The Runic Alchemist

The mana within her was like a gargantuan well compared to his mere bucketful and Damian was sure that it wasn\'t even her limit. Just like that knight commander of Faerunia, she was also hiding her mana levels.

Her pointy ears added to her allure, making her look even cuter. Yet, her expression was anything but cute. The stone-cold gaze she held could kill a man on the spot.

\'I wonder if I\'d get stabbed by ten swords at once if I asked to touch her ears...\'

Once every noble had taken their seats, their knight guards standing behind them, the murmuring subsided. All attention shifted to the middle of the table, where an elevated throne-like chair stood, surrounded by other specially prepared seats.

These were occupied by the high-ranked second-rankers Damian had sensed earlier, including the purple-haired Lord Aramis and the ridiculously dressed Lord Tristan.

One of the queen\'s guards, who stood beside Lady Vidalia\'s throne, finally cleared his throat and began to speak:

"As usual, this will be a wartime strategy meeting. The increased audience today, called to discuss the border defense strategy, is graciously welcomed..." He bowed, and everyone around Damian followed suit. Valoris placed a firm hand on Damian\'s shoulder, forcing him to bow as well.

With that, many in the room seemed to relax, though not all. Some picked up glasses of alcohol, while others remained tense. Those seated closest to Lady Vidalia were more at ease compared to the lords and minor knights sitting farther away—those whose territories bordered the Dreaded Lands. If the defense line broke, they would be the ones most affected.

Valoris and Damian had come straight from Pyron, taking the shortest route, but along the Great Forest lay many small towns and large villages. Though none were on the scale of Pyron, they were still not to be taken lightly, spread out as they were across the mouth of the Dreaded Lands.

"The situation, as known to all, has changed a bit..." the guard continued, trailing off as one of the lords at the front interrupted. He was older, with a more rounded body shape.

"They have stopped or at least decreased the attacks after the traps... It could be considered a small victory."

"Maybe they\'re choosing their targets more carefully now... The damage hasn\'t decreased," another man added.

"The last attack my unit defended felt more effort-consuming than the previous ones," revealed another.

"They\'re sending their best..." said a cool-looking woman.

"Going from more numbers to quality, perhaps?"

"That may be so, but the point is... we have a chance here. Maybe it\'s time to charge into the Wraith\'s Passage?" the first man concluded.

Others did not seem convinced, and some even started murmuring amongst themselves.

"Lord Avery, report," Lady Vidalia\'s voice, deep and serene, commanded everyone\'s attention.

"The advanced scouting team has confirmed 40,000 troops coming straight from the Wraith\'s Passage... Approximately 10 days to reach here if they maintain their speed. Threadripper was seen leading the charge, my lady," Lord Avery finished.

"How could that be? Didn\'t we fight that bastard just two days ago? Their Waygates can\'t reach that far," one of the high-level second-rankers sitting near the throne chair spoke up, surprised by the report.

"The report confirmed the sighting three days ago. He\'s one of my best scouts, my lady."

"How could he be in two places at once? A trick, perhaps?" a young knight asked.

"All signs show they\'ve discovered a new way to use Waygates... the alternative would be a rare Esper ability," a middle-aged woman suggested, sparking another round of discussion.

The conversation continued to go in circles, with little progress made on a strategy. Lady Vidalia subtly dismissed or ignored all suggestions of attack or unconventional tactics. The discussions grew tedious, and Damian found himself getting bored. Combined with his lack of sleep, he couldn\'t resist yawning. He let it slip without a second thought. It made his ears pop, and it felt good.

But suddenly, all discussion ceased, and when he opened his eyes, everyone was staring at him as if he were the mouse that had stolen their food. Damian hadn\'t realized how loud his yawn had been. Talk about embarrassing.

"Should there be any changes in the defense tactics for the nearby regions in light of the new developments?" the commander finally broke the awkward silence, asking the question most had traveled far to hear answered.

The following hour and a half were spent outlining plans or, more accurately, guidelines in case the defense line broke. Damian could tell they hadn\'t put much thought into it; they didn\'t expect to fail here at all—this was just a precaution to alert the border lords.

Finally, the queen\'s guard gave some final instructions, and the topic concluded with every lord from the nearby region nodding in understanding of what to do if the worst came to pass.

As the meeting wind down, Damian felt a sharp gaze on him. He looked up from the various funny-looking nobles to the commander of the entire army. She was indeed looking towards them, but more specifically at the Kiyama siblings. Understanding her signal, Makayla stood up and slowly recounted all the events in order, finishing with:

"And so, my lady, with no other option, my brother has brought him here to face your judgment."

The lady\'s expression remained stone-cold, but her eyes seemed clearer, as if she had just awakened to something interesting. Damian had a bad feeling about this.

"My lady, he is the killer of my dear brother... I demand that he be brought to justice," the other Viranil brother added, fueling the fire.

"A child killing two second-rankers?"

"And it happened in front of everyone?"

"A challenge to the lord\'s authority, huh? That\'s not something you see every day."

"He won, though? How?"

"How could he die standing without the boy even touching him? Wasn\'t Lord Theoclys the lord of Pyron?"

The chattering started again, but this time Damian was fully alert to who was saying what.

"What proof do you have of this act of murder, Lord Aramis?" the lady commander asked in her melodic voice.

"Nothing at the moment, my lady... But he is the most suspicious one. The reports I received mention that the boy uses a very strange tongue of spell casting—unpredictable and dangerous. He also attacked other noble children in the camp... Clearly, he has a vendetta against the nobility," Lord Aramis spoke with such conviction that Damian almost believed him himself.

"So the situation suggests," the lady commander said, looking at Damian.

No one spoke after that, all pondering the situation presented to them. Lord Aramis had done his part; now it was Damian\'s turn.

"May I speak?" Damian asked looking up at the Lady Vidalia.

Everyone looked at the lady commander, who slightly nodded.

Damian, feeling he was too far from his audience, walked around the C-shaped table, moving closer to the people in front. Valoris still held his chain, nervously following behind him.

"I crossed the sea, slaving on a ship, hoping the place I\'d reach would be better than where I was born... To be honest, I don\'t care about your war, and yet when my friend suggested joining the army, I did... I found friends, people I liked and respected." Damian glanced at Valoris, then continued, "But people are people... Dawnstar, Eldoris—it doesn\'t matter.

Arrogant people who think the world belongs to them alone just because their situation is bit better than others... We stopped the bullying the army was too cowardly to face... I told my friends not to get involved in this noble mess; it never brings anything good... and we paid the price. Despite that, I fought for my right...

I fought against the injustice brought upon me and my friends, but even that came at a price. With sheer luck and his hubris, I defeated the arrogant knight... Then the lord died, and with literally no evidence or possibility of me doing anything to him, I paid the price again...

If I could kill him with just a thought and nothing else, why would I fight a monster of a man first just to toy with my life? And if I can really kill without touching, why am I arguing for my sake and not just killing the lot of you? Is this what Eldoris\' justice looks like? Bullying kids, blaming kids for fat lords dying on their own?

At least in Dawnstar, no one acted like an honorable man and stabbed you in the back. They kicked us in the face to show their displeasure at our existence..."