Return of the Legendary Runesmith

Adrian was surprised to see the equipment in the workshop.

He had read about all sorts of useful tools in books—rare materials, special ores, enchanted stones, high-quality runic pencils, perfect lighting setups, and shelves full of books.

"You don’t use those fancy rune-smithing tools, huh?" Adrian said, noticing only a runic pencil and an alignment scale on the table.

"I’ve never needed them," Ruby replied. "They’re pretty much useless if you really care about rune-smithing."

Ruby had always believed that tools like calming candles and echo bells were for people who didn’t truly enjoy the craft—people who had to force themselves to do it. For her, it was always just the subject, the pencil, and the runesmith’s mind.

Adrian grinned and picked up the aligner. "Then what about this thing?"

Ruby shrugged. "Sometimes, the mind tries unorthodox ways to do something it normally can’t."

Adrian chuckled. "If Professor Gilbert heard you say that, he’d have a full-blown lecture ready."

At the mention of that name, Ruby froze. Adrian noticed it right away.

He set the aligner back on the table. "Do you know him?"

Gilbert was a well-known runesmith, with a solid reputation and a few impressive accomplishments. Surely Ruby would be interested in someone like that... or was there more to it?

"It’s nothing," Ruby said quickly. "I’ve met him. Ran into him once at the Runebound."

What she didn’t say was that Gilbert was actually a spy for the Vermillion family, feeding them information from the academy. And he wasn’t the only one. The Vermillions had someone planted in each of the four central academies—and even in the government. That’s how they stayed one of the most powerful ancient families, always keeping an eye on everything.

Adrian could tell she was hiding something, but he didn’t push.

Instead, he changed the subject. "So, what are we doing today?"

Adrian was eager to explore more of the workshop and ask Ruby about the strange artifacts she had lined up on the shelves, but he didn’t want to come off as nosy. He was the guest, after all, so he simply smiled and let her decide what they should talk about.

Ruby’s eyes lit up with excitement. Without warning, she swept everything off the table in one dramatic motion. Adrian jumped in surprise, half-panicked—until he saw what had been hidden beneath the clutter.

There were scribbles carved directly into the wooden tabletop—clearly research notes.

He adjusted his spectacles and leaned in for a better look.

A diagram of a human body stretched across the surface, arms and legs spread wide. Several points were marked across the figure, and labels ran from the chest outward. The first one read Alpha.

"You’re saying... drawing runes based on this pattern would make the armament pull more power?" he asked, after glancing at the diagram for just a few seconds.

Ruby blinked, caught off guard. Then her face went blank as she muttered, "I prepared a two-minute speech to explain that."

Adrian laughed and sat down. "I’m a good listener. Go ahead, I’m all ears."

Ruby groaned but didn’t protest further. "Let’s not waste time," she said, grabbing a slim wooden pointer and tapping the diagram. "I’ve been studying how magic is released through the body—what we usually call pores or nods. Turns out, not all of them release mana in the same way. After a lot of trial and error, I started seeing a pattern."

She tapped a few more points on the diagram in a careful sequence.

"This pattern could help us build what we call a second thread—a stronger, more efficient way to channel magic through the body and into the rune."

Adrian could feel her excitement. It was in her voice, her posture, the way she gestured with that wooden pointer. She had clearly poured her heart into this.

Now, he was at a crossroads.

He could play it safe—nod along, praise her work and leave her glowing with pride.

Or... he could take the harder route and tell her the truth. The kind of truth that might get him thrown out of the workshop.

"What do you think?" she asked, eyes bright with hope.

Her long crimson hair draped over her shoulder like a fiery curtain, glowing faintly in the sunlight streaming through the window. Her eyes, the same deep red, looked right at him—earnest, expectant.

Adrian took a breath and chose honesty.

"How many subjects did you study?" he asked carefully.

"Seven hundred thirty-three," she answered without hesitation as if she’d been waiting for that question.

"And how many of them gave the same results?"

Ruby hesitated. "More than five hundred," she said, her tone a bit less certain.

"So," Adrian said plainly, "this isn’t a guaranteed result. You can’t apply this logic to every case."

Her lips pressed together. She bit the lower one, then gave a slow nod. "Yes... you could say that. But the probability is still high. There’s no harm in following the pattern and hoping for the best outcome."

Adrian leaned back in his seat, his gaze resting on the woman across from him—still visibly excited, but he knew he had to burst the bubble.

"Unless you’re a hundred percent certain," he said gently but firmly, "you can’t use this in a practical adjustment. Even the slightest delay could have consequences."

The entire pattern was built on probability. That meant using it without certainty would only slow down the rune-smithing process. And during a war, when smiths were under pressure to produce finely tuned armaments in large quantities, wasting time on uncertain methods could cost more than just effort—it could cost lives.

Ruby pulled out a chair and sat down with a sigh.

"So... you mean to say the two years I spent working on this theory were worthless?" Her voice was quiet, almost defeated.

What she didn’t say was that she’d already shown this theory to three other rune smiths before Adrian. All of them had praised her without question. He was the first to point out the flaws—flaws that, deep down, she had suspected were there all along.

Adrian looked at her and said plainly, "Your aim was right—but the method wasn’t."

He didn’t sugarcoat it. Sometimes the bitter truth was better than letting someone chase an empty path. Especially someone like Ruby, who clearly had talent.

She let out a breath, leaning her elbows on the table. "What can I say... I just feel like there’s still so much to uncover about all the threads. Even though I can build a third-grade armament, I still don’t feel satisfied with any part of it."

Adrian gave a slow, understanding nod. "I know that feeling. I’ve always believed that unless I bring out the absolute best in a weapon... it’s not truly complete."

Ruby let out a long breath. "Is there any way you can help me with this?"

Adrian narrowed his eyes, a thought crossing his mind.

It was risky. But then again—if he never took risks, how could he ever protect his students?

"I can help," he said slowly, "but you have to promise me something first."

Ruby raised a brow, the corner of her lips twitching. "Is your inner animal finally going to show up?"

"..." She can’t have a normal conversation past one minute.

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A/N:- She is giving you the signs, bro. Thanks for reading.