Following the passing of Brigham Flynn, a seat on the Council of Seven had been left vacant.
While Adam had been away from the city, the remaining Councilors had co together and chosen a new Magus to take Brigham Flynn’s place.
Of course, the entire process was very thorough and thodical. Not just the Councilors, but the other aristocrats of Ravenfell had also cast their votes.
The requirents were clear: they had to be a Mana Vortex Magus, born and raised in Ravenfell, and possess unwavering loyalty to the city.
After months of rigorous elections and careful scrutiny, a new Councilor finally rose to take the vacant seat.
And it was soone Adam knew...
Sabrina Benton stood beside an old man with white hair and a matching beard. His piercing blue eyes radiated warmth and wisdom, lending him a scholarly and approachable air.
He wore white robes adorned with delicately embroidered green leaves along the hems. Even standing near him, one could catch the subtle fragrance of rare herbs and magical ingredients.
The Lord Marshall smiled as she gestured toward him. "This is the newest Councilor of Ravenfell, and as you already know, the leader of the Herbalists’ Guild, Lord Halbert Dawson."
Adam was pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t expected this man to beco the Councilor of Ravenfell at all.
Halbert Dawson was also the first Mana Vortex Magus Adam had gotten acquainted with when he first arrived in the city.
"Haha, Adam." The old man called him out with great familiarity. He stepped forward and gave the youth a warm hug. "Welco ho!"
"Lord Dawson, what a surprise!" Adam revealed a happy smile.
Out of all the people in this room, he was most familiar with the leader of the Herbalists’ Guild. Moreover, they also shared a long history.
Halbert Dawson gently clasped the raven-haired youth’s shoulders and sighed, his blue eyes flashing with a reminiscence.
"Tis certainly change, don’t they? I never would have imagined the young herbalism prodigy who joined the guild more than a decade ago would one day rise to the station of King!"
Adam offered a sincere smile. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Lord Dawson."
He paused for a mont before adding with a respectful bow.
"And Congratulations on your appointnt as Councilor. I have no doubt that you will serve the city with the sa care and dedication you’ve shown while leading the Herbalists’ guild all these years."
"Haha!" Halbert Dawson laughed warmly as he stepped forward and embraced the youth once again. "Thank you, Adam. Truly."
Adam returned the hug with a smile... one that briefly faltered when the newly appointed Councilor transmitted a cryptic, ominous ssage directly into his mind.
His expression froze for only a heartbeat before he composed himself once more.
With a calm nod, Adam cast a lingering, unreadable glance at Halbert Dawson. Then, without missing a beat, he turned to greet the other aristocrats in the room.
After that, he greeted all the other people in the chamber. However, a cold feeling of foreboding had already clawed its way into his heart.
From ti to ti, he would look at Halbert Dawson. The man seed normal, going around smiling warmly and chatting amicably with the others.
But Adam could see it...
Deep down, the bastard wanted sothing from him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought that topic up.
And Adam knew exactly what he was talking about!
He was absent-minded for the rest of the duration while he greeted the other Magi. That was until he ca across one of the other Councilors of the city.
It was an old man with blond hair and topaz eyes. Frivolous, arrogant, and aloof. And now, there was another word forever tied to his na...
Traitor.
"Lord Constantine, welco back to Ravenfell." Ives Ballard stepped forward, extending his hand.
He had a dashing smile on his face, and the look he gave Adam suggested that the two were old friends.
And for those who didn’t know, Ives Ballard would indeed appear like soone who was greeting an old buddy.
However, Adam rembered.
Right after the Duskfall Incident, this old man had launched a sneak attack on him, trying to kill him.
How could he ever forget?
Adam stepped forward with the sa amicable smile on his lips. He shook the Counilor’s hand and greeted, "It’s great to see you, Lord Ballard. I trust all is well?"
The mont those words left his lips, a soft sound echoed through the chamber. It was barely audible, but unmistakably sharp.
Crack!
Most of the Magi gathered looked around, confused about where the sound had co from. A few Magi, mostly Ives Ballard’s family mbers and the Lord Marshall and her family mbers, noticed the true source of that sound.
A drop of sweat trickled down the side of Ives Ballard’s face, however, he made sure to display the sa smile on his face.
"What’s the matter, my lord?" Adam asked, his tone tinged with slight concern. "Is everything alright?"
Ballard’s eyes flashed with unmasked hostility. He gritted his teeth and smiled, "Yes, everything is..."
Crack!
Adam applied pressure, ruthlessly shattering even more bones in the traitor’s hand.
"...Fine," Ballard continued.
By now, the people around him clearly noticed what was going on. Ballard family mbers openly showed hostility towards Adam. The man’s eldest son was about to step forward and confront the raven-haired youth...
But a simple glance from the Dark King caused him to freeze in his place.
"Good boy," Adam said with a dark smile.
He then turned to Ives Ballard and leaned forward a little, whispering in his ears, "Don’t think for a second that I’ve forgotten about that night."
With that said, he turned around and greeted the rest of the Councilors. Ives Ballard gazed at his departing back with murderous eyes, his thoughts a mystery.
"Father..." His eldest son, also a Mana Vortex Magus, called out to him, his face plastered with indignation.
"We’re leaving," Ives Ballard muttered coldly before storming out of the council chamber.
Their brief interaction made the others in the room wonder if there was so bad blood between the Councilor and the Dark King.
But that was all they did... just speculate.
None dared to even step forward to diate. One was a Councilor, while the other was the Dark King.
And right now... the halo around the Dark King shone brighter than even all the Councilors combined.
Adam put this matter to the back of his mind and turned to greet the other Councilors in the chamber. Much to his surprise, he learned that Nylian Feno had withdrawn from public view ever since the Blackhore Incident.
He couldn’t help but wonder if he had gotten grievously injured in his fight against the Rank 3 aberrant creature the necromancers had summoned.
After he’d greeted everyone, Adam didn’t linger. He bid the Lord Marshall farewell and turned to leave the council chamber.
Just before stepping out, his gaze flickered toward Halbert Dawson.
The old man’s ssage still echoed inside his mind:
’I know what you did...’
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