Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 479 - 478- First kiss

Silence befell the room.

Adrian kept his head lowered, avoiding everyone’s gaze. He wanted to give them time—time to truly digest what he had just revealed.

Being connected to the witches was one thing. They were labeled betrayers, figures who always stood apart, accused of harboring Darkness during the war.

But this... this was different.

Everyone in this world—including Adrian—had grown up believing Darkness to be an absolute threat, a plague that should never have existed.

It was the evil that shattered every moral law, every emotional bond, during the era of degradation.

Millions of families had been torn apart. Brothers slaughtered brothers. Lovers turned ravenous for each other’s flesh. Mothers—meant to be a sanctuary for their children—became predators that devoured their innocence.

Darkness stripped people of reason and rationality, plunging the world into its most depraved, nightmarish state.

No matter the reason—one Nytharos had never told him—nothing could ever justify what that creature had done.

Adrian released a slow breath. He was just about to excuse himself, to leave them alone so they could think more clearly, when Ruby suddenly spoke.

"It makes sense, doesn’t it?"

Adrian looked up. The redhead was glancing at Ariana.

"His extreme behavior at times," Ruby continued, "the way he nearly killed Elizabeth back then... and a few other incidents you told me about."

The silver-haired woman nodded slowly. "Right... his negative emotions... they always got the better of him."

Annabelle thumped her left fist into her right palm. "Oh, that explains it. That’s why Darling has to keep his emotions in check these days. The Darkness in his blood pushes everything to extremes."

Ruby nodded. "Exactly. Now, at least, we know the cause."

Adrian finally interjected, disbelief slipping into his voice. "Wait a second... why are you all being so casual about this?"

Ariana raised a brow. "How did you want... us to react?"

He leaned back in his seat. "I mean... I have the essence of a world-ending disaster inside me, and you’re just... piecing things together."

Ariana tilted her head, genuine confusion flickering across her face.

Annabelle looked equally puzzled. "So, Darling? Were we supposed to react in a particular way?"

Adrian looked at each of them in turn. Their expressions were calm—too calm.

"Either you don’t understand," he said quietly, pressing a hand against his chest, "or I didn’t make myself clear. It’s not just that I could hurt those around me. If Darkness ever returns, he could use me as a pawn... force me to slaughter innocent people."

Ruby hummed softly. "But would you allow him to?"

Adrian opened his mouth—then closed it.

Ruby continued, her voice gentle but firm. "I know what you expected, Adrian. But trust me, it doesn’t bother me at all who your successor is. You’ll always be the kind, handsome, hardworking man I fell in love with."

Annabelle nodded in agreement. "She’s right, Darling. When you asked me why I never questioned your immortality... I didn’t answer because I had already thought about it."

A soft smile curved her lips. "For me, it doesn’t matter what your past is, or whose blood runs in your veins. The Darling I know would rather burn the world than let anything happen to us."

The words lodged in his throat dissolved completely.

Ariana reached for his hand, drawing his attention to her eyes. "Look at me," she murmured. "Do you see fear... or doubt... in them?"

He didn’t need more than a second to shake his head.

"Then why are you assuming things on your own?" she asked, pressing his hand to her cheek. "Don’t burden yourself with your origin or any of that nonsense. You are, and always will be, Adrian to me."

"For me too," Ruby added.

"Same here, Darling," Annabelle said with a smile, clasping his other hand.

It felt as though he had been carrying a massive boulder on his shoulders for far too long, and their words finally lifted it away.

His body felt lighter. His heart even more so. These three knew the truth now... and still accepted him.

In a soft voice, he said, "Thank you... for trusting me once more."

Leaning closer, he rested his head against Ariana’s shoulder.

Ruby and Annabelle exchanged a glance before wrapping him in a gentle embrace from either side.

Silence settled over the room again.

But this time, it was warm, comforting, and far from uncomfortable.

.....

After the heart-to-heart talk, Ruby said she needed to return urgently—she had already been away from work for the past two days.

Adrian didn’t stop her. Instead, he insisted on escorting her to the teleportation center himself.

The redhead walked ahead with her hands clasped behind her back as they descended the hill, moving toward the portal hub below. Adrian could have sent her to Grimvale in an instant, but he deliberately chose not to. This was a rare chance to spend some quiet time with her, and he intended to take it.

The night lay hushed around them. The air carried a faint chill, brushing against their skin as softly as a whisper.

As they walked, Ruby suddenly broke the silence.

"How did you do it?" she asked. "Defeating Abraham... and then cornering Nytharos?"

Adrian shrugged lightly. "Valor had already damaged Abraham pretty badly. Finishing him wasn’t that difficult. As for Nytharos..." He paused for a fraction of a second. "I think he overestimated me and created a Domain that restricted mana."

Ruby glanced at him, brows lifting in surprise. "He’s a god. Sorcery is his greatest weapon—and he cut off his own limbs at the very start?"

"As absurd as it sounds," Adrian replied, "it’s true. That Domain limited magic, but it still allowed me to use my armaments—just once."

Ruby smiled faintly. "Figures. Something like that would only work with someone like you." She tilted her head. "Your armaments can even bypass a god’s chains."

After a brief silence, she asked, "So... you defeated him using runes?"

Adrian slowed for a moment, then nodded with a wry smile. "You could say that."

What he didn’t say was how he had etched runes onto his own arm—how he had pushed his body beyond reason to overwhelm Nytharos.

And naturally, he had no intention of telling Ruby that.

Some truths were better left unspoken—especially the ones that would only make her worry.

Soon, they entered the market district. The streets were nearly empty—hardly surprising, given how deep into the night it was.

Adrian noticed Ruby rubbing her palms together. She was only wearing a thin shirt, which explained it well enough.

Without a word, he slipped off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Ruby stiffened for a moment, then relaxed as warmth wrapped around her. She looked up at him in mild surprise.

Adrian didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, he reached out and took her hand.

The chill in her fingers vanished almost instantly.

"You should wear more layers when going out," he said calmly.

Ruby smiled faintly. "If I had," she replied, "how would I have gotten the chance to hold your hand?"

The corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly as he shook his head and kept walking.

Ruby stepped closer and looped her arm around his.

Adrian’s fingers flexed once before he threaded them through hers.

The lingering frost around her seemed to melt away, replaced by a familiar, steady warmth.

In a soft voice, she said, "I’m still upset."

He hummed. "About what?"

"You lied to us," she said, glancing sideways at him. "And you locked us inside that study chamber."

Adrian let out a quiet, rueful breath. "Then how about I make it up to you?"

Ruby tilted her head. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

He glanced around the empty street, then suddenly tugged her along.

Before she could react, Adrian pulled her into the narrow alley beside them.

Ruby gasped softly as her back met the wall, Adrian’s presence closing in—his arm braced beside her, his body caging her in without actually touching.

Her heart skipped.

The night air felt colder suddenly... yet she had never felt warmer.

Adrian lowered his head slightly, close enough that Ruby could feel his breath, warm against her cheek.

His hand found her back, his intentions clear.

Ruby’s fingers tightened around his coat, the borrowed warmth suddenly not enough to quiet the fluttering in her chest.

She looked up at him.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then, slowly, almost reverently, Adrian leaned in.

Ruby rose onto her toes without realizing she was doing it, as if her body already knew what her heart wanted. The distance between them vanished, and their lips met in a gentle, tentative kiss—soft, trembling with sincerity.

Her breath caught as warmth spread through her, not the kind that burned, but the kind that settled—deep and comforting. Adrian’s thumb pressed lightly against her back, grounding her, as though he was afraid she might slip away if he didn’t hold her just a little closer.

For Ruby, everything stilled.

The quiet alley, the cold night, the world beyond—it all faded. There was only this closeness, this fragile moment that felt both terrifying and perfect. Her heart pounded, innocent and unguarded, pouring everything she felt into that single touch.

When they parted, Ruby had to press her face against his chest to hide how embarrassed she was.

Adrian lightly chuckled and asked her, "How come, someone who is always flirting with me becomes so shy after just a small kiss?"

There was no response as the Vermillion heiress was still too hot in the head to even think properly.