The Runesmith

A path opened from within a tree, and two individuals walked through it. One was a large man wearing a mithril suit of armor with a magical robe over it. A step behind him was a blonde female student. Her head was down, and she was deep in thought, just like the man walking in front of her.

“Am I doing the right thing?”

The man asked himself while looking at the magical path closing behind them. He was at a crossroads that led in two directions. One path would involve confronting the De Vere family directly and potentially exposing his hidden identity to everyone involved. It was a path he had been trying to avoid for over ten years, yet somehow it always found its way back.

The other path would take him back home but would inevitably sever the connections he had reestablished with his family. The sister with whom he had managed to rekindle a relationship would certainly not forgive him if he decided to escape now. She might seek revenge later or even inform their father about his transgression. This possibility made the decision even harder.

However, he was no longer the weak individual he had been when he left on this journey. Roland was now also armed with his newfound authority as a Deputy Professor and the powerful reputation of the Institute. There were ways for him to protect his old identity and instead present himself as his new persona, Wayland. By using his sister as an excuse, he could attempt to resolve problems in a somewhat roundabout way.

"Hm?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, but... I'll have to catch up with you later. Why don't you head back to the dorm and prepare for the trip?"

While they were walking, Roland noticed his badge vibrating with a hidden mana signature. This badge could open almost any door inside the institute, but it also connected him to its leader, Yavenna. He wasn’t sure what the woman wanted, but it wouldn’t be strange to assume that she knew about his situation.

Lucienne nodded, worry still etched on her face as she walked away. Roland watched her until she disappeared from view, then turned his attention to the badge. With a sigh, he relocated to the entrance of the mage tower where the Arch-Magus resided. The walk-up was uneventful, and soon he stood before his temporary boss. She was sitting behind her desk again, reading through some papers. He wasn’t sure what she was constantly researching, but he was unwilling to check.

‘Was she listening to our conversations? I used various ways of blocking out the sounds and mana...’

Roland was unsure of what he was dealing with here. The tier 4 magus was someone above him in both knowledge and skills. He was in her territory, so even with his current knowledge, there were things he did not understand. The plant-based magic this woman used was more in the field of biology than the runic machinery he had studied. There was a possibility that a single flower or moss on the wall could eavesdrop on his conversations, something he had not yet been able to counter or confirm.

"Did you want to see me, Headmistress?"

"Mhm please take a seat, I wish to show you something."

She was quite lax and reserved. With a wiggle of her finger, a document was produced and floated toward him, enveloped in green mana. At the same time, a chair made out of vines materialized from the wooden floor. Roland was aware of potential dangers but decided to take a seat as he was asked. The paper floated into his hands, and the first thing he noticed was the noble seal at the bottom.

"Is this..."

"Yes, it's an apology letter from the Castellane estate. What do you make of it?"

Roland wasn’t sure what the Headmistress was attempting to do, but perhaps it was just a test for her new Deputy to see how he would react. He had been in the middle of the Castellane incident and had shown interest in Lucienne Arden. Perhaps she just wanted the person most involved in this situation to make a more informed decision.

"... They are asking for a transfer?"

She nodded as Roland read through the letter. There were two parts to it: the first was the usual apology made in overly flowery wording. Then, afterward, there was a request for an immediate transfer to another magical academy.

“... but it seems that their true intent is for the institute to remain silent about the true reasons behind it. It seems they're trying to smooth things over quickly and quietly. The apology feels insincere, more of a formality. The transfer request is likely to avoid further conflict or scrutiny here.”

“Mhm, Precisely. We have also received quite a generous donation to the institute. Wasn’t the Runic Department in need of some funds?”

“I suppose it was but…”
He trailed off as he understood the unspoken implication. The Castellanes were trying to buy their way out of trouble. By offering a large donation to the institute, they hoped to cover up the scandal and avoid any lasting damage to their reputation. It also seemed that they included his department in the apology letter, probably to appease him at his current position. They were certainly aware that he took out their three knights by himself and were trying to cover this base too.

“I see. So, they’re essentially bribing us to keep quiet about the incident with Viola Castellane and to make her disappear from the public eye.”

Yavenna nodded, her eyes not leaving the papers she was reading through. It was clear that this conversation wasn’t that interesting.

“The institute could use this donation, but what do you think? Do you wish to pursue this matter any further?”

Roland sighed, setting the letter down. It seemed that the Headmistress had already decided to take the bribe but was just gauging his reaction. He had no desire to continue the matter with the Castellanes; their threat had been neutralized, and his sister’s safety was his primary concern. However, this situation with Robert was far more pressing, and he needed to ensure it didn't escalate further.

“No, I think it's best to let this matter rest. The donation will certainly benefit the Runic Department, and Viola Castellane's transfer will resolve the immediate issue with Lucienne Arden.”

“Is that so?”

The woman tapped her finger on the desk a few times as if contemplating on the issue for a moment while he remained quiet.

“Very well, Deputy Professor. Consider this matter closed. I will relocate the funds to the Runic Department through Professor Arion, are there any issues I should be aware of?”

Roland shook his head at the question. He didn't want to involve Yavenna in any further incidents. She was a powerful being, but invoking her influence was probably a double-edged sword. He could only hope that this was all she wanted, but the question still stood: what did she truly want from him?

Was he seen as an interesting plaything, or was she trying to use his position as an outsider in some way? It was a theory he came up with, as there wasn't much else to go on. She had made him her assistant but hadn't given him any specific orders, just told him to roam around without any clear purpose.

“None that I’m aware of.”

“Is that so…Well then, you are free to leave, Deputy Professor.”

A bit of uncomfortable silence filled the room before he finally decided to stand up. Things seemed to have gone well but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. All of this seemed too similar to the previous incident with the Cerberus trio and the tier 4 witch. She had invited him to her office then as well and then seemingly saved him at just the right moment.

‘Could she have implanted something to watch over me again? Is she a foe or friend?’

As Roland left Yavenna's office, he couldn't shake off the unease that lingered. The Headmistress's actions were cryptic and left him wondering about her true intentions. Was she truly looking out for his best interests, or was there an underlying agenda he couldn't yet grasp?

He thought about checking his body for potential abnormalities but the biggest factor was his Institute badge and his magical robe. It had been provided by the institute and perhaps he would need to discard both of them before leaving. However, his new identity was needed for the next location he was heading so perhaps that wasn’t an option.

‘Why do these things always happen to me? Did I anger someone in my previous life or something?’

His thoughts returned to the pressing matter at hand - his brother Robert's predicament. Lucienne was waiting for him, and they needed to devise a plan to aid Robert without escalating tensions further. The teleportation gate would not take them directly to the De Vere estate, so he would need to make arrangements for further transportation.

‘Lucienne has no attendants like the other nobles, does she?’

Lucienne was truly alone at this large institute, with only a few friends she made during her years. She was in distress and the situation with her brother was clearly serious. Roland felt a hint of guilt for not being more present for her in the chaotic events unfolding. Even though he didn’t feel like a member of the Arden household, the young girl still saw him as a brother she once lost. As a proper adult, he needed to offer her some solace and some reassurance.

Roland quickened his pace as he made his way toward his sister's dormitory. He had instructed her to begin packing for their upcoming trip, but upon arriving, a scene unfolded before him. Even before entering, he could hear the sound of sobbing emanating from within. His heightened senses allowed him to catch snippets of the conversation unfolding inside, involving his sister, her two dorm-mates, and another girl whose voice he recognized.

“Please don’t cry, Lucienne. I’m sure everything is going to be fine.”

“Y-yeah, there is nothing to be afraid of, we’ll get through this.”

“This is preposterous, what is that count family thinking!”

“Chuuu!!!”

The first voice belonged to Marlein, one of the first friends that his sister had. The second was Atasuna and the third voice belonged to the girl called Margaret. He could also hear the strange sounds of her summoned creature echoing from afar. It was clear that all the girls were lending their ears and trying to comfort Lucienne in this moment of crisis.

Roland hesitated before taking a step forward. His plan of quickly leaving unnoticed after the situation with Viola had fallen through. He had expected his sister to keep it to herself, but he had been wrong. Most people weren’t like him; they couldn’t just bottle up their emotions without consequence. She hadn’t been able to hold it in and had sought help from her small circle of friends.

‘I’m not good at these things…’

After taking a deep breath and waiting for things to settle down, Roland steeled himself and knocked gently on the door before entering. Inside, his sister sat on her bed, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Her two dorm-mates and Margaret sat around her, offering comfort. The strange summoned creature was also there, floating around and making silly faces as if attempting to cheer her up.

“Professor Wayland?”

One of the girls called out to him as he entered. None of the people knew that he was related to Lucienne so their surprise was warranted. To them, he was nothing more than a strange overprotective Professor and he decided to lean into that assumption.

“I hope I'm not intruding.”

Margaret stood up, her eyes wide in curiosity. She seemed like the most overprotective of the bunch and was certainly trying to figure out his motif here.

“Professor Wayland, is everything alright? Why have you come here, I’m not sure if this is the right time.”
“It’s fine, the professor is here for me.”

Roland nodded at Lucienne who started to stand up. Both of them agreed not to talk about his true identity but to the people gathered here, it all looked strange. It was as if a scary teacher was here to take their friend away, something they wouldn’t allow. Right as she was up, all three girls placed themselves in front of her and started barraging him with questions.

“What is the meaning of this, where do you intend to take Lucienne?”

“Please, Professor Wayland, is everything going to be alright? What do you want with her?”

“Did Luci do something wrong? That can’t be right!”

“Chuuu!”

“No I’m not… could you give me some time to expl…”

“Please don’t take her away! She didn’t do anything wrong!”

The strange puffy summoned creature floated around his head with a mean look on its face while the girls prattled on. Roland felt like some kind of villain who was trying to abduct a princess or something.

“Everyone, please settle down!”

It was unfortunate but he needed to exert some of his suppression skill on the girls before him to make them stop barraging them with questions. All of them were just tier 1 class holders with not much battle experience, so they instantly dropped down to their knees.

“Good… now, I’m not here to punish Miss Lucienne for anything, so you can calm yourself.”

“B-but why then?”

Roland was surprised at one of them, Margaret Braganza. It seemed that one of her accessories had activated and managed to cancel out most of his skill, allowing her to speak while the other two were shaking on the ground. Luckily, Lucienne finally managed to calm herself and spoke up for him.

“Everyone, it’s fine. Professor Wayland has agreed to escort me out of the Institute, he is here to help me. You don’t need to worry.”

“It seems, my intentions have been misconstrued, I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable but I assure you, I am not here to harm your friend.”

“Ah…”

The three girls started nodding at each other and slowly began to relax. Roland could see the concern in their eyes; they cared deeply for Lucienne. He softened his tone, trying to convey his genuine intention.

"Lucienne's brother is in trouble, and she needs to leave the Institute for a while to help him. I offered to assist her because none of her relatives are present.”

The girls' expressions shifted from suspicion to understanding. They glanced at Lucienne, who nodded, confirming Roland's explanation.

"Thank you, Professor."

Marlein said, her voice trembling slightly. The summoned creature, sensing the tension easing, floated down and made a soft, comforting chirp.

“We just wanted to make sure she was safe."

“It’s fine, have you all managed to calm down?”

“Y-yes sir.”

The girl with animal ears responded and the others agreed. Roland couldn’t help but to sigh under his helmet but they couldn’t lose too much time here. It was better to act quickly as they would need to traverse a good chunk of land to get to the place their brother was being held.

"Pack your things, Miss Lucienne. We need to leave soon."

Lucienne nodded and began gathering her belongings. Her friends helped her, their earlier fear replaced by nothing but support. He made his way out of the dorm room and informed the young women that he would be waiting outside. Once everything was ready, they would go towards the gate chamber and travel to a nearby mage tower. From there, they would need to make their way through the De Vere owned lands to their main city, where Robert was held.

As Roland waited outside, he considered the journey ahead. The De Vere family's lands were vast and well-guarded but this didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be a way to break their brother out. He wasn’t sure how to approach this issue but if this was the only way, then perhaps he would need to do something outrageous.

Some time had passed, more than he envisioned for one person needing to pack. Lucienne eventually emerged with her friends, carrying a modest travel bag. However, a small problem arose as he noticed that something was off. The three other girls seemed off and were all carrying their own luggage with them.

‘Wait, those three… are they actually trying to…’

“Professor, please listen, we have discussed it among ourselves and made a decision together!”

‘No please…’

Roland watched as the three girls stood firm, their resolve clear despite the fear they had shown earlier. He already knew what they were going to say, but he hoped to avoid it.

“Please let us accompany Lucienne. We can’t let her face this alone. We’re her friends, and we want to support her!”

Margaret declared, her voice unwavering and filled with nothing but resolve. All the other girls nodded together and he could just look towards his younger sister who instantly shifted her gaze to the side as if she had no say in this…