The Runesmith

“It’s very similar. Could there be a connection, or is this model just something standard in this world? What do you think, Sebastian? Does this look familiar?”

On top of a workbench lay an unassuming dark bracelet with a raven symbol on it. It hadn’t been long since the spy was apprehended, and this little black trinket had been used to sneak into the city. It hovered above a rounded plate filled with runes and was being examined by a floating orb of light.

“Analyzing composition… The item presented consists of 34.45% deep aether steel alloy, 21.21% copper, 14.67% electrum, 9.34% mithril…”

“Stop. I didn’t mean the metallic composition. Is it similar to any other item in your database?”

“Analyzing query, please wait… Discovered 1,739 similar items.”

“How many?”

Roland frowned at the sheer number his AI spirit presented him with. His new creation was working to some extent, but there were some problems. If he didn’t precisely define the question, Sebastian wouldn’t really know what he was talking about. He wanted a list of items with similar spell effects that could conceal a person’s status, but Sebastian had probably listed items with runic structures or just ones with enchantments in bulk. It would take a while to train him to recognize the intent of the question.

“Maybe I should make him ask some follow-up questions before giving the answer. I think that’s how they did it in all those movies. Sebastian…”

Roland began again, this time focusing on refining his query.

“Prioritize items with enchantments specifically designed for concealment or status masking. Can you narrow it down that way?”

“Analyzing revised query… Discovered 118 similar items.”

Roland nodded and continued to add the follow-up questions to arrive at the end point finally. He tried to recall how people from his old world handled artificial intelligence. There wasn’t anything quite like what he had created here, as the people back then didn’t get past a prompt-based approach. However, such an archaic way of asking questions and hoping for the right answer wouldn’t work. He needed Sebastian to be able to perform other things than simple tasks.

“Analyzing revised query… Discovered 12 similar items.”

Soon, the list had shrunk enough to be presentable. Sebastian had the capability of creating images through light magic, forming holographic projections reminiscent of those in science fiction movies. To conserve energy, these projections were in shades of blue, just like basic mana light.

Roland had the option to use illusion magic, which could produce better results in some cases, but it was more costly and had other drawbacks, such as affecting a person’s mind. He didn't want to subject himself to constant illusions, even if it meant achieving better visual clarity. His history with the cult who used illusory sleep as their main weapon also added to this decision.

“Good... present me the schematic for this pendant and compare it to the bracelet. Present it in the form of a holographic image.”

He aimed to compare the raven-owned bracelet to the pendant he received from his old acquaintance in Edelgard. The two were quite similar in their functionality and runic structure.

“Understood, presenting the item's schematics in the form of a holographic image.”

“Sebastian, when asked to do something, you don’t need to repeat the question.”

“Understood.”

Once the two schematics were displayed side by side, he could clearly see some similar points. Sebastian was capable of superimposing the two schematics over one another to make Roland's work easier. Perhaps in the future, Roland would be able to delegate simple tasks like these to his tower spirit and perhaps even more later.

Sebastian held all of Roland's knowledge, at least regarding his runic research. When a tower spirit was created, the literature stated that it would absorb the knowledge of its master. It would be capable of casting the mage's spells and could be given more information to continue growing with its master. With time, Roland hoped to turn Sebastian into an extension of himself that could handle more complex tasks, even involving equipment assembly.

“I haven’t heard of mages using their tower spirits to assemble artifacts. They seem to be able to handle magical spells well but not direct creation and the reason is probably that…”

There was one main reason that the industrial revolution had not started in this world and that was due to how skills worked. Crafting magical items required specialized skills like runecrafting or enchanting. It was not something that spells could mimic or at least this was the common belief. Roland wasn’t sure if this was true and had already made a few discoveries that broke this world’s system, one of them being creating electricity.

It wouldn’t be hard to design a golem or any other golemic machine to etch runic components into place. Roland could use magic to create a machine that engraved things onto metals with actual lasers. Runesmithing allowed him to compact runes significantly, and it would probably be possible to achieve similar results through mechanization. However, even if they recreated something physically, it lacked something essential, and the rune would not be activated.

‘A component is missing, but I’m sure there has to be a way to jumpstart the process.’

In his mind this was similar to divine magic that he was emulating. Even if he tried running magic through the empty engravings, the mana would just not stick to the metal. He assumed that runesmithing tied magic to the piece of metal in some way. It was possible that the runic traces that he could see with his naked eyes weren’t real. Perhaps the magic was stored in some kind of separate space or dimension. When he considered that ethereal pathways existed, his research was pointing him in that direction.

‘It might be another wavelength that needs to be found or something entirely different. Luckily, I don’t need to do all this research alone anymore.’

Sebastian, the ball of light that represented the tower spirit, hovered close to him. This artificial spirit possessed all the knowledge and data Roland had accumulated over ten years of study. It could assist him in solving this problem while he focused on other tasks. Experimenting with various wavelengths would be tedious. Previously, he had used his eye skill to examine divine mana, but it did not work on runes. He would need to tackle this issue through theoretical research alone, but if it was possible, he would find a way.

‘It would be great if I got data on some other runesmiths, there could be interference from mana patterns or mana quality, it probably won’t be cracked that fast. I also don’t really need to recreate the skill fully, I just need it to work on premade rune engravings.’

His aim was not to have his runic machines hammer away at pieces of metal to recreate the runesmithing skill. Instead, he just needed a tiny spark to jumpstart the process, but it was still debatable if something like that was even possible. There was a possibility that the skills were locked behind living beings or at least required spiritual energy. Undead monsters could also use skills, and with his current knowledge about souls, his new industrial project seemed perhaps feasible.

There was a possibility that it wouldn’t work. This world was quite mysterious and sometimes lacked the logic of his old world. However, even if he couldn’t automate the runecrafting process, he could still establish a factory. He envisioned creating golems capable of quickly producing parts or complete weapons. Afterwards, he could personally enchant them with runes. Though this method would take longer, it would reduce his dependence on the dwarven union.

“I won’t reach the industrial age in a week though, I should get this over with and resume my work.”

After Roland finished contemplating some future projects, he turned his attention to the current problems in detail. The spy unit with the raven symbol attached to them seemed like a test. Theodore Valerian was likely testing the waters before committing actual resources to this city. They needed to use this lapse of judgment to their advantage and perhaps even lean into it. Using this bracelet to find the other spies spread throughout the city would be possible, but they wouldn’t need to apprehend them immediately.

'If we can identify the spies and track their movements, we might gather valuable intelligence on their operations and plans. We can exploit this situation by feeding them misinformation and observing their reactions. This way, we stay one step ahead and maintain control of the situation.'

The city was becoming his territory, and his runic sensors had already been placed everywhere. At Arthur’s estate, a comprehensive map of the entire area would be created, mimicking the display inside his armor. Once they identified the mana patterns of the spies and cracked their bracelets, the spies would have nowhere to hide. At that point, Mary and her people could commence their information warfare.

‘It will be better to appear incompetent now as we can’t handle Theodore and his resources just yet.’

After Roland was finished, the whole city would turn into his territory. No one would be able to enter without his knowledge. With Sebastian's capabilities, it would be easy to create a profile for every person within the city. They could track movements and record any incidents that occurred. Undertaking this would require a lot of energy, computing power, and storage. The first two parts had already been fashioned, leaving the creation of some type of runic server room as the last step.

‘I can use monster cores as data storage and there are some other ways, so it should be fine but I wonder…’

As he worked on the bracelet, Roland contemplated the ethics of his undertaking. His plan to monitor the entire city would inevitably intrude on the privacy of its residents. Establishing checkpoints inside the city and forcing anyone who wished to enter or exit to go through them raised some ethical concerns. The thieves' guild, with its hidden tunnels, would likely resist the placement of any sensors, but Roland believed it was only a matter of time before he could plant them there as well.

‘Some hidden points could also be established, I could even rig any of the runic devices that will be in the city, even the lanterns…’

He realized that his plan mirrored the actions of a cartoon villain, using surveillance to gain control and spread influence. It wasn't much different from what other nobles were doing to retain control. Yet, he saw it as the only way to protect himself and the people he cared about.

‘In a world full of dangers and hidden enemies, maintaining control is necessary but I just can’t let it get to my head.’

Roland knew that if he let all this power get to his head, he could turn into something he despised. Once he started seeing people as nothing but numbers on a screen, rather than beings with minds of their own, it would be over. However, he had no plans to attain any positions of power; having Arthur remain the decision-maker was fine with him. His goals hadn’t changed much as he still just wished to lead a simple life with his wife.

“Well then Sebastian, record the process, I want you to identify how I solve the problem of this bracelet.”

“Understood.”

Sebastian replied in a cold robotic voice that Roland had a preference for. It was technically possible to imbue his AI with a more eloquent tone, but he chose to maintain a distance. He wanted to ensure it remained a tool of his making, devoid of real thoughts and feelings. Roland wasn’t seeking new companionship as he preferred the artificial spirit to stay cold and purely calculative.

The bracelet wasn’t difficult to decipher, and he had studied its enchantment extensively. Thanks to constantly exploring similar artifacts, he quickly developed a functional program within a few hours. Once integrated into the city's checkpoints and connected to his runic network, the bracelet would become easily detectable. Individuals wearing it would be marked on the map, and their movements recorded. Then, whenever they approached another sensor, a warning would be triggered.

“That should do it, I can leave the implementation of the runes to the union. Now then, what’s next?”

“Would you like to hear the priority list again?”

“Ah yeah, sure go ahead Sebastian.”

As Roland was contemplating his next move, Sebastian interrupted. He had previously made a list of things to do and given them some weight. His spirit butler was capable of taking down his notes and reminding him of what he should do next quite well.

“First, test the teleportation connection with the institute. Second, decipher the bracelet tied to the spy. Third, contact Lucienne again. Fourth, restore runic armor to full functionality or assemble an upgraded variant. Fifth…”

“That’s enough Sebastian, also next time, remove points from the list after they have been completed.”

“Understood.”

After Roland replied, the second point vanished from the list since he had already completed it. He still needed to test the teleporting gate, but all tests indicated it wouldn’t be a problem. Contacting Lucienne at this time seemed pointless, as she likely had no further updates to report, leaving him to focus on his armor. His 'Rune Mark I' armor set had sustained damage during his journey to the institute and back. It needed to be either restored or replaced and he wasn’t sure how to tackle this problem.

“Besides spatial rune improvements, there isn’t that much more I can do to this suit.”

He examined the armor parts lying on the bench. There were a few minor upgrades he could make, but nothing too extensive. With only a week left until his scheduled departure, he needed to prepare himself for potential trouble. It was possible he wouldn’t have access to the institute's teleportation gate again upon his return. There were numerous factors he needed to consider, and not have enough time to tinker with everything.

“Now that I have better spatial technology I can prepare more replacement parts, or should I consider the possibility of a more modular armor?”

Roland contemplated as he examined nearby schematics. His knowledge of runes had advanced considerably, and his skills had improved. He realized he could create a thinner piece of armor with the same capabilities as the old one. Upgrading his cubes into more complex shapes was also feasible. The cubes' ability to hover and generate spell effects was invaluable. With their assistance, he aimed to minimize the deterioration of his own armor which would allow it to last even longer.

“If I use these parts as a basis and melt it down, It should be enough…”

After deliberating for a moment he had made a decision. While he would be cutting it close, the time to make a new suit of armor had come. Repairing old runes that had been restored with the help of his skills would damage the frame even more. There was no point to it if he could just melt it all down and recreate it from scratch. While some material would be lost, the ‘Rune Mark II’ would have a sleeker design.

“Instead of using that shield, I should also design a proper levitating platform, something that is at least slightly aerodynamic.”

When he was soaring through the skies he noticed a lot of wing pushing into him. The armor he was preparing could be given some adjustments to account for strong winds or he could put a persistent enchantment on the levitation platform that performed a similar task. All this and more he wanted to get done before his departure and it was time to get to work. First, he headed over to the smelting chamber but once he got there, someone was already waiting for him.

“Hey Boss, need some help?”

“Is there something wrong with the prosthesis?”

“No, it’s working fine, even better than fine!”

“Oh? So why are you here?”

“What do you mean? I’m here to work! It looks like you’re up to something, let me help boss!”

Roland glanced at the Bernir standing before him, his eyes bright with enthusiasm. His assistant had not been able to properly work for quite some time now and he was obviously eager to contribute. Roland couldn't help but smile at Bernir's enthusiasm but also be apprehensive about letting him go back to work this quickly.

“Even if I tell you not to, you’re still going to work, won’t you?”

“Aye, you know me well boss! I’ve even practice back home, my hammer has never swung better!”

“Alright, Bernir. I'm working on a new armor design. We need to melt down the old one and start fresh. I'll need your help with the smelting process and then with assembling the new pieces.”

Roland explained his plan while Bernir’s eyes shone with even more eagerness. It was better to keep an eye on him now and have Sebastian examine the prosthesis here rather than let his assistant overwork himself at the forge in the city. Soon, the two craftsmen were hammering away, the rhythm of metal striking metal a symphony to their ears.

I would like to officially inform all my readers that I have started writing a new story called Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]