Chapter 914: Runes and Workings
Strax walked through the inner corridors of the training center with an expression that mixed resignation and exhaustion. On one shoulder, he carried Albedo as if she were a particularly angry sack of potatoes. On the other, he carried Lithara in exactly the same way. Considering that both possessed enough power to destroy entire cities, the image was absurdly ridiculous.
Neither of them seemed satisfied with this.
Albedo kept her arms crossed while staring at the floor with a sullen expression reminiscent of a child after losing an argument. Lithara, on the other hand, seemed much less bothered by the situation. In fact, she stared at the ceiling while slowly swinging one leg, like someone enjoying a leisurely stroll.
The fact that neither of them was trying to escape spoke volumes.
Especially since Strax had temporarily sealed a good portion of their strength after the fight.
It was a preventative measure.
And also a punishment.
An extremely deserved punishment.
Frieren walked beside them in silence, holding his staff as he watched the group advance through the reinforced stone corridors. Some passersby glanced at the scene twice before continuing on their way.
Which was understandable.
It wasn’t exactly common to see two extremely powerful succubi being carried like that by the leader of Asgard.
After a few minutes of walking, Frieren finally spoke.
"You should have stopped them sooner."
Strax let out a tired sigh.
"Probably."
"Or at least you shouldn’t have sealed their power afterward."
"Why?"
Frieren glanced at Albedo.
Then at Lithara.
Then looked ahead again.
"Because now they’re even angrier."
That was true.
Albedo immediately seized the opportunity.
"She started it."
"Lies," Lithara replied without even raising her head. "You tried to punch me first."
"Because you called me a rookie."
"Because you are."
The murderous aura between them instantly intensified.
Strax narrowed her eyes slightly.
The two remained silent.
Frieren observed this with genuine interest.
It was impressive how both could behave perfectly during battles against ancient monsters and, at the same time, act that way when placed in the same environment.
"Anyway," Frieren continued. "I still think I should have stopped the fight."
Strax shrugged.
"It was good for them."
"Good?"
"Yes."
He continued walking while speaking in a calm tone.
"Lithara stayed away for a long time."
His eyes briefly shifted to the woman on his shoulder.
"I wanted to see how much she’d improved."
Lithara didn’t respond immediately.
But a small, satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Strax continued.
"She’s clearly gotten stronger."
"I’ve always been strong," Lithara replied.
"Your ego remains the same."
"Thank you."
"That wasn’t a compliment."
She seemed to consider it for a few seconds.
"I’ll take it as a compliment anyway."
Frieren let out a small breath through her nose that almost sounded like a laugh.
Almost.
Strax continued.
"Besides, sometimes it’s good to let off steam."
Albedo seemed to agree against her own will.
"The punch to her face helped a lot."
"You hit me fewer times."
"Because you were running."
"That’s called strategy."
The two stared at each other again.
Strax completely ignored it.
It was no longer his problem.
At least not at that moment.
After a few more minutes walking through the corridors, Frieren seemed to remember something.
Her expression became slightly more focused.
"That wasn’t the reason I was looking for you."
Strax raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"No."
"Then what was it?"
Frieren adjusted her staff against her shoulder before answering.
"I wanted to talk about research."
That immediately caught his attention.
Because when Frieren said research, it usually meant something that would consume weeks or months of her time.
"What kind of research?"
She thought for a few seconds before answering.
"Runes."
Strax was silent for a moment.
That made sense.
Since the fall of the ancient territory of the White Flame Monarch, vast amounts of knowledge had been incorporated into the libraries of Asgard.
Much of that material was still being cataloged.
And Frieren had probably read half of it.
Maybe more.
"I’ve recently started studying runes again," she explained.
"Because of the library?"
Frieren nodded.
"I learned some interesting things."
Strax reflected for a few moments.
He wasn’t exactly an expert.
But he knew more about the subject than most.
Mainly because of Scathach.
When he was still learning about his own draconic nature, she had given him ancient records containing studies on demonic and draconic runes.
Much of that knowledge remained with him.
"I understand a little about the subject," he replied.
Frieren nodded again.
"I know."
"Then what do you want to know?"
She remained silent.
Which was strange.
Frieren rarely hesitated to ask questions.
This made Strax look at her more closely.
"Frieren?"
She finally answered.
"Actually, I don’t want to ask anything."
Strax blinked. "Then why did you seek me out?"
The elf paused for a few seconds, organizing her thoughts.
Then she answered with her usual naturalness.
"I want your mana."
The entire corridor fell silent.
Even Albedo and Lithara stopped arguing.
Strax looked at her.
Frieren looked back.
Neither seemed to realize how strange that phrase sounded.
"My mana?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Frieren rested one hand on her staff.
"Because I’m having difficulties."
"What kind of difficulties?"
She seemed to search for the best way to explain.
"My mana isn’t exactly... stable."
Strax understood immediately.
Or at least part of the problem.
Frieren continued.
"For thousands of years, I’ve only used ordinary elven mana."
She walked calmly as she spoke.
"But my nature has changed."
Strax nodded slowly.
She was right.
The transformation she had undergone had profoundly altered how her body processed energy.
That inevitably affected her magical affinity.
"Pure mana still works," Frieren continued. "But it’s becoming increasingly difficult to use it in the same way."
"So you want to study the difference."
"Exactly."
That finally made sense.
It was research.
Research that was extremely characteristic of her.
Frieren didn’t seem bothered by the change.
She just wanted to understand how it worked.
As she always did.
"You want to compare your mana with mine."
"Yes."
"To analyze the draconic properties."
"Yes."
"That sounds like a lot of work."
"It is."
"Then you’re going to do it anyway."
"Of course."
Strax sighed.
It was a completely normal conversation for Frieren.
Beside them, Lithara watched the scene in silence.
Then she commented:
"You two are strange."
"I agree," added Albedo.
Frieren turned to both of them.
"You spent the last hour destroying a building because you argued about who met Strax first."
Neither of them answered.
The silence that followed was extremely revealing.
Strax smiled for the first time in several minutes.
Perhaps Frieren really was the most sensible person in that group.
The fact that this thought made any sense was, in itself, deeply worrying.
...
The main headquarters of the Asgard Adventurers’ Guild was surprisingly quiet that afternoon.
Not because there was a lack of adventurers.
Quite the opposite.
Outside, the enormous main hall remained as bustling as ever. Mercenaries discussed contracts, newly arrived adventurers displayed slain monsters, messengers crisscrossed corridors carrying documents, and several receptionists desperately tried to prevent some idiot from accepting missions above their level.
It was exactly the usual organized chaos.
However, on the second floor of the building, inside the office reserved for the guild’s leadership, the atmosphere was much more tranquil.
Rogue sat behind her enormous dark wood desk, partially resting her face on one hand as she distractedly watched her own tail slowly sway behind the chair.
The long feline tail moved lazily from side to side.
She followed the movement with her eyes.
For no particular reason.
Just because she was bored.
Being a guild leader seemed much more exciting when viewed from the outside.
In practice, much of the work consisted of paperwork.
Lots of paperwork.
Mountains of paperwork.
Documents.
Contracts.
Approval requests.
Financial records.
Expedition reports.
Authorization to purchase equipment.
Authorization to sell equipment.
Authorization to authorize other authorizations.
Rogue was beginning to suspect there was a secret conspiracy among bureaucrats to turn any position of power into administrative work.
Her tail continued to wag slowly.
She sighed.
Then she picked up another document.
Signed it.
Stamped it.
Pushed it to the pile on the left.
Then repeated the process.
And again.
And again.
A few minutes later, a familiar sound caught her attention.
The large double wooden doors of the office swung open.
Rogue looked up.
Amber calmly entered the room, carrying an organized stack of documents against her chest.
The young woman had become a constant figure within the guild in recent months. As Rogue’s personal secretary, she was responsible for organizing practically everything involving internal administration.
Which meant that, in practice, Amber was the main reason the guild still functioned.
Rogue recognized this.
Even if he rarely admitted it aloud.
Amber walked to the desk unhurriedly.
Her face remained as professional as ever.
"More service requests."
Rogue let out a silent groan of suffering.
"You hate me."
"If I hated you, I’d let these documents pile up."
"Fair point."
Amber carefully placed the stack on the table.
"Escort missions."
She pointed to the first group.
"Monster hunting."
Then to another.
"Convoy protection."
A few more.
"Patrol requests."
Rogue simply nodded as she began to analyze the documents.
Her gaze quickly scanned each page.
Years working as an adventurer had given her enough experience to identify problems almost instantly.
She separated some missions for beginner adventurers.
Others for intermediate groups.
The most dangerous were sent to experienced teams.
Everything happened quickly.
Signature.
Stamp.
Next document.
Signature.
Stamp.
Next.
Amber watched silently as she worked.
It was almost impressive.
Despite his nonchalant appearance, Rogue was extremely efficient when he really concentrated.
A few minutes later, practically the entire stack had disappeared.
Only a single sheet remained.
Amber hadn’t put it with the others.
It remained separate.
On the table.
As if it deserved special attention.
Rogue noticed this immediately.
His expression changed slightly.
Then he picked up the document.
The paper looked different.
More refined.
More expensive.
The stamp engraved in the lower corner was also unusual.
She began to read.
Her eyebrow rose slowly.
Then it rose higher.
Then she reread it a second time.
Then a third.
Because she was sure she had misunderstood.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t misunderstood.
Rogue finally looked up at Amber.
"Where did you get this?"
Amber seemed to have expected that reaction. "It arrived this morning."
"That doesn’t answer my question."
Amber sighed quietly.
Then she replied:
"It came directly from the Ice Monarch’s territory."
