Chapter 47: Rune class
The next morning arrives, promising another day of teaching and learning. I find myself in one of the academy's classrooms, awaiting the start of the day's rune-craftsmanship lesson. The room is abuzz with students' chatter, the atmosphere lively and expectant.
"Runes are great because of their versatility," the professor begins, effectively silencing the room. His voice carries an air of authority, immediately commanding attention. "Runes have become a necessity for us all. We use them to heat our homes, our water, and to keep our food cool and long-lasting. If you go to the streets, all lamp posts have runes engraved on them. However, runes have a deep history. They're not merely for casual life."
He starts drawing on the board as he continues, "When writing in runes, we use the language of the gods, languages that were bestowed by the gods. To this day, we have yet to master the use of runes, as the languages of the gods are difficult to decipher and understand."
The sketches come alive on the board, the runes glowing faintly, and the drawings next to it started moving. It's a fascinating sight, runes are extremely useful, especially for creating weapons. I doubt I'll have time to master runes but I still want to try.
"The purpose of a runemaster is to maximize the efficiency of runes and draw unparalleled runes," he explains further, finishing his sketch. The entire classroom has fallen into a hush, the students attentively listening and absorbing the information. "Now, everyone, with your partner, please read the first 20 pages of your book."
A collective sigh fills the room as everyone begins to pull out their books. Meanwhile, I turn my head to look at my partner. Of course, Biana is comfortably asleep, her face buried in her pillow. I 'tsk' and flick her forehead, not gently. "Oi, wake up, sleeping beast~"
She groans, yawning and attempting to push her face even deeper into her pillow. "How harsh, V~ can't you just let me sleep~" she mumbles, sounding more asleep than awake.
"Sure, I'll let you sleep," I begin, "if you answer some questions about runes for me." A devilish grin stretches across my face, pleased with my brilliant plan. Let's see if I can use her knack for runes to my advantage. After all, why do the work when you have a perfectly capable partner?
Biana groans again, and I take that as a signal to start. "Alright, sleeping beauty," I tease, opening the book to the first page, "What's the purpose of the Origin Rune, and why is it important in the creation of a rune pattern?"
Biana groans again, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "The writing style..." she yawns, "...is significant in the... creation of a rune pattern because it..." she yawns again, struggling to stay awake, "...determines the duration and stability of the... rune. The more precise and... um, detailed the writing style, the longer the rune will last and the more stable it'll be..." Her voice trails off and, despite her best efforts, she ends up dozing off mid-sentence, her soft snores filling the air. At least She told me what I needed to know, stability huh?
Shaking my head with a sigh, I flick her forehead again, eliciting another sleepy groan from her. "You're really hopeless, you know that?" I mutter, turning back to the book and starting to read the next page on my own.
Just as I'm starting to get the hang of the first few rune patterns, a shadow falls over my book. Looking up, I find myself staring at a young woman. She is around my age, with sky-blue eyes that hold a certain calmness within them. Her hair is a mix of black and silver, tied into a neat braid that falls over her shoulder, shimmering under the classroom's light. Her features are delicate, a touch of freckles dusting her nose and cheeks adding to her charm.
She's clad in the standard academy uniform, but somehow it looks unique on her, as if she's added her personal touch to it. There's a grace in her stance, an aura of tranquility that contrasts the buzzing energy of the classroom.
"Hello there, my name is Nyssa," she introduces herself with a casual air, her voice smooth and soothing. She's holding a rune book in her hands, similar to mine. "Everyone else has a partner, unfortunately, I was left out. I noticed your partner is a bit... Sleepy, would you like to partner up?" She asks, a friendly smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
I glance at Biana, who has now started drooling on her pillow. With a shrug, I gesture for Nyssa to take a seat. "Sure, why not? At least you're awake." I say, earning a light chuckle from her as she takes a seat next to me. To think she would be the one to approach me, this might be easier than I thought. Nyssa, that's her fake name, I didn't expect one of the four cultists to try to befriend me. She really tries to blend in, I shouldn't act just yet, I need to figure out where the others are at.
As Nyssa settles into the seat next to me, we fall into a comfortable silence. We quietly read our books, our only interactions being the occasional question we throw at each other. I find her to be a focused and diligent student, her understanding of rune-craftsmanship even better than mine.
"You're part of class A, right?" She breaks the silence after a while, flipping through the pages of her book. "The one that has the most talented students."
I can't help but sigh at her words, running a hand through my hair. "Yes, I'm in class A. But I wouldn't say I'm that talented. The others, however..." I trail off, thinking about my classmates. "Isadora, for example, I'm sure you know how much of a monstrous swordswoman she is."
Nyssa nods in agreement, her expression serious. "Yes, I've heard about her. She's renowned even amongst the other classes."
With a smirk, I nudge the sleeping Biana with my elbow. "This... thing is also in class A," I tell Nyssa, pointing at the drooling figure next to me.
Nyssa chuckles softly at my words, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "She's definitely... unique," she comments, turning her attention back to her book.
As we continue to read, the professor hands out some thick paper to each student. "Now, now, settle down, everyone," he instructs, his voice stern. "I want each of you to make an origami. This is the most basic rune exercise. If you turn to page 17, you'll find instructions on which rune to use to make it come to life. Please note that if done properly, it could last a day."
Nyssa and I exchange a glance, both of us deep in thought about what to create. After a moment of contemplation, I decide on a cat. It's a simple design, yet fitting for the exercise. Meanwhile, Nyssa says its a secret, her fingers already beginning to fold the paper with practiced ease. Ugh... I suck at origami, let me see what if I fold it like this...
✦✦
The origami cat takes shape in my hands, but not without a good deal of struggle and frustration. My fingers fumble and crinkle the paper more times than I can count. "Who thought origami was a good idea for a class activity?" I mutter to myself, half-exasperated.
After what seems like an eternity, I finally manage to fold the last crease into place. The cat looks... well, it's vaguely feline. I glance at Nyssa, who's nearly finished with her folding, and her origami looks like a piece of art in comparison, looks like a snake or dragon. But no matter, the real challenge is yet to come.
With a groan, I lean over the desk to draw the rune onto my cat very carefully. As I finish the last stroke, I lean back and release a long sigh. "Finally..." I breathe out.
And then, something magical happens.
The paper cat starts shaking in my hand. The wrinkles slowly smoothen out as it transforms into a living origami creature. Colors bloom on its paper surface, and with a surprised gasp, I watch as the small creature begins to behave like a real cat, running up my arm and even playfully jumping in the air as though it were walking on thin air. I can't help but chuckle. "Hehehe, look at you go!"
Turning to Nyssa, my breath is taken away by the sight of her origami. An intricate Chinese-style dragon, complete with scales, yup just as I expected. I watch in awe as she gently brushes the last strokes of the rune onto the dragon.
The paper vibrates under her touch, and as she pulls away, the dragon springs to life. The origami creature unfurls its wings, vibrant colors appearing on its body as it takes off into the air, performing tricks as it flies around the room.
"Damn, you're awesome at this. It actually looks cool," I can't help but express my admiration. Her skills are clearly superior to mine, well that's a given.
Nyssa smiles modestly at my praise, her eyes following her dragon as it flies. "Thank you, you're not bad yourself," she comments, her gaze falling to the small cat now playfully batting at her finger. Damn, she is good at acting, In my novel, she didn't show up until the end and her character was cold and angry.
I can barely hide my grin as I watch the professor stroll towards our table, his eyes on the magical creatures frolicking around the room. Nyssa's dragon has already grabbed most of the attention, but my cat isn't too far behind, pouncing and prancing in mid-air.
The professor first inspects Nyssa's dragon, his eyes flicking over every minute detail, from the precise scales to the vibrant colors. "Excellent work, Nyssa," he praises, genuinely impressed, "Perfect, in fact. You have a real talent for this."
Nyssa's cheeks turn a light shade of pink at his praise, but she maintains her modest demeanor. "Thank you, professor," she replies, her eyes still following her dragon's flight.
Then, it's my turn. The professor takes my cat, examining it with a similar thoroughness. I know the outcome of my clumsy origami. "Hmm... Your rune application is perfect," he starts, his eyes narrowing as he turns the cat around in his hands. "But, I think you could've folded it better. Well, it doesn't matter as long as your rune is fine, that's all that matters."
I let out a sigh of relief, looks like my rune is fine. "By the way will these last all day?" I respond, my tone light. It seems my efforts weren't wasted after all.
The professor simply nods, handing the paper cat back to me. He then turns his attention to Biana, who's still sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the ongoing class. He's about to wake her up when I quickly interject, "Professor... trust me, it's useless. Not even Professor Ayla could get her to do anything."
The professor sighs, shaking his head slightly. "you're right, If Professor Ayla couldn't do it... than only Professor Thaddeus might stand a chance,"
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