"Indeed, has he become entangled in the internal strife of the noble families?" Adam pondered.
As soon as Matt entered, Adam knew exactly who had sent Macallan. He had dispatched his little birds to follow Macallan, noting the people with whom he interacted and conversed for extended periods. When Adam and he crossed paths, the birds had signaled him with their calls. The first call was for David, and so the birds had chirped. When the middle-aged man entered, the birds had offered a second warning.
Walker, who had remained silent at the side, now glanced toward the window, his gaze following the few birds perched nearby.
Adam, noticing this, decisively approached the window, opened it, and with a gentle gesture, summoned the birds. They fluttered down to rest upon his hand, with the last one—a slightly plump bird—hopping unsteadily to settle atop Adam's head.
"They are my pets," Adam explained with a slight apology. "I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I left them outside."
"Master Adam, you worry too much," Doug said with a smile, his admiration for Adam growing. Though Adam was a commoner, in every regard except birth, he outshone Doug's own son. If a young man like Adam had been born into the Rom family, it would have been a blessing.
At first, Doug had only befriended Adam in hopes of securing the immortality elixir, but now he genuinely valued the young man for his talent.
"Master Adam, please stay here for the night," Doug said, his tone slightly firm. Then he turned to Walker, giving him instructions. "Inform the Bokku family and bring along a small gift."
"Thank you, Lord Doug," Adam replied, having politely declined earlier but now accepting the offer without further resistance.
Doug, having some request from Alva, understood that he could not escape his involvement. Rejecting the gift earlier had not made the situation go away, and Adam, in any case, was not one to shy away from challenges. Though his primary goal was still to escape the domain of the Church of Sound, avoiding conflict was never his style.
"That is my eldest son, Matt," Doug said, lifting a cup engraved with the emblem of the floating city, taking a sip before continuing.
Adam blinked, recalling his previous observations. Did all nobles favor floating cities? He had once noted similar cups in the Mansrath estate, carried by servants into the study.
Taking mental note of this, Adam continued listening attentively to Doug's words. A good listener, he knew, often earned the greatest favor.
"I was so caught up in family affairs when I was young, neglecting to guide him. Now, Matt has become more and more incapable," Doug said, his expression darkening. "A noble heir who doesn't even know the extent of his own family's holdings."
"Through all the trials I arranged for him, he only passed one by sheer luck. Letting him inherit the Rom family would be nothing short of a disaster." It was rare for Doug to open up like this, but the presence of a listener seemed to loosen his tongue.
He had once considered passing the family crest to Matt. Quietly, he arranged tests, believing that if Matt could pass, he might finally let go of his grip on the family legacy. But the results were thoroughly disappointing.
Matt couldn't even recognize their own casino. Under calculated circumstances, he lost everything and ended up deeply in debt.
That, in itself, was not the worst. It was inevitable that a noble would be deceived; who hadn't fallen into a trap?
What truly disappointed Doug, however, was that after being duped, Matt didn't even know how to seek help. Instead, he was paralyzed by fear, clinging to the debt note, too cowardly to act.
A dull mind, unable to avoid manipulation, too afraid to ask for help, unable even to be shameless—it was a nightmare for any noble to have such an heir. Doug had been so enraged at the time that he had nearly bled out from frustration.
Adam, though not fully acquainted with the details, felt a deep sympathy. For nobles, the inheritance of their family was paramount.
After pouring out his grievances, Doug seemed to regain composure. Adam expected him to shift the conversation to his request regarding Alva, but to his surprise, Doug remained silent on the matter for the time being.
That evening, Adam was invited to a banquet. In the dining hall, he encountered Doug's other children—silent, fearful of their father, each with their own hidden thoughts. This was Adam's impression of them.
Upon meeting them, Adam understood why Doug, despite his clear disappointment in Matt, had not yet revoked his inheritance. To do so would only create greater turmoil.
"Poorly educated," Adam thought, observing the family dynamics. If only one child had such failings, it could be seen as that individual's fault. But when every child seemed lacking, it reflected poorly on Doug's own methods of raising them.
His other children each had different reactions to Adam's arrival, but Matt's intentions were clear—he would not make an appearance until the banquet had ended.
Matt felt his territory was being invaded. How dare the old man openly bring someone into the estate? Was the next step to strip him of his inheritance and expel him from the family?
Upon hearing that Adam had entered the study with Doug, Matt lost all composure. He stormed toward the study door, but only after pushing it open did he realize what he had done.
Confronted by Doug's sharp reprimand, Matt dared not express his anger. Instead, all his resentment shifted toward Adam, who he now viewed instinctively as his rival.
Especially after learning that Doug had sent someone to the Central Clock Tower, Matt's suspicions turned into certainty.
"Is the old man that eager?" Matt thought, lifting a nearby vase, preparing to smash it, but then reconsidering—the noise could draw unwanted attention from Doug. Instead, he set the vase back down and, feeling increasingly trapped, paced in frustration. Could the Rom family really be taken over by a commoner?
"I can't let this happen. I must act." Matt thought fiercely, opening the door and summoning his servant.
Meanwhile, under the cover of night, a group of individuals made their way to the Central Tower, quietly infiltrating it and carefully searching for any hidden mechanisms.
But after several rounds of inspection, they found nothing unusual. However, when leaving, one of their number had disappeared without a trace—no sound, no struggle.
Exchanging startled looks, they quickly retreated from the tower.
On the eleventh floor, Cyrin, holding a spellbook, fixed her sky-blue gaze on the unconscious figure before her. Then, her eyes shifted upward to the twelfth floor, where invisible whips of force coiled around the figure, pulling them into a room.
After the banquet, Doug briefly disappeared, only to reappear shortly afterward with an invitation for Adam to join him in the study.
Adam understood that the time had come to discuss the real matter and did not decline the invitation.
"Master Adam, I believe you have met a few of my children," Doug said, his voice weary. "None of my sons have amounted to much. My daughters are somewhat clever, but they've all married."
"If there is something you need, Lord Doug, please feel free to speak. I will help in any way I can," Adam assured him, offering a selfless promise.
And at last, Doug revealed his true request.
"Master Adam, you are familiar with the legendary accomplishments of Alva, are you not?" Doug began, his voice low.
"The immortality elixir," Doug said with a cough, his eyes gleaming with an almost desperate intensity.
At the mention of the elixir, Adam felt a shadow of malevolence loom over him—an intangible yet powerful aura of malice. The malice did not come from Doug, nor from anyone in the room, but from the very name of the immortality elixir.
Adam's eyes widened in surprise, yet internally, he comprehended the grim truth.
Why had Alva, one of the Three Pillars of the Church of Sound, turned to become a painter? Most churches believed that life's cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death was divine in nature, unalterable and meant to be accepted.
It was this belief that had weakened the Church over time, with the rise of noble families proving a testament to this shift.
Some within the Church had harbored ambitions to alter this natural order, though such individuals had often met untimely ends. To Adam's surprise, Alva had been one of them.