Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 425

Chapter 425: Chapter 424- Elana’s trouble
It was nighttime. The lamps outside flickered with a soft golden glow, their light bending and stretching with the breeze slipping past the windows.

They had woken up half dazed—well, Annabelle didn’t wake up at all. She was far too tired to leave the bed, buried under the warmth of the blankets like a cocoon that refused to release its occupant.

Adrian sighed helplessly as he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and whispered that he’d bring dinner up for her.

Annabelle readily agreed, her voice little more than a murmur. Her sleep was at its peak, a weight pressing down on her eyelids until she sank deeper into the sheets.

“Well, since Bella isn’t coming along, we can have dinner in the common hall,” Adrian muttered as he put on his coat, tightening the straps around his wrist.

Ariana smoothed her clothes—her uniform still slightly creased from having dozed off earlier—and nodded. “Yeah, that would save time too.”

They exchanged a look, a silent agreement between them, before the two left the room. Naturally, not together. This building was the male dormitory after all. Adrian took the stairs with a steady pace, while Ariana pushed open the window and slipped out, her boots landing silently on the stone path below.

Not long after, they met near the plaza, the cool wind brushing past the lamps and scattering fallen leaves around their feet. The campus looked serene, almost too quiet, as they began advancing toward the common hall together.

“Students are nowhere to be seen,” Adrian murmured, scanning the empty pathways.

It was strange. He had only been gone two days, but it felt like he was stepping onto the academy grounds after months of absence. The familiar buildings, the arches, the lawns—everything seemed distant, as though his memories belonged to another version of himself.

“Second-years have already begun preparing for their exams,” Ariana explained, folding her arms as she walked beside him. “And once they return home, they don’t get much time. Everyone wants to finish things early this year.”

After the third-year exams were over, the academy would grant half a month’s break. A short, sweet period where minds drifted away from pressure, discipline, studies, and training. A window where even the most diligent students allowed themselves to breathe.

“Have all the preparations been taken care of?” Adrian asked, his fingers brushing against hers, his hand quietly sliding over it.

Ariana stiffened slightly. “Adrian?”

He shrugged casually, not looking the least bit guilty. “What? No one’s around. And even if someone sees us… I’m just holding my fiancée’s hand. That’s not forbidden.”

Ariana sighed, cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink. After a moment of silent resistance, she stopped trying to pull away. “I didn’t double-check everything today. But I trust Professor Gilbert. He should have handled most of it.”

Adrian nodded. He had already prepared all the artifacts needed for the test. The remaining management—staff coordination, field inspections, safety arrangements—was handled under Gilbert’s direction.

“You’ll be a reliable staff less from next year,” Adrian muttered, recalling how Gilbert was planning to retire once the exams concluded.

Ariana hummed. “Well, you’re here. And unlike the stupid cousin I remember, you’re more mature and don’t shake in anxiety anymore.”

“I never shook in anxiety,” Adrian protested immediately.

Ariana chuckled, her tone teasing and merciless. “Don’t get me started. I still remember how terrified you were during the whole Sylvie incident.”

Adrian exhaled sharply. “That doesn’t count. Everything back then was… overwhelming. This—” he gestured vaguely at the academy, the students, the responsibilities “—this is different. This is my passion. And with my stepmother around, I couldn’t even imagine having a place to return to.”

Ariana’s expression softened.

Adrian still remembered the first feeling he had when he woke up in this world.

Fear.

Canonically, the character named Adrian should have disappeared long ago, wiped from the academy’s records once he was labeled a fraud. But the system and Adrian’s sheer stubborn resolve had twisted fate into something different—something better.

Their pace matched without conscious effort. The quiet walk was enough to settle the thoughts swirling in Adrian’s mind.

Soon, the warm glow of the common hall came into view, spilling out from between its tall windows. Inside, they could already hear the chatter of students and the clinking of plates.

Several students were enjoying their meals. A few teachers sat in a separate section reserved for the staff, engrossed in conversations.

But the moment Adrian and Ariana stepped inside, the entire place stirred. Conversations paused. Heads turned. Forks hung mid-air.

Too nervous, Ariana immediately pulled her hand away—almost too fast—her composure snapping back into place. She was still too shy to publicly display affection. Especially here. Especially when she was supposed to be the pillar of discipline in the academy.

Adrian chuckled helplessly and followed her deeper into the hall—but he didn’t make it very far.

Because suddenly, a wave of students—specifically, girls—surrounded him like moths to a flame.

“Professor, I had a problem in the recent lecture. Can you explain this point while we have dinner together?”

“Professor, my fingers are sore from training. Can you… you know… help me? Eheh~”

“Professor, there’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask since yesterday—”

And like that, the barrage began.

Ariana’s expression darkened.

She stepped forward. “Professor Adrian has just returned from a long journey. All questions can wait until tomorrow.”

Every student stiffened at the headmistress’s calm yet terrifying tone.

Adrian rubbed the back of his neck, silently apologizing with his eyes. His gaze to Ariana read: ‘Let me help them a little…’

But the look she returned was sharp enough to cut stone.

In the end, Adrian surrendered. “During tea time tomorrow, come to my workshop. I’ll answer everything then.”

The girls giggled, exchanged glances, and skittered away—far too delighted for Ariana’s liking.

Ariana exhaled, rolling her eyes at the whispers and glances directed toward her fiancé. Some were unhealthy. Some were overly hopeful. Some were downright brazen.

Adrian joined her, and together they walked to a vacant table.

“Really… if you hadn’t been so lenient with them from the start,” Ariana grumbled.

“You know me,” Adrian chuckled. “If someone’s enthusiastic about runes, I can’t push them away.”

Ariana arched a brow. “Oh, they were enthusiastic, alright. But not necessarily about runes.”

Adrian blinked slowly. “Huh?”

She shook her head. “Sit. I’ll get food.”

“No, you wait—”

“Adrian,” she interrupted gently, “it’s okay. You don’t always have to be the gentleman.”

His shoulders dropped. He nodded. Ariana offered a faint smile before she walked off toward the counter.

“Hello, Professor. You haven’t been around…”

A few professors greeted him as he sat down, and he greeted them back, falling into casual, relaxed conversation.

Then the doors flung open.

Someone rushed into the common hall, breathing heavily, as though she had sprinted the entire distance.

Her blue eyes swept across the room sharply—until they landed on him.

Feeling the weight of that gaze, Adrian turned.

Elana stood at the entrance, her silver hair slightly disheveled, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her eyes softened with visible relief the second she locked onto him.

She hurried forward, weaving through the tables. Thankfully, the other staff were too engrossed in their own conversations to pay her unusual behavior any attention.

Elana stopped in front of him, still catching her breath. “Is everything alright, Professor? You disappeared suddenly.”

Adrian blinked, surprised at her tone. “Yes. I’m fine. I just had some personal matters to take care of. Why? Is everything alright?”

Elana lowered her gaze for a moment before answering. “I was… worried about you, sir.” Her voice trembled faintly. “I wanted to see you.”

Adrian looked at her closely. Her eyes held an intensity he didn’t understand—an immense concern for something she couldn’t possibly know. She had no idea what he had gone through these past days. And yet she worried. Deeply.

That made her earnestness even more confusing.

After a quiet moment, Adrian lifted his hand and gently placed it on her head.

“I’m fine, Elana. Really.”

Her body stilled. The tension melted from her shoulders. Her breathing steadied. Her heart—which had been pounding violently—calmed in the warmth of his touch.

Elana closed her eyes, leaning ever so slightly into his hand.

For the first time since entering, she breathed without shaking.

Not so long after, Ariana arrived by their table and the sight before her made her smile.

“Look at you…finally getting out of your confines?” Ariana’s words surprised Adrian as he turned towards her, his gaze searching for an answer.

Ariana added, “She has locked herself in her room for the past two days. Professor Gilbert went to check on her today but still she didn’t come out…well, until now that is.”

Adrian turned his gaze toward Elana with his brows raised.

Elana lowered her eyes and softly muttered, “I would like to talk to you about it, professor. I don’t think I can give my final exams like this.”

Adrian’s eyes widened…just what exactly happened?

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.