Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe C.368 Freedom

?The night sky was lit up with the sinister glow of flames as The Velvet Dreams slowly burned to the ground.

Thick plumes of black smoke and tongues of red inferno reached upward toward the sky, carrying the smell of burning wood and fabric with them.

The fire had been burning for quite a while now, and a large crowd had already gathered in front of the Velvet Dreams.

Their faces, illuminated by the bright flames, displayed expressions of shock and panic. Eyes widened in disbelief, they watched as the once opulent and most-visited pleasure house in the red-light district was engulfed in flames.

Cries of anxiety and whispers of fear swept through the crowd as they laid their eyes on this incredulous scene unfolding before them.

"H-How could this happen?" A man asked, his eyes flashing with shock and disbelief.

Another person standing beside him replied, "I overheard one of the staff saying there was a big fight between Mana Liquefaction Magi on the second floor. One thing led to the other, and now…"

The person didn't need to finish. Everything was laid bare before them for all to see.

Suddenly, someone from the crowd asked, "What about the people inside? Have all of them managed to evacuate?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Such a large fire, surely some must've died."

"Indeed!"

All of a sudden, surprised shrieks could be heard coming from a side of the gathered crowd.

When everyone turned their heads in that direction, they found that it was the courtesans who used to work at The Velvet Dreams.

They saw that these women were pointing at a certain place right beside the burning Velvet Dreams.

When the people turned their heads in the direction these women were pointing toward, they witnessed something that caused them to be thunderstruck.

Perhaps, this scene to them was countless times more shocking than watching the Velvet Dreams burn to the ground.

They saw a hidden underground tunnel door suddenly open right beside the burning building. And from this entrance, countless women with pale, emaciated faces and wearing tattered clothes emerged.

Seeing the deep and ghastly marks on these women's wrists and necks, the crowd was absolutely stunned. Some of them were so shocked that they couldn't find the right words to speak.

As the people watched these pitiful women emerge from the underground tunnel and walk toward the other courtesans standing in the crowd, they erupted into a loud and clamorous chatter.

"It can't be!"

"These… these… these women!"

"They've been imprisoned under this pleasure house all this while?!"

"Impossible! Are you saying the Velvet Dreams has been…"

The people in the crowd were afraid to say the words. They knew just how terrible of a crime it was to engage in this illegal activity.

Suddenly, the crowd parted and a squadron of Magi wearing silver armor and red capes made their way through. The one leading them was a tall and muscular middle-aged man with blond hair and light blue eyes.

When the crowd glanced at this man, they were shocked.

"Lord Whitmore!" The surrounding people blurted out in astonishment, their eyes gleaming with respect and admiration.

This man belonged to the enforcement agency of Acryon, known as the Sentinels.

Whitmore was indifferent to the reactions of the crowd. He coldly glanced at the burning three-story building in front of him. Then, he scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on the large number of women that had just arisen from the tunnel.

His eyes squinted and the next moment he walked toward them. He appeared in front of an elven woman and carefully observed her.

Pale skin, whip marks, sunken eyes, wrist and neck marks, haggard physique… Whitmore thought to himself as his fist involuntarily clenched.

"Young Miss," he tried to speak as gently as he could. "Can you tell me what happened?"

The elven young woman flinched at first before hurriedly hiding behind her friend. Seeing such a reaction, Whitmore's fists clenched even tighter.

A courtesan who worked at the Velvet Dreams mustered her courage and finally spoke up for all the women, her voice choking with boundless pent-up emotions.

"The Velvet Dreams… they bought us from the underground black market! They took away our freedom, our dreams, our everything!"

Her pain-filled words resounded through the place. Hearing her words, the crowd was stupefied. A few moments of silence ensued with the only sound of timbers burning and debris falling heard in the background.

Then, the crowd erupted in a frenzy!

"I-Impossible!"

"The Velvet Dreams has been engaging in the slave trade?!"

"How long have they been doing this?!"

"What were the authorities doing till now?!"

Whitmore's eyes turned bloodshot and a murderous aura started emanating from him, causing the people standing around him to suffocate.

He spat through gritted teeth, "Those despicable scums, how dare they!"

"My lord, please… control yourself," a Magus from the Sentinel gulped nervously, trying to calm Whitemore down.

Realizing that his sudden burst of emotions was affecting the people around him, Whitmore immediately withdrew his aura and promptly apologized.

"Has everyone safely made it out?" He then asked the elven woman.

"I don't know about the others," she began, "but all the courtesans that were working tonight have already evacuated."

"What about the customers?" Whitmore asked.

The elf paused for a moment before shaking her head, "I don't know."

Whitmore was about to interrogate her further, trying to understand what had caused the Velvet Dreams to be reduced to such a mess.

But suddenly, another round of shocked cries swept through the crowd.

"Oh my goodness!"

"Isn't that…"

"That's the couple who owns The Velvet Dreams!"

"But who is that man?!"

Whitmore turned his head and the scene that greeted his eyes caused him to freeze in astonishment.

On the roof of the burning building, a Magus wearing black robes and a black pointy hat had suddenly made his presence known.

This Magus was viciously grabbing onto the hair of Atkin and Nara Rollins and dragging them to the edge of the roof!

When Whitmore witnessed this scene, his pupils constricted.

From what he could tell, the owners of The Velvet Dreams had engaged in the trading of slaves. For that, they had to be severely punished according to the laws of the Empire.

However, from the way things were proceeding, Whitmore had a very strong feeling that this black-robed Magus was planning to take the laws into his own hands.

The next moment, he coated his legs in mana and vaulted toward the roof of the burning building. His entire being emanated the terrifying aura of a Rank 2 Magus.

"Stop right there!" He roared. "Hand these two to the authorities this instant!"

Adam glanced at the approaching Whitmore with calm eyes.

Then, he performed a hand gesture and pointed his palm toward the blond man who was only a few meters in the air away from him.

Rank 2 Spell: Gravity Repulsion!