Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1897 Mind Games

The crimson tide receded, and the sun rose again, only to hide behind a perpetual curtain of gloom.

No one knew about Sandraʼs arrival. No one except Adam.

Kara relieved him around midnight. Since then, Adam had only been pretending to sleep. He couldnʼt sleep. His conversation with the vampire kept replaying in his mind.

What did the vampire want from him?

Why didnʼt she attack him or the others last night?

Why did she warn him about there being spies everywhere in the spirit plane?

Was she an ally?

No, she couldnʼt possibly be!

She was acquainted with Dorian, the vampire whose brother Adam had killed. So how could she possibly be a friend?

Damn that vampire!

Adam sat with his back against the wall. His head hung low as he tried to make sense of what had transpired last night.

The vampire had cast a spell on others so they couldnʼt eavesdrop on their conversation.

Why would she do that?

The more Adam thought about it, the more confused he grew.

Sheʼs playing with me, he thought.

No, she has to be!

He figured that the talisman prevented her from entering the cave, and so, she played mind games with him. If that was her objective, then she clearly succeeded, as Adam had spent the entire night trying to make sense of things.

Despite not achieving much success in trying to figure out her true objectives, Adam did confirm a few things.

Dorian is here in this secret plane, he thought.

Now I have to stay alert not only for Darren, but also the vampire whose brother I killed.

Dragonshit!

Second, she definitely felt something when she saw my appearance.

His hand subconsciously reached for the patch of bone-white hair framing his temple.

Dorian mustʼve told her about me, he mused.

Sheʼs definitely not an ally.

But… what did she mean if I could do it? Do what exactly?

And why did she tell me about the Kingʼs eyes and ears being everywhere—

His train of thought came to a grinding halt when he sensed footsteps approaching him. He raised his head and saw Genevieve approach him and then take a seat beside him.

She remained silent for a few moments, then said softly, ”Your mindʼs a mess.”

Adam smiled wryly. ”Itʼs so obvious, huh?”

”No.” Genevieve shook her head. ”Iʼm just more sensitive to such things.”

She turned and looked at him. Then she said in a hushed voice, ”Did something happen? You werenʼt like this last night.”

Adamʼs lips curled upward. ”Nothing happened. Everythingʼs fine.”

Heʼs lying, Genevieve thought.

Maybe… he doesnʼt trust me enough.

”Fine,” she said and rose to her feet before briskly walking away.

Adam blinked.

Did I say something offensive?

”Tsk, tsk, tsk!” Valerian, who lay nearby, shot him a scornful look.

The little fellow rose to his feet, let out an exaggerated hmph, and strutted after her.

Adam was dumbfounded.

What in the nine hells is going on?

He rose to his feet, pushing away thoughts of his encounter with the vampire the night before.

The adventurers had prepared a small fire in the cave and were currently preparing breakfast — wolf meat and broth.

”Iʼve never tasted wolf before,” Koby murmured as he added seasonings to the pot.

Adam took a seat with the rest, then said casually, ”It tastes like human meat. Quite nutritious, I must say.”

Everyone turned pale.

”W-W-What?!” Koby blurted out, nearly dropping the entire bag of seasoning into the pot.

Adam burst into laughter. He laughed and laughed and laughed. His laughter somehow felt even more uneasy than the words heʼd said prior.

”Itʼs a joke!” he said at last.

”Y-Y-Youʼre funny, sir Adam.” Koby laughed nervously. He didnʼt find the man funny at all.

Adam really liked teasing the fellow. He glanced at everyone present, then asked, ”So whatʼs the plan for today?”

”Scout the nearby surroundings,” Kara said. She turned to him, then asked, ”Wanna join me, Adam?”

The raven-haired youth shrugged. ”Sure.”

Then he turned to the rest and said, ”At least two of you should remain here and guard our hideout.”

His gaze locked onto Genevieve and Koby. ”Is that fine by you two?”

Koby quickly agreed. Genevieve, however, frowned ever so slightly. But in the end, she agreed as well. She didnʼt know why he didnʼt trust her skills enough. Sure, she might be inexperienced, but she wasnʼt a burden.

”Good.” Adam nodded. He then turned to Michael and Darren, then said, ”Since Kara and I are good at scouting, it doesnʼt make sense for both of us to go together. So one of you is going to—”

Darren quickly interrupted him. ”Iʼll go with Kara.”

Adamʼs eyes flashed with a strange light. But he quickly hid the sharp gleam, lest a certain sensitive person read his intentions.

”Suit yourself,” he said with a nonchalant smile.

He turned to Michael and added, ”Looks like itʼs going to be you and me.”

Michael was comfortable with the arrangement.

”Weʼll finish breakfast, then head out,” he continued. ”Our objective is to study the terrain and identify any inhabitants that may pose a threat to us. But more importantly…”

His expression turned solemn.

”We need to look for any clues left behind by the other Magi and Paladins.”

”You mean…” Genevieveʼs eyes narrowed.

Adam turned to her and nodded. ”All those adventurers who are trapped in this secret plane, theyʼve got to be somewhere, right?”

”If theyʼre not dead already.” Darren scoffed.

”Youʼre quite the optimistic one!” Michael hissed at him. He really didnʼt like such people who spewed negative things all day.

”Unfortunately, heʼs right.” Adam sighed. ”Hopefully, theyʼre not dead, and we can find them. And if we do, I can only hope theyʼre friendly.”

”What if we donʼt?” Kara couldnʼt help but ask.

”Then we look for safe ways deeper into the secret plane,” Adam said solemnly. ”Clearly, the gates have closed behind us, and we canʼt leave. So the only way out… is through.”

”Itʼs going to be an adventure!” Valerian clapped joyfully.

”Not for you,” Adam said with reproach. ”Youʼre going to stay behind with Genevieve.”

”What! Why?!” Valerian was flabbergasted.

”Because I said so!”

”Injustice! Brother, you cannot do this!”

”I can. And I am.”

As Genevieve watched the two bicker, a small smile found its way to her lips.

In that moment, she realized Adam hadnʼt told her to stay behind because he doubted her abilities.

He had simply wanted to protect her.

A strange feeling stirred within her heart.

It was something she had never experienced before.

And it left her quietly confused.