"Sir Edward, are you sure this is going to be all right?" Edward’s assistant, soone who had recently joined, asked the man for the tenth ti, and now he was getting on his nerves.
The older man turned to face the assistant, his expression cold as he asked, "Even though to others you are a human, all I can see right now is an obstruction. A barrier coming between the safety of my people and the evil forces."
The bespectacled man lowered his eyes and responded, "Please forgive if I sounded critical or if my intentions had been misinterpreted, but I am just concerned about the lives of those we would be risking by creating this artifact."
The artifact in question was the sa tool on which Edward has been working on for quite so ti. He recently threw a celebration too, to declare to the world about his revolutionary creation.
And after all that, a young guy who has probably lived lesser than the years Edward has spent in his workshop.
People respected his dedication and the idea of what he was about to bring. Ten out ten people said that this creation would change the world for good. Then ca this eleventh person.
Edward clicked his tongue. "I have been working on this project for the past five years, and I didn’t hear anyone complain as much as you."
The assistant hesitantly said, "Because I joined just six months ago, sir."
Edward narrowed his eyes. "What are you suggesting here, Joe?"
The man, Joe, took a mont before responding. "I am just suggesting that we should take so more ti to find a better and more human source of energy before releasing it to the masses."
Edward crossed his arms and asked, "More human, you say... but the source I am using is inhumane."
As he said this, he pulled Joe by the arm and brought him before the room where hundreds of people remained seated on wooden chairs, their arms bound, faces covered with black fabric, and shoulders slumped—possibly unconscious.
Pressing his hand on Joe’s shoulder and squeezing it a little, he said, "They are all criminals who have lived their lives killing people and ruining lives. And you want to go easy on them?"
Joe didn’t falter, as he was aware of the source being used in this little rune experint.
The bespectacled man turned to fully face the greatest Runesmith on the planet and told him straightforwardly, "It’s not the source that worries ; it’s the very idea of sothing like this going out into the world. I know you are working tirelessly to allow normal people to have a ans of self-protection, but this is not the answer, sir."
Edward’s fist clenched in frustration. "You an to say I have wasted my five years on nothing but a failed product?!"
Joe took a deep breath and remained silent, but his silence was far louder than Edward’s shout.
The older man gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched. Frustration was boiling, and anyone could tell that at a glance.
"The worst thing I could do right now is ruin your career, Joe. One letter, and all the qualifications you have would be regarded as invalid, and you would rot in a room for the rest of your life."
Joe didn’t flinch. From the mont he spoke out against Edward’s idea, he knew he was going to lose his job.
However, he didn’t hesitate to bring it up because, for him, there was sothing above money and fa. It was the security of his people and the promise he made to his mother.
"But," Edward suddenly said, "I am not petty enough to throw soone out and ruin their life just because they judged wrong and questioned my work."
"The worst kind of punishnt for people like you is to have your words proven wrong," Edward said with a look of disdain on his face. "You will stay here until the public exhibition and see how my invention changes lives. I will make you regret ever saying those words—questioning my mind."
Saying so, the older man turned and walked away.
Joe remained rooted in place for a few seconds. As he thought, he had failed to convince the man to stop the project before the general masses got their hands on it.
As such, *I need to warn soone who might be able to make a change.*
....
[Runebound Academy]
Despite all the fatigue, Adrian knew he had to get up and get moving.
Why? In four days, the third-year exams would resu. As such, being one of the senior professors, he couldn’t remain lying in bed for long.
However, before the thought could even reach his lips, his lover—no, boss—told him firmly, "Try getting up from that bed and you’re fired. And I am not joking, Adrian."
Adrian wryly smiled upon seeing the expression on Ariana’s face as she said that.
Annabelle was sleeping beside him, her brows slightly furrowed, possibly having a bad dream.
While caressing her head, Adrian asked the silverhead, "Can’t I at—"
"No. Anything other than resting is prohibited. Ruby is coming over, and she will be watching you the whole day, making sure you don’t move an inch from that bed."
Adrian grimaced. "What about the restroom?"
Ariana told him, "You can use that, but Adrian, don’t you dare try using the Ti Chamber secretly. This is not a suggestion but a demand from your fiancée."
Adrian relaxed back into the bed. When she said things like that, was there any way he could not follow them?
Ariana smiled upon seeing him yield before she pressed her knee onto the bed and leaned over.
Cupping his cheek, she planted her lips on his, followed by his cheek, chin, and slowly the rest of his face, leaving several red marks behind.
Getting up, she grinned at the sight and said, "Good boy. I’ll be back by late afternoon."
Despite how much she wanted to stay, Ariana couldn’t. The incident had delayed things, and if she didn’t arrange everything in ti, there was a high chance the next sester would begin later than usual.
Adrian exhaled a sigh as he watched her step out of the room.
Resting his head on his arm, he stared at the ceiling in a daze.
Yesterday’s training had been enlightening in more than one way.
First, he realized that he could move far faster than he usually did during combat.
Sotis caution makes you put in less effort during a fight, and that was sothing Valor made him realize without saying a word.
There were not many instances when Adrian felt genuine frustration and anger during battle.
There was one ti, when Raven was nearly killed by the Apostle, that he completely lost himself to rage.
But this ti, while fighting Valor, he was consciously making decisions despite the anger.
He knew what he was doing, and that didn’t stop his mana from overcoating himself.
It was as if the floodgates had been broken, yet they were being used as flaps to direct the uncontrollable flow.
It was liberating to feel his emotions working with him, not against him.
And that told Adrian sothing about himself—that independent magic was not a curse but a source of liberation.
"I can’t wait to get up and see how much progress I’ve made." While he knew a few hours weren’t enough to bring drastic change, just from how light he felt, he knew his body had developed yesterday.
However, as Ariana had commanded, he couldn’t get up from the bed unless necessary.
Glancing at Annabelle, he found her sleeping soundly.
She had been awake most of the previous night, massaging his muscles, tending his wounds, and always on edge, ready to bring him to the dic if things worsened.
Ariana was the sa, but the poor girl couldn’t catch a break given her role in the academy.
Sotis, Adrian wanted to find a deputy—soone like a vice-headmaster—who could allow Ariana a break from ti to ti.
While Ariana wasn’t reluctant to have an assistant, she couldn’t trust soone with the academy’s vaults yet.
As he was thinking about all this, he heard a knock on the door.
"Yeah, co in." He knew who it was, so he didn’t hesitate before telling them to step inside.
As the door parted, a familiar redhead walked in with a serious look on her face.
Adrian’s brows rose as he asked, "What’s the matter, Ruby?"
He couldn’t say she was shocked, since she knew his condition well—she had visited him last night too.
So there had to be another reason.
Ruby stood near the bed and said, "I’m sorry, Adrian, but there is soone you must et right now. It’s urgent."
Adrian frowned upon hearing her. Just from her tone, he could tell sothing was wrong.
Without much thought, he nodded and said, "Okay then. Bring to them."
°°°°°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading.
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