Adam’s eyes gradually widened, and he imdiately picked up the pace.
But soon, he learned of the identity of this Mana Vortex Magus. Realizing that, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Still, his footsteps did not slow down.
Soon, though, hints of suspicion crept up inside his heart.
What is she doing here?
He wondered, perplexed.
Soon, he arrived before the group of contestants. Most of them greeted him with excited smiles, relieved that he was alright. However, none of them had realized that they were under an enchantnt spell.
Adam had cast Compel on them, making them think that it was utterly imperative they leave Ravenfell. This was a directive that involved their safety. Thus, they never thought anything was wrong with it. If anything, they only thought that this was the most logical choice.
Even soone as talented as Edward was still unaware of the fact that he was currently under a spell.
The raven-haired youth nodded at everyone, then arrived at the front. There, he greeted Lisa. Then, he glanced at the dozen or so corpses strewn before them in the distance.
Three of them were Mana Vortex Magi, while the rest were Mana Liquefaction Magi.
Of course, all of them were dead.
"Did she... do it?" Adam asked Lisa, his gaze slowly shifting towards the shadowy silhouette standing in the distance.
Although it was dark, Adam could still see the elderly woman’s kind and amiable smile despite being surrounded by bloody corpses.
"...Yes, she, uh, she took care of all of them," Lisa muttered softly, still quite unsure of what she had just witnessed.
Everything had happened in an instant, after all. But she was certain about one thing... the woman was not fighting alone, even though she now stood all by herself.
"You dispatched those cultists rather quickly, Adam dear," said the elderly woman with a faint smile.
Adam deeply looked at the woman standing before her. Finally, he said, his voice barely concealing caution:
"Professor... what’re you doing here?"
Professor Mathilda Whitaker deeply looked at Adam, then replied with the sa smile, "Well, isn’t it obvious? I’m here to escort the children, of course."
She isn’t lying...
Adam thought to himself. He was still critically observing the elderly woman’s facial expressions, body language, and peripheral thoughts.
Seeing him act so guarded against her, Professor Whitaker couldn’t help but shake her head. "Cautious as ever."
Right at that mont, a loud explosion took place sowhere above ground close to their location. As dust and debris fell from the tunnel ceiling, everyone’s expression turned solemn.
Professor Whitaker spoke with a grim look on her face, "The Headmaster and the Emperor Eritus have already joined the battle. The battle on the coastal waters has begun, too. And as for the city..."
She inhaled deeply before adding, "It’s quite bad out there."
Adam nodded with a somber expression. He had already felt the powerful mana fluctuations above and knew that the Mana Core Magi had made their move. He also knew that they had shifted their battle away from the city.
While the Brotherhood’s forces were battling the Cult’s naval fleet, the ard forces of Ravenfell were facing off against the cultists in the heart of the city that had suddenly erged from underground.
Not to ntion the horror in Corvid Quarter...
It was utter chaos!
And in the midst of it all, he found himself underneath the city, leading a group of two hundred people to safety. The hundred and fifty Magi in the group were the Cult’s primary target, after all, and as such, needed to be protected.
But that still did not answer the question: Why was Mathilda Whitaker here?
Could she be...
Right at that mont, Professor Whitaker spoke with a bitter smile, "Most of Saratoga’s Professors are in the city. I’m sure they must have already begun fighting the invaders. The Headmaster’s already got his hands full, and I’m sure you will soon enter the fray as well."
She paused for a mont, inhaling deeply, before continuing, "So, soone needs to stand guard at the castle. The Headmaster instructed to find you and guide the children to the castle."
Professor Whitaker paused for another mont, then added, "He also told that the shortest route to Saratoga is through your manor, and that only you can activate it."
Adam’s pupils constricted. In that mont, all suspicions were snuffed out. The fact that his manor contained a portal leading directly to Saratoga was known by only two people.
He and Headmaster Blackwood.
"Very well, Professor." Adam nodded solemnly. "I’ll lead the way. Please follow ."
He felt a slightly bad taste in his mouth, thinking about how he suspected even Professor Whitaker of being a Cult spy. Not to ntion, he even ended up wasting precious seconds trying to confirm his suspicions.
And sothing told him that Professor Whitaker, too, noticed it.
Damn it!
He cursed inwardly.
I shouldn’t be so guarded against people I trust...
But when he thought of Helene Godfrey, his heart was consud by conflicting emotions once again.
Adam quickly strangled any distracting thoughts and led the group of Magi towards his manor. On the way, they ca across several squads of cultists—stragglers, the lot of them.
The raven-haired youth himself would have been more than enough to deal with them, but now with Professor Whitaker helping him out, they made quick work of these cultists.
Soon, the group of Magi arrived at the Constantine Estate—or more precisely, beneath it.
Adam expanded his Sphere of Resonance to its maximum output, his heightened senses easily piercing through several ters of bedrock that separated him from the surface.
But the input he received instantly caused his face to darken.
Countless dark-robed cultists had gathered at the edges of his compound, most concentrated near the main gates, trying their hardest to break through the mana barrier guarding his estate.
At a rough estimate, there were dozens of them, and most of them were Mana Vortex Magi. And even more were joining them as the seconds ticked by.
Adam had already expected this. He knew that, other than the group of contestants behind him, the Cult’s other target was none other than him.
So, it was understandable that these cultists would head straight for his estate after they infiltrated the city. But he didn’t think they’d arrive so quickly.
"What is it?" Professor Whitaker asked him, her voice tinged with concern.
Adam turned to her and solemnly answered:
"I’m afraid there won’t be enough ti for everyone to safely teleport away..."
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