Chapter 1425: Irrational Feeling

This chapter is updated by Novels.pl

Drunken Chips.

The tavern was packed shoulder to shoulder, and the atmosphere was loud and lively. Patrons stood on benches and tables, shouting and laughing as they formed a crude circle around Nilrem.

"Nilrem! Nilrem!"

"Nilrem! Nilrem!"

The crowd chanted his name with great zeal, their eyes blazing with fun and anticipation.

On the table before Nilrem sat a glass of strong liquor, and beside it… a live, venomous scorpion, its tail lazily twitching.

This creature might look tiny, but its poison was capable of severely harming even a Mana Liquefaction Magus!

Cheers erupted even louder when Nilrem calmly placed the scorpion on the back of his hand. The creature shifted, its legs scraping lightly against his skin, its stinger rising and falling in agitation.

The tavern grew silent. The crowd held its breath.

Unhurried, Nilrem carefully lifted the glass, drawing it closer to his lips. His movement was slow and steady. Not a single tremor ran through his hand. His face was calm, and his pale blue eyes gleamed with the thrill of danger.

The scorpion remained still, sensing movement but finding none sudden enough to strike.

Nilrem’s lips finally touched the edge of the glass. The crowd’s eyes blazed with excitement and disbelief. However, they remained quiet, not daring to agitate the scorpion.

The elderly Magus slowly finished the drink. When the glass was emptied, he smoothly inverted it and brought it down over the scorpion in one swift motion, trapping it beneath the rim.

The table rattled as the scorpion now found itself caged within the empty glass. The Drunken Chips exploded into cheers, whistles, and pounding fists.

Nilrem rose to his feet and spread his arms wide.

And then…

He laughed.

"Nilrem! Nilrem!"

"Nilrem! Nilrem!"

The crowd began chanting his name passionately. Coins were tossed into the air, mugs were raised, and voices roared in unison.

"Hohoho!" Nilrem’s laughter almost drowned out the crowd’s cheers.

He looked toward Kharbeena and signaled to her. "Young lady, one more drink!"

Then he pointed at a random stranger standing near him and added, "And put it on his tab!"

The stranger was momentarily startled before nodding in joy. For the entertainment Nilrem delivered, forget buying him one drink, the man would buy him several more.

Standing behind the bar counter, the proprietor of the tavern, Kharbeena, shook her head in amusement before preparing another drink.

Meanwhile, standing at the edge of the crowd, two Magi from House York watched the wild spectacle unfold with wide eyes.

"I-is this really how a Mana Vortex Magus acts?" One of them couldn’t help but blurt out.

The other one murmured in a daze, "I thought Mana Vortex Magi were supposed to be dignified!"

House York had always been unwaveringly loyal to the throne. For generations, their Magi traditionally served within the royal guard, entrusted with the palace’s inner defenses and the personal safety of the Fireborne royal family.

The two Magi had been dispatched by the Queen to deliver an invitation to the wandering Magus Nilrem. After tracking his whereabouts across the city, they had finally located him in the Drunken Chips, only to be utterly bewildered by his performance.

"I think we should wait for the excitement to die down, no?" One of them suggested.

The other one nodded. "Indeed. I doubt the crowd will let us go near him. Look at them… it’s like they’ve been bewitched!"

And so, the two royal guards waited for several more hours, only to be even more shocked by the copious amounts of alcohol Nilrem consumed.

But what shocked them even more was that the elderly Magus didn’t pay for a single drink!

Only one thought echoed in their minds:

How can someone be so cheap!

***

At sunset, the two royal guards finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Nilrem wave goodbye to all the patrons inside the tavern and head for the exit.

They quickly followed after him.

But when they left the tavern, they had already lost track of the man.

"What! Where did he go?!"

"He was right here, wasn’t he?"

The two Magi were at a loss for words, fearing that they would have to once again track the man across the city.

But suddenly…

The stench of strong liquor assaulted their noses, and the next moment, a pair of hands rested smoothly around their shoulders.

Nilrem appeared between them and spoke with amusement:

"Looking for me?"

The two young Magi froze. They didn’t even realize when Nilrem had appeared behind them. Besides, wasn’t he supposed to be piss drunk? How could he move so silently in such a state?

"S-sir, we mean you no harm!" One of them blurted out!

"Y-yes, my lord!" The other nodded his head like a chicken pecking at grains. "We carry an invitation from Her Majesty!"

"Oh?" Nilrem’s eyebrow arched in surprise. "From the Queen?"

"Yes, sir!" The royal guards quickly stepped away and respectfully bowed.

One of them handed Nilrem a rolled parchment sealed with the wax of House Fireborne. He spoke quickly and stiffly, "Her Majesty requests your presence tomorrow morning. We’re only here to deliver the message!"

"Ah, I see." Nilrem retrieved the rolled parchment.

He then displayed a faint smile and added, "Alright, I shall be there tomorrow."

With that said, he disappeared in a puff of gray smoke.

The two young Magi remained rooted in their spot for a long time. At last, one of them couldn’t help but comment:

"You’ve gotta admit… the old man’s got style."

***

Adam returned to his residence shortly after.

He sat at the study table and read through the invitation. The Lotus had already dispelled the haze of intoxication, and his eyes now gleamed with hints of nervousness.

What the hell?Why would Anna’s mother suddenly summon me?

Despite being a powerful Mana Core Magus, he couldn’t help but panic a little when he learned that Amira Fireborne had requested to meet him.

It was an irrational feeling, one that had nothing to do with danger. No matter how old or capable one became, there was always a quiet nervousness when summoned by a motherly figure. As though somewhere deep down, the child had never truly grown up.

I’m sure I didn’t do anything suspicious, he thought to himself.

So then why did she suddenly call for me?

Adam also hadn’t left behind any snakes to spy on Amira, out of respect for her. He was only secretly surveilling Marlow and Tostig Quinn. Hence, he was unaware of the reason for this sudden invitation.

He inhaled deeply, then murmured, "Alright, never mind. This is just a normal invitation. I should be fine."

His lips twitched, and he added awkwardly:

"…I hope."

***

At the same time, in a secret location somewhere within the Palace District, Count Burne Ward stood before two cloaked figures. One of them was the cultist Osbert, and the other was the Enchantress Leila.

"Is it done?" Osbert asked, his voice low and grating.

"Yes." Count Ward nodded confidently. "The stage is set."

He then turned towards the beautiful Enchantress. "I’ve convinced the Prince. The rest is up to you."

Leila giggled coquettishly, her voice lilting like a melody. Her full lips parted as she spoke in a mesmerizing tone:

"Then let the downfall of the Ignisra royal family begin."