The Runesmith

Chapter 470: Spies.

“ARghhhhhhh”

“Ughhhhhhh….”

“N-noooo…”

“...”

“That doesn’t sound like a goblin or a hobgoblin…”

Roland, together with a maid who had orange cat ears, walked through a darkened corridor. In the distance, he could hear strange shouts indicating someone in a lot of distress. The woman next to him clearly knew what was happening but didn’t seem perturbed by the screams. The shouts grew louder as they progressed, and eventually, the maid, Mary, spoke out.

“Since your return, we have noticed an increase in suspicious individuals…”

“Suspicious individuals? Could they be from information guilds or perhaps…”

Mary stopped the moment he asked about the origins of the shouts, and to his surprise, she took something out. She held it out to him, and at first glance, it looked like nothing more than a simple bracelet. It was mostly black with a bird insignia that resembled a raven on it. However, to Roland, this was more than a simple bracelet, as he could instantly identify it as a magical item.

Roland took the bracelet from Mary, inspecting it closely. His eyes narrowed as he detected the subtle yet sophisticated concealment enchantment. There were several layers of hidden runes that would even challenge tier 3 class holders. An expert on Arion’s level would be needed to even see a problem, and most others would need to examine it directly and closely to notice anything unusual.

"Such a runic enchantment isn't easy to come by. Whoever is using these has access to some serious resources."

Mary nodded and replied quickly as the two walked towards the groaning sounds.

“These individuals have been sneaking around Albrook, and we found these bracelets on them. The shouts you hear now are from one of those we captured…”

The intricate concealment runes on the bracelet indicated a high level of craftsmanship and knowledge. Something like this wasn’t cheap and far beyond what a common thief or spy would possess. This suggested that a well-backed group was behind it. Various groups could be responsible, but Roland suspected someone nearby. Considering that he had just caused a scene in another noble's territory, his guess was likely correct.“Do we know anything about their identity and objectives?”

“Not yet. The interrogation is ongoing, but they’re tight-lipped. Whoever they are, they’ve been trained to resist questioning. Luckily we know of a group that uses the raven as a calling card.”

“Let me guess, Theodore?”

Mary nodded.

“Ah, are you familiar with The Raven’s?”

“Not exactly, I heard a few rumors here and there, but nothing too specific…”

Mary nodded again, and they continued forward without her going into much detail about these so-called ravens. Roland had been given all the information Arthur possessed and had also used information guilds through the thieves' guild. This organization was similar to what Mary’s maids were turning into: the eyes and ears of the noble.

This wasn’t anything new; nobles were, in a sense, required to establish their own spy network if they ever wanted to achieve anything substantial. The person that had been caught was probably here to investigate the strange mage who had rescued some slaves. He had caused quite a scene in Aldbourne, which exposed the state of their army. Now that they presented themselves as a proper threat, their enemies were probably trying to gather as much information as they could.

While the Valerian Duke frowned on any assassination attempts among nobles, he would likely let it slide if there was no proof of the deed. Because of this reason, Mary was taking this situation quite seriously, and the screams of the unknown man were proof of its seriousness. He probably possessed valuable information that could help her protect Arthur better, but extracting anything from him would likely prove challenging.

“They are probably trying to figure out the extent of Arthur’s forces, do you think they are aiming for something else?”

“They might just be testing us or trying to provoke a response.”

“Testing? I see.”

Roland nodded, finding sense in Mary's assessment. The man they had captured could have been a lure set by Theodore and his group. Once their own spies and agents were sent in, he would capture them to extract information. It was a tactic occasionally used, where the spies sent in to be captured often lacked valuable information. As they approached the cell, it became increasingly evident that this individual was not going to divulge any secrets easily.

“ArghhhhhHHH!”

“Uh oh, get down!”

A familiar voice called out to him from within the cell, and he instantly conjured a shield of mana. It arrived just in time to intercept the spray of blood hurtling their way. The blood splattered against the barrier, revealing inside the cell the lower half of a man's body slumping forward. It appeared the prisoner had imploded from within, likely triggered by a magical safeguard to prevent him from disclosing any critical information.

The two of them stood in shock as they witnessed the gruesome aftermath of the prisoner's demise. The man's lower body lay limp against the floor of the cell, blood dripping down in a macabre display. The cell itself was now splattered with crimson along with the person that was performing the interrogation.

“Ahh… it stinks…”

Giana, the person Roland was supposed to meet today to conclude his prosthesis research, was the one who caught the brunt of the explosion. In her hands, he could see a metallic tray that she had used to shield her face from the gory blast. On the ground lay various sharp objects like knives, scissors, and pliers, which were likely on the tray she had been holding.

“Giana, are you alright?”

Mary rushed in to aid Giana, but Roland's attention remained fixated on the remains of the supposed spy. He had heard of volatile magical contracts before, but this situation surpassed anything he knew. The closest comparison he could draw was to the parasitic abyssal worms people were previously implanted with. His mana senses confirmed his suspicions; instead of regular mana, he detected cursed hexes permeating the area.

‘I’m sure the Duke wouldn’t approve of cursed magics but not like Arthur would be able to pin anything on him, even with a recording.”

“Oh, Knight Commander! You’re already here? Sorry about this, give me some time to freshen up~”

The woman didn’t seem too shaken up by all the gore and chunks of matter permeating the area. Roland was starting to wonder where these maids were coming from. Was there some hidden ninja maid village where young girls were being trained in the ways of assassination and espionage?

“It’s fine, take your time, I’m just here to examine the last few specimens and how they reacted to the transplantation effort…”

He replied while turning towards Mary who was examining the remains.

“This looks like a blast worm…”

“Blast worm?”

Roland inquired while many poked something that looked like a leg from some type of insect.

“They are used by witch doctors or warlocks and can be implanted into people's bodies. It’s quite a common practice in assassination guilds.”

“I see, I assume once the host attempts to disclose restricted information, the worm is triggered.”

“Oh, have you heard of them?”

“Not this one in particular, but I’ve heard of others like it. They weren't supposed to be this flashy. It seems as if Theodore is trying to send us a message.”

“That could be true, but it might also be a warning directed at the other ravens.”

“Failure is not accepted huh…”

Mary nodded as the two tried to assess the situation. Either Theodore was trying to make a flashy entrance to warn Arthur about visiting his lands further or it was just to remind the other assassins that they would die a miserable death, if they failed like this person. Nevertheless, now they needed to focus on bolstering their city defenses and increasing the security measures which in Roland’s opinion, wouldn’t be that hard.

“First mind-controlling parasites and now exploding worms…”

Roland looked at the remains and performed an examination with the help of his armor. He hoped to identify the worms by their mana pattern, but it seemed to have vanished along with their host. His gear was attuned to the mana patterns of both people and monsters. In theory, it would be possible to build a detection device for these small beings, but there would be some constraints.

“Could you lend me this for now?”

“The bracelet?

“Yes, if I can study it, I should be able to pinpoint similar ones within the city.”

Instead of focusing on the small monster, he changed his target. These worms were tiny, and their mana signature would be extremely hard to detect once inside a human body. It was the same with the abyssal worms, which were only detected due to their adverse reaction to holy mana. On the other hand, the bracelet was a runic artifact, something he specialized in. It wouldn’t take long for him to unearth all its intricacies. Just like the abyssal cult, it was likely that the runesmith creating these bracelets was merely copying designs, which would make them easier to crack.

“How about the blasting worms?”“I could try looking into it, but I can’t promise anything. It will probably require the target to be quite close, maybe even in direct skin contact or more.”

“That’s fine. We’ll just relocate them into a private room for a more throughout examination if someone acts suspiciously.”

Mary nodded seriously, and Roland returned the gesture. He was responsible for controlling the monitoring system around the city. With Sebastian now operational, his plan was to eventually delegate this task to the tower spirit. Sebastian had ample processing power and could probably eventually scan the entire city for abnormalities. Covering the entire area would be improbable, but setting up critical checkpoints was feasible. If they could get spies to pass through these checkpoints without realizing they were being scanned, it would suffice.

“Excuse me Knight Commander, I was not expecting you so soon, now where were we? Ah yes, the hobgoblins!”

Once the issue with the enemy infiltrator was resolved, Giana returned in a fresh maid uniform. This underground area was becoming akin to a peculiar noble's dungeon, which Roland found ironic. Arthur appeared to be someone who didn't entirely embrace noble traditions, yet any respectable aristocrat maintained one of these hidden lairs. In this case, suspicious tests on monsters were already underway, and people were being held hostage without the city's knowledge, leaving Roland uncertain about how to feel.

“How are the test subjects performing? Are the goblins still acting the same?”

"Well, yes. They don’t seem to like their new limbs and eventually just gnaw through them, but the hobgoblins are a bit smarter!"

Roland peeked into one of the holding cells where several regular green goblins were housed. They had been outfitted with replacement golemic arms, which were now discarded on the ground with the flesh they were attached to bitten through. The small green monsters seemed unwilling to accept the artificial limbs as their own. Despite the failure, this data was valuable; it allowed him to examine how well the arms integrated with the monsters. The fact that they needed to use their teeth to remove the limbs hinted at a promising aspect of the experiment.

Moving on to another cell, Roland was introduced to the hobgoblin specimen. This one was actively trying to use its magical hand, which had been attuned to its spiritual mana pattern. The process was relatively smooth, but despite being attuned, the arm was quite jittery. This was due to its limited functionality as the hobgoblin's original arm had superior stats and capabilities. The magical arm clearly lagged behind the hobgoblin's intentions, resulting in noticeable delays. Once this delay was in place, the signal was interrupted and resulted in a faulty movement output.

“This one looks promising, guide it to the test chamber, I’ll wait for it there.”

“As you wish, Commander!”

The monster's replacement arm looked promising, and Roland decided it was ready for one last test. This test would be conducted in a small chamber with sturdy walls and two entrances. Roland entered through one entrance while the hobgoblin was pushed in through the other. Instantly, the monster identified Roland as an enemy and charged toward him with its new metallic arm raised.

The hobgoblin swung its arm at him, and Roland swiftly dodged the wide swing to the side. His intention was not to defeat the hobgoblin but merely to observe how it used its new hand in combat. The monster showed no inhibitions or instincts to protect the artificial limb, providing Roland with the data he needed.

Roland observed closely, noting how the arm responded to the hobgoblin's commands. Despite the initial jitteriness, the arm's movements gradually became smoother as the hobgoblin grew more accustomed to controlling it. Eventually, the jittering started to subside as if the monster adjusted to the slower output.

“Is the soul adjusting to the limb or is the monster’s natural instinct? Just like with the others, it's slowly adapting to it.”

He continued to record the hobgoblin's movements and the magical fluctuations around the arm as the test progressed. Eventually, Roland tossed an iron shortsword to the hobgoblin. The monster swiftly grabbed the weapon with its organic hand and activated one of its skills, enhancing the power of its swings.

“Hm…”

This went against his plan, and after dodging a few attacks, Roland pointed his finger to produce a thin energy flame. The enraged hobgoblin continued to attack, but this thin flame passed through its organic arm. The limb fell to the ground, and the magical flames instantly cauterized the wounds to prevent the monster from bleeding out. Now with only its prosthetic limb remaining, Roland waited patiently for it to attack again.

The monster didn’t look good, but it grabbed the iron blade with its metallic arm and charged at Roland once more. Roland stayed calm, allowing the monster to swing at him repeatedly. Sometimes he dodged, and other times he intercepted the blade with his own arm. Despite the monster's efforts, it lacked the power to cause even a scratch on him. Eventually, Roland concluded the test as he realized it had been successful.

“Good, this will be enough.”

It just took a little wave of his hand to send the monster’s head flying to the side. The monster was dead and he approached its motionless body to retrieve the prosthetic limb for later study. With this, he had all that he needed to complete Bernir’s arm.

‘I confirmed that it’s possible to use skills even with these artificial limbs, the soul seems quite adaptive as if it's just a mold to be shaped…’

After a momentary pause, Roland retreated from the chamber, leaving it to the maid to care for the monsters. Now free to proceed, he reflected on Rastix's remarkable discovery with this regent. The gnome had not only perfected a potion that could splice flesh and metal together but also ensured the process was reversible, restoring the flesh to its original state after fusion. With all this confirmed, Roland proceeded confidently with the assembly of the prosthesis socket. Once in place, attaching the new arm and ensuring it functioned like the original would be straightforward.

‘With this amount of adaptivity, Bernir’s arm could have multiple uses, it wouldn’t just need to be an arm but an actual artifact tool…’

While walking home to share the good news with his assistant, Roland began contemplating the possibilities of this new invention. Restoring the arm meant it could be configured to match a person’s natural body output, but it could also go further. There was potential to install simple spells for everyday tasks as well as combat enhancements. Since the arm attachment was the only permanent addition, the possibilities seemed boundless.

“Making multiple separate prosthetic arms could be costly. Perhaps it would be better to make them more modular? An inside plate that holds various spell types could eliminate the need to replace the entire hand. Those puppet golem digits aren’t that easy to recreate, let's put the emitting rune on the palm or perhaps on the upper hand portion?’

As Roland approached his home, he pondered that with everything almost settled, it was time to complete this project which held boundless future possibilities, not just for those who had lost their limbs, but potentially for many others as well. It was something that could very well change the whole kingdom or perhaps the world.

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