Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1422: Mind of a Scribe

Amira Fireborne, Queen of Ignisra, was a Mana Vortex Magus of formidable presence and authority.

She was a woman in her middle years, her once-vibrant crimson hair now threaded with silver. Her features were refined and dignified, carrying the composure of someone long accustomed to command.

Amira was deeply involved in the governance of Ignisra. To her people, she was both queen and protector. To her enemies, she was a reminder that Ignisra’s throne was guarded by more than lineage alone.

Yet, at the end of the day, she was ultimately a mother lost in the throes of depression. The depths of her ruby eyes were always home to grief and sorrow. No matter the occasion, sadness always clung to her shadow.

Decades ago, her daughter had been forced to flee the kingdom while evading her enemies. Amira was fortunate enough to be reunited with her years later, when the girl found her way back home.

But history repeated itself roughly twenty-five years ago. This time, her daughter never returned.

She had heard the tales of the infamous Dark King, who deceived the Acadian Empire and caused the deaths of countless innocent souls. Even before the Battle of Ravenfell, she had known of this man. After all, it was her own daughter who had helped raise him.

From time to time, Amira couldn’t help but wonder... could the child raised by her daughter truly be the person the world regarded as The Deceitful One?

Could her daughter, whom she believed to be a good judge of character, truly not have known that the child she was raising was, in fact, a heinous devil in disguise?

But no matter what she thought, the truth was evidently clear.

The Deceitful One, Adam Constantine, was branded a diabolical murderer and criminal mastermind. And because of him, Anna Fireborne was now missing, her fate uncertain.

However, Amira refused to believe that her daughter was dead. This conviction came not only from a mother’s instinct, but from undeniable evidence...

Anna’s Soulmark Lantern was still intact!

Although the Fireborne family did not know Anna’s current condition or whereabouts, they knew for certain that she still lived. And as long as she drew breath, they would scour heaven and earth to find her.

As Amira Fireborne calmly walked across the palace courtyard, she thought back to the elderly man she had just passed by.

What a strange man, she mused.

From the way Nilrem looked at her, to the slight nervousness in his greeting, and the warmth and respect he showed, everything felt strangely out of place. It was far too familiar for someone Amira had never met before.

He gave her the unmistakable impression of someone who had known her for a long, long time. Yet, she knew for certain that she did not know him at all.

”Who was that man just now?” She softly asked.

One of the servants walking behind her, lowered her head and respectfully answered, ”Your Majesty, that man is called Nilrem, a wandering Magus and a guest of Duke Quinn.”

Amira nodded ever so slightly. She had heard of a Mana Vortex Magus, who had recently arrived at the capital. But she didn’t think much of it. After all, every week, Magi of similar station came to Amberfall to meet her husband.

She set aside her thoughts about the eccentric Magus and soon arrived at the marble gazebo, where her son sat with a dark expression on his face.

”What’s the matter?” She asked gently as she took a seat at the table. The servant poured her a cup of jasmine tea just as she sat.

”You look as though you’ve tasted something bitter,” she said with a light chuckle after taking a sip of tea.

”Mother, you wouldn’t believe the conversation I’ve just had with that fool of a Magus,” Marlow scoffed, clearly still irritated as Nilrem came to mind.

”Oh?” Amira was intrigued. Few people could draw such a reaction out of her son. ”Who was it? Pray tell.”

”Magus Nilrem,” Marlow muttered, shaking his head. ”You’d think a man so well-traveled, with experience in countless foreign lands, would possess some measure of sense. But he’s ignorant! And incredibly annoying, I might add.”

”Nilrem?” The Queen was slightly surprised.

Although she knew that this wandering Magus was currently residing in the Palace District, she had no idea that he and her son had just met and spoken.

So that’s why he was here, she thought in realization.

”What did he say?” Amira asked curiously, taking another sip from the cup.

Marlow then recounted the conversation he had just had with the elderly Magus.

”...In short, he thinks that Constantine’s story has layers hidden beneath it. And that, he might not necessarily be the man the world believes him to be.”

He paused for a moment before adding with a scoff, ”Of course, those are just his assumptions. That man has the twisted mind of a scribe, always convinced there’s some grand plot behind the simplest of stories. If I were you, Mother, I’d ignore his existence entirely.”

Amira was taken aback by what she’d just heard. In all the conversations she’d had over the past two decades, this was the first time she had encountered an opinion of the Dark King that differed so completely from the accepted narrative.

If she were being honest with herself... she, too, had entertained the same thought more than once. She trusted her daughter too deeply to believe she could have raised a child who would become such a vile criminal, or that she herself would have failed to notice something so grave.

She made a mental note to meet with this eccentric Magus once to learn why he thought the way he did.

”During turbulent times like these, it is unwise to ignore a powerful Magus who could potentially be our ally,” she said gently.

”I understand, Mother.” Marlow nodded. ”That’s why I didn’t have him thrown out of the city.”

Amira shook her head with a light smile. Her expression soon turned solemn, and she asked:

”...Any news about Anna?”

Marlow sighed and shook his head. ”Not yet.”

He then turned to her mother and spoke resolutely, ”Rest assured, I will not rest until I’ve found something conclusive about her whereabouts.”

Amira hid the sadness in her eyes and offered a warm, gentle smile.

”I know, my son... I know.”