Return of the Legendary Runesmith

"Well, wasn't that to be expected?" Ariana asked as they sat in her office after sending Elana to the infirmary.

When Elana fell, she had hit her head hard—and the strange part was that she didn't even notice she was bleeding until Ariana pointed it out.

Adrian let out a heavy sigh. "I'm really worried about her, Aria. Back when she admired me in silence, it was fine. But now… she's hurting others just because they talk about me." Looking up, his voice grew tense. "We both know it won't be long before people start asking questions—doubting my origin."

Ariana frowned. "If outsiders come knocking on the academy's door, I'll handle them just like Elana did. And if it happens within the academy walls… well, we have that little devil to deal with it."

Adrian tilted his head, his expression flattening. "You should be the one reprimanding Elana right now, not praising her."

Ariana sighed. "You're overthinking it, Adrian. Sure, some students will talk, and they already did in the first class. But tell me—was Elana the only one who stood up for you? Didn't others speak against Nicholas too?"

Adrian fell quiet. Most of the class had, in fact, seemed more annoyed with Nicholas than anything else.

And it was the same in the other classes as well. No student seemed to be bothered about the news and they treated Adrian like normal.

Ariana nodded knowingly. "See? You're not alone. A few may throw hate your way, but you also have plenty of supporters—people who won't care about silly rumors and will keep trusting you."

Adrian sat in silence for a while, mulling over her words. Finally, he leaned back in his chair with a long exhale.

"Yeah… you're right. I've been overreacting since this morning. Sorry."

Ariana shook her head. "It's okay, I get it." She reached across the desk, resting her hand over his. "Don't carry all of this by yourself—I'm here with you."

Adrian gave a small nod, a gentle smile tugging at his lips.

They talked about other things like Ruby's meeting with his parents.

Ariana said she would come along as well since there is a high chance for Adrian's father to become enraged after hearing Adrian's decision to leave the family.

Adrian also agreed…he would need backup.

Then suddenly, Ariana's eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, "Now that I think about it… wasn't it strange?"

Adrian raised a brow, silently urging her to go on.

"I mean, when I checked your office… the mana I sensed from that ice spell was way too heavy to call it accidental magic."

Adrian stayed quiet, listening as she continued.

"Accidental magic usually drains people completely. But Elana? She looked fine."

Adrian frowned, nodding slowly. "Exactly. That amount of casting through so-called accidental magic felt… ominous. Normally, it might cause a small phenomenon—like a chill in the air, or freezing a single object. But what she unleashed was a fully formed spell." He paused. "And the strangest part… she wasn't holding any armament. She wasn't even focusing on a chant. Her emotions alone triggered it."

There was a brief silence before Ariana finally spoke.

"Don't take this too seriously, but… is there any chance that, just like you and Bella… Elana might also—"

"Use independent magic?" Adrian finished for her. When she gave a small nod, he let out a heavy sigh. "I don't know. And honestly, I hope not. This world is quick to brand anyone with independent magic as an Acolyte. I don't want Elana to be dragged into that kind of suffering."

Ariana shook her head firmly. "Neither do I. But leaving her unchecked is far more dangerous—for her sake, not anyone else's."

Her finger tapped lightly against the table, a steady rhythm breaking the silence. "If you don't examine her now and figure out what's really happening, then sooner or later she'll be exposed to the public. That risk is much worse."

Adrian's brows furrowed. After a moment, he nodded. "You're right… But am I really the best person for this? I can't even control my own mana right now."

Ariana gave a helpless shrug. "Bella never studied independent magic in the past, so we can't rely on her. That leaves only one option—" her eyes met his steadily, "you."

Adrian leaned back in his seat, the weight of Ariana's words pressing down on him. She was right. He couldn't possibly seek help from any Acolyte, and Bella had never tried to explore that other side of herself.

If he left Elana as she was, the risk would only grow. One day she might lose control and unleash her power again—and if that happened in front of an Acolyte, they wouldn't hesitate to take her away.

Why does it feel like the root of my origin is tied to both Bella and Elana? The question gnawed at him. The truth of how non-believers could wield independent magic remained unsolved, but deep down he sensed a connection—an unseen thread linking him, Bella, and Elana to the same origin.

After a quiet moment, Adrian gave a small nod. "Alright. I'll try talking to her about it."

Ariana's expression softened, though her tone stayed practical. "So, where do you plan on working today? Your office… well, it'll take some effort before it's usable again."

Adrian let out a wry smile. "True. But since all my books and documents are there, I'll probably spend today buried in my studies."

Ariana chuckled. "Blame your beloved student for the inconvenience."

Adrian let out a bitter laugh as he rose from his seat, ready to head toward his workshop—when suddenly,

Knock Knock

Ariana's brows lifted. "Who is it?"

"It's me, ma'am. Allen." His voice carried a faint tremor.

Adrian frowned and glanced at Ariana.

The silver-haired woman gave a small shrug before replying, "Come in."

The door opened, and the familiar raven-haired student stepped inside. His gaze immediately fell on Adrian, and after a brief pause, he bowed.

"Good afternoon, Professor."

"Are you okay, Allen?" Adrian asked, seeing the boy quite shaken up.

Rather than responding to the question, he said, "I need to tell you something…it's important."

Ariana frowned before urging him, "Take the seat and have some water first."

Allen heeded those words and after taking a seat beside Adrian, he gulped down the content of the glass.

Once he calmed down, Ariana urged, "Now tell us calmly what happened?"

Taking a glance at Adrian, he finally confessed, "I…saw an Acolyte in the gym."

"Hmm?! An ambush?!" Ariana suddenly rose to her feet but then Allen shook his head and told her.

"No, Ma'am…it was one of the students." Biting his lip, the boy added, "I might have spotted a spy."

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.