The Runic Alchemist

Chapter 299 Some Faces of Old & New

The beastman boy, Kamisen—such was his name—and his teammates fought as best as they could. Unfortunately, they spent more time crafting defensive walls and water shields to save themselves from the ferocious wolf than actually dealing damage. That was the problem with overthinking. Every team needed at least one "I'll hit it till it breaks" kind of guy.

It was amusing to watch them dart around as the nimble, fire-spitting wolf chased behind them.

"Why are you here?" she asked, not looking at him.

Damian, however, did look at her. Her unusual, blue, flowing hair was strikingly strange yet perfectly suited to her sharp features. Her growth was far more noticeable than his own.

"Sightseeing," Damian replied. He caught her eyebrows rising in exasperation as she turned to look at him. Damian averted his gaze, pretending not to notice.

"What's with the funny hair?" he asked back.

"Don't know. It's probably because of my job," she replied.

"A prestigious job, huh? That sounds nice."

"Who would know better than you?" she remarked.

Before Damian could respond, he sensed two mana signatures approaching from the side. It was the noble kids who always hung around Lucian and had somehow made it into the academy. What were their names again? He didn't even remember. He did recall the boy challenging him for Lucian's hand and the girl who looked suspiciously similar to one of the girls dragging Lucian off that night for drama.

"Lucian, where did you suddenly take off to?" the girl asked as the boy trailed behind her. They spotted the three sitting on the bench. Damian could see the wheels turning in their minds through their calculating eyes.

His lineage being revealed wasn't as big an issue as it had been when he and Sam were on their own. Both had gained enough strength and renown that targeting them could now be seen as directly opposing the Eldoris royalty. Still, Damian was concerned about them blabbing his name—it could make things awkward. The real danger wasn't Dawnstar but Faerunia. There, they were still regarded as runaway criminals.

In the four years since their escape, Faerunia must have uncovered clues about their whereabouts. Sam was somewhat known in his village, and any minor noble or knight who'd seen him at the Baron's villa might connect the dots between Damian's description and the timing of the Faerunian incident.

"Uh… and who might this nice guy with you be, Lucian?" the girl asked, though her darting eyes and glances exchanged with the boy betrayed her pretense of ignorance.

"Forget that you saw him," Lucian said flatly, her gaze devoid of humor. The two nodded quickly.

"What were your names again?" Damian asked. They were older now—maybe they'd grown up a bit.

"Fiona Windmere."

"Adrian Brightfield."

"Ah, Master Adrian," Damian said with mock cheer. "If I remember correctly, you were going to challenge me for Lucian, weren't you?"

Adrian's handsome face turned bright red as Fiona and Lucian chuckled.

"And you," Damian continued, looking at Fiona, "were one of the girls who urged him to do it."

"Yes, yes, she did! I didn't even want to—she dragged everyone into it!" Adrian protested, pointing accusingly at Fiona, whose expression now suggested she wanted to throttle him.

After a beat of tense silence, the four burst into laughter. It felt like ages ago. Damian still remembered the embarrassment of that moment clearly though.

"Oh my, what are we laughing about so heartily now?"

A new voice interrupted them. Another person approached, this one followed by a crowd of admirers.

The fourth prince of Dawnstar stood there, clad in shining armor and wearing a princely smile. From this close, Damian had to admit—the guy looked like royalty. His bright blonde hair, emerald-green eyes, and aura of confidence screamed regal.

Damian had sensed him coming, along with the trailing crowd. Why they'd left such a good viewing angle to come this far was baffling though.

"A wood-style mage from Eldoris? Why haven't I seen your talent in the final ranking test?" the prince asked, his curiosity piqued. Though more than curious about the bench, Damian could see his eyes focusing on Lucian sitting on it with him and Toph.

"I'm from the Knowledge Keepers' section," Damian replied.

"Such talent, mastering wood style at this age—why wouldn't you choose the warrior class?" the prince pressed, finally focusing fully on Damian.

"I have plenty of strength. I came here to gain knowledge," Damian answered simply.

The prince smiled, clearly amused. He studied Damian's face as if seeing it for the first time. Damian shrugged and stood up, stepping away from the bench. Lucian followed, and when Toph jumped, Damian instinctively raised his hands to catch him. But Lucian, who was closer, caught him first. The little devil didn't even hesitate, snuggling into her arms. Such betrayal.

Ignoring them, Damian began chanting in Japanese. The simple bench transformed into an elegant wooden platform, the wood and vines rising from beneath the earth, adorned with greenery and flowers, matching the platform used by the staff—though much smaller. The crowd behind them fell silent, their murmuring cut off as they watched in awe.

Even Lucian, her friends, and the prince stared, completely stunned silent by the pretty structure Damian had created. He looked at them for a few seconds yet no one paid attention to him, still watching the vines and wood forming and taking their place.

"Come, have a seat.." Damian said as he took Toph from Lucian and walked up the wooden steps, settling in the middle of the front row. Your next chapter is on empire

The crowd, as if broken out of a spell, gasped in unison and started murmuring amongst themselves loudly. The prince and others also regained their composure and came to sit beside him. The young boys and girls, most of whom from noble lineage, followed the prince happily and settled on a seat of their own choosing.

The Beastmen boy seemed to have made it till the end of 5 minutes, though only he alone had survived. All his conpanions were eliminated and the brown wolf still had full yellow health.