The Runesmith

“Hey, you there I’d like to have a word with you!”

“...”

“You are intruding on the personal space of this student, Increased heart rate has been noted, stress levels are increasing, please refrain from approaching this student.”

“Huh? What is this metal spider?”

“Please back away, this is a warning, if you don’t this unit will contact a faculty member and you will be restrained.”

A small spider golem attracted attention by causing a scene. It faced off against a group of three teenage boys who approached girls of similar ages. One of the girls, Lucienne Arden, was now famous on campus due to her involvement in a recent incident that had garnered widespread attention. Accompanying her were her two roommates, Atasuna and Marlein, who placed themselves on the sides without knowing what to do.

The boys who were initially confident in their strong approach, were taken aback by the unexpected resistance from the small mechanical creature. The spider golem that was programmed to protect Lucienne, continued to vocalize warnings with ever-increasing volume. It was to a point where other students were made aware of the problem and started whispering.

“Hey, isn’t that the count's son?”

“Is he trying to curry favor with the Marquess woman? How, indecent.”

Two girls started whispering and some of their conversation made its way towards the young man in question. This only maddened the young man who was barely sixteen years of age.

“What is this piece of metal? Do you think that this thing can stop a son of a count? Now, get over here, this instant!”

The boy scoffed and ignored the stares around him.

“No… I don’t think I will…”

Lucienne responded while furrowing her eyebrows and her two friends quickly responded after.

“Stop bothering us, you heard what she said, now go away!”

“We don’t care who you are, leave us alone.”

They all stood resolute and while they seemed to be frightened they didn’t lower their heads or budge from their spots. This made the young nobleman quite mad, not something that he was expecting from lesser nobility and commoners.

“You dare speak to us in such a tone?”

One of the other young men moved forward and attempted to reach for the golem, but as his hand neared he was pushed back by a sudden jolt of mana. The golem acted by producing a mana shield that kept the youth from approaching.

“Ouch! What the hell is this thing doing?”

The young man recoiled while clutching his hand in pain. The shield didn’t only stop him from moving forward but it also delivered a small jolt of electricity, something quite painful to the touch.

“You insolent commoners! How dare you defy a noble!”

The boy took a step forward, clearly angered by the girl’s defiance. While Lucienne came from a baron’s house, the other two were not nobles, something people like this young man couldn’t allow to slide. The small spider golem sensed the increasing threat and emitted a low growl-like sound, its single eye glowing red. The crowd that had gathered to witness the commotion murmured and started to back away in fright.

“Hostility has been detected, initiating protective measures, please stand by. Your mana pattern has been recorded and a teacher has been alerted, please stand down.”

Before any further developments, the small spider golem swiftly erected a larger mana shield and enveloped all the girls present. The previous jolt of electricity had left the trio of male students wary of getting too close to the shield. Instead, fueled by anger and wounded pride, they decided to retaliate. This was still a magical academy and casting spells was always an option.

“A teacher has been called? Like I care!”

The tension could be felt in the air and everyone was eager to see how this all played out. However, before any of the three young men could mutter any chants, a voice called out to the students that were gathered here.

“What do you think that you are doing?”

As they looked through the surroundings, unable to identify the source of the voice, their attention was finally drawn upward and into the distance. The voice they heard had been amplified by mana and given their mage backgrounds, they were able to discern the trajectory of the spell and trace it back to its caster. After following the magical path with their senses, they eventually spotted someone leaping out of a window and that someone was coming their way.

“Huh? Isn’t the main library there?”

One of the students asked but no one could reply. Everyone here was outside the main building near the converging path that led to the dorms. Before the incident started all of these young people were on their way to morning classes. Now their attention was fully on the strange person that had become airborne, seemingly now flying in their direction.

The person shot up into the air and flew in an arch. Their speed was truly tremendous and eventually everyone could see that they were wearing a strange artifact under their robe. Emitting light and displaying enigmatic runic symbols, this artifact mystified the onlookers. Then, just before making contact with the ground, a powerful gust of wind enveloped this person’s descent and created a cushioning effect. The force stirred up a cloud of dirt and caused any skirts to flutter during the mysterious figure's landing.

“Is that?”

“I think it’s him, the Full-Mithril Enforcer!”

“The same one that beat that Elythaes?”

“Yeah, didn’t you hear? He is kind of famous right now.”

As usual, the young students couldn't resist whispering among themselves. The man in question who was nicknamed the Full-Mithril Enforcer, had just arrived. He positioned himself directly between the group of girls and boys who had been engaged in a heated exchange. A glance revealed that his glowing visor was now focused on the group of troublemakers.

“Do I have to repeat myself? What's the meaning of this commotion?”

The trio of young men, once full of bravado, was now hesitant. They identified the newcomer as a powerful individual capable of defeating high-level knights. Despite having the support of their families and personal bodyguards, they acknowledged their inferiority compared to the Magical Swordmaster whom this man had previously defeated. While some among them doubted the rumors, they were still unwilling to test their luck.

“You three, explain yourselves.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

His visor started glowing brighter and his tone became colder causing the students to flinch in fright. However, their leader quickly composed himself after recognizing the man’s rank by the badge he wore. The swift adjustment to the tone was noted by the people here who began to chuckle.

“Assistant Professor, these vile commoners and the lesser noble here refused to heed my request. We merely wanted to have a civil conversation. Then when they refused, that metallic creature attacked us without a warning!”

It was a blatant falsehood that could be easily debunked with a single word from the onlookers, yet nobody dared to do so. Despite any dislike the people may harbor for the count’s son, there was little they could do. He remained a member of the upper echelon of nobility and was someone not to be openly challenged. The other high nobles refrained from speaking ill of their own, and the lower-ranking ones avoided doing so out of fear of retaliation.

“Is that so? Young lady Lucienne, is there any truth to his words?”

The armored one turned his gaze to the other person who was involved in the scene, Lucienne Arden. The girl didn’t flinch in fright like the group of young men but instead smiled. The other students here weren’t sure what to make of it but soon she took a deep breath and spoke out with confidence.

“No, Assistant Professor Wayland. They were harassing us, and Bugg… this small golem here, acted in self-defense to protect us!”

She blushed slightly as she almost pronounced the cute nickname of the spider golem that was given to it by the young ladies here.

“Harassment? Is that true?”

“Of course not, those are blatant lies Assistant Professor! How could you trust their words above mine?”

The leader of the group puffed out his chest as if he were trying to show his emblem that identified his ranking within the school. However, it didn’t seem that the assistant professor was too interested in what he had to say and instead focused on the small chubby spider golem there. After looking at it, the runic automaton moved forward and released a burst of light into the air.

“Bzzz...What is this piece of metal? Do you think that this thing can stop a son of a count? Now, get over here, this instant!... bzzz”

It replayed the exchange that happened between the two groups of students which showed the count’s son as the villain and also a liar.

“I hope that you realize that lying to an enforcer is against the rules, young man, very well, come with me.”

“You want me to?... But I didn’t…”

The young man found himself bewildered by the unusual turn of events. Everyone present expected repercussions for the two commoners and the lesser noble, but the intimidating man appeared to have a different plan. Nevertheless, the trio of troublemakers were not ready to simply accept the situation, nor were they willing to comply with the orders of the man named Wayland. The count’s son was still trying to salvage his dignity and took a defiant step back while retorting.

“You can't just order me around! I demand to speak with someone in authority. I won't be subjected to false accusations!"

“I said come with me, there is enough proof and I don’t have the time to listen to your nonsense.”

Assistant Professor Wayland was unfazed by the young noble’s response and replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice. The trio attempted to back away while looking around them for some help but before their retainers could get close an explosion of mana took place. The man before them showcased an increase in mana energy around his body which was quite obvious to the young mages here. It was an astronomical amount that they could barely comprehend and caused their knees to buckle.

“Come with me, I won’t repeat myself again, you are in no position to make demands, you are a student here and are not above the rules.”

For some reason, it appeared that the man was making sure that everyone present heard his speech. Eventually, the count’s son yielded, realizing that refusing would only escalate the situation further. The news of Viola's fate had already circulated through the dorms, and the man who brought her in was before them. It was evident that he cared little about their social status and was likely capable of defeating their retainers as well.

The count’s son hesitated for a moment while glancing nervously at his two companions who were now regretting their involvement. The onlookers, including Lucienne and her friends, waited anxiously to see how the situation would unfold and soon gave out a sigh of relief as the young man accepted his fate.

“I… I understand…”

“Good, follow me.”

Assistant Professor Wayland nodded, but before he escorted the trio away, he called the spider golem. The students now understood that this magical creature was one of his creations or part of the Runic Department. It was a fascinating revelation and indicated that this man was safeguarding the Baron’s daughter by keeping the golem close. With interest, they observed as he extracted something from within the golem and replaced it with an identical part before sending the creature on its way.

“Go back to your classes and remember to follow the rules, no one is above them.”

Right before departing with the troublemakers, Wayland made a point to address the crowd of youngsters. They all listened to his words as the shocking surge of mana was still on their minds. Soon, he left without uttering any further words, and the students quickly resumed their conversations with each other, baffled by the scene that had just unfolded before them.

As the students dispersed, Lucienne, Atasuna, and Marlein found themselves at the center of attention. The incident had brought them into the spotlight once again, but this time, it wasn't for causing trouble. It became painfully clear that this one professor was protecting them and was quite strict. Even high-nobility wasn’t safe from his wrath and that he took the count’s son to the enforcement department was proof of it.

“Did you see that? What’s up with that mana? It’s like a gushing waterfall of energy!”

“I heard he defeated that Swordmaster, he is the real deal!”

After chatting with each other, some of the bystanders approached the trio of girls who seemed to still be trying to process the situation.

“Hey, how do you know that man? Are you two related? Was he hired by your family?”

“Do you know how he looks under that helmet?”

“Is that his true voice? He sounds so peculiar!”

Lucienne along with her two friends weren’t sure what to make of the whole situation or how to reply. They were now surrounded and barraged with many questions. They could only weakly smile at the other people and try to reply while inching towards the institute. The day had only started and they still had classes to attend.

*****

“W-what is this?”

“It’s a gardening fork, some call it a digging fork.”

“N-no, I know what this is but why are you giving this to us, sir?”

“See those horses over there?”

“Yes?”

“Their pen’s need to be cleaned, use these to clean them.”

“Wait… you don’t mean… You want me to shovel horse manure?”

“I’m glad that you catch on fast. This will be your punishment, now get to it, I will check on you later, and remember, you are being watched.”

Roland, who had escorted the troublesome trio to the stables, pointed at two golemic spiders. His creations stared at the group with their large eyes and were closely monitoring their movements.

“If you don’t complete this task, the next one will be worse, so keep this in mind.”

“...”

‘I hope this will do it, I don’t want to keep making these types of scenes anymore…’

After leaving the noble children in the institute stables, he began making his way back to the Library he had been in. He had anticipated that Lucienne might be confronted by another high-ranking noble and a few days after his first lecture, his spider drone informed him about this incident.

He decided to make a statement by playing it up the next time it was possible. Although his departure from the school library lacked grace, it left a lasting impact on the students present. He hoped that the news of this new incident would also spread and dissuade others from bothering his sister again.

‘But this might be more of a bandaid than a real solution, after I’m gone, there will be no one to protect her… Where the hell is that guy…’

While walking back, he continued to ponder over his brother Robert. Since the incident with Lucienne, he had tried to contact him, but to no avail. It was as if Robert had vanished, and to make matters worse even Lucille wasn't answering his calls. Without her assistance, he couldn't reach his brother and was left alone without any external support. He was hoping that Robert might be able to persuade his sister to transfer to another location, especially since Viola and her family still posed a threat.

‘I don’t like this, things have been strange lately…’

To make things worse he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched by someone. He knew that the other teachers and professors were mostly on the side of nobles. Every time he made his way through the institute corridors people would whisper and avoid him. It was clear that he had become an outsider that most people despised but there were some high points.

It appeared that the Runic Department was experiencing a boom in growth. Thorne was backing the runic monitoring system idea and Arion would oversee it. Although there was a plan to implement the system, some faculty members, including Delauder, opposed it. They argued that it would divert crucial funding from other departments, a prospect none of the other mage leaders wanted.

He soon returned to the library to resume his research, which was progressing smoothly. The only setback was the absence of the Spiritualist from the institute. However, he received information upon returning to the Runic Department that indicated that this issue could perhaps be resolved, though it would probably put him in some unwanted danger.

“Advancement classes? They want me to do what?”