Return of the Legendary Runesmith

It was early morning, and a young man stood in the middle of the garden, a sword held steady in his grasp.

His chest rose and fell in controlled breaths, his eyes sharp and unwavering. Sweat glistened across his forehead, yet not a single unnecessary movement escaped his body as he focused on a lone leaf swaying in the wind.

He waited.

Patient. Silent.

Watching as the leaf trembled, slowly loosening from its stem.

Time seemed to stretch.

Then, the moment came.

The leaf broke free.

And the boy moved.

His steps were soundless, precise. Not a hint of wasted motion as his blade flashed upward in a clean, diagonal arc, swift and sharp as a razor.

The leaf continued its descent.

But now, it was no longer whole.

It had split into three.

The boy let out a quiet sigh, his body easing as the tension left his muscles.

But the next moment, it tightened again. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"That’s quite a strong technique you have there."

The voice came out of nowhere.

Charles spun instantly, pivoting on his heel, only to find a familiar brown-haired man standing a short distance away.

"When did you arrive? I didn’t notice you," Charles asked, his body still tense.

He had been focused.. Not once had he lowered his guard, and yet this man had approached close enough to strike him down if he wished.

Adrian chuckled lightly. "I’ve been wandering around for a while. You probably just ignored me."

Charles narrowed his eyes.

That couldn’t be right. When he had stepped out, there had been no one around except the maids.

Still, he chose not to press the matter.

"Did you see my sister? Is she alright now?" he asked instead.

Regardless of his opinion of the man, one thing was certain. Adrian cared about Elana, and Elana trusted him. So asking him about her didn’t feel out of place.

"I haven’t seen her this morning," Adrian replied, "but last night, she seemed like herself."

Charles stiffened. "Last night..."

"Yes," Adrian added calmly, "when she came to bring me water."

His tone was steady, deliberately clearing away any misunderstanding before it could take root.

Charles huffed. "My sister rates you very highly. She says there could be no one stronger than you."

Adrian gave a faint smile. "Well, she tends to exaggerate. Yes, I am a good warrior, but definitely not the strongest."

"That’s what I thought. How can you be the strongest when Miss Annabelle exists?"

Adrian’s brows lifted at that. "You admire her?"

Charles puffed out his chest and admitted, "I idolize her. There are only three people I respect as warriors. Other than my father and sister, it’s her." He glanced down at the blade in his hand and added, "Unfortunately, unlike her, I haven’t been able to wield curved blades yet. I tried once and got severely wounded."

Adrian hummed, slightly surprised. The young man who had been reserved with him yesterday was unusually chatty today.

Focusing on his words, Adrian said, "Truth be told, curved blades aren’t Annabelle’s main weapon."

Charles’s eyes widened. "You’ve met her before."

Adrian gave a wry smile before partially revealing the truth. "Well, she’s someone close to me. So yes, I can say for sure that curved blades aren’t her main weapon, despite how often people see her using them."

Charles frowned, then asked, "Hmm? Then what is her main weapon? A dagger, or maybe a short sword?"

Adrian chuckled. It wasn’t surprising for him to assume different weapon types, especially the ones hunters usually prefer.

However, the truth was far more brutal.

"She actually itches to end every battle with her own hands, with nothing separating her from her foes. But because she knows how brutal she becomes when she is manhandling people, she usually wields a weapon to restrain herself."

This was something Adrian had observed himself. Back when she attacked the cult base on her own, she hadn’t wielded any weapon, she went in barehanded.

And when she was truly furious, her weapon was never the first thing on her mind.

Charles’s lips parted in utter shock as he processed the truth. For a moment, he simply couldn’t believe what Adrian had said. But this was about the strongest Warden. The stories of her brutal hunting methods were infamous. Somehow, Charles could picture it, that same person being so restrained, yet so devastatingly effective.

Adrian sighed and shifted the topic. "Anyway, the way you’re preparing, I can already tell that the moment you step onto the academy grounds, you’ll make your presence known."

Charles felt his lips curve despite trying to maintain a calm expression.

Scoffing, he turned around and crossed his arms. "You don’t need to tell me that. I know what I’m capable of."

Adrian smiled softly and didn’t press the matter any further.

He soon decided to head back to the mansion and check how soon Elana could return to the academy. Naturally, he would leave her behind if she changed her mind, but as far as he could tell, his student was quite eager to travel back with him.

As he entered the mansion, a soft smile formed on his lips at the sight of Elana moving around the dining table.

Wearing a cute white apron, she placed a dish on the table and said, "Please sit down, sir. Breakfast is ready."

Adrian chuckled. "Just me? What about the others?"

Elana replied, "Father left for work earlier, and Mother hasn’t woken up yet. So yes, please sit down and enjoy your breakfast."

Adrian sighed before nodding. He wasn’t going to decline the offer after she woke up early in the morning and went out of her way to make him food.

As he sat he saw several dishes served before him.

Elana sheepishly smiled and said, "I might not be the best so please don’t complain if it’s not good."

Adrian chuckled and took a scoop of the dish, "Don’t worry. Even if it inedible, I will finish it all."

Elana couldn’t control her lips from curving in a beautiful smile as she saw him taking a bite finally.

Adrian chewed a few times before telling her, "Yes....your self evaluation was quite on point."

Elana’s eyes widened only for Adrian to laugh and said, "I am just kidding. This is delicious, Elana."

He gave her a warm look and said, "I love it."