Rune Modification

Just before Stiyl’s flame sword let loose its very strongest strike, it stopped at an awkward position. The tip of Richard’s Lævateinn was pressed up against Stiyl’s heart.

(I’ve won!!)

In a fight between good people, he might have put his sword down and spared the loser.

But no such rule existed among magicians.

After hearing enough of his opponent’s pleading, he would mercilessly crush him.

Just as Richard’s smile spread from within and reached his face...

“You should have realized it.”

(...?)

“You should have realized what both of us being rune users meant.”

Richard did not understand what Stiyl meant, but he was not one to give in.

He had no need to go along with Stiyl’s attempt to buy time.

After breathing in a quick breath, Richard unhesitatingly sent a command to the blade pressed against Stiyl’s chest.

An explosive flame danced out.

The sea of flames became a tsunami and lit up the night sky.

But it did not assault Stiyl Magnus.

The crimson flames roared as they consumed oxygen and wrapped around Richard Brave’s right arm.

“Wha—?”

The flames had come from Lævateinn. They had not gone in the direction they should have. Instead, they had headed straight for Richard as if attempting to swallow up their owner. Stiyl stood only a few millimeters from Lævateinn’s tip, but he did not receive a single burn.

Richard felt no pain.

Just after he realized that, the intense pain finally caught up to him.

“Ghgaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!?”

The pain was so great he almost let go of Lævateinn, but he managed to hold on. That showed just how strong Richard’s will was. His hand was starting to lose its proper shape due to the flames, but he kept it on Lævateinn’s handle.

“Just as we can carve the runes for our rune magic, we also have spells in which the runes are dyed.”

The flames continued.

Richard forced his almost completely melted fingers to move in order to finally let go of Lævateinn.

“The representative example of a rune carved on weapons is teiwaz. Its effects are increased when a slain enemy’s blood runs through the grooves of the rune, dying it red.” Lævateinn fell to the ground.

Richard stepped back on shaking legs as if trying to distance himself from his weapon.

“That is why you should have been more cautious. When a fellow rune user like me read the runes carved into Lævateinn, you should have realized the danger of me adding something to those runes that would work against you.”

“Adding something...?”

Richard held his burnt-black right arm and looked at his weapon that was still sending forth flames as it lay on the ground.

There was no change to the runes carved into the side of the blade.

However, when he looked closer, he noticed some opaque object stuck to its surface. It appeared to be some kind of viscous liquid and the smell of melted plastic floated in the air.

When Richard noticed that smell, he frowned.

“A laminated card...!!”

“It was the card used for the Opila spell. The people clearing spell you used probably used the same rune. Its original meaning was ‘land’. It held the meaning of preventing interference from an unwanted other party in a specified area you own.”

Richard’s expression grew even grimmer when he heard the term Opila.

Stiyl ignored it and continued his final words for the man.

“But the trick to runes is that a single rune can have many different meanings. Opila is used to mean something other than ‘land’. Specifically, ‘inheritance’. It can be used to set up your assets so they will be transferred to someone else.”

Richard’s breathing stopped.

(Shit. So he could do that...)

Richard gritted his teeth because he realized what Stiyl was getting at.

(But how could he come up with that in such a short amount of time...!?)

When he looked again, he could clearly see that a rune card was melted on Lævateinn’s surface. But even though the lamination had melted and the paper card within had turned to ash, the Opila rune stuck to the surface without disappearing. It was attached magically, ignoring the laws of physics. The Opila rune had already become deeply bonded to Lævateinn.

“The Opila rune attached to Lævateinn quickly took effect. Its effect was to distribute the ‘asset’ of the flames to another, but I was the one that carved the rune. Just as the deceased cannot receive the inheritance, the power of the runes could not be distributed to me no matter what. As a result, the Opila flames had to be sent to someone other than me.”

That said, it had really been 50/50 odds.

The spiritual item created from Lævateinn and the Opila rune could also be seen as belonging to Richard. If that had been the result, the flames would have enveloped Stiyl.

Index SP, Chapter 1, Part 5