"Do you mind taking care of Filia and Frey? Zin and I are going shopping." The two youths and the colossal wolf-fox hybrid they rode made a retching sound of disapproval while grabbing with their hands an invisible noose constricting their necks. "Filia! Frey! How many times did I tell you that’s not how a noble behaves himself?" Zinya scolded them. "This is Lutia, Mom." Filia replied. "Can’t we act like when we lived here and forget about etiquette and always using the proper fork for one day? Please?" "You are right, sorry." Zinya tried to shrug off the stress of the recent days. "I’ll follow your advice and loosen up a bit. Be good, kids, do as your uncle says, and don’t wander off, okay?" "Mom, we’re not kids anymore!" Frey said in embarrassment. "Filia is over twelve years old now." "You’re right, she’s ancient." Zinya chuckled. "Bye, kids!" "Thanks, babe." Kamila walked away before Lith could say anything or express his thoughts on the matter. "Sure, Kami." He said to the now empty space to his right. "I’d love to spend time with Filia and Frey. Have fun." "Sorry for bothering you, Uncle Lith." Frey said while holding what looked like a fox-wolf cub with emerald streaks all over his fur in his arms. "Don’t apologize and don’t use my name." Lith shushed him with a whisper. "Call me…Morok! I can’t ruin his reputation since he doesn’t have one." "Women." Tezka’s Spirit tail said. "Women." Frey echoed. "Hey, I’m right here, you know?" Filia shared the sentiment but she was also personally involved. Tezka’s main body had followed Zinya and Kamila, causing the crowd to make way for them the moment the sun sparkled on his massive fangs. The nine, long tails whipping the air contributed to making the Fylgja a nightmarish figure. "Is it a doggie?" A little girl asked. "No." Tezka replied. "Yes." Zynia corrected him. "It talks?" The terrified mother said, too scared to move a muscle. "Can I pet him?" The little girl ignored her mother’s worries and stepped closer. "No." Tezka replied. "Yes." Zynia corrected him again. "He’s like a giant puppy." To prove her point, she picked up the little girl and put her on the Fylgja’s neck. "So warm!" She ruffled the thick fur. "And fluffy!" The beast’s defeated expression as the little girl played with his ears destroyed any aura of magnificence Tezka had left in the eyes of the crowd. Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, Lith decided to check on the people following Kamila and Zinya for potential threats. ’Whether Meln sent his thralls to tail Kami or more Divine Beasts are after her life, they won’t miss this opportunity. We are separated, Elysia is at home, and Tezka’s cloaking device makes him look like a magical beast.’ Lith thought. Life Vision would expose both his identity and intentions so he relaxed and let go of Death Vision. Not only had it no visible effect but it also couldn’t be fooled by any kind of magical device. Death Vision exposed undead and thralls by revealing they could die only if their weak points were destroyed. Awakened and Divine Beasts, instead, would age very slowly under Death Vision, and killing them required powerful spells or enchanted weapons. ’What the fuck?’ Filia, Frey, and Tezka being untouched by Death Vision was normal since they were close to Lith and under his protection. The rest of the city being lively and full of people instead of walking corpses, however, was not. The plants didn’t wilt, the flowers didn’t wither, and the birds didn’t turn into maggots-infested carcasses by the second. ’Is there something wrong with me?’ Lith used his breathing technique, Abyssal Grasp, to examine his life force. The cracks were still there, just a bit thinner after the recent fusion. It took him a while to notice they had stopped bleeding the black goo Valtak had named "death force" and that it no longer reached his eyes. "Is there something wrong, Uncle Lith?" Leria asked, worried by his prolonged silence and his expression shifting between confused, worried, and surprised. "No, everything is surprisingly fine." He replied as the restaurant’s owner finally found the courage to come out again. "Perfect timing." Lith said. "Something to eat for my young friends and a mug of blonde Maekosh ale for the gentleman." "Kids can’t drink!" The pallor of the woman’s skin was painted pink by rage. "He’s talking about me." The Spirit Tail shared the stress of the main body and could use a drink. "It talks?" The woman proved to be incredibly nimble for someone her size and age, reaching the doorstep with a single jump. "He, not it. But yes, he talks." The Spirit Tail said. "He can also pay." Copper coins appeared between his toes. The good manners of the beast accompanying the kids reminded the woman of one particular piece of gossip she’d heard multiple times since she had moved to Lutia. "Are you Aran and Leria Verhen?" The Verhen kids were famous and their magical beasts were the stuff of legend. "No, miss." Frey shook his head. "I’m Frey, she’s my sister Filia, and he’s our uncle… Morok. We belong to the Vastor Household, not the Verhen." "Never heard about it." She shrugged, reassured by the fact that everyone but her was still calm and composed. "Where are my manners? I’m Hida, at your service. What can I bring you?" "What do you have for dessert?" Leria asked. Five minutes later, everyone had a plate of cobbler that Tezka washed down with a beer he drank from a mug. ’Those kids must be nobles! Their pet talks, uses cutlery to eat, and can drink like a human. Rich people are always unbelievable.’ She was flabbergasted as the "pet" educated the kids about the origin of the food and commented on their table manners. "So, what do you think?" Lith asked. "That if your wife looks at another pair of shoes, I’ll need something stronger than beer. And lots of it." Tezka snorted. "I meant about the beer you’re drinking." Lith said. "What does it taste like?" "A classic Maekosh blonde ale." The Spirit Tail licked his muzzle. "There are a few minor alterations to the original recipe but it has to be expected. That sort of thing varies with the talent and taste of the brewer. If you ask me, the changes are for the better." "That’s what I wanted to hear." Lith trusted Tezka’s taste since the Fylgja had a long life and attended most of Vastor’s parties where even the rarest delicacies were common. "I’ll take a keg of what my friend is drinking, another of your best red ale, and another of dark ale." "Three kegs?" Hida was flabbergasted. "For starters." Lith nodded, putting a gold coin on the table. "Keep the change as an open tab on my name. I hate having debts." "Morok Vastor, correct?" Hida moved her eyes from the coin in her palm to the stranger in amazement. She had never possessed so much money at once in her lifetime. "What? No. Lith Verhen." He shuddered at the thought of gifting good beer to such an annoying prick.