Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 454 - 453- Against us

It had been two days since the incident.

Ariana had yet to wake up, but Adrian wasn’t tense. He knew she was recovering. She was simply too weak right now to wake properly.

They had talked—just a few sentences—before she slipped back into her slumber once again.

Adrian couldn’t understand how Ariana had ended up spending so much mana during such a short battle, but her reserves were nearly dried up. So it was better that she rested as much as she could to recover.

The students hadn’t left. While what happened was shocking, they decided to remain in the academy for the sake of the final exams.

The newspapers were flooded with the news of the ambush, and people questioned the preparations from the academy’s side.

They are asking what exactly the academy has committed to that every second week, they are getting targeted. And if things are so bad, why aren’t they handing the responsibility of security and management to the Kingdom or the Tower?

Truly, it was chaotic in the outside world.

"Darling?" Annabelle’s voice pulled him out of his reverie as he turned toward her.

Bathed in the moonlight, she sat by the window, her expression slightly tense.

They were inside his room at the moment. Naturally, no one questioned the decision of shifting the patient to his room since the medics knew no one could take care of Ariana better than him.

Heaving a sigh, Adrian said, "I’m fine. Come here." He raised an arm toward her.

Annabelle made her way to the bed and, at Adrian’s urging, lay down beside Ariana, resting her head on his lap.

Adrian slowly caressed her head and asked, "How do you feel now?"

Annabelle hummed in contentment. "Well. But Darling, are you taking proper rest?"

Adrian nodded. "I’m sleeping enough to recover my energy. Don’t worry—you’ll know if I’m overexerting myself."

Annabelle raised her hand and cupped his cheek before asking, "Is there anything about the academy that you’re hiding?"

Adrian remembered the news Albec had shared with him. Shaking his head, he said, "Nothing that can be solved right away. Don’t worry—you’ll know about it in a few days."

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her; he just didn’t want to needlessly stress her out.

And there wasn’t anything Annabelle could do about this.

It was something Adrian and Ariana needed to sort out... if there really was a way.

But for now, "Just relax. You haven’t recovered completely yet." Softly brushing his hand down her face, he urged her to close her eyes, and she did.

Adrian remained there for another hour before he heard a gentle knock on the door.

Thankfully, by that time, Annabelle had already fallen into a slumber.

Adrian carefully removed himself from the bed and approached the door.

With a gentle click, he opened it and was met by a familiar pair of beautiful eyes.

He leaned against the doorframe and simply stared at her for a few moments.

Ruby’s brows slowly rose. "What?"

He shrugged. "I feel relieved seeing you."

Ruby smiled softly, her sharp canine reflecting the dim hallway light as she said, "Well, I can stand here for a few hours if you want."

Adrian chuckled and stepped out. "I don’t want to torture my stress reliever." Closing the door carefully so as not to wake her up, he asked, "Did you have dinner?"

"Why do you think I came to get you?" Ruby replied, tilting her head.

Adrian spoke dramatically, "So you wanted to see me because you were hungry and not because you were worried about me. Ah... my heart."

Ruby giggled. "If I don’t prepare an excuse, you’d be freaked out by how often I want to see you."

Adrian hummed. "Well... you can come to me anytime you want. I might not respond every time, but I’ll always glance at you at least once."

"Even while working?" she asked.

Adrian replied, "Could I ask for better company while working? The great genius Runesmith, heiress of the Vermillion family, Miss Ruby Vermillion?"

Ruby haughtily huffed. "No, you couldn’t."

They glanced at each other before chuckling at the same time.

As they descended the stairs, they were greeted by a few students.

For now, the top floor had been vacated for them—only Adrian and his guests were staying there.

Yes, the arrangement was a little unusual, but the situation was chaotic enough that the other Professors didn’t even think to suggest otherwise.

As they made their way toward the common hall, someone called out, "Sir Adrian."

They both paused.

Turning around, Adrian was surprised to see a familiar silver head standing there. "Jean?"

The head of the organisation that existed solely to serve Annabelle—Umbral.

Formerly a top-grade Warden, known as Janet.

She approached them, her eyes glancing around before she asked, "Can we talk for a few minutes?"

Adrian nodded. "I believe bringing Ruby along won’t be a problem?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Jean glanced at the redhead before muttering, "The Queen trusts her. She can hear it."

Adrian nodded, and the three of them made their way toward a quiet corner of the garden where students rarely wandered.

Well—not today. There was one.

"Sylvie," Adrian called out. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

The Princess turned toward him and was startled to see the two beauties following behind. She recognized one instantly but kept her focus on Adrian.

"I’m sorry, Sir. I was taking a walk after dinner and wandered a little too far." Bowing slightly, she said, "Good night, Professor—"

"Sylvie," Adrian called before she could leave.

She turned back, and he asked, "Have your parents asked you to return?"

The question caught her off guard.

Ruby frowned; she could guess why he had asked that.

Sylvie glanced at the two ladies nervously.

Sensing her unease, Adrian said, "Let’s talk tomorrow morning. Meet me here before breakfast, alright?"

The Princess instantly nodded, clearly relieved.

Not long after, she left, leaving only the three of them behind.

Adrian gestured for them to sit while he remained standing, facing them.

Crossing his arms, he braced himself for bad news. "Tell me. What is it?"

Jean let out a sigh. "I’d like to apologize first, Sir Adrian. Lady Annabelle came to Umbral that day, and when I realized she’d been sent a fake letter to lure her away, I sent forces with her. I knew something was wrong."

Ruby spoke up. "As far as I remember, Annabelle never mentioned Umbral members fighting alongside her—neither before reaching the academy nor during the ambush."

Jean nodded. "Exactly. They were supposed to follow her. The number of soldiers I sent should have prevented any losses on our side."

Jean had dispatched a battalion of over seventy elite soldiers with Annabelle to guard their Queen and the Academy.

"Hm? Then what exactly happened?" Adrian asked. "Umbral is made of brave warriors. The chances of them backing out are almost zero."

Jean nodded. "They would choose death over surrender—especially when it concerns our Queen’s safety." She exhaled deeply. "But something inexplicable happened that stopped them from joining the battle."

Her brows drew together. "The moment my people left the underground headquarters... they were punished. Not by a visible opponent, but by divinity itself."

Adrian hummed in shock. "I don’t follow. Is this some religious concept I’m unaware of?" He glanced at Ruby and found her just as confused.

Jean shook her head. "They were physically tormented the instant they stepped outside. Golden lightning descended upon them one after another, leaving no chance to retaliate."

Clenching her fists, she continued, "Forget about following our Queen—they were rendered so powerless that I feared losing a large part of my family that day."

Ruby could hear the pain and regret in her voice. Jean had wanted desperately to help her Queen, to stand beside her when she needed it most, yet an unknown force had forbidden it.

Adrian, meanwhile, was simmering with frustration.

"Those damn bastards..." he muttered, low enough to be missed by none of them.

"Adrian?" Ruby asked. "Do you know something?"

He turned to her. "We need to accept a fact today, Ruby. Not just us—everyone fighting Nytharos must know this. The beings who are supposed to support us are also working against us."

Jean blinked, stunned. It took a moment before his words fully sank in.

Ruby was the first to speak. "You think the Divine Ones stopped Umbral from helping Annabelle?" She bit her lower lip. "But... why?"

Adrian spread his arms slightly. "How would I know? Everything we’ve learned from books is collapsing. Our history was written from a biased view—not the truth."

Jean and Ruby exchanged a glance, unease clear in their expressions.

Running a hand through his hair, Adrian said, "Jean, give me some time to figure this out. Until then, keep tracking the Acolytes. And don’t worry—I’m here with Annabelle."

The silver-haired woman nodded. "I understand. And please, take care of yourself too, Sir Adrian. Both My Lady and this world need you."

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.