Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

"So you're saying these seven ancient evil entities hold sway over the hearts of men?" Qamara asked Adam in a hushed tone.

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Although she found his story quite fascinating and, no doubt, it calmed her considerably, she couldn't help but feel that Adam's story was no different than children's fairy tales.

How could the flaws common among all living beings be attributed to entities older than history itself? The elf found it quite difficult to believe.

The reason Adam knew this was, of course, because of the vast knowledge he had inherited through the memories he had devoured. That, and the Brotherhood's reports of the Cult of Bones being secretly aligned with beings related to these entities that he spoke of.

Of course, he couldn't tell Qamara about either reason.

Nonetheless, since he had dragged her to this hellish situation for his selfish reasons, he figured he could at least explain a little to her, regardless of whether she believed him or not.

"The first sin is pride," he began. "You could see it in the eyes of Fern Duskfall. Oh, how much she believes in herself and her husband for making it so far in life. She's brimming with arrogance, you see.

"The second sin is greed. Look around you, this mansion, this sprawling estate, the money spent on it, the connections made inside these walls, it is all a result of the couple's ambition. The third is envy—it doesn't steal, it withers.

"Some women here are envious of other women, thier beauty, their youthfulness, their everything. I cannot even begin to tell you how it has festered in the hearts of them, twisted admiration into hatred, turning friend against friend, and brother against brother."

Qamara gazed at Adam's face as he explained everything to her in a solemn voice. She couldn't help but wonder, A man like you, Adam, I wonder who has captured your heart? Where were you all this time?

How come I never noticed until now that a man like you had been near me all this while? Do you have a woman, Adam? Could this be considered envy? My mortal sin? This discontent, this longing, this admiration… Oh, what is this feeling?

Unbeknownst to the elf's thoughts, Adam continued, "The sin of lust, gluttony, and sloth were made manifest in the things we saw in the private lounges earlier. They don't need an explanation."

"What about the final sin?" Qamara asked.

Before Adam had the chance to speak, he sensed the Duskfall couple approaching them from the outside. He turned his head in the direction of the door, and a few moments later they'd arrived.

"My friends, sorry to keep you waiting," Altan spoke in his usual charming and enthusiastic tone. "We'll be gone for a while now, so I found it imperative to inform my other guests beforehand. It'd be quite rude of the hosts of the ball to disappear without notice, after all."

Adam's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Through the Sphere of Resonance, he could pick up on the minute emotional changes in the couple.

Something's not right, he thought.

"No worries, my lord." Adam smiled. "My partner and I were just discussing about how to proceed with the… main event of the night."

"Haha, Adam, oh, Adam," Altan chuckled lightly as he and his wife walked and stood right opposite Adam and Qamara at the center of the room. "You keep referring to me as 'My Lord' when clearly you should be calling me by my name, don't you think?"

"Hmm." Adam started stroking his chin with his left hand, while slowly putting away his right hand behind his back. His eyes flashed with a strange light and he added, "And you, Lord Duskfall, keep referring to me as your close friend when clearly today's the first time we've met."

At once, an awkward atmosphere descended in the room, and for a long time, neither side spoke to one another. Fern kept switching glances between Adam and her husband, her expression visibly alarmed.

Meanwhile, Qamara kept switching glances between Adam and Altan, her heart slowly being gripped by nervousness.

After what seemed like forever, Altan spoke with the same polite smile. "Forgive me, I assumed that our Lord from the cult would have already informed you about the reason."

Adam's pupil constricted. Lord from the cult!! As expected, the Cult of Bones is really involved in this conspiracy!

"Well, now you know." Altan chuckled. "The truth is, Lord Ishmir Paroh from the cult asked me to have you introduced as the guest of honor for today's event. I thought he would have told you already. My apologies for the confusion."

Ishmir Paroh! Is that the name of the Magus running operations for the Cult of Bones in Ravenfell? I finally have a name, Adam thought to himself.

"That's right." Adam nodded as he controlled his emotions. "Lord Paroh didn't tell me. He must be busy with other things, I'm afraid. He's a busy man, after all."

Altan looked at Adam with a smile. He didn't speak a word. Slowly, his smile faded, replaced by a cold look on his face.

"As I thought," he said. "You're not from the cult, are you, Magus Constantine?"

Adam's expression turned dark and, in that moment, he felt warning bells ring inside his mind. However, because he had accounted for it, he was calm and collected at the sudden turn of events.

His Sphere of Resonance worked at overdrive and everything around him seemed to slow down considerably. He saw a strange object appear in Altan's hand. It was a magic artifact and Altan was infusing mana into it to attack him and Qamara.

However, he had already made preparations!

A few moments earlier, he had purposely shown his left hand to Altan, while putting his right hand behind him. This was to show the opponent that he was harmless. In that, without both hands together, he would be unable to cast a spell at a moment's notice.

But he had simply done this to lower Altan's guard.

Before Altan could activate his artifact and attack him, Adam had already finished casting one-hand seals with his right hand that was hidden from sight.

In a matter of a split moment, two small portals formed in the shadows of the Duskfall couple. Out of these portals, two thick and long serpents emerged, coiling around Altan and Fern's bodies and instantly immobilizing them.

"What?!" Altan was stunned. "How did you… With one hand?! Impossible!!"@@novelbin@@

HISSS!!!

The two snakes bared their fangs at the Duskfall couple as they coiled around their limbs and torsos, ready to bite their throats at any moment.

Forget Altan and Fern, even Qamara, who was standing right beside Adam, was so shocked by what had just transpired that she was rendered speechless.

One moment the two men were chatting with one another, the next moment Altan attacked them, and the moment after that, Adam had already defused that attack and had now instead ensnared the Duskfall couple.

Right at that moment, Adam's voice drifted into her ears, snapping her out of her shock.

"It is me," he said.

She turned her head to look at Adam who appeared to be radiating an aura of utmost confidence and strength.

"The final sin," Adam spoke slowly and tyrannically.

"I am wrath."