The Runic Alchemist

As Damian and Reize, along with his two assistants, worked tirelessly day and night in the massive workshop, curiosity among the academy students grew. With plenty of free time on their hands with no classes and limited things to do in the city below, many gathered outside, eager to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside.

Some students asked Sam and others about the project. Though they answered on Damian's behalf-making things up or avoiding revealing the important information, the massive structure being built and the constant sounds of work only heightened the curiosity of onlookers.

With numerous large components to craft, lift, and assemble, Damian saw an opportunity. He publicly announced the project—called it 'The Hovercraft Prototype'—and put up a notice seeking help. The announcement specifically called for those skilled in basic blacksmithing, enchantments, and general assistance.

The news spread like wildfire, and soon a flood of students applied to join. The Knowledge Keeper students, whose expertise was essential, were among the first to sign up. Others followed in large numbers, drawn by the promise of a generous monthly salary of 20 gold coins. Damian, however, selected only those who met his needs, assigning them tasks such as crafting and assembling simple steel parts from the many blueprints he and Reize had drawn.

Those without crafting skills were divided into support teams by Damian and Reize, easing the workload for everyone.

Damian decided to postpone constructing the mana generator until the end, reserving space for it in the design. For now, he focused on testing other components using the mana liquid stored in large steel containers. The intricate runic circles he used were unusable by others even if copied, ensuring that nothing could be stolen or used against him, even with so many people involved in the project.

The bustling activity eventually drew the attention of the Highswords and academy professors. Runefather informed Damian that some high-ranking members of the high table would soon visit to inspect the project. Damian was unbothered—if all they wanted was a tour, he could oblige. After all, it was their island, and he was bound by their rules. If things became problematic, he could always scrap the project and relocate elsewhere for a month.

The many runesmiths, mages, and blacksmiths involved in the project were consistently surprised and excited as they discovered the functions of the various components they worked on. Lumi finally gained the respect she deserved; whenever someone needed clarification, they sought her out. She would explain in great detail, often going off on tangents about each part's purpose within the aircraft. Her explanations were so captivating that people listened as if she were revealing golden wisdom—though Elias seemed less amused by her newfound attention.

"I can finish the last pieces of the rotor wings in a week with some help, and then I'll move on to the interior structure," Reize mentioned during dinner. Everyone, including his assistants, were present in the Spellborne Legion mess hall.

"Those giant sharp things?" Sam asked. "Aren't they a bit too big?"

"That's how they're supposed to be according to him," Reize replied, casting a glance at Damian.

"I'll have the rough frame for the entire build ready in a week," Damian added. "Then comes the tree section. Once that's done, you can start on the interior, and I'll finalize the control system and mana generator plans."

"The artificial mana core?" Evrin asked, her tone tinged with surprise. Everyone paused to look at Damian. "Isn't it risky to leave that out in the open? You do realize how critical that thing is, right?"

"It's not easy to steal," Damian reassured her. "I've designed it so it won't work for anyone else, even if they had all the necessary components. Besides, I won't add it until the very end, so there's no real risk." Though they still seemed uncertain, his explanation eased their concerns somewhat.

"You're coming, right?" Lucian suddenly asked.

"Of course," Damian replied, then added, "You all can join too, especially if you want to practice those spells. Lucian, you should as well. Sam can help me with swordsmanship and aura control."

"Yeah, sure," Sam agreed.

The excitement in the room was palpable, with everyone's eyes lighting up at his words. Damian couldn't help but chuckle at their enthusiasm.

"Wait, why isn't Sam practicing spells?" Grace asked after a moment.

Sam and Damian exchanged glances, Evrin, Einar, and Lucian acted oddly too. Though Grace noticed their odd expressions, she chose not to press further.

"I still have a lot of spells to master," Sam lied simply, though it was clear Grace wasn't entirely convinced.

After, Reize returned to the workshop, accompanied by many Knowledge Keeper students. Damian had installed automatic mana-activated light orbs throughout the space, ensuring they could work without interruption. So lighting wasn't a problem, there were many smithies and connected chimneys for everyone to work too.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group headed to a separate training room where Damian, Lucian, and his assistants practiced combat arts. Lucian focused on chanting a spell from her book—a high-level dual-element spell combining air and water. It was supposed to create a water dragon that swiftly attacked and restrained wrapping around its target. For Lucian, it was a perfect spell to master, as she could follow it up with her ice aura slash to freeze her enemies in place.

Lucian generously allowed others to copy some of the chants from her book, everyone promising to repay the favor later. Grace, Evrin, and Einar each chose spells they wanted to master, and Damian guided them.

He pointed out the words they were mispronouncing, which caused their spells to fail entirely. Each time, they stopped and restarted the chant. Damian could see the runic circles collapsing at those mistakes, so correcting them was straightforward. Normally, when practicing spells, a mage or spellsword would chant the incantation in full, perform the required hand gestures, and only upon completion would they know if it worked.
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Elias and Lumi wanted to practice spells as well, but Damian and Sam declined, assigning them repetitive sword drills instead. They needed to perfect their fundamentals before progressing to anything more advanced.