Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 57 - 56- Disappeared

[Next day]

They were in the meeting room. This time, the pressure was not on all five members but only two.

Before this contest began, the Headmistress brought this strategy to include three class toppers in the group rather than including only runesmiths.

Her focus was to remove the stain from Runebound’s name of being the first-round failure. They have always gotten eliminated in the first round for the past three years, that’s why this change was introduced. And until now, it has worked as she predicted.

They are now in the third round—competing against the Aegis Academy to gain the title of the winner.

The two runesmiths Adrian selected from the academy were Thalia and Hayden.

They are exceptionally good for those who still were in their teenage. Adrian has personally checked their skills before bringing them here and he could tell that a bright future awaits the two.

However, the fact is, in this round along with quality, the quantity would matter too.

One would be provided with several weapons and the subject would be different too.

They can use the Magic Crystal, naturally, however, when it comes to quantity, the Runebound has two people participating while their opponent team has five members. It sure sounds like a losing battle.

"What will we do, sir?" Allen asked. Although he was told that he would be a subject during the third round, he didn’t know what role he would play afterward. Or was he just a subject?

"You and Michael would be two subjects among many. Once the time is up, two students from both groups would show the use of the armament built for them, and based on the quality of the armaments, the Runesmiths would be scored."

Aries scoffed, "Couldn’t they have done it by themselves? Why bother inviting two extra students?"

Adrian wryly smiled, not intending to answer that. But his intentions of hiding the truth were shattered as a familiar person stepped inside the room.

"Because they are scared," Every student got up from their seats upon seeing the silver-haired woman who casually walked towards the front side.

Ariana gestured for them to sit down and stood behind Adrian, her arms over the chair backrest, as she added,

"Once in the past, when the Tower members used to test the armaments by themselves, a member was met by an accident. A student, maybe by mistake or intentionally, wrote the wrong rune on a weapon. And when the Tower member used it, his hand was torn apart."

Aries winced while Thalia showed contempt.

How can a runesmith make such a blunder? It was definitely done intentionally.

"Although the Tower member was healed, the incident left a deep trauma on them. As such, they no longer offer themselves as a test subject. They ask the students."

"...that’s pretty lame..." Allen voiced in a low tone.

Someone responsible for maintaining peace and balance in the world surely is quite the delicate buttercup type who cries upon receiving a hit.

"That’s why if you had any argument or fight with Thalia and Hayden, I suggest you solve it now, Allen and Michael."

Thalia glanced at the two guys...even if she had a grudge against them, she wouldn’t have risked her life as a runesmith to harm them.

Hayden had similar thoughts, as he said, "We won’t let our personal feelings come in the way of our duty, headmistress."

Ariana grinned, "Good boy,"

Hayden blushed, glancing around as he sat back down nervously.

Adrian relayed, "Hayden and Thalia, as I have told you before, for a runesmith, what matters the most is how good they tune a weapon. You don’t need to take the burden of how many weapons your opposing team has formed. If you can only tune a single weapon, I want perfection from the weapon. Do you understand?"

A chill ran down everyone’s spine. This was not usual for Adrian to sound so serious.

However, it explains why he seemed so motivated about it. The third round was focused on runesmithing. As someone who has selected Thalia and Hayden, Adrian hoped for the best results from them.

The green-haired girl shared a glance with the boy beside her, before she assured their teacher, "We will not disappoint you, sir."

...

Since there were only a few hours left before the third round began, Adrian left them alone so they could calm their nerves.

As he stepped out of the room with his cousin by his side, Ariana asked, "Hey, did you come in contact with Eve after that day?"

Hearing the familiar name, Adrian’s brows elevated, "Eve...that same Warden who escorted me to my hometown, right? No, I didn’t see her after that day."

Ariana’s brows were tensed, her expression clearly indicating that there was something wrong so Adrian asked, "Did something happen?"

"Ah, no...well, maybe. The association sent me a letter stating she hasn’t reported back for the past three days and hasn’t visited the adventure’s guild. They asked me if I had given her any task...but, I haven’t talked to Eve ever since."

Eve was Ariana’s junior, someone who had learned a lot from the woman. That explains why, when Adrian needed a trustworthy person, Ariana didn’t think much before calling her.

And now, she has disappeared from the face of the planet without a word.

"Well, you have a more vast network than me, so surely you can find her." Adrian wanted to help her but he didn’t have the resources. And going out there to search for her sounded impractical.

"Yeah, I have asked a few people. Well, you carry on. I will return to my room." Ariana turned around, and after giving a pat on his shoulder, she started walking back to her room.

Seeing her in distress like it, Adrian felt bad. However, if only he had a way to find the whereabouts of the girl, he surely would have tried reaching out to her.

’Haah...there is still some time to nap...I should go and read some more about the Third Thread.’

The competition would begin in the evening, and currently, it was still mid-noon.

So, rather than wasting time, he decided to focus on how to play with one’s mind.

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A/N:- Is the story interesting? I don’t get many comments or reviews so I am unsure.