Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1216: Edward’s Rage

Walking through the familiar colorless tunnel, Edward felt a surreal feeling bubbling inside his heart.

Back when he was still a Mana Foundation Magus, he was unable to see things clearly. But now, as a Mana Vortex Magus, he was able to observe the mysterious runes expertly concealed on the walls.

“So you’re saying these runes on the wall… they alter the appearance of this place?” He asked, his tone laced with a strange mix of emotions.

“Have you heard of the Shadowmuir?” Berger asked, casually smoking from the pipe.

Edward nodded solemnly. “The dark echo of the world, yes.”

The gnome exhaled a plume of smoke to the side, then said, “This tunnel is made to look like it has a connection to that place. In case someone stumbled here by chance, they would think of Shadowmuir, and not the Nine Hells of Inferno. Simple but quite an effective diversion.”

The trio finally arrived at the end of the tunnel. Without halting, they passed straight through the wall. The next moment, they were met with the warm yet blinding rays of the sun and a cacophony of sounds.

They had arrived in a secluded alley in Hannes City. Looking around at the people going about their day, Edward couldn’t help but sigh. “Back here again…”

He then turned to the elderly gnome, who had just finished casting the final hand seal of the spell. Seeing that, Edward frowned a little. “What’re you—”

The words got caught in his throat when, the next moment, they turned invisible.

“…Ah, I see.” He nodded.

The trio continued to head deeper into the city. The youth didn’t know where they were going. He was simply following the gnome. There was a lot on his mind, and he couldn’t quite think straight.

Suddenly, he thought of something and asked, “Old Man Berger, what about the… uh, you know, the thing down there. Aren’t you going to work on that?”

“Not yet, boy.” The gnome waved his hand dismissively.

“That place in Nahua was in a highly secluded region, so we could work there with little need of concealment. But here in the city, there are many factors to consider, the most important of them being… the presence of cultists.”

Edward’s expression turned solemn. He couldn’t help but subconsciously scan the crowd of people around him. They were currently walking through the bazaar district, and there was an abundance of shady people and pickpockets there. Every other person seemed like a potential threat to him.

“Calm down.” Berger’s voice drifted into his ears. “There are more efficient ways of rooting out those snakes.”

“How so?” Edward asked with an arched eyebrow.

“Just follow me,” Berger instructed without turning around.

Within the hour, the trio had arrived before the entrance of a grand building. When Edward read the sign above the gate, he couldn’t help but frown. “What… what are we doing here?”

The gnome scoffed. “Well, what do you think?”

A strange feeling emerged in Edward’s heart, but he quickly shook his head. He thought to himself with some certainty, No… that shouldn’t be possible.

The trio entered the Clover Academy branch, completely concealed from the senses of all the professors and students inside. Soon, they arrived on the topmost floor and were now standing before the door to an office.

By now, Edward had realized what was going on and who they were meeting. His brows had creased together to form a dark frown, and his jaws had clenched tightly together. He clenched his fists so hard that he felt his nails dig into his palm.

He turned to the gnome, who was still nonchalantly smoking from the pipe, and spat through gritted teeth, “Old man… don’t tell me—”

However, his words got caught in his throat when the door to the office suddenly opened. Then, the figure of an elderly woman with an amiable face and a gentle smile appeared before the trio.

Helene Godfrey glanced at everyone present, her gaze finally settling on Berger. Then, she said with a warm smile, “Welcome, old friend.”

Edward’s eyes turned bloodshot, flaring with anger. He took a step forward, roaring, “You damned snake! You’re still alive?! I’ll kill you right fuckin’ now—”

Blackie blocked the youth’s path. He stared at him with solemn eyes. “Calm down, Eddie.”

“How can you ask me to calm down?” Edward spat through gritted teeth. “Move out of the way so I can kill this traitor this instant!”

“Edward.” Blackie’s eyes narrowed, his tone carrying a dreadful weight. “I said, calm down.”

The blue-eyed youth suddenly felt a vast feeling of alarm overwhelm him. He couldn’t help but shudder at the wolf’s words. And yet… he did not back down. He gritted his teeth and overcame the fear. Then, he took another step forward.

“Why are you stopping me?” he said, gnashing his teeth in rage. “This doesn’t make sense!”

Blackie’s tone softened a little, and he said in an even voice:

“You need to learn to control your emotions, Eddie. I’m stopping you because Helene has already been dealt with.”

“…What?” Edward couldn’t help but frown at those words. “Dealt with?”

He turned to the traitor, who still had a warm smile etched on her face as if she hadn’t heard a thing he said, then turned back to the wolf. “What’re you talking about?”

“Berger has cast his magic on her.” Blackie sighed, then made way for the youth. “She’s already under his control.”

“She… what?!” Edward was stunned.

Seeing the unchanging look on Helene Godfrey’s face despite what Blackie had just revealed, Edward couldn’t help but feel a bit incredulous. He then turned to the gnome and asked:

“Old man, did you really?”

Berger scoffed in response. “Boy, you are too temperamental. Remind me to beat some discipline into you. You are in desperate need of it.”

With that said, he strutted inside the office.

When Edward witnessed Helene not reacting to anything they said, and in fact, making way for the gnome to enter, he felt more certain of the possibility that perhaps… she might have really been mind-controlled by Berger.

Still, that did not make him hate her any less. He walked right up to her, looked her in the eye, and said with a cold, malicious smile:

“You sent me, Adam, and Lisa to our deaths, huh? We looked up to you, we respected and admired you, yet you… you betrayed us all. When this is all over and you’ve outlived your usefulness, mark my words, I will be the one to kill you!”

Without casting another glance at her, he stomped inside her office. Blackie followed after him, shaking his head helplessly.

Meanwhile, throughout the entire encounter, Helene’s expression remained unchanged. She closed the door, then turned around.

With the same friendly smile on her face, she asked:

“So, gentlemen, how can I help you?”