Alisha took a deep breath and said to Sebastian, "Sebastian, this is Rumno, currently…"
"I'm currently pursuing Alisha," said Rumno, a tall man with glasses, looking gentle. He stepped forward, shook Sebastian's hand, and said, "I've heard Alisha talk about you for ages, and now I finally meet you. Hello, my name's Rumno, and I'm pursuing Alisha."
"Hello, I'm Sebastian, Alisha's son. But you said pursuing? I thought you two were already together." Saying this, Sebastian felt a spark of relief in his chest.
"Alisha's an amazing woman. We've talked it over deeply and don't want to rush into things, so I'm still in the courting phase."
As soon as Rumno finished, Sebastian heard Alisha say, "Alright, let's not dwell on this now. We were planning to come back and cook something. Sweetheart, you're back just in time. Let's celebrate your return from the exchange program."
With that, Alisha headed to the kitchen with the groceries she'd bought. After prepping the ingredients, she went to her room, changed clothes, and started cooking dinner.
At that moment, Rumno slipped into the kitchen to help Alisha. Sebastian felt a twinge of unease watching this, so he called a goodbye to Alisha and retreated to his room.
Back in his room, Sebastian pulled a black pouch from his backpack and shook it gently, ensuring the runes inside mixed thoroughly. With his eyes narrowed, Sebastian silently muttered a spell or natural prayer.
When the spell ended, Sebastian poured out rune stones—carved from stone or animal bone, etched with rune symbols—from the black pouch. Twenty-five stones spilled onto the table. Sebastian took the nine face-up stones closest to him and arranged them in a three-by-three grid before him.
After setting them up, Sebastian placed one hand over the nine rune stones and began chanting the spell again in silence. Slowly, his face turned grim, even icy.
Opening his eyes, Sebastian swept all the rune stones back into the black pouch. Without a sound, he sat at his desk, reading a book as usual, as if nothing had happened.
In a year, Sebastian had poured his heart into learning Asgard's magic, covering not just combat spells but also healing, prophecy, and transformation. Among them, runestone divination, crafted through rune carving, was a skill he'd picked up in the past year. To some extent, it filled gaps in his past abilities.
"Sebastian, sweetheart, come out for dinner."
Hearing Alisha's call, Sebastian first pulled out a potion and drank it, then rose and headed to the living room as usual. By now, Alisha and Rumno had set the food on the table. Smelling the dishes he hadn't tasted in ages, Sebastian flashed a genuine smile.
"I've missed this so much."
Seeing Sebastian's smile, Alisha beamed and said, "Didn't you eat hearty meals while you were away?"
Sitting down, Sebastian grabbed a fork and speared a piece of Starfire Chicken, a savory dish with a magical twist. The familiar, homey flavor melted in his mouth.
"This is Mom's taste. No tavern can match this."
Alisha smiled, nodded, and urged Rumno to join her at the table to start eating.
Rumno pulled out a bottle of red wine, poured glasses for himself and Alisha, then handed Sebastian a can of Fizzing Brew, saying, "Alisha mentioned you prefer Fizzing Brew over Sparkle Soda. I'm a Fizzing Brew fan myself. I think we could be friends."
Taking the Fizzing Brew, Sebastian nodded with a smile and said, "If you like Fizzing Brew, then we could be friends."
For a whole year, Asgard had no Fizzing Brew. Sebastian used to think it was no big deal, but after a year without it, he craved it and quickly downed the can.
After three rounds of drinks, the meal had a mix of flavors.
Alisha brought out dessert, and they ate seated at the table. Sebastian and Rumno each took a couple of bites before setting down their forks.
At that moment, Rumno glanced at Sebastian, checked his watch, and suddenly said with a smirk, "Honestly, I thought this would be tougher, but now it seems I overestimated you, Sebastian Shaw!"
Hearing Rumno's words, Alisha said, annoyed and confused, "Rumno, what are you talking about?"
"Alisha, it's a shame. If I weren't on a mission, I'd genuinely want to spend time with a woman like you. But sadly, there are no what-ifs in this world."
Though Rumno said little, his meaning was clear. Alisha, furious, slammed the table and tried to stand. But before she could, she slumped back into her chair, her body weak and limp. She couldn't muster any strength. Slowly, she lost control of her mouth and tongue, only able to sit and breathe.
Standing, Rumno looked at Sebastian, who was also slumped in his chair, silent, and said with a grin, "Alisha's a lady, so I gave her half a dose of the drug. But as a powerful wizard, I gave you three times the normal dose.
I've studied footage of your battles and some intel. I know much of your magic needs hand gestures and chants, and that your spells mostly rely on that wand of yours. So I used this method—it'll bring you back safely without harming you, while ensuring you can't touch me."
Sebastian's eyes met Rumno's with cold calm, while Alisha's gaze held confusion and questions. Magic? Wizard? She wondered if she'd met a madman.
Rumno pulled a small box from his pocket, took out a syringe, and readied to inject Sebastian. Just as he stepped around the table toward Sebastian, Sebastian, who'd been limp in his chair, slowly stood and said to Rumno, "Since you know I'm no ordinary person, you shouldn't prepare measures for me like I'm one. Your so-called triple dose is just a joke to me."