Chapter 48 – The Instructor's Burden

Half a year had passed since Elara had taken up her position as an instructor for the second-year students at the Royal Academy. What had begun as a favor to the king had evolved into a genuine passion project—albeit one full of challenges, chaotic mornings, and the ever-present shadow of Kael.

On this crisp, golden morning, Elara sat across from the Headmaster in his elegantly furnished office. Polished wood walls, enchanted paperweights floating lazily above scroll-covered desks, and a mana-crystal chandelier casting soft light overhead gave the space a quiet dignity. Kael stood behind Elara's chair, arms crossed and silent, radiating an unspoken threat to anyone foolish enough to cause her mistress discomfort.

The Headmaster, a dignified man in his early sixties with sharp blue eyes and a neatly trimmed beard, offered her tea before speaking.

"Professor Wyrmshade," he said with a courteous nod. "How have you been finding the experience of teaching this past term?"

Elara took a slow sip, crossing her legs neatly beneath her sleek navy skirt. She wore a high-collared blouse with golden trim, and her signature runed heels clicked softly when she shifted. Her nails—painted today in a subtle gradient of frost blue and silver—matched her tone: cool, thoughtful, precise.

"I've been enjoying it," she admitted. "More than I expected. It's... satisfying. Watching them learn, question, and—even if occasionally wrong—try. When they challenge my methods or theories, it forces me to stay sharp. To evolve."

The Headmaster smiled. "A true scholar's answer. And one I hoped to hear."

He tapped a rune-inscribed scroll gently. "That said, we have a minor issue. The second-year students under your instruction are now outperforming the third-year class... by an alarming margin."

Elara blinked. "That's hardly my fault."

"No, no—it's a compliment to your effectiveness. Which is why I'm asking you to take on the third-year students as well. As of next week."

Elara groaned quietly and leaned back in her chair. "Fine," she said after a moment. "But I'm not starting from scratch again. If they can't keep up, I'm not going to coddle them."

"Understood."

She held up a finger. "I want all new students—third-years or staff—to be assigned to my current students in mandatory study groups. They'll learn the foundational material that way. If they want to keep up, they'll have to run to catch me."

The Headmaster, visibly relieved, nodded. "A fair compromise. And… thank you, Professor."

With that, Elara stood. Kael moved instantly to her side, and the pair exited the room with the quiet grace of a queen and her sworn blade.

Elara's schedule had only become more hectic since her teaching career began, but it hadn't stopped her from pushing forward on multiple fronts.

Her R&D department—now a sharp, coordinated team of elite minds—had flourished under her increasingly strict leadership. Their current productivity rivaled entire noble-funded research branches. Her laboratory, now equipped with the improved runic printers capable of producing complex enchanted objects en masse, was nothing short of revolutionary.

Recent innovations included:

Hover Sleds: Lightweight transport devices for snow and difficult terrain.

Courier-Drone Birds: Mana-powered mechanical birds used for message delivery across the city.

Mana-Weed Suppressors: Runic field tools that suppressed invasive magic-resistant weeds.

Mana Crop Infusers: Devices that channeled ambient mana into farmland for accelerated plant growth.

Mana-Rebound Shields: Runic constructs that returned a portion of magical attacks to their origin, now mounted on the capital's walls.

Runic Net Traps: Used for city defense and monster capture.

Runic Identity Brooches: Personal identification charms storing identity data.

Runic Echo Stones: Communication tools functioning as both microphones and loudspeakers.

Music Boxes: Magically operated, rune-programmed to play both classical and modern compositions.

Self-heating/refilling Kettles: Popular in the noble sector.

Self-organizing Shelves, Dressers, Chests: Fold, clean, and organize clothing and belongings using embedded commands.

Mana Streetlights: Smart illumination that adjusted to time and weather.

Mana Toilets: Self-cleaning with waste disintegration spells.

Runic Monster Repulsion Emitters: Used by towns and caravans to emit anti-monster mana pulses.

It was a golden age of innovation. And Elara stood at the center of it.

Still, one project had been simmering in the back of Elara's mind for months—Kael's bracers. Not just a set of ancient weapons, but iconic extensions of Kael's identity, forged in a time of war and brute power. While they held immense sentimental and cultural value, Elara couldn't help but see the inefficiencies in their archaic construction.

She brought up the idea one evening in the lab. Kael was nearby, helping Elara stabilize a particularly temperamental mana circuit. Her fingers moved with surprising grace as she held the copper wiring steady, her focused expression betraying none of the awe she clearly had for the work.

"Let me upgrade your bracers," Elara said, voice calm but insistent.

Kael tilted her head, surprised. "You want to... change them?"

"I want to improve them," Elara clarified. "I know what they represent. That's why I promise to return them unaltered once I replicate the core functions. What I give you in exchange will be something entirely new."

Kael's fingers twitched at her sides. The bracers had been passed down, worn in battle, part of her very bloodline. But she trusted Elara—had seen her reshape the world with quills and sparks, not swords. Slowly, with reverence, she detached the twin bracers from her forearms and placed them on Elara's workbench like holy relics.

What followed were three intense weeks of work—sketches, prototypes, alloy tests, rune arrangement experiments, and consultation with Darnak, the dwarven smith who respected Elara's brilliance enough to listen. She used materials not yet classified by standard alchemical texts, composites of enchanted mithral and dreamsteel, known for their near-telepathic response to mana.

The result was a pair of bracers that felt like wearing thought itself.

The new bracers were elegant yet deadly, etched with sweeping lines of both ancient Draconian glyphs and Elara's own modern rune language. Each bracer bore modular ring channels, similar to Elara's own staff—a dynamic system of adjustable runes that could be rotated and snapped into complex combinations mid-combat. Up to twenty configurations per bracer, each accessible with a simple twist.

Integrated mana siphons allowed Kael to project directional shields, manipulate temperature, generate kinetic bursts, and even anchor herself against extreme gravitational forces. A small embedded reservoir in each bracer could store pre-charged spells, ready for near-instant deployment.

Additionally, each bracer responded to Kael's emotional state—tightening subtly when she prepared for battle, pulsing softly when she relaxed. Elara had even embedded a rune-sealed emergency failsafe: if Kael were ever incapacitated, the bracers would automatically defend her with a preselected suite of countermeasures.

When Elara presented them, Kael was momentarily frozen in awe.

"These are... more than I imagined," she whispered, fingers hovering just over the surface.

"They're yours. And I'll store the originals in a preservation field, untouched. You can have them back any time."

Kael's hands closed over the new bracers like a ceremony. She slid them onto her arms, and the runes flared with silent recognition.

A beat passed.

Then she grinned—a rare expression.

"I'll challenge the city guard. Tomorrow morning."

Elara groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Of course you will. Just try not to destroy the practice yard."