Published at 11th of September 2026 7:07 am

Chapter 2006: Greatest Virtue

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No, I have to protect him!

Adam’s eyes gradually hardened.

For now, however, he had one advantage. Somehow, he had managed to break through the manipulation.

Most likely because of the Lotus, he thought.

And whoever was behind this had no idea. Or perhaps they did. Adam could not be entirely sure.

They don’t know what I’ve remembered, he thought.

That was his only advantage.

He had to pretend that nothing had changed. He could not alert whoever was watching. Not until he understood what was happening and how the manipulation worked.

But the thought that someone was capable of altering thoughts and memories through Valerian’s amulet made Adam shudder.

Who the hell am I dealing with?!

He would never suspect a member of the Somnia Clan. In his eyes, they could never hurt Valerian, their youngest prince.

The only conclusion Adam could come to was that the enemies of the Somnia Clan were behind this.

Once again, he was reminded of his own weakness.

If he had been stronger, perhaps he would have discovered the manipulation much earlier. If he had been more cautious, perhaps Valerian would never have been placed in such danger to begin with.

And once again... regret slowly filled his heart.

How much I wish I could have left Valerian with his clansmen, where he could grow up safe and sound, he thought bitterly.

Instead, he had kept the little fellow by his side. He had brought him into one dangerous situation after another. And now, someone was trying to harm him.

I’m supposed to be protecting him, he thought to himself.

Adam covertly cast his gaze at the pendant, a bitter expression appearing on his face.

I’ve been the one failing him all along...

Another thought suddenly entered his mind.

Valerian had spent most of his time inside Adam’s Spirit Sea. And whenever the little fellow entered it, the amulet would mysteriously disappear with him.

Adam’s eyes narrowed, and he couldn’t help but think, Could the mastermind on the other side of the amulet have somehow learned about the Lotus?

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

But almost immediately, he discarded it.

No, he thought with certainty. His expression gradually relaxed.

That should be impossible, he thought.

Unless the mastermind possessed perception greater than that of a being at the Emperor Rank, there was no way they could have discovered the Lotus hidden within his Spirit Sea.

The Eternal Soul Lotus was not something that could be casually observed.

After all, it had not only countered the ravings from the Beyond, but also resisted the maddening whispers of the Faceless Mask.

And Adam believed that the mask was, at the very least, a Grade 7 artifact.

An Emperor-level artifact!

If even the Faceless Mask couldn’t bypass the protection of the Lotus...

Adam slowly shook his head.

Then there is no way the person behind the amulet could have discovered it.

Unless...

Once again, Adam’s expression stiffened.

Unless I’m dealing with something far more terrifying than I ever imagined!

Damn it, what the hell have I gotten myself into?

Forget about my well-being. I can’t even protect my little brother!

"Brother?" Valerian called out gently.

Adam snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the little fellow. "What is it?"

Valerian’s ears drooped slightly. "You look... troubled. Did I do something wrong?"

Once again, Adam felt like someone had stabbed his heart with countless daggers. He crouched and gently patted the young dragon’s head.

"You didn’t do anything," he said softly. "I’m just thinking about how to get out of this place."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Myu!" Valerian beamed. "Don’t worry, Brother. If it’s you, you can do anything you set your mind to!"

"Yeah..." Adam smiled forcefully, trying his best not to glance at the purple amethyst conspicuously.

"I’ve ransacked the vault, Brother!" Valerian stood on his hind legs and let out a cute roar. "Let’s go, already! I can’t wait to show off my treasure to that brute!"

Suddenly, Valerian thought of something and frowned. "Wait a minute. Do we have to split the loot with Luca?"

Adam couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Obviously," he said. "Half of it will go to him. The other half will belong to us."

The struggle showed on Valerian’s furry little face. "Do we really have to, though? We can always tell him that we didn’t find anything here."

"Well, if it was anyone else, then we could have scammed them," Adam said as he rose to his feet. "But Luca trusts us. Not to mention, if it weren’t for him holding back the Last Knight, we wouldn’t have been able to freely explore the castle."

Valerian sighed. "Fine. Fine."

He truly disliked sharing his treasures with anyone else. Except his big brother, of course. He would share everything with Adam, even his most precious gold.

"Let’s go then," the little fellow said. "I’m feeling bored. I... I miss Genevieve."

Adam smiled faintly at that. "Don’t worry, little Val," he said. "We’ll do our best to save her."

"Myu..."

Adam turned his focus back to the Magus robes, his tenebrous eyes glinting with a cold light. "Let me grab these clothes first," he said. "Then those papers there. After that, we’ll leave."

Adam had noticed something sinister about the corpse wearing the Magus robes. Yet he gave no indication that he had sensed anything unusual.

Maintaining the same calm expression, he slowly reached out and pressed his hand against the corpse’s robes.

For a split second, nothing happened.

Then, something beneath the folds of the robes shimmered with a faint light. Adam’s eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into a mocking sneer.

At the same moment, a thunderous, bellowing laugh echoed through his Spirit Sea!

A foreign figure suddenly appeared within Adam’s Spirit Sea, standing upon the surface of the calm waters as he laughed triumphantly.

He looked like an old man with curly white hair and a dense beard and mustache. He wore clothes befitting royalty, adorned in fine fabrics and intricate ornaments—an appearance that reflected how his spirit body perceived himself.

A powerful aura radiated from his body. The old man threw his head back and laughed loudly, roaring in jubilation.

"Patience truly is the greatest virtue!"

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