Chapter 110: First Rune
Edgar took a slow, steady breath. The bottle filled with silver ink rested beside his hand.
Unlike ordinary ink, the liquid shimmered faintly beneath the light of the oil lamp.
It looked less like ink and more like melted metal.
"...Let’s see."
He unfolded a small sheet of parchment that was left from yesterday before dipping the tip of his quill into the bottle.
A small drop of silver clung to the feather.
Edgar lowered the quill as he carefully began copying the rune.
After failing dozens of times the previous night, he no longer dared to rush.
His hand remained unbelievably steady, which was hard to maintain.
Minutes quietly passed, and the final stroke slowly connected with the rest of the symbol.
Edgar immediately compared it with the original drawing beside him.
"....."
His eyes moved from one line to another.
After comparing every tiny detail three separate times, he finally nodded.
"It’s identical."
He leaned back in his chair and patiently waited for the silver ink to dry.
Unlike ordinary ink, it took much longer.
Nearly ten minutes passed before the metallic shine finally settled.
"...Here goes nothing."
Edgar slowly placed two fingers upon the completed rune.
The familiar warmth of his Solar Heart answered immediately.
A gentle stream of golden energy flowed from his fingertips into the silver ink.
The response came instantly.
Hummm!!
Every line of the rune lit up at once, like light passing through them.
The countless tiny branches began glowing with a soft golden radiance, as though rivers of light were flowing through them.
Edgar’s eyes widened. "...It worked."
Unlike yesterday, the energy wasn’t rejected.
Instead, the rune eagerly absorbed every trace of Solar Energy.
The experience of seeing his idea work in the weirdest way made Edgar feel something stir in his heart.
Though he quickly focused back on the work at hand.
The golden pathways spread across the entire symbol before slowly fading beneath the surface.
A strange metallic sheen spread across the parchment itself.
The ordinary yellow paper gradually transformed into silver.
The soft parchment became smooth and metallic.
Edgar cautiously picked it up. "...It’s heavier."
It no longer bent like paper, and it felt almost like a thin sheet of steel.
He flexed it gently, but the thing didn’t budge even a little. It just refused to fold. "...Interesting."
Edgar knocked against it with his knuckles.
Clink.
A metallic sound echoed through the quiet room.
His heartbeat unconsciously sped up. ’Did the rune reinforce the material itself?’
Curiosity immediately overtook caution.
Standing up, he walked toward the opposite wall before taking the silver sheet between two fingers.
"...Let’s test it."
Whoosh!
He flicked his wrist, and the silver parchment shot forward like a throwing knife.
BOOM!!
It punched straight through the wooden wall without slowing down.
A perfectly square hole appeared where it had passed through.
Several moments later, a distant thud echoed from somewhere outside the house.
"..."
Edgar remained frozen. "...No way."
He hurried outside, hearing the ⟨Watch Tower⟩ killing all the Nightmares close by.
Several metres away, the silver parchment had buried itself halfway into a wooden fence.
Edgar carefully pulled it free, noticing how not a single scratch could be seen upon its surface.
His breathing unconsciously changed.
’What the fuck did I just make?’
The ordinary parchment had become harder than steel.
Edgar looked at the rune once again. "...This is fucking amazing."
Countless possibilities immediately flooded his mind.
If a simple strengthening rune could produce this result, then what about the other runes carved upon those ancient doors?
The thought alone made his heart race. The possibilities were just endless!!
Edgar hurried back inside. "I need to test another one."
He immediately reached for another sheet of parchment, but his hand stopped halfway.
"..."
He slowly looked around the table.
Every single sheet had already been used during yesterday’s experiments.
Only little scattered scraps remained. "...Seriously?"
He let out a long sigh before collapsing back onto the sofa. "...I suppose that’s enough rune research for today."
His eyes drifted toward the wooden box resting beneath the table.
Inside were dozens of white Nightmare Stones. "...Might as well do something productive."
He placed thirty stones in neat rows before him.
Without hesitation, he picked up the first one as warmth flowed into his body, and the stone crumbled into grey dust.
The familiar rhythm continued without interruption.
Every shattered Nightmare Stone poured refined energy into his Solar Heart.
The golden warmth spread through every vein in his body.
Hours quietly slipped away, and Edgar remained completely focused.
By the time the thirtieth Nightmare Stone had turned to dust, more than four hours had already passed.
"Haa..."
He slowly opened his eyes.
His breathing had become noticeably heavier.
Even lifting his arm felt strangely difficult.
"...That..."
He leaned back against the sofa with a tired laugh.
"...was exhausting."
His Solar Heart continued beating steadily inside his chest.
Although completely drained, Edgar could clearly feel one thing.
The amount of energy stored within him had increased once again.
’One more session and I will reach the limit of my rank....’
His mind drifted into darkness as the blonde boy fell asleep on the sofa once again.
---
When Edgar woke up, he felt another presence sleeping by his side.
’...Hera?’
The thought drifted lazily through his exhausted mind before disappearing just as quickly.
Absorbing thirty Nightmare Stones had drained him far more than he had expected.
Without thinking, Edgar instinctively tightened his arm around the figure beside him.
"...Mm..."
A faint, almost inaudible sound reached his ears.
"Gently...."
The voice whispered in her sleep, but Edgar was already too exhausted to listen anymore.
’Just... five more minutes...’
The hall room fell silent once again.
---
BAM!! BAM!!
Edgar’s eyes snapped open when he heard the loud sounds echo throughout the Fortress.
’What is happening?’
His gaze fell on the girl in his arms, who had also woken up but pretended to be sleeping.
Before Edgar could say anything, Reeba suddenly rushed down from the second floor.
"My lord!" she yelled with a panicked look on her face. "There are soldiers of the Northern Sect ready to attack!?"
The sleepiness in Edgar’s eyes vanished in an instant.