Fine by me. Just remember to change your face before we get out. If the Emperor Beasts suspect your presence in Kophar, they'll take a good look at your official portrait and not wearing your Magus robe won't be enough to hide your identity anymore.'

***

"I'm sorry to bother you, Ranger Verhen, but I need your help." Corporal Foram scratched her arms nervously.

The sun had already risen for a few hours but the investigation team had yet to find a solid lead to their next target.

"Sure. What can I do?" Lith asked.

"You have contributed to solving the plague in Kandria, right?" She pointed at the hologram of his personnel file and he nodded for her to continue. "Can you please check I'm not infected? I've been feeling itchy and feverish since we raided the Roaring Lion."

'Yeah, since I mentioned Hatorne's parasites.' Lith thought.

"Not a problem." A wave of his hand cast the parasite-detecting spell he had devised with Marth years ago, revealing there was no parasite or toxin build-up in her body. "You are just nervous. Switch tea with camomile. Healer's orders."

"Can you check me too, please?" Thaas cleared his throat nervously. "You know, just to be safe."

"Sure thing." Another spell, another bill of clean health.

"We have to deal with this cartel before news of Hatorne's toxins spreads." Yerna said while offering Lith her arm. "The last thing we need is mass hysteria. If people start to freak out, the ensuing chaos will make it impossible to catch our marks even if they were as big as a Dragon and they flew right under our nose."

"Agreed." Lith said as the rest of the investigation team formed a line to have a check-up.

"Guys, I too can help you." Solus said. "The parasite-detecting spell is simple and has been released to the public. Any good Healer knows it."

"No offense, Great Mage Verhen, but I prefer being treated by Magus Verhen." Sergeant Miks gave her a deep bow and so did everyone else. "He's a specialist. He worked on the parasites during the crisis in Kandria and can notice things someone with no experience like you might miss.

"Also…" He cleared his throat awkwardly. "There is one Supreme Magus and many Great Mages in the Kingdom, if you catch my drift. Again, no offense."

"None taken." Solus lied through her teeth.

'I have as much experience as Lith, you jerks! I helped him solve the mystery of the plague and find a cure for each type of parasite.' She inwardly grumbled.

'I'm sorry they don't trust you, sweetie.' Menadion said. 'But imagine how this would have played out if there were more than nine people in here and no Lith. I can already see everyone freaking out and the Royals imposing martial law and quarantining the city.'

'At that point, containing the news of the parasites would be impossible and the entire Kophar would riot.' Solus shuddered at the thought. 'The Emperor Beasts would have all the time to pack their stuff and move. This is a nightmare in the making.'

Once Lith was done reassuring everyone there was no ongoing infection, Constables and Knight Guards jokingly teased each other, calling their colleagues scaredy cats and pretending they hadn't been just as terrified.

"How is the search for our target going, Yerna?" Lith asked.

"Slowly." She replied. "We can't afford to make mistakes. We have lost the advantage of surprise and a failed raid would compromise the rest of the operation. We must wait until we have confirmed our targets haven't gone into hiding and their business goes on as usual."

"Fine by me. Is it a problem if Solus and I get out for a while and get a bit of fresh air?" Lith asked.

"It's not that you can, you must." Yerna shapeshifted her uniform into civilian clothes and fixed her hair up in a ponytail. "People in the popular district are damn nosy. I had to tell my neighbors something or they would have tormented us with visits to meet you."

"What's our cover story?" Lith asked.

"You are a loving nephew who's come to visit his old aunt and you are his wife." Yerna nodded at Solus. "I'm sorry but you are too pretty to be my niece. I don't want to hear people unkindly pointing out we look nothing alike and that I must be the ugly duckling in the family."

"No problem." Solus chuckled at the compliment.

"I've told everyone you are a sergeant in the army to justify your build, Lith." Yerna said. "As for you, Solus, you are just a housewife. Never mention spells aside from chore magic. I've already picked your names.

"You are Trion, like your brother, and you are Elphyn, like Menadion's daughter. I've chosen familiar names that shouldn't be hard for you to remember."

"Great thinking!" Menadion beamed with joy. "Isn't that right, Epphy?"

"Yes, Mom." Solus rolled her eyes, making everyone laugh.

Lith and Solus slightly altered their faces before going out. Enough to resemble the people the neighbors had seen walking out of the carriage the previous day and not to be recognized when compared with their official pictures.

"Yerna, dear, where are you going without introducing me to this handsome fellow?" A plump middle-aged woman with red hair and freckles was the first to prod for information but other neighbors quickly joined her.

"I'm going for groceries, Ylka." Yerna wore her best smile. "Young people eat so much. These are my nephew, Trion, and his wife, Epphy. Guys, these are our neighbors. Bye!"

She escaped the encirclement, leaving the couple surrounded by land sharks hungry for gossip.

"You two make a wonderful couple, dear Trion." Ylka said. "I bet that to become a sergeant at such a young age you have served in the War of the Griffons."
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"That's right." Lith nodded. "It was a rough time and I'd rather not talk about it."

"We all understand you, right, Erzi?" Ylka asked.

"Indeed." A blonde middle-aged woman sighed. "It was a rough time for civilians too, you know? Lots of refugees invaded Kophar, taking our houses, our jobs, and what little food we had."

The expression of disgust on Erzi's face quickly spread to the other women's faces as they nodded.

"They were all spies, if you ask me." An old midwife grunted. "At best they were hungry parasites. They ate our food on the way in and took our money on the way out. They refused to leave Kophar until the Royals paid for it."

"They did?" Solus asked in confusion.

"Well, more or less." Ylka cleared her throat. "They started to leave after the Royals used the money they saved from the traitor side to support those who wanted to move to the western regions of the Kingdom in search of better luck.

"After all their sob stories and promises to settle down here to repay us for our sacrifices, it took them but a few coins to pack their bags and leave. Ungrateful bastards."