2281 M Rank (Part 1)

"I'm sorry for messing with your busy schedule, dear Baroness, but I wanted to invite you, Kotu, and Iriel on a trip with my family. On your DoLorean." Lith pointed at the car, making the twins gasp in amazement.

"Our DoLorean?" Mirias echoed, her face turning even paler.

"Your DoLorean." Lith nodded.

"Our DoLorean!" Wyalon showed her the crystal with pride, putting it into her hands.

Nothing in her etiquette lessons and manuals covered what a country noble had to do when receiving a priceless gift from a Magus so her brain froze and Mirias fainted on the spot.

The Baron caught her on the fly, using ammonium salts to make her recover.

"I swear to the gods, Eiros, I had the strangest dream-" She said upon regaining consciousness, just to freeze again once reality slapped her in the face.

"I never thought that the day would come where it would be my turn saying this, dear, but you are embarrassing me." The Baron said with the sweetest voice and smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Yet his words worked like a charm, poking at her pride and honor.

'If nothing makes sense, just go with the flow.' Mirias thought while getting back on her feet.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. Let's go." She actually said.

"I haven't even told you our destination, dear." The Baron found the experience of being the polite one oddly amusing.

"You are right. Where to?"

"Magus Verhen's boot camp, Grimatros." Wyalon said and Mirias walked to the car, waiting for her husband to imprint the artifact.

"You still have the key, dear. I can't open it without the crystal."

"You are right." She had never said those words to her husband so many times in a week, let alone a few minutes. Her face flushed as the Baroness handed the crystal back to the Baron.

"Since it's your first time, it would be better if you three go to the backseat and I sit in the front. Just until the Baron learns the ropes." Lith said.

Mirias and her children followed his instruction to avoid further embarrassment.

"Follow us, mother." Lith said and Elina gave him thumbs up.

The DoLorean was responsive and the controls intuitive so it took the Baron a few minutes to go from trembling rookie to driving enthusiast.

Once the tension from the novelty faded, Mirias and the twins took turns driving. Lith inwardly sighed, but he considered it as experience for his own daughter's driving lessons.

An hour and a Warp Gate later, they reached Grimatros.

"Not again!" Lith whined. He could swear to have heard Kamila's snarl from the other DoLorean despite the distance separating the two vehicles.

The whole camp was painted red and black with his family insignia flying right below the flag of the country.

Another honor guard holding more flagpoles flying his banner waited for them, making it Jambel all over again.

More than one surprise waited for him.

Drill Sergeant Tepper was waiting for him, along with Brigadier General Berion, Great Mage Eari-Ernas, and Drill Sergeant Vipli.

Lith took a deep breath, inwardly swearing like a drunken sailor while his clothes shapeshifted into the uniform of a Major of the army.

"Thanks for coming, Major Verhen. It's nice to be back where everything started." Berion outranked him in the army but he gave Lith the salute first since a Magus outranked anyone in the Kingdom but the Royals.

A Supreme Magus was even above that which had put the Royal Chamberlain in a tough spot. He was still trying to find a way to fit Lith's new custom title in the Kingdom's hierarchy without also making him the monarch.

"It's my pleasure." Lith returned them the salute before offering them his hand in turn. "Why is Vipli here and why wasn't Nalrond of the Desert invited as well?"

He could only assume that Morok had been invited due to his newfound relationship with the Ernas and because he was involved in Phloria's search as well. Yet if that was true, the Rezar too should have been there.

'By my Mom, I'm moved!' Solus couldn't believe her ears.

For once Lith remembered someone from their past without jumbling up their name or needing her help.

"No offense to house Ernas, but this event has nothing to do with the tragedy that has befallen them." Berion cleared his throat, embarrassed that the lack of communication had caused a misunderstanding.

"This is a reunion for the members of the King's army and there's no place for a civilian and a foreigner at that. You and Captain Eari are the only two Monster-ranked soldiers of your generation that graduated from the north.

"We have called you here to present you to the latest batch of cadets to inspire them and to be their role models."

"Yet some roles are more models than others." Morok pointed at the banners with a disgruntled expression. "I see no banner of the Ernas nor of the Eari households."

"For the hundredth time, Captain Eari, drop this matter." Berion's dilated nostrils were the only sign of his distress. "There is no such thing as an Eari household hence no banner. You had no relationship with the Ernas during your service so no to their banner as well."

"I do have a banner!" Morok pulled out a yellow flag depicting him shirtless and with the body of a Greek god. He was portrayed sitting while in deep meditation, with a small Mogar floating above his open palm. "I made it myself."

"Even a child can do that." Berion exhaled sharply. "A real banner needs the Royal Seal to be official otherwise it's just a piece of cloth. Now, put it away or I'll have you court-martialled for tr- I mean, I'll call Lady Ernas."

"Gods, no!" Morok had no idea if the General was talking about Jirni or Quylla, but either of them might have called off the engagement. "I apologize, sir. I promise I'll behave from now on. Sir."

'Should have done this hours ago.' Berion inwardly grumbled.

"As for Staff Sergeant Vipli, today he gets his first class of recruits and I thought it would be nice of you to give him a hand." He actually said, patting the young man's shoulders with pride.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Lith shook Vipli's hand with a firm but friendly grip. "Corporal right from the boot camp and now Staff Sergeant in a little less than four years. You've come a long way from being an annoying piece of work."

"Thanks, but there's no need for flattery. I'm content with you not holding a grudge." Vipli said with a sigh.

Magus Verhen's tone was friendly and his words nice, but the comparison between the two men made the compliments sound like mockery. The two of them had the same age and had graduated from the same class in the same camp.

Yet Lith was already a Major and a Supreme Magus. He was married to a beautiful woman and had a baby girl on the way. Kamila was a Constable and a Captain, outranking Vipli as well.

"Why flattery?" Lith furrowed a brow. "I got my officer stripes only because I'm a mage."