The Runic Alchemist

"So, what did you say?" Damian asked.

"They gave us a couple of days to think," Sam replied.

"Where were you all day? Just reading?" Einar asked, her tone sharp. Damian ignored it though.

"They showed me the place where I'll be working. I'm supposed to move there soon."

"You're already leaving?" Sam asked, his voice tinged with worry.

"I'm just transferring rooms. I haven't signed the contract yet—it'll take a couple of days," Damian reassured him, meeting his gaze.

"What do you think I should do?" Sam asked, breaking eye contact and turning to stare out of the window.

"What do

'you'

want to do?" Damian asked in return.

"Find Anthony maybe... Get strong enough that no one can come after me… like you," Sam said slowly.

"We don't even know where to begin looking for him. He knows we are in Eldoris, if you become a known figure here in Eldoris, he might hear about you and come to find us. As for power… you know there's only one real way to get it. Join her guards or whatever they want you to be, and try to find a dungeon entry. Your skills will also improve with proper tutors. Just make sure you don't sign anything binding you to fealty or lifelong servitude. That way, you can leave whenever you want," Damian said, offering his advice.

"And me? Do you have any other genius plans for me?" Einar said sarcastically, while Sam remained deep in thought.

"That depends. Do you want to go back or not? It might be wise to leave it all behind, but I know you won't do that. You love this land too much. I only tried to help you, though I might not have done it in the best way. Hurting you was never my intention. Still… I apologize if I crossed any lines." Damian bowed sincerely.

Both Sam and Einar stared at him in shock.

"You… you… What are you doing?" Sam stammered, confused.

"Stop that," Einar said awkwardly.

Damian straightened and smiled.

"You never even bow to third-rankers. Why would you do it for someone weaker than you?" Einar asked, bewildered.

"Because I don't care what they think of me. You two, on the other hand, are my friends. I'd like to keep it that way," Damian said calmly.

Einar's eyes widened, and she looked away. No one spoke as the wind rattled the wooden window, mixing with the pleasant calls of birds outside.

"I'll do it. To become stronger, I'll do whatever is necessary," Sam declared at last.

Damian nodded. Both of them turned to Einar, who gave a small smile and nodded as well.

"I don't know what I want to do, what I can do.. But the chance to serve the Eldians? If I reject this, my parents will never forgive me," she admitted.

---

[Beastmen Valley, Near the River – Current Time]

"What Is it? Is it really the work of one of the monsters that was left behind?" a beastman asked, standing beside Valoris and Royce.

"We've hunted down everything we could find in the valley. That brat confirmed there were no monsters left, except the ones he pointed out. This one looks a bit old," Valoris replied.

Royce frowned. Everything had been going well since they returned the mana stone spatial storage Maximus had given them to the village. While the villagers weren't exactly friendly, they had grown more accepting.

Though still worried about their future and the valley, the beastmen no longer saw Royce and his group as enemies. However, just as Lord Karsen was due to arrive in a couple of days, a troubling discovery was made. A woman's dead body had been found upriver, first noticed by some children.

"The marks definitely look like a big monster biting her. But why would it leave her behind if she was prey?" Darvok, a beastman warrior, voiced his doubts.

Darvok had become the unofficial leader of the remaining beastmen. He and two other first-rankers, all in their second or third jobs, were the village's only warriors now. The village also depended on the old fox mage, their last hope in these dire times.

However, the commander had given the old fox, Shin, an official position before leaving. As a government representative of the beastmen in the valley and surrounding villages, he had the authority to form a guild or union recognized by the crown. This allowed the beastmen to lodge formal complaints with the lord. If any justified request was denied, Shin could escalate it to higher authorities.

This measure officially recognized the beastmen as the land's native population and ensured fair treatment. But distrust remained. Many beastmen, weary from years of discrimination, found it hard to trust a mere piece of paper to quench their worries.

Some protested against the changes in their unjustly punished leader's name, forming small, might-makes-right factions that caused trouble for weaker groups in other villages nearby. However, Shin, Valoris, Royce, and Mira overpowered these groups and punished them accordingly. At least for now, peace has been restored.

But the sudden appearance of a woman's dead body upriver threatened to disrupt that peace. Even the troublemakers within the valley had never killed their own kind—they merely bullied and coerced others. This incident could ignite tensions across the valley's twenty-something villages.

Royce heard hurried footsteps behind him and turned to see Old Man Shin arriving with another beastman warrior. The old fox, clearly not a physical type, was panting.

After catching his breath, Shin examined the body closely. Royce noticed the old mage's expression grow darker and more serious as the inspection continued.

"What is it?" Valoris asked, also sensing the gravity of Shin's reaction.

"It's her…" Shin murmured before turning to Darvok. "Where is Neo? Have you seen him recently? Or his friends?"

"No. I haven't seen him for about a week. The bunny girl and the other boy were around this morning, though," Darvok replied.

"Damn it…" Shin muttered, his voice thick with anger. "It's her. The woman who tricked him into revealing information to that damned lord. What has that fool done..?"

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