Supreme Magus novel Chapter 3724

Chapter 3724: Still Family (Part 1)

According to Thrud’s words, Leegaain was also guilty of not protecting Jormun from the thing that had caused the argument with Thrud.

Once again, Ufyl refused to focus on the details of the Unwavering Loyalty array, but Valeron could still feel the Seven Headed Dragon’s shame. Whatever it was, it shamed Thrud even more, and she had regretted it until her bitter end.

Once Ufyl was done, the other Divine Beasts answered Valeron’s questions, but it was more of the same.

They all glossed over the gruesome parts and deeply regretted everything they hid from him. Also, the Divine Beasts seemed desperate to emphasize how much Thrud loved Valeron and Jormun. That whatever she had done, she had done it for them.

"Why Lith?" Valeron asked his last question despite already knowing the answer.

The Divine Beasts unanimously replied that it was Thrud’s wish and that they had fulfilled it.

"You ask Lith hide truth me?" Valeron wanted to know if Lith had lied to him per Thrud’s instructions.

"Mother couldn’t ask more from Verhen, but there was no need to." Everyone replied when their turn came. "He wanted to protect you as much as we did. That’s why we never said anything whenever he brought you to visit us.

"We despise Verhen for what he did to your parents, but our love for you is greater than that."

"Why Lith fight Mom? Why Lith fight Dad?" Valeron asked, and everyone remained silent, just like Lith had done.

The only difference was that while Lith regretted lying to Valeron, not his actions during the War of the Griffons, Thrud’s Divine Beasts regretted both. When Valeron felt it, he wondered how much he didn’t know about his mother.

Luckily for him, in his naivety, he believed that if even her sworn enemy was willing to defend her memory, Thrud had to be a proud and honorable warrior. His mind refused to picture her as a bad person unless he received undeniable proof, and nobody was willing to give him that.

"Thanks." Valeron extended his little arms, and the Divine Beasts embraced him in turns.

He asked them to remember with him the happy times they had spent together at the Golden Griffon, and the Divine Beasts gladly delivered.

Through the Divine Beasts’ eyes and memories, Valeron relived his early days. He felt Thrud’s love for him as strong as he remembered it and was reassured that Jormun would have never left his side unless he was forced to.

Both those things made the baby boy happy and confused him even more.

How could Valeron’s parents love him yet entrust him to the man who had murdered them? Why were those bad Awakened so angry with Thrud and Jormun if they had been nothing but loving and caring people?

Valeron found no answer to his questions but decided to put them to rest. The Dragon Scales, mind links, and Leegaain’s empathic connection reassured him that whatever the Divine Beasts were hiding from him, his feelings for him hadn’t changed.

They loved him and were willing to fight to the death to protect him. Despite all the lies and omissions, they were still his family.

***

Verhen Mansion, later that evening.

"Thanks, I guess." Lith replied.

"I respect honor and duty, Lith, but not if you let them crush you." Orion nursed his drink in between small sips. "I understand how you feel, but more than anything, I understand how Jormun feels.

"I have no idea what waits for us after death or where he has gone, but one thing I can tell you for sure. Wherever Jormun is, he doesn’t blame you for what happened with those Awakened.

"Quite the contrary, he is grateful to you for saving his son’s life. He feels indebted to you for taking all the blame and not letting the harshness of the truth taint Valeron’s love for Thrud. You are protecting what’s left of the boy’s heart at the cost of yours.

"There’s no parent on Mogar who wouldn’t be proud of you for what you’ve done and what you are doing for Valeron. No parent but me."

Orion spoke those last four words with bitterness and shame. Yet those feelings weren’t addressed to Lith but to himself.

"And why is that?" Lith asked, feeling that he needed to hear the answer as much as Orion needed to say it out loud.

"Because I envy you, you damn bastard." Orion’s voice creaked, and his grip on the glass tightened. "I envy you, and I would give every last piece of enchanted metal I possess to be like you.

"You once again succeeded where I failed. When my baby girls were in danger, all I could do was rely on you."

Th𝗲 most uptodate novels are published on free(w)ebnov(e)l.𝒄𝒐𝙢