Return of the Legendary Runesmith-Chapter 541 - 540- Tried to kill

Ariana made her way back to the academy.

Waking up early after sleeping close to dawn was far from pleasant, but she did not regret it. Yesterday had been special.

Whenever they all gathered in one place, endless chatter and gossip were inevitable. This time, they had even pulled Raven into their circle, and surprisingly, once she settled in, Raven turned out to be quite talkative.

Still, a new morning meant returning to responsibility.

Yesterday had been fun. Today, she had to manage the second-to-last day of the examinations.

And unfortunately, her duties did not end with the third years. Their winter vacation plans had already been postponed because of the ambush two weeks ago. The additional paperwork and precautions were exhausting.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she entered the campus and headed toward her office.

Then she noticed something unusual.

Several students were running toward the back side of the campus.

Her brows drew together. That was where Adrian’s workshop was located.

She turned and spotted a professor hurrying in the same direction.

"Professor Grey?"

The man halted abruptly. His eyes widened as he realized he had nearly ignored her in his rush, and he quickly bowed in apology.

Ariana lifted her hand dismissively. "It is fine. What happened?"

He answered breathlessly, "Professor Adrian’s workshop has been destroyed by an unknown force."

Her frown deepened instantly.

Without another word, she sprinted forward, leaving the professor behind as wind whipped in her wake.

Someone dared to touch his workshop?

Was it another ambush? Or had a reckless student like Elizabeth attempted something foolish again?

A cold edge entered her thoughts.

If that were the case, Adrian might truly kill the perpetrators this time.

He treasured that workspace far too much.

Just as the professor had said, Adrian’s workshop was in ruins.

Ice spikes jutted out from the walls at jagged angles. A massive hole yawned open in the center of the roof, smoke drifting lazily through it into the morning sky. Aside from the entrance, nearly every side of the structure bore marks of violent destruction. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ariana approached the nearest faculty member on site.

"Did you find anyone inside?"

Rylie shook his head. "It is empty, ma’am. Students gathered shortly after the incident, but no one saw anyone coming out after the destruction."

She bit down lightly on her lower lip, thinking quickly.

"Contain the area and inform Gilbert about what happened," she instructed.

Rylie nodded firmly before turning to disperse the students, ordering them back to their classes.

Ariana did not linger.

She left the wreckage behind and headed straight toward Adrian’s office.

What could have caused something like that?

Had something gone wrong during tuning?

Her heart tightened.

No... it could not be that.

She knew Adrian had already mastered the fifth thread.

He was not reckless. He was the type to review and repeat any process he deemed dangerous until he was completely certain. And the fifth thread was no minor step. It was the most difficult threshold to cross. There was no way he would attempt tuning Elana’s armament without being absolutely sure of his control.

So what went wrong?

Was it hesitation? A moment of doubt? Could something that small truly cause such devastation?

Her thoughts spiraled.

Was Elana safe?

Was Adrian injured?

By the time she reached his office, her mind was a storm. She pushed the door open.

Empty.

Her jaw tightened.

Without wasting another second, she hurried downstairs toward the infirmary.

If either of them had been hurt, they would have come here.

But once again, she found nothing.

The infirmary was quiet, occupied only by a few nurses who said something to her as she entered. The words barely registered in her mind.

She turned and walked out without responding.

There was one more place to check.

She changed direction and headed straight toward the male dormitory.

Ignoring the stares of the male students, Ariana strode straight through the dormitory and climbed to the top floor. She moved down the corridor without slowing, stopping only at the last room.

She knocked once.

Then, without waiting, she tried the handle.

Locked from the inside.

A faint sense of relief touched her. Someone was in there.

She knocked twice more, sharper this time.

Annabelle was still at the mansion, so if the room was locked from within, then that meant—

Click.

The door opened.

The moment she saw him standing there, relief flooded her chest.

"You are here..." she whispered before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him.

Adrian stiffened.

"Ou..."

The sound made her freeze.

She pulled back instantly, and her eyes dropped to his chest.

Red.

Her own shirt had been stained.

There was a large wound carved through his chest, blood still seeping through the fabric.

"A-Adrian?!"

He glanced past her shoulder and noticed several male students stepping out of their rooms, drawn by the noise.

Without explaining, he grabbed her wrist gently but firmly, pulled her inside, and shut the door.

"Adrian? What happened to you? And Elana..."

Her words trailed off.

She finally noticed the other presence in the room.

On the bed lay a familiar silver-haired girl, eyes closed, breathing steady, seemingly in deep sleep.

Adrian let out a tired breath and lowered himself into the chair. He held out his revolver toward Ariana.

"Would you mind shooting me?" he asked calmly.

She inhaled slowly, forcing her racing heart to settle. The important thing was that both of them were alive. Adrian was composed, which meant the situation, however serious, was under control.

Without arguing, she took the revolver.

She inspected the chamber briefly. She had never used one of his recovery bullets herself, but she trusted his preparation. After confirming it was loaded, she aimed carefully at the wound and pulled the trigger.

A soft flash of light enveloped his chest.

The bullet struck, dissolving into a warm glow that spread across the injury. The torn flesh sealed rapidly under the illumination. Adrian gave her a small nod of gratitude.

"Thanks."

Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he gestured toward himself. "Come here."

She stepped forward and sat on his lap.

Carefully, she began unbuttoning his shirt. The bleeding had stopped and the skin had closed, but a faint scar remained, thin yet unmistakable.

Her expression hardened.

Whatever had struck him had been meant to kill.

She lifted her gaze to meet his.

"Will you tell me what happened?" she asked quietly. "Why are you both here... and why does it look like Elana tried to kill you?"

Adrian exhaled a weary sigh and leaned back in his seat.

"From what it appeared, using Elana, Nytharos was trying to kill me."

Ariana’s eyes widened as she briefly glanced at the student resting on the bed.

"So, it’s true. Just like Annabelle, Elana is also Nytharos’s apostle."

Adrian nodded, "That much was certain but the system said there was a divine presence surrounding Elana."

Ariana frowned, "Nytharos was once divine too."

Adrian nodded, "But his powers have been stripped away and his souls were distributed into fragments for him to attempt something like this."

Somehow, he has a feeling that there was someone else behind it.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.