The Runesmith

“T-that face… Could it really be you… but how? Professor Wayland is brother Roland?”

A confused expression painted her features as she struggled to comprehend the revelation. Roland sighed heavily, somewhat relieved that he was able to reveal the truth but quite anxious about Lucienne’s reaction. He was not sure how he should continue this conversation but for now, he decided to feel it out.

“Yes, Lucienne. It’s me, your older brother, I’m glad that you still remember my name…”

He tried to speak as softly as he could, hoping to ease the shock she must be experiencing. Lucienne remained silent for a few moments, her eyes locked onto his face as if trying to confirm the truth through sheer observation. After a few moments, she started approaching him without muttering a word and he allowed it. Soon he was looking down at his sister who was at least a head shorter.

It was quite uncomfortable to be stared at so intently, but Roland allowed her in this emotional moment. There was nothing strange in being shocked by the appearance of a long-lost brother. However, something even more peculiar happened next. She raised her right hand into the air and clenched it into a fist.

“Remember your name? You…”

Roland’s senses were quite enhanced compared to someone like his sister who was only a tier 1 class holder. Nevertheless, he was taken by surprise by her actions as she launched a punch in the direction of his face. This brought back memories of his initial interaction with the adult Robert, who had reacted similarly with anger. At first, Roland considered dodging the attack but ultimately decided to allow her to vent her negative emotions.

“Why did you … ack…”

As her fist made contact with his cheek, he made no move to retaliate or defend himself. He understood that this outburst was likely fueled by years of confusion, frustration, and perhaps even resentment. The impact was quite gentle as her small body didn’t possess enough strength to injure him. However, those tier 3 upgrades were not for show and to his dismay the one that was injured was not him but his sister instead.

“Aghh… why is your head so hard… my hand!”

“Pfff…”

Roland had a hard time holding in a laugh as he saw the angered Lucienne going down to her knees and holding her hand. Her knuckles were red from the force of the punch she had put her whole weight behind. Despite being a mage, it appeared that someone had taught her some basic hand-to-hand combat skills. While her form wasn't bad, it only resulted in her injuring herself instead.

“H-hey, are you laughing? What’s so funny!”

“Nothing, you just reminded me of Robert when we first met…”

“Robert? Wait… did he know that you were alive?”

“...”

“Did others know? Was I the only one…”

He realized that perhaps he shouldn’t have mentioned Robert who had met him a few years earlier. However, the cat was out of the bag already and he decided to be truthful this time.

“No, only Robert knew but don’t blame him, I made him promise that he wouldn’t tell anyone, not even you or Francine.”

“But why!?”

His sister's expression didn’t soften as she wasn’t quite convinced. Her hand was clearly in pain so he decided to step forward and heal it with one of his emulated healing spells. This little trick was successful in calming her slightly but this wasn’t over yet.

“Why did you disappear like that? Why didn’t you come back? Did you know how long I’ve been looking for you…”

While the wounds were healing she smacked his chest with her good hand. He didn’t feel much pain as his mithril breastplate was taking the brunt of the attack. Roland remained silent while Lucienne’s voice started cracking and tears appeared in her eyes. It was clear that he had underestimated how emotionally invested she was in his existence. He did not expect such an outburst from a family member that he barely knew.

“I’m sorry, I never meant to make you worry, I just…”

He stopped himself as he wasn’t sure if he wanted to burden his sister with his perhaps selfish reason. All he had ever desired was freedom, free from anyone looking over his shoulder and dictating his actions. Yet, he didn't want Lucienne to misconstrue his intentions, thinking that he had fled because she was one of the burdens he wanted to avoid. He had believed he would be nothing more than a fleeting memory by now, but she, like Robert before her, proved him wrong.

Seeing his sister's tears, Roland felt a hint of guilt wash over him. He had not known that his disappearance would cause pain to anyone from his family but Lucienne’s raw emotions were quite real. He took a deep breath before placing his hand to the back of her head, as he embraced his sister. At this point, her words had become incoherent, and her tears flowed freely, dampening the fabric of his robes.

He didn’t say anything while embracing her awkwardly and letting her vent her frustrations. After what felt like an eternity, Lucienne’s sobs began to subside, her grip on Roland loosening slightly. He gently pulled away from the embrace, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he looked into her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Lucienne. I never wanted to cause you pain but please understand, I had my reasons.”

She sniffled, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand before nodding slowly.

“I… I don’t know… but … you’re alive…”

“Yes, I am. And I promise, I’ll explain everything to you. But first, I need to know if you’re alright. How is your hand feeling?”

Lucienne shook her head to indicate that she was fine.

“No, I’m okay… just… surprised, I guess. I’m sorry that I hit you…”

“It’s fine, but you should probably think first before trying to punch your Professor.”

Lucienne blushed slightly as she realized the implications of her actions. Normally, it would have been something she might have been punished for, but luckily it was just her brother who found the whole thing amusing. After a moment of awkward silence, Roland cleared his throat to break the tension.

"So, now that we've got that out of the way, how about we sit down and have a talk?"

Lucienne nodded, and a table emerged to the side of Roland's new office. He hadn't had much time to examine this area, but the plant-based magic here could be commanded like Runes. With the help of his Deputy Professor emblem, he could control this place to an extent, and producing furniture pieces was a possibility.

‘Where do I even start…’

Roland gazed at his sister, her big eyes were fixed on his. He felt uncertain about how to begin his explanation and whether he wanted to divulge the full truth of his escape to Lucienne. How would she react if he told her about the possibility of someone within the estate trying to get rid of him, which also included her own mother? It was a matter that could potentially cause turmoil within the family, something that he lost interest in throughout the years.

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‘Robert is one thing but how would she react?’

It was a troublesome issue, and after reconnecting with his sister, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to start asking questions later. Based on his experience, adults often resorted to lying to their children when they believed they couldn't handle the truth. This usually led to some negative outcomes down the line when the child eventually discovered this truth. Lucienne was fifteen and in this world, she was considered an adult, not something he fully agreed with.

However, he didn’t want to base their relationship on more lies and decided to give her the whole truth. Thus, after a deep breath, Roland began to speak. He chose his words with care as he recounted his journey and the reason for his disappearance.

“Lucienne, there were several reasons for my disappearance. If you are willing to hear me out, I’ll explain everything but this could take a while… so have some tea…”

“Oh? T-thank you.”

Lucienne rescinded in surprise as some snacks along with a tea set floated up from the side. While this had been a decision he had made recently, he had made some preparations for such an occasion. Having some treats and tea on hand would help to ease the tension and create a more comfortable atmosphere for their conversation. Roland poured them both a cup of tea before settling back into his seat, gesturing for Lucienne to do the same.

“Alright, I guess I’ll start with the beginning, I’m sure you are aware of the city of Carwen, that’s probably when it all started…”

He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before beginning to recount his story. The tale was already lengthy, so he opted to bypass his childhood within the estate. However, he did share with her the primary motive for his departure: to persuade his father to permit him to pursue a career as a Runesmith rather than as a Knight.

“An escort Knight did that?”

“Well, he wasn’t a knight yet but, yes. Luckily I had some help back then, I’m not sure if I would be here if not for that adventurer party…”

He arrived at the crux of everything rather fast. There wasn't much happening in that city; at first, he found himself stuck living in a chilly old shed. However, he swiftly joined a friendly adventurer party and managed to persevere. This inadvertently caused his hidden guardian, whom he was aware of, to become infuriated, as he was stuck watching over a seemingly noble brat. To this day, he wasn’t certain if this was a scheme orchestrated by the man himself or if he was coerced by an external force.

“But if you weren’t sure, then why did you leave? Why didn’t you just inform someone, I’m sure father would…”

“Would he? I'm not entirely certain, but at the time, it didn't matter much to me. It was simply an opportunity I seized. Returning to the estate was never my desire, I just wanted to have freedom and this was the best opportunity for it.”

“I see, so that’s what happened… but how did you end up here? As a Professor? Was it because of me?”

His sister was smart and she was able to put a few things together. It was strange for him to appear at the Institute for no reason and she could assume that he was here to help her out.

“Well, while I anticipated you becoming a student, I hadn’t planned on becoming a professor here and I wasn’t planning to reveal myself either. Things sort of unfolded in a way, that I just had to change my plans…”

“Was it because of… Viola?”

He hesitated, reluctant to admit it. Getting entangled with Viola and her family meant that he had acted to protect his sister. Lucienne would blame herself for any repercussions of this situation, and disclosing that he was attacked by three Knight Commanders inside the dungeon would only exacerbate her guilt. However, the gravity of the situation couldn't be ignored. She had been targeted and would have been in grave danger during the siege magic training if he hadn't intervened. He realized he needed to disclose the entire truth about this ordeal to her as her life could depend on it.

“Yes, it was partly because of Viola, I won’t deny it. I couldn’t just let her do those things to you, she certainly is quite a vengeful individual.”

“Vengeful is an understatement…”

He seemed to have hit a nerve as he saw his sister lower her head and clench her fists. Roland had looked through some old reports at the Enforcement Department but they didn’t really tell the true story. Perhaps after Lucienne gathered her thoughts, she could tell him the reason Viola hated her so much.

“But it’s the Castellane house, why were you so reckless? What if they retaliate.”

“Ah… well, about that…”

“Did something happen? Are you not telling me something?”

Roland had grown used to wearing a helmet when speaking to people and even using a runic voice module to distort it. Lucienne caught on to his hesitation, sensing that he was withholding information from her. He could see the concern etched on her face, and he realized he couldn't keep her in the dark any longer.

“It’s better if I tell you then, no use holding back now. There was a reason that the advancement classes were postponed. I’m sure you remember Elythaes Baskerville.”

“Viola’s guardian knight?”

“Yes, the one… well, please don’t overreact but it seems that Viola’s dislike for you goes deeper than you might think…”

He didn't want to alarm her, but it was crucial for his sister to understand the real threat she faced. Roland needed to temporarily depart from the institute, and during this absence, all sorts of dangers could arise. The current conversation was driven with Lucienne’s safety in mind. While he could instruct others to protect her, it wouldn't be very effective if she placed herself in harm's way without realizing that there were individuals actively seeking to cause her harm.

“By the Goddess… something like that happened? Are you alright?”

“As you can see, I’m fine.”

“But there were three of them… how were you able to defeat…”

“Don’t worry, your older brother is strong, I won’t be defeated so easily… As you might have realized. I’m a proper tier 3 class holder and one of the stronger ones too.”

This was a lot to take in for his sister and he wanted to reassure her that she was in good hands. It was hard to deny his personal strength which was somewhat uncanny.

“I’ll have to take your word for it… but how did you gain this strength? I don’t think that even eldest brother could do such a thing… Only father could.”

“Well, that’s a long story in itself but rest assured, I didn’t use any nefarious methods, let's just say that my class is a bit special so it allowed me to attain this level of power, quickly.”

He could probably talk for another several hours and recount his whole journey that led him to Albrook but there were other pressing matters. Bernir’s prosthetic needed to be made and he needed to exit the Institute with a clear conscience. For this reason, he pulled out an intricate red bracket created from the same mithril that his armor was.

“There are a few reasons why I brought you here, I wish to give you this. It’s a magical bracelet.”

“This looks valuable, are you sure that I should.”

“It’s just something I’ve made, it will protect you from any potential threats and also inform me about your whereabouts. It will also allow you to control two additional golems that I have hidden within the institute, if something happens they will help you.”

“Is this really necessary…”

“It might not be but better safe than sorry.”

“That’s…Thank you.”

Lucienne wanted to say something but she stopped herself and just nodded before taking the magical bracelet. She seemed rather pleased with the design that he had created to suit more womanly tastes.

“You know, Lucienne, I never wanted to burden you with all of this. But it’s important that you know the truth and that you’re prepared for whatever may come.”

“I understand, Roland. Thank you for being honest with me, even though it’s a lot to take in.”

Her words were filled with sincerity, and Roland felt a hint of guilt for keeping so much from her for so long. But now that the truth was out, he hoped that they could move forward and perhaps even form a stronger bond, something that he never thought was possible in the first place.

“Are you going somewhere? This feels like a parting gift…”

“I do have to leave, there are things outside of the institute that I need to take care of. I would have preferred to stay or contact Robert but I haven’t been able to… Speaking of him, do you know where he is?”

He was quick to change the subject as the disappearance of his brother was quite an oddity. While it was understandable that there might be difficulties in contacting him given his position at the border, which was undoubtedly hectic, Roland couldn't shake the feeling of unease. In the past, despite the chaos, his brother had managed to maintain frequent magical communication, sometimes through the involvement of the count's daughter.

“Brother Robert? I’m not sure, I could ask Mother about it… Now that you mention it, I haven’t heard from him in a while.”

Lucienne was in deep thought and it was surprising that she didn’t know about Robert’s location either. However, if she contacted Francine there was a possibility that they might receive some information regarding Robert's whereabouts.

“That would be helpful, Lucienne. If you could inquire about it, I would appreciate it. In the meantime let's discuss some other issues…”

“That’s fine with me…”

His sister was rather cheerful and what started with a punch, was slowly turning around. With Lucienne on his side, he felt more confident in keeping her safe. Before departing, however, he knew he had to clarify a few things. While he was comfortable with her knowing his secrets and had grown less concerned about other family members discovering them, revealing that an Arden was involved in the deaths of three prominent knights would likely cause a stir within the noble world. Therefore, it was best for that information to remain a secret, at least for now…