The three Tower Masters stood silently, their eyes fixed on Adrian, who was examining the relic with quiet focus.
So far, only he and Ruby seed to have any real idea of what the relic might be.
The rest had been called over, though mostly out of formality—they hadn’t contributed much.
"Professor Adrian," Albec called out loudly.
The brown-haired man turned toward him.
"Do you know what this could be?" the Tower Master asked.
Adrian paused, thinking for a mont, then gave a small nod.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
So looked shocked, while others narrowed their eyes in doubt.
"He probably heard sothing from Miss Vermillion."
"Yeah, she read the runes first."
But Albec and Tia ignored the whispers, waiting calmly as Adrian climbed out of the crater.
Ruby followed him closely, and the two soon stood before the crowd—an audience filled with curiosity and quiet tension.
Adrian let out a breath and spoke, "There’s no doubt. The criminals were cursed by this relic."
Albec nodded, his voice calm but serious. "So... is it just a cursed box, then?"
Ruby stepped in to answer. "From what we’ve seen, those shifting runes are made to ss with the minds of anyone who touches them. The curse isn’t just physical—it affects your thoughts. Even being close to it was enough to feel sothing."
Adrian looked at her, surprised. "It does that?"
Ruby nodded. "You didn’t notice because it didn’t seem to affect you. But I felt it. The mana it’s giving off is so thick, so dark... it made my mind feel foggy, like I was losing focus."
She turned to the others. "I’m sure you all felt it too."
The group looked at each other.
Slowly, and with so reluctance, they nodded.
Their pride stung. Despite all their expensive, highly-rated protective gear, none of it had been enough to shield them completely from the relic’s influence.
"There’s sothing more to this, isn’t there?" Tia asked, her tone sharp but thoughtful. "I don’t believe this box is just randomly cursing people."
She was right.
Dead right.
But how could Adrian explain that there were runes written on the box—runes that only he could see?
He still didn’t understand it himself.
What kind of ink or material was used to draw those runes? Why could no one else see them but him?
"I think we should bring it back to the Tower," Aiden suggested. "With better protection, we might uncover what’s hidden inside."
Adrian shook his head. "You can’t move it."
Ivy crossed her arms. "And what, you’re going to stop us?"
Adrian was getting tired of their constant pushback.
Their arrogance. Their blindness.
He turned to her with a calm, flat look. "How about you first ask soone to try and lift that box out of the crater?"
The challenge in his voice caught Ivy off guard.
That drew Albec’s attention too. "Mister Adrian... why would you say sothing like that?"
Adrian kept his eyes on the relic. "Because there are more runes on that thing than you realize. The curse is just the surface. I can feel it—it’s layered much more."
"Feel it?" Ivy scoffed, a mocking smile on her face. "Never heard of a Runesmith feeling runes."
But before she could say more, Ruby cut in sharply.
Her eyes were cold as she snapped, "Why are you still here? Go find soone with Earth magic. Try pulling it out before talking big."
Ivy flinched.
The anger wasn’t even directed at her initially, but Ruby’s glare left no room for argunt.
She glanced at Aiden, hoping for support.
He didn’t say much—just gave a slow nod.
With a slight huff, Ivy turned and walked toward the tents, her pride wounded.
Adrian turned his gaze back to the box.
Soone—soone he owed everything to—had provided him the notes. Notes that helped him grow.
And now, it seed that sa person had also tuned this artifact.
Maybe, he thought, once I uncover what this box is hiding... I’ll finally learn who that Runesmith really was.
Soon, Ivy returned—this ti with a mber of the Twilight Vault beside her.
The man was tall and broad-shouldered, carrying a large sledgehamr over one shoulder.
Glowing runes shimred faintly along the hamr’s handle.
Everyone stepped back as he moved closer to the crater, his steps steady and sure.
Kneeling near the edge, he murmured an incantation under his breath. The runes on the hamr flared brighter.
Then, with a roar and all the strength in his body, he brought it down.
"HAAAAAA!"
DHAK! — CRACK!
The hamr struck the earth with a deafening sound.
The ground split open under the force.
Lines of magic surged through the cracks like lightning, racing across the soil toward the relic.
People held their breath, eyes wide with worry.
What if the spell damaged the relic?
What if they lost whatever was hidden inside?
Then—
DOOOOOM.
A deep, echoing hum rang out as the crack reached the base of the relic’s platform... and stopped.
The relic didn’t move.
It didn’t fall.
It simply sat there, untouched—protected by sothing unseen.
The silence that followed was heavier than the strike.
Adrian crossed his arms. "Like I said, it’s impossible to move that thing."
Aiden’s brows furrowed as he declared, "Then we’ll excavate the entire terrain."
Adrian’s eyes widened at his words.
If they dug up the whole area, they’d definitely uncover what the Runesmith had been hiding.
No... I can’t let that happen... He quickly racked his brain for a way to stop them without sounding suspicious—when suddenly,
"Master Aiden, Master Albec, with all due respect, I know soone who can inspect the relic right here. I’m talking about Uncle Alfred."
Aiden’s eyes slightly widened. "Alfred Agatha? You can bring him here?"
Not just Aiden—everyone was taken aback.
Alfred Agatha was the best Runesmith in all of Grimvale, ranked third in the world, and soone capable of tuning a fourth-ranked armant.
Ruby nodded cheerfully. "Yep~ he used to be my teacher, so I’m sure he’ll help us out. This way, we won’t risk damaging the relic by digging everything up."
Several heads nodded in agreent.
"If Sir Alfred himself is willing to co, then we have nothing to worry about," Albec agreed.
Ruby continued, "But from now on, this whole project will fall under the Vermillion family’s oversight. We’ll share the findings and hand over the relic after inspection—but for the next few days, expect many Vermillion personnel on-site."
Albec frowned, thinking it over before replying, "That’s fine, but we’ll leave a few of our officers here as well."
"We’ll do the sa," Aiden added.
Ruby shrugged. "That’s fine by . Now then... how about so tea?"
The three Tower Masters nodded and began walking toward the tents.
As they moved, Ruby turned to Adrian and whispered, "Between Master Alfred’s arrival and the Tower leaving, you only have one day."
Adrian’s eyes widened—she knew?
Ruby smiled playfully. "Now that look on your face definitely excites ." She gave him a wink, then turned and followed the others, hands casually clasped behind her back.
Adrian stood there in stunned silence, then rubbed the back of his head with a sigh.
"First it was just Ariana... and now even Ruby can read like an open book."
°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.
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