The Runesmith

Chapter 693: Runic Accessories.

“S-sir, I’ve been w-waiting for you!”

“Huh…”

Roland returned to the institute three days later, after all the students had turned in their papers. To his surprise, the moment he stepped out of the teleportation gate area, he was intercepted by the young man he had met recently, Stephen.

‘He looks like he hasn’t slept since I gave him that assignment.’

Stephen’s hair was somehow even messier than before. The bowl cut had completely lost its battle against gravity, and the large glasses resting on his nose sat slightly crooked. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, making it look as though someone had punched him. Despite his appearance, he held a neatly organized stack of papers against his chest.

“Stephen.”

“D-Deputy Professor Wayland! I, I have b-been waiting f-for you…”

The young man nearly saluted while trying not to drop the mountain of documents he was carrying. It was clear that he had taken the assignment very seriously and had probably not slept much since Roland gave him the task. Roland did not understand where this level of dedication came from, but it was obvious that Stephen was desperate to get on his good side.

“I hope you haven’t been standing here waiting for me.”

“Oh no, D-Deputy Sir… n-not the whole time.”

The answer came quickly, and Stephen even seemed proud of his dedication. It only made Roland stare at him harder.

“…How long exactly?”

Stephen hesitated as he noticed the change in tone.

“Oh… j-just three hours.”

“I see…”

Roland was not entirely sure how to respond to someone like this, but if Stephen did good work, there was no reason not to help him when the opportunity arose.

“Walk with me. I’m heading to the Runic Department now. I assume this is what I asked you for?”

“Y-yes!”

Stephen eagerly presented the stack of papers to Roland. The man was only a Tier Two mage, with his first advancement being that of a Wind Mage rather than a Runic Mage. There were several people like him at the department, including Lucille, who later switched to Rune Mage.

‘Is he planning to switch professions, too?’

While it was not the most efficient path toward obtaining a Tier Three Rune Mage class, it was still possible if a person followed the proper training and acquired the necessary skills. With Arion serving as Department Head, he could likely provide everyone with the guidance needed to ensure their earlier classes did not go to waste.

There were also advantages to being an elemental mage before becoming a rune mage. When working with runes aligned with their element, they gained increased power and reduced mana consumption. If Stephen eventually became a Tier Three Master Rune Mage, using the Zephyr Armor would be a real possibility.

“These look thoroughly researched. You did all of this in just three days?”

As they walked, Roland began looking through the documents. Some pages had been stapled together and contained detailed reports on the students he had selected. After flipping through only a few of them, he realized that Stephen had not simply completed the assignment.

He had gone far beyond what was required. Each student's file had been divided into clearly organized sections: academic performance, combat evaluations, magical aptitude tests, disciplinary records, attendance history, and more. There were even notes on family backgrounds, social standing within the kingdom, and comments gathered from teachers and instructors.

Roland would still need to conduct some research of his own, but after comparing a few entries about his sister, he quickly confirmed that the information was reliable.

‘He even included the disappearance of Robert in this...’

There was far more information about Lucienne here than he had expected. His own name was even listed in the family records, along with a note stating that he had been officially declared dead after all these years. Considering how well everything had been put together, he was now convinced that the rest of the background checks were just as thorough and extensive.

“You’ve gone far beyond what I asked for.”

Stephen froze for a moment before his face turned red. It seemed he had gotten the wrong idea.

“I... I j-just thought m-more information w-would be better... If it’s n-not t-to your l-liking... t-then I’ll r-remake it!”

“You misunderstand. It’s great work, but you didn’t have to be so thorough. Perhaps you should get some sleep first as well.”

Roland turned a page while speaking, trying to calm the young man down. People continued glancing their way as they passed by. From the looks of it, he appeared to be bullying an assistant teacher. Stephen kept lowering his head and apologizing at the slightest prompting, and it was beginning to wear on him.

“I-I’m fine. I drank a f-few stamina potions already. I’ll be f-fine for a-another two d-days!”

While the stamina potions in this world were not as bad as the energy drinks from his previous one, they were still unhealthy when consumed in excess. Yet as he examined Stephen’s status, he noticed a familiar skill among the listed abilities: Sleep Resistance.

“You’ve done this before, haven’t you? Well, I can’t stop you, but it would be better if you got some actual rest.”

Stephen opened his mouth to protest immediately.

“B-but the reports are not f-fully indexed yet!”

“Fully indexed?”

Roland glanced down at the stack again. There had to be nearly forty pages here, with two or more dedicated to each student. It already looked extensive, yet Stephen was implying there was much more.

“I created s-separate summaries, cross references, a-aptitude rankings, class compatibility charts, projected growth estimates, and a list of possible team combinations based on historical Convocation data.”

“...”

For a moment, Roland simply stared at the man who had somehow stopped stuttering and was now speaking at remarkable speed. Apparently, he had already prepared, or was in the process of preparing, a collection of charts and evaluations far beyond anything Roland had expected.

‘Where is Arion finding people like this...’

The man standing before him was clearly a hidden gem when it came to gathering and organizing information. If he could accomplish this much in only three days, what could he achieve with better customized runic equipment and more time?

“Stephen... what do you hope to gain from all of this?”

“S-sir?”

“What do you want in return for this work?”

He knew that this level of dedication did not come cheaply. If Stephen was capable of doing so much, there was plenty of information Roland could make use of. The man could gather intelligence on rival schools, compile reports on their strengths, and perhaps even conduct background checks on their students.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The academy libraries contained a vast number of records covering previous competitions, but sorting through them all would be a monumental task. Roland had originally planned to have Sebastian review and summarize the material for him. However, if he could rely on someone with genuine talent for this kind of work, the results would likely be far superior to anything his incomplete AI system could produce.

Stephen's eyes widened as though the question had never occurred to him.

"W-what do I want?"

"Yes."

Roland continued walking without slowing down. Students and instructors passed them in the corridor, some greeting him respectfully before hurrying on their way. Stephen remained silent for several seconds, clutching the reports tighter against his chest.

"I... I d-don't really need a-anything."

"I find that difficult to believe."

"T-then maybe..."

He lowered his voice.

"M-maybe s-some special t-tea in the D-department?"

"Tea?"

Roland stopped and looked at the bowl-cut man beside him. He was a very strange individual. He had expected him to ask for special skill books, access to the higher levels of the library reserved for Tier Three professors, or perhaps even support for some personal research project. Instead, he was asking for tea.

"Y-yes, the o-one in the D-department isn't v-very good..."

"Sure... I'll ask Arion to get you some tea."

‘He doesn't seem to be a cultist or an evil mage... Is he just... like this?’

Mages were often considered eccentric, but Stephen seemed to belong to an entirely different category. Roland had met obsessive researchers before, like Arion, and others who experimented to their own detriment, like Rastix. There were also more than a few battle maniacs. Yet this man had spent three days compiling what looked like a military intelligence dossier in exchange for slightly better tea.

"Ah, my friend, I see you've been getting acquainted with our new assistant. He is quite the dedicated worker."

At last, Roland arrived at the Runic Department, where Arion and a group of assistant professors and teachers greeted him.

"I did... He is quite talented."

Roland was not entirely sure how to describe the man, but Stephen seemed pleased to be praised in front of the department head.

"Splendid. Now then, everyone is in the process of data input, but everything should be finished soon."

Arion pointed with his paw toward the assistants. Many were writing on parchment at remarkable speed, while others fed papers into a peculiar device. Three golemic eyes hovered above it, watching over a flat surface where each document was placed. Once positioned, a brief flash of light escaped from the orbs before the paper was replaced. The information was then transferred as a snapshot onto one of the assembled monitors and processed through the interface Arion had programmed.

"This is all thanks to you, my friend. It's all so efficient!"

To people who had never worked with scanners or the internet, the system was revolutionary. Roland, however, knew there was still plenty of room for improvement. Much of the process could be automated, and golems could eventually handle a large portion of the workload currently assigned to the assistant professors.

Roland surveyed the room once more while the assistants continued feeding documents into the scanning apparatus. Now that most of the work was being handled for him, he could focus on his own task: producing the equipment for the participants. He had already brought a prototype with him.

"As we discussed before, I brought the items over. I also made several variants, so have the dwarven craftsmen assemble a few replacements."

The moment Roland mentioned the runic device prototypes, most of the assistants in the chamber turned toward him with interest. Even Stephen, who looked ready to collapse from exhaustion, forced himself to remain upright.

"The first one is a standard bracelet. Once the correct mana pattern is entered into the core system, it will reduce the mana cost of various spells, lowering the casting cost of any spell by fifty percent."

"A whole f-fifty percent!"

Stephen raised his voice, then instantly covered his mouth when the others looked at him with irritation. It was as if the other assistants were angry at him for interrupting Roland's presentation.

"Yes... once the students get used to these prototypes, we'll be able to lower it even further. I think seventy percent should be possible for tier one spells and over fifty percent for tier two spells. Of course, there will also be an added mana regeneration effect to complement everything. And if you could take a look at this."

He gestured for everyone to watch before placing several more models on the table. One was a choker designed to be worn around the neck, another was an ankle bracelet, and there were also several rings.

"I'm not sure which designs the students will prefer, so it would be good if you let them choose the ones they like most."

Roland knew that children that age could be picky. Some would probably prefer a bracelet, others something worn around the neck, and some might even favor a magical belt. He could make them in all shapes and sizes. Even full metal armor was possible, but he knew that mages generally preferred lighter equipment.

The room fell silent. It was clear that the assistants were too hesitant to ask the obvious question of how any of this actually worked. Creating magical items that reduced casting requirements was possible, but not to such an extreme degree.

"You have some questions?"

Arion asked as he turned toward the assistant professors.

"I'm sure you're wondering how we can achieve such results while limiting ourselves to tier one and tier two runes."

Roland cut in when he saw the others nodding, Stephen included.

"It's actually quite simple. We're going to use an external power source. Here."

The time had finally come to reveal one of his trump cards: the runic battery, the most crucial element of the entire design. Even though he was limited to inferior metals and simpler runes, the contenders would still have access to spatial bags. Normally, they would use them to carry large quantities of mana potions, but instead, they could carry something far more useful: batteries.

"This is a runic battery. It will provide mana for the students and holds as much energy as ten mana potions of the same grade."

He placed the small, cylindrical battery on the table, and everyone examined it curiously. No one spoke, but it was obvious they wanted a closer look.

The logic behind the technology was quite simple, which was one of the reasons he was so eager to implement it. Replacing a battery was much easier than drinking a potion. It even worked when someone simply held it in their hand, as it could connect over a short distance through ethereal runic pathways.

"Such a thing exists? Is there mana fluid inside? Wouldn't that potentially be dangerous for the students?"

One of the assistants asked, and the others waited eagerly for Roland's answer.

"There's nothing inside except more runes."

He tapped the battery against the metal bracelet on the table. The battery contained runes not only on its exterior but also throughout its interior, maximizing the amount of mana it could store. There were no moving parts, crystals, or fluids inside. Everything was embedded directly into the alloy and produced in his workshop.

It was a process that the dwarven craftsmen could easily replicate without his assistance, allowing him to focus on other projects. After all, there were many ways to aid the young mages beyond simply solving their mana problems.

Armor and weaponry were another issue. Each student could either wear the standard institute robes or bring their own. The use of personalized magical staves or wands was also permitted. However, that would come later in the outfitting process, as he first needed to gather training data on the students and review the information Stephen had provided.

“How marvelous, I can’t wait!”

Arion floated in the air and used a mage hand spell to move the battery closer to his feline face.

“Professor Arion, why don’t you take it from here? I’ve already provided you with the schematics.”

“With pleasure, Deputy Professor.”

Roland left the gathered assistants to Arion’s enthusiastic explanation and stepped away. He had come here today for two main reasons. The first was to introduce the department to his mana boosting accessories. The second was to obtain data on the students, which Stephen had already supplied. There was also a third matter, one that had been bothering him and involved his sister.

‘They look quite enthralled.’

With everyone focused on Arion, Roland was finally able to slip away to his office within the institute. While it was not quite a workshop, it still provided access to several points within the monitoring system. He had also brought a few items from his place to make the space feel more personal.

Once inside, he retrieved a monitor along with several blocky devices covered in runes. If he was going to assist here, he needed a place where he could process data without the runic department becoming aware of everything he was doing. While he trusted Arion with certain matters, there were still secrets he intended to keep, including his true name. The headmistress already knew the truth, so setting up beneath her tree tower had never seemed like a problem to him.

“Now then… I need to get through this.”

After turning on the monitor and confirming he had a clear view of the activities outside, he retrieved the documents concerning his sister. He quickly turned to the section that interested him most: her grades.

‘Close to perfect scores across the board, and they keep improving. Am I being too paranoid?’

It was entirely possible that Lucienne’s home tutor had done an excellent job and that her results were simply the product of hard work. Even so, he could not shake the feeling that an unseen hand was guiding her forward. He had no real evidence beyond a lingering suspicion.

‘There’s a list of the classes and professors who assigned her grades. I should investigate them first, then determine who they report to.’

It would not be an easy task. At first glance, the teachers and professors appeared unconnected. The classes were spread across various departments and showed no obvious links to one another. Yet if he failed to investigate, he knew the matter would continue to trouble him. Perhaps it was nothing. Still, it was always wise to have a plan in place in case events failed to unfold as expected.