The Runesmith Chapter 621 – Another Mad Scientist

“Awooo!”

“No, down boy, don’t you dare!”

“Worf!”

“I said dow–”

Roland never finished the sentence because a speedy wolf collided with him and knocked him to the ground with a tackle of love. Fortunately, his superhuman strength and durability kept him safe from injury, though any normal person would likely have died from the impact. He slid across the ground, leaving long marks in the dirt.

“Woof!”

“Stop licking !”

He shouted in protest, but the sunlight wolf refused to listen. Eventually, Roland gave up and let him continue. Thankfully, he was still wearing his fla armor, which protected his face from getting too much slobber on it.

“Okay, I think that’s enough…”

After half a minute of letting Agni enjoy himself, Roland finally stood up and pushed him away. The wolf jumped back and began darting around the area as if he were about to pounce again, stopping at the last mont each ti. His massive paws left deep impressions in the ground, making Roland wonder if he should expand the area so Agni had more space to run around.

“Agni, I’ve got your favorite.”

Fortunately, Roland was not alone. Elodia arrived just in ti to rescue him, carrying a platter of roasted at seasoned to please Agni’s refined palate. Despite being a creature born of fire, the wolf preferred his food mild.

“Here, have a bite and give my husband back.”

Elodia laughed as she set the al in an oversized steel bowl. Agni looked at the food, then at Roland, but his drooling betrayed his true priorities. In an instant, he began devouring the at, leaving Roland free to head inside. Once ho, Roland finally removed his helt and looked at his beautiful wife directly, no screens or runic caras between them.

Elodia smiled softly as she watched him pull off the helt. His hair was a bit longer now, and he had no ti to shave. Faint lines of exhaustion around his eyes spoke of the stress that ca with his duties in Isgard. Yet the warmth in his gaze that focused entirely on her made Elodia’s heart skip a beat.

“You look like you haven’t slept in days.”

She said while brushing a hand along his cheek.

“Did you even eat properly while you were there?”

Roland chuckled as she touched his short, scruffy beard.

“I did, though I would rather forget most of the als that were not cooked by you. Those madn in that mage tower ate nothing but dehydrated food. Luckily, I had your packed lunch to get through it.”

Elodia let out a quiet laugh.

“Good to hear that, but perhaps it would be better if you rested now. How about a warm bath?”

Her voice softened, carrying a note of longing. She had not seen him in weeks, and neither had he seen her. Being surrounded by the unknown and constantly on edge was not good for the spirit. Roland tilted his head slightly, a small, genuine smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“That sounds perfect, but it would be even better if you joined .”

He stepped closer and placed his gauntlet gently against her waist. Her hands rested on his armored chest, and a faint blush colored her cheeks. Elodia’s heart fluttered at the closeness, at the familiar scent, and at the look in his eyes.

“I missed you, but perhaps you should remove this armor first and give ti to get ready.”

She spoke in a teasing tone, and a grin appeared on Roland’s face. He was ready to lift her up and carry her away, but before he could, sothing unexpected happened. For a mont, the entire area shook as if struck by an unseen force from outside. A deep boom rattled the windows, and the following tremors sent several vases crashing to the floor. The runic lights flickered while dust rained from the ceiling.

“What in the world?”

Roland froze, his instincts imdiately on alert. He raised a barrier that surrounded his entire ho just as a second explosion echoed through the air. Outside, Agni barked furiously and then bolted toward the source of the chaos.

“What was that?”

Elodia’s romantic tone vanished, replaced by confusion.

“We’re not being attacked from outside. This ca from within the compound.”

Roland blinked, wondering if soone had launched an assault on his ho. The answer ca quickly as smoke began rising from a familiar direction.

“Oh no, it’s him again.”

Elodia groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Rastix.”

Roland sighed and ran a hand down his face.

“Of course it’s him.”

His shoulders slumped.

“I’ll go check on him. Stay here. We don’t know if there’s anything hazardous in the smoke.”

He said as he placed a hand on Elodia’s shoulder. A veil of mana surrounded her to block out any potential danger. He did the sa for himself, and after grabbing his helt, he headed outside to find the alchemist.

‘I almost forgot that I live next to a mad scientist.’

The image of the deranged researcher from Isgard flashed through his mind as he stepped out. Rastix’s workshop had gone up in flas more than once, and as Roland arrived, several golems were already spraying extinguishers to contain the fire. From within the thick smoke, the gno alchemist finally appeared, holding sothing that looked like a small purple pellet between his fingers.

“I DID IT! SUCCESS!”

Rastix stumbled out of the workshop, coughing and laughing at the sa ti, the tips of his ears blackened with soot. His eyes glead with manic pride as he held the glowing pellet above his head like a trophy. Even the smoke rising from his beard didn’t seem to bother him as he turned to Roland.

“Success, Sir Wayland! I’ve done it! The formula is complete!”

Roland wasn’t sure what to say. He glanced at the purplish cloud hovering nearby. The sll was unpleasant, but at least it didn’t seem poisonous to humans or other races.

‘Good thing the contamination barrier caught all this smoke. It slls awful.’

He strengthened the shield generator around Rastix’s workshop since fus often escaped from it. A shimring barrier enclosed the area, keeping the smoke from spreading. Soon, large fans began to spin, sucking in the air around them. The fans were connected to long tubes that led to a purification chamber designed to filter out toxins before releasing clean air back into the open.

“What is that? It slls worse than a decomposing body.”

Rastix’s soot-stained face split into a wide grin as he proudly raised the purple pellet higher.

“Ah! That’s the sll of progress! A symphony of alchemical exactitude and volatile artistry! I call it–”

He coughed violently, waving away the smoke.

“The Draconis Allure!”

Roland stared at the walnut-sized orb in Rastix’s hand, which was still giving off smoke and a sharp, pungent sll. Even though he wore armor and stood within a magical barrier, a faint trace of the ‘aroma’ still reached him. He had no idea how the gno managed to endure it and could only assu that Rastix was using a potion to counter the odor.

“I assu this is ant to attract lesser dragons?”

Roland asked.

“Precisely! Just as you ordered, and I, the great Rastix Zelbebanin, have delivered!”

The gno declared, and just as before, Rastix held the pellet high in triumph, but his excitent soon faded. He swayed, then slumped forward and collapsed. Before he hit the ground, Roland caught him with a mage hand spell. The orb of ‘Draconis Allure’ was also secured by the spell and promptly locked away in a safe box.

‘I did ask him to make sothing to attract drachinids, but will this really work?’

Before setting out, Roland had decided to increase his levels in the drachinid-infested dungeon. However, there were obstacles to overco, such as the crowded adventurer base and the vast territory where the monsters road. To solve this, he had asked Rastix to create a powerful lure that would draw the creatures together. The gno’s research involved the pheromone glands of dragons and lesser dragons, and if successful, it could allow Roland to hunt them much more efficiently.

‘He might cause a lot of collateral damage, but his work can’t be denied.’

Rastix had caused plenty of destruction, yet replacing him was impossible. He had created the adhesive used for the runic prosthetics, a material that had to be produced constantly and kept secret from any imitators. Even though his lab seed to explode every few months, the advantages of his inventions outweighed the trouble he caused. Still, it was difficult to ignore how inconvenient it was to have him living so close. The mana barrier surrounding his ho helped, but if one of his experints went wrong on a large enough scale, people could get hurt.

‘I should find him a better place to stay. He can keep this one as his house’

With that in mind, he decided to return ho. Guards surrounded the property, a whole unit stationed to handle this mad alchemist if necessary. They could patch him up quickly, and he would be back to work the next day.

“Is he fine?”

“Fine? No, I think he has a few screws loose in there.”

“You know what I ant.”

Elodia said, frowning at Roland’s poor attempt at a joke as he returned ho. Agni had been forced to spend ti outside the barrier, but now he was back to eating his food.

“He is fine. I’m not sure how, but he might be immortal.”

Roland shrugged. Even though Rastix constantly got himself into trouble, he always seed to escape with only a few bruises. Perhaps that was why he kept putting himself in danger, as he never suffered any debilitating injuries that lasted.

“It’s the third ti this month. When will he learn? You are far too patient with him.”

“Well, he does produce results. I’ve been thinking about giving him so land further north, but instead of that, why don’t we return to the conversation we were having earlier about that bath?”

While the explosion shook his ho, he refused to let it beco an obstacle. He had spent too much ti away and wanted at least one night of peace before leaving again. Without waiting for a reply, he tossed his helt aside and caught his wife with one hand.

“H-hey, put down.”

“No can do, Mrs. Wayland.”

He spoke with a grin, slinging her over his shoulder as he made his way to the bathing area. His gloves ca off soon after, and when the door closed behind them, a trail of red armor pieces marked the path they had taken…

The next morning, Roland woke early, long before the first light of the sun reached Albrook. The air was cool and carried the scent of morning dew mixed with the familiar fragrance of his wife, Elodia. Her hand rested in his, holding on tightly as she slept, and he carefully perford his usual maneuver to free himself from her grip without waking her.

‘I wish I could sleep like a normal person again…’

Even after such an eventful day and night, he had not slept much, nor did he need to. His abilities allowed him to function for days without rest, and even when he did sleep, it was never for more than four hours. For soone with his workload, this was convenient, yet there were tis when he wished he could simply sleep longer and go back to being a normal craftsman.

His initial goal had been to open a shop in Albrook and spend his life running his own business. His wife had stopped working there since her passion lay elsewhere, and he was unsure what to do with the place as it was not generating much inco. Even so, he still hoped that one day, if things settled down, he could return to those more peaceful tis.

“Now then…”

Moving quietly, he rose, put on a shirt and trousers, and walked toward his workshop. The corridor lights flickered on as he passed, responding to his mana signature. He chose to take the regular stairs, taking ti to look around the underground area. There was so clutter scattered about and clear signs of Bernir’s recent work. After a few glances, he went to the elevator and descended into Sebastian’s chamber.

“Sebastian, give the daily report.”

“As you wish.”

The screens lit up, displaying reports of events in the city since his return. Not much had changed there, but in Aldbourne, where his brother was stationed there had been so changes.

“Right on ti with the sanctions and tariffs. They are really trying to squeeze us dry.”

Trade was not entirely forbidden, but rchants traveling from Aldbourne through Theodore’s lands now had to pay extra fees on everything. The surcharge was steep, starting at double the original cost, which made trading impossible. As a result, Albrook would need to support the new frontier city directly, although plans for that were already in motion.

“Those tunnels will be our lifeline. We should prioritize placing golems there and building a basic subway system. I bet the Union Dwarves will enjoy this project.”

Even without the Duke’s backing, the city still had enough funds to begin work on a small-scale railway system. It would link the two cities together, and expanding it later would be far less expensive than constructing teleportation gates.

“I added it to the notes, sir. Is there anything else?”

Sebastian asked as Roland’s words appeared in the form of text. He was carefully planning for the future, making sure he would not forget any important projects.

“First it’s the Institute, then I can actually start working. Arthur should be able to handle Julius when he arrives, but he also wants to work on that runic eye project.”

There was a lot to do, and he wished he could clone himself at this point. The main problem was leveling, which took far too much ti. For now, he did not see any shortcuts like the ones he had used in the past.

Na

Roland Arden L 230

Classes:

T3 Runesmith Overlord L55 [ Primary ]

T2 Runesmith Lord L50 [ Tertiary ]

T2 Runic Engineer L50 [Secondary]

T1 Mage L25 [ X ]

T1 Runic Mana Scribe L 25 [ X ]

T1 Runic Blacksmith L 25 [ X ]

HP

50836/50836

MP

84281/96285

SP

64599/69826

Strength

340

Agility

279

Dexterity

372

Vitality

354

Endurance

389

Intelligence

440

Willpower

425

Charisma

21

Luck

12

‘Even after all of that, I’ve only gained five levels.’

While most people would see gaining five levels in just over an hour as an incredible achievent, it did not an much to him. He had nearly died, and that experience made it clear that hunting tier two monsters and even weaker tier three ones would no longer get him far. He needed to focus on creatures at or above his level.

“Maybe I should give that project a try. Having those armors just sit in spatial storage feels like a waste.”

Roland walked toward his armory, where his four elental armors rested after being retrieved from storage. The onyx armor had been used heavily in the recent battle and needed to be reforged. Restoring it multiple tis had corroded the runes, and now it could only output about forty percent of its original power.

Several floating golems carried the damaged pieces by using their own mage hand spell and floatation magic. He did not plan to work on them imdiately. Instead, he turned his attention to sothing else. A thinner-looking golem entered the room along with the floating ones.

“It should be the right size. Bernir did a good job with the parts.”

From the pile of mangled armor on the table, he picked up one of the larger pauldrons. He walked over to the thin golem and placed it on its shoulder. To his satisfaction, the pauldron did not fall but fit as if it had been made for his own body.

“Good. This might work. But first…”

He removed the pauldron and set it back on the table. Then he looked toward the teleportation chamber and sighed. He knew he needed to go to the Institute to deal with Anzeneus. The man was probably already there waiting, and Roland did not want to keep him waiting any longer.

“I should eat sothing before going.”

After finishing his plans, he left his underground workshop and returned ho. He wasn’t sure how much free ti he would have after today, so he intended to enjoy it while he still could.