Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

The discussion among the Twilight Wardens continued for several hours. By the time it had concluded, it was way past midnight.

Adam was the first to leave. It had been a long and hectic day for him, and he desperately needed to get some shut-eye.

With so much that had happened and the things that he had gone through in a single day, he wished he could forget about it momentarily as he went into a deep slumber.

After bidding farewell to his students, Daneli, Elrod, and Krummor, he left the secret base. But not before briefly speaking with Kenelm Bowman, who said he wished to talk with him privately the following day.

Adam agreed, then vanished into the stormy night. There were a lot of things on his mind, and he wished to spend some time alone.

***

The middle-aged man Adam had suspected of being a spy from the Cult had, in the end, proven to be exactly that.

This Mana Liquefaction Magus, with the unremarkable appearance, had been a member of the Brotherhood for the past several decades.

He had joined as a Mana Foundation Magus and slowly climbed his way up, earning the trust of his comrades.

After he bid farewell to his fellow ’brothers’, he calmly headed for his private quarters situated deep in the heart of the city.

In the dark of the night, he made his way through winding alleys and cobbled streets, ensuring that no one was following him. His steps were silent, and he barely drew the attention of any people around.

It was a standard protocol for the members of the Brotherhood: to leave no trail behind. Nothing about it was suspicious.

Although his movements were practiced and relaxed, he couldn’t stop the dark scowl from appearing on his face.

How did the Dark King know about Councilor Ballard?!

He thought to himself as he slowly made his way home. A tempest of dark emotions was swirling in his heart, and his mind was a complete mess.

No, more importantly…

The middle-aged man gulped.

Why did the Master make his presence known?!

This… this was not the plan at all!

The Cult spies in the Twilight Brotherhood weren’t aware of each other’s identities. They were not even aware of the entire plan that the higher-ups of the Cult were devising.

But they did, however, know of the general direction the plan would be going in.

And the person the cultists called Master, one of the Elders of the Inner Circle of the Cult of Bones, wasn’t supposed to make his appearance known to anyone anytime soon.

So, how was it that Adam was able to see him then?

And not just that, he had even uncovered the identity of one of the Councilors of Ravenfell who had secretly allied with the Cult?

When he learned of this at the gathering, he couldn’t help but be thunderstruck. But despite his best attempts at masking his expressions, he was still found out by Adam.

Truth be told, the reason he was found out was because it was Adam.

Otherwise, with the training he had received, both in the Brotherhood and the Cult, it would have been highly difficult to uncover his identity.

No, no, no, I need to quickly inform my superiors!

The Cult’s plan should have unfolded exactly as intended. After all, it had been in the making for a long, long time now.

But these cultists were no fools either. They had always prepared for variables. After all, nothing in this world went exactly according to one’s plan.

But even the Master had never expected Adam to set up such a scheme. This resulted in him appearing before the raven-haired youth.

Moreover, it also forced him to spread those rumors surrounding the Ballard family, which ultimately allowed Adam to deduce that Ives Ballard had been working for them.

No matter how much Adam may think that his carefully crafted plan had been unraveled and countered by the Master, it was an undeniable fact that it had caused silent, yet large ripples.

Furthermore, all of this had happened so quickly that the cultists hadn’t even had the time to adjust their plans or respond accordingly.

Take this spy, for example. Due to the lack of communication from the higher-ups, he was now under the impression that their plan was on the verge of falling apart, not knowing that it was their leader himself who had set this into motion.

With great anxiety flickering in his eyes, he thought to himself, Now what is going to happen to the Ballard family? No, how many agents will the Brotherhood send searching for Master?

Damn it! Why did he have to appear now? Too soon! It’s too soon!

Despite the urgency growing in him, his pace remained steady. He tried his best to appear calm and normal.

But even he couldn’t have guessed that he was being followed at the moment.

Not by another human, of course…

***

Ensuring that there was indeed no one who was following him, the middle-aged man entered his house. He sat at the table in his bedroom and began to furiously write down what he had learned at the gathering earlier.

Several minutes later, he had finished jotting down all the important points. He quickly sealed the letter and began weaving hand seals to summon the Cult’s messenger.

But right at that moment, a deep and resonant voice drifted into his ears.

”That will not be necessary.”

The man’s body trembled in horror. Someone had gotten inside his room, and he wasn’t even aware of it!

His heart started beating quicker and quicker, and he slowly turned in the direction of the voice.

The scene that greeted him caused his eyes to widen in disbelief.

Sitting on the window ledge, framed by the stormy night, was a mysterious man draped in a dark, hooded robe.

He sat with casual ease, his chin resting on one hand, and the elbow propping on his knee.

His face was shrouded in the shadow of his hood, making it impossible for the middle-aged man to know who it was.

But he did know who it was…

”Master!” He quickly knelt on the ground, deferentially lowering his head.

The Master came down from the window ledge and walked toward the table. He then opened the letter and read its contents.

A few moments later, he turned to the spy and flatly said, ”Rise.”

The middle-aged man did as told. His head was still lowered, as if afraid to look the Master directly in the face.

He was a Mana Core Magus, after all! One of the Elders of the Inner Circle of the Cult!

The Master stood before him, looking down on him. ”So the Dark King was at the gathering, eh?”

”Y-yes, my lord!”

”Hmm.” The Master nodded, straightening the parchment in his hand. ”I see. No wonder.”

The spy frowned. But before he could blink again, he saw the Master’s hand turn into a blur, and the next thing he knew… warm blood was gushing out of a deep gash on his throat.

Eyes wide with terror, the middle-aged man frantically tried to stop the bleeding. But it was futile. Within moments, he collapsed to the floor, blood pooling under him, flowing in heavy streams.

He weakly gazed at the Master. Only one thought echoed in his mind:

Why?

The Master, however, paid him no attention.

He turned to the window, his gaze settling on the shadowy silhoutte perched atop the rooftop of a nearby building, watching them inside the room through its cold, vertical slits.

With a calm and deliberate motion, the Master raised his hand and offered a polite wave, his voice echoing through the room.

”No wonder that serpent is here…”