Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 399

Chapter 399: Chapter 398- Barbeque
“We haven’t detected any other movement,” Jean reported, still a little surprised that Adrian had already reached that conclusion from a single report.

She rubbed her temples and admitted, “Honestly, we didn’t search the surrounding area carefully. Everyone was too focused on tracking the ancient being beneath us.”

Adrian nodded slightly. “That’s understandable.”

He gestured for Annabelle, who quietly fetched a rolled-up map from the cupboard to the left. Everyone gathered around the table in Adrian’s office inside the villa. Ariana had claimed his chair, while Adrian stood beside her, hands resting on the table’s edge as the map spread open before them.

He studied it closely, eyes tracing the markings. “If the Academy is the center point,” he murmured, “then the capital lies to the east, and the Tower to the west. No wonder we couldn’t sense anything strange—the distance alone would mask the creature’s presence.”

His gaze moved further across the parchment. “Now, the island… it’s positioned diagonally from the Academy—almost forming a triangle between itself, the capital, and the academy.”

He tapped the map lightly. “The ancient being’s location would be right about here—close to the site.”

Between the Academy and that spot stretched a vast, lifeless plain known as the Barren Land. But the path between the creature and the capital was dotted with towns and villages.

Adrian looked up. “We haven’t had any unusual sightings near the capital, have we?”

Jean shook her head. “No. Our Umbral scouts are stationed both inside and around the city, and none have reported anything suspicious.”

Adrian gave a short nod before pointing to a marked zone on the map. “And this is where you believe the creature is?”

Jean leaned in, then adjusted his hand slightly upward and to the right. “Almost. It’s actually here—closer to the shoreline.”

Ariana’s brows furrowed. “That’s… much nearer to the island than we thought.”

Adrian crossed his arms, thinking. The room went quiet except for the faint rustling of the map.

Annabelle broke the silence. “Darling, should we search this area?” she asked, pointing to the stretch of land between the Academy and the marked point.

Adrian didn’t answer right away. He was piecing together everything he’d studied about monster behavior. Ancient creatures were far beyond anything in those records, but instincts—instincts were universal.

“Let’s assume that being is guarding something,” he said finally. “Something important… like eggs.”

Ariana glanced at him. “You think it’s nesting?”

Jean spoke up before Adrian could reply. “It would make sense. Amphibious beings—those that can live both on land and in water—tend to lay their eggs deep underwater for safety, then hunt on land when needed.”

Adrian nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Of course, it’s just a theory. But if that’s the case, then we may not be dealing with one creature…and maybe, the other one is actually hunting under the water.”

A heavy stillness settled over the room. All eyes drifted toward the part of the map marked by blue—the endless expanse of water that stretched along the eastern coast.

“The first thing we need to do,” Adrian said, eyes fixed on the map, “is dig into the central area and find out what that creature is guarding.” He paused, his voice lowering with thought. “And for that… I think I have just the right tool.”

He was referring to the massive golems Forgelet once used to hunt the ancient worms that had tried to devour her planet’s core.

Jean straightened. “Then… when can you visit the site?”

Adrian exhaled softly, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “I have too much work piled up, but I’ll try to make it there by tomorrow morning.” His gaze flicked toward the darkening window. “It’s already too late today. Besides, I’ll need to ask my friend for the tool required for digging.”

Annabelle looked up at him from her seat. “Darling… should we inform Clark about this?”

Adrian thought for a moment, then shook his head. “Let’s confirm what we’re dealing with first. Once we know the full story, we’ll report it to the Tower and let them decide how to proceed.”

Jean shifted slightly, her unease clear. Adrian caught it immediately.

“I apologize,” he said sincerely. “I spoke out of turn. Since Umbral discovered the creature, the decision is yours.”

Annabelle turned her attention to the silver-haired woman. “Jean? Do you have any objection to informing the Tower?”

Jean clasped her hands behind her back. “If that’s what my Queen wishes, I will obey,” she said respectfully. Then, after a short pause, her tone hardened. “But in my opinion, involving the Tower will only complicate matters. They’ll seize full control of the site and—worse—might provoke the creature.”

Adrian wasn’t surprised. No one in that room trusted the Tower anymore, not after what had happened.

A once-proud institution—Midnight Ascent—known across continents for its honor and unshakable principles, had secretly allied with the Demonic Cult.

That betrayal alone was enough to remind everyone present: in this world, even the brightest towers could cast the darkest shadows.

Adrian nodded. “I understand. Based on the situation, if you think Umbral can handle this alone, you don’t need to inform the Tower. I’ll leave that decision to you.”

He folded the map neatly and handed it to Annabelle. “Keep this with the reports, in the same bag,” he said, before turning to Jean. “You must be exhausted after traveling all the way from the site. Stay here tonight—we’ll head there together in the morning.”

Jean blinked, slightly caught off guard. Her eyes flickered between Annabelle and Ariana, unsure.

Ariana chuckled. “What’s with that shy look? The house is huge, Jean. You’ll have a room all to yourself.”

Jean cleared her throat softly. “I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

Adrian smiled reassuringly. “You’re not intruding at all. Besides, I’m sure you and Aria have a lot to talk about after all this time.”

Ariana nodded eagerly. “Exactly! And since we’re all here, why don’t we light a campfire and have a barbeque like old times?”

Jean’s lips curved into a genuine smile for the first time that day. Annabelle’s cheerful voice followed almost instantly, “Yes! Barbeque!”

Adrian couldn’t help but laugh. “But you’ll have to help, Bella. Otherwise, you’ll only be eating greens tonight.”

Annabelle’s excitement deflated into a pout. “How mean, Darling. Can’t I have a free meal without work for once?”

Adrian grinned. “At least help us gather the wood.”

“I can do that for her—” Jean offered politely, but Annabelle quickly waved her hand.

“No, it’s fine. I can manage that much,” she said, smiling warmly. “It’s not much work.”

Ariana then turned towards her fiancé and asked, “I am sure you must be thinking about work right now.”

Adrian wryly smiled before telling her, “I will help you guys before going to work.”

Ariana crossed her arms. “Oh, yeah? Will that give you enough time to even prepare two runestones?”

Adrian went quiet, smiling innocently.

The silver head sighed and stood up. Turning towards Jean, she said, “Well, it’s just us preparing the food. I hope you haven’t lost your touch.”

Jean assured her, “You can leave the chopping to me.”

Ariana grinned before saying, “Okay then, let’s go shopping first. Since this house is new, there are barely any ingredients for barbeque.”

Jean nodded, and the two soon stepped out of the room.

Annabelle turned towards Adrian and asked, “Do you really have a lot of work, Darling? Is it for Raven?” There was a faint complaint in her voice.

Adrian nodded. “As I told you, this is important.”

Annabelle hummed softly before asking, “Can I help?”

Adrian caressed her head and said, “You’ve been working pretty hard lately, so just bring the wood and enjoy the evening, okay?”

Annabelle purred under his touch, then looked up and pressed a quick kiss at the corner of his lips before darting away. “See you, Darling!”

Adrian froze, stunned by the sudden kiss, remaining stiff and silent for a long moment.

Shaking his head, he exhaled a sigh and decided to talk about this with Annabelle later.

Walking out of the office, he started advancing towards his workshop.

En route, he asked the system, ‘What is the magic control rate at the moment?’

He has customized the system panel again to evaluate his mana control.

[Mana control: 16%]

That…wasn’t surprising but it didn’t lessen the disappointment.

He had been practising mana control whenever he got time.

While building, talking and even while bathing.

He had a feeling that with the sudden awakening of the ancient creature, a wave was coming. A violent and aggressive wave which might try to harm him and the people around him.

It has been like this for a long time now.

First because he was close to Allen, the protagonist. And now, the danger’s eye has shifted toward him.

‘Talking about Allen, I wonder if he has gotten stronger…’ He hardly believed so.

As such, he couldn’t rely on any hero to come and save the day.

He has to be prepared for anything.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.