The Runesmith

The helmet pulsed with a soft azure glow as the readings stabilized. Roland leaned in and tapped the panels with his fingers as the process began.

“The memory transfer is going through. Feed is steady…”

A dozen screens flickered to life across the console. Each displayed fragmented but vivid images—glimpses of Arthur’s trial unfolding like scenes from a tale. Mary stood silently nearby, holding the pillow steady beneath Arthur’s limp head. Her eyes remained focused on her lord, though she occasionally glanced at the flashing lights around the room. Most of them were in muted shades of gray, offering very little color in between.

“This looks familiar…”

A castle appeared, perched on a misty ridge and surrounded by wild, untamed land. It looked half-ruined, with only a single banner fluttering in the wind. The symbol on it resembled Arthur’s own crest. It was faded, barely recognizable, yet clearly marked with the emblem of the Valerian household.

‘This must be what he saw first when he arrived. Then came the rest…’

The memories appeared fragmented, displayed like a slideshow highlighting key moments. First came a main settlement or fortress, similar to the keep he had once defended during his tier-three trial. Back then, he had taken the role of overlord, charged with conquering surrounding lands to secure victory. From what the images revealed, Arthur now faced a similar challenge.

Next, a council chamber filled with advisors appeared before Arthur. They wore strange masks that resembled those used in dramatic performances to portray basic emotions. Most of the expressions showed fear, exhaustion, or shame. They were all negative, which made Roland wonder if they were tied to the nature of the trial. Perhaps once the trial concluded, the emotions would shift to more positive ones.

Ledgers, maps, and resource tallies were laid out across a large central table, much like the one used in their own war room. A detailed map of the region was spread across its surface, and the settlement where Arthur had arrived appeared to be positioned right at the center. As in Roland’s trial, other forces surrounded this location, each holding more territory and possessing greater resources.

“Will he have to conquer the other places, or is the win condition something else?” 

Roland thought. In his own trial, his role had been that of an overlord, one who ruled over lesser lords and brought all regions under a single banner. But Arthur’s objective might be different. Until they gathered more data, there was no way to be certain. At least the people in the chamber weren’t wooden constructs. Instead, they wore masks that seemed fused to their faces, as if part of their very being.

Roland leaned in closer as the view shifted once again. Arthur now stood in the center of a crumbling throne room. The same masked advisors were gathered around him, either kneeling or standing in a wide arc. Although their voices could not be heard, their gestures made their intent clear. They were waiting for instructions. Even more surprisingly, Roland managed to catch a snapshot of the system display Arthur had seen. He had not thought that would be possible.

Roland studied the display with a furrowed brow. The system was offering more specific guidance than usual, and this trial appeared to focus more on survival than on conquest.

The objective did not mention battle or territory expansion. Arthur was meant to manage and improve his holdings as a lord. The wording left room for interpretation, which likely meant he could succeed through multiple strategies. Trade, diplomacy, and wise governance might be just as effective as warfare.

Running a struggling kingdom under pressure with a time limit reminded Roland of his own experience. Building structures, defending key locations, delegating authority, and managing limited resources would likely play major roles in success. Arthur might still need to form an army, but overall the challenge seemed less brutal than the one Roland had faced. With Arthur’s natural charisma, he might find more success through alliances and negotiations.

The next images reinforced Roland’s analysis. Arthur stood in the castle courtyard, examining his surroundings. A few dozen soldiers marched in uneven lines, poorly armed and lacking discipline. Food supplies were dangerously low. The smithy was barely functioning. Most troubling of all were red markers at the edges of the regional map. These signaled the presence of enemy forces. Perhaps they were raiders, or maybe rival lords.

Each cycle, likely representing a week or a month within the trial, would require Arthur to make important decisions. He would have to choose which areas to improve, which threats to respond to, and which people to rely on. This was not a simple combat challenge. It was a test filled with countless variables, many of which would be difficult to predict.

Fortunately, the runic memory machine offered a possible advantage. If they could collect enough data, they might begin to uncover patterns hidden within the trial’s structure. Roland planned to assign Sebastian to analyze the numbers and track how Arthur’s choices affected each outcome. With sufficient information, they could prepare a strategy guide that would give Arthur a large advantage upon his return.

“Uh…”

“Lord Arthur, please don’t move.”

Arthur began to wake, and Roland realized there was little time left to continue the memory storage process. Even so, more information continued to surface, revealing how Arthur had tried to manage the unfolding situation. Numerous decrees had been issued, each one aimed at stabilizing his domain. He had also launched an investigation into his council in an effort to fulfill the secondary objective, which suggested the presence of a possible traitor.

It was difficult to determine the exact details of Arthur’s orders, but from the available fragments, it appeared that he began by rationing food and deploying his army to stabilize the surrounding regions. Later, he tried to develop farmland and initiated trade with more neutral lords. This effort required travel, negotiations, and the building of alliances, including at least one formed through marriage, something that still haunted Roland in his sleep.

Despite these efforts, Arthur always seemed just a little too slow in making key decisions. In the end, he did not survive the trial. The final memory showed him standing at the gallows, while one of the masked men watched from the crowd. This particular mask bore an unsettling grin, and based on his attire, it was clear that he had been a member of the council. He had remained hidden throughout, never exposed as the traitor.

“That’s the gist of it …”

Mary stayed by Arthur’s side and had been given the task of asking him what he could remember. His recollection was limited, mostly fading after the first few cycles and leading up to his eventual death. Still, with the help of the stored visual records, they hoped to jog his memory and piece together more of what had happened during the trial.

“How do you feel?”

“As if I was gone for a year or more. It wasn’t this bad during my last trial.”

Roland didn’t respond right away. His eyes stayed fixed on the final frozen image on the screen, showing Arthur standing tall but clearly defeated, the traitor’s grinning mask visible in the crowd of angry masks. After a long breath, he finally turned to face him.

“It is a fitting trial for someone who aims to become a lord. You just need to adapt faster and probably identify the traitor a lot sooner.”

Roland responded while glancing at the screens. There was one flaw his friend had never overcome—his tendency to rely too heavily on others. Arthur often seemed to carry an inferiority complex when compared to his brothers. In matters concerning the city, he deferred to Roland frequently and rarely contradicted his advice. While this cautious approach might have worked in favor of Roland, it was not the mark of a true leader, and not for someone who aspired to become one.

Perhaps this dependence on trusted advisors had been Arthur’s greatest weakness. Within the trial, he had no one to trust but himself. It demanded confidence in his own judgment, something he clearly had not yet learned to rely on.

“I felt like I was constantly falling behind. Too many things to watch out for, and never enough time…”

Arthur rubbed his temples with unsteady hands. The mental toll of the trial was clear. The longer one remained inside, the more pressure it placed on the mind. Fortunately, Roland had embedded several protective runes to ease the worst effects. Because of that, Arthur would come away from the ordeal with nothing more than a mild migraine. 

Roland gave him a moment, then adjusted the chair to a sitting position. Mary remained there as if worried that he would fall over at any moment. However, the combination of mending runes and restorative ones made the pain quickly fade away but the change in Arthur was there. At least, for a moment before the memories started to be forcefully erased, something even Roland couldn’t do anything about.

“I think we have some good data, go rest for now, I’ll come back to you later.”

“I’ll take you up on that offer, my friend.”

Arthur gave a slow nod and finally rose from the chair. He was in better condition than most who had gone through similar trials, but he still needed time to recover. Roland understood the toll well, having endured over a year inside his own trial. Arthur’s experience seemed to include a time acceleration feature as well, suggesting he had likely spent several months within that simulated world, but also that he had grown older. 

“Considering this was such an elaborate trial, it might take a while until the next time you can start it, so take your time.”

Roland replied, and once Arthur and Mary had left the chamber, it was time to begin the analysis.

“Sebastian, analyze the trial. Scan for all available details and any hidden meanings within the images.”

“As you wish, Master.”

Sebastian’s voice echoed from deeper within the chamber. At first, it sounded disembodied, but a moment later, a figure stepped into view. It was a golem, dressed in what resembled a tailored butler’s suit, with a body that was nearly human in its proportions. Lucille had clearly enjoyed designing him a bit too much, and now his construction had reached completion.

His face, once minimal and expressionless, now looked almost doll-like and somewhat uncannily close to human, but still not quite natural. The subtle unease in his gaze remained, but his movements and expressions had begun to resemble those of a real person. His body was crafted from a porcelain-like material, smooth and pure white, gleaming faintly like a polished pearl.

Sebastian stepped forward with the grace of a proper butler. Thanks to Lucille’s expertise as a rune mage, several programs had been crafted to shape his personality. Over time, it had become something of a hobby for her. She had modeled his behavior to reflect that of a noble servant, complete with the habits and mannerisms expected of one. Even now, this tower spirit, who was also a supercomputer, approached with a drink balanced perfectly on a silver tray.

“Sir, your fluid intake has been rather low.”

“Ah… sure, thank you, Sebastian.”

Roland accepted the cup of black tea, brewed to his preferred taste, and took a sip. With that, the pattern analysis began.

“Commencing pattern analysis. Estimated time to completion: seventeen hours, twenty-five minutes, and twenty-three seconds. Real-time updates will be provided.”

Sebastian had evolved into a supercomputer that not only handled complex calculations but also managed many of the magical systems within the city. He was responsible for activating the runic lights at sunset and alerting the guards if any crimes occurred.

Citizens had begun purchasing the runic home appliances he had designed, which replicated the functions of refrigerators, showers, and even microwaves. With Sebastian overseeing their operation, these devices could be shut down instantly in case of an accident. To support this growing network, his computing power had been steadily expanded through continuous upgrades to the mainframe where he was housed.

“This place is starting to look like a server room… or a nuclear reactor.”

He stepped out of the chamber where he and Arthur had been and made his way toward the room that housed Sebastian’s true core. Through a narrow gap in the door, he peered inside and saw a space filled with cables and tall pillars etched with glowing runic symbols. The base of each structure was submerged in a transparent coolant that helped preserve the delicate enchantments.

At the center stood Sebastian’s core, composed of intricate honeycomb-like structures that formed the foundation of his intelligence. The surrounding pillars boosted his processing capabilities, though they could not function as a tower spirit on their own. They served only to support the core, amplifying his reach and effectiveness across the city.

The plan was to expand Sebastian across the entire island, but there were several obstacles. The biggest challenge was the cabling. Although there was technology that could imitate wireless communication through magic, it came with a major flaw. Anti-magical devices and skilled mages could easily detect and interfere with the transmission of information.

Mana was an unpredictable energy source. It was present almost everywhere and in everything. Despite its abundance and ease of use, it couldn’t be monopolized. It was vulnerable to interference from monsters and other magical artifacts. Roland considered whether he could create something similar to radio towers. To generate a strong enough signal, though, he would likely need infrastructure on the scale of a fully developed magic tower.

The only realistic way he could see this working was by installing runic transceivers inside the existing magic towers spread throughout the kingdom. But that would require permission from the lords, and such approval would likely be impossible without support from a Duke or even the King.

Still, there was another potential solution. To connect with other cities, at least within Dragni’s island, he could use the network of underground tunnels created by the dungeon. These tunnels extended beneath the entire island and might provide a stable route for the necessary connections.

This had become the focus of Roland’s current research and frustration. While Arthur was working toward earning his tier three class, Roland was trying to uncover the secrets of the underground tunnels and understand how they had remained undiscovered for so long. Now that the levels of mana pollution had been significantly reduced, his golems were able to spread out in all directions and begin mapping the entire network. The scale of the tunnels far exceeded his initial expectations.

The tunnels were reinforced with mana, forming rock that was nearly as strong as dwarven steel. Although the exit tunnels, where monsters had once emerged, had been destroyed, the main passages remained intact. Some rubble had accumulated, but clearing it with the appropriate golems would be a simple task.

Roland began to envision laying cables throughout the island, alongside a full railway system. The tunnels were wide enough to support trains and carts without issue. While teleportation technology did exist, it remained less cost-effective than rail transport. In addition, a railway could operate continuously without the cooldown periods required to prevent overloading the runes used in teleportation.

“We’ve discovered a few pockets of iron, copper, and nickel. It’s probably worth the investment.”

What began as a project for silent travel had revealed far more potential than anyone had anticipated. The tunnels ran deep underground, branching out in every direction. Along the way, some walls intersected with mineral veins and other valuable resources. With the mana density now reduced, it was possible to deploy runic sensors capable of scanning everything within a hundred-meter radius. The sheer size of the underground network was staggering. No one had ever thought to dig so deep in search of resources, but now they didn’t have to.

“If we’re lucky, we might even find precious metals. Gold, platinum… Who knows? Maybe even star metal? Why is it that whenever I finish one task, another immediately appears? Am I cursed or something?”

Roland sighed. He had hoped for at least a few months of peace before the next major undertaking, but that now seemed impossible. He still needed to investigate the origins of the tunnels and locate the entrance to the super dungeon he had long wanted to explore. On top of that, the great assembly was approaching. It was a political obligation he wished he could avoid, but in two weeks, he would need to depart to the place where all of Arthur’s brothers would be gathering…

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