Chapter 4174: Unexpected Return (Part 1) ’Revealing the changes in the Sage Staff would ruin the gala and any opportunity to take Meln by surprise the next time we face him.’ Solus thought. Everyone complimented Lith’s Indech wings, Kamila’s beauty, and stared at her womb like a treasure chest that was about to open. Elysia was indeed a catch, but once Raldarak grew up, he was the Awakened bloodlines’ best bet to get their hands on Tiamat’s powers. After all, a young man could have all the women that favored him, if he was so inclined. When Ripha’s nostrils flared in annoyance, Solus was about to pop a vein, and Kamila’s smile started to twist into a grin, Lith decided it was time to move on to the dance. He was about to clap his hands to get everyone’s attention when someone knocked at the front door. Somehow, the sound spread throughout the room and drowned out the chatter. "Were you still expecting someone?" King Meron asked, knowing how rude it was to arrive late to a gala. Once the Royal Couple entered, the gala’s host would seal the doors. Any normal person would rather turn around and leave rather than disrespect the most powerful people in the Kingdom. "No." Lith shook his head. "All those on the guest list are present and accounted for. Yet the most interesting part is that our latecomer must be someone I know, or they would have never gotten past my defensive arrays." Despite his paranoid nature, Lith remained calm and collected. He already knew the identity of the surprise guest thanks to the tower’s surveillance system covering the entirety of the Mansion. It was the reason he ordered the butlers to stay away from the door and opened it himself. "Consider me offended, Lith. I’ve waited until the last moment to receive the invitation for your gala. Did it get lost in the mail, or are you afraid to share the spotlight with a fellow Magus?" Tezka the Fylgja said, his canine snout twisted in a wounded expression more fake than a three dollar bill. "Neither." Lith replied, stepping to the side to let his guests witness the Suneater. "I simply didn’t know where to send it. We never exchanged communication runes, and after you stopped protecting the Vastors, I had no idea how to reach you." The creature that stood beyond the threshold was about 2.3 (7’7") meters tall, and wore a tailor-made high uniform that was identical to Lith’s except for its dull violet color. He also donned a replica of a Magus robe that only lacked the Royal Seal to be authentic. The black and silvery fur of the Fylgja didn’t deform the fabric of his clothes, framing them to perfection. Eight long tails came out of the small of Tezka’s back, the other two standing by the side of Filia and Frey. Each clone donned a cloaking item that hid their real power and altered their energy signature so as not to match each other or the Suneater. "That’s true." Tezka tapped his lips with his forefinger, pretending to be in deep thought. "Invite me in, and I won’t stay offended with you, Void Magus." "Give me a moment, Dimensional Magus." Lith replied. "This is a severe breach of the Royal Gala protocol, and even though this is my house, I can’t make this kind of decision without consulting the Royals." "True again." Tezka nodded. "I’ll wait." King Meron possessed the bright violet core ever since he had passed Tyris’ judgment and had now achieved full Awakening, yet he needed sheer willpower to stand up without letting his knees tremble. The aura of power that the Fylgja exuded made Meron feel like a little boy who had met a feral wolf in the woods while playing with his friends. "It’s been a year since the last time we met, Magus Tezka." Meron kept his voice level and employed the title that the Suneater had extorted from him to keep the Fylgja calm and happy. ’After all the effort that the Suneater made to dress up like that, revoking his status as Magus would be no different than slapping him in the face.’ The King thought. "One year to the day." Tezka nodded. "I’m happy to see you in good health, but I’m surprised you decided to attend a Royal Gala." Meron said. "We haven’t heard from you since Magus Verhen’s past birthday, and I thought you’d washed your hands of the Kingdom." "What gave you that impression?" Tezka tilted his head in confusion, but his wolfish smile revealed enough pearly fangs to make even that gesture unsettling. "I answered Magus Verhen’s call when he needed help to rescue his cousin. "I contributed to bringing Magus Menadion back. I defended the Kellar region from the Dead King’s thralls. Does none of these things matter to you, King Meron?" "You were the one who wiped out the Upyrs attacking the Kellar region?" The King’s eyes went wide in surprise. He had received reports about mysterious creatures slaughtering the Corrupted Divine Beasts like pigs. Yet aside from Zoreth, the members of the Organization had acted so quickly that the witnesses had barely time to see a huge shadow before the Eldritch-hybrids moved on to their next target. "Your surprise wounds me, Your Majesty." Tezka gave the King the slightest bow. "During our previous meeting, you asked me to compensate the Kingdom for the lives that my apprentice had taken and the destruction he wrought. "I took your words to heart and repaid my debt. We are even now. Are we not?" "Of course." Meron nodded, inwardly trying to understand what the Suneater’s angle was. He was famous for many things, but random acts of kindness weren’t among them. "Your meritorious acts deserve praise, yet before letting you enter these halls, Magus Tezka, I want your assurance that you won’t hurt anyone." "You have my word that I’ll uphold the rules of hospitality." The Fylgja replied. "I won’t attack unless I’m attacked first." "Also, I want to know why you chose to appear right here and now." The King swallowed hard and kept barring the entrance with his body. "There have been plenty of galas this past year, yet you skipped them all." "I’m a busy fox, King Meron, and I don’t have time to waste with the dressed-up measuring contests this kind of event usually is." Tezka’s eyes steeled, showing the first sign of annoyance. "Now, however, things got interesting. "The Dead King dared mess up with my turf, a Lesser Divine Beast achieved Dragonhood, and my little brother turned out to be the first perfect evolved human being ever since the Balors. "I came here to check the veracity of such news with my own eyes and finally meet the legendary Ripha Menadion without bothering her or her family. With so many guests already here, one more won’t make a difference." Vastor exchanged a confused look with Zinya. Tezka had informed neither of them of his intention to attend the gala, yet only the Master understood the Fylgja’s endgame. ’He didn’t warn me of his arrival so that my surprise would be genuine and Jirni would suspect nothing.’ Vastor thought. ’Also, by coming here, Tezka has declared his hostility towards Meln’s Upyrs and with that laid the justification for intervening whenever they are spotted.’