The Rune Mage Starting at Hogwarts

After all, neither he nor Karma could stay here forever. If the resistance wanted to truly grow, it had to learn to solve these problems on its own.

Time passed quickly, and under Irelia's arrangement, the chaos in Presidium gradually returned to order.

Just as the rebel soldiers were having lunch by the roadside at noon, a rapid sound of hooves suddenly came from the direction of the city gate.

Those were scouts from several small teams responsible for bringing back the Presidian civilians who had been relocated to Presidium.

After their identities were verified, the horses quickly stopped in the square in front of the university.

The rebel soldiers carefully helped several wounded monks off their horses.

"Quickly, someone bring clean water and medicine!"

Upon hearing the sound, Irelia and Karma quickly walked over, with Ryze following behind.

The three people who were helped down were wearing tattered gray monk robes, their clothes now stained with blood and mud.

"They are monks from the Hilana Monastery!"

Several monks from the Hall of Eternal Preservation recognized their clothes at a glance and quickly went forward to examine them.

Karma stepped forward, his hands glowing with green light, and placed them near the middle-aged monk's wound to give him some simple treatment.

The middle-aged monk caught his breath, and upon seeing Karma before him, his eyes instantly reddened: "Master Karma... the Hilana Monastery and the Shuoji Temple... we couldn't defend them either..."

Upon hearing this news, the surroundings instantly fell silent.

Many young soldiers stopped what they were doing and turned to look.

Irelia crouched down and held the monk's shoulder: "Don't rush, tell me slowly, what exactly happened in the north?"

The middle-aged monk took a breath and then began to recount the battle situation in the north in fits and starts.

A week ago, Noxus's two legions completed the encirclement of the Hilana Monastery.

In order to breach the monastery's defenses, the Noxians not only used a large number of catapults, but also alchemical poison gas from Zaun.

Although Udir, the ascetic from Freljord, displayed extremely powerful combat strength, the Noxian army was simply too large.

They didn't care about the casualties of the lower-ranking soldiers at all; they only wanted to capture the monastery and take away the secret treasures that had been kept there for thousands of years.

After holding out for several days, the monastery finally fell.

Faced with no way to retreat, in order to buy time for his compatriots to evacuate, Li Qing forcibly unleashed the power of the dragon spirit within his body.

The raging power of the dragon did buy more time for the monks, but the backlash from the dragon's power was also extremely severe.

The raging flames burned Lee Sin's eyes. By the time Udir rescued Lee Sin from the inferno, he was completely blind and had not yet regained consciousness when they set off for Presidium.

Upon hearing the news that Li Qing had gone blind, the soldiers around him who had dealt with him fell silent.

Karma closed her eyes and bowed her head, silently praying for the distant monks.

Although Irelia was also worried about Li Qing's safety, she suppressed her emotions and continued to ask, "What about the others? How many people from the monastery were evacuated?"

The middle-aged monk nodded: "Thanks to Mr. Udir and Lee Chin's desperate resistance, the enemy's main force was delayed for a day, and most of them were able to evacuate."

According to the monk's account, the survivors who evacuated eventually split into two groups.

The first group, escorted by the surviving dozens of monks and Udir, carrying the severely injured and unconscious Li Qing, is traversing the deep mountains and dense forests of the north, heading towards Presidium along the mountain path.

They were advance scouts who had come ahead to deliver the message. In order to get the information to Presidium as soon as possible, they encountered many attacks from the Noxas vanguard squads on the way. Finally, they were discovered and rescued by the rebels about 20 miles north of Presidium.

The second group of survivors consisted entirely of young orphans and elderly people who had no ability to protect themselves.

The elders of the monastery knew before the battle that the outcome was bleak, so they made arrangements for ships in advance.

The elderly, women, and children were escorted to a coastal port in northern Ionia, preparing to cross the sea to seek refuge in the Kingdom of Demasia.

After hearing this, Irelia immediately stood up.

"Since Captain Li Qing and the monks from the monastery are retreating, we must go and meet them."

Irelia turned to the squad leaders behind her and ordered, "Immediately take thirty warriors and five mages, head north out of the city to provide support, and make sure the monastery is completely wiped out!"

"Yes, sir!" The squad leader immediately accepted the order and turned to run quickly to gather the men.

Rizzi, standing not far away, listened quietly to all the news.

His eyes flickered slightly when he heard that "young orphans were being sent on a ship to Demacia".

According to the original historical trajectory, among these orphans sent to Demacia was the future Sona, the fairy of lyre.

Chapter 406: Before Departure

Noxus's invasion of Ionia can indeed be said to be the beginning of the Runeterra story.

This war not only changed the previously isolated and peaceful life of Ionia, but also altered the destinies of many.

After returning to Noxus, Swain will use the power of demons to launch a coup within the Empire, overthrow Darkwell's rule, and establish a new order.

Irelia became the leader of the Ionia resistance through this war.

Lee Chun lost his sight while liberating the spirit of the dragon, and ultimately embarked on the path of a warrior monk seeking atonement and asceticism.

Now, Sona, still a little girl, has been sent on a cargo ship to Demacia, where she will be adopted by nobles.

From this moment on, heroes will begin to take to the stage of Runeterra.

Soon after, Ryven, still a Noxian soldier, and Yasuo, who has not yet become the Unforgiven, will also begin their own stories here.

As Raz stood on the steps of Presidium University, listening to these stories, he couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart.

But in the end, he was just a passerby who had temporarily come here from another world.

Although he has already interfered in the fates of many people, he has also interfered in their lives.

And now he has already begun preparations for his departure.

Of course, in the following days, Ryze did not rush to leave Presidium, but continued to organize things that he might need.

During the day, Reese spends most of her time in the university's main library.

Now that the Grand Library is officially open to Raz, he no longer needs to use disguises to come here openly and legitimately to view most of the books.

As for the few magical books that still weren't open to Ryze and involved the spiritual realm or even the secrets of the nascent land, Ryze had already taken advantage of the chaos to examine them.

Right now, he is integrating those ordinary books, trying to connect those ancient but scattered magical knowledge as much as possible.

Aside from reading and copying books, Rizzi spent most of her remaining time in the Magic Garden.

Using his affinity for herbs, Ryze collected a large number of magical plants that did not exist in their world from the garden and the edge of the deep mountains. These things should be enough to make Professor Sprout happy for a long time.

Meanwhile, in Presidium, order was quickly restored to the city under Irelia's arrangement.

The rebels repaired the damaged city gates, distributed the weapons and armor left behind by the Noxus Legion to the various squads, and the civilians who had been evacuated to the mountains returned to the city in batches, which greatly revitalized Presidium.

On the evening of the third day, it started to drizzle.

Another commotion broke out at the northern gate of Presidium.

A small resistance squad patrolling outside the city escorted a weary troop into the city.

This was the last group of people to return from the Hilana Monastery.

The team consisted of about sixty or seventy people, mostly young monks and civilians with injuries.

By this time, everyone's face was etched with fatigue, clearly indicating that the days of travel had put considerable pressure on their mental and physical strength.

Leading the procession was a burly, middle-aged man draped in an animal skin.

The man's body was covered with countless knife wounds and burns; he was Udir, a practitioner from Freljord.

Beside Udir, on a horse, sat a young man wearing a blood-stained monk's robe.

The man's eyes were covered with a thick white cloth, and his face looked pale, but at least he was mentally alert.

The monk Li Qing lost his sight because he awakened the spirit of the dragon.

"Everyone from the monastery and Captain Li Qing are back!"

The rebel fighters in the square immediately began to shout.

Upon hearing the noise outside, Irelia and Karma immediately rushed out of the academy, which had become the rebel headquarters.

Rizz closed the ancient book in his hand and followed them out to the long corridor.

Upon seeing Irelia and Karma approaching, Udir stopped and exhaled a heavy breath: "I've brought them all back. The wounded need hot water and clean bandages."

Several scholars from the academy and resistance fighters rushed forward and carefully helped the injured monks and civilians into the academy for treatment.

Li Qing sat on his horse, listening to the sounds around him. He turned his head to the side, seemingly trying to sense Presidium's condition through the sounds and smells around him.

After sensing the rising attitude of the surrounding resistance fighters and civilians, Li Qing's previously tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

But then, an undisguised look of guilt appeared on his face.

Lee Sin dismounted and then bent deeply towards Irelia and Karma.

“Irelia, and Master Karma... I’m sorry, I broke my promise.”

Irelia quickly stepped forward and took Li Qing's arm, saying, "Captain Li Qing, don't say that. It's good that you're back safe and sound."

Li Qing shook his head, his face filled with even more guilt: "Before the war began, I promised you that I would bring the monks from the monastery back to support the Noxas Legion when they arrived in Presidium. But I didn't expect the Noxas' offensive to be so fierce. In the end, the monastery and the Shuoji Temple couldn't hold out, and everything was destroyed by the Noxas."

"And I, not only failed to return to Presidium on time to join the war, I even lost my eyesight..."

At this point, Li Qing clenched his fist, clearly feeling that he had accomplished nothing on this trip.

Looking at the white sheet in front of Li Qing, Irelia said seriously, "Captain Li Qing, we have won the battle of Presidium. The enemy legion leader, Swain, has been severely injured by us, and Noxus's army has retreated. Presidium is safe now."

"Moreover, the scouts brought back news that if it weren't for you and Mr. Udir's desperate efforts in the valley to delay Noxas' two main legions, the children and the elderly in the monastery would never have had time to evacuate."

"You saved hundreds of your compatriots. No one will blame you. You will always be a hero of Ionia."

Karma also stepped forward and gently placed her hand on Li Qing's shoulder.

A gentle stream of spiritual energy flowed into Li Qing's body through his palm, calming the restless energy within him.

“The will of the Dragon Spirit is not destruction, but protection,” Karma said gently. “The sacrifices you have made to protect your fellow beings are seen by all the spirits of all things, so there is no need to be harsh on yourself for them.”

Standing in the rain, Li Qing listened to their words of comfort, her chest heaving slightly, before finally letting out a heavy sigh.

Ryze stood to the side, watching this scene quietly.

He walked a short distance to Li Qing and said calmly, "Before you left, I told you that even if you can't see, you can still perceive the world around you with your heart."

Li Qing's ears twitched, and he turned his head toward Rizzi.

"Mr. White."

Looking at the white cloth covering Li Qing's face, Ryze simply said, "Many things that you see with your eyes are often just appearances. When you close your eyes, everything around you becomes clearer than before."

"Since the spirit of the dragon has chosen to remain in your body, it means that it recognizes your will. As long as your heart is not blind, your fists can still protect what you want to protect."

Li Qing was stunned for a moment.

He stood there pondering Rizzi's words, and his previously somewhat gloomy expression slowly regained a glimmer of light.

Although he had indeed lost his sight, his other senses had become more acute, and the dragon spirit sleeping within him could also help him resonate with the nature around him.

Seeing that Lee Sin seemed to have regained some spirits, Ryze continued, "Blame won't solve anything. The Noxian legions are still burning, killing, and looting all over Ionia. Although the monasteries and temples have been destroyed, as long as you survivors are still here, and as long as Ionia can completely drive out the invaders, you can go back and rebuild the temples at any time."

Upon hearing this, not only Li Qing, but also those who had escaped from the monastery behind him couldn't help but show a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

Irelia stepped forward and surveyed all the warriors and scholars present.

Irelia raised her voice, her eyes resolute, and said, "Mr. White is right. The victory at Presidium is just the beginning. The fall of the northern monasteries shows that the Noxians still have a large military force in other provinces. We have no time to wallow in grief. Only by uniting all the forces of Ionia and completely driving the Noxian Legion out of Ionia can we truly reclaim the harmony that belongs to Ionia!"

Upon hearing these words, the surrounding resistance fighters raised their weapons and shouted in unison.

The monks of the monastery, whose morale had been low, had their fighting spirit rekindled in their eyes.

Karma stood to the side and nodded slightly.

......

Over the next two days, Presidios started speeding up again.

As news of the victory at Presidium spread through scouts and carrier pigeons, young people from villages and towns throughout the province of Navoli began to spontaneously flock to Presidium.

The size of the resistance is rapidly expanding.

Many martial arts schools, sects, and small monasteries and temples that had previously remained neutral finally made up their minds after witnessing the great victory at Presidium and stopped preventing their disciples from joining the resistance.

Within just two days, the number of rebels gathered in Presidium had exceeded three thousand.

After a brief discussion, Irelia and Karma decided to officially split up their forces on the morning of the third day.