The mont Berger heard those words, his heart sank.
"... What did you say?" He asked in a low, solemn voice.
"You heard ." Nilrem shrugged. "I did et him in Amberfall a few years ago. He was quite passionate about our cause and decided to offer us his help,"
He paused for a mont as he observed the gno's stunned expression. "But you don't have to worry," he said. "Adam is a powerful Mana Core Magus. He can look out for himself."
Berger remained silent for a long ti. Realization finally dawned on him, and he thought to himself:
I see... so that's why he hasn't written a letter all this ti.
It's because he's deep behind enemy lines!
Truth be told, before eting face to face with Nilrem, Berger had been almost certain that he was Adam.
The gno had spoken at length with both Marlow and Lebu about Nilrem's behaviour. Even setting aside the coincidence that the wandering Magus's books detailed the places Adam had recently visited, Nilrem's constant drinking only reinforced Berger's suspicion that the two were one and the sa.
But after finally eting Nilrem, after observing his appearance, his body language, and even the faint mana signature the man radiated, Berger beca certain.
Nilrem was not Adam.
Fortunately, I prevented Blackie from teleporting directly to Adam's side, the gno thought.
Or else who knows what would have happened...
Blackie had marked Adam in his youth, and because of that, he could teleport to him no matter where in the world Adam was.
The only reason he hadn't done so in the years following the Battle of Ravenfell was his uncertainty about where he might teleport to, and whether intervening would cause more harm than good.
As long as the raven-haired youth's Soulmark Lantern continued to burn brightly, both Berger and Blackie felt reassured. Beyond that, they trusted in Adam's ability to survive whatever situation he found himself in.
If Blackie had teleported to Adam in the recent past, he would have arrived within the Haynam Empire.
At that point, soone would have surely identified him as the familiar who always accompanied Berger. And if that happened... the gno didn't even want to imagine the consequences.
But to think that little rascal infiltrated the heart of the Cult of Bones, Berger thought to himself, massaging his temples.
Until now, he had been wary of the Faceless Magi's true motives. But after learning that Adam was working with them, most of his suspicions had faded away. He trusted Adam's judgnt.
Thinking of that, he glanced at Nilrem and asked, "So Adam joined the Faceless Magi?"
Nilrem blinked.
And then...
He laughed.
"No, no." He waved his hand. "Of course, not! Firstly, he's not suited to join our secret order. And secondly... he told himself that he was a proud mber of the Twilight Brotherhood, and that he'd never join any other secret organization."
"Is that so?" Berger smiled wryly.
"Indeed." Nilrem nodded. He then asked curiously, "You seem to care about him. May I ask what your relationship with him is? As far as I know, and according to our intelligence, the Cult cast a spell that turned his friends into enemies. I didn't expect him to have any allies left, especially within the Brotherhood." Berger deeply looked at the old man, then answered in a low voice. "I'm his
ntor."
There was a hint of pride in his tone, no matter how hard he tried to conceal it.
"Hoh!" Nilrem exclaid. "Gerald Acadia, Berger Glynhorn, and Adam Constantine. What a proud and dignified arcane lineage! No wonder that kid is so powerful. He's probably, no, he's definitely the youngest Magus to reach the legendary realm of the Mana Core Rank"
Berger scoffed. "Naturally."
Look at you, Old Man, Adam thought inwardly.
Hiding your true emotions as usual.
The gno changed the subject. He pointed at one of the books on the table and asked in a solemn voice, "So is that how you communicate with him? I suppose using spirit world ssengers is too risky."
Nilrem's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Before I answer that, good sir, I'd like to know what you've done with the information we've provided to Lebu Potts."
Berger deeply looked at the man. He then asked, "Are you the spokesperson for your organization? Isn't there a Mana Core Magus I can speak to?"
Spokesperson? Nilrem nearly laughed out loud.
I'm the only person in my mysterious organization!
"I'm afraid I'm all you have," Nilrem said with a shrug. "You know how difficult it
is for unknown Mana Core Magi to enter the city"
Berger deliberated for a few monts, then nodded. "We've already begun
working on the clues you've provided."
"Great!" Nilrem bead. "I take it that you're planning to purge the entire Brotherhood in one swift action? That would explain why no one else has died
except for the two Councilors we dealt with a few months back."
The gno's eyes narrowed. He offered silence as his response, neither
confirming nor denying.
Nilrem laughed awkwardly. "Ah, apologies. I overstepped."
"So?" Berger asked, gesturing at the book.
"Sir, I feel like I can be very candid with you!" Nilrem said with a beaming smile. "Maybe in our past lives, we were father and son, or perhaps even ntor and
disci-"
"Just shut up and answer my question," The gno growled in frustration.
Nilrem instinctively expected the smoking pipe to land on his head. But
thankfully, the smack never ca.
"Very well." He picked up the Odyssey of the Dark King and held it by the cover,
letting the pages hang loose. Then he retrieved the thin piece of paper expertly
concealed between the spine and the pages.
Witnessing this, Berger couldn't help but comnt, "Very old-school."
Nilrem simply smiled in response as he read the contents of the paper. But the
very next mont, his expression turned grim.
"What is it?" Berger pressed.
Nilrem shifted his gaze between the gno and the piece of paper. He then
handed the paper to him. "See for yourself."
Berger quickly grasped the paper. Even before he read the ssage in its
entirety, he identified the slightly familiar handwriting.
And when he finally read the ssage, his expression twisted into a dark scowl.
"This is not good..."
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