Published at 11th of February 2026 8:23 am

Chapter 1491 Connect the Dots

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Before Yaegar and Hastings rushed to meet Damon, they had received a letter from him, containing a cryptic message.

In that letter, Damon confirmed that Vaelor was not the traitor, but the bait. That the real leak was none other than… Uther Bowman.

Although most of the things drafted in the letter could be considered Damon's speculations, it was the final sentence in the letter that truly made Yaegar and Hastings feel the gravity of the situation.

It said:

'If anything happens to me before you arrive, assume Bowman is responsible. Do not trust anything he says afterward. I believe you two can connect the dots.'

The two Councilors rushed through the woods with grim expressions. They moved forward without saying a word, both of them weighed down by the implications of Damon's message.

They were certain that the letter was not fabricated because it had Damon's mana signature imprinted upon it. That's why they took the letter so seriously.

The forest grew darker and quieter the deeper they went, until Hastings suddenly slowed and pointed ahead. Yaegar followed his gaze to see an unmoving figure lying in the dirt near a cluster of trees.

Both Councilors felt a chill crawl down their spines. They recognized the body in an instant. First, they scanned the surroundings, looking for enemy traps or an ambush. Then, they hurried over to the body.

The moment Hastings knelt beside the corpse and noticed the faint purple tint of Vaelor's skin and the dark veins along his neck and temples, his face tightened.

"Poison," Yaegar muttered on his breath, a dark look on his face.

After a brief examination, they determined the poison was fast-acting and lethal, and that single confirmation made Damon's warning feel disturbingly real to both of them.

They exchanged glances and, in that moment, they knew they were thinking the same thing.

Why would Bowman kill Vaelor if Damon already accused him?

The answer was simple:

Valelor most likely had proof of Bowman's treachery. The latter must have realized that and rushed to silence him.

"Look," Hastings muttered in a low voice, pointing to the disturbed leaves and the shallow footprints leading away from the body.

He left Vaelor's corpse as it was, then rose to his feet. He and Yaegar exchanged solemn glances as they drew their weapons, prepared magical components, and finally followed the trail.

The two moved faster and more alert now, until the trees thinned and a familiar, run-down storehouse came into view ahead of them. They knew this was one of Shadowblades' many safehouses near the city.

They pushed open the creaking door of the abandoned outpost and immediately felt something wrong.

Even before stepping fully inside, they could sense lingering mana residue in the air and the faint signs of battle.

Hastings slowed down and murmured, "Vaelor's mana signature is still present. It is faint but… unmistakable. And there's another familiar one…"

"Damon," Yaegar said in a dark, low voice. His jaw tightened as he, too, felt the residual imprint of a Mana Core Magus who had clearly fought there.

They moved deeper into the storehouse, extremely alert and cautious of their surroundings. They passed the concealed stairwell and descended underground, where the mana traces grew stronger, thicker, and more chaotic.

Until finally… Hastings froze. He muttered incredulously, "There's a third mana signature, and it's… it's someone we know!"

They entered the interrogation room and froze.

Damon's body was slumped against the wall, his head tilted to one side, his eyes half open and lifeless, and dried blood staining his robes and the stone behind him.

Hastings quickly stepped forward and knelt beside the corpse. He pressed two fingers against Damon's neck, then slowly pulled his hand back.

"He's dead," Hastings murmured. "Poisoned as well."

Yaegar closed his eyes for a brief moment, then looked around the room again, his gaze filled with rage.

"That signature," he spat through gritted teeth. "I know it."

Hastings gulped subconsciously. "Yes, so do I…"

A moment later, both spoke at the same time:

"Bowman."

For the next few seconds, a suffocating silence filled the room.

"Damn it!" Hastings cursed under his breath. "Damon was right. Vaelor really was bait. Bowman followed him here, killed him, and then finished Damon when he realized he'd been exposed."

Yaegar's fists clenched tightly. "He silenced both of them. Cleaned up every loose end in one move."

Hastings looked down at Damon's cold, lifeless body. "He told us not to trust anything afterward."

Yaegar remained silent for a long time. He glanced at Damon's corpse and said, "We can't say a word about this yet. Not to Bowman. Not to anyone. Not until we know exactly what we're dealing with."

Hastings glanced at him with narrowed eyes. "You think Bowman is working with that mysterious group?"

"…I'm not sure." Yaegar shook his head. "Now that I think about it, a lot of things start to make sense, even if we overlook the mana signatures here. Bowman seemed too calm and analytical during Damon's accusation. He was the one who insisted on evidence. He has the motive, and the means."

Hastings took a deep breath and nodded. "If we accuse Bowman now and we're wrong about the extent of his support, we won't get a second chance. He'll know we're onto him. And next time… we'll be the ones lying on the floor."

"He's even left the corpses behind," Yaegar replied solemnly. "It means he's certain the Soulmark Lantern wouldn't point to him. Besides, destroying or hiding bodies would have been far more suspicious and dangerous than leaving them behind."

"Perhaps… he never thought Damon would have a contingency in place. That he'd send us both a letter before he was murdered," Hastings replied softly.

He paused for a moment, then asked, "So what do we do? Just play along?"

Yaegar nodded. "We act like we believe whatever story Bowman spins about what happened here. We let him think he's won. And while he relaxes, we'll start digging quietly."

"We don't confront him until we know who else is involved." Hasitings agreed.

"Until we know everything." Yaegar nodded, his gaze still glued to Damon's body. "Who his allies are, how deep this conspiracy goes, and who this mysterious enemy group is, we must uncover everything."

Hastings looked at the corpse and murmured. "We'll do it from the shadows."

Yaegar nodded.

"From the shadows…"

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