Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

The moment Adam stepped inside the room, all eyes were on him.

When the Mana Liquefaction Magi standing by the walls saw him, some of them had expressions of awe and reverence on their faces.

While most… were simply dumbfounded.

Arriving at such an important gathering more than thirty minutes late, with a gourd of wine in hand, and reeking of alcohol was inconceivable to them.

Forget them, even the Wardens, the mighty Mana Vortex Magi, were flabbergasted by his arrival.

Adam ignored them all and silently walked toward the round table occupying the center of the chamber.

On his way, he scanned the Magi standing by the wall with his dark eyes. Naturally, most of them averted their gazes.

When he saw his three students, he couldn’t help but faintly smile. He winked at them, causing them to straighten their backs.

There was a flicker of smugness in their eyes as the rest of the Magi stole glances at them.

Adam then saw Daneli. The elf had a look of disbelief etched on his face. If expressions could speak, his would scream:

Are you being serious right now?!

The raven-haired youth chuckled lightly as he looked at his old friend.

Finally, he arrived at the round table, the smile on his face remaining the same. He scanned everyone’s faces, taking in their expressions, their emotions, and their peripheral thoughts.

Half of them were indifferent to his eccentricity, the other half were clearly frustrated. The most frustrated, however, was an old man with messy, white hair and a neatly maintained beard.

It was Kenelm Bowman.

Adam cast a curious look at the man, thinking to himself, What’s his deal? Did he forget to comb his hair? His appearance is so… bizarre.

He could tell that the elderly Magus was raging inside by his lack of respect and courtesy. Noticing this, Adam’s lips curled into a mischievous smirk.

As he walked past him, he calmly patted Bowman on the shoulder.

”Relax, old fella,” he said, ”anger is not good for your health.”

Kenelm Bowman’s face turned red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment… nobody knew.

Adam, meanwhile, approached the empty high-back chair, all the while chuckling in amusement.

Just like the Joker had once told him all those years ago: no matter what life throws at you, good or bad, always keep smiling.

And that is why, despite the dark storm raging inside his heart, Adam wore a bright, mischievous smile on his lips, giving the impression of someone untamed and carefree.

He glanced at Elrod and gave him a nod. The elf, slowly and mechanically, buried his face in his palm.

Then, Adam offered Grummor Krimriver a nod of acknowledgment. The latter was too dumbstruck to even respond.

Finally, he took his seat at the table. He placed the wine gourd before him, then scanned the faces of all the Twilight Wardens once again.

His lips formed a brilliant smile, and he said, ”Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you all.”

He paused and poured the wine into his flat cup. Raising the cup in a graceful motion, he leisurely sipped the wine, then added, ”Apologies for the delay. I got caught up in something very… nefarious.”

”Nefarious?” Bowman couldn’t take it anymore.

BAM!

Once again, he slammed the table with his fist. All the weaker Magi flinched when they felt the oppressive air weighing down on them once again, causing them to start sweating nervously.

”Nefarious, you say?!” the angry old man roared.

”You made us wait for almost an hour! And then you saunter your way in, smelling of piss and alcohol, like you own this damn place! Adam Constantine, you are far too ill-mannered! Such uncouth behavior… I did not expect from Berger’s pupil!”

All the Mana Liquefaction Magi turned pale. There was a strange, mystical power in Bowman’s words. It made their mana react.

Just by speaking, the angry old man was able to affect their mana, making them drown in a sea of unease.

The Mana Vortex Magi sitting at the table, however, were calm and collected. But there were a few of them who also felt lingering restlessness crawl towards their hearts.

Adam arched his eyebrow in slight surprise. He wasn’t mad at the angry old man for scolding him at all.

If anything, he totally deserved it.

Besides, he didn’t feel any hostility from the old man. Only disappointment.

But the reason why Adam was surprised was for a different matter entirely. He glanced at Kenelm Bowman and asked, his voice laced with admiration.

”Signs of resonance,” he said softly.

Just a few simple words caused Bowman’s heart to stir. His eyes narrowed, and he asked, ”Boy… how do you know the secrets of the Mana Core Rank?”

Not just the Wardens sitting at the table, but everyone present in the chamber turned to Adam with shocked looks on their faces.

Secrets of the Mana Core!!

Suddenly, Bowman thought of something, his eyes flickering with understanding. His temper now seemingly vanished, he stroked his beard and nodded.

”Ah, I see. Berger must have disclosed certain things to you, eh?” He paused for a moment, his eyes squinting. ”He’s currently targeting the Mana Core Rank, and you are his pupil… so I suppose it makes sense.”

Adam’s lips twitched.

It’s the other way around…

He thought in amusement.

”One doesn’t need to know the secrets to the Mana Core realm to understand the resonance of mana,” he said casually, sipping wine from the flat cup.

Bowman glanced at him with an inquisitive gaze. ”The Way.”

Adam’s smile deepened, and he nodded.

”The mana flows not with haste, but in accord with the greater order… The Way,” he began, his tone carrying a strange, bewitching quality that made every Magus want to pay rapt attention to him.

”It stirs, not with violence, but with a quiet grace, as if the universe itself acknowledges the alignment of inner and outer worlds. In other words… the physical aspect and the spiritual aspect.”

He turned to the angry old man and added respectfully, ”You, my lord, are on the cusp of advancing to the Mana Core Rank.

”What is to come is not miraculous, it is merely the unfolding of what has always been within… waiting for the soul to become ready.”