Mage Adam

Adam's movements had attracted the attention of everyone else -- the servants could only see fallen leaves orbiting around Adam, but Knight Wright could feel the immense energy radiating from him.

"This is insane! This... feels stronger than Miss Ophelia even! This is incredible!" Knight Wright exclaimed. In the blink of an eye, Knight Wright dashed over to Adam's unconscious body, leaving a crater where he had been standing.

"Unbelievable! Incredible!" Knight Wright inspected Adam and couldn't help but mutter. The extraordinary energy continued to fluctuate around Adam's body.

Adam's condition was terrible -- his skin was littered with scars, his pores enlarged, his capillaries damaged, and blood was flowing out from his arms. Knight Wright hurriedly carried Adam towards the infirmary within the manor. He cannot let Adam die, for if he died, it would be like breaking the Earl's trust in him of ensuring everything remains in an orderly manner.

However, some people were hoping for Adam's death -- Joe, the bearded man, came to this manor when he was only ten, and rejoiced when he saw that Adam's body was unable to handle the immense surge of energy. He was secretly jealous of all the servants who were qualified to become knights, and cursed Adam under his breath.

"Go to hell... I hope you die!"

Due to the state of technology, the doctors were unable to come up with a way to deal with Adam's injury. They washed his body with salt water and waited.

"He seems fine now. His breathing is weak, but stable. Doesn't seem like there are any infections either in his wounds, so make sure he gets sufficient rest," the doctor ordered.

Knight Wright nodded and began to pick Adam up from the bed. At this moment, the door swung open, and two young men walked in. Both of them were blond with blue eyes, and they were dressed in luxurious clothes. Their shirts were clearly made of high-quality fabric, and they were wearing a belt to accentuate their figures. Behind them was a man, who held the same position as Knight Wright.

Knight Wright immediately slammed his fist on his chest and looked down, and the doctor bowed slightly and said, "Master Marshall. Master Dennis."

These two young men were the eldest and second eldest sons of the Earl. Marshall stepped forward and nodded to both of them and asked, "So, is this the person who had a sudden surge in energy through the breathing method? Ah... what's his name again?"

Dennis remained in his spot, and let Marshall take the lead.

Marshall's question remained unanswered however. Nobody knew Adam's name, other than a few servants who were close to him.

Knight Wright cleared his throat and answered, "He's Miss Ophelia's coachman, and his name... uh... everyone just calls him a fool."

Saying Ophelia's name made Marshall stiffen up slightly. He sat on a chair and stared at Adam's unconscious body and asked, "So, he is my sister's coachman. Did she teach him this breathing exercise?"

Dennis smiled, remaining silent.

Knight Wright hesitated, but continued, "No. He has a speech impairment and he has always been weak. He is talentless and has never participated in any sort of training -- this was his second time in the training ground in the past six years."

He sighed. Why are Marshall and Dennis in such a hurry?

Marshall was excited upon hearing this, to the point where red energy flickered out of him and shattered the chair he was sitting on into pieces. He stared at Adam and muttered, "The second time? So, he has never practiced this breathing exercise before this?"

Dennis smiled and gestured for Knight Wright to leave, and so he did.

Marshall was well aware of what Dennis was doing, but he didn't have time to care. He had Adam in his grasp now, and if what Knight Wright said was true, then this 'fool' would be the key to him inheriting the title.

"My sister is too careless, letting a talented man like this become a coachman. If he becomes a knight, father will be delighted! I don't blame my sister, though, she is busy with other matters anyways! So..." Marshall beckoned his knight to carry Adam away.

"Let him train."

Dennis continued smiling, and stepped forward to stop the knight, "My brother, he is our sister's coachman, wouldn't it be unwise to simply take him away? She might get angry if you do so."

Dennis' smile faltered, showing signs of unwillingness. Good things have never happened to him -- their father favoured Marshall, and Ophelia was talented, while he had nothing. He gritted his teeth. Marshall is too mediocre, Ophelia practices daily, so only she had the talent to inherit the title, so why isn't Adam his own subordinate?

Marshall snickered, and said, "Dennis, are you trying to stop me?"

Dennis responded calmly, "No, brother, I would never stop you -- but it would be wise to let Ophelia decide. If a conflict occurs, father would not be happy, and you wouldn't want that, would you?"

Marshall pondered for a bit. If he took the fool away now, father would surely side with Ophelia, but if he waited for Ophelia's permission, then wouldn't she simply reject him? It was a lose-lose situation.

"Dennis, move aside."

Dennis didn't move, "Why are you in such a hurry? Father may be angry, it would be unwise..."

Red energy flickered in and out of Marshall's body. He threatened, "Get out of my way, otherwise..."

Dennis smirked, "Otherwise? Are you going to hurt me?" Marshall took a step back, seeing that the red energy emitted by Dennis was stronger than his.

Dennis was confident. Knight Wright was still outside, and he is deathly loyal to the Earl, so he will never let Marshall hurt anyone. If he delays it long enough, he could get Ophelia to the scene and let them fight amongst each other.

Marshall violently grabbed Adam and shouted, "Quinn, help!" He knew that he was no match for Dennis.

Knight Quinn stepped forward, and imbued himself with red energy and hugged Dennis to hinder him for a few seconds.

The doctor had long fled the scene.

Knight Wright sighed as he entered the room, stepping between Dennis and Quinn. Dennis broke free of the red energy and punched Marshall, "Brother! You and I both know that you will hurt him like this! Imagine what would happen if Ophelia saw that her faithful coachmen were dead by your hands, just like you did to me."

"Don't tempt death, brother. I am the rightful heir, so everything father has belongs to me!" Marshall bellowed.

Dennis wanted to retaliate, but stopped when he heard a female voice outside, "Marshall! Who gave you such a foul mouth!"

"Ophelia," Dennis greeted.

"God, damn it, Ophelia," Marshall spoke.

Ophelia was perfect. She had creamy, white skin, and a figure that could tempt the devil himself. Lush and wavy golden hair spun around her waist, and her eyes were as blue as the sky.

"Get out of the way Marshall," Ophelia ordered.

"Ophelia wait," Marshall protested.

"Did you not hear me the first time? Are you going to gang up on me like you did to Dennis with Quinn?" Ophelia spoke flatly. Her gaze was affixed on Adam. She wondered how the fool who had been looking after her horses for seven years suddenly became a genius.

"Leave."

Marshall was helpless.

All he could do was leave with Quinn.

"Tell me what happened," Ophelia asked Knight Wright.