Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 563 - 562- Destination

Adrian was in the guest room offered to him by Nolan earlier.

The room was quiet and spacious, furnished modestly yet comfortably, the kind of chamber reserved for honored guests.

A small lantern burned gently on the wooden desk, its warm glow spreading across the walls and furniture, while the window beside it allowed the pale moonlight to slip into the room.

He had been served a meal not long ago.

A tray still rested on the small table near the bed. The food had long since grown cold.

Adrian had tried to eat out of courtesy, but he could not manage more than a few bites. His mind was far too occupied to focus on food.

He was currently leaning back in the chair, one leg crossed over the other, quietly reading the spell book given by the system.

The thick tome rested open in his hands, its pages illuminated by the lantern’s faint glow. Symbols, runic structures, and complex magical arrangements filled each page in dense patterns that would overwhelm most scholars.

The spell book of all the sixth tier spells.

Back when he saw it for the first time, he had been both confused and amazed.

His knowledge had only ranged up to the fifth tier, and even that required immense preparation and repetitive experimentation to execute properly. The spells within that range were already considered advanced, or maybe impossible by most academies.

Sixth tier spells, however, belonged to a different realm entirely.

They were not spells ordinary magicians even dreamed of studying. Because they don’t know that they even exist.

And yet the system had simply handed them to him.

His knowledge, until recently, had been built through limited sources. The magical books available in the kingdom contained only fragments of older theories. Most of them were outdated or incomplete.

The rest came from his memories and the notes the system provided.

Adrian would not claim that he had blindly followed those notes.

In truth, he rarely did.

He had brought innovation and alteration wherever he believed it necessary. Some rune structures had been rearranged. Certain casting procedures had been shortened. In some cases, he had redesigned entire magical flows to make the connection between a person and their armaments smoother and more efficient.

Efficiency had always fascinated him.

The closer a weapon or artifact resonated with its wielder, the less magical resistance it produced. And that meant more power could flow through it without unnecessary loss.

Adrian had spent months adjusting those connections.

However, those innovations were still forms of knowledge which he had attained from somewhere.

Adrian could not confidently say whether he had discovered something on his own.

Or if he had merely rearranged pieces of knowledge he had unconsciously gathered from other sources.

Had he truly created something new?

Or had he simply refined what already existed?

The line between discovery and adaptation was not always clear.

But this...

His gaze slowly moved across the page again.

The intricate sixth tier formation drawn on the parchment was unlike anything he had seen before.

This new addition to the bookshelf had left him wondering.

If there could be sixth tier spells, then was there a possibility of a sixth tier armament too?

The thought lingered in Adrian’s mind like a quiet ripple spreading across still water.

Yes, that sounded absurd in all senses.

Not because of the belief followed by every single being who had ever touched upon the subject of Runesmithing.

Rather, the impossibility came from the structure itself.

From how deeply the fifth thread binds an armament to the subject.

The fifth thread joined the very gate of a human being that regulated mana.

It was not merely a surface level connection like the earlier threads. The fifth thread was a deep binding. It synchronized the flow of mana between the wielder and the armament, allowing their energies to circulate together almost as if the weapon itself had become an extension of the body.

Because of that, the fifth thread was considered the final step.

Beyond it, there was nothing more to connect.

Or so the theory claimed.

Was there any deeper layer to connect to?

Of course not.

...Right?

Adrian’s gaze slowly drifted back to the sixth tier spell formation drawn across the page. The elegant complexity of the structure almost mocked the certainty he had once placed in his knowledge.

Knock

The sound broke his chain of thoughts.

Adrian tore his eyes away from the notes and slowly rose to his feet, the chair creaking faintly as he stood up.

The room had grown noticeably quieter during the time he had been reading. Even the wind outside had softened, leaving only the faint hum of the lantern flame and the distant rustle of trees beyond the window.

Click

Opening the door, he found a familiar silver head standing there with a pitcher in her hand.

Elana stood quietly in the corridor, the warm hallway light outlining her figure.

She was wearing a beautiful white nightdress that gave her an almost ethereal appearance. The fabric was simple and clearly not meant for any grand occasion, yet on her it carried a certain gentle elegance.

Her silver hair flowed smoothly down her back, shining faintly under the corridor lights like strands of pale silk. A few loose locks rested over her shoulders, framing her face.

Her big blue eyes looked at him tenderly.

"Some water for you, sir."

Adrian smiled softly and nodded before extending his hands to take it from her.

Only for Elana to gently pull the pitcher back.

"I will keep it on the table."

Her tone was polite but firm.

Adrian inwardly chuckled but did not say anything to stop her. He simply stepped aside, allowing her to enter the room.

She walked inside with light steps and placed the container on the tea table near the chair.

"Did you talk to your mother?" Adrian asked as she rested the pitcher carefully.

"Yes... we had a long chat," she replied quietly. "I made her promise to never reveal anything about it to anyone."

Adrian hummed in acknowledgment.

"That’s important, but more than that..."

His eyes searched hers for a brief moment before he asked,

"Are things back to normal between you two?"

Elana’s lips faintly curved as she nodded.

"Yes, sir... mom was guilty for what she said, and I also didn’t drag things for long. I could tell that she didn’t mean what she said... just as you guessed."

Adrian nodded.

"I knew that. This might be the first time I met her, but I could tell that your whole family cares a lot about you."

Elena remained silent.

Her gaze lowered slowly, and after a brief pause she stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

The quiet room seemed to grow even more still as she approached.

"Professor," she said once she stood quite close to him.

Her voice was softer now.

"Did you tell anyone about how you suppressed the curse?"

Adrian was taken aback by the question. "No... not until now."

Elana looked up at him and said, "But at some point you might have to tell them, right? I have been marked by the Professor. Now I can’t marry anyone but you, Adrian."

Adrian couldn’t believe that a younger girl could make his heart this restless.

Coughing lightly, he scolded her, "Don’t call your teacher by name."

Elana suddenly held his wrist, her skin cold but her pulse vivid. "But right now... you are just my companion. We aren’t at the academy. And besides, my parents have already guessed my feelings for you... so wouldn’t it be fine if I spend the night here?"

Adrian stiffened at those words. He looked into her eyes. There was clear amusement in them, but a faint hope as well.

In the end, all he could say was, "Don’t make hasty decisions. You are young and still have a lot to see in life."

Elana giggled when she noticed how her Professor’s cheeks had turned red, though her own face felt quite warm as well.

She stepped away from him, her hands crossed behind her back as she began to leave.

"Despite how long the path is, and despite how many people I meet," she said softly, "I know I will reach the destination I desire in the end."

Her smile widened, her eyes curving as she confessed,

"And that destination is you, Adrian."