V gracefully lifted her hand from Nathan's shoulder, and with an unadorned wave, the two of them walked toward the central academy building at the same pace as before, leaving time frozen behind them.
Nathan's heart was chaotic and filled with questions. Trying his best to keep his stare stable, he scanned the audience emotionlessly. As he expected, the audience stayed eerily silent, too astonished to seem otherwise.
It was just a simple, short sentence.
"Nathan Modernson, you are… the only exception."
These seven words echoed in everyone's heads. Not even knowing what to think, all they could do was keep their heads low. After all, V had said herself that there was supposed to be no exception to this ancient and absolute regulation, even the kings throughout Runalond's history had followed it humbly and without question.
What right did V have to banish this law? What identity did Nathan have that V was willing to banish this law for him?
Despite the different predictions and theories forming in their minds, even the dullest of men understood one thing with horrifying clarity.
Nathan Modernson was not someone any of them could afford to cross. If you earned his favor, you would acquire endless wealth and power. But if you opposed him, your entire family would be exiled to doom—possibly… even sent directly to Lostburg.
But who would have guessed? The punishment everyone feared most, was the life Nathan Modernson had endured for sixteen years.
Nathan's eyes roamed across the crowd. Seeing their expressions of fear and admiration, the chaos in his heart suddenly transformed into power. Maybe, with these seven simple words alone, he could change his life—and possibly, the entire world.
Only David Edmonds remained fairly calm, his usual innocent smile resting on his face.
All the other representative students, especially those who had spoken to him before, stared at him with a mixture of concern and confusion. Reassured grins appeared on Monica and William's faces, yet Jennifer and Leo's expressions were more dreadful than ever. Nathan almost cringed at how horribly they hid their emotions.
The most surprised of all, however, had to be Daniel Whitedawn.
He glared at Nathan without blinking once, as if rows and columns of questions were written inside his pupils. Joseph Gravekin attempted to steady himself, but sweat droplets of fright poured down his face. He couldn't thank himself enough for having shown kindness to Nathan before.
In contrast, Jay Short seemed much more at peace. He squeezed out a soft smile toward Nathan, but it felt more like flattery than genuine friendship. Though Nathan knew Jay was practically forced to act this way, he still felt slightly uncomfortable.
Ultimately, it was Vice Principal Helix who broke the awful silence.
"Ummm," he muttered, hesitant about what to say. Just look at you all. Was that really such a big deal that it froze you into statues? "After all, you're just immature brats yet to experience the highs and lows of life."
In the lifeless atmosphere, Samuel Helix's words seemed more like a joke to lighten the mood.
"Come on, it's about time. Follow me into the Great Hall." Samuel wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned around with sophistication. Even after all these years, the suffocating presence of the First Seat of the Rune Arts Federation was still nothing short of a living nightmare.
Although everyone felt the urge to approach Nathan and connect with his legendary persona, none had the guts to take the plunge. Nathan scoffed at this. If he were in their place, he would have strode up to himself without a second thought.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and really, it was only a matter of who seized it first.
…
The Royal Palace was, unarguably, a monumental construction of perfected elegance. With every angle and decoration polished flawlessly, it truly displayed the marvellous origins and development of construction-type Rune Arts.
As the founder of construction-type Rune Arts, Duncan Whitedawn had always referred to it as the "intended means of Rune Arts." Even after all its development and transformation, it was still undeniable that the true purpose of Rune Arts was to create and refine, not to barrage and destroy.
Behind a faint curtain that concealed his face from all angles of the throne room, King Eric Runaria sighed delicately at the history of the Whitedawn family. Having intentionally moved away from central power and influence hundreds of years ago, even the direct heir of the family couldn't earn a position as a representative student in the Imperial Academy.
"I mean, fair…" Eric's daydreaming eyes returned to reality. "The Equilibrium must be kept, no matter how great the sacrifice."
Despite his attempt to persuade himself, he doubted the true "fairness" of that statement. As the King of Runalond, he didn't have the courage to alter the ways of his ancestors, ways that had proven their success displayed through Runalond's prosperity.
Before him were four equally positioned seats, two on each opposite side. Though slightly inferior in appearance to the throne, the owners of these seats dominated the entirety of the kingdom's political system. When these four figures appear simultaneously before the public, it was treated as if the king had arrived himself.
However, today, only one seat was occupied.
Strangely, the figure sitting there seemed to flicker in and out of existence, his very form glitching as though reality itself could not fully contain him. What was visible was a constantly shifting mass of rectangular blocks, swirling in hues of crimson darkness.
No one knew his true name except the King. To the general public, he was simply called "The Indescribable."
Finally, the King raised his voice.
"Figured out how to word your sentence yet, Nathan?"
The Indescribable, or more simply, Nathan, began glitching more violently, as if waking from a trance.
"Your... Majez...tee."
His voice started faint and hollow, the words barely scraping into existence. But gradually, it smoothed into the voice of a normal man.
"To…day, V… visited the Imperial Rune Arts Academy of Runalond. Likely to discuss the Heaven's Child Project."
The letter "V" and the phrase "Heaven's Child Project" were heavily emphasized. Eventually, Nathan's form stabilized, ceasing its erratic movements.
"But she met a boy outside the academy building. A boy, a representative student. She said… that he did not have to keep his head low before her."
Eric's eyebrows flickered, an uncomfortable frown growing on his face.
"Ohhh, don't tell me…" His voice was casual, filled with childish annoyance, a stark contrast to his usual image to the public.
"What is the boy's name?"
Nathan hesitated. Then, after a moment, he spoke peculiarly in a deep, sorrowful voice.
"Nathan Modernson."
"Modernson. Of course… of course…" Eric Runaria leaned back into his throne, sinking so deeply into the plush seat that he nearly slid off entirely.
"Oh, come on!" After a brief moment, he forced himself upright again, irritation still etched across his face. Though seemingly furious, there was also a sense of anticipation, perhaps even amusement, in his eyes.
"Hell nah! If their son is anything like them, Runalond surely won't have a good time. Had I known earlier, I could've prepared better."