Chapter 3422 Dangerous Times (Part 1) Even simple gossip or small bits of information about the Verhens were in high demand, as long as the source was trustworthy. This put two members of the Mermaid Reef's staff under the spotlight: the concierge and the valet of the dock. The former had too much professional pride and cared too much about the hotel's reputation to let anything slip aside from a few passing comments. The latter, instead, greatly enjoyed the fame and fortune that came with his position. People competed to offer him drinks and food after work hours. It made him proud, arrogant, and, most of all, it made him keep his cars open. Tista and Rena had just returned to the Mermaid Reef with their gondola and were commenting on the events of the past days like they always did. "Man, Vinea sure is a beautiful city, but sure it's full of idiots." Rena sighed. "I'm glad we are leaving tomorrow. I'm sick and tired of noble 'casually' bumping into us while we tour the canals." "Idiots? Nice way to use an understatement. Tista scoffed as she handed the token to the valet. "Aside from Kami, attacking Mom is the most brain-dead thing anyone can do. If someone so much as touches one of her hair, there is nothing Lith wouldn't do to get revenge." "Why just Mom? What about us?" Rena asked in indignance. "Please, we can defend ourselves. I'm a Divine Beast and you can nag even me into oblivion." Tista replied. "I don't nag, you ungrateful brat!" "See? Nag, nag, nag." Tista rolled her eyes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you are a spinster." "Young lady, you're in for such a spanking!" Rena chased after her sister who laughed all the way up to the restaurant floor. 'Huh, so Supreme Magus Verhen cares about his mother the most. The valet thought. "This information should be worth a few coins, if I play my cards well.' *** Grand Duchy of Essagor, Vastor Household, at the same time. After a long and tiring day at the White Griffon Academy, Zogar Vastor was happy to enjoy a nice meal with his family. "I must say, Zin, your cooking is always the best." He said. "No offense to our chefs but I have yet to find someone who can prepare a simple soup with such a rich taste! "Please, Zogar, it's nothing much." She giggled. It actually wasn't. Zinya spent hours practicing his favourite dishes and taking lessons from the chefs of the household. During the exam periods, Vastor spent little time at home and she loved to make it special. "Tastes like soup to me. Filia grumbled, having no interest in delicate flavors and preferring more spicy food. "Don't be ungrateful, young lady." Vastor grunted. "Your mother put a lot of effort into preparing this meal and spent part of her little free time cooking for us. Why grumble instead of appreciate each other's company?" "I'm sorry, Dad." Filia noticed the Master's extended hand and she squeezed it. "Thanks for the food, Mom." "You're welcome, sweetie." Zinya's heart melted seeing her daughter and husband be so close. "Don't worry about the soup. I've also prepared your favorite roasted Blinker, an entire bottle of hot sauce, and Uncle Lith sent us a lot of his fries." "Gods, yes!" Filia cheered loudly as if a bloody war had just ended. "What about ice cream?" "I've prepared that myself." Zinya replied. "Thanks, Mom. You are the best." Filia wolfed down the soup to get to the roast as soon as possible. "Dad, can I ask you a question?" Frey raised his hand like he was still in the classroom. "Of course you can, son." Zogar nodded. "No need to raise your hand, though. This is your home, not another classroom. I had enough of those for today. Have mercy on your old man." "It's actually a question about school." Frey cleared his throat. "If you are too tired, it can wait until the end of the exam session." "Don't be silly." The Master swept the air with his hand. "I'm never too tired for you, son!" "Thanks, Dad." Frey smiled from ear to ear and another corner of Zinya's heart melted with joy as the boy took a thick book out of his dimensional ring. "It's about... Krishna Manohar." At that name, Vastor's eyes lost a part of their luster and turned sad. "I don't get him one bit." Frey failed to notice the change in his father's expression and continued. "I mean, everyone else is clear cut. Meron is a wise ruler, Uncle Marth is a genius, and Uncle Lith is a hero, but Manohar? "Sometimes he is described as a genius, others a hero, and very often as a deranged individual who put the Kingdom into danger or abandoned it in the moment of need. You knew Manohar, right?" "Modern history, huh?" Vastor gave the book a cursory glance, avoiding to ask how it referred to him. "Yes, son. I knew him very well. I was one of his academy Professors." "What version is the correct one? Was he more like Uncle Lith, a genius who loves the spotlight, or like you, a genius who prefers to keep a low profile?" The Master stared at the boy in surprise for a while. There was no flattery in Frey's eyes, he truly believed what he was saying. "All..." Vastor's voice came out cracked with emotion, forcing him to clear his throat. "All of them are correct, son. Manohar was all of those things. A genius, a hero, a menace, a madman. He didn't love the spotlight, though. "Manohar simply couldn't avoid it due to his incredible talent and horrible personality. People always ended up keeping their eyes on him, whether he and them wanted or not." Vastor glossed over Manohar's human experimentation, social blunders, and deranged logic since they were topics ill-suited for an audience so young. "Was he strong?" Frey asked, leaning toward the Master. "Very" Vastor nodded. "Manohar was an incredible mage and warrior, but that wasn't the secret of his strength. Nor was his ability to find in minutes the solution to problems that tormented his peers for years. "His secret was his voice. When he talked to you with his demeaning voice and colorful insults, he made you feel as strong as he was. He made you think you really could just extend your arms, clench his throat, and snuff the life out of him with your bare hands." "Zogar!" Zinya spat out her food when Vastor mimicked the gesture of strangling someone and the kids laughed hard. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢 "What? He asked me what Manohar was like and I answered." The Master shrugged. "Do you want me to lie to our children?" Between the kids staring at her and the "our children" part, Zinya failed to speak and just shook her head. "Tell us a few stories about him!" Filia said. "Sure, but only those age-appropriate. The rest you'll hear about when you grow up." As the Master recounted anecdotes from when Manohar was his student, Filia and Frey laughed hysterically. They gained a deeper understanding of the late god of healing and pitied everyone who had to work with or fight against him.