“What do you think they are talking about?”
“I don’t know, maybe about their unyielding love for heavy plate armor?”
Lobelia replied to Armand’s question while he inched towards Roland’s house. The moment he did though a growling sound was heard. This sound was coming from a certain young Ruby Wolf that was guarding the entrance.
“Can’t I just kick this thing, it’s getting on my nerves.”
Armand scoffed at Agni but Lobelia was quick to kick the back of his leg in protest.
“He is not a thing, he is Agni and he is a good boy! He is just protecting his home and if you tried I bet Wayland would just beat you up.”
“Beat me up?”
“Yeah, like last time.”
“Why you, that was…”
While the two were arguing Lucille was to the side. She was sitting in a wooden chair that Bernir lent her from his workshop. The two were looking at the comedy routine that these two were performing.
“They really are close with each other.”
She giggled while hiding her mouth behind her hand. Roland’s assistant just nodded but he did not reply. He was far too scared to do anything, with a genuine noble next to him he was not sure what to do. After hearing stories of people being thrown into slavery for being rude to nobles he was somewhat scared.
“A...aye they certainly are a lively bunch…”
Bernir was not sure what this was about but after taking a look at that Robert fellow he noticed the resemblance. He wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed but even he realized it.
Together with the conversation at the beginning, it looked like his boss was connected with the nobles. This could spell disaster while also being lucrative depending on what this connection was. From the quick fight it seemed that the two were related, was his boss some kind of noble bastard?
“They are really taking a while, I hope everything is alright. Mr. Bernir, maybe we should go take a look?”
Lucille commented after having drunk her tea that was made when Robert and Roland started talking.
“It should be fine, I don’t reckon they will start another fight… I think?”
Bernir did not know how to reply to this question at all. The history between his boss and the noble was a big unknown. They did manage to calm down for the time being, so it was looking fine.
“You are right, it's better to give them some space!”
…
“Oh? So she still remembers me?”
“Surprisingly yes, this must be because of Lucienne’s mage class.”
“At least she has her elemental affinities…”
Roland leaned back in his chair as he had discussed a few things with his older brother. The conversation switched to the family members and Robert informed him about everything he knew.
There weren’t really that many people from the Arden family that he cared about. Lucienne, his little sister that used to follow him around, had recently turned ten. With this came her ascension ritual and surprisingly she had gained the same class as he did.
Lucienne was Robert’s full sister as she and Roland were only half-siblings. Francine the second wife was quite ecstatic as her standing in the family was cemented. Having a rare mage in the noble house was always seen as a boon.
There were many paths she could follow but it seemed that her fire affinity was the highest. Apparently, this matched her fiery nature as Robert stated that his mother had trouble controlling the little squirt.
“So she still remembers me?”
“Yes, she has an astonishingly good memory and she learns really fast.”
Robert was smiling, it seemed that he was a doting big brother that was proud of his little sister. Apparently, like most mages her learning capabilities were above average. She found reading and learning quite easy.
There was a small problem due to this. Lucienne was able to vaguely remember her older brother named Roland. This brother had gone missing almost seven years ago. Thus the little girl had put it upon herself to find this missing brother.
“I hope no one is taking her seriously, just send her to the mage academy, she will forget about me soon enough…”
“I don’t think it will be that easy…”
Robert painted a picture. Lucienne for one reason or another was very adamant in her beliefs. She was sure that her older brother was alive somewhere and that everyone should keep looking.
“Wait, she was sure that I was alive?”
“Yes, for some reason she was convinced and not even mother could talk her out of it. It turns out that Lucienne was right, how about I tell…"
“No, don’t tell her I can’t trust a child to keep a secret.”
Robert frowned while Roland started thinking. Lucienne’s fixation on him was something that he was not counting on. He also had a little theory about why his half-sister was so sure about her claims. There might have been a reason why she was convinced as one class in particular in this world had such skills.
‘She might have the talent to be an oracle…’
Oracles were one of the main classes boasting capabilities to predict the future. Diviners, Seer’s there were a few types but they all were under the umbrella of the magic classes. To get one of these classes a person would need to start out as a priest or a mage, then also gain a rare talent to go with it.
Lucienne’s belief in Roland being alive might not have just been a feeling, it could be something backed by a magical skill. This skill might have not shown itself into the open yet or the girl might not have mentioned it to her parents for one reason or another.
It would not be strange if her fixation on him somehow activated this skill and let her confirm his status. These classes were rarer than the usual magical classes, her worth would skyrocket if she managed to get one.
If this was the truth, the people at the magical academy would probably find this out sooner or later. Lucienne would need to reach tier 2 to unlock one of those classes which would leave Roland with a limited time frame before his younger sister discovers his whereabouts.
‘It feels like hiding was never an option…’
He was already discovered by Robert but there was still a chance to reason with him. The younger sister on the other hand sounded a bit more emotional. It could still be a red herring and she might never get the class.
Roland then steered the conversation in a different direction. Reyner and Edwin had left the knight academy a long time ago. They were busy working in the kingdom’s army and gaining merits.
They were two years apart which caused them to butt heads together but Robert’s info was limited. They apparently never interacted with him that much and so he did not really know what they were up to.
Their father Wentworth has been a mystery as well. Robert could count the one on one encounters with him on one hand. It didn’t seem that Wentworth interacted with his family much besides forcing them to eat at the table together whenever they were all at the estate.
The oldest sister Sophia had apparently married a viscount not so long ago. Dianna, who was a bit younger, was approaching that age as well and as always they were planning to marry her off to someone rich or influential.
Roland did not really remember his older sisters that much. Most of the time he tried to keep to himself while being trapped in the Arden estate. With a lack of interest from him, the others didn’t seem to open up either.
Then the last one was Martha, his old maid that had tended to him in his youth. Robert could not tell him much besides seeing her sweeping around the estate. Hearing that she was still alive and well would have to be enough for now.
Roland was not the only one that was asking questions though. Robert started grilling him as his turn came. Roland had to explain his class but he only mentioned being a Runesmith but he was not sure if his older brother bought it. Haven being bested in a strength contest by a runesmith was a hard pill to swallow.
“Can I trust you to keep it a secret?”
“...”
Robert started thinking, there was a lot of information to process but after a moment he finally looked at Roland and nodded.
“On the Arden name, I shall make a vow to not disclose this information to anyone.”
He was a bit surprised that he was able to get a vow out of his thickheaded brother. He knew that the man took being a knight very seriously.
Vows like this were not just spoken words, for someone that had a knight class a broken vow could cause them to lose the requirements for higher classes. Though if he switched to something else then it wouldn’t matter.
The moment the vow was pronounced Robert’s body began to shine. This light was something akin to a written contract, if Robert broke it he would suffer a debuff.
“I didn’t think that you would go this far.”
Roland was a bit stunned that he got this man to agree to his request this easily. Through their long conversation, he did figure out why Robert was acting this way. It was mostly due to Roland going missing and Robert maturing enough to feel bad about his younger days.
His conscience seemed to have weighed down on him. The days that he bullied his younger brother came back to haunt his dreams after he disappeared. This was also probably the reason why Robert had an emotional outburst earlier.
Going through close to seven years of regret only to find out that the brother he was worrying about was still alive, was enough to trigger rage.
“You are still my brother.”
Robert commented while standing up, Roland on the other hand didn’t know how to feel about this. The attachment to this family had withered with time, the man before him felt more like a stranger to him than a family member.
Still, he had to give it to him, he had earned some brotherly points for that vow he made. Even though Roland could never see himself as a true Arden this didn’t mean he could not be friendly with some of the members.
The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb was an old misquoted saying. He was someone that believed in it as the bonds people made along the way were sometimes stronger than family bonds.
“I see, I'm surprised that you are the same Robert that I used to know, are you sure you're not some kind of changing in disguise?”
Roland replied while being surprised that this young man before him was the same young brat that he thought of a nuisance. Thanks to his mind being of an adult he never held the things against the young man. It was mostly an annoyance that he hoped to leave behind after he escaped the estate.
"Hey, what's that supposed to men?"
Their conversation was then brought to a stop as Agni's growls started getting louder.
“I think we are done here.”
“Yes, remember to contact me.”
Robert gave Roland his current address to send letters. He would also await contact through Lucille’s magical crystal. This would really force him to buy one. With it Robert could even buy the services of other mages to call him, he would just need to right number to reach him.
“What’s all this noise?”
Roland opened up the door to the outside, there he saw a maddened Armand shaking his fist at Agni. His Ruby Wolf was quite menacing, his teeth were out on display. Lobelia was also there, clinging to Armand’s waist as she tried to pull him away from Agni.
“Woof!”
The moment Agni noticed Roland he snorted at Armand and turned around. His hind legs did a digging motion as if he was burying some excrement that he made. He then slowly moved to the side of his master while leaving Armand with a red face.
“Stop bothering my wolf or I’ll tell the guild master that you weren’t doing your job properly.”
“Teach that mutt some manners first!”
Armand was clearly mad about Agni nibbling on his ankle.
“Oh right, you’re going to pay for that, right?”
“Huh?”
Roland pointed to his busted gate that Armand shoulder tackled into scrap wood and metal.
“Hey that was an emergency you can’t fault me for it…”
“Of course I can, I can also report it to the guild.”
Armand was clearly mad but he couldn’t do much about it. The gate was trashed and after he arrived inside the fight was already over.
“Mr. Armand was only doing his job, don’t worry I’ll cover the costs of your gate Sir. Ro… um, Sir. Wayland.”
Lucille had to stretch out after standing. Robert had already walked over to her after removing himself from Roland’s house. She was already aware of his true name as she was given the short version.
She also knew that he didn’t want the people in the town to know that he was the son of a Baron. Luckily Armand was a bit late to the party and neither he nor Lobelia were able to hear the previous conversation.
Roland was also back to wearing his helmet, all so that his face could not be compared to Robert's. Armand wasn’t really the problem here, Lobelia on the other hand had enough brain matter to figure things out.
“Ah right, I didn’t get to show you how the shield works…”
Bernir moved over with the runic shield that was made for Robert. Before they could leave he would need to show the last trick of this shield.
“It’s not much but it could help you push a troublesome enemy away from you. Also please don’t go past the rope...”
“I won’t!”
Lucille shook her head and flailed her hands around as she was the main reason that Roland’s secret got out.
Roland moved over to the backyard that had a new hole in it.
With now the shield back in his hand, he demonstrated its fifth function. With a firm grip, he injected his mana into all of the runes. This caused the shield to light up again while sending out a burst of condensed energy.
This was a magic that would push anyone in front of the user away. It had enough magical energy to even force the larger beasts away. This spell had no elemental affinity and was more akin to a physical pushback.
“This spell is called Repulsion, don’t confuse it with wind-based spells.”
“A repulsion spell, how interesting.”
Lucille commented while Robert got his shield. With a bit of training, he would learn how to handle this item. With this test product, Roland had also gotten a bit of an insight into the market.
It would be hard to sell an item like this as most adventurers would not be willing to take the time to train with a multipurpose tool like this. While in combat it would be hard to concentrate, a blunder that could activate the wrong spell effect could cost someone their life.
Finally, it was time to say goodbye to his long-lost brother. Just before the exit that was ruined by Armand, Robert decided to turn around. He held out his hand towards Roland for a handshake.
While feeling slightly awkward, Roland took the hand of his half-brother. They shook on it while nodding, he wasn’t sure what Robert was implying but he nodded his head as their hands parted.
Soon Roland and Bernir were left to their own devices. He would probably need to explain a few things to his assistant now but before he could speak up, Bernir was first.
“You don’t need to tell me, anything boss, I don’t care who you really are, you could be the reincarnation of Solaria for all I care!”
He laughed out loud while Roland just took down his helmet. With no Robert here anymore there was no real reason for him to go around in heavy armor.
Roland looked down at the red-bearded Bernir and nodded.
“Thank you, now let's fix this gate before it gets dark...”
“Aye, I’ll go get the nails.”
“Woof!”
“You want to get the nails Agni?”
Bernir laughed at the ruby wolf that started wagging his tail and the two made their way towards the shed. It seemed that it was finally over, in two days the nobles would be gone and he could finally continue with his life…
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