The Runesmith

“That woman can’t keep getting away with it! Let’s go to one of the Professors. How about we inform Professor Imari? I bet she would clear it up with the Department which is sheltering her! Even her status won’t be able to protect her now.”

“N-no, it’s fine Margaret. I just did something I wasn’t supposed to… I shouldn’t have gone to the training grounds at night…”

A young girl with fire-red hair and eyes to match them continued speaking loudly while confronting another girl her age. The other one had her head slumped down while muttering replies quietly. She had neck-long golden hair and bright green eyes to accompany them. She was playing around with some bandages that were around both her arms to help cure her recently suffered injuries.

“You went to the training grounds? Unsupervised?”

“Yes, I was just trying to gather some ingredients for a class…”

“... If I recall correctly, you still haven’t made up for the last demerit… If I report this to the professors…”

“I will also get punished, nothing really happened, one of the teachers intervened, they also helped me get treated.”

“They did? They didn’t inform any of the professors?”

“I don’t think so.”

The girl with the fiery hair squinted her eyes as she realized that something didn’t add up here. Meanwhile, Roland stood frozen outside the room, absorbing the unexpected turn of events. The name Lucienne Arden brought back memories of his time in the Arden estate, and now he found himself eavesdropping on a conversation about her in this magical academy. The two girls inside seemed to be having a heated discussion about Lucienne’s recent actions.

‘I was expecting the possibility…’

He had known about his sister’s mage class and that she was probably going to be sent to this Institute to study. However, his plan was to go unnoticed by just sitting in the library for the whole day while doing his research. Because of some unexpected events, he was now forced to wander around the school grounds as an Assistant Professor and even take part in some lectures. The danger of his sister encountering him had been magnified and now by a stroke of chance, he had been made aware of her presence.

‘But now that I know that she is here, it will probably be easy to avoid her…’

While she was there, this wasn’t the end of the world. He was part of the staff in the academy and was also free to keep his armor on and hide his face. His helmet could mask his voice, and the two interacted with each other when she was just three years of age. However, there was another problem; his sister seemed to be in some sort of trouble. The way she was stuttering and evading questions was strange. The fact that the other girl was mentioning a third party made it a possibility that she was being bullied or targeted by someone of higher status.

‘Is she getting bullied by others or …’

Roland couldn’t help but wonder what this was all about. His ties to his old family were very shallow, and even Robert, who was aware of his existence, hadn’t contacted him in a while. This sister of his here was mostly a stranger, someone that he rarely interacted with. Yet, his intelligence stat made him remember her bubbly demeanor quite vividly. For some reason, the more he eavesdropped on the conversation, the more his fist was clenched as a feeling of anger washed over him.

“Let me look at those wounds at least, they really should hire some priests…”

As he was contemplating what to do, he witnessed a peculiar sight. The girl called Margaret, for some reason, was wearing a gown instead of the school uniform, and removed one of the long gloves she was wearing. The magical academy wasn’t just here to teach magic; the children that attended it could sign up for a various array of lessons, and apparently, ballroom dancing was one of them.

His eyes were drawn to the back of her hand as he could feel her activating mana. It didn’t seem to be an attack spell but something different entirely, and a strange symbol lit up. It wasn’t a rune, nor was it an enchantment; instead, it looked more like a glyph. Glyphs were an entirely different magical language, and it was associated with summoning magic.

The symbol continued to glow, and the spell effect started taking place. Mana gathered in one direction to produce something that looked like a large soap bubble, from within which a strange creature appeared. The bubble burst to reveal a floating ball that seemed rather fluffy. Soon, it revealed small wings along with a tiny horn under which rather large eyes were present. A summoning took place, and the strange monster that was created resembled a cute angelic plush toy.

“If you wouldn’t”

“Chuu!”

The creature responded in a rather cute sound before turning towards the injuries that Lucienne suffered. A strange aura descended on the afflicted part, somewhat similar to divine healing spells but somewhat different. However, the healing effect was still there, and while less potent than the ones used by clerics, it started working. It was rather slow-working, but it was helping with the wounds. As the two continued to be oblivious to his whereabouts, he took a glance at their statuses.

First was Lucienne again; her level was extremely low for her age, and she had not even reached a second-tier 1 class. Adventurers of a similar age would usually be in their second tier 1 class. However, for someone studying in a magic institute, this wasn’t that strange, as the children here were leveling up their skills first. The school believed that this was the best way of going forward, as more maxed-out skills in various fields allowed for better class choices further down the line.

It was the same for Robert, who attended the nearby knight academy. Every knight candidate needed to learn all the beginner weapons skills before they were allowed to fight monsters. Roland, on the other hand, took a faster route by highly focusing on rune-related skills and was now a rare tier 3 class holder in his early twenties. With the help of the Knight Academy or the Institute, leveling was rather safe and quick later on.

Within a few years, nobles attending these places could catch up to adventurer veterans and then surpass them as they built up a much better foundation. It wasn’t strange that his sister’s level was low, but it made visiting a place like the training grounds an odd decision. She clearly was not a capable fighter and would have maybe even died if a teacher didn’t intervene.

From what he knew, she had a hidden skill that was related to prophecies. It was a rare skill that would allow her to select a more specialized class later. Sometimes people were given such skills, which they needed to fully awaken, and in this case for Lucienne, it was called the ‘Lesser Clairvoyance’ skill. Her skills weren’t meant for battle but more for information gathering and support, things weren’t adding up and the bullying allegations seemed to be more plausible.

Roland wasn’t a stranger to such occurrences, as he had seen it happen many times in his past life. Kids could be quite cruel, and some of them went overboard without ever realizing the consequences. When he took this truth into account and coupled it with a world that had a caste system, which was even reinforced in this academy, it was a recipe for disaster.

‘Hm? That’s strange…’

As he turned his eyes towards the girl named Margaret to examine her status screen, he noticed something strange. She clearly had a fake status screen; he had examined people for long enough to know. On her body, there was an item that was altering something about it, but without identifying the item and altering it, he wouldn’t know. Before he could do this, the strange flying creature turned towards the room entrance, as if it reacted to its master being examined.

“Chuu?”

“Is there someone there?”

She called out to the empty space there, but no one answered. Then, with haste, she stormed out to take a look at the corridor. After looking left, right, and even up, the girl retreated back into the room where Lucienne was being treated.

“That’s odd, Chuu-chuu is usually good at detecting others, was it perhaps a mouse?”

‘That was close… Was it a coincidence or is there more to that creature?’

Roland whispered to himself after ducking into the next room. He had cast various spells to remove any sound, smell, and signs of his presence. It should not have been possible for tier 1 class holders to perceive his presence. The creature that looked like a floating dumpling shouldn’t either, but it somehow did.

‘and why am I even hiding?’

He asked himself this question as he waited. The fear of his family was almost gone, but years of hiding had somewhat shaped his personality. Even now, he felt quite stressed when thinking about his old man. He wasn’t sure about Wentworth Arden’s true strength and what the man would do if he discovered that one of his sons was still alive. Would he insist on him taking on an active role in the Arden estate? Roland was now a reputable man with actual power on his side; some nobles would love to use his skills for their own agenda. His father was still a military man and probably had a lot of connections. Even at this point in time, Roland wasn’t sure what that confrontation would result in.

‘I should go find the Enforcement Department…’

While keeping all of these things in mind, he decided to avoid his sister for now. He wasn’t sure what she was going through, and if he ever was to intervene, he needed to gather more information on the situation. First, he needed to know who he was going up against. If it came to light that his sister was the target of a very powerful family, then even he might not be able to do anything about the situation. His next destination could aid him with this situation, as the Enforcement Department kept records of the students' incidents and whenever they were punished.

Roland quietly left the corridor, his footsteps producing no sound as he navigated to another area of the academy. His thoughts were a jumble of conflicting emotions and concerns about his sister’s well-being. The unexpected encounter had opened a door to a past he had tried to distance himself from, yet he couldn't ignore the potential threat looming over Lucienne. Along the way, he finally found someone who pointed him in the direction of the Department he was looking for. There he was greeted by a stern-looking man who eyed him with a mix of curiosity but also suspicion.

“Assistant Professor Wayland, I presume?”
“Yes.”

“You are late.”

“My apologies.”

The stern-looking man had a small gash over his eyes, and his beard was trimmed immaculately. It gave him a very angular jawline and distracted him from the bald head that he didn’t seem to be concerned about. There was a certain depth and history etched into the lines of his face. It was clear that this man had gone through his fair share of battles and it made it seem that this department wasn’t the safest place to be.

“I trust you understand the importance of maintaining order within the academy. We have rules, and they must be followed by everyone, regardless of their status or position. If are going to be part of this Department, we can have you being late on the first day.”

“I understand, it won’t happen again.”

Roland realized that this person was the militaristic type. When it came to these sorts of people it was better to not lie or make excuses and he had been correct as the Department head nodded.

“Good, at least you aren’t making any excuses. I will let it pass now, but don’t do it again.”

“Of course”

Roland replied, his tone respectful but firm. He was no stranger to rules and order, having spent a considerable part of his life in a knight estate.

“Good. Now, let's discuss your responsibilities here. As an Assistant Professor who was assigned to this department, you are expected to contribute to the maintenance of discipline when required. We have had incidents in the past, and we can't afford any laxity in dealing with rule violations. Your role will include supervising certain areas, ensuring the safety of students, and reporting any unusual activities promptly.”

“I understand. I'll do my best to fulfill my responsibilities,”

Roland responded, feeling a strange tension in the air. The man was looking at some papers that, at a glance, seemed to contain his specifications. Roland had heard whispers and sensed an air of uncertainty whenever his identity as an adventurer was brought up, even Arion wasn’t sure where they could place him.

“Very well. Now, about your first assignment. There have been reports of unauthorized access to restricted areas in the academy. We suspect students are involved, and we need someone to investigate discreetly.”

‘Unauthorized access to restricted areas? That sounds like…’

He thought back to the encounter with his sister and her friend. They spoke about going to the training grounds an area where upper classmen trained their battle skills and not something students could access during the day. It was a large open space where they allowed various creatures to roam. It simulated a dungeon experience but was supposed to be a lot safer.

“Your first task is to patrol the areas mentioned in these reports and report any suspicious activity. Keep in mind that we don't want to cause unnecessary panic, so we will handle it discreetly. You will have two days to familiarize yourself with the Department”

“Only two days?”

The situation began to sound as if he had been bullied. As a new faculty member, he was someone in whom no one should have placed trust with the lives of students. He had anticipated having more time before the new assignment, but circumstances forced him to commence patrolling the academy while repeatedly getting lost in its corridors. Holding lectures didn't seem as daunting now, especially when compared to the prospect of pulling all-nighters in fields infested with monsters and trespassers.

“Yes, that should be enough, this will explain everything so don’t lose it. That will be all.”

The Department head who went by the name Thorne handed Roland a booklet with writing. It seemed to be something like a manual for new members of the Institute. After accepting the booklet he left the office. It didn’t take him long to get through it as speedy reading was one of his fortes. Thanks to this item he was now informed about his situation and what he would be doing in this Department.

‘So I’m a bonafide night security guard… ‘

He arrived at a few conclusions. Firstly, the majority of enforcers appeared to dislike their nightly duties, evident from the swift imposition of rules requiring new members to shoulder that responsibility almost immediately upon arrival. Additionally, there was a peculiar regulation placing adventurer mages below other faculty members. It seemed that they were intended to be the first responders, bearing the brunt of the attack whenever trouble arose. In the event of a dragon attack, he would have to stall it while others evacuated. The primary reason for assigning this duty stemmed from the fact that adventurers possessed more experience in battling monsters and resolving combat-related challenges.

‘I guess they aren’t wrong there.’

Armed with new knowledge and fresh responsibilities, Roland returned to the library where more research awaited him. Although he had acquired new duties, he could potentially avoid delving into them if he completed reading all the library books. However, this task wouldn't be straightforward, mainly due to the challenging nature of the research papers.

To begin with, most of these manuscripts were in poor condition, and the writing styles varied widely. Even though Roland could flip through a hundred pages in less than ten minutes, grasping the intended meaning was not a simple endeavor. At times, he encountered coded writing that required deciphering to extract the information, a practice scholars often employed to challenge those with lesser intelligence from comprehending their work.

‘I’m not going to get done anytime soon, am I?’

After lowering his head onto the desk, he continued the arduous work, hoping to uncover the truth about mana phantoms and other potentially valuable information. Observing the spatial magic within the rooms ignited his desire to implement it in his own workshop to regulate its expansion. The mage towers with tower spirits intrigued him, resembling AI supercomputers based on his understanding. Additionally, there was another magical technology usually present in those same mage towers that could prove highly useful.

‘That would certainly make traveling easy and save me a lot of time but it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be easy.

He contemplated while holding a sizable black book titled ‘The Basics of Runic Dimensional Gates.’ Its thickness was surprising, and it comprised only the first volume of a three-part series. There was a wealth of knowledge for him to acquire here, and if he aimed to make it his own, he needed to remain in this place, for as long as it was required.

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