Return of the Legendary Runesmith

A good scolding—that was all it took for Elana to finally wear her underwear.

It was the first time she had heard him raise his voice at her, but she didn't regret showing herself to him.

He saw her.

And she saw him… seeing her.

"Stop smiling while I'm scolding you," Adrian muttered, adjusting the first thread on her batons.

"Sorry…" she mumbled, trying to stop the grin tugging at her lips—but her mouth refused to obey. She just couldn't stop smiling.

He had seen her, and yet—he wasn't repulsed.

He had blushed. He'd covered his eyes and panicked.

That was a good sign. At the very least, he saw her as a woman.

"Really, Elana… you went too far today," Adrian said, shaking his head. "I've kept quiet about a lot of things, but that doesn't mean you can just… It's not right."

Elana's smile faded a little. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I pushed things a bit too far."

Adrian let out a sigh. "As long as you understand." He resumed his work, forming the second thread.

He carefully located the mana points and connected them to the runes he had etched into the weapon.

"Sir, you can create a Third Thread too, right? So why not help Brendon and Altia?" Elana asked. As captain, they were the only two she worried about.

But Adrian replied, "Only armaments up to Second Grade are allowed."

"Oh…" Elana blinked. "I didn't know that."

Adrian nodded. "Besides, I think they're capable. Trust them, Elana."

"I'm sorry, Professor. I just want everything to go perfectly this year."

With the tuning finished, Adrian stood and offered her his hand to help her up.

Looking into her eyes, he spoke gently, "I just want all of you to do your best. That's enough for me. Results don't matter, so don't push yourself needlessly."

Elana said nothing. Neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

She had already made it clear—she was going for victory, no matter how far she had to go.

Adrian exhaled. "Sometimes, I think you only act disobedient when it suits you."

Elana tilted her head and asked with a playful lilt, "So, will I be punished if I push myself too much?" There was a faint hope in her voice.

Adrian narrowed his eyes. "You'll be removed from the extra class with Thalia and Sylvie. And you'll get a flick on the forehead."

Elana's shoulders slumped. "That's cheating. Just the flick should be enough, no?"

"Nope. I don't change my mind," he said flatly. "Now get dressed. Check your batons and let me know if anything feels off."

Elana stood up and hugged her batons close. "I already know. They'll feel perfect."

Adrian cleared his throat awkwardly and quickly stepped into the bathroom—to give the girl some space.

….

"Everything finished?" Ariana asked as she spotted Adrian pulling a cart behind him.

Inside the cart were weapons—those forged, tuned, and blessed for the participants.

As the manager, it was his duty to have them inspected before the students could carry them to the preparation room.

"Yeah. They're waiting for me," he replied, giving the cart a gentle tug. "How about you? Slept well?"

They began walking side by side.

All around them, people were heading towards the grand arena where the contest was set to begin.

In the distance, the rhythmic beat of drums thundered through the streets, and a choir's melodious chant rose into the afternoon sky, welcoming the guests with regal splendour.

Like every year, the event had drawn thousands—people from every corner of the world, coming together to witness this grand spectacle.

"Yeah, you can say that. But I still find your bed more comfortable," Ariana mumbled lazily, clearly not fully awake yet.

She hated it when her schedule got shuffled around. But today, there was no way around it.

As they spoke, the two finally reached the inspection camps where the armaments were being checked and documented.

"I'll wait for you here," Ariana said, dragging out a yawn. Adrian gave her a nod before stepping into the tent.

Fortunately, there was no queue at the counter. He walked up and placed the first weapon on the table.

"Good afternoon. Here," he said, handing over an axe.

The man on the other side narrowed his eyes as soon as he spotted the runes etched into the weapon's surface.

"Were you the one who tuned this armament?" the inspector asked, his voice clipped and serious.

Adrian hummed casually. "Yes, I did. Is there any problem?"

The man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he motioned to the man standing behind him and tilted the axe for him to see.

He pointed to a specific rune and whispered something.

Adrian's gaze narrowed slightly. "Is there anything wrong?" he asked again, his tone more direct this time.

The inspector finally responded, "Nothing. Show the next one."

Adrian raised a brow, but didn't argue. He reached into the cart and handed over the next weapon—a sword.

The two men bent over it, using magnifying glasses to examine the edges and markings. They began muttering again, their voices too low to catch.

Adrian stood still, silent but attentive, watching the slight frowns and nods exchanged between them.

Then, the man standing beside the counter finally spoke. "These runes… they're for two different elements."

"Yes," Adrian replied calmly. "The student is dual-awakened. What's the prob—"

"And the Second Thread," the man cut him off. "Why is there only one rune for it? Doesn't a dual-awakened have more mana nodes than an average person?"

Adrian was momentarily taken aback by the tone—borderline condescending—but he kept his composure.

"He has more than fifteen nodes," he answered, "but why does that matter?"

The man scoffed, a mocking curl at the edge of his lips. "You're seriously suggesting that you connected fifteen threads to a single rune?"

The one standing shook his head in disapproval before abruptly pushing the sword aside. "We can't approve this. The blade looks suspicious. We'll need to perform a full inspection before—"

"No, thank you," Adrian interrupted, placing a hand on the sword with quiet finality. "I'll forge another blade—this time, something more 'normal.'"

The inspector narrowed his eyes, voice now laced with suspicion. "Why are you panicking? Afraid we might find something you don't want us to?"

Adrian rolled his eyes. Here we go again.

Seriously, what went through their heads?

"You do realize," the inspector continued coldly, "that based on our judgment, we have the authority to eliminate a team on the spot, right? So stop resisting… and let us inspect—for the sake of your students' future."

The air around Adrian shifted, "Did you just threaten me?"

The inspector was visibly taken aback by the ominous sensation he felt.

The atmosphere grew tense. And just then,

"What is happening here?"

A fourth person entered the tent.

He was the master of the Celestial Hall, Albec.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.