Supreme Magus novel Chapter 562

"Indeed. As for the restaurant, I just kept tabs on you after I heard about a Ranger zapping the guards. I followed you here to surprise you and I accomplished that. Your face was priceless. By the way, do you need help with that?" Friya pointed at his meal.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I’m a firm believer that it takes two to truly appreciate a chicken. The chicken and me." He replied while pulling the plate away from her fork.

"Always the gentleman, eh?" Friya pouted while ordering a smaller portion of what he had taken.

"Speaking of gentlemen, Count Cestor called saying your guild harassed Zantia’s citizens and that you’ve got some kind of divine retribution for it."

"That’s rich! We harassed no one. Viscount Krame owns many magical workshops, mostly small stuff like enchanted home appliances and ornaments. Those jerks from the Church of the Six pestered his customers and his employees with their fanatical propaganda.

"We simply kept them away from private property, that’s it. As for the ’divine retribution’, the children of the Viscount got the Griever, but my guild members are fine." Friya’s gurgling stomach forced Lith to share his plate while she waited for her own.

"What can you tell me about the Griever?" Lith’s professional curiosity was piqued.

"It’s no illness, that’s for sure. I suspect it’s caused by something in the water, because all three of the Viscount’s children presented weakened organs and random damage to the skin, but I never managed to identify what caused the phenomenon.

"Not even after it returned for the third time. Since those noble idiots seems to be unable to follow even the simplest orders, I had to give them a detail 24/7. Playing babysitter means my men can’t protect all of the shops anymore, but since we still get paid in full, I’m fine with that."

"I’m sorry to bother you, Captain, but are you not going to introduce us to your new friend?" Said a young woman in her early twenties. She had a pixie cut and a round face.

She could’ve been considered cute, if not for her thick muscular build and square jaw. Coupled with her fierce eyes, they gave her a cold demeanour, like a disgruntled drill sergeant ready to dish out a punishment.

"He’s no friend, Wyra." Friya said with a suave voice, while taking Lith’s hand and threading her fingers through his.

"We’ve decided to marry."

At those words, several mugs of beer shattered on the floor as many members of Friya’s guild either dropped them or made them fall by standing up abruptly in disbelief.

Seeing their bewildered expressions, Friya burst out in laughter, shocking them even more. She rarely showed her emotions to them. A mercenary guild was no charity, nor was it like the army. They followed her to make a profit, not because of honor and blind loyalty.

They were all mages from minor academies or had graduated from the great ones yet failed to master any specialization. They were jacks of all trades, but without the means to make a living with magic.

Friya knew they could leave her the moment they received a better offer or if they thought the mission was too risky. She trusted only the core members of her unit and kept the others at arm’s length.

"She’s joking." Lith said since Friya was still too busy crying from laughter. _{freeωebnovēl.c૦m}

"I’m Lith Verhen. Nice to meet you miss Wyra." Lith offered her his hand and she promptly shook it.

"It’s an honour to meet you, Sir. You’re a beacon of hope for us mages of commoner origin." Wyra blushed while squeezing his hand with enough strength that she would have crushed it if not for Lith’s enhanced body.