Supreme Magus novel Chapter 3780

3780 /3783

Chapter 3780: Hiccups (Part 1)

“Don’t say that, Dad.” Keyla tried to hug the Demon, but her arms phased through him. “You have no fault for what happened. Do you mind?”

She pointed at the Count and then at Protector.

“Sure.” The Skoll replied and stepped forward, but Trequill-Varegrave stopped him.

“It’s not necessary.” His face became a mask of focus as he turned his body solid and conjured a hologram that restored his human appearance. “I was just too excited to see you again to remember about my current condition.”

He went for a hug, and Keyla burst into tears when she felt her father’s warmth again.

“Let’s be real, Dad.” She tried to smile and joke, but she couldn’t stop herself from sobbing. “You didn’t come back for us but for the magic show. I should have known you wouldn’t miss it.”

“How dare you, young lady?” Lark clicked his heels and his monocle jumped away in outrage. “Of course, I came back for you two. The magic show was just a nice incentive.”

He put the monocle back in place, and it popped out again the moment the Count turned to Protector.

“You have talent, young man. Not as much as my protégé, but still.”

“Dad!” Jadon joined the hug, his voice too moved to convey the rebuke properly. “Mister Protector saved our lives.”

“And for that, he has my eternal gratitude.” Count Lark gave the Skoll a bow as deep as the family hug allowed him to.

‘This is pushing things too far, Lith.’ Protector said. ‘I don’t deserve such praise. It’s my fault if we are playing with the Larks’ feelings. I’m not proud of this and I deserve no praise.’

‘I didn’t ask Varegrave to say anything like that.’ Lith replied. ‘Varegrave?’

‘If it’s not you, who is telling me what to say?’ The Demon asked. ‘Who mentioned Hilya and Pontus to me?’

“As for you, Lith, if you expect to receive my forgiveness for causing my untimely demise, you are sorely mistaken.” The Count continued, and Lith swallowed hard.

He could feel something moving along the chains he had used to connect his friends. Someone who hadn’t been there until a few seconds ago.

“Not because you don’t deserve it, but because you don’t need it.” Trequill Lark released his children from the embrace and walked in front of Lith. “I know you feel guilty for what happened to me, but you have no reason to.

“I never resented or blamed you for my fate. You couldn’t protect me from an enemy you weren’t aware existed. There are only two people responsible for my death. Meln and I.”

“Dad, how can you say that?” Keyla asked. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

“Because I was stupid and naïve.” Lark lowered his head to look his daughter in the eyes. “Back when your mother, Koya, tried to kill us, it should have been my wake-up call. I had rebuilt the Larks’ fortune and restored our house, but I never worried about its safety.

“Otherwise, how could a bitter, magicless woman whose noble title was inferior to mine almost succeed in killing me and, most importantly, you and Jadon?

“After a mediocre, talentless mage poisoned me, after our entire family became prisoners of our own home and needed the help of a child to survive, I should have learned my lesson.