Return of the Legendary Runesmith - Chapter 466

Chapter 466: Chapter 465- Destruction and determination
Ruby felt guilty bringing Adrian to her workshop after seeing his condition the previous night.

She had stayed late with him until Ariana finally told her to return, reminding her of an early morning meeting she couldn’t miss.

Knowing how torturous his night had been, Ruby had planned to keep him in bed and let him rest for the entire day.

However, everything changed when an unexpected guest arrived and urgently demanded a meeting with Adrian.

“Where is he?” Adrian asked as they stepped into the corridor.

Naturally, he used teleportation, and barely a second later, they arrived at their destination.

For Adrian’s safety, Annabelle accompanied them, even though Adrian insisted he was fine. Ruby didn’t object and invited both of them along.

“This way,” she said, pointing to the left.

Annabelle slipped Adrian’s arm over her shoulder and supported his waist as they walked.

“I can walk on my own, you know,” Adrian said with a fond smile, watching her do her best to keep as much weight off his feet as possible.

Annabelle huffed. “I couldn’t stop you from leaving the bed, but I can make sure you don’t strain yourself.”

Ruby also wanted to help support him, but that would only make things more uncomfortable for Adrian, so she quietly led the way instead.

It didn’t take long before they stopped in front of a closed door. Ruby pushed it open without hesitation and gestured for them to enter first.

With Annabelle’s support, Adrian stepped inside and found a single person seated across the room, calmly holding a teacup.

He was a bespectacled young man, perhaps a few years older than Adrian, with curly black hair and dull green eyes that studied him carefully.

Setting the cup down on the table, the man rose and walked closer. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mister Lockwood. My name is Rokuan Joe.”

Adrian shook his hand and asked, “I believe we haven’t met before?”

Joe shook his head. “No, but I’ve heard a lot about you. Your creations, your ideas… I’m a big fan of the way you think and build.”

Adrian smiled faintly before gesturing toward the chairs. “Let’s sit first. As you can see, I can’t stand for long.”

Joe’s gaze shifted to the girl supporting Adrian, and his eyes widened slightly. “Miss Annabelle… I’m honored.” He offered his hand to her.

Annabelle merely nodded, ignoring the gesture as she pulled out a chair for Adrian first.

Joe didn’t seem offended. With a soft smile, he lowered his hand.

Moments later, Joe took a seat across from Adrian, while Ruby and Annabelle settled on either side of him.

“So… Mister Joe,” Adrian said calmly, “what do you want to tell me that made my fiancée so anxious?” As he spoke, he reached out and held Ruby’s hand. The simple gesture was enough to ease the tension in the redhead’s heart.

Joe picked up his glass, then pulled out a soft cloth from his pocket and wiped it slowly before speaking. “Before that… how much do you know about Edward Borodicus Clark’s new creation?”

“Sir Clark?” Adrian was clearly surprised by the name. After a moment, he replied, “Not much. Only that it’s supposed to revolutionize the world.”

Joe let out a light chuckle. “So it’s true—you didn’t attend the celebration a few weeks ago.”

Adrian nodded. “I was occupied with another urgent matter.” He then glanced at Ruby and added, “But what exactly is this about?”

Joe exhaled deeply, his shoulders stiffening. “What I’m about to tell you is something that could cost me my life… and ruin my future.”

He shook his head slowly, as if weighing his words. “Still, I can’t ignore it.” After a brief pause, he adjusted his glasses and finally said, “Clark is about to destroy the lives of hundreds—no, thousands—very soon, all in the name of public welfare.”

….

“Hmm? Really?” Aries looked surprised after Elana accidentally told her about her plans to return home right after the third exam.

Elana nodded. “I’ll miss Father’s birthday celebration, but I still need to return.”

Aries’s eyes turned blank. “That’s not what I’m asking about.” She scooted closer and spoke again, her tone clearer now. “You’re bringing Professor Adrian to your house? What is this? Has something happened between you two while I wasn’t looking?”

Elana huffed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Nothing like that happened. He’s coming with me because he wants to meet Father.”

Naturally, Elana couldn’t tell Aries the real reason Adrian had decided to come along. After all, Aries didn’t know that Elana could use independent magic.

And this meeting was going to be focused on Elana’s life and her future.

Aries hummed. Resting her chin on her fingers atop her curled knees, she kept staring at the silver-haired girl for a few seconds before finally asking, “Don’t you feel it’s a little frustrating?”

Elana’s brows lifted. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Aries hesitated for a moment before continuing, “any guy on the whole campus would get on their knees for you if you gave them a chance. A nation’s Prince proposed to you. You’ve rejected so many confessions in the past. Despite all that, you keep chasing a man who sees you as nothing more than a child.”

Elana let out a long sigh. “You won’t understand, Aries.”

Aries didn’t back down. “Then explain it to me. I know I don’t have much experience with romance, but even I can see that the path you’ve chosen is filled with problems and obstacles.” She paused briefly, then continued, “He’s already engaged to two women. And the way Miss Annabelle is attached to him… I know for sure you’ll have to face her as well, as another love rival. On top of that, you’ve barely made any progress with him until now. Why do you think those three women would ever allow you to make a move on their man?”

Elana’s shoulders slumped. “It’s not like I haven’t thought about all that… but you didn’t have to say it so plainly.”

Aries softened at that and leaned back slightly. “I’m not trying to hurt you,” she said quietly. “I’m just worried. I don’t want to see you get crushed by something you can’t control.”

Elana stared at the floor for a moment, her fingers tightening around the hem of her clothes. “I know,” she replied softly. “And I know it’s reckless. But feelings don’t always listen to reason.”

She lifted her head and offered a faint, tired smile. “Even if it’s painful, I’d rather walk this path than spend my life wondering what would have happened if I didn’t.”

Aries looked at her friend with a mix of grief and admiration before asking softly, “What exactly makes you so devoted to him?”

Elana smiled faintly. It was the kind of sight very few people had ever seen from her. “He…” she paused, then spoke with quiet certainty, “is my everything.”

…

“What did you just say?” Annabelle asked, frowning as she stared at Joe, clearly unsure if she had heard him correctly.

Joe didn’t hesitate. He nodded once. “You heard me right, Miss Annabelle. Mister Clark is about to attempt an artifact that draws energy from one person to allow someone else to use an armament.”

Adrian grew silent, his expression thoughtful as he processed Joe’s words.

So this was Clark’s goal. Energy transmission.

From what Adrian understood, attaching a fifth thread to an armament allowed the weapon to continuously draw mana from its user. The fifth thread connected the armament directly to the Gate—the core responsible for regulating mana output and keeping the internal nodes stable and alive.

If such a connection was altered, the result would be a living armament.

It wouldn’t function like a normal weapon. Elemental attacks couldn’t be freely channeled through it. However, it would still possess overwhelming physical enhancement, enough to stand against high-ranking monsters.

And if Clark truly succeeded…

Adrian’s eyes narrowed slightly. The consequences would be far more dangerous than most people realized.

“That is madness,” Ruby muttered, “I could tell already without needing to read more about the fifth thread.”

Adrian glanced, “You don’t know what’s wrong?”

Rather than Ruby the other two runesmiths turned to look at Adrian in shock.

Joe asked, “Mister Lockwood…you do have an idea what might go wrong with this, don’t you?”

His words confused him further, “You two don’t?”

Ruby wryly smiled and said, “There is little to no information about the fifth thread available to us, Adrian. That’s why barely anyone has a grasp on what that thread could possibly create,

“…or destroy.” Joe finished.

Adrian exhaled a sigh and leaned back in his seat.

It appears things were more grim than he thought.

Maybe even Clark doesn’t know what he is about to do.

World destruction, possibly.

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Adrian was not genuinely repulsed to the revelation, given he respects innovation in Runesmithing.

Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far….you know what you must do.