Chapter 909: Resistance

Chapter 909: Resistance

Seeing Adam’s sudden reaction, Edward’s heart was gripped by a dark feeling.

The raven-haired youth turned his head in a certain direction, seemingly waiting for someone to arrive.

Edward waited, wondering just who was approaching. And the timing was… ominous to say the least.

Almost a minute passed, but he couldn’t sense anyone.

Did he make a mistake? He couldn’t help but think that.

Several more seconds passed, still, he couldn’t sense anyone approaching.

Just when he was about to speak up, he finally heard the sound of footsteps.

And a few moments later, the silhouette of a woman could be seen walking along the marble path, approaching them.

Edward was stunned. Not by the identity of the approaching figure, but by how early Adam had sensed her arrival!

“What are you boys up to?” Came the melodic voice of the crimson-haired princess.

She approached the stone bench and took a seat beside Adam, glancing at them with a faint smile.

“Nothing, we were just catching up,” Adam said with a light chuckle. “It’s been over a decade since we’ve last seen each other, you know.

“What’re you doing here?” he then asked with an arched eyebrow.

Anna smiled. “I saw you weren’t around, so I thought to check up on you.”

The raven-haired youth’s heart was warmed hearing those words. He said teasingly, “Anna, I’m not a child anymore.”

“To me, you will always be a child.” Anna ruffled his hair dotingly.

Seeing their warm interaction, Edward couldn’t help but smile. But soon, that smile faltered when he thought of what Adam had disclosed to him a few minutes ago.

I wonder if his sister knows… He thought.

But Adam’s next words answered his speculations.

“So, when do you all plan to leave?”

Anna sighed, her gaze drawn to the beautiful fountain in front of her. After a long pause, she softly said, “I suppose we shall leave tomorrow.”

Hearing those words, Adam’s heart ached a little.

He was heavily overcome by guilt for having to cast a spell on his sister.

But it was something that had to be done.

Rank 3 Spell: Compel!

An advanced version of a Rank 2 spell of the same name, it compelled the target to listen to the suggestion of the caster.

But the one major flaw of this spell was that it would be ineffective if the suggestion wasn’t in line with the target’s way of thinking.

It had to be subtle, not forceful.

For example, the caster couldn’t simply command a target to kill themselves.

The School of Enchantment specialized in subtle manipulation, shaping thoughts, bending emotions, and gently steering behavior.

But when a command directly contradicted a person’s core survival instinct, like self-destruction, the mind would instinctively rebel.

Even under enchantment, such a command would trigger resistance, confusion, and outright rejection, rendering the spell ineffective.

That is why skilled Magi relied on suggestion and influence rather than brute mental force.

In Adam’s case, he had ‘suggested’ Anna to travel south and enter the Soaring River Secret Plane, where she could practice mindfulness without anyone disturbing her, and progress by leaps and bounds with the technqiue he had bestowed to her.

However…

It did not work. That suggestion seemed to have triggered fierce resistance from her subconscious.

The very thought of leaving Adam, knowing full well that great trouble was about to befall him, was utterly unacceptable to Anna’s mind.

That deep emotional resistance clashed with the enchantment’s intent, ultimately disrupting the spell!

Left with no other choice, Adam utilized the white lotus to cast that spell again.

The spell’s potency surged severalfold, and only then was Anna finally ‘convinced’, believing that traveling to the Southern Federation wasn’t such a bad idea after all, and that Adam would be perfectly fine on his own.

“That’s great.” Adam smiled. “It will be beneficial for you. Trust me.”

Anna turned to her and absentmindedly nodded. Something didn’t feel right, but she couldn’t quite put a finger on it.

“…I suppose.”

“Where are you going?” Edward asked curiously.

Before Anna could answer, Adam turned to him and lied with a smile, “They’re planning to go to Nahua. Since they’ve already crossed the Galestine and come to this side of the world, I suggested they might as well visit the continent down below.”

“Ah, okay.” Edward nodded.

Anna, however, frowned. Her younger brother’s words stirred a growing suspicion, perhaps the Soaring River Secret Plane held more secrets than it seemed.

After all, why else would Adam choose not to tell even his closest friend?

The three chatted for a bit longer before heading back to the area where everyone else had gathered.

It was time for dinner.

***

Adam chatted with all the guests who were present.

Everyone except Ada, that is.

For some reason, she gave him the creeps. Every time she turned to look at him with those dreamy eyes, he felt a chill crawl down his spine.

He figured it was better to simply avoid her. He didn’t care if she was Anna’s childhood friend or any of that. He truly feared that if he spoke to Ada, then she would lunge at him and never let him go.

Focus! Focus! I can’t be thinking of all these things at the moment, he thought to himself.

I’ll have plenty of time to fool around later…

“Adam.” Suddenly, a gentle and familiar voice called out to him.

The raven-haired youth turned to the source and saw Elrod walking toward him with a faint smile on his face.

“Lord Elrod.” Adam smiled warmly.

The elf placed a hand on his shoulder and softly said, “Can we talk?”

Adam’s eyes flickered with a peculiar light. He nodded. “Of course.”

Then, the two walked towards the main manor.

After walking enough distance and confirming that no one was around, Elrod turned to him and whispered in a grave tone, “We’ve lost contact with our spy in the cult.”

Adam’s eyes narrowed. He clearly understood what that meant. He took a deep breath and asked solemnly, “What was his last message? Were we able to find anything useful?”

Elrod deeply glanced at the youth and nodded.

“The forces of the Cult of Bones have infiltrated Ravenfell.”