Chapter 56: One Year

The room was completely dark. Not even the sun’s rays could filter through the thick curtains. In the center, a large bed dominated the space, and on it lay an older man, motionless, his eyes closed and his breathing barely perceptible.

Standing silently beside the bed, Adam’s expression was grim as he looked at the state his father was in, who had returned from the capital after being summoned by the king… only to fall into this condition shortly after.

A little over a week had passed since Zephyr’s arrival. Multiple doctors had been called in, all with the same verdict: unknown illness.

The same diagnosis as in his past life.

Adam looked down at his father’s emaciated face, and a memory flashed through his mind without warning.

A firm hand correcting his posture when he was just a child.

“Feet first, Adam.”

The voice was deep and patient.

The memory vanished as quickly as the warmth left the body now lying in front of him.

Over the past few days, his routine had been relentless: complete the daily mission, study magic… and return to that room. Every three hours, coughing fits shook his father’s body, expelling black, corrosive blood that stained the sheets with an unnatural hue.

Adam looked up at the dark ceiling.

“Asterin… is there any way to save him?”

The figure of a beautiful woman floated nearby, watching silently. After a few seconds, she replied with restrained calm.

“First… your father isn’t sick, as you already know. He’s been poisoned. And it’s not a common poison. Even I find its nature disturbing.”

Adam closed his eyes for a moment. From the moment he saw him, he knew it wasn’t an illness. But he didn’t know the source of the poison or its cure.

He never discovered it in his past life.

And then another memory, much more unpleasant, emerged.

The day of his death.

Louis’s expression did not change; he merely frowned slightly, as if something were slightly uncomfortable.

“Think,” he said coldly, “that we had to cooperate with your own kingdom to destroy your family.”

The world stopped.

“…What?”

Louis leaned in close enough that only he could hear him.

“The Noble Hall…” he whispered. “After your fiancée’s death, you disappeared from the world, didn’t you?”

Adam closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, as if trying to shake off the frustration that was beginning to build up in his chest.

“Do you know of any way to cure it?”

Asterin didn’t hesitate.

“No.”

The answer hung heavily in the room.

Adam’s expression turned harsh, almost bitter. His fingers tensed at his side. However, before the silence became unbearable, Asterin continued:

“But I know who can help you.”

Adam immediately turned his face toward her. A distinct gleam appeared in his eyes, something between hope and contained despair.

“Who?”

Asterin held his gaze a second longer than necessary.

“The elves.”

The name hung in the air.

Adam didn’t respond immediately. His mind began to race. Elves weren’t easy.

But there was something more urgent.

His gaze returned to the motionless figure on the bed.

“How long does he have left?”

Asterin floated over to the bed and observed Zephyr’s weakened body for several seconds. The silence stretched out, tense.

Finally, she spoke.

“One year.”

Adam felt the air grow thicker.

“Your father has one year left to live. That’s the limit before the poison completely consumes his life.”

One year.

He had one year to save his father’s life.

In this life, fate had granted him more time. In the previous one… barely a month after the poisoning, it had all been over.

One month.

Adam slowly opened his eyes.

If the poison was progressing more slowly this time, there was only one explanation.

The traitor was still here.

Not in the capital… in the territory.

More precisely… inside the mansion.

A cold, almost cruel gleam lit up in his eyes. There was no longer any doubt. The damn rat that had caused his father’s death was still breathing the same air as him.

And that was a mistake.

Adam let out a long sigh, suppressing any visible emotion on his face before leaving the room.

In the hallway, his mother sat in a chair by the door. Her posture was straight, but the exhaustion in her expression was impossible to hide.

Adam leaned slightly and brought his lips close to her ear.

His voice was barely a whisper.

“Don’t let anyone into my father’s room.”

There was a pause.

“There’s a rat in the mansion.”

Alisha looked up and saw Adam’s serious face. Then she nodded.

Although he knew that wasn’t enough, he had to put someone in charge of protecting his mother.

He didn’t know who to put in charge of his mother and father’s safety… but only one person came to mind: Lucas.

Adam had barely taken a few steps when a gentleman quickly approached him. His expression was stern.

“What happened?”

“Young master, we received a report. An army is approaching. Two hundred soldiers and fifty knights. They bear the banner of the territory of Migzar.”

Adam did not respond immediately.

Migzar.

So they finally made their move.

The kingdom of Kamelot had decided to act… right after his father was poisoned.

Too much of a coincidence.

They moved fast…

Migzar was a territory south of Arkham. It formally belonged to the kingdom, but its proximity to Kamelot had always been a problem. Its lord, Baron Enmanuel, had been the subject of rumors of a secret alliance for years.

In his past life, Adam had overheard fragments of conversations that he had never fully understood.

Now they made sense.

It wasn’t helpful that it was coming.

It was pressure.

Or a disguised occupation.

The moment had come.

The hatred he had carried from his previous life had not dissipated with death. It remained intact, lurking deep within his chest.

And now… it was beginning to awaken.

Adam looked up, cold and calculating.

If they wanted to make the first move, they would be making a mistake.

Because this time… he was ready.

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