The Rune Magician Who Lost Everything to Her Older Sister, Becomes Doted On by the Genius Prince – Chapter 22
Chapter 22: To find the secret entrance
I leave His Highness’s office so as not to disturb his work and head towards the laboratory.
I have a laboratory dedicated to me, located next to my own room.
All necessary tools are available and the environment is similar to the one in the palace where I used to work.
There is no inconvenience at all.
It’s truly a blessing.
“Well then.”
Let’s start exploring right away.
Although, the knights have already been mobilized to search.
Even so, they haven’t found anything yet.
It’s clear that blindly searching won’t work.
Let’s think a little.
There is no doubt that the ruins are underground.
If we could move the castle, would it be easy to find it?
But what if it’s in a deep place as His Highness mentioned?
In the first place, moving is impossible.
The knights are more familiar with the castle than I am.
If they couldn’t find it, it means that it’s not connected to the castle facilities.
Is the entrance hidden or blocked?
It’s said that it doesn’t even show up on the senses of a magician.
Is it weak or far from the magic power?
Or perhaps…
“Is it hidden by runes…?”
The magical power that resides in runic characters is difficult to perceive.
Even among Rune Magicians, they can’t tell unless they touch them directly or get close.
To a simple magician, they are invisible.
If you want to follow the traces of runes, it is best to use other runes.
I take out a transparent, flat crystal from the shelf and carve a rune inside.
“【ᚲ (Kenaz)】.”
The crystal with the rune carved into it becomes an impromptu Rune Stone.
The meaning hidden in 【ᚲ】 is “torch” or “ship”.
It is a runic character that is good at exploration.
A Rune Stone with this engraved can help a magician find what they’re searching for.
It floats upwards and starts moving towards somewhere.
The path that the Rune Stone passes through, faint lines of magic energy remain.
The wish I put into the letters is to follow the traces of runes.
So if it’s moving, that means there are runes inscribed somewhere in this royal castle.
The possibility increases.
I follow the trail left by the Rune Stone.
“Where is it leading to?”
The Rune Stone runs through the hallway, out of the room.
The gradual increase in movement speed is proof that we’re getting closer to the destination.
Turn right, left, go straight.
As I passed by a knight on the way, he looked at me with a puzzled expression as I chased after a stone.
From their point of view, it might seem like I’m just playing around.
Admittedly, the sight of me chasing after a stone might be comical.
But if I worry about it, I’ll only lose.
“I’m not playing. I’m on a mission!”
I tell myself that.
The Rune Stone increases its speed, and I finally can’t keep up with it.
Following its trail…
“Outside?”
The trail leads to the outside, into the courtyard.
The royal castle grounds are vast.
The courtyard is also luxurious and spacious.
The most distinctive feature is a beautiful, white fountain in the center.
The trail of the stone points to the center of the courtyard.
And then…
“It’s stopped here.”
It stops above the fountain, floating.
I observe the fountain.
It’s just a beautiful fountain.
As I peered into the water, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hahaha… I’m such a fool, too.”
How could I not have noticed it was so close by?
The surface of the rippling fountain.
In the depths, the rune 【ᚠ】 was engraved.
“【ᚠ (Fehu)】 rune… meaning “wealth”, “property”.
In other words, it’s a disguise to hide them.
There is definitely something here.
“First we have to turn off the water.”
Who should I contact in the royal castle to stop the water in the fountain?
I can’t think of anyone right now.
Above all, my curiosity to check inside right away wins out.
I instinctively reach my hand to the surface of the water.
“――【ᛚ (Laguz)】.”
I engrave a rune on the water’s surface.
The runes engraved on non-solid objects disappear after a certain amount of time.
I temporarily manipulate the water in the fountain to adjust the flow and reveal the bottom of it.
Now I can touch it directly.
It’s difficult to trace the runes from above when they’re this large.
However, in this case, there’s no need to activate the rune.
The 【ᚠ】 rune is meant to conceal.
Therefore, if I destroy the rune, the effect will be lost.
As a Rune Magician, destruction is easy.
All I need to do is disrupt the magic power embedded in the letters.
“Open.”
I touch part of the engraved rune, break its shape, and let the magic flow.
Rune letters that have lost their harmony lose their power and crumble.
I heard the sound of something peeling off.
In an instant, the bottom of the fountain cracks.
With a loud cracking sound, a staircase leading to the underground appears beyond the shattered bottom.
“I found it.”
This is the entrance to the ruins.
However, it’s pitch black inside and hard to see, and it seems like it goes on for a long way.
It might be the road leading to the entrance.
It’s a little risky, but let’s find out.
I re-inscribe the Rune Stone I used for exploration and turn it into a light to descend the stairs.
It’s cold underground.
The humidity is also bad, probably because of the fountain’s influence.
I slowly and carefully descend each step.
And then…
“A door?”
A grand metal door towers before me.
There are no other buildings or entrances.
It’s more like a wall than a door.
“…Does it open?”
I don’t know how to open it.
When I shine the light next to the door, I see an unfamiliar pedestal.
Four bracelets are fitted into the pedestal.
“This is…”
I take one of them and examine it.
Rune letters were engraved on the side of the bracelet.
Read and understand the meaning of the engraved characters.
“So that’s how it is…”
As expected, this is a door.
The entrance to the ruins.
The key to passing through here is this bracelet.
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