Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 580: Human Nature

Blood, flesh, and brain matter splattered in all directions as Alvertosʼs head exploded in a vile manner.

An eerie silence hung in the air as Adam, Brigham, and Elysande looked at the dead man before them with varied expressions on their faces.

Elysande looked horrified, not expecting this sudden turn of events. An expression of disbelief was plastered across her father, Brighamʼs face, his thoughts a mystery.

Meanwhile, Adamʼs pupils had constricted in shock, his gaze lingering on the live entity that was squirming inside Alvertosʼs destroyed head.

It was a red worm the size of an adult humanʼs forearm with several sharp protrusions extending from the side of its body. The worm was frightening to look at, sending chills down anyone who laid eyes on it.

Iʼve seen something similar in the memories, Adam thought to himself with unease.

These organisms are like parasites that grow alongside a personʼs heart or brain, leaching off of them.

They are programmed in such a way that when the host speaks certain keywords, the parasites drain the life force from the host, grow in size, and then subsequently explode, killing the host in the process.

Such countermeasures are usually taken by organizations to prevent their members from divulging crucial intel…

But from the looks of it, it would appear that Alvertos took advantage of this and succeeded in killing himself! What a madman!

Suddenly, Adamʼs eyes narrowed as he recalled the manʼs last words. He secretly glanced at Brigham, thinking to himself, It would appear that Alvertosʼs father and Brigham have some history…

A history involving the secret inheritance of a Rank 4 - Mana Core Magus!

And Brigham betrayed Alvertosʼs father, Kissinger, to get his hands on a mana extraction technique that very likely allows a Magus to reach Rank 4, huh?

Damn it! Although this isnʼt confirmed yet, it is highly likely to be true. Itʼs better if I donʼt get myself further involved in this…

Who knows what this seemingly righteous man, Brigham, would do to keep things under control? Itʼs better if I leave the father and daughter alone for the time being.

Having made his decision, Adam took a step forward, weaving a series of intricate hand gestures.

”Itʼs a pity that I wasnʼt able to get out anything worthwhile from Alvertos, at the very least I should be grateful that he left this little fella behind,” he said, pointing at the red worm inside the corpseʼs head.

He purposely emphasized the sentence ʼI wasnʼt able to get out anything worthwhile from Alvertosʼ to send a clear message to Brigham.

That he didnʼt want to be involved in the Flynn Familyʼs private matters!

Of course, Brigham astutely noticed what the raven-haired youth was trying to do. He also didnʼt want to sour his relationship with Adam and thus appreciated this move.

He glanced at the web of mana threads between the youthʼs hands and asked flatly, ”What are you trying to do?”

”Oh, donʼt mind me,” said Adam nonchalantly as he covered the red worm with his mana threads, completely encasing it and ensuring that it remained alive.

”I will form a connection between the worm and the Umbra Thieves, and then try my best to interpret some clues through divination magic,” he said as he put the spooky worm inside a glass container that was carved in runes.

Putting away the container inside his earring, he turned to look at Brigham and stated, ”Iʼll be on my way now. I just recalled I have something urgent to tend to back at Saratoga.”

Brigham deeply looked into Adamʼs eyes and then nodded. ”I understand.”

”Oh, and one more thing, my lord,” Adam added. ”Those guys will arrive at Ravenfell by sunset tomorrow. I will bring them over to your house for dinner like we discussed.”

Brighamʼs eyes lit up ever so slightly. ”Thatʼs earlier than I expected.”

Adam simply shrugged in response.

”Very well.” Brigham nodded. ”I will prepare everything from my end.”

Adam then glanced at Elysande, wanting to bid her farewell. But when he saw the state she was in, he swallowed his words.

I hate unnecessary drama, he thought.

Yeah, I should just leave.

The space around him trembled ever so slightly, and the next moment, he disappeared from the dungeon.

Brigham turned to look at his daughter, the child he cherished most among all his offspring, with a complicated look on his face.

Before he could even speak a word, Elysande asked while she continued to stare at Alvertosʼs corpse, ”Is what he said true?”

Brighamʼs mouth opened several times, yet he found it difficult to speak the words in his mind. ”My child, I… I did everything I did for our family—”

Elysande cut him off, glancing at him with tear-filled, blood-shot eyes. ”Is it true?”

Brigham gazed at his daughter for a long time. Deep in his heart, he could feel what she was thinking.

That the person she looked up to all her life, the person whom she thought to be the most upright man wasnʼt so honorable and virtuous after all.

He sighed deeply before softly muttering, ”Let us take this conversation to my study.”

With that said, he turned around and exited the dungeon. Elysande glanced at her fatherʼs departing back with a complicated expression.

She saw him instructing the guards outside to get rid of Alvertosʼs corpse before heading upstairs. Her lips quivered as she turned back around, looking at the cold corpse.

The man whom she treated no less than family turned out to be a traitor.

The man whom she thought to be righteous turned out to be dishonorable.

For the first time in a very long time, Elysande felt lost and helpless.

…

Nightfall.

Inside Brighamʼs study on the second floor, the atmosphere was silent and gloomy. The atmosphere throughout the Flynn Manor was the same for that matter.

The other members of the family finally learned today that the one who had poisoned their patriarch was none other than their retainer whom they thought was the most loyal out of everyone.

Of course, that was all they knew. None of them—except Brigham and Elysande—knew about the true reason for Alvertosʼs betrayal.

At the moment, Elysande was sitting at the large oak table with a blank look on her face. Her eyes were slightly swollen and it seemed that she hadnʼt had a good time recovering from the incidents that took place earlier today.

A few steps away from her, Brigham was standing by the arched window, gazing at the raindrops falling against the glass pane with a complicated look on his face.

”Ask what you wish to, child,” he said without turning back. ”Leave nothing buried in your heart. Ask what you have to and I will be forthright with you.”

Elysande snapped out of her daze and looked in the direction of her father. The broad and towering back of his that she looked up to and always chased after was beginning to crumble in her eyes.

”Kissinger,” she began. ”Who is he?”

Brigham breathed in slowly and deeply and then exhaled a slightly shaky breath. He knew that if he wanted to fix things between him and his daughter, whom he had already decided in his heart would inherit his title, he had to be completely transparent with her.

He resolved himself and replied, ”Kissinger and I, we… weʼve known each other since we were mortals. We grew up in the same town and even went to the same magic academy.”

The old manʼs lips curled up into a sad smile. ”Of course, neither the town nor the academy exist anymore.” He raised his hand and glanced at his old and wrinkled skin. ”Oh, the ravages of time.”

Elysandeʼs body trembled as she thought to herself, Father and Kissinger were indeed friends… Then could it be that everything that Alvertos claimed is true?

She gulped nervously and asked, ”What Alvertos said about you betraying Kissinger… is that true?”

Brigham turned around and looked into his daughterʼs eyes before replying, ”Yes.”

Elysande involuntarily clenched her fists. She asked in a quaky tone, ”Why? Why… would you betray your friend?”

”For greed,” said the patriarch with a wry smile.

Elysande was taken aback, not having expected her father to be so honest. She then heard him continue.

”A few years after we both had officially become Mana Foundation Magi, we stumbled upon a secret inheritance left by an ancient Magus in the depths of the Greyscale Mountain Range.

”At the time we didnʼt know that the inheritance was left behind by a Mana Core Magus, but as we continued to overcome the inheritanceʼs trials, we began to slowly realize what we had truly come across.”

He paused for a few moments, recalling the events that had happened centuries ago with a heavy heart.

He then continued, ”Upon reaching the final trial, we learned that only one of us could get our hands on the final reward - the mana extraction technique of the Rank 4 Magus who left behind the inheritance.

”I was the first to strike Kissinger. The allure of the Mana Core Rank trumped everything else. I dealt him a heavy blow but didnʼt have it in me to finish him. After taking the final reward, I abandoned him inside the inheritance ground, leaving him there to die.”

His lips curled up into a defeated smile and he added, ”But fate has a way of coming at you to even the scores when you least expect it. I believe this is the concept of karma.”

He gazed at Elysande with complicated emotions and continued, ”I never would have imagined that not only would Kissinger survive that ordeal, but he would even go on to become a powerful Magus who would one day become one of the leaders of the Umbra Thieves…”

Throughout the entire time, Elysande remained silent as she patiently listened to her fatherʼs explanation without interrupting him.

Brigham looked at his daughter and softly said, ”I hope you can understand why I kept such a secret from you, and I also hope you find it in your heart to forgive me for not being the man you thought I was…”

Elysandeʼs eyes involuntarily teared up. She looked at her father for a long time without speaking a word. Finally, she turned around and left.

Brigham reached out with his hand but stopped midway. He figured that he needed to give his daughter time to come to terms with what he had just disclosed.

In the end, he lowered his hand and sighed.

Right then, Elysande stopped in her steps. She turned around and looked at her father and asked, ”What you did to Kissinger back in the inheritance ground… would you do it again?”

Brigham looked straight into his daughterʼs eyes and spoke without hesitation, ”Yes.”

Those revered for thier righteousness were once flawed, grappling with their own shortcomings.

Similarly, no matter how low a person may have fallen into the path of villainy, the possibility of redemption was always within reach.

Such was the complexity of human nature.

Every virtuous person had a past.

Every sinner had a future.