The Runesmith

There she was, his sister Lucienne. He hadn’t seen her for an entire month, but the two had stayed in contact through other means. She looked out of breath and was running in his direction. Roland focused on her facial expressions, which showed panic but also a certain level of relief. His mind raced with possibilities, each worse than the last.

“Oh, well if it isn’t student Lucienne. I think she is here for you. How about we catch up later?”

“Yeah, sure…”

Arion had protected his sister in his absence, and the two had apparently interacted before. Not much had happened after his departure, and not even the young nobility had attempted to bully his sister. It seemed once his new position as the right-hand man of the Principal got leaked, the brats got scared. However, it wasn’t quite over yet, as the ringleader was set to return in a day’s time. Viola’s appearance could reignite the conflict, but he was here to stop that from happening.

“Please don’t run in the hallways!”

One of the teachers walking by called out to Lucienne, prompting her to stagger. Her legs crossed awkwardly, and she flopped forward. Usually, there wouldn’t be many people to witness this spectacle, but due to the Rune Department's newfound fame, the corridors were more crowded. She flew forward, her hands flailing and her face distraught.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

Before her face collided with the wooden floor, the young girl found herself floating in mid-air. The other students chuckled at the sight but were also in awe of Roland’s handling of the flotation spell. The cast time was impressive and showcased the advantages of runic spells. The girl let out a breath of relief as she regained her footing, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“How about we continue this in a more secluded location.”

Roland moved swiftly to her side, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. With the help of an altered sound-blocking spell, he whispered into her ear. There were far too many people here for a family get-together, and the potential for enemy spies was high. It was better if people didn’t know she was his sister just yet.

“Ah, of course…”

“Professor Arion, let us continue later. This student seems to wish to discuss some matters with me in private. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

“Take your time, Professor Wayland. There is no rush.”

There was nothing alarming in him speaking with Lucienne. He had already shown a willingness to help her, and everyone knew the little spider golem she had with her was something fashioned by the Runic Department. They walked towards the park area through which they could access his tree office. With his badge present, the path opened up for him, and they both entered.

‘Now that I’m here, maybe I should tidy this place up and organize a few things, but first…’

His office had not really been used by him or changed. What was here belonged to the previous Deputy Professor, who seemed to have been enamored with the old Arch-Wizard Xandar. The large portrait on the wall was unsettling and was probably going to be the first thing to go once he was finished with this place.

“So what is it Lucienne, is it about Viola or?”

“It’s not about her, this is about Robert!”

“Robert? Has something happened to him? Did something happen at the border?”

Roland noticed that his sister was quite distressed. Her eyes had been darting around, and she seemed tense throughout the entire walk. He had hoped that Lucienne would shed some light on their brother's whereabouts, but it appeared that the news wasn’t good. Roland started to assume the worst, fearing that their older brother had perished at the border where he had gone to serve the kingdom. However, what his sister disclosed was not at all what he expected.

“At the border? No, he had been granted leave recently after performing well, he even became a Knight Captain.”

“Then what happened, is he safe?”

“Yes but… it’s hard to explain…”

Roland furrowed his brow, trying to piece together the information. Robert had been granted leave, achieved a commendable rank, and was safe, yet something was troubling Lucienne enough to make her panic. He motioned for her to sit on the chair opposite his desk and took a seat himself, leaning forward to give her his full attention.

"Take your time, Lucienne. Just tell me what happened."
She took a deep breath, steadying herself before she began.

"It started when Robert returned home. Everything seemed fine at first, but then we noticed he was acting strange. He was... distant, and secretive. Mother tried to talk to him, but he would always brush her off, saying it was nothing."

Roland nodded while trying to take in the information. The Robert he knew was usually a straight shooter, not someone who kept many secrets. It seemed that after his return there was something troubling him.

“Then one night, he just vanished. I was back at the Institute then, mother didn’t wish to disclose it to me or anyone but finally she relented.”

“Oh? Did something happen for her to finally speak up?”

“Well… he had been… apprehended by another noble house.”

“He has? On what charges?”

“Well on the charges of… adultery…”

“Wait, he did what!?”

Roland found himself raising up from his seat and shouting but quickly sat himself down when he saw his sister recoiling in fear.

“Uh… excuse me but, Adultery? Did he have an affair with someone’s wife?”

Roland was baffled by this revelation but there had to be more to it. He didn’t know his older brother too well, but adultery seemed out of character for Robert. Lucienne continued, explaining and it all started making sense. He had not seduced any noble wives and done something different.

“Lucille De Vere? You mean, both of them tried to elope while she was promised to another?”

“Y-yes…”

“I see… So that’s what those two were up to… ”

It all started making sense. He had not heard from either of them for months now. They had been on the run from Lucille’s father and forces for a while now. However, eventually they were caught and brought back to the De Vere estate. The charges were serious, and Robert was facing severe consequences for his actions.

In this world, nobles took their arranged marriages very seriously. Adultery was a grave offense among the noble houses, often leading to heavy fines, loss of titles, or worse. When they first met, Lucille De Vere's house was at the level of a viscount. However, due to recent events, they had advanced further and were granted the title of count.

Roland had done some investigating, and it seemed that the De Vere family had been engaged in a rivalry with a competing viscount family for some time, emerging victorious. Their patriarch appeared to be ambitious, and using his daughter to stabilize their newfound position was a strategic move. Roland assumed that they had proposed an alliance with someone influential to solidify their new status as counts.

Then Robert appeared in the picture - a third son of a militaristic Baron who rarely attended the kingdom’s noble gatherings. It was clear which side the new count would take and his older brother was in danger. There was no way of telling what he would decide on, and for some reason, he didn’t think they would stop on a fine. They could use this as a display of might and attempt to punish him to the fullest extent.

“That doesn’t sound good, has Wnetw… I mean, Father attempted to free Robert? Perhaps, he could gain freedom if he agrees to a banishment?”

“Father… he returned to the Kingdom for a few weeks before this incident was known. We haven’t been able to reach him since a skirmish has broken out at the border, it might be weeks or more until the information reaches him.”

“I see.”

Wentworth, his father, was an important member of the military, but this did not necessarily translate to respect among the nobility. His title had been recently acquired, and the Arden family had yet to prove itself in the eyes of the older nobles.

Roland was unaware of his father’s allies, but Wentworth didn’t seem like a person who excelled at making friends. He had trained his children to be warriors rather than diplomats. Robert seemed to have followed his father's advice, attempting to forcefully pursue a potential fiancée without using the proper channels. Perhaps if they had better relationships with each other, this situation could have been avoided.

“He was back for a week, what was he doing? Does it perhaps have something to do with the Castellane’s?”

Lucienne nodded to Roland’s surprise.

“He actually did something?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing…”

It surprised Roland that his stoic father actually went out of his way to do something for a family member. In his mind, the man had nothing more than the royal family in his head and some people even called him a faithful dog. Wentworth was known for keeping a low profile and following orders. However, it seemed that the Marquise had gone too far with this one.

“So, what did he do? Did he confront the Marquess?”

“Mother didn’t say in detail but she said that everything had been resolved between our families and that I shouldn’t worry about Viola anymore.”

“At least that’s one less problem to deal with.”

Roland sighed in relief. Viola Castellane had been a thorn in their side, her harassment of Lucienne relentless. If their father had indeed managed to settle things, it was a small victory in a sea of troubles. However, the issue with Robert still loomed large, and the stakes had gotten even higher. There was always an option to take his sister out of the Institute but it wouldn’t be as easy in Robert’s case.

“So, let me reiterate. Robert attempted to elope with lady Lucille, who had been promised to another man. He was then captured by her family and is awaiting a future trial. Is that correct?”

“Yes brother, what can we do? Mother had already departed for their estate but I’m afraid she might not be able to do much… The De Veres are not known for their leniency.”

Another sigh escaped from Roland’s mouth as he leaned back into his chair. This was truly a troubling turn of events. Thanks to his father Lucienne was safe but more trouble was right around the corner. It was possible that everything could resolve itself without his involvement but he wasn’t sure about that.

The De Vere family didn’t gain a higher title for nothing and they would not take such an event lying down. They would probably try to punish Robert as harshly as possible to show the world that they can not be trifled with. Of course, he would not disclose this information to his sister, who was a nervous wreck.

“I’m not sure if they haven’t done anything, they are probably planning something.”

“Planning? Like what?”

“I suppose, they will want to show their strength to the other nobles but they can’t judge him as a commoner so, so it will probably go to trial.”

“A trial, that doesn’t sound so bad.”

Replied Lucienne whose heart rate started to stabilize. However, in Roland’s eyes, this wasn’t anything good.

“I’m not sure if that’s such a good outcome, it might be better to not let it go to trial.”

“Why?”

Roland leaned forward and quickly replied at the question his sister posed.

“These nobles can not be trusted, I wouldn’t be surprised if they know the judge or attempt a bribe. Robert’s position isn’t high either so they will certainly side with the count family, perhaps if our father was there but I wouldn’t be surprised if they push for a quicker resolution, before he can return…”

“But… What will happen if Robert is found guilty?”

“That’s… I’m not sure…”

Roland could see his sister tearing up from the shock, which made him aware that he should have perhaps withheld some of this information. The Arden family was relatively new to nobility and provided the De Veres with an opportunity to assert themselves. However, not everything was lost, there were always ways of going around these things. The easiest way would be to make some kind of deal.

“Please calm down, he is probably fine for now, these things take time. There might be ways of helping him, without the need for bloodshed.”

Lucienne's tear-covered eyes widened at the possibility.

"But how? Without father, even if mother goes there and begs…”

“Calm down Lucienne, let me think…”

Silence fell on this Deputy Professor's office as Roland attempted to find any loopholes in the system. There were ways of saving his brother but all of them depended on the situation. He did not have enough information about this incident and without heading there himself, this would probably not change.

This was quite the conundrum. What was he supposed to do here, and how could he do it without exposing his identity? One option would be to use the Institute’s teleportation gate and go to the war-torn border. If he could directly contact his father, perhaps the man could resolve everything with a stern talk. Wentworth Arden had managed to convince a higher-ranking house to back away before; perhaps he could do the same with a Count house.

However, this option was risky. Even though the skirmishes weren’t supposed to be extreme, it was still dangerous. He would probably need to take his sister there to meet Wentworth or expose himself as Wentworth's son. Even then, the plan might not work, and they could end up getting stuck. He could not risk Lucienne’s life in such a way, so this option was discarded.

There weren’t any high ranking nobles that he knew and would be willing to help him. Mentioning Arthur or his position as a Knight Commander was pointless. Their two elder brothers were also just knights working at other noble houses and completing their training. Which left him with almost no options but one, his rank as a Deputy Professor and Yavenna Arvandus’ name.

The Arch-Magus was a prominent figure in the Kingdom and even the nobility feared her wrath. There was a slim possibility that they would at least allow him to talk to his brother if he used her name. However, he had no idea what the Principal would do if she found out that he was doing such things behind her back.

‘Considering it’s her we are talking about, she might be listening to our conversation here. But, even if I get there what can I even do? Blow a hole in the cell and use the glider to run away?”

While he had the capabilities of breaking his brother out of jail with his runic weaponry, he did not want to turn himself into a felon. Roland had his own family that needed to be cared for. If he offended a count his head could roll and even Arthur wouldn’t be able to help him.

“I think there might be a way but first… We’ll need to get there.”

“Is it true?”

“I don’t know but if we play our cards right, we might be able to fool… or let’s say, convince the count to take a small wager.”

“I’m not sure I understand, brother Roland.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, if we are lucky then it won’t come to this and Robert will just have his pride hurt.”

“So, what are we going to do now?”

“I think we’ll have to take a trip to the De Vere’s territory and you’ll have to come with me, we’ll take the teleportation gate, if I’m not mistaken, they have a mage tower in their main city.”

While he didn’t want to take his sister with him, his plan required her to tag along. She was there as a pretext to meet up with Robert and ask him for a more detailed explanation of this event. Then when he had all the information, would he be able to decide on his true plan. Hopefully, it would take too much convincing, and perhaps bribing them with runic equipment or gold coins would be enough…