Chapter 2183 Insignificant

Several plates of breakfast covered the table.

There were eggs, vegetables, meat, and fresh juice. The tavern's proprietress had prepared enough food to feed several people. All for one person, of course—her sweet magpie.

Adam had already emptied half a dozen plates, yet more kept coming from the kitchen.

As he ate, Ira sat across from him, sipping tea. Her gaze occasionally drifted toward the scars exposed on his body. The most prominent was the long scar running across his forehead.

When she found him last night, he had been beyond recognition. Drenched in blood, his injuries were so brutal that they made one question whether he was even alive. Ira truly thought she would have lost him. But the boy's life force was unbelievable.

Adam ignored her and continued eating like a man who had starved for years. His body needed energy, and he intended to replenish it as quickly as possible.

From time to time, however, his gaze drifted toward the floor of the main hall.

All the tables and chairs near the Hole had been removed. The place had been cleaned, but traces of the massacre remained. Adam could still make out the bloodstains between wooden floorboards and in the crevices of the stone walls.

No matter how thoroughly they cleaned it, some things were difficult to escape the eyes of an observant man.

"What the hell happened here?" he said between mouthfuls of food. "Are the tavern staff okay?"

Ira smiled. The fact that Adam's first question had been about the well-being of the staff members of the Rabbit Hole warmed her heart.

"They are fine," she said, setting down the teacup. "No one was injured."

Adam nodded. "So which fool was it who thought attacking this place was a good idea?"

Although he did not know his teacher's true strength—very few people in this world did—Hannibal was still the strongest man that he had ever met.

He didn't have any solid proof. But training with the man day in and day out told him that Hannibal was monstrously powerful. His instincts told him that.

After all, the man had never once used mana in their spars. He had not even used a fraction of his strength. Just pure skill.

"Nigel Norwood." Ira snorted in contempt.

Adam froze. "What?"

"Well, at least, Hannibal and I believe it was him." Ira nodded. "He never appeared here himself. Sent his minions to do his dirty work."

Adam blanked out momentarily. He was too exhausted to think about the conspiracy he had been trying to uncover before the Red Gala—as people were calling it now.

He couldn't help but ask, "Was the Iron Covenant involved?"

"That doesn't sound like guesswork, Magpie." Ira's eyes gleamed. "And yes. They were, actually. Many mercenaries posed as Watchmen last night."

Adam laughed. It was a hollow piece of laughter. He shook his head, muttering in disbelief, "We were right. We were right, all along."

Intrigued, Ira asked what he was blabbering about.

Adam indulged her curiosity. He explained to her about the Covenant camps he had been clearing recently. He told her about Aramen and what the man had claimed about the impending doom of Davos and the Free City Alliance.

"And why didn't you inform the authorities?" Ira's expression became very solemn.

Adam suddenly shrank back like a child being scolded. He found it strange that he couldn't hold up under her gaze.

"I did," he said truthfully. "Or rather, Genevieve did. She informed the Lady of Sapphire Tower herself. But that woman laughed at her, humiliated her, and sent her away."

He felt indignant at the treatment his lover had received. Treatment that she did not deserve. He subconsciously stroked the auburn band around his finger.

Ira remained silent for a moment. Then she couldn't help but laugh.

The corner of Adam's lips twitched. He knew she wasn't laughing at him. But there was something he was missing.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I would say she deserved what was coming to her," Ira said, scorn evident in her pretty brown eyes.

"…What?" Adam was speechless.

"Adeline thought Genevieve was beneath her. She wouldn't even hear her out." Ira shook her head. "And now, the very enemy she dismissed beheaded her and served her head to her own teacher as a gift."

Adam was stunned. He recalled the gift box the head of the City Watch had delivered to the Witch of Davos at the Gala the previous night. He remembered how horrified Emily Damon had been upon seeing the contents of the box. And how everything had descended into chaos right after.

"So that's what it was," he murmured.

Ira silently nodded. Her tea had gone cold. She rested her chin on her hand and gazed at the Hole with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Poor Emily," she muttered.

"What about her?" Adam couldn't help but ask. "Is she… Is she alive?"

"Very much so." Ira chuckled. "She took down quite a lot of enemies last night. Many of them were Elysians."

Her lips curled into a smirk. "Turns out the Witch of Davos had been hiding her true strength."

Took down Elysians? Adam was stunned.

Does it mean she's at the peak of the Elysian Rank?

Or maybe… the Supreme Rank!

Adam knew that Davos was home to many hidden experts. But that had always been a mere thought. It was only last night, when he witnessed so many powerful Magi and Paladins in action, that he realized how insignificant he truly was.

Then he recalled that mysterious river that had swept through the island. He remembered how it had cut down all the enemies.

"There was this…" Adam tried to find the right words. "This river of blades. It appeared last night and saved the survivors of the Gala. Was that the Known Lord's doing?"

Ira smirked mischievously.

"I wonder…"

Adam stared at her incredulously.

She knows something, he thought.

But she won't tell me. Why?

Unable to unravel the woman's thoughts, he shook his head and sighed. "Where's Hannibal?"

Ira sighed dramatically.

"Cleaning up other people's mess."