Adonis spent the entire day in the library, even after Lucia had gone her own way.
Due to Liam's previous life of financial struggle, he had always maintained a habit of reading for hours on end. For him, staying in the library wasn't a chore at all. Instead, he absorbed a wealth of information regarding the altered plot of this world.
Exactly 1,999 years had passed since the Apocalyptic Decline.
Currently, the world of Avalon is divided into 9 massive continents. These 9 continents are ruled by a few independent nations and hundreds of sovereign kingdoms.
Yet, despite the passage of time, the path to power remained unchanged. Swordmasters existed then, and they existed till this day.
However, the number of dungeons had reduced greatly. As such, it became increasingly easy for power-hungry kingdoms and organizations to control them. Even if you were a top-tier talent, you couldn't act recklessly; you either became their servant or were denied entry entirely. In short, the path of the independent swordmaster was now extremely difficult.
The information he had gained, combined with what Lucia told him, proved very useful to Adonis. it forced him to rethink his path.
"Freedom is still far away," he murmured as he gazed up at the evening sky where the stars were just beginning to twinkle.
He arrived back at the servant quarters, but as he neared his room, he heard faint noises coming from his mother's quarters.
"Ahn... ahn... mmh."
Paah. Paah. Paah.
The sounds were undeniably those of moaning and groaning, accompanied by the rhythmic creaking of a bed. Someone was definitely engaged in carnal desires.
One person was almost certainly his mother, Adelaide. But the other—he didn't know.
His father usually didn't show his face at this hour; even when he did come to see her, he typically sneaked in during the dead of night.
Could this mean Adelaide was "cuckolding" the Duke?
Curious yet cautious, Adonis tried to peek through the door, but he found it tightly locked. It didn't budge an inch. Adonis came to his senses at once.
'What am I thinking? Adelaide would never dare to cheat on that man. She doesn't have that kind of courage.'
"Lord husband, deeper! I want it more... Agh!"
After hearing that cry, Adonis didn't need any further confirmation. He headed into his own room without delay. He had no fetish of listening or watching his mother get fucked by the monstrous duke.
Once he entered the room, the familiar wooden bed and table greeted him. The table was cluttered with books he had managed to gather after throwing several tantrums at his mother. The bed, however, was neat and clean, thanks to Adelaide's constant care.
He laid his head on the pillow, thinking deeply about his future. After learning the truth of this world, the path ahead seemed bleak and unpredictable. He didn't understand who had thrust him into this reality, nor what his purpose was meant to be.
He felt like a lost sailor, drifting alone in an endless sea.
His only hope now lay in the Awakening Ceremony. If he could somehow awaken a high-grade Sword Soul, the path to freedom would become much smoother. If not, he feared that freedom would remain forever out of his reach.
Later that night, Adelaide called him for dinner.
She still looked beautiful, though she carried a more mature air about her tonight. Adonis, recalling the sounds from earlier, felt a momentary awkwardness. Nonetheless, he politely took a seat opposite her on the floor.
Seeing her son so well-mannered always brought joy to her heart. As she served the staple food, her curiosity got the better of her.
"So, Adonis, what did you learn from the library today? Were you finally able to satiate your hunger to know the outside world?" she asked gently.
Adonis met her gaze. "Yes, Mother. I think I have a better idea of where we live. Now, I am just waiting for the awakening. After that, I will choose my path."
Adelaide's heart shook, feeling as if her precious child was already slipping away from her.
"What does your heart desire, my son?" she asked nervously.
"Freedom," he answered simply.
"Freedom?" she repeated. The word sounded foreign to her. Since when did servants have the luxury to dream of freedom? And since when had her son become so ambitious?
'Oh, right. He has always been like this. Always quiet, always thinking,' she sighed inwardly.
"Son, I have spoken with your father. The Awakening Ceremony is the day after tomorrow. If you manage to awaken at least a Green-tier Sword Soul, he has promised to give you a surprise."
At her words, Adonis remembered how a Swordmaster's innate talent was judged based on the 7 color grades of the Awakening Globe:
White → Green → Blue → Yellow → Red → Gold → Black
White was the lowest; Black was considered the pinnacle.
Their expectation for Adonis was only at the second tier, which was a reflection of the limited potential a commoner's child was thought to possess.
"What if I fail?" he asked coolly, looking directly at her.
Adelaide hesitated for a moment before replying:
"If you fail to reach that, you will have to become a scholar. I know you don't want that, but it is the best choice we have. The path of a scholar isn't so bad; you could be a teacher at the Swordmaster Academy and lecture on history since you love the subject so much," she said, offering a small smile.
Adonis chewed a spoonful of rice, then shook his head lightly.
"I only like history because it gives me the insight to choose my future path. I have no interest in teaching that boring subject to a bunch of kids."
Adelaide forced a smile. "Why must you be so wise, Adonis? The world is cruel to the wise."
Her eyes welled with tears.
"I'm sorry, son. It is my fault for giving you such inferior talent because of my commoner's womb. If you had been born to someone like the concubines, you could have used your wits to become a great Swordmaster."
Her heart broke for her son's sake, but there was nothing she could do.
Seeing her breakdown, Adonis stopped eating and went to her side. Slowly, he laid his head onto her soft lap.
"No need to blame yourself, Mother. But this place might not have given me the highest talent, but it is the place where I feel your warmth and protection. So, I don't want to hear you say anything like that again," he said, looking firm.
Adelaide's felt gratified,
"You're my precious jewel, Adonis."
Her son might be weak and quiet, but to her, he was simply the best.
Now, she only hoped her son wouldn't break down once he founds about his true potential.