Published at 2nd of September 2026 5:50 am

Chapter 1979: Unwavering Resolve

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Adam felt like there was some misunderstanding going on.

He was sad because of what happened to Valerian.

Not because Genevieve was abducted.

Well... a little bit.

So he didn’t bother correcting Luca.

He treated the Paladin’s wounds, which took a few hours, as he was severely lacking many tools. After that, they began discussing the events of the previous night.

"So you’re saying after you dealt with one of the weaker vampires, the white-haired vampire suddenly arrived and put you under some kind of enchantment spell? And then you woke up in this cave?" Adam frowned.

"Pretty much." Luca shrugged.

His expression turned solemn, and he asked, "What exactly happened last night? And how did I get here?"

Although he knew that Adam had brought him to their hideout, what he wanted to know was how.

Adam let out a heavy sigh. He then began recounting what had happened on his battlefield. Starting from the poison explosion, to Valerian saving him when he was unable to move his body, to finally him killing off the two vampires.

He didn’t get the chance to speak more when a dumbfounded Luca interrupted him.

"Valerian what?!" He blurted out, his gaze subconsciously drifting to the sleeping Valerian. It was only then that he realized that the little guy was sleeping to recover from his injuries, and not because he was tired or lazy.

Luca’s gaze returned to Adam, and he continued, "And then you took care of the two vampires?"

"Yeah." Adam nodded without going into specifics.

Luca didn’t find it odd that Adam had been able to defeat two vampires on his own. He expected, at least, that much from his companion. After all, Luca would have been able to do the same, provided the vampires didn’t flee.

"And then, the white-haired vampire appeared. She stabbed me in the chest, and then slit my throat. True story."

Luca blinked.

"What?"

He thought he might have heard it wrong.

Adam nodded. He pointed at the fresh scar on his neck and said, "Look."

Luca’s mouth hung slightly open.

"But this is not important," Adam continued. He then retrieved the map from his pocket and placed it on the ground. "Take a look at this."

Luca frowned as he stared at the parchment stained with sweat and blood. "What’s this?"

Adam was silent.

The Paladin unfolded the paper, and the moment he began studying its contents, his eyes slowly widened.

"Where did you get this?!" He exclaimed, his eyes still glued to the paper.

In his time here, Luca had naturally drawn a rough map of the lands east of the Lamiyan Mountains. But its accuracy paled in comparison to the one in his hands.

"It also contains the lands beyond the mountains!" Luca was ecstatic. "Just where did you get this?"

Adam’s following words were like a bucket of cold water.

"The white-haired vampire gave it to me," he answered. "Her name’s Sandra."

Luca’s eyes narrowed. "What?"

Adam took a steady breath and explained how his partnership — if one could even call it that — with the vampire named Sandra had come about. He told Luca everything. From meeting her for the first time to how events unfolded the previous night.

After listening to his explanation, Luca slipped into silence for a long time. A deep frown marred his face, and he couldn’t help but say:

"Constantine, these monsters cannot be trusted!"

He slammed the map on the ground and said fiercely, "What if this is a fake? What if she’s trying to lead us onto something far more dangerous?"

"And why would she do that?" Adam did not outright dismiss Luca’s argument.

"Who knows what goes on inside their twisted minds?!" Luca blurted out.

"Tell me then," Adam replied. "Based on your understanding, is the eastern half of the map inaccurate?"

Luca grimaced. He shook his head. "But that still doesn’t mean we can trust her."

"She could have killed you last night," Adam said. "She had the strength and the motive to. But she didn’t. She only made it look like you had died."

Luca’s expression twisted into a ferocious frown. "But she took away my armor and weapon!"

"She took a great risk by not killing me last night," Adam continued. "She even went so far as to let me in on her act, even when she knew we were being watched by those ravens. And yes, she all but confirmed that the vampire king spies on everybody in this damned place through those ravens."

Luca opened his mouth to argue, but he couldn’t come up with a retort. In the end, he simply said, "Then what about Genevieve? She took her, didn’t she?"

To that question, even Adam fell silent. A flicker of worry flashed past his tenebrous eyes before he quickly strangled that feeling.

"No matter," he said resolutely. "The fact that we are alive goes on to show that Sandra wants to ally with us. I truly don’t think this is part of some larger scheme."

"Why would she ally with us?" Luca couldn’t understand him. "Vampires kill and eat humans, Constantine! Would you ever try to ally with chickens and goats?"

"Unlike chickens and goats, humans are capable of fighting back," Adam said calmly. "And even slaughtering their kind."

"Bah!" Luca rose to his feet, grimacing in the process as some of his wounds started acting up. But he paid them no mind and began pacing back and forth.

"Fine," he said. "Let’s assume she’s on our side. Then what? You don’t plan to blindly go to those two spots marked on the map, do you?"

"I’ve already been to one of them," Adam said, his eyes flashing with a cold light. "I don’t mind visiting again and paying my dues."

"What?" Luca frowned.

He hadn’t properly seen the X marks on the map earlier. But when Adam claimed to have already visited one of them, he couldn’t help but study the map again.

A few moments later, his eyes narrowed. "The Sun Temple!"

But a second later, he shook his head.

"Too dangerous!" he said. "Even if both of us were to go in together, we wouldn’t be able to defeat the werewolf. Not to mention, he has a group of stone angels there."

"I know how dangerous he is," Adam said. "Better than anyone."

His eyes blazed with unwavering resolve as he declared:

"That is why I will advance to the Mana Seed Rank, and then I will visit the temple."

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