The Runesmith

Roland glanced at the status screen of the person that had arrived. His level was above Emmerson and just like the other Knight Commander he had a spirit variant of a class. It seemed that Theodore Valerian didn’t just allow anyone to become a knight commander, having at least a somewhat prestigious class was a requirement.

Usually, classes like High Knight were more prevalent among tier 3 class knights but both of the people he was hiring had prestigious variants of already more prestigious class versions. This made him believe that whoever was the Head Knight might actually match his own Overlord class or at least be somewhat close.

‘I’m not sure if Spirit variants have any multiplier advantages but it could be possible.’

His knowledge of tier 3s ended at the names. All the books that he read before didn’t really explain the skills or advantages they brought. It was a brand new world on which he could only speculate after going through the names. This Alphonse person, for instance, was clearly focused on swordsmanship while wearing heavy armor.

Just like any other knight, he was wearing full plate armor but it didn’t look as heavy as the one Emmerson arrived in. It was clearly made out of Mythril and probably had a higher concentration of it due to the magnified silvery sheen. His helmet came equipped with a blue comb on the top and hid away eyes of the same color behind two slits. The design was quite intricate with a lot of blue outlines that fit together well with the silvery metal.

The weapon of choice was a regular one-handed longsword that didn’t possess the bulk as the one he grabbed from the other knight. It radiated magical energy and was clearly enchanted, his mana sense didn’t allow him to figure out the exact magic but it had several layers to it. This time around, it was an actual runic enchantment, and even without being able to glance at the runic structures, Roland could feel it through his enhanced mana sense.

On the left side, he was holding onto a kite shield with the Valerian crest on the front side. It was a lot smaller compared to the heavy oval shield his other opponent arrived with. This item had obvious runic traces and even some runes on the front. Even without using his eye skill, he could quickly decipher the defensive spells it was equipped with.

‘It’s a tier 3 version of the mana shield and has several layers to it.’

To a magical craftsman like Roland who didn’t have the leisure of having a proper teacher, this was more interesting than the scene that was playing out now. The runes were of the charged variety and they seemed to have three versions of a similar shielding spell on it. With the help of the debugging skill it was possible to figure out most of the uses and that the defensive item was based on renewable charges.

‘I’ll probably have to focus on charges when making weapons for the other knights, their limited mana pool won’t be able to sustain the higher-tier spells…’

While deliberating on some future tasks he continued with his assessment of the situation. This man was probably more nimble on his feet than Emmerson. His focus was swordsmanship with some added defenses thanks to the shield and armor. This was a bit concerning as his latest skill that allowed him to see the world's Manaflow had its limits.

When against a somewhat slow class like a guardian it worked fine but when the movements became too fast, even Roland’s heightened reaction speeds might fall short. He wasn’t really sure but this was the conclusion that he came to after the last duel. This didn’t mean that it was totally useless, with time he expected to get a better grasp on it. Then even speedy opponents wouldn’t be able to hide their intent during combat.

“Bring forth the prisoner for the exchange.”

Roland called out while stepping to the side. Behind him were the other two official Valerian knights, Sir Gareth and Sir Morien. They were sticking to Emmerson like two ticks, the man had a greater size than both of them and even without the armor, there was a stark difference in power. Only thanks to the collar around his neck were the two able to drag him forward.

“Hmph.”

The shackles that he was also wearing around his wrists rattled slightly as he walked forward. His gaze almost instantly fell on the hovering sword that previously belonged to him. Roland could see his facade of the stoic warrior drop as his eyes widened but somehow the man was able to stop himself from speaking out in anger.

This trade was taking place outside. To a knight that lost a duel presenting himself to the public was a big hit to their pride. Yet there was a need for this little show everyone was allowed to see. There needed to be made an example before all the other Knight Commanders and nobles. They needed to know that if they went against this city and their lord, this could happen to them.

‘I thought they would start shouting about now… Are they actually afraid of me?’

This was something new to him, even though he could feel some of the anger coming his way, no one uttered a word. His presence seemed to weigh heavily on the people here. Even the platinum adventurer party that was here to back him up wasn’t getting as much attention. The enemy had also come forth with their own group of adventures and his side was outnumbered when it came to tier 3 class holders.

‘Eleven against six, on the surface, it looks like we are at a disadvantage, they also brought a higher level mage and a few tier 2 mages. To counter a magic user, another magic user is usually needed but, it should be fine…’

Subterfuge was part of this game. Many runic turrets were placed in this compound and they were pointing at the enemy combatants. Roland was in control of them and made sure to make their cannons point right at the enemy Knight Commander’s head. With an unknown amount of firepower on his side, he didn’t believe that this exchange would fall through.

“As you can see, Sir Emmerson is well, I hope that you have brought the agreed upon gold for the trade, Sir Alphonse?”

“I see that thou have done thy due diligence, Sir Wayland, was it? I'm pleased to make thy acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

He nodded while exchanging a few words with the other man. While the two Knight Commanders were talking no one dared to raise a word. This knight's voice sounded somewhat gentler and not filled with much animosity. Yet it also carried a sharpness with it, this was a man with a lot of experience.

“Just as the two Lords have agreed on, a thousand gold coins for the Knight Commander and another five hundred for the others.”

The man clapped his hands to signal some of his soldiers to move forward. Two men brought forth a heavy-looking chest in front of the man wearing the silver mythril armor. This was quite the sum of gold, a normal person could retire and live a good life with that amount. Yet someone like Theodore could just wave his hand to produce this amount instantly.

When the chest appeared all the adventurers in the vicinity instantly started stealing glances. Even to tier 3 class holders, this was a large sum of money that would allow them to get some powerful magical weapons. They continued to watch it as it was brought to the middle of the courtyard where the exchange was taking place.

“I’m sure you won’t mind if I check the contents of that chest. Sir Alphonse?”

“Are thou implying that we brought an incorrect amount? Sir Wayland?”

“The chest will be accepted by my lord, it must be examined beforehand, I’m sure you understand the procedures.”

The man in the silver armor begrudgingly nodded. This wasn’t anything unusual to happen during an exchange. A non-combatant like a butler and a few lesser soldiers would go through the contents of the chest. They needed to check for potential traps or curses, even if the gold was there it was possible for it to be rigged. Even Roland would be able to apply a rune to a gold coin that could explode when the time came. Thus for this reason he decided to put on a little show which would put him in a little bit of danger.

“What are you?”

Alphonse was the first one to notice that something was off. Instead of the usual servant appearing to check, the large armored man’s aura changed. After him was the tier 3 mage that grabbed his staff quickly.

“His mana, it’s shifting!”

A blue haze collided with the chest in the middle of the yard while some of the people on the other side panicked. Soon the chest full of gold was floating up into the air while opening up. It was a simple combination spell that included an altered mage hand magic to allow him to test for possible magical signatures.

“Stay thy hand.”

Alphonse was quick to hold his men back. While what Roland did was perhaps not very appropriate he had a proper excuse. A message needed to be sent, the trust between these two factions was non-existent. Believing that some type of monster or magical bomb resided in the chest was not that outlandish.

“It seems that you have brought the correct amount of coin, very well. Release the prisoner.”

“...”

The people on the sides started sweating as no one expected to see a light show to appear before them this fast. Roland could see that he even spooked the platinum adventurers that were on his side. Aubron already had an arrow notched in his bow while aiming at the opposing platinum archers.

With no more roadblocks, the trade was taking place. He guided the chest over to their side while Emmerson was left to walk toward his people. To the people here it felt like an eternity to watch this man covered in chains slowly walking over to the enemy side. The possibility of a fight breaking out the moment he was on the other side was a possibility.

Luckily no one was stupid enough to start a bloodbath between members of the Valerian household. On this day a precedent was set, and Arthur Valerian could not be ignored anymore. The fact that the stronger Knight Commander didn’t allow his troops to go forward said more than words. It became clear that he was not confident of an overwhelming victory like Emmerson was before him. The extent of Roland’s power was unknown and the devastating amount of magical energy that he was radiating was giving the mages goosebumps.

“The Key.”

“Yes Sir.”

The last thing to be given away was the key to the shackles. One of the side soldiers moved out after being ordered by Wayland. Yet before he could relinquish this item to one of the other soldiers, Sir Alphonse moved his hand up.

“That won’t be necessary…”

As if to return the favor the man moved his hand to his sword. After gripping it tightly the blade made its way out of the sheath rapidly. The aim of the sword slice was Emmerson and before anyone knew what was happening, the shackles around his body had become undone. The blade moved in a strange way as it created afterimages, within just a matter of seconds the other Knight Commander was free.

This little show of skill didn’t move Roland from his position. He just stood there with his hands crossed over one another. It was important to not show any amount of weakness, even though his eyes could not follow the attack at all it was important not to show it.

Although it might have seemed that the enemy had gained another powerful tier 3 combatant, this wasn’t true. While the slave collar was down from his neck, this wasn’t the only measure that was taken to keep the man at bay. A special alchemical concoction was used to produce several debuffs. Even though Emmerson was free, he would not be able to bring out his tier 3 skills and would not be much stronger than a level hundred knight.

“I see, then I think we are done here?”

“That we are. I bid thou farewell Sir Wayland. I hope that our paths cross again, till then.”

‘Yes, please just leave already.’

Roland nodded at the man without replying. The whole exchange took around five minutes but it felt like an eternity. Having to focus all his senses on the people here was very strenuous. Luckily the gold was now in their pockets and the other side didn’t try to pull a fast one on them. If something actually was wrong with the chest, he would be required to act. While he was playing the role of the Head Knight, losing his life for Arthur was not part of his agenda.

Slowly people left the courtyard where he remained. The other soldiers that were stationed here followed after to keep watch but they were ordered not to engage without him around. Just for this event he had placed various runic devices on the main roads, even without them following he was able to know of what transpired afterward.

“Thou are a disgrace to the Valerian Household, how didst a bastard like thou achieve knighthood?.”

“...”

“Thou allowed our adversary to steal thy weapon? A gift granted thee by our Lord?”

“I…”

“After we return, thou shall be punished.”

To no surprise, Alphonse was furious and probably holding it in during their encounter. During the walk back through the streets he continued to berate Emmerson about his failures. Roland wasn’t sure what this man’s punishment would be. He was still a strong tier 3 class holder that wouldn’t be easily replaced. The defeat in the duel was a big blemish on his record. The fastest way of clearing his name would be winning a rematch but that was not a realistic solution and could tarnish his name even further.

‘He’ll probably be worked down to the bone to gain all that gold back, gaining some merits is what he needs.’

That Theodore decided to pay up meant that he intended to use Emmerson to some extent. Maybe his position would be taken away but he could still be used in other fields. Lending out strong knights was a possibility so it was possible for him to disappear from the island for the time being. He would perform various missions in the empire to earn back the respect that he lost.

‘I guess that about wraps it up… Now what do I do…’

The knights didn’t stay, they instantly left the city without even using the inn or other facilities. They were probably ordered to retreat and wait for more information to arise. A period of cold war was upon them and before another battle commenced he needed to get ready. Around a month had passed since he achieved his new tier 3 class. In this short span of time, he had become a knight, taken part in a duel, and created a heavy suit of armor that caused the other tier 3 class holders to tremble.

All eyes were now on this region as a new force was being created. Arthurs previous position was quite unfavorable as he found himself between two large territories. To the west side was Theodore and to the east Ivan. Even though the latter had suffered a big loss, a large chunk of his forces still remained.

‘If not for the cult, Ivan might have decided to show himself in this city too… Luckily Tybalt and Julius are on the other side of the island… This should give us some time.’

While Ivan was an injured tiger, he still posed a threat to his brothers. They couldn’t just move through his lands to arrive at this city. Instead, Roland expected a slower push through various other means involving capital.

‘While Ivan is busy defending himself against Tybalt, Theodore might feel pressured by Julius… they will probably still not see Arthur as much of a problem. This will be our only chance to make any substantial progress… We must use this opportunity.’

Roland nodded while looking towards the Valerian villa. There in the window, he saw the man that was the supposed mastermind behind it all, Arthur. He was incomparable to his brothers, more similar to a paper tiger than anything else. Yet he had room to grow and for that to happen, some changes needed to take place. His gaze landed on the person next to him, a maid with cat ears.

‘I guess now is the time, we need to strike the iron while it’s hot…’