Kamila had to admit that although Leria was young, she knew her stuff. Lith’s cooking was really delicious. Elina asked Kamila about her past and when she noticed that Kamila didn’t mention anything related to her life before the army, Lith’s mother decided to not pry further.
“Your house is really beautiful.” Kamila said after noticing the many magic fueled home appliances inside every room and spacious bathrooms.
“My apartment is much smaller, yet I could have never afforded such a comfortable place if it weren’t for Belius being a giant army base. Sometimes I can’t believe I spent most of my life without running water and all these conveniences.”
Anything which required even a small magic crystal was the result of forgemastering. They were very expensive and usually only noble and rich households could afford them.
Belius was one of the rare exceptions in the entire Kingdom where anyone had the equivalent of a modern Earth home because of the nature of its arrays, which protected the border with the Gorgon Empire.
Everyone else was still forced to chop wood to get warm during winter and get their water from a well or another water source all year long.
“I hear you, Kamila.” Rena nodded. “After I got pregnant with Leria, I’ve basically moved back to my family home. Once you get used to hot and cold water on tap, heating during winter, and cooling during summer, it’s hard to go back to the old lifestyle.
“Also, having a Healer available 24/7 is priceless, especially when you have your first child. I went into a panic whenever Leria sneezed and Tista was away.”
After lunch, Lith used light and air magic to stage one of the children’s favorite shows: the legend of Bang, the last airmaster. It had everything they could wish for. A young, dumb protagonist, good feelings, funny animals and cool fights.
Light shaped the holograms while air magic gave them voices and the other elements were used only for the special effects. Lith had never projected a movie for Kamila, just like he avoided using magic as much as possible in front of her.
He was afraid that showing off his powers too much could widen the small gap he felt was still between them. He had learned from experience that normal people would see a mage as either an asset or a monster.
It was one of the main reasons mages mostly married nobles or colleagues. The former would boost their social status, while the latter were the only ones who could truly accept them.
‘In for a penny, in for a pound.’ Lith thought. ‘Between Warp Steps, my special cooking style and what she witnessed in Othre, this shouldn’t be too bad. If she wants to be a part of my life, I can’t hide forever. Especially in front of my family.’
The play didn’t seem to scare Kamila. Quite the contrary, she remained enraptured by it. After the food and the fun tuckered out the kids for their afternoon nap, she asked Lith to show her around the farm.
“That light show was amazing.” She said after he brought her to see Selia’s old house.
The huntress had moved away years ago, yet Lith returned there from time to time, hoping to learn what had happened to the woman who had taught him how to hunt back when he was still a kid and to his first true friend, Protector.
“Too bad the story was so childish and full of plot holes. It would be marvelous if you could project more mature stories, even if just for the two of us.” She snuggled on his arm while he used water magic to make the snow part in front of them.
“More mature stories? It’s doable, but I prefer living certain situations rather than just spectating them.” His lecherous tone left no doubt about what he was referring to.
“Pervert! I meant like those from good books or theatrical works.” She giggled and punched his shoulder.
“I have always dreamed of meeting the protagonists of my favorite novels or watching the best scenes of the plays I love the most over and over again. Maybe, now that I have a giant mage boyfriend, he could make my wish come true.”
“Maybe.” Lith nodded. “I don’t know who this sucker is, but my suggestion is to entice him by wearing as little as possible when you ask him for a favor. I also heard that hot, passionate sex is a great way of saying ‘please’ or ‘thank you’.”
“What’s wrong with you today? Are you this cheeky because it’s your birthday or does Lutia bring it out in you?” Kamila’s tone sounded like a rebuke, but she actually moved his hand from her shoulder to her hip.
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong. After bugging me for days about what to give me as a present, I have yet to receive a single present. I’m the birthday boy yet I have worked all day to fill your bellies and keep the kids entertained. How is that fair?”
Lith said with an overly dramatic tone while pretending to be heartbroken. His acting was as terrible as he wanted it to be, making Kamila laugh heartily.
‘Maybe Lady Ernas is right. Maybe if I really get to become a Constable, I should get myself a Forgemaster for a husband.’ She thought as she pulled the collar of his coat with both hands to give him a passionate kiss.
“Does it feel better now?”
“Not yet, but it’s definitely a start.”
***
When the presents were finally revealed after dinner, Lith thought that by mentioning them he had jinxed his own birthday. Both Kamila and his parents had only bought clothes for him, the thing he hated the most as gifts. If they weren’t enchanted, of course.
His face when opening them was worse than the one he made when checking the bill at a fancy restaurant, which made most of those present laugh until they cried.
“I’m sorry sweetie.” Said Elina once she managed to catch her breath.
“Gifting enchanted items to a Forgemaster is like pouring water in a river. You have no hobbies and you already decorated your house as you thought best. It’s not like you left us a choice.”
“Same here.” Kamila said.
Lith cast the Hush spell around the kids’ ears and was about to say something very rude when his army amulet drew his attention. His free days weren’t actually free, he was always on call.
His temporary handler warned him about an emergency in Kogaluga. Something had been pushing on the barrier protecting the lost city with growing intensity. It was an alarming sign since Lith had cleared the zone recently.
The only good thing about the lost cities was their predictability. Any anomaly was considered a high level threat to the Kingdom.
Lith cursed his bad luck and left along with Kamila.
“Actually, half of my gift is waiting for us in my apartment. It’s something I’m planning to wear the next time we spend the night together.” She whispered in his ear before she took the Warp Gate to Belius.
“Please, take care. If something happens to you, it would become useless and there’s no way I’d get a refund.”
“I’m really rubbing off on you.” Lith chuckled trying to cheer her up. She was clearly disappointed of having to part from him so abruptly after planning that day for so long.
