Return of the Legendary Runesmith

Adrian and Ruby were walking down the quiet street, making their way back to the mansion on foot.

It was only a fifteen–minute walk from here, so they didn't bother calling a carriage. The cool evening breeze carried the faint scent of food stalls, mixing with the clink of Adrian's cup of iced tea.

The research center's atmosphere had been suffocating after Adrian tuned that armament. Everyone had been left stunned, barely able to speak. Ruby alone had remained calm—as though she had expected it.

Still, she had worried when the artifact refused to work the first time. And ever since then, curiosity had been eating away at her. Finally, she asked,

"What exactly happened back there? You looked pretty annoyed."

She knew he had tried something and failed, and as a Runesmith herself, she understood how frustrating that could be.

Adrian exhaled slowly, his expression more at ease now as he sipped from his drink. After a pause, he said,

"I was testing something I've been thinking about for a while."

He took another sip before continuing, "Tell me, have you ever thought about efficiency?"

Ruby tilted her head, staying quiet, waiting for him to explain.

"A tool, like an armament, is made so that its user can cast multiple spells through it, right?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. That's why we inscribe runes in the first place."

Adrian hummed. "But when we inscribe runes, we're basically handing over the entire spellbook of that element to the user, aren't we?"

She nodded again, though now her brow furrowed in confusion, trying to follow his train of thought.

Every Runesmith knew this. When tuning a weapon, you inscribed the runes so the wielder could access every spell of the chosen element. It was so basic that most beginner manuals didn't even bother to mention it.

Adrian's gaze sharpened. "But what if the user doesn't need every spell? What if someone only excels in one spell and uses their armament mainly for that? Like the people at the teleportation center. Why do they carry armaments?"

Ruby shrugged. "For teleportation?"

"Exactly. Which means the rest of the spellbook sits there, unused. And that lowers the efficiency of the armament."

Now she was beginning to see where he was going.

Adrian leaned closer. "How much mana does your strongest spell cost you?"

Ruby thought for a moment. "Almost half my reserve."

A grin spread across Adrian's face. "What if I told you that if I tuned an armament specifically for that one spell, it would only cost you… let's say, one–twentieth of your reserve?"

Ruby's eyes widened.

If that were true, she wouldn't need to hold back anymore. She could unleash her strongest spells without hesitation—spells she normally saved for life–and–death moments.

Her heart raced at the thought. So many battles, so many desperate fights, could have been turned around if only she'd had that kind of freedom from the start.

Adrian nodded. "That's exactly what I was trying to achieve. I even tested it on that armament earlier…but it didn't work."

Now Ruby understood why he had looked so disappointed, even though he'd built something that should have been impossible.

They walked in silence for a while, the sound of their footsteps filling the street, until Ruby finally said, "If you ever manage to pull that off…you might just change the world."

Adrian let out a soft chuckle. "Well, for now, it's only a concept."

A few moments later, he shifted the subject. "Are you free next weekend?"

Ruby had actually planned to visit a few relatives, but before she even thought it through, she found herself nodding. "Is there somewhere you want to go?"

Adrian gave a small nod. "My parents."

"…!" Ruby froze mid–step, her fingers tightening around her dress.

Noticing her reaction, Adrian raised a brow. "You don't want to meet them?"

Ruby quickly shook her head. "No, it's not that… I just thought you didn't want them to know about our engagement yet."

Adrian chuckled at that. "Ruby, there's no way news of the Vermillion heiress getting engaged wouldn't reach my father. And besides—" He drew closer, gently taking her hand. His tone softened, yet carried weight. "—We're not committing a crime that we need to hide it. Yes, there's a motive behind this, but it's also true that in a few days… you will be my fiancée."

Ruby's heart quickened at those words.

It was really unfair for him to make her a blushing mess so effortlessly.

However, despite being flustered, she couldn't deny the warmth that seeped into her chest upon hearing those words.

"Mm, I understand. Let's go and meet them."

...

The moment Adrian and Ruby reached the mansion gates, they froze.

A familiar figure stood waiting by the entrance, silver hair catching the faint glow of the lanterns.

"Ariana?" Adrian let go of Ruby's hand and hurried forward, his voice laced with surprise.

Ariana released a long sigh, her expression carrying both apology and urgency. "Forgive me for interrupting your evening, but this can't wait."

Ruby stepped in calmly. "Let's go inside first. We'll talk there."

The three of them entered the mansion, their footsteps echoing against the polished floor. Ruby led them to her room, choosing the privacy of a closed space for what clearly wasn't a casual visit.

Click.

The door shut behind them, sealing the air with a quiet tension.

Ariana turned to Adrian, her tone firm. "You've been summoned by the Celestial Hall. There's a meeting scheduled for tomorrow, and your presence is required."

She held out a sealed letter. Adrian took it without a word, but Ruby's eyes immediately flicked to the wax stamp pressed against the envelope.

Her chest tightened. That was no ordinary message.

It was an official decree.

Adrian read the letter and asked, "Did they tell you what this is about?"

Ruby suggested, "Maybe they found evidence about that day?"

Adrian frowned...that seems plausible.

However, "If they had possibly found out that Adrian could use independent magic, I hardly believe they would have requested a meeting with him." Adrian extended her opinion.

Adrian hummed in acknowledgement, "This is something else..."

After a brief thought, he gave his answer, "Well, I will go check it out-"

"I am also coming along."

"Same here."

The two ladies instantly relayed their decisions.

Adrian sighed, "Don't you have so many things to handle?" He asked Ariana.

She shrugged, "Well, you took care of most of them so I am free these days."

Adrian groaned...there was no point in trying to stop them.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. And yeahhh, we reached 300 mark.