A few days before Adam left Ravenfell.
Inside Brigham Flynn's study on the second floor of his manor, the youth conjured a sealed wine gourd and two chalices.
"This is a token of my apology, Lord Flynn," he said. "I hope you will do the honors."
With practiced ease, the youth began unsealing the mouth of the wine gourd in front of the old patriarch. Then he gracefully poured the wine into the two chalices.
Brigham's eyes flashed with extre suspicion when he saw Adam pour wine into the cups. He couldn't help but think in alarm, What… is he trying to do?
Is the wine poisoned?! This damned bastard!
Does he think I'll drink the wine? How naive!
Noticing the frown on the old man's face and the suspicion flickering in his eyes, Adam's following words ca out in a joking manner.
However, those words held imnse weight and were nothing but the truth.
"Please, don't look at like that, Lord Flynn," the raven-haired youth began. "By the mana coursing through my veins, I swear the wine is untainted."
Brigham Flynn was stunned.
He swore on his mana?! Does that an the wine is genuinely not poisoned?
A mana oath was a very sacred vow. Even the most powerful of Magi would not dare to lie while swearing on their mana.
For if they did, their mana might forsake them!
Now, Brigham was utterly certain that Adam hadn't poisoned the wine because he swore on his mana. Still, being the shrewd and cautious patriarch that he was, he still didn't drink it.
Seeing this, Adam chuckled. He then picked up a wine goblet and toasted, "Please, accept my heartfelt apology, Lord Flynn."
With that said, the youth downed the whole drink in one go before placing the chalice back on the table.
Only after Adam had drank the wine, did a faint smile appear on the Flynn Patrtiach's face. He had now confird that the wine did not contain any toxins.
But still, he planned to visit the guild leader of the Herbalists' Guild later at night and get the final confirmation from the Grade 3 Herbalist himself.
Brigham grasped the chalice placed before him and finally took a sip. "Apology accepted."
Adam displayed a warm smile when he saw that, silently nodding at the old patriarch. He then lowered his head, hiding the cold glint that flashed in his dark, abyss-like eyes.
I swore on my mana that the wine wasn't poisoned, he thought.
But the chalice…
The chalice was another matter entirely.
…
Mounted atop Valerian, Adam cast a cold glance filled with killing intent at the patriarch of the Flynn Family, Brigham Flynn, who was fighting Kissinger below.
Seeing the look of happiness on the old man's face, thinking that he was about to receive assistance from him, Adam couldn't help but scoff in disdain.
"Fool."
He calmly raised his hand and silently perford a simple hand seal. His lips curled into a cruel and vicious smile as he thought to himself, Old Flynn, I gave you many chances…
But you let your greed dictate your actions. Trust , I know…
Because I am a greedy man myself.
The mont he finished casting the seal, sothing inside Brigham awakened from its deep slumber…
It was the poison!
Adam Constantine was an individual with deep knowledge about the art of herbalism, thanks to the mories he had devoured.
As such, even Halbert Dawson, a Grade 3 Herbalist and the leader of the Herbalsits' Guild in Ravenfell could not hold a candle to him.
Naturally, the poison that Adam had concocted would go unnoticed by Halbert Dawson.
What Adam had poisoned Brigham with was not technically a poison in the most literal sense. In that, this poison did not damage the physical body.
Instead…
It polluted one's mana and caused it to montarily stagnate after the poison was activated!
And the activation chanism of the poison?
It was the hand seal that Adam had just perford.
The raven-haired youth cast one final glance at the old patriarch before directing Valerian to fly toward the skies in pursuit of Malcolm Morgan.
…
anwhile, on the ground, the mont Adam had activated the poison, Brigham Flynn felt like he had lost sothing inside of him.
Sothing very dear, sothing extrely precious to him.
His hands trembled as he stood frozen on the spot. He raised his hand and clutched his chest, his expression overco by imnse shock and grief.
"My mana…" he murmured, his eyes tearing up. "I can't… I can't feel it!"
All the strength in his body seed to have left him at that mont. Along with that, sothing else too left him.
Hope.
Without mana, a Magus was nothing. Now… Brigham was nothing.
This was the most cruel punishnt that a Magus could ever hope to receive. Although the effects of the poison were temporary and the old man's mana would eventually recover, Brigham didn't know that.
He thought that his body now would forever be devoid of the mystical energy that made him a Magus!
Moreover, having such extre negative feelings in the midst of battle was extrely detrintal.
His opponent, Kissinger, soone who had fought countless battles and lived for hundreds of years, how could he not grasp this opportunity?
He first turned his head in the direction of the clifftop. From there, he noticed that Nylian Feno was rapidly moving toward his battlefield.
There's enough ti, he thought.
Kissinger's eyes flashed with terrifying resolve as he turned towards his mortal enemy, Brigham, who seed like soone who had lost everything dear to him.
He didn't know what had happened. But he didn't care.
This was the perfect opportunity!
The man wielded his poison-coated twin daggers and shot toward Brigham Flynn with unmatched ferocity.
STAB!
Brigham coughed a mouthful of blood, his pupils dilating. He felt two daggers pierce his heart. He raised his head and gazed at the culprit. "Kissinger…"
The leader of the Umbra Thieves with a diagonal scar across his face grinned from ear to ear. "Oh, the sweet taste of revenge."
He viciously pulled the daggers from Brigham's chest and kicked him to the ground. He would have preferred to watch the man die, but his escape took precedence.
Kissinger cast one final glance at Brigham Flynn before dissipating into shadows and vanishing, leaving behind his parting words.
"Goodbye, old friend."
Brigham Flynn's body gradually started to turn cold. The blood gushing from his chest, however, gave him warmth.
It was a beautiful contradiction.
The sound of battle drifted into his ears as his gaze was drawn toward the lazy clouds swimming in the blue sky.
Gradually, everything started to fade away and the light in his eyes dimd.
Elysande…
He thought of his daughter who would beco the next head of the family.
I leave everything to you. I wish I could have seen you one last ti…
Tears stread down his face and his vision grew blurry. He began to wonder just what led to his mana suddenly spiraling out of his control.
Suddenly, an image of a raven-haired youth wearing a pointy hat appeared in his mind. Thinking of him, Brigham's eyes gradually widened.
With the last of his strength, he muttered, "I see…"
Before he truly embraced death, the old patriarch of the Flynn Family recalled Adam's final words to him.
You are just like my father was—willing to do anything to protect his family, to ensure that they survived.
That is why I respect you, Lord Flynn. I respect the decisions you've made and will make.
If my father was in your shoes, he would have done the sa.
If I was in your shoes, I'd probably do the sa too.
That is why I want you to know…
That it was .
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