Return of the Legendary Runesmith

"Waaah... what is this?" Raven asked in astonishment as she lay on the bed, a grey bodysuit covering her entire body except for her face.

"How do you feel?" Adrian asked with a smile, pouring himself some coffee at the side.

"It’s warm... and it’s squeezing my muscles. Ahn~" she let out a relieved moan as the bodysuit began to press against her tense muscles, working over her shoulders, arms, calves, thighs, and back.

The heat building inside wasn’t unpleasant or uncomfortable. It was just right, easing the strain in her muscles. The gentle cycle of compression and release allowed her muscles to move and relax without any effort on her part.

"I made this out of curiosity, and thankfully, it works well." He had used a special type of fabric along with two elements to create it.

"Truly, your creative mind knows no bounds," Raven complimented with a soft smile, her eyelids already growing heavy.

He urged her gently, "Go get some sleep."

Raven groaned softly, "But you finally came to meet me after such a long time."

He sat beside her and placed a gentle hand on her head. "And I am not going anywhere until tomorrow. So don’t worry, just relax."

Raven felt a hint of frustration at how easily she gave in. Truth be told, she hadn’t realized just how exhausted her body was until now. Under the soothing effects of the artifact, she grew increasingly drowsy, her body sinking deeper into a state of calm and ease.

Adrian stayed by her side a while longer, gently caressing her head. After finishing his coffee, he decided to leave.

The bodysuit was designed so that after a certain period, the runestones embedded within it would stop working, preventing the muscles from overheating or suffering cramps and suffocation.

Still, since Raven was only the second person to use it, he planned to return in a few minutes to check on her.

’Let’s see how things are moving.’ he rested the coffee cup on the side and got up.

Giving her one last glance he teleported away.

His vision dipped into darkness for a brief moment before opening to a wide field lined with several greenhouses standing side by side.

People moved about steadily. Farmers, soldiers, and transporters carried on with their work.

It was quite a serene sight to look at. The first time he came here, he saw nothing but stress and rush on those faces.

People forcing their bodies to move since if they stopped many families out there would starve.

However, things were much better now. With the new artifact installed, the farmers are now just the caretakers of the fields. They don’t need to put their bodies under severe strain to keep those crops alive.

Adrian’s lips curved at the sight.

Just then,

"Sir Adrian."

Adrian turned to see a familiar redhead approaching him with a smile.

"Isabelle. I thought you’d be back at the palace."

The girl, once Raven’s secretary, now held a different role. "I am in charge of administration here."

Adrian hummed in mild surprise. "Didn’t you swear your life to serve and protect Querella?"

Her shoulders dropped slightly as she replied, "Without even the slightest of hesitation, Her Majesty handed me this responsibility. So I must honor her trust with all my devotion."

Adrian chuckled softly. "I am sure you are doing a brilliant job."

Isabelle blushed faintly before asking with a smile, "Did you come here to see the Queen? She should be in the palace."

Adrian nodded. "Yeah, I met her. She is resting for now. That is why I came here to look around myself."

He turned his gaze toward the plantations.

Everything appeared orderly, with no signs of recent disturbance.

His golems were constantly at work, and so were his defensive runes.

"Tell me something, why was Querella worried about immigrants?" He had briefly noticed a list of names when he teleported into her office.

He hadn’t wanted to stress her further, so he chose not to ask her directly. But Isabelle, being close to her, would surely know.

"About that..." The redhead sighed. "Groups of people have started gathering at the capital gates. They believe living here is their only chance to survive."

Adrian had expected something like this, yet the speed of it still caught him off guard. It had only been a little over four weeks since the greenhouses began producing steady, abundant crops. Word had spread fast, and now people were already calling the capital their last hope.

"I assume there isn’t enough supply to feed them?" Adrian asked. The production had increased, yes, but it was only sufficient for the current population.

A sudden surge would inevitably cause problems.

Isabelle fell silent.

That was answer enough.

Sighing, Adrian said, "Can you arrange carts to transport grain?"

Isabelle blinked in surprise. "Did you bring more stock again? Didn’t Her Majesty ask you to stop?"

Adrian gave her a small wink. "Let it stay our secret."

A faint blush spread across her face before she nodded quickly. "I will go and arrange them—"

She stopped mid-step.

Adrian frowned.

It wasn’t just Isabelle. Everyone around him had gone completely still, frozen in place.

Without hesitation, he pulled an axe from his inventory, while his left hand gripped the golden revolver.

"Who is there?"

No answer came.

His voice echoed, hollow, as though the world itself had turned into an empty shell.

It felt as if he had been trapped inside a vast, silent chamber, everything around him reduced to an illusion.

Rumble

A deep sound rolled across the sky.

His body tensed.

Slowly, he tilted his head upward. The clouds twisted and churned, folding into themselves as flashes of lightning split through the darkness.

And in those brief bursts of light, he saw it.

A silhouette.

Not human.

Something vast and frightening.

It stretched across the sky, its enormous form slithering through the storm, watching him from far above.

He was getting prepared for a battle when suddenly,

[Host...please back down. That is an ancient creature. A being once rode by Darkness itself.]

Adrian grinned, "Then...doesn’t that things belong to me now?"

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- I am ashamed of myself. Two days and a short Chapter. I swear I will write between 1.2-1.5k next time.