Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

The previous night.

Sitting at the table in his study, Adam wore a grim expression on his face as he stared at the various items cluttered before him.

He rested his elbows on the table, interlocked his fingers, and rested his chin on them, observing everything through narrowed eyes.

The battle between the Twilight Brotherhood and the Cult of Bones is not far away, he thought to himself solemnly.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the turbulent emotions inside of him.

This feeling of foreboding… it continued to bloom in his heart. He knew that the upcoming battle would be unlike anything he’d ever participated in.

Usually, he’d be excited to participate in such battles.

However, this time…

He had this vague feeling that something terrible would happen.

Taking another deep breath, he closed his eyes.

At the very least, Anna won’t be in Ravenfell, he thought, relieved.

Thinking of his sister, he slowly opened his eyes and shifted his attention to the items on the table.

There were several Grade 3 magical ingredients, a couple of small discs, a rune carver, and finally, at the center of it all, a clump of his hair.

He then cast a series of complex hand seals, causing the strands of his hair to levitate in the air and coalesce into one thick strand.

Grabbing the rune carver from the table, he began inscribing mysterious symbols on the strand of hair.

These runes consisted of the model component for a Rank 3 summoning spell. Moreover, he was also carving characters from snaketongue on it.

The final product, which would function no differently than a Grade 3 artifact, would allow a small army of serpents to be summoned from the Coil even in his absence.

However, this required him to infuse a substantial amount of his mana into it in advance.

Naturally, there also needed to be a trigger to activate this strand of hair.

Adam set the trigger to blood.

If the strand of hair was dyed in blood, it would activate instantly, opening a portal to the Coil of Eternity and summoning magical creatures from within.

He also added a secondary condition: if even one strand was activated, the other would respond almost simultaneously.

This ensured that the recipients would be safe, given that they would be traveling together the following day.

Gazing at the two strands of raven-black hair lying on the table before him, Adam’s expression was grim as he thought of another crucial possibility.

What if Anna or Rowan are killed before these artifacts are even activated?

After all, the activation trigger was the strand being drenched in blood.

But what if they died before the hair even touched it?

That unsettling possibility gnawed at Adam’s mind. He knew he couldn’t rely on a single safeguard.

And considering that he was in a situation where it was difficult for him to trust others with the safety of his sister, he could only rely on himself.

But there was only so much he could do all by himself. If he were to personally escort Anna, then it wouldn’t have been a problem.

However, he knew that going together with Anna would only invite more trouble.

He had to stay within the city. No, in fact, he had to blatantly show his presence in the city so that his enemies knew exactly where he was.

But what about Anna?

He had already created this ingenious piece of artifact that would help her and her entourage, but he needed something more.

Why did the divination point to this method? He thought to himself.

Even if this was a huge gamble, he needed to be absolutely certain that he was going to come out on top.

Truth be told, he even needed a lot of luck to be able to pull this off.

Wait!

Adam’s eyes trembled, and he abruptly shot to his feet.

Luck! That’s it!

The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he could work with this.

Yes… yes, this can definitely work, he thought to himself.

He started pacing around the room, thinking back to the time when he had used a spell rooted in the elusive domain of fortune.

It was back in Stratford—now known as Constantine. He had used a spell that bestowed luck upon himself and helped him tip the scales of battle.

However, the downside…

He had to sacrifice years of his lifespan as the price!

”Worth it! Definitely worth it!” Adam muttered under his breath as he continued to pace back and forth.

All this while, he had been thinking how to deceive his enemies. But the answer had been right in front of him. The answer had been as elusive as... luck!

Usually, people did not wish to dabble with spells that were rooted in abstract domains such as fate, fortune, misfortune, etc, because the risks far outweighed the benefits.

There was a reason why such spells were considered forbidden.

But in his case, it was definitely worth it.

What’s a few years? No, even a few dozen years if it means Anna gets to safely leave this forsaken place?

Adam’s lips curled into a grin. He turned his head, his gaze landing on the small, circular disc on the table.

Yes, I’ll inscribe it on that and bestow luck on everyone leaving tomorrow.

His grin deepened.

No matter how many years I have to sacrifice!

He walked back to the table, took a seat, and began inscribing the model component on the circular disk.

Actually, he had already used the white lotus to perform several divinations, trying to find the best possible method for Anna to safely leave Ravenfell.

The divinations didn’t reveal the future to him. They unveiled possibilities, offering glimpses into which of his plans had the highest chance of success.

He knew he was going to face off against Mana Vortex Magi and most likely even Mana Core Magi in the upcoming battle of wits the following day.

He also knew that they won’t hesitate to attack Anna, or worse, kidnap her to hold leverage over him.

Despite all of this, he was resolute in sending Anna away.

Because, after performing countless divinations enhanced by the white lotus, he had found a way.

The best way to defeat a smart opponent was often not through complex schemes or convoluted traps.

No, they were too used to sniffing those out.

The most effective method was to present them with something so simple, so painfully obvious, that their own intelligence would work against them.

It was to give them a bait wrapped in simplicity and watch as they overthought it into something far more intricate.

They would doubt the straightforward approach, assuming it must be a distraction, a trap! In doing so, they’d walk right into the very scenario that was wanted of them, second-guessing themselves until it was already too late.

Because when you’re playing against someone smart, the greatest trick is making them believe you’re playing dumb.

A bluff!

Now, I realize why this method showed the most promising outcome out of all the divinations I had performed, Adam thought to himself.

His face was a little pale as if vitality had been drained off of him. But his eyes blazed with brilliance as he gazed at the small circular disk that glowed with a light golden tint.

It’s because my divination had already taken into account that I’d be casting this forbidden spell at the last stage of my planning!

Rank 3 Spell: Kiss of Fortune!