The Runic Alchemist

Prince could indeed just use his intent to talk now—that was quite cool, Damian had to admit. And somehow, it was much faster than talking. Damian thought about inscribing the spell on his sacrium bracers.. just to check out how they worked.

Now that the guy had free speech, Damian grabbed both his sacrium arms and said, “Keep my shit out of any conversations, or I will break your body into a hundred pieces and store it in a place darker than death itself.”

Prince just replied with, ‘Yes, sir.’

The only thing powering its actions was Damian’s own mana. Damian actually had full control over all the spells he could cast—Prince knew it too. Without him, he would just be a man trapped in an inescapable object all his life. Damian wasn’t worried about him leaking any of his secrets; he wouldn’t have done it if he was.

The next day, they all stayed put—most of them busy reading the literature they had bought, while some were having alcohol in broad daylight. Others were following their routine of exercise and meditation. Damian worked on his designs all day above the floating building in the small dome he had made, as Evrin, Lucian, and Grace read novels beside him all day after finishing their routines.

However, late at night, around 11 o’clock, all the servants in the building left, and suddenly, a man dressed in formal clothes arrived with a note in hand. Damian was called, and when he read the note, his eyebrows raised, but he accepted the secret meeting anyway.

About half an hour later, the Prince of England, the Earl of Bute, and Princess Augusta walked into the wooden building. Damian used one of the empty rooms to conjure a fancy table and chairs for their discussion. He was alone with the three in the room—all of whom eyed him. He was in formal clothes, his sleeves rolled up, the chains etched there clear for them to see.

“They say you made all this in less than twenty minutes..” the Earl of Bute, John Stuart, said.

“Wood Style is not an easy spell to learn.. but it is very well worth it,” Damian replied. “So.. What brings you here?”

“The mana contract you mentioned..” Princess Augusta said. “What proof can you show us that it works?”

Damian eyed her. “You want me to kill a man to prove a point?”

“Have you never done it before?” the Prince asked, meeting Damian’s eyes.

“The point I was trying to prove then was much more important than putting some nobles at ease about their decisions,” Damian replied.

“Even if the demonstration is crucial for our partnership?” John Stuart asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t kill men for such useless reasons,” Damian replied.

“Fine..” Princess Augusta said. “How about we do this contract with a death row prisoner, saying we will free him if he reveals the information we need?”

“Sure, as long as both parties know the consequences of their actions, I can do the spell.”

They stood, telling him they would arrange the details soon. Before leaving the room, Prince George turned around and asked, his expression slightly hesitant,

“You said anyone can learn this.. ‘magic’ in your first letter. Was that true, or just another trick?”

Damian did not reply and simply called for Lumi, having her use the status tool again, showing the three of them the status screen. Then, he let her go—she was busy reading important materials. Though they were just books, unlike the others, she was reading ones that were more educational. Damian had told her how studying them could make a mage better at both using spells and creating runic tools.

Then, Damian gave the status tool to Prince George and told him to activate his status. He did so, and the three just stared at the floating window.

—-

Name: George William Frederick Lv. 25

Rank: Mundane

Affinity: Sound, Spirit

STR: 24

DEF: 22

INT: 26

AGI: 23

DEX: 22

CHA: 14

LUC: 8

Blessings: Godless

Skills:

…[Diplomatic Authority Lv.9], [Pistol Marksmanship Lv.9], [Inspiring Presence Lv.9], [Battlefield Coordination Lv.7], [Tactician’s Foresight Lv.9], [Industrial Patron Lv.4], [Ascension Rank 1 (Temporary)]…

—-

Damian was impressed by the list of fifty-plus skills.. He was really curious about what jobs people with such potential would get. Damian repeated the ascension process, and once again, it failed—all three of them saw the messages it displayed.

“What does it all mean? Ascension? Overseer?” the Earl of Bute muttered.

Damian finally said, “All of you have the potential to use the same magic we do.” They had somewhat figured it out and just nodded along. Damian continued, “But the system does not allow the people of Earth to ascend because of this Overseer thing. This is my first time seeing it too, so I’m not exactly sure what it is.. but if I ever reach such a level, I will be back and see if I can help the people of Earth ascend.”

“You are not on that level yet?” Prince George asked.

“No. For now, all I can offer your people is knowledge and some tools,” Damian replied simply.

They nodded—whether they accepted the reasoning or not was another matter entirely. With more questions in their minds than before, they returned, and Damian got busy with his designs again.

Two days passed. Damian performed the mana contract, and as expected, the foreign prisoner died but did not reveal his country’s secrets—providing the “proof” they wanted. Damian did not witness it himself; once the spell was cast, he never saw the two men again.

Then came the negotiations, as they sent document after document regarding their official partnership and the terms of his offer. They kept trying to increase their percentage, but Damian, in the end, only conceded two percent—raising it from twenty to twenty-two—and they were happy with their “success.”

Before the final declaration, he met the King himself, just a formality. The public had no issue, and seeing the potential for profit, the Prince and Pitt crushed any opposition to the partnership.

Finally, a week after landing in this era, Damian signed both a standard contract and a mana contract with the Royals—officializing their agreement.

And at last, they got to work.