The Runesmith

"Don't worry… I'll protect you…"

"..."

"Mmmmm…"

"If you don't get off me, I swear I will punch you in the face…"

Roland's voice was firm, yet tinged with exasperation. His brother was currently draped over him, eyes closed and murmuring sweet nothings in his sleep. Robert's face was just inches from Roland's, his breath warm and steady as he leaned closer, unaware of his surroundings.

"Big Brother Roland, don't do that, Robert is still injured!"

"The elixir healed all of his wounds and I can heal him up again."

"Mmm… Lucille, your lips taste like iron… Huh?"

Robert's eyes slowly opened as he felt something cold and metallic press against his lips. What he saw before him was not his lover but a face made of metal. Robert's face went through a series of rapid expressions - confusion, horror, embarrassment - before he finally settled on mortification. Before he could scramble back in horror a large hand grabbed his face and threw him back like a sack of grain.

"Ugh, disgusting."

Roland started whipping the slobber of his helmet that Robert had kissed while asleep. If not for his sister's protests he would have just instantly smacked his older brother away. Luckily, his helmet protected him from being smooched by his half-sibling. Robert was having a nice dream and leaned to grab Roland when he attempted to wake him up.

"Huh, what?"

"Robert!"

Before Robert could gather himself a girl tackled his chest. He could instantly tell that it was his sister Lucienne. The man standing before him was wearing a dark hooded mage robe and had his face covered by a metallic helmet. There was a sign of runes over it, which made him instantly recall the strange floating contraption in his cell.

"Lucienne… Roland? So… it was true… but why…"

"What do you mean why?"

Roland replied while glancing down at the sobbing Lucienne. She was clinging to Robert's chest, tears streaming down her face as she held onto him as if afraid he would disappear again. Robert, still groggy from sleep and the aftereffects of his injuries being healed, tried to wrap his head around the situation. The sight of his sister weeping and the stern figure of his brother standing over him brought a flood of emotions he hadn't prepared for.

"I thought you were dead, do you know how worried me and mother were… If it wasn't for Roland…"

Lucienne started crying while also hitting her older brother's chest with her fists. The strikes had no power behind them but to Robert, they stung more than the torture he had previously suffered. Robert's eyes softened as he listened to Lucienne's tearful words. He gently placed a hand on her head, trying to comfort her while his own emotions churned within. His mind was still reeling from the surreal situation - Roland, his estranged brother, was here, and somehow, against all odds, had managed to locate and save him.

"Lucienne, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you and mother worry... I thought... I thought I could handle everything on my own."

His voice was hoarse with regret. The weight of his decisions, driven by desperation and love, pressed down on him. He had acted impulsively, thinking only of escaping with Lucille and not fully considering the consequences. Now, seeing the pain he had caused his sister, he felt the full brunt of his recklessness.

Roland stood to the side, watching the scene unfold. He wasn't sure how to feel about the situation; after all, he had left the Arden estate to avoid such troublesome matters. Although Robert was his brother, they rarely conversed. Lucille, his lover, was usually the one he contacted to relay information. He had never intended to be involved in Robert's life again, yet here he was, playing the role of some kind of protector.

"Enough with the apologies,"

Roland said gruffly with a voice laced with some annoyance. He was not the best at taking in emotional scenes and all of the hugging was making him uncomfortable.

"We need to focus on what's ahead. You've made a mess, Robert, and it's going to take more than just words to fix it now, Lucille gave me the gist of it but it would be better if you told me your side of the story."

Lucienne leaned back after hearing Roland's words and was able to finally calm herself. Robert on the other hand was surprised by some of his brother's words.

"Lucille? You were able to talk to her? Is she well? Is she here?"

Robert really perked up at the mention of the woman he tried to escape with. He started looking around the room he was in but didn't see anyone besides his mother who was sleeping on a chair. He found it strange that his brother wasn't withholding his name but now it all made sense.

"Mother?"

"Don't worry, I put her to sleep with a spell, it wasn't that hard, she had been trying to get into this place for more than a day now. I do not wish to reveal my identity to her if I don't have to, I'm sure you understand."

After speaking with Lucille, Roland placed her under a gentle sleeping spell. The woman had been frantic and unstable, so it was best for her to rest. The room had little to offer besides a single bed, so Roland retrieved a reclining chair from his spatial space. This action caused the guards outside to move closer to the holding room, making it clear that they were closely monitoring his every move.

"I see… I've made everyone worried, even got you dragged into this mess. I don't even know where to start… but could you tell me how you spoke to Lucille?"

Robert sighed, his expression a mix of regret and embarrassment. He leaned forward from his bed and to his surprise, it was quite painless. Only now did he notice that his body lacked any scars from the torture he experienced, something that his brother Roland was probably responsible for.

"Why don't you ask her yourself if you're that interested? Maybe it will be faster this way, wait a second."

"Ask her myself, what are you talking about?"

Roland didn't answer directly. Instead, he walked over to the side of the room, where a small metallic contraption that had been quietly resting suddenly came to life. It was one of his floating golems that had been adjusted to forward information from the spider golem at Lucille's holding room.

Robert and Lucienne watched in fascination as the golem moved, projecting a small bluish light in front of itself. Moments later, a hazy, but recognizable image of Lucille De Vere appeared within the light. Thanks to Lucille achieving the Rune Mage class she was able to lend her mana to the small spider at her side. With the boost to energy, not only her voice but also her face could be forwarded to this place.

"Robert! Is that really you?"

Lucille's voice was faint but clear, filled with emotion as she saw Robert's face through the magical projection. Robert, who had been struggling to keep his emotions in check, felt a lump rise in his throat. He reached out instinctively, though his hand passed through the holographic image.

"Lucille… It's really you… Are you okay? Have they hurt you?"

Lucille smiled, though there was a sadness in her eyes.

"No, I'm fine… Thanks to your brother, I'm safe for now. I'm just so relieved to see you. I was so afraid…"

She trailed off, her voice quivering slightly. Robert clenched his fists, overwhelmed with guilt. He had tried to protect her, to save her from a fate neither of them wanted, but in doing so, he had only plunged them both into deeper peril. Now, seeing her like this, all the bravado he had shown melted away, leaving only a deep, painful remorse.

"Lucille… I'm so sorry. I should have thought things through better. I should have…"

"Shh, Robert, you… no we did what we thought was right, and that's why I love you."

"Lucille…"

"Robert…"

"..."

The loud sound of someone clearing his throat broke the moment the two were having. Everyone looked to Roland who had his arms crossed, clearly unimpressed by the romantic exchange.

"Could you two focus for a moment, we don't have time to be emotional now, you're just wasting your mana."

"Hey, they were just having a moment! Did you always have so little tact?"

Lucienne disagreed with Roland's interruption and performed a kick against his shin. To no surprise, it was she who recoiled in pain after it connected with the mithril armor underneath. She fell back onto the bed Robert was sleeping while clutching her foot.

Robert couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at Lucienne's failed attempt to kick Roland. The brief moment of light-heartedness eased some of the tension in the room. Even Roland, with his usually stern demeanor, seemed slightly less rigid. However, he quickly returned to the matter at hand.

"Now that we've all calmed down, let's focus on the situation, Lucille, you mentioned that your father has changed since obtaining his new title could there be more to it?"

"More to it?"

"Yes, has he been talking with strange individuals, was he feeling unwell or staring out into space for no reason? Any strange behaviors?"

Now that he had the two here he could start asking questions. First, he needed to make sure that the count was doing everything out of his own volition. There were small signs whenever someone was affected by curses or being blackmailed. Roland had scanned the man the best he could but he didn't spot anything out of the ordinary that would suggest he was under some form of mind control or curse. However, subtler forms of manipulation, especially those involving political machinations or unseen threats, were harder to detect.

"Well… I'm not sure, he wasn't home much and I was usually at the Institute… but, think we did receive some help from other houses during the clash for the new title?"

"I see, that will be hard to confirm…"

Roland hoped that there would have been some outside factor pushing her father. There were probably many merchants, nobles, and outside powers lending Graham help. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, once he reached a higher position he would pull everyone up with him. If a power like the cult was involved then he could easily absolve Robert of all charges and blame the evil faction but in this case, it would probably be impossible to prove. He already spread some of his divine spells around the place and none of the knights he interacted with had been infected by any abyssal worms.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I'll be of much help. After I realized that they wanted to give Lucille away to some child, I lost it… I never thought It would come to this, they must have been keeping watch over us and overheard our conversation, we never stood a chance…"

"Don't blame yourself Robert, none of us knew."

"Could they be listening to us now?"

Robert jolted forward but Roland raised his hand to reassure him.

"Don't worry, I took care of that, if they knew that you two were talking, they would have already charged through that door."

"I see… Perhaps if I asked you for help, this wouldn't have happened…"

The room went silent after Roberts's proclamation. Roland knew that he would have probably been able to smuggle them out of there with ease but the two weren't in that sort of relationship. It seemed that his coldness kept his half-brother from reaching out to him earlier. If not for their younger sister he would have probably not been here and Robert would have been scared beyond saving.

"There's no point in dwelling on what could have been, we never had that sort of relationship to begin with but you're still my brother. What matters now is how we move forward and get you out of this predicament."

Lucille's holographic image nodded in agreement.

"He's right, Robert. We can't change the past, but we can still find a way out of this mess. Together."

Robert looked between his brother and Lucille, his heart swelling with gratitude. Despite everything, despite the years of hostility and the mistakes he had made, they were here - Roland was here, helping him, and Lucille hadn't lost faith in him.

"You're right."

Robert finally said, determination seeping into his voice.

"We can still make things right. But we need a plan."

"Yes, we need a proper plan this time around…"

Robert, Lucille and even Lucienne nodded in unison. Soon after, they all turned toward the person that made all of this possible. Roland faintly flinched at all the attention that he was getting and it seemed that everything would be dependent on him. His shoulders felt heavy as the weight of responsibility settled on them. Roland wasn't one to shy away from challenges, but acting out of familial bonds and emotions was new territory. He had spent years honing his skills, preparing for battles and not disputes between noble houses.

"Fine, if we're going to do this, we'll do it right. But you all need to listen to me carefully and follow my lead. If any of you act impulsively again, it could ruin everything."

Robert and Lucienne nodded, their expressions serious. Lucille's image, though flickering slightly due to the strain of the mana transfer, was equally focused.

"First, we'll be trying to extrapolate the process, we need your mother to contact Wentworth Arden, perhaps he could exert some pressure from the outside. We don't need to prove your innocence, if we can get you out of this with money, then that will be enough."

"I'm not sure if my father will be willing to leave it at that…"

Lucille commented in a hushed tone and Roland nodded.

"I don't think so either, he wishes to show that his family can't be trifled with. He probably wants to use Robert as an example of what happens when someone crosses him. This means we have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario."

"You don't mean?"

"Yes, the death penalty."

The room grew heavy with silence as Roland's words hung in the air. The implications of his statement were clear, and the gravity of the situation settled over everyone present. Robert's breath caught in his throat, and he instinctively clenched his fists. The thought of his own execution was terrifying, but what frightened him more was the idea that Lucille would be forced into a loveless marriage with another person who wasn't even of age. Lucienne's eyes widened in fear, and she gripped her brother's arm tightly, as if holding onto him would prevent the unthinkable from happening.

"Roland… there must be another way."

"Of course, there's another way and we need to discuss every possible strategy to get Robert out of this in one piece, even if that means that he could lose a limb…"

Roland had gone through various books concerning law within the kingdom. Back at the Arden estate, there were several of them with current laws and also old traditions that were still being upheld. There were ways of getting out of this situation but some were better than others. He needed to discuss all the options that were out on the table and convince Robert to save his life. Robert swallowed hard, his mind racing as Roland's words sunk in. The death penalty was a terrifying prospect, but losing a limb? It was a grim alternative, yet it meant survival.

"Don't worry there are other ways, in some cases, people were given freedom after a heartfelt apology and loss of title. There was a lot of begging involved and you would need to lose your Knight title."

"You wish me to prostrate myself and dishonor myself in front of the judge and other nobles? … But even if I do that, what of Lucille?"

"How about you worry about yourself first?"

Roland responded in a harsh tone.

"After we get you out of this predicament, we will focus on Lucille. I know a noble who is looking for competent people, he would probably accept a mage and her knight."

Albrook was the perfect place to hide the two lovebirds. It didn't seem that Lucille wanted to live here anymore. After Robert was safe they would come up with a plan to break the young mage out of her tower. Then the two could meet up at Roland's place where they could start their new life. However, before such a thing could happen they needed to get through the first hurdle, Roberts's trial that would be held in a few days.