The Runic Alchemist

Damian was the first one in the training room. The others had yet to arrive. He and Reize sat on the wooden benches he had made, gazing at the moonlight trickling through the colorful glass window. After a few minutes, he sensed the others heading toward the room. The first to arrive was Lucian.

Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Reize in Damian's arms, the couple sitting together in silence. She froze at the entrance, watching them. Sensing her presence, Damian gently let Reize go, but Lucian didn't come closer. Soon, however, the others arrived, and together they finally approached him.

The table he had crafted earlier in the room was just large enough for Maelor, Einar, Evrin, Grace, Lucian, and Sam to sit around. Reize stood beside Damian as he moved from the bench near the window to join them at the table.

"What was Hellseeker talking about? What did he mean by you playing peacemaker?" Evrin asked before Damian could say a word. The others turned to him expectantly.

"That's what I wanted to talk about," Damian said, stepping forward to address them. "Lucian already knows... The situation within the Highsword organization is far from ideal. The Land Breaker—"

He revealed everything he knew about the Highswords in the most concise terms possible. He also made them promise not to share this information with anyone else. He trusted everyone in the room to keep it confidential. Even if they didn't, it was no longer as critical.

The emperor's actions suggested he was already aware of the situation within the Highswords. If he knew, it was likely that the neighboring kingdoms' royalty also had their suspicions—or had confirmed them. While public panic could be a risk, revealing this information would likely cause no significant harm beyond that. His friends wouldn't stir unrest for no reason. At most, they might tell their families.
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"What? How is that possible? A fourth ranker can't just disappear..." Grace said, shocked.

"Which is why they've been doing nothing. Wait a minute—does the empire know about this? Is that why they started the invasion?" Evrin asked, considering the implications.

"They want to... become a leader? Just that? To abandon everyone for one superficial title? What kind of knight does that?" Maelor said, his anger rising.

"It's not that simple," Einar interjected. "Decisions require a majority vote from the High Table, but the members are divided. That deadlock is why they've taken no action. And the empire thing might have made them even more suspicious of one another. They might think there's a leak—or that some kingdom's nobles have influenced certain High Table members.

Perhaps they've engineered the situation to make things so dire that the most honorable among them would break and act without approval, giving the others grounds to label them insubordinate and seize control of the Highswords. Who knows? Maybe... maybe this deadlock is better than the chaos that could arise if the wrong person controlled an organization holding the most powerful force in the world..." Einar's voice broke at the end, a tear rolling down her cheek. Evrin pulled her into a comforting hug.

Damian felt terrible revealing such grim truths about the order of knights she revered so deeply. She wasn't alone in her dismay; Sam, Maelor, and Lucian had all grown up hearing the grand tales of The Land Breaker, Runefather, and Voidshaper—legends whose bravery and justice had shaped their childhoods. To see the order in such disarray now would shake anyone's faith.

And perhaps she was right—there could be countless reasons why someone might act the way they do. But the harsh reality remained: thousands were dying, countless more enslaved, and an entire kingdom had been reduced to ashes because the order failed to act.

It wasn't entirely their fault, Damian understood that much. The Highswords were established to fight the devils of myth and safeguard the realm from monsters and disasters, not to meddle in the internal politics of nations. Yet, with so many kingdoms at war, how could they turn a blind eye? Who would they protect if everyone perished in the chaos?

Breaking the heavy silence, Damian spoke. "And so, they wanted my artificial core research to tip the balance in their favor. That's why they invited me to join them. I didn't make a deal with anyone, but I allowed Worldscribe and Runefather to use my name and the fake contract. It was a stalling tactic to buy time, my true purpose was to win the survival exam and enter the dungeon to find the Land Breaker using the spell I showed you today."

Einar's head shot up, her expression intense, as did everyone else's. "Can you find him? Why haven't you done it yet?" she asked.

"The dungeon is where I have to do it," Damian began. "They won't let us enter until the second term starts. I didn't want to reveal the spell in case some of them—those content with the current situation—come after me. And to be honest, I don't know the guy. Yes, we've all heard the stories, but we've heard stories about the others too."

He paused, tension in his voice as he continued. "I can handle third-rankers somehow, but I can't face a fourth-ranker. And I don't trust him. What if he's no different from the rest of them? With an artificial core, he could have access to unlimited mana, making him the strongest person in the world. No one would be able to stand against him..." Damian's voice trailed off, the weight of his fears evident.

Einar opened her mouth, ready to argue, but Evrin placed a hand on her shoulder. She gently shook her head, silently conveying that Damian's concerns weren't baseless.

"Why are we here then? Do you want to enter the dungeon immediately?" Maelor asked, breaking the silence.

"No," Damian replied. "With the news of Dawnstar forces being annihilated—and after seeing Lucian—I made them a proposal before heading to Dawnstar. I wanted to give the Highswords a choice: I'll find their commander, and in return, they will mediate or intimidate the emperor to stop the war."

He then shared the details of his conversation with the emperor, along with the thoughts and doubts weighing on his mind.