The Runesmith

The knight's shout rang out, echoing through the estate, and the tension in the air snapped as the peaceful night turned into chaos. Roland's mind immediately raced into action, recalculating escape routes and strategies. The quiet, stealthy getaway was over, and now it was time for a mad dash.

"Robert! Hang on tightly, this might get rough."

Roland shouted out, still managing to mask the surrounding sounds. He wasn't quick enough to stop the man below from yelling and casting large-scale spells to stop the sound from escaping would just alert the mages. His original plan had been to slip away quietly, sticking to the shadows and leaving without a trace. But with the situation escalating, that option was off the table. It was time to shift tactics and make a lot of noise.

Robert nodded, his grip tightening on Lucille. Their tearful reunion would have to wait. Securing her on the ladder below him, he wrapped one arm around her while using the other to brace himself. Though still emotionally overwhelmed, Lucille clung to Robert but managed to maintain her composure. Meanwhile, Roland was already activating the dormant golems he had placed in strategic locations throughout the area.

More knights responded to the alarm, pouring out from nearby barracks and guard posts. Mages began to gather, and Roland could feel the telltale sound of defensive spells being woven around the estate. In seconds, the place would be on lockdown. But before anyone could react, Roland triggered his backup plan.

"Activating self-destruct protocols."

The text flashed across his private display. Moments later, the entire estate was engulfed in a series of explosions. A series of small but calculated explosions rippled through the estate, targeting strategic points that Roland had mapped out days in advance. He had no intention of causing unnecessary harm, but these controlled detonations served a dual purpose: disorienting the guards and mages while creating a chaotic escape route. The blasts weren't powerful enough to destroy structures but were loud and bright enough to divert attention away from the glider.

Roland gritted his teeth as the explosions roared beneath them. The quiet night had turned into a chaotic mess of fire and panic. The estate's once peaceful atmosphere was now filled with shouts, clanging metal, and the faint shimmer of magical shields forming around the guards. His original stealth plan was officially over.

'Here he comes, he is the biggest variable here.'

It was difficult to set off the bombs while ensuring the estate's regular staff remained unharmed. Roland understood that the people here - maids, butlers, stable hands, and other workers were simply doing their jobs, powerless against the count's unreasonable actions. Explosions echoed through the grounds, forcing many of them to drop to the floor, covering their ears. Some were even underage, and Roland had to make sure not to overdo it during their escape.

Yet amidst all the chaos, only one person truly concerned him: Grand Knight Commander Leopold Goldfield. Even Roland's father had held a measure of respect for the man. In a direct confrontation, Roland feared he wouldn't stand a chance, especially while navigating on the glider and trying to get Robert and Lucille to safety. That's why he had to lure Leopold away - and to pull it off, he would use the man's own tier 3 class against him.

"Release the young lady!"

Leopold had arrived at the scene, fully armored and radiating authority, his magical sword glowing ominously, ready to cut down anyone in his path. Roland knew that staying incognito was crucial, and for that, he needed to craft a new persona. Wayland, the rune mage, had always been stoic and reserved. This time, however, Roland decided to take a different approach. He adjusted the voice modulator, lowering his usual tone and adopting a higher-pitched, more chaotic voice.

"Heh… isn't it the Grand Commander himself? Are you sure you shouldn't be somewhere else?"

Roland knew that Leopold possessed a unique class: 'Champion of Lords'. While the specifics were unclear to him, Roland had a general idea of how it functioned. Knights could swear oaths that enhanced their abilities, and Leopold's class seemed to amplify this further. By pledging himself to a specific lord, Leopold likely received significant boosts to his stats and perhaps even unique skills. But what would happen if that lord was no longer around? Would Leopold prioritize protecting the lord's child, or would he be driven to defend the one person whose existence empowered him?

"That explosion... it came from the direction of the Lord Count…"

Leopold was moments away from launching an attack when a deafening explosion reverberated from deeper within the estate. Roland had discreetly positioned several of his golems throughout the grounds, and one had been strategically placed in Graham's study - exactly where the Count was now. Roland had waited for Leopold to confront him before setting off that particular explosion, knowing it would force the Grand Commander to reassess his priorities. Without Graham, Leopold's power could be severely diminished and perhaps even permanently crippled by a persisting debuff.

"Y-you fiend!"

The man was visibly shaken by the event and he hesitated to launch himself forward into battle. Thanks to his momentary blunder Roland had just enough time to make things even brighter. He cackled and suddenly a vast quantity of spherical objects emerged from within his robes, all flying down in all sorts of directions as they fell down.

"Hahaha, maybe this will help you decide!"

He did his best villain impersonation while throwing tens of bombs in all directions. They looked like simple spheres but were more like devastating grenades with various effects. The spheres hurtling toward the ground triggered an explosion of colors, sounds, and magic. Some erupted in flashes of blinding light, others released clouds of thick smoke, and a few let out high-pitched screeches designed to overwhelm the senses. The knights and mages below were thrown into disarray, some scrambling for cover, others frantically casting defensive spells to shield themselves from the unknown threat.

Leopold, the Grand Knight Commander, was caught off guard by the sheer audacity of Roland's tactics. His focus wavered between the possible threat to the Count and the intruders escaping with Lucille. It was a situation that demanded an immediate decision, and for a man of his rank and responsibility, leaving his lord unprotected was unthinkable. Gritting his teeth, he turned toward the direction of the explosion in the estate and took off to save the man he swore an oath to.

"You won't get away with this!"

He snarled before sprinting toward the Count's quarters. However, while running back towards the estate, he imbued his blade in a red aura and started slicing at the air. Crimson blades of energy formed and shot out toward Roland's glider. The blades of energy cut through the air with deadly precision, each one aimed at crippling the glider or, worse, severing the ladder where Robert and Lucille clung. Roland's instincts screamed at him to act fast.

"Brace yourselves down there"

Roland shouted, motioning the glider in a sharp dive to avoid the first barrage. The crimson blades whizzed past, dangerously close, slicing through the misty air and tearing through the space where the glider had been just moments before.

"This guy is insane, what if any of these aura blades hit Lucille?"

Robert gritted his teeth, holding Lucille tightly as the glider made a sharp, stomach-churning dip. Lucille stifled a gasp, burying her face into Robert's chest, her fingers clutching onto his armor as if her life depended on it. This attack was somewhat unexpected but within his calculations. Leopold did pull his punches as all the blades had been aimed directly at the glider or Roland standing on it.

Nevertheless, it seemed he wasn't overly concerned about Lucille's safety in this situation - or at least, he trusted his skill enough to avoid hitting her. The mages and archers were withholding their fire as they weren't as convinced. Roland cursed under his breath, realizing he couldn't afford to keep dodging much longer. The glider's movements were sharp and evasive, but it wasn't built for prolonged aerial maneuvers under fire.

While dodging, one of the aura blades nicked his hood, revealing the goblin mask underneath. Some people glanced up, the moonlight catching the sight of the gliding figure dressed as a goblin. His laughter echoed through the estate as another wave of bombs rained down, throwing the entire place into chaos.

As Leopold paused his barrage and rushed into the estate to rescue his lord, the glider zipped upward, gaining altitude. A few bombs were hurled at the magical barrier, which had been strengthened by the mages. A hole quickly formed, just large enough for the trio to slip through, as the glider sped away from the turmoil below.

Roland piloted with precision, quickly dodging any remaining spells or arrows fired in their direction. A few well-placed bombs collided with the projectiles to give them a smoke screen during their escape. Behind them, the estate was now a scene of utter panic and confusion - knights scrambling, mages frantically casting emergency wards to contain the damage. But for now, the trio had made their escape.

They were now out, the moonlight hanging over them as they sped through the horizon. Roland adjusted the glider's trajectory, keeping it steady as they put more distance between themselves and the estate. His heart still raced, but he allowed himself a moment to exhale. The most dangerous part was over, at least for now. He glanced down at Robert and Lucille, still clinging to each other on the ladder below. Robert's grip was tight, his arm wrapped protectively around Lucille, who had finally stopped crying. Her face was streaked with tears, but her expression was now one of quiet determination.

"We're clear for now, but we need to keep moving. We'll head straight to the mage tower, we'll need their teleportation gate to truly get to safety."

He was relieved that he no longer had to maintain the villainous facade. Cackling maniacally while tossing bombs everywhere wasn't exactly his style. He needed to minimize his mana usage by relying on external projectiles, and he also wanted to display a different fighting style in front of Leopold and Graham. If he used any of his old devices, they would quickly identify him. Even if they suspected who he was, it would be difficult for them to bring him to justice—especially after he triggered a few special explosions within the estate.

All of his golems had been destroyed during the escape, and he couldn't afford to leave any trace of his old technology behind. As a result, he had no way of knowing whether they were being pursued and could only hope his plan would work. He had made some arrangements to slow down any potential chasers.

"Robert… I… agh…"

"Oh, sorry it would be better if you don't open your mouth while we are flying, there are a lot of bugs out here."

Lucille was about to have a heartfelt conversation with Robert, but just as she opened her mouth, a fly flew in, interrupting her. As they sped through the air, they couldn't quite reach the full five hundred kilometers per hour due to the weight of three passengers, but they were still flying at nearly half that speed. Robert had to hold on tightly to her while standing on the ladder being pulled behind the glider.

"T-that's disgusting… ye"

Luckily, Lucille was also a mage. After chanting a spell, she managed to create a mana shield around herself and Robert, protecting them from the cold winds and any small insects. Once the shield was in place, she was finally able to speak and voice her concerns.

"But what about my father? He'll definitely try to chase us! His men are probably already on their way, and Leopold will certainly come…"

"Don't worry, they won't be able to follow us that easily. I've left a few presents behind"

He replied with confidence before pulling out a large scroll from his side, the runes on it were quite small and hard to make out but it was clearly one of his works. After channeling mana into it, Roland's entire form began to glow a deeper green. From his body, multiple copies of himself, the glider, and even Robert and Lucille appeared. The illusions scattered in different directions, while the real trio continued toward the mage tower.

"It'll take them some time to figure out where we flew away and the night will provide us some shelter, now hold tight, I'll be going all out."

While Roland assured his brother and his lover about the situation, he could only hope that his plan was working. Back at the estate he had set off multiple bombs but not only them. He knew that the estate had not only horses but even a few other creatures that could even keep up with his glider which was running at half speed. He could only continue to hope while flying through the air and erasing their tracks.

*****

"Leopold? What are you doing here? What about my daughter?"

"Lord, you are safe!"

"Of course I am safe! Now tell me, what about my daughter!"

A few moments earlier, Grand Commander Leopold had rushed into Count Graham's study. There, he found his lord surrounded by other knights - mostly unharmed, though slightly rattled by the sudden explosion. The count was covered in some dirt, but otherwise fine, and to Leopold's surprise, the same could be said for most of the other people in the estate.

The bombs had been loud and stirred up a lot of dust, but they weren't nearly as deadly as expected. The level of destruction didn't match the intensity of the noise. As Leopold surveyed the area, he realized that few people were seriously injured - most were simply dazed by the bright lights and loud sounds. Only the soldiers who had directly confronted the mysterious figure on the glider had sustained any injuries.

"Leopold, what are you doing? Report now!"

Leopold straightened up, still catching his breath from the mad dash through the estate.

"Lord Graham, there was an intrusion. A small group infiltrated the estate, and they've taken Lady Lucille…"

The Count's face darkened as he clenched his fists, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and desperation.

"Taken? My daughter is gone?"

"Yes, milord. The intruders were well-prepared. It seems they anticipated our defenses. I could only get a glimpse of the leader - he wore a goblin mask and used strange magical explosives."

Graham's eyes flared with rage, but beneath the fury, Leopold saw something else - fear. For all of Graham's posturing and arrogance, he had never anticipated losing control of his own daughter.

"What are you standing here for? Get her back!"

Leopold winced at the Count's tone but quickly bowed his head in acknowledgment. He was afraid to mention that he chose to come here when he was in striking range of the abductor. However, it wasn't over yet, they still had methods of pursuing the goblin-mask and he quickly barked out orders to his troops.

"Prepare the griffin, I will personally lead the chase."

Leopold's voice was steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through him. The knights around him scrambled to follow his command, rushing to prepare the griffin - a powerful, fast creature probably capable of tracking down the glider through the sky. While a lot of nobles preferred to use wyverns, Graham had established a platoon of Griffin riders. However, once they arrived at the stables, the extent of the enemy plan finally became noticeable.

"What's wrong with the Griffins?"

Leopold asked one of the stable hands, who was leaning up against the walls in a dazed state.

"My Lord… I…"

Before he could finish the sentence he collapsed into a slumber and it became clear that the beasts along with the stable workers had been drugged. As Leopold stepped closer, he noticed the subtle, lingering scent of a potent sleeping agent that had been released into the stables. The once mighty griffins, now slumbering peacefully, were utterly useless for any immediate pursuit. The stable hands, barely conscious, were in no condition to explain exactly what had happened, but it was clear to Leopold that this was part of the intruders' meticulous planning.

"S-Sir Grand Commander!"

"What is it? Just say it."

"The air is filled with some kind of anti-magic reagents. We are unable to determine where that man escaped to, and it will take us some time to regain our magic."

One of the mages gathered there reported. Leopold couldn't see it clearly, but a strange silvery mist hung over the estate. The mages they had assembled were acting oddly, and this seemed to be the reason. Leopold's frustration mounted as he surveyed the scene of chaos. The intruders had covered every angle and it was clear that pursuing them wouldn't be easy.

"Time is not on our side. Prepare the horses."

"Sir, the horses are also affected…"

"Of course, they are… contact the soldiers outside the estate then, I will pursue on foot!"

He could hear the Count's angry voice echoing from within the estate, things didn't look well and he would probably be blamed for it if the young lady didn't return to the estate…