The Runesmith

“Something like that happened? It's astonishing how something so trivial could escalate to this point…”

“Yes… I think that was the main reason…”

Roland had continued his talk with his sister for quite stime. As Roland and Lucienne delved into their discussion, the atmosphere in the room becmore relaxed. He found himself opening up more than he initially had planned and shared sdetails about his life in Albrook. Lucienne, in turn, shared stories of her own adventures at the Institute and the challenges she faced as a budding mage. There they arrived at one faithful day where her luck was turned around and a royal was to blame.

“So to summarize, a prince that Viola might have fancied had offered you a rose…”

“Yes, I think that was probably the reason… It all happened after that…”

Lucienne recounted quite the tale about what she believed to be the source of Viola's fury. It transpired about a year ago during a visit to the Institute by a member of the royal family. On this occasion, both a graduation and inauguration ceremony for mages was taking place. This "prince" was just one of numerous offspring of the current king, akin to Roland's father, who had sired many children. It seemed that if nobles excelled at anything, it was producing numerous heirs and then allowing them to engage in a senseless power struggle.

These annual ceremonies were a mandatory event for all students, with occasional invitations extended to important individuals. This time, it was the prince's turn to attend. Roland presumed he was scouting for talented mages but was unaware of the prince's class. Such details were often concealed, as in a society built on the notion of being born special, having a lower-tier class would be scandalous. It could result in losing support and potentially burying the royal member by their siblings.

It was in the best interest of each prince to solidify their standing within the kingdom. They achieved this by assembling their own elite forces and pitting them against their siblings. It was a situation that Roland also found himself in as he was one of these elites hired by Arthur.

Lucienne was a bit vague about it but eventually, a party was held and people started to mingle. The prince was obviously the center of attention and all the noble-born mages swarmed around him, with Viola being one of the main players in this social game. It seemed that she was interested in this young man who was two years her senior and was probably trying to get his attention.

Lucienne, on the other hand, was hesitant to approach the royal guest, feeling out of place among the high-born attendees. Going by her words it was not her that initiated the encounter by the prince himself. Roland was not sure what this young man was trying to pull but he approached his sister with ssweet words that she couldn’t recall too well as the whole thing left her stunned.

“He was quite charming, I must admit,”

Lucienne reminisced with a faint blush tinting her cheeks.

“He approachedand offereda rose and complimented the dress I was wearing. It was something my mother toldto wear, she said it would attract the male gaze or something similar and it certainly did but…”

Her mood quickly changed after she recalled something that happened.

“I still remember that look, her eyes looked so vicious…”

Roland could only imagine how proud Viola was feeling when the prince she desired, ignored her and went up to another lady. This act was probably exacerbated by the fact that it was Lucienne, someone from the Arden estate who was once only a lowly Knight family under the Casteline banner.

‘What was that stupid prince thinking, was he just dumb or did he do it on purpose?’

He was not there during the party so it would be hard to judge this incident. The young man, being only sixteen at the time, might have been unaware of the implications of his actions. However, anyone else would have recognized that his action toward a woman of lower birth would be deemed offensive by the other high-class ladies present. In noble circles, prestige was akin to currency, so witnessing a member of the royal family favoring a woman of supposedly lesser status would have been an insult.

To Roland, the situation was quite stupid but this was the reality of this world. If the prince had genuinely harbored feelings for her, perhaps the situation would have been different. However, he didn't take any actions to indicate such interest. Lucienne was left with nothing more than sweet words and a rose, and soon after, the bullying began.

“That’s quite the story, I would like to have a ‘talk’ with that prince.”

To ease the tension Roland cracked his knuckles slightly to insinuate that this prince would not cout unscathed from the talk he would have with him. This made Lucienne smile as she appreciated her brother's instincts to protect her.

“You better not, you’d be imprisoned, and probably our entire family would be in trouble.”

If he punched a member of the royal family, it wouldn’t be strange if he was sentenced to death and his whole family potentially along with him. There were strict laws that even higher nobles had to adhere to, and opposing the royal family was deemed treasonous. Only individuals like a duke, with significant amounts of military power, would dare to take such action, and even then, it would likely result in severe consequences.

“It was only a joke, don’t take it too seriously… Now, letask you, have you told this to anyone? Your mother, Robert, or anyone from the family?”

He leaned closer and could tell that Lucienne’s eyes darted to the side. This bullying had been going on for quite a while. Despite their status as a Baron family, they had a powerful patriarch in Wentworth Arden. He had earned the moniker of Silver Wolf and was a war hero. His level remained unknown to Roland, but he believed him to be at least a double tier 3 class holder, or possibly even a tier 4 class holder by now. Wentworth had also probably managed to gather sstrong allies during his tenure, like the High-Inquisitor that Roland had met before.

“I… I haven’t told anyone. Mother is always busy with her affairs, and I didn’t want to bother her with something like this. And as for Robert… well, we haven’t had the chance to talk much lately.”

“I thought as much…”

“I’m sorry…”

It was a peculiar feeling to encounter someone who behaved similarly to himself. Roland knew that it was probably best to call for help in a situation, yet he couldn't help but empathize with the reluctance. However, despite their similar demeanor, their motivations differed. Roland's reluctance to trust and rely on others stemmed from a desire to handle things independently, whereas his sister's reservation to seek help was fueled by a reluctance to burden anyone and a tendency to internalize her struggles.

“Take it from me, sometimes it's better to ask for shelp, you can’t handle everything on your own. Especially when it comes to matters like this, it's important to have someone you can confide in and rely on. It tooka while to realize this and I’m probably still bad at asking for help… but I’m working on it.”

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Roland finished his sentence with a soft smile. Lucienne returned the smile, appreciating her brother’s words of wisdom. She knew that he was right and probably her father, who could be moved by her mother, could potentially have ended the bullying in skind of way.

“I’ll keep that in mind, but… what about you? Shouldn’t you cback hand explain everything to our father?”

“... Like I said… I’m working on it…”

Lucienne’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized his hypocrisy of lecturing her over something but not willing to act on his own advice.

“You’re just as thick-headed as Robert!”

Soon after she responded with a chuckle and everything seemed fine. It was clear that the Arden family was a dysfunctional bunch that didn’t know how to cooperate with each other too well and he was part of it.

“Perhaps you’re right, but for now, I have other matters to attend to. I promise I’ll figure things out with Father… eventually.”

Things were a little more complicated when it cto him. He was now part of the Valerian knights which could complicate things. Albrook was his new base of operations and he had already left his old life behind. There was no real reason for him and his father to interact at this point, the only reason he was even humoring the possibility was due to Robert and Lucienne.

As Roland and Lucienne continued their conversation, the air between them grew lighter. It was almost like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders as they shared their experiences and concerns with each other. Roland found himself feeling a sense of relief and was sure that he had made the right decision in having this talk with his sister. Now he could safely leave this place and have her full cooperation in finding Robert as well.

This sister of his was someone that he didn’t know but he hoped that perhaps, their relationship could grow from this point. Despite more than twelve years having passed since their last meeting, he found solace in the fact that Lucienne hadn't turned out like Viola. However, now the conversation was coming to an end and it was tto move on.

“Lucienne, if you need anything, be sure to use that bracelet or contact Professor Arion, you can trust him. Also, it would be good if you informed your mother about Viola, even if I wanted to, I can’t protect you forever…”

“I understand…”

She nodded as she understood that she could not keep solely relying on her brother. Roland had told her to leave his true identity out of the picture now as it was better if the other side didn’t know about his involvement in the demise of the tof knights known as Cerberus.

“I'll be leaving now, Lucienne. But remember, you're not alone. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to reach out to me.”

“I will, Roland and Thank you… for everything.”

To his surprise, as Roland rose from his seat, he was enveloped in a hug by his sister, who wrapped her arms around his waist. It was undeniably a genuine display of affection and a proper hug. Roland, unaccustomed to such demonstrations of warmth, felt unsure of how to respond, a fact that Lucienne quickly picked up on.

“Brother Roland… what are you doing?”

“I uh?”

“You’re supposed to hug your long-lost sister back…”

Roland wanted to chuckle at Lucienne’s teasing tone but just as he was asked, he returned her embrace but with a pat instead.

“Hey, I’m not a puppy!”

“Really? You certainly look like one from up here.”

“Hey, I’m not short!”

After this bit of playful banter, both of them parted from their familiar embrace. Their previously lost bond had been finally rekindled. Soon the two were walking side by side towards the exit.

“I can’t wait to tell brother Robert, I wonder what he will say… but I still won’t forgive him for lying to me…”

As Roland secured his helmet back in place, he glanced in Lucienne's direction. There was a peculiar glint in her eyes, and she seemed to be clenching her fist as if she were itching to punch someone again. From the stories he'd heard from Robert, it was apparent that she had been quite the troublemaker before coming to the institute. It appeared that her old personality was beginning to resurface, and Roland couldn't shake the feeling that he had something to do with it.

“Go easy on him, it wasthat forced him to keep it from everyone.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll survive…”

Roland nodded, and eventually, the two emerged from his newly acquired hidden office. He had received it from the Headmistress but made sadjustments to keep a degree of privacy. Since arriving at the institute, he had delved into extensive research on concealment and spell disruption mechanisms to safeguard his identity from prying eyes. After utilizing certain runes designed to counter plant-based spells, he ensured that any conversations held within his office remained private.

“I see that your friends are waiting for you, better not to keep them waiting.”

“They are? I don’t see them?”

“All of them are behind that large tree.”

He didn’t point at it directly but only indicated it with his head. Lucienne followed her brother's gaze and indeed, there was a large, ancient tree standing just a short distance away from them. She squinted her eyes, trying to discern any movement or figures hidden behind its thick foliage. After a moment, she spotted a flicker of movement that looked like a tail belonging to her friend Atasuna. It seemed that she along with her two other friends were waiting patiently for her.

“Ah… they really are hiding there! I’ll be seeing you then, Professor Wayland!”

The two finally parted ways and it was tto leave. Now his conscience was rather clear and with the help of the bracelet and ssystems that he had left behind in the Institute,

he could keep an eye on Lucienne from a safe distance. He watched as his sister rejoined her small group of friends who instantly started throwing questions in her direction. She had promised to keep his identity hidden from everyone, including her friends, so he trusted that she would keep her word.

‘I guess that’s it with that… maybe I should have done this sooner.’

His pace hastened as he headed back towards the mage tower of flames. Upon reaching the elevator platform, he swiftly proceeded to his next destination, which was the chamber housing a dimensional gate. There he would find the magical device that would allow him to reach his hin a matter of moments. However, he knew the trip wouldn't be straightforward, as there were no nearby Mage Towers equipped with receiver gates.

The chamber was a circular room with high ceilings adorned with runic symbols that glowed softly in the ambient light. In the center stood the teleportation gate, a massive circular structure surrounded by layers upon layers of runes. It was something that he had extensively done research for as he would need to supply it with a massive amount of his mana while coming out on the other end.

Most teleportation gates in this world worked by compacting space around them, it wasn’t true teleportation but instead a manipulation of spatial dimensions. However, there existed magic that could perform this feat but was not something a tier 3 class holder could hope to produce.

“Are you that fool?”

“Yes, I’m probably that fool.”

“... Are you sure about this? If something goes wrong you’ll either pop like a tomato or could end up in the middle of the ocean…”

“I’m aware of that…”

Once he was before the gate, the man responsible for it stepped forward. He was an old man, much older looking than any other mage he had cacross. His long, flowing robes flowed around him as he approached, his face weathered with age but his eyes sharp with wisdom. He had probably heard about the new Deputy Professor and his insane attempt at going through a teleportation gate without one on the other end.

Just like the nstated, the gates were usually linked with each other. They locked onto a predetermined trajectory, which the dimensional spell then followed. Without a fixed destination to lock onto, traversing through spatial space was somewhat dangerous. While theoretically possible for a skilled mage to form a course once inside, it was a gamble that most weren’t ready to take.

“Well, it’s your funeral, I hope the Headmistress picks a better Deputy Professor next time.”

“I won’t die… Just unlock it.”

“Hmph.”

The man grumbled under his nose while Roland got ready for the jump. Roland was one of the few mages proficient in runic magic capable of executing this transition. Together with Arion, they had devised a device to facilitate his transportation. The jump would land him close to Albrook, high in the sky, from where his journey would continue.

With a deep breath, Roland focused his mana, channeling it into the runes etched on the surface of the gate. The magical energy surged through him, pulsating with power as he prepared to activate the teleportation spell. The mage tower backed the gate, so he didn’t need to use up much energy and soon the runic gate was shimmering with brilliant light.

“Hm… maybe the Headmistress wasn’t wrong…”

The old man commented from the side as he watched Roland activate the gate without the need for the side console. He usually used this device to connect two gates, but the new Deputy could do it by hand. The air crackled with energy as the spatial distortion began to form within the circular structure of the gate. It was a mesmerizing sight that looked like a swirling vortex of liquid light.

Without hesitation, Roland stepped forward, bracing himself for the intense sensation of displacement that would accompany the jump. As he passed through the threshold of the gate, he felt a sensation akin to being pulled in all directions at once. It was disorienting, like being caught in a whirlwind and suddenly, he was gone.

“I wonder if he made it…”

The man was left alone in the dimensional gate chamber and quickly returned to duties. The fate of the man that just stepped through was not his concern. However, if he did make it through in one piece, it would beca nice conversation starter among the mage circles he frequented.