As expected of the former Royal Magician, Raincart Ezenholm, Noel's grandfather, managed to spread the knowledge about runes in all directions.
Unlike Noel, he didn't have to hide his own existence. After all, the author was not him but his grandson, who was rumored to be dead.
And with this knowledge being spread openly, Raincart, of course, had to deal with the Greenwood Kingdom's royal family.
He was summoned to the royal palace. Normally, he would be judged by all the nobles. Yet, there were only four people inside the throne room: Raincart, the king, the prime minister, and the current Royal Magician.
Raincart fell on one knee while greeting the king. "Raincart Ezenholm greets Your Majesty."
The king, Theodore El Greenwood, frowned. His expression was dark as if he experienced a lot of stress because of the recent matter.
"I think you already know the reason for calling you here… Teacher," said the king. Although he called him his teacher, his voice was cold as if he held some grudges.
"Of course. The Introductory Rune Book…" Raincart nodded.
"Then, I won't beat around the bush." The king asked with a strict tone. "Why do you spread it?"
Raincart fell silent. He had prepared for an answer, but as expected, their relationship as a former student and teacher made it hard for him to tell the reason.
"I believe Your Majesty has seen the books… But may I ask if the author of the book rings a bell in your ears?" Raincart asked.
Normally, the prime minister and the royal magician would berate him for answering the question with another question. But Raincart was a Royal Magician, so he obviously understood that. Even if he was being interrogated, Raincart seemed to want to tell them something.
Theodore narrowed his eyes and said, "Noel Ardagan… I have heard about the Ardagan Family. They were from the Muivell Kingdom and seemed to have fallen not long ago. They were the wealthiest family in that kingdom, so of course, I knew them. What's your point?"
The Prime Minister seemed to catch something. "Wait a minute. Ardagan Family… Ezenholm Family… If I am not wrong, your daughter, Leysha Ezenholm, married the head of the Ardagan Family, Luke Ardagan… And this Noel Ardagan must be their son or, in other words, your grandson."
"…" Theodore fell silent when he grasped the whole situation.
"Yes." Raincart nodded, confirming it.
The prime minister continued, "We tried to investigate the author of the book, Noel Ardagan. But we only heard about his death on a mission… Are you telling us that the reason for your action is honoring your grandson?"
"Yes. I'm simply honoring the promise…" Raincart admitted it without hesitation.
"Raincart Ezenholm…" The Royal Magician stepped forward. "You and I, as the former and current Royal Magician, should know that there was no way a young person like that would be able to write that, right? No matter how talented he was, someone who just reached adulthood wouldn't be able to create something more complete than the Spirit Enchantment."
Raincart smirked. "Because you are the current Royal Magician that you haven't experienced and learned everything yet."
"You…" The Royal Magician was simply stating common sense, so he was a bit offended when Raincart provoked him.
However, the king waved his hand, stopping him. He had caught a hidden meaning in his sentence. "What are you talking about? Elaborate."
Raincart nodded. "As we all know, the Spirit Enchantment came from the ancestors of the royal family…"
"That's obvious." The king nodded. The Spirit Enchantment was basically the reason why the royal family could reign this kingdom.
But Raincart asked another question about their family tree. "But are you aware of the origin of the book… specifically? Where did the ancestors of the royal family acquire the book?"
They were confused. But the Prime Minister, who was the sharpest among them, couldn't help but notice the message. "Don't tell me, the Ardagan Family? They were also an old family with a deep background…"
"Exactly!" Raincart smiled. "In that generation, there were two members from the Royal Family that decided to leave the kingdom for an adventure."
"!!!" The king widened his eyes in shock. "The Sword Saint, Noah El Greenwood, and the Fairy, Alicia El Greenwood."
As soon as the king recognized those two names, Raincart immediately stepped forward with his story. "Yes. The Sword Saint and the Fairy went on an adventure and met a person that would change their lives. He was the Great General under Heaven, Alexander Ardagan."
"!!!" Both the Prime Minister and the Royal Magician also recognized this name. "The first person to reach the Spirit King Level. The number one expert in that generation. Alexander Ardagan!"
"Wait a minute…" The king contemplated for a moment and asked, "Don't tell me, the Spirit Enchantment came from…"
"Yes. There was no record in this kingdom, but the Ardagan Family still had the record. Alicia El Greenwood married Alexander Ardagan. In exchange, Alexander Ardagan presented the Spirit Enchantment Book.
"But with the fact that both the Fairy and the Sword Saint chose to live and die in the Muivell Kingdom, I could only assume that their relationship wasn't that good. That was why the Spirit Enchantment that he gave was the downgraded version of what I'm currently spreading, the Runes.
"That's the origin of the book." Raincart ended his explanation with a smile, stunning all three of them.
The Royal Magician frowned and asked, "Are you telling us that the books are actually the legacy of Alexander Ardagan?"
"Yes." Raincart stopped after a single word as if he was waiting for their decision.
As a royalty, the king noticed something different from these two. He was looking directly at his own family tree and couldn't help but say, "If this is the case, doesn't that mean the Ardagan Family and us have a deep relationship?"
"!!!" The Royal Magician and the Prime Minister widened their eyes in shock. They didn't care about royal blood since it had been a thousand years. What shocked them was the king's intention.