"A wonderful and yet Forbidden creation." Sylpha said while handing several handkerchiefs to Tyris. "Based on Royal Forgemaster Ernas’s assessment, the DoLorean can’t be owned by regular people. From now onward it has to be considered tier one Forbidden Magic."
Orion had tried all of his Forgemastering Spells on the car during the flight, but he had failed to unlock its secrets. He didn’t like doing that, but Orion was a soldier and when the King ordered, he could only obey.
"Forbidden Magic has tiers?" Lith asked with amazement.
"Just two of them." Marchioness Distar said while taking sketches of the car. "Tier one means that it doesn’t harm the people of the Kingdom, only its laws. Tier one can be performed as long as the mage has the Royal Authorization.
"Tier two, instead, can never be employed. Even if the King himself were to be caught in the act, he would be immediately executed, as it happened for Arthan."
"I definitely want the DoLorean." Salaark said to Tyris from thousands of kilometers away. "When Lith comes to visit, I must ask him for the blueprints."
"Ask? Why don’t you just take it?" Balkor asked, wishing that his family had a DoLorean as well. It would make him feel much safer.
"Who do you take me for? A petty thief?" Salaark snarled. "I made the laws of the Desert and I follow them. I never stole from my own subjects, let alone from someone that could become a valuable asset."
Back in the Red Flag valley, Lith tried to bargain his way out of that pinch.
"I never meant to mass-produce the DoLorean and it requires the collaboration of my associates." He avoided mentioning Friya to not drag her into that mess and saying that the constructs were actually Solus’s work to keep her existence a secret.
"There’s no need to flag my workings as Forbidden Magic, it would just cause me more trouble."
"Don’t worry, young man." The Marchioness said.
"Tier two gets you killed whereas tier one Forbidden Magic is one of the greatest achievements a craftsman can receive. It means that you outmatched the known restrictions about magic and that the law needs to be changed to keep up with a single person.
"It’s something that usually happens only when a Magus shares their knowledge. You must be proud of yourself, Lith, just like everyone here is proud of witnessing history being written."
"Indeed." Milea walked through a Gate, followed by her trusted but not-so-respected-anymore mentor who was under the guise of a black-haired mage wearing a lab coat. "Any country would be glad to have such an innovator among their ranks, especially the Empire.
"We are the most advanced magical community on Garlen, and I would spread your creation instead of keeping it hidden like something you must be ashamed of."
"Nonsense." King Meron said. "Spreading something like that would only bring chaos and create more problems than it would solve. In the wrong hands, it might be weaponized and unleash a war none of us is ready to face."
"Meron is right." Leegaain said, making sure that both he and Milea remained on his side of the land. "I know that you are eager to give a better life to your people, but remember that knowledge is a double-edged sword.
"Think of what Silverwing’s legacy did to our country."
"Please, a flying vehicle is nothing like Silverwing’s legacy. No offense, Archmage Verhen." Milea said.
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