Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 439

Chapter 439: Chapter 438- A little rest
The second phase of the final exams concluded without any disruptions.

Adrian oversaw both the first and third day of the tests. As one of the senior professors, even if he wasn’t directly administering the exams, his presence was required—monitoring progress, evaluating performances, ensuring the standards of Runebound Academy were upheld.

Now, a one-week buffer lay between the second phase and the third and final stage—an unprecedented addition introduced by Ariana herself.

A physical combat exam.

No armaments, no artifacts and no weapons.

Just fists, feet, instincts, and grit.

Nothing like this had ever been seen in Runebound Academy’s long history. Ariana’s proposal had initially stunned the faculty, but her reasoning was irrefutable. She still carried the burn of disappointment from the ambush during the Tournament—an incident in which many students, stripped of their armaments, had collapsed into helpless confusion. They stood there like lost children, unable to react, unable to defend, unable even to flee with dignity.

Ariana’s words from the decree echoed throughout the academy:

*A warrior is not defined by the weapon in their hand. Their true first weapon is the body they were born with.*

And so, the extra exam was authorized.

Naturally, no one from the third year dared to relax during their supposed vacation week. The dorms, training fields, and indoor arenas remained lit until late nights and early mornings. Students trained relentlessly, bruising their knuckles, burning their lungs, pushing their bodies to adapt to a form of combat many had neglected in favor of rune-assisted techniques.

Elana was no exception.

Inside the indoor gym, she stood on a large sparring mat, her silver hair tied loosely behind her. Her gaze darted sharply, tracking Aries’s movements. The black-haired girl approached her in sudden zig-zags, her footwork unpredictable, pace switching without rhythm.

Aries wielded a wooden staff; Elana, by choice, fought barehanded.

A sudden slide—Aries’s foot swept forward as she hurled the staff like a javelin. The weapon sliced through the air, wheezing past Elana’s face by a hair. She leaned aside in a swift pivot, her expression calm despite how close the wood grazed her nose.

But Aries had anticipated that reaction. She jumped, catching the staff mid-air before twisting her body. In a seamless motion, she brought it down with full force toward Elana’s shoulder.

Elana’s head was still tilted, half her field of vision blocked. Despite the disadvantage, instinct guided her. She stepped into the attack instead of away from it, letting the middle of the staff strike her shoulder rather than the sharper end. Her hand snapped forward, gripping Aries by the neck. A heel kick followed—clean, controlled, brutal—slamming Aries head-first into the mat.

*Thud.*

A couple of juniors, watching from the corner, winced. But Aries, the “victim,” let out a breathless laugh even as she released the staff. Her legs snapped around Elana’s neck in a tight scissor lock. One of Elana’s wrists was caught. Her arm twisted. Her airflow restricted.

From a distance, it looked like Aries had completely reversed the situation.

But Elana wasn’t done.

She inhaled once—short, sharp—and then her muscles flexed. With a single arm still twisted and her throat squeezed, she lifted Aries entirely off the floor.

“W-waah—HEY!” Aries squealed as she dangled helplessly in Elana’s grasp.

Elana’s eyes flicked to the nearby wall. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Aries did not see it, but she felt the shift in air, the way Elana planted her feet, the way her body suddenly lowered like a sprinter preparing to launch.

“Elana… wait—WAIT!”

Too late.

Elana broke into a run, steps heavy, the mat trembling under the combined weight. Aries clung on in panic—though still technically attacking—yet she could do absolutely nothing to stop what came next.

**THUD!**

Aries’s back hit the wall with a jarring force. A crack spider-webbed across the reinforced surface. Her hold on Elana instantly collapsed, her body sliding down the wall before settling in a pained heap on the mat.

Elana rolled her shoulder once, huffing softly as she looked down at her fallen friend.

“You good?” she asked, casually, as if she hadn’t just used her as a battering ram.

Aries groaned, rubbing her spine. Despite the ache, a grin spread across her lips.

“Yeah… I’ll be fine after a few hours of lying completely still,” she wheezed.

Elana offered a hand. Aries accepted it, still smiling even through the pain.

Just then, Aries let out a whistle and said, “If you keep fighting like this, I’m starting to believe you might actually end up defeating the instructor you’ll be facing.”

Elana gave a wry smile, brushing a loose strand of silver hair behind her ear. “They’re far more experienced than me. And besides, I doubt the criteria to pass this exam is to *defeat* the instructor. I think they just want us to show everything we’ve got—our form, instincts, reactions… the whole package.”

Aries nodded thoughtfully. “Hmm. Still—imagine fighting someone like Professor Rylie.” She shuddered dramatically. “Nope. We’d be done for. One punch and we’d be part of the floor.”

Elana couldn’t deny that and chuckled softly. After a beat, she asked, “Are you free today? I want to buy a few sandals.”

Aries blinked, genuinely surprised. “You? Asking me to go shopping? That’s rare.” She sighed in exaggerated disappointment before adding, “Unfortunately, we can’t go today.”

Elana tilted her head. “Why not?”

“I tried going to the market yesterday,” Aries said, crossing her arms. “But the school security stopped me at the gate. Apparently, we’re not allowed to leave school grounds after four anymore. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

Elana frowned. That definitely wasn’t normal.

Runebound Academy had always been lax with curfew as long as students returned by eight. And with their expanded security measures after the Tournament incident, the academy should’ve been safer than ever. Yet now, they were tightening permissions?

A faint unease settled in her chest. Something didn’t add up.

Aries nudged her shoulder gently. “Hey, how about we go tomorrow morning instead? And don’t tell me you’re planning to train nonstop again. Even machines take breaks.”

Elana exhaled, a small smile forming. “Fine. Tomorrow morning it is.”

Aries beamed, relieved. “Good! Then after shopping, we can grab some food too. You still owe me a treat for slamming me into a wall.”

“That was self-defense,” Elana retorted, deadpan.

“That was attempted murder,” Aries shot back, grinning.

The silver-haired girl shook her head—yet a tiny laugh escaped her. The tension she’d felt earlier loosened, if only slightly. Tomorrow would be a good day to unwind… and maybe figure out what was going on with the academy’s new rules.

Either way, a morning away from the mat didn’t sound too bad.

…..

“Haah,” Ariana exhaled a long sigh as she finally finished reading through the reports and arranging them accordingly.

Being the Headmistress, one of the things that she could never get used to was this; paperwork.

Sometimes she wished to have someone like Adrian as her personal assistant given how neat and well maintained his records remain. And on the other, there she was, always finishing work at the last moment.

However, naturally she couldn’t ask him to help her. He was more busy than her.

She was about to get up and stretch her body when suddenly, a familiar person suddenly appeared in the room, startling her.

“God,” she breathed, patting her chest, “Stop appearing like this all of a sudden.”

Adrian chuckled, “I thought you would be done with your work so came to pick you up.”

Ariana smiled with a huff, “Trying to make it up for me because you are going to meet Raven tomorrow?”

Adrian sighed, “You really think so?”

Ariana held his gaze for a few moments before she got up from her chair.

“I am sorry, I am just a little worked up.” She said as she approached him, “I really need a vacation now.”

She leaned against his chest, completely depended on him as she felt his hand caressing her back.

“Is it too difficult?”

Anyone else, she would have offered them a simple ‘no’. But before this man?

“Yes …it is. I sometimes just want to run away.” She confessed, holding his shirt as if to support herself.

Adrian hummed, “That’s very normal. It’s not easy to stand at the front, knowing everyone is depending on you. Not to talk about, you were never good with paperworks, and yet you are doing good. I cannot be any more proud.”

Ariana smiled a little. Her heart felt lighter as she inched closer and asked him, “Is Annabelle in your room?”

Adrian shook his head, “She went to visit Umbral, saying she received a meeting request.”

Ariana looked up and asked, “Mind making me sandwich in your room while I laze on your bed?”

Adrian cupped her cheeks and nodded, “Of course, my love. You deserve it.”

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please let me know if you have been enjoying the story so far by dropping a review.