The Runic Alchemist

Five remained with expressions of happiness, excitement, and even nervousness. Once the others had left, Damian invited the five back into his office and activated his transmutation skill on the temporary wooden room. The transmutation unraveled the wooden fibers, reducing them to powder as soft as sand.

He knew this was possible, but only after some practice had Damian managed to do it effortlessly. Not everything was easy to transmutate—or even possible, in some cases. The denser the object's molecular structure, the harder it was to transmutate; the less dense, the easier. It wasn't that simple though—factors like the type, atomic size and weight, and environmental compatibility also played a part. He would need a long time to study the effects of this skill on different materials.

For now, Damian was happy to finally have an erase button for his wood-type spells—those didn't cancel once cast. He usually had to cut the wood down or burn it. Not very fancy.

With a complimentary wormhole and wind spell, all the powder was thrown out of the air-shielded window. His office was whole again. The five people had various reactions—ranging from impressed and surprised to outright confusion.

Damian added four more fancy wooden seats next to the one already opposite his table and took his seat. Following him, the five also sat down. Damian slid two copies of the contract he had prepared to each of them.

"This is like a mana contract, only we won't use mana and stuff—just your signature. You can take it as an oath from you to me. If there's anything you don't understand, ask. If there's anything in there you can't accept, speak up now," Damian said.

The five began reading the two-page document. Damian had included clauses about secrecy and the consequences of noncompliance. Their duties ranged from assistant work to managing his clerical load and even representing him, if necessary. Their salaries and once-a-week leave were also mentioned. They would be required to respond in emergencies at any time, but otherwise, only one of them could take a day off at a time, following a rotating schedule or exchanging with others.

Celestine was the first to finish reading and raise her head, her eyes fixed on him like she'd just found a rare book in an old bookstore. Then Valen finished and looked up, followed by Seraphina, Agatha, and Hester.

"Any questions?" Damian asked.

"No, it details everything I wanted to ask," Celestine answered.

"And many more after that," Valen added.

"Can I ask something?" Agatha asked nervously.

Damian nodded.

"What does it mean by representing yourself, Lord Keeper?"

"Good question," Damian replied. "As you all know, we're currently changing the Sanctum's governing system from the very base. The new Lord of House meetings will not be attended by the seven heads of the Sanctuary. Instead, the House of Lords will have representatives—three per head. They will be the ones to bring up the issues we observe in our part of the land of Sanctuary."

"So we will be your voice in the House of Lords?" Seraphina asked.

"Yes—but not all of you. Mostly, I need you to assist me in everyday work. Only one of you will attend the daily meetings of the House of Lords—until we decide who is most suitable, you'll rotate, each going once every five days. I know some of you may have doubts about this, but don't worry—it's not the primary reason I hired most of you," Damian replied.

Valen Highmarsh asked, "My Lord, the contract mentions we can't reveal any sensitive information outside. How will we know which things are considered important?"

"It would be best if you didn't talk about work to others at all—then you won't have to ask yourself those questions. But if you still can't help yourself, I'll tell you what's top secret. And most of the time, you'll be able to judge for yourself," Damian replied, raising his eyebrow.

The other four smiled, breaking the tension a little. That was deliberate. Valen was well aware of what 'sensitive' meant. He wasn't asking for himself—it was a calculated question to gauge what kind of relationship Damian wanted with the five. Damian could have responded with threats or lightened the mood with humor. Valen's question was a clever probe—but it could have backfired if Damian had genuinely thought him dumb enough not to know what was important and what wasn't.

Not just a question—a subtle test of Damian's temperament.

When no one asked anything further, Damian concluded, "Well, sign it if you agree—and be present here tomorrow at 8 o'clock. A pile of reports will be waiting for your observant eyes."

With a smile, all five signed and stood up—handing him both copies of the contract.

"One is for you to keep. Memorize the rules. It's proof that you've all become Sanctum officials," Damian said.

As everyone began to leave after bowing to him, Damian noticed Hester hadn't moved from her spot. The others glanced at her, but seeing that Damian had no issue with it, they continued on their way. The guards showed them how the lift worked and guided them out.

"Hester?" Damian asked.

"Uhm.. Lady Tessa doesn't know I'm here. There's something I'm not sure I should say or not."

"Don't—if you think it's not right. If it violates her privacy," Damian replied.

"No, it's nothing like that," Hester said, then nodded, deciding to speak. "For the past 3–4 days, she's been trying to meet you. I told her to just tell the guards her full name, but she didn't want to do that. She thinks it would inconvenience you. But when you introduced yourself as a Sunblade on Gathering Day, I thought.."

"Tell her to come whenever it's convenient. My identity isn't a secret. She can bring Elias too—I guess he'll be angry with me," Damian said with a polite smile.

Hester nodded repeatedly, then bowed and left the office, saying she would be back tomorrow at eight. Damian smiled in the empty office, he did not really knew her but it still felt better after hearing her confirmation.