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Heir of the White Lotus (Web Novel) - Chapter 1882: Hidden Cards
Chapter 1882: Hidden Cards
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
Genevivee’s shock lasted for only a moment before she quickly got ready to fight.
One of her defensive artifacts was already active, protecting the three of them. Just to be safe, she activated another one.
Then she activated one of the rings on her finger and prepared to counterattack.
Adam silently noticed her actions. But she wouldn’t need to attack the person in the darkness. With the mist no longer hindering the Sphere of Resonance, he had already identified the person waiting for them.
His boots carved grooves into the ancient stone before finally coming to a halt. He adjusted his body weight in midair and, with a dull thud, landed on the ground with Genevieve and Valerian safe in his embrace.
He immediately turned toward the figure lying in wait, who was ready to strike, and said in a reassuring voice:
"Calm down! It’s us!"
Genevieve was surprised by the sudden turn of events. She couldn’t see in the darkness, and as such, she was unable to identify who the person was. She had been certain there would be a monster down here, lying in ambush.
But it turned out... it was one of their party members.
She breathed out a sigh of relief and deactivated her defensive artifacts.
But right at that moment, the figure moved!
He exploded into a sprint, mana swirling violently around his body. Then, with a ferocious grunt, he swung his spiked club straight at Adam’s head.
Adam’s heart turned cold.
In one smooth motion, he raised his arm, tyrannical mana already coursing through it.
BAM!
The spiked club crashed into Adam’s forearm with tremendous force. The ground beneath his feet shattered, cracks forming across the floor.
Yet Adam’s arm never budged. The weapon failed to break through his guard.
He could clearly see the look of surprise on the man’s face. But even before that, he had seen the unmistakable killing intent in his eyes.
"Back off," he spat the words. "Darren!"
The person waiting in the darkness was none other than Darren Burk.
It was only now that Genevieve snapped back to her senses. From her deactivating the artifacts, to Darren attacking them, and finally Adam blocking the malicious strike, all of it had happened over the space of a heartbeat.
At last, she couldn’t help but scream at the man, "Darren, are you out of your mind?!"
Valerian barred his fangs, his topaz eyes brimming with murderous intent.
Darren quickly retreated. He gulped subconsciously, then said in a low voice, "Forgive me, my... uh, I attacked in a panic! I thought you were monsters!"
"Monsters?" Genevieve was livid.
She left Adam’s embrace and planted her feet on the ground. "Even after we told you, you still attacked us!"
Darren straightened his posture, then shrugged. "And I should have lowered my guard just because you told me to?"
There was no remorse in his voice.
And Genevieve couldn’t find the words to retort.
Darren turned his attention to Adam, then said in a grim voice:
"You... are a Paladin!"
It wasn’t a question.
He knew it.
He knew Adam was a Paladin.
Or Adam wouldn’t have been able to block the earlier strike. Darren hadn’t seen him activate any artifact or cast a spell. It was defense borne from pure physical strength.
Darren’s words confirmed Genevieve’s suspicions.
Adam was indeed someone who walked on both paths. If he wasn’t a Paladin, his display of speed earlier could not be explained. She was certain that he hadn’t used an artifact or cast a spell to boost his speed.
She walked up to Adam and said in a soft voice, "Are you okay?"
The raven-haired youth rose to his feet as he jerked his arm a few times. "Yeah, I’m alright," he said.
And he was. Genevieve didn’t see any injuries on his forearm. She was inwardly surprised because she knew Darren’s strike had been vicious and deadly. She and Valerian would have surely been hurt if not for Adam shielding them.
Adam walked past her and arrived before the towering Darren, and looked him in the eyes.
The corner of his lips curled into a crooked little smirk when he saw the unease and fear in Darren’s eyes.
Adam shook his head and walked past him, chuckling coldly. Valerian followed behind, casting a hateful glance toward the Paladin.
The little fellow nimbly hopped onto Adam’s shoulder, then communicated mentally:
’Brother, you saw it, didn’t you?’
’Oh, yes, little brother. I did.’
Adam replied mentally as he explored the dark hall.
By the time they arrived, Darren had already confirmed who they were. Yet he attacked Adam anyway.
The motive was obvious.
Darren held a grudge against him.
If he had managed to kill Adam in the first strike, he could always claim it had been a mistake. It was dark. He had been on edge. He had mistaken Adam for a monster.
It would have been a convenient excuse.
What Darren didn’t know was that Adam was a Paladin.
Unlike most Magi, Adam didn’t rely solely on spells. Even without casting a single one, his body alone was more than capable of withstanding such an attack.
A practitioner of the Astral Tyrant Manual was not weak.
That was precisely why Adam had kept his identity as a Paladin hidden until now.
It was always wise to have some hidden cards in one’s arsenal.
After briefly surveying the area and confirming that it consisted of a single vast hall, Adam returned to Darren and spoke casually as if nothing had happened moments earlier.
"How did you arrive here?" he asked.
Darren subconsciously gulped. Thanks to the illumination spell that Genevieve had just cast, he could see Adam’s face clearly. There was no hostility in it. That, for some reason, made him feel all the more uneasy.
Snap! Snap!
Adam snapped his fingers in front of Darren’s face.
"What’s the matter with you?" he asked with a smirk. "State of shock, is it?"
Darren’s expression grew solemn. Then he answered, "I woke up here."
"Huh." Adam stroked his chin. "Same as Genevieve then..."
She, too, had woken up in the underground structure they had taken refuge in earlier.
"You know what this means, don’t you?" Valerian said with mock sadness.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Adam scoffed. "It’s my rotten luck, alright."
Suddenly, Genevieve’s voice drew their attention.
Her voice was tinged with surprise.
"Adam... did you see this?"
