Chapter 54
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Beta looked at the departing group indifferently and picked up the White Badger's body, throwing it to Sophie.
"Once we're back, you will take care of it.", Beta said with a smile.
Sophie nodded in return and put it in her bag with satisfaction. This would get them a good amount of money that they would always need.
"Let's continue. I want to get to the headmaster before it gets dark.", Beta commanded swiftly.
His squad was in high spirits after scaring away a potential enemy and didn't complain at all. They all knew that they would stay in the ruins overnight after all. They all moved out and proceeded as before. Breaking into several houses, clearing them, looking for treasures, and moving on. Until now, they didn't find any particular treasures, but they did find a few things. There were pictures drawn on some walls that show a person covered in darkness, flying above a city. Right opposite of that was a person covered in light. Other drawings showed how these personas were fighting and that, in the end, both of them sank down into the city. Even though most of the illustrations were fading, it was still clear enough for them to realize that it must've something to do with the history of the ruins they're currently in.
From then on, their squad didn't find anything useful, but it was apparent that something big happened. Most of the areas they searched have the same pictures about the two powerful beings and the city, thus, further solidifying their theory about the ruins. Beta was very curious about it as the history of the city was quite old and he wondered if it was around the time when his parents were still alive or even before that. He really wanted to know more about the ruins, the events in the past, and especially about those two mysterious entities.
The pictures clearly depicted that both of them were once very powerful beings, judging from the damage they did to the glorious city which now became the ruins. Looking at the illustration, two people sinking down into the city wasn't anything normal. What was it trying to tell people? Who won at the end? Did the illustration of sinking down mean that they both died in the end? What happened to the people who once resided in the city? Of the information he gathered before in the camp, there weren't any hints regarding the history of the ruins, but they did hear some people that talked about a change to the city at night. It wasn't clear what exactly they were talking about, but Beta definitely wanted to see that change with his own eyes.
Hours later, their squad finally arrived at their destination. They were in front of a huge building, close to the center. The stairs led to a double door that has already been opened by someone. Beta's group closed in on it but suddenly someone stood in front of them.
"What do you want?", a man of around forty years of age asked.
"We wish to see the headmaster of our school to give him our greetings.", Beta answered.
"He will not be able to receive you. Just head back.", the man said in a harder tone.
"Even then, we'd still like to enter. Besides meeting our headmaster, we also want to inspect the runes of his prison so that we won't have to blindly search for a key.", Beta said, not faltering at all.
"There's no need to. Just go out and bring us everything you find." His voice got angry as he spoke, but an eyebrow raised at the same time.
"Are you saying that efficiency is of no matter in our headmaster's current situation? If we search blindly, it will take considerably more time and therefore delay our headmaster's rescue. Do you really want to be the reason for our headmaster's death and the ruin's recovery? What do you even fear? Do you actually think we could do something against a rune prison that even our revered headmaster can't damage? If that is not the case, then why do you prohibit anyone from coming close to him? Are you insinuating that there are forces within the city that want to harm the headmaster? Why would they do that? Why are you not saying anything at all? Who are you even?", Beta said in one breath, giving the man a huge headache.
"Shut up!", the man shouted loudly. But before he could say more to reprimand the impertinent brat in front of him, another voice was heard from behind him.
"Let them through."
Beta's group didn't see anyone but they still passed by the man once he stepped aside. Seeing Beta's huge smile as he passed by, pissed off the man, but he nonetheless stood aside and didn't dare to do anything.
The squad walked through the entrance of the building where they saw a huge hall. It didn't look damaged at all and even looked clean. Straight up ahead, there was a pathway which was blocked by flying runes. Beta instantly saw "Selyo", the rune which meant seal, complete closure. Several other runes were littered everywhere that supported the foundation of the seal, further enhancing it. He instantly understood that their headmaster was really in deep trouble.
"I've never seen runes that are able to float before... It's as if there's an invisible curtain... I see... So, it works like this...", Beta murmured while studying the runes carefully.
"Aren't you here to greet me? Why is the first thing you do inspect the runes? Hehe…", said the same voice as earlier, laughingly.
"H-Headmaster!", Beta exclaimed, startled but he quickly composed himself even after he got caught red-handed with his real purpose.
In the middle of the room in front of him, sat an old man whose white beard reached down to his hips. Wrinkles filled his face and everything about him looked old. He was wearing a white robe, embroidered with golden threads that formed runes for protection and a few other uses. He naturally exuded a calm and warm aura which made him seem approachable and kind, yet it was also clear that he was no ordinary old man at all.
"Forgive my manners, sir! It's just that I was so worried about your well-being the whole time that the first thing I did was to analyze the rune prison to find the key faster!", Beta shamelessly exclaimed, and after a short pause continued, "My name is Beta and these are my friends from class 2-S. We greet our headmaster!"
"Hahaha! No worries and be at ease, I know who you are already. Lores has told me a thing or two about you. I'm sorry for the vice principal's bad behavior. It's just that there have been some interesting developments and he's worried that it concerns my life.", Hanz said while looking at Beta, giving him a wink.
"Oh, so it was our vice principal? Hehe…", Beta took a quick glance back at the entrance and couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly as he remembered what he just did.
Beta was able to tell that the headmaster knew the other party very well, which at the same time confirmed his suspicions, but for the others, it was weird to see the headmaster wink at Beta after staring at him intensely. It somehow gave them all goosebumps as they got worried about Beta's future, but they didn't dare to say anything since the other party was their headmaster after all. His squad simply prayed silently in their hearts that nothing bad would happen to him after all of this is over. Their delusions went so wild that they even thought of accidentally not finding the key, even if they encountered it. Their train of thought got cut off though when Beta finally mentioned their goal of meeting the headmaster.
"Do you have any information that might be of use to help you?", Beta asked.
"Sadly, I don't know much about runes. Even my own robe has been embroidered by someone else, and if he had not told me their meanings, I wouldn't know. In that sense, I'm rather sure that you know more than I do. But, as you may have noticed already, this city is not as normal as it may seem at first. Something happened here a few hundred years ago and the changes can still be felt. What happened was clearly not an impact a normal Elementalist, or even a Sorcerer can do. I'm guessing you also encountered the pictures that depicted the history of this ruins so you should at least have gotten the idea. The secret lies below this city and this very building we're in may have a clue on how to get there. Although, I'm not too sure about it myself since I haven't even made it far nor was I able to explore more. Anyway, back to the topic. If someone wanted enemies or anyone else not to enter the building, and possibly even left it after that, do you think that there would be a key? Why would you make a key for a prison with an exclusive power source?", Hanz said nonchalantly.
There was a sudden glint in Beta's eyes when he heard the headmaster mention that it was hundreds of years ago but then he calmed himself and acted as if he was intently listening. He planned to get more clues in the future but at the moment he will focus on what was at hand. He threw it at the back in his mind and thought about what their headmaster just said. His assumptions were definitely not wrong. If someone built a prison which functioned in a way that made the defensive structure work even longer but then also decided to build a key for it, the prison would lose its purpose. But then again, hope wasn't completely lost yet as he came up with his own conclusion.
"What if whoever made this prison wasn't able to reach the secret of the ruins yet and therefore sealed it? In that scenario, there would definitely be a key for that person to enter again. In that case, we only need to hope that the person left it somewhere here instead of taking it with him.", Beta said.
"Oh? That's quite a good thought but hmm… Why would he not take it with him?", Hanz asked seriously.
Since he didn't know anything about runes, there might be something he didn't know that might help with solving his predicament. Beta didn't deny about his assumption that he was knowledgeable when it comes to runes either so he believed that what Beta said was possible. Also, even though he has been feeling helpless lately due to his mishap, seeing that sliver of hope made him a bit more energetic than he originally was. He really badly wanted to get out of the prison and go back to his precious academy as soon as possible. Plus, he also didn't want to perish yet without saying his farewell to his loved ones. Before he gets lost in his own musing, he looked at Beta and listened carefully to his own idea.
"There are a few reasons for it to be the case. For example, if someone killed him and that person got his best treasure, namely the key, wouldn't that be vexing? If it were me, I would do my best to find the fitting lock to use the key on, which wouldn't be that hard, so it was only normal to think that the option to take the key was not a good idea. Especially in our world, dying wasn't anything unusual either, so it is a big possibility. Another reason might be the key itself. If it was providing itself with soulpower from its surroundings, then it definitely couldn't be placed into a void bag. According to what I know about runes, if it lost its source of power, the rune will collapse, thus, the one who made the rune prison should've kept the key outside. But, if that was the case, it should also mean that it has to be carried on the body at all times. That idea would've been really inconvenient as it can be lost in battles or stolen in big cities just like the first situation of the first reason. So, we can assume that the key is somewhere close to the location of the rune prison itself, hidden from other people.", Beta said while holding his chin.
"That sounds plausible. But why hide it within the city? There are other places it could be hidden at.", Hanz said seriously. Hiding the key to the cookie jar right next to it doesn't sound wise at all.
"That might be the case for normal people, but if you can use runes, it's a different story. I think I know where it might be hidden.", Beta said, a smirk covering his face.
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Beta looked at the departing group indifferently and picked up the White Badger's body, throwing it to Sophie.
"Once we're back, you will take care of it.", Beta said with a smile.
Sophie nodded in return and put it in her bag with satisfaction. This would get them a good amount of money that they would always need.
"Let's continue. I want to get to the headmaster before it gets dark.", Beta commanded swiftly.
His squad was in high spirits after scaring away a potential enemy and didn't complain at all. They all knew that they would stay in the ruins overnight after all. They all moved out and proceeded as before. Breaking into several houses, clearing them, looking for treasures, and moving on. Until now, they didn't find any particular treasures, but they did find a few things. There were pictures drawn on some walls that show a person covered in darkness, flying above a city. Right opposite of that was a person covered in light. Other drawings showed how these personas were fighting and that, in the end, both of them sank down into the city. Even though most of the illustrations were fading, it was still clear enough for them to realize that it must've something to do with the history of the ruins they're currently in.
From then on, their squad didn't find anything useful, but it was apparent that something big happened. Most of the areas they searched have the same pictures about the two powerful beings and the city, thus, further solidifying their theory about the ruins. Beta was very curious about it as the history of the city was quite old and he wondered if it was around the time when his parents were still alive or even before that. He really wanted to know more about the ruins, the events in the past, and especially about those two mysterious entities.
The pictures clearly depicted that both of them were once very powerful beings, judging from the damage they did to the glorious city which now became the ruins. Looking at the illustration, two people sinking down into the city wasn't anything normal. What was it trying to tell people? Who won at the end? Did the illustration of sinking down mean that they both died in the end? What happened to the people who once resided in the city? Of the information he gathered before in the camp, there weren't any hints regarding the history of the ruins, but they did hear some people that talked about a change to the city at night. It wasn't clear what exactly they were talking about, but Beta definitely wanted to see that change with his own eyes.
Hours later, their squad finally arrived at their destination. They were in front of a huge building, close to the center. The stairs led to a double door that has already been opened by someone. Beta's group closed in on it but suddenly someone stood in front of them.
"What do you want?", a man of around forty years of age asked.
"We wish to see the headmaster of our school to give him our greetings.", Beta answered.
"He will not be able to receive you. Just head back.", the man said in a harder tone.
"Even then, we'd still like to enter. Besides meeting our headmaster, we also want to inspect the runes of his prison so that we won't have to blindly search for a key.", Beta said, not faltering at all.
"There's no need to. Just go out and bring us everything you find." His voice got angry as he spoke, but an eyebrow raised at the same time.
"Are you saying that efficiency is of no matter in our headmaster's current situation? If we search blindly, it will take considerably more time and therefore delay our headmaster's rescue. Do you really want to be the reason for our headmaster's death and the ruin's recovery? What do you even fear? Do you actually think we could do something against a rune prison that even our revered headmaster can't damage? If that is not the case, then why do you prohibit anyone from coming close to him? Are you insinuating that there are forces within the city that want to harm the headmaster? Why would they do that? Why are you not saying anything at all? Who are you even?", Beta said in one breath, giving the man a huge headache.
"Shut up!", the man shouted loudly. But before he could say more to reprimand the impertinent brat in front of him, another voice was heard from behind him.
"Let them through."
Beta's group didn't see anyone but they still passed by the man once he stepped aside. Seeing Beta's huge smile as he passed by, pissed off the man, but he nonetheless stood aside and didn't dare to do anything.
The squad walked through the entrance of the building where they saw a huge hall. It didn't look damaged at all and even looked clean. Straight up ahead, there was a pathway which was blocked by flying runes. Beta instantly saw "Selyo", the rune which meant seal, complete closure. Several other runes were littered everywhere that supported the foundation of the seal, further enhancing it. He instantly understood that their headmaster was really in deep trouble.
"I've never seen runes that are able to float before... It's as if there's an invisible curtain... I see... So, it works like this...", Beta murmured while studying the runes carefully.
"Aren't you here to greet me? Why is the first thing you do inspect the runes? Hehe…", said the same voice as earlier, laughingly.
"H-Headmaster!", Beta exclaimed, startled but he quickly composed himself even after he got caught red-handed with his real purpose.
In the middle of the room in front of him, sat an old man whose white beard reached down to his hips. Wrinkles filled his face and everything about him looked old. He was wearing a white robe, embroidered with golden threads that formed runes for protection and a few other uses. He naturally exuded a calm and warm aura which made him seem approachable and kind, yet it was also clear that he was no ordinary old man at all.
"Forgive my manners, sir! It's just that I was so worried about your well-being the whole time that the first thing I did was to analyze the rune prison to find the key faster!", Beta shamelessly exclaimed, and after a short pause continued, "My name is Beta and these are my friends from class 2-S. We greet our headmaster!"
"Hahaha! No worries and be at ease, I know who you are already. Lores has told me a thing or two about you. I'm sorry for the vice principal's bad behavior. It's just that there have been some interesting developments and he's worried that it concerns my life.", Hanz said while looking at Beta, giving him a wink.
"Oh, so it was our vice principal? Hehe…", Beta took a quick glance back at the entrance and couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly as he remembered what he just did.
Beta was able to tell that the headmaster knew the other party very well, which at the same time confirmed his suspicions, but for the others, it was weird to see the headmaster wink at Beta after staring at him intensely. It somehow gave them all goosebumps as they got worried about Beta's future, but they didn't dare to say anything since the other party was their headmaster after all. His squad simply prayed silently in their hearts that nothing bad would happen to him after all of this is over. Their delusions went so wild that they even thought of accidentally not finding the key, even if they encountered it. Their train of thought got cut off though when Beta finally mentioned their goal of meeting the headmaster.
"Do you have any information that might be of use to help you?", Beta asked.
"Sadly, I don't know much about runes. Even my own robe has been embroidered by someone else, and if he had not told me their meanings, I wouldn't know. In that sense, I'm rather sure that you know more than I do. But, as you may have noticed already, this city is not as normal as it may seem at first. Something happened here a few hundred years ago and the changes can still be felt. What happened was clearly not an impact a normal Elementalist, or even a Sorcerer can do. I'm guessing you also encountered the pictures that depicted the history of this ruins so you should at least have gotten the idea. The secret lies below this city and this very building we're in may have a clue on how to get there. Although, I'm not too sure about it myself since I haven't even made it far nor was I able to explore more. Anyway, back to the topic. If someone wanted enemies or anyone else not to enter the building, and possibly even left it after that, do you think that there would be a key? Why would you make a key for a prison with an exclusive power source?", Hanz said nonchalantly.
There was a sudden glint in Beta's eyes when he heard the headmaster mention that it was hundreds of years ago but then he calmed himself and acted as if he was intently listening. He planned to get more clues in the future but at the moment he will focus on what was at hand. He threw it at the back in his mind and thought about what their headmaster just said. His assumptions were definitely not wrong. If someone built a prison which functioned in a way that made the defensive structure work even longer but then also decided to build a key for it, the prison would lose its purpose. But then again, hope wasn't completely lost yet as he came up with his own conclusion.
"What if whoever made this prison wasn't able to reach the secret of the ruins yet and therefore sealed it? In that scenario, there would definitely be a key for that person to enter again. In that case, we only need to hope that the person left it somewhere here instead of taking it with him.", Beta said.
"Oh? That's quite a good thought but hmm… Why would he not take it with him?", Hanz asked seriously.
Since he didn't know anything about runes, there might be something he didn't know that might help with solving his predicament. Beta didn't deny about his assumption that he was knowledgeable when it comes to runes either so he believed that what Beta said was possible. Also, even though he has been feeling helpless lately due to his mishap, seeing that sliver of hope made him a bit more energetic than he originally was. He really badly wanted to get out of the prison and go back to his precious academy as soon as possible. Plus, he also didn't want to perish yet without saying his farewell to his loved ones. Before he gets lost in his own musing, he looked at Beta and listened carefully to his own idea.
"There are a few reasons for it to be the case. For example, if someone killed him and that person got his best treasure, namely the key, wouldn't that be vexing? If it were me, I would do my best to find the fitting lock to use the key on, which wouldn't be that hard, so it was only normal to think that the option to take the key was not a good idea. Especially in our world, dying wasn't anything unusual either, so it is a big possibility. Another reason might be the key itself. If it was providing itself with soulpower from its surroundings, then it definitely couldn't be placed into a void bag. According to what I know about runes, if it lost its source of power, the rune will collapse, thus, the one who made the rune prison should've kept the key outside. But, if that was the case, it should also mean that it has to be carried on the body at all times. That idea would've been really inconvenient as it can be lost in battles or stolen in big cities just like the first situation of the first reason. So, we can assume that the key is somewhere close to the location of the rune prison itself, hidden from other people.", Beta said while holding his chin.
"That sounds plausible. But why hide it within the city? There are other places it could be hidden at.", Hanz said seriously. Hiding the key to the cookie jar right next to it doesn't sound wise at all.
"That might be the case for normal people, but if you can use runes, it's a different story. I think I know where it might be hidden.", Beta said, a smirk covering his face.
Beta looked at the departing group indifferently and picked up the White Badger's body, throwing it to Sophie."Once we're back, you will take care of it.", Beta said with a smile.Sophie nodded in return and put it in her bag with satisfaction. This would get them a good amount of money that they would always need."Let's continue. I want to get to the headmaster before it gets dark.", Beta commanded swiftly.His squad was in high spirits after scaring away a potential enemy and didn't complain at all. They all knew that they would stay in the ruins overnight after all. They all moved out and proceeded as before. Breaking into several houses, clearing them, looking for treasures, and moving on. Until now, they didn't find any particular treasures, but they did find a few things. There were pictures drawn on some walls that show a person covered in darkness, flying above a city. Right opposite of that was a person covered in light. Other drawings showed how these personas were fighting and that, in the end, both of them sank down into the city. Even though most of the illustrations were fading, it was still clear enough for them to realize that it must've something to do with the history of the ruins they're currently in.From then on, their squad didn't find anything useful, but it was apparent that something big happened. Most of the areas they searched have the same pictures about the two powerful beings and the city, thus, further solidifying their theory about the ruins. Beta was very curious about it as the history of the city was quite old and he wondered if it was around the time when his parents were still alive or even before that. He really wanted to know more about the ruins, the events in the past, and especially about those two mysterious entities.The pictures clearly depicted that both of them were once very powerful beings, judging from the damage they did to the glorious city which now became the ruins. Looking at the illustration, two people sinking down into the city wasn't anything normal. What was it trying to tell people? Who won at the end? Did the illustration of sinking down mean that they both died in the end? What happened to the people who once resided in the city? Of the information he gathered before in the camp, there weren't any hints regarding the history of the ruins, but they did hear some people that talked about a change to the city at night. It wasn't clear what exactly they were talking about, but Beta definitely wanted to see that change with his own eyes.Hours later, their squad finally arrived at their destination. They were in front of a huge building, close to the center. The stairs led to a double door that has already been opened by someone. Beta's group closed in on it but suddenly someone stood in front of them."What do you want?", a man of around forty years of age asked."We wish to see the headmaster of our school to give him our greetings.", Beta answered."He will not be able to receive you. Just head back.", the man said in a harder tone."Even then, we'd still like to enter. Besides meeting our headmaster, we also want to inspect the runes of his prison so that we won't have to blindly search for a key.", Beta said, not faltering at all."There's no need to. Just go out and bring us everything you find." His voice got angry as he spoke, but an eyebrow raised at the same time."Are you saying that efficiency is of no matter in our headmaster's current situation? If we search blindly, it will take considerably more time and therefore delay our headmaster's rescue. Do you really want to be the reason for our headmaster's death and the ruin's recovery? What do you even fear? Do you actually think we could do something against a rune prison that even our revered headmaster can't damage? If that is not the case, then why do you prohibit anyone from coming close to him? Are you insinuating that there are forces within the city that want to harm the headmaster? Why would they do that? Why are you not saying anything at all? Who are you even?", Beta said in one breath, giving the man a huge headache."Shut up!", the man shouted loudly. But before he could say more to reprimand the impertinent brat in front of him, another voice was heard from behind him."Let them through."Beta's group didn't see anyone but they still passed by the man once he stepped aside. Seeing Beta's huge smile as he passed by, pissed off the man, but he nonetheless stood aside and didn't dare to do anything.The squad walked through the entrance of the building where they saw a huge hall. It didn't look damaged at all and even looked clean. Straight up ahead, there was a pathway which was blocked by flying runes. Beta instantly saw "Selyo", the rune which meant seal, complete closure. Several other runes were littered everywhere that supported the foundation of the seal, further enhancing it. He instantly understood that their headmaster was really in deep trouble."I've never seen runes that are able to float before... It's as if there's an invisible curtain... I see... So, it works like this...", Beta murmured while studying the runes carefully."Aren't you here to greet me? Why is the first thing you do inspect the runes? Hehe", said the same voice as earlier, laughingly."H-Headmaster!", Beta exclaimed, startled but he quickly composed himself even after he got caught red-handed with his real purpose.In the middle of the room in front of him, sat an old man whose white beard reached down to his hips. Wrinkles filled his face and everything about him looked old. He was wearing a white robe, embroidered with golden threads that formed runes for protection and a few other uses. He naturally exuded a calm and warm aura which made him seem approachable and kind, yet it was also clear that he was no ordinary old man at all."Forgive my manners, sir! It's just that I was so worried about your well-being the whole time that the first thing I did was to analyze the rune prison to find the key faster!", Beta shamelessly exclaimed, and after a short pause continued, "My name is Beta and these are my friends from class 2-S. We greet our headmaster!""Hahaha! No worries and be at ease, I know who you are already. Lores has told me a thing or two about you. I'm sorry for the vice principal's bad behavior. It's just that there have been some interesting developments and he's worried that it concerns my life.", Hanz said while looking at Beta, giving him a wink."Oh, so it was our vice principal? Hehe", Beta took a quick glance back at the entrance and couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly as he remembered what he just did.Beta was able to tell that the headmaster knew the other party very well, which at the same time confirmed his suspicions, but for the others, it was weird to see the headmaster wink at Beta after staring at him intensely. It somehow gave them all goosebumps as they got worried about Beta's future, but they didn't dare to say anything since the other party was their headmaster after all. His squad simply prayed silently in their hearts that nothing bad would happen to him after all of this is over. Their delusions went so wild that they even thought of accidentally not finding the key, even if they encountered it. Their train of thought got cut off though when Beta finally mentioned their goal of meeting the headmaster."Do you have any information that might be of use to help you?", Beta asked."Sadly, I don't know much about runes. Even my own robe has been embroidered by someone else, and if he had not told me their meanings, I wouldn't know. In that sense, I'm rather sure that you know more than I do. But, as you may have noticed already, this city is not as normal as it may seem at first. Something happened here a few hundred years ago and the changes can still be felt. What happened was clearly not an impact a normal Elementalist, or even a Sorcerer can do. I'm guessing you also encountered the pictures that depicted the history of this ruins so you should at least have gotten the idea. The secret lies below this city and this very building we're in may have a clue on how to get there. Although, I'm not too sure about it myself since I haven't even made it far nor was I able to explore more. Anyway, back to the topic. If someone wanted enemies or anyone else not to enter the building, and possibly even left it after that, do you think that there would be a key? Why would you make a key for a prison with an exclusive power source?", Hanz said nonchalantly.There was a sudden glint in Beta's eyes when he heard the headmaster mention that it was hundreds of years ago but then he calmed himself and acted as if he was intently listening. He planned to get more clues in the future but at the moment he will focus on what was at hand. He threw it at the back in his mind and thought about what their headmaster just said. His assumptions were definitely not wrong. If someone built a prison which functioned in a way that made the defensive structure work even longer but then also decided to build a key for it, the prison would lose its purpose. But then again, hope wasn't completely lost yet as he came up with his own conclusion."What if whoever made this prison wasn't able to reach the secret of the ruins yet and therefore sealed it? In that scenario, there would definitely be a key for that person to enter again. In that case, we only need to hope that the person left it somewhere here instead of taking it with him.", Beta said."Oh? That's quite a good thought but hmm Why would he not take it with him?", Hanz asked seriously.Since he didn't know anything about runes, there might be something he didn't know that might help with solving his predicament. Beta didn't deny about his assumption that he was knowledgeable when it comes to runes either so he believed that what Beta said was possible. Also, even though he has been feeling helpless lately due to his mishap, seeing that sliver of hope made him a bit more energetic than he originally was. He really badly wanted to get out of the prison and go back to his precious academy as soon as possible. Plus, he also didn't want to perish yet without saying his farewell to his loved ones. Before he gets lost in his own musing, he looked at Beta and listened carefully to his own idea."There are a few reasons for it to be the case. For example, if someone killed him and that person got his best treasure, namely the key, wouldn't that be vexing? If it were me, I would do my best to find the fitting lock to use the key on, which wouldn't be that hard, so it was only normal to think that the option to take the key was not a good idea. Especially in our world, dying wasn't anything unusual either, so it is a big possibility. Another reason might be the key itself. If it was providing itself with soulpower from its surroundings, then it definitely couldn't be placed into a void bag. According to what I know about runes, if it lost its source of power, the rune will collapse, thus, the one who made the rune prison should've kept the key outside. But, if that was the case, it should also mean that it has to be carried on the body at all times. That idea would've been really inconvenient as it can be lost in battles or stolen in big cities just like the first situation of the first reason. So, we can assume that the key is somewhere close to the location of the rune prison itself, hidden from other people.", Beta said while holding his chin."That sounds plausible. But why hide it within the city? There are other places it could be hidden at.", Hanz said seriously. Hiding the key to the cookie jar right next to it doesn't sound wise at all."That might be the case for normal people, but if you can use runes, it's a different story. I think I know where it might be hidden.", Beta said, a smirk covering his face.
