Chapter 888: Late Bloor
Adam felt a strange feeling bubbling up inside his heart.
When he looked at the faces of all these people who had gathered, the way they cheered for him, the way they looked at him with worship in their eyes, made him feel… strangely happy.
He directed Valerian to take a few steps forward, allowing Raidon and the few dozen n behind him to enter through the western gates.
The cheers and applause were deafening. If it weren’t for the mbers of the Black Legion as well as other Magi from the city’s ard forces lining the boulevard, the crowd would have flooded in and surrounded Adam.
Adam took in everything with a faint smile adorning his lips. Feeling grateful for how far he had co in life, he raised his chin and looked into the sky, his gaze seemingly piercing the heavens.
Look… Father, Mother, he said to himself.
I hope I’ve made you proud.
This was his mont to shine!
Valerian continued to take one step after another, slowly moving forward. He didn’t forget to display a pompous expression, his topaz eyes flickering with glee.
The sounds of horns, trumpets, and drums grew louder, echoing across every street and alley in the city.
Add to that, the marching song that the n of the Black Legion still continued to sing, elevated the atmosphere even further.
People gathered on the ground waved their hands enthusiastically, trying their best to catch the Dark King’s attention.
Until now, they had only heard of him in tales. But seeing him in person was even more rewarding.
Thanks to the physique enhancent as well as all the nurous dicinal baths Adam had taken to boost his physical body, he looked eye-catching to say the least.
Like a prince in shining armour straight out of a fairy tale, he captured the hearts of many young maidens as soon as he made his appearance.
Nurous young ladies standing in the crowd threw flowers at him, screaming at the top of their lungs just for a single glance.
The gentle wind tugged at his gray cape, causing it to flutter behind him and adding to his heroic presence.
The reactions from these won… Adam hadn’t expected them at all!
For a mont, he didn’t know how to react. Feeling slightly embarrassed, his body got stiff for a second. The voices of won asking him to marry them drifted into his ears, further embarrassing him.
Right at that mont, a familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
‘Avoid looking people in the eyes. Look at the space above their heads. Smile and wave.’
Adam’s eyes lit up. He traced the mana fluctuations, instantly finding the source of the spell. He raised his head and gazed in the direction of a third-floor balcony of one of the countless buildings lining the boulevard.
There, he saw a crimson-haired young woman in luxurious dark clothes, resting her elbows on the railings, and looking at him with a warm smile.
The mont Adam saw that it was his sister, he revealed a radiant smile and waved in her direction.
Anna waved at him from the balcony, her eyes flashing with pride.
anwhile, the silver-haired woman standing beside her glanced at the figure of the Dark King in a stunned daze.
Her eyes were glued to the handso raven-haired youth as she asked softly, “That… that is your brother?”
“Yes.” Anna smiled.
Suddenly, she felt sothing was wrong in Ada’s tone. She turned towards her and was startled to see that her friend’s cheeks had turned red, her blue eyes flashing with infatuation.
Anna wanted to say sothing, but in the end, she simply shook her head in exasperation.
“You’re hopeless.”
***
On the balcony of another building, where the elves of Baja stood in quiet grace, Atiel’s gaze cut through the cascading confetti and landed on Adam’s figure.
Her green eyes shone with wonder and surprise, and she couldn’t help but exclaim, “That’s Adam?! He’s… changed so much!”
Back in Moon City, Adam’s features were ordinary, unremarkable at best. But the raven-haired youth, who now rode through the gates, was a far cry from his forr self.
Hearing that remark, Daneli, who was standing beside her, frowned a little. “You’re right. He used to be ugly… but he’s not anymore.”
“Hmm.” Elrod displayed a faint smile as he gazed at Adam and Valerian. “He’s grown taller… broader, too. There’s strength in his fra now. And that cat of his… ”
A Mana Vortex Magus standing beside him, turned to look at him with an arched brow, “You did ntion that the boy—I an, the Dark King is a Herbalist, but there’s only so much magical potions and dicinal baths can do to alter one’s physique.”
“Indeed.” Elrod nodded with a thoughtful expression. “The last ti I t him was a little over a decade ago. Since then, his transformation has been quite… drastic.”
“Maybe he’s just a late bloor.” Atiel covered her mouth and giggled.
***
On another balcony in a nearby building, a group of people donning luxurious and regal robes had gathered.
This balcony was noticeably more spacious than the others, almost too spacious. As if its exclusivity was intentional… as if others had been deliberately barred from setting foot in this building.
A middle-aged man, his dark brown hair streaked with silver at the temples, stood leaning against the railing.
Clad in ostentatious white and gold robes that shimred gloriously under the sunlight, he watched Adam with a faint, knowing smile gracing his handso features.
An old man stood quietly behind him, his back hunched, not from age alone, but as if perpetually bowed in deference.
His gaze shifted from Adam, who was waving to the crowd below, to the middle-aged man beside him, studying his expression with silent attentiveness.
“What do you think of the boy, Your Highness?” The old man asked respectfully.
The middle-aged man’s blue eyes flashed with quiet brilliance. “I finally understand why the people revere him so deeply,” he said.
He paused for a mont, letting his gaze sweep across the throngs below, watching their cheers rise like a tide for the one they called the Dark King. A faint smile touched his lips.
“It’s not because he’s the youngest ever to reach the Mana Vortex Rank. It’s not even because of his monstrous fighting prowess… No,” he murmured.
“It’s because he was a commoner. A nobody. A farr’s son who defied every expectation and earned the title of King.”
He straightened slightly as he continued, his voice tinged with sothing close to admiration. “For generations, they said only the wealthy, the noble-blood, had a real chance at stepping on the path of the arcane.
“But the Dark King shattered that illusion. He climbed the tower from the base… with no na, no wealth. Just will.
“And so the people love him. Because, to them… he is hope incarnate.”
As he spoke those noble words, the smile on his lips widened, and a thought echoed in the back of his mind:
No wonder Father and Grandfather have taken an interest in him…
Our boy has co a long long way :)))
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