297: Runic Magic

"Is there something wrong with Granger's class schedule?" Daphne asked hurriedly after sitting down.

"Nothing. Let's just mind our own business." Rhys didn't want to reveal Hermione's little secret to Daphne—she was most likely using Time Magic to attend some overlapping classes.

He took the Easy Introduction to Ancient Runes, which he would need for the upcoming lesson, out of his bag and placed it on the desk.

"Have you read this book before?" Rhys held up the textbook and waved it in front of Daphne.

As expected, Daphne shook her head. She had tried reading it before the term started but ended up with a headache.

Unlike ordinary magic textbooks, this one didn't seem related to magic at all. It was more like a language textbook, and the editor appeared to be trying to teach an ancient language.

Rhys had also read Easy Introduction to Ancient Runes, and after reading it, he realized that modern wizards' understanding of Runes was quite different from what it had been in their time.

Back in their era, Runic script was a kind of magical alphabet, whereas in the eyes of modern wizards, they retained only their literal meanings.

The false gods of the Norse and their followers truly could use Runes to cast magic. But just like wizards, using Runic magic also required "aptitude."

This aptitude was actually the same as the basic requirement for becoming a wizard—bloodline.

However, the magical talent that a wizard's bloodline granted was like an entry ticket; future development still depended largely on individual effort.

In the Norse pantheon, however, what truly mattered was the concentration of divine blood—the closer one's lineage was to the God-King or True Gods, the more powerful the Runic magic they could wield.

Although both groups required a "bloodline" to perform magic, the nature of that requirement was entirely different.

In the magical world, blood purity didn't really serve much purpose beyond boasting rights. But in the Norse system, blood purity directly influenced personal strength.

Still, even if modern Runic instruction couldn't teach students how to use Runic magic, it remained highly valuable for academic research. After all, the Norse people did use Runes as their written language.

Mastery of Runic script allowed one to study ancient magical texts written in Runes and even travel to the Norse lands to take part in archaeological digs and explorations of ancient ruins.

While Rhys chatted with Daphne, the students who had selected this elective began arriving one after another. Once class began, Professor Bathsheda Babbling, who taught Ancient Runes, walked into the classroom just as the bell rang.

"Let me begin with a brief self-introduction…" This older but rather tall witch started the class with an introduction, explaining the content of the Ancient Runes course and the purpose behind offering it.

Finally, seeing that the students looked somewhat groggy, the old witch pulled out a dark yellow ring, slipped it onto her finger, and uttered a strange sound: []. Instantly, a golden orb of light, about the size of a coin, appeared in the palm of her hand.

"This is Runic magic cast using Ancient Runes—the rune I just mentioned is called Sowelio, which means 'Sun.' It's said that ancient Norse wizards who mastered this rune to the highest level could wield the authority of the sun and control its movements.

Ancient Runes are not ordinary letters. Each rune contains profound magical power. However, Runic magic is now essentially lost to us. I can only draw on a tiny trace of its power with the help of this ring, and even then, it's far weaker than the Lumos Charm."

"Even a clumsy user like me is rare these days—perhaps there are still a few people in Durmstrang up in the north who are better at it than I am." Professor Babbling's tone was full of regret, as though she mourned the loss of this mysterious magic.

Rhys found this perfectly understandable. Professor Babbling likely had a very diluted trace of Norse divine blood in her lineage, which allowed her to use a bit of Runic magic with the help of a divine relic ring.

Runic magic had faded away along with the passing of those whose bloodlines had once carried it in strength.

Just as the flow of wizarding magic had become lost over time due to its difficulty, so too had the Norse gods' Runic magic vanished due to diluted bloodlines—a bit of dark irony on both sides.

Though it was merely a small and unimpressive orb of light, Professor Babbling still managed to capture the students' attention, and then proceeded with the day's lesson.

Unfortunately, that demonstration was the only part of the class related to actual Runic magic. The rest of the session was no different from an ordinary language class: Professor Babbling taught the Runic alphabet, pronunciation, and the meanings of the letters.

And just like that, the class came to an end.

"After class today, make sure to memorize the Runic alphabet and their pronunciations. I'll be checking next lesson. Alright, class dismissed!" After assigning the homework, Professor Babbling quickly walked out of the classroom.

Daphne, clearly fascinated by the Runic magic demonstration, was left wanting more. She looked at Rhys and asked if he knew anything about Runic magic, or whether those medieval wizard letters he studied ever mentioned this mysterious script.

"Of course they did." Rhys gave Daphne a brief overview of Runic magic and advised her to give up the idea of using it.

Without divine blood, even if one managed to cast Runic spells through various means, the power of the runes would be greatly diminished.

However, what caught Daphne's attention was: even without a bloodline, there were still methods to cast it.

"Let me see!"

Rhys sighed and reached into the pouch at his waist, pulling out an eyeball.

This eyeball came from one of the cultists who had tried to infiltrate Hogwarts last year. Though they weren't particularly strong, the "gear" they dropped was undeniably valuable—for example, this eyeball was from a false god.

Rhys gripped the eyeball tightly and infused it with his magic.

With his continuous stream of magic, the eyeball began to show signs of activity, and Rhys temporarily gained the ability to use Runic magic through it.

[]

A strange syllable slipped from Rhys's mouth. In the next moment, a thin layer of frost formed over the surface of his desk.

"You see, that's how Runic magic is used." While no one had yet noticed the change, Rhys quickly dispelled the newly formed ice.

Daphne: ?!

You actually know Runic magic?!

She was genuinely stunned this time—was there anything Rhys didn't know or couldn't do?

Answer: Flying.

Aside from not being particularly good at riding a broomstick, Rhys seemed to be a well-rounded genius.

"If you want, go ahead and try it." Rhys was willing to let Daphne experiment with Runic magic, but the moment her gaze landed on the eyeball, all her curiosity about Runic magic instantly vanished.

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