Chapter 452: Having a Talk Part 2<blockquote></blockquote>


    “Something like that happened? It''s astonishing how something so trivial could escte to this point…”


    “Yes… I think that was the main reason…”


    Rnd had continued his talk with his sister for quite some time. As Rnd and Lucienne delved into their discussion, the atmosphere in the room became more rxed. He found himself opening up more than he initially had nned and shared some details about his life in Albrook. Lucienne, in turn, shared stories of her own adventures at the Institute and the challenges she faced as a budding mage. There they arrived at one faithful day where her luck was turned around and a royal was to me.


    “So to summarize, a prince that Vi might have fancied had offered you a rose…”


    “Yes, I think that was probably the reason… It all happened after that…”


    Lucienne recounted quite the tale about what she believed to be the source of Vi''s fury. It transpired about a year ago during a visit to the Institute by a member of the royal family. On this asion, both a graduation and inauguration ceremony for mages was taking ce. This "prince" was just one of numerous offspring of the current king, akin to Rnd''s father, who had sired many children. It seemed that if nobles excelled at anything, it was producing numerous heirs and then allowing them to engage in a senseless power struggle.


    These annual ceremonies were a mandatory event for all students, with asional invitations extended to important individuals. This time, it was the prince''s turn to attend. Rnd presumed he was scouting for talented mages but was unaware of the prince''s ss. Such details were often concealed, as in a society built on the notion of being born special, having a lower-tier ss would be scandalous. It could result in losing support and potentially burying the royal member by their siblings.


    It was in the best interest of each prince to solidify their standing within the kingdom. They achieved this by assembling their own elite forces and pitting them against their siblings. It was a situation that Rnd also found himself in as he was one of these elites hired by Arthur.


    Lucienne was a bit vague about it but eventually, a party was held and people started to mingle. The prince was obviously the center of attention and all the noble-born mages swarmed around him, with Vi being one of the main yers in this social game. It seemed that she was interested in this young man who was two years her senior and was probably trying to get his attention.


    Lucienne, on the other hand, was hesitant to approach the royal guest, feeling out of ce among the high-born attendees. Going by her words it was not her that initiated the encounter by the prince himself. Rnd was not sure what this young man was trying to pull but he approached his sister with some sweet words that she couldn’t recall too well as the whole thing left her stunned.


    “He was quite charming, I must admit,”


    Lucienne reminisced with a faint blush tinting her cheeks.


    “He approached me and offered me a rose andplimented the dress I was wearing. It was something my mother told me to wear, she said it would attract the male gaze or something simr and it certainly did but…”


    Her mood quickly changed after she recalled something that happened.


    “I still remember that look, her eyes looked so vicious…”


    Rnd could only imagine how proud Vi was feeling when the prince she desired, ignored her and went up to anotherdy. This act was probably exacerbated by the fact that it was Lucienne, someone from the Arden estate who was once only a lowly Knight family under the Casteline banner.


    ‘What was that stupid prince thinking, was he just dumb or did he do it on purpose?’


    He was not there during the party so it would be hard to judge this incident. The young man, being only sixteen at the time, might have been unaware of the implications of his actions. However, anyone else would have recognized that his action toward a woman of lower birth would be deemed offensive by the other high-ssdies present. In noble circles, prestige was akin to currency, so witnessing a member of the royal family favoring a woman of supposedly lesser status would have been an insult.


    To Rnd, the situation was quite stupid but this was the reality of this world. If the prince had genuinely harbored feelings for her, perhaps the situation would have been different. However, he didn''t take any actions to indicate such interest. Lucienne was left with nothing more than sweet words and a rose, and soon after, the bullying began.


    “That’s quite the story, I would like to have a ‘talk’ with that prince.”


    To ease the tension Rnd cracked his knuckles slightly to insinuate that this prince would note out unscathed from the talk he would have with him. This made Lucienne smile as she appreciated her brother''s instincts to protect her.


    “You better not, you’d be imprisoned, and probably our entire family would be in trouble.”


    If he punched a member of the royal family, it wouldn’t be strange if he was sentenced to death and his whole family potentially along with him. There were strictws that even higher nobles had to adhere to, and opposing the royal family was deemed treasonous. Only individuals like a duke, with significant amounts of military power, would dare to take such action, and even then, it would likely result in severe consequences.


    “It was only a joke, don’t take it too seriously… Now, let me ask you, have you told this to anyone? Your mother, Robert, or anyone from the family?”


    He leaned closer and could tell that Lucienne’s eyes darted to the side. This bullying had been going on for quite a while. Despite their status as a Baron family, they had a powerful patriarch in Wentworth Arden. He had earned the moniker of Silver Wolf and was a war hero. His level remained unknown to Rnd, but he believed him to be at least a double tier 3 ss holder, or possibly even a tier 4 ss holder by now. Wentworth had also probably managed to gather some strong allies during his tenure, like the High-Inquisitor that Rnd had met before.


    “I… I haven’t told anyone. Mother is always busy with her affairs, and I didn’t want to bother her with something like this. And as for Robert… well, we haven’t had the chance to talk muchtely.”


    “I thought as much…”


    “I’m sorry…”


    It was a peculiar feeling to encounter someone who behaved simrly to himself. Rnd knew that it was probably best to call for help in a situation, yet he couldn''t help but empathize with the reluctance. However, despite their simr demeanor, their motivations differed. Rnd''s reluctance to trust and rely on others stemmed from a desire to handle things independently, whereas his sister''s reservation to seek help was fueled by a reluctance to burden anyone and a tendency to internalize her struggles.


    “Take it from me, sometimes it''s better to ask for some help, you can’t handle everything on your own. Especially when ites to matters like this, it''s important to have someone you can confide in and rely on. It took me a while to realize this and I’m probably still bad at asking for help… but I’m working on it.”


    Rnd finished his sentence with a soft smile. Lucienne returned the smile, appreciating her brother’s words of wisdom. She knew that he was right and probably her father, who could be moved by her mother, could potentially have ended the bullying in some kind of way.


    “I’ll keep that in mind, but… what about you? Shouldn’t youe back home and exin everything to our father?”


    “... Like I said… I’m working on it…”


    Lucienne’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized his hypocrisy of lecturing her over something but not willing to act on his own advice.


    “You’re just as thick-headed as Robert!”


    Soon after she responded with a chuckle and everything seemed fine. It was clear that the Arden family was a dysfunctional bunch that didn’t know how to cooperate with each other too well and he was part of it.


    “Perhaps you’re right, but for now, I have other matters to attend to. I promise I’ll figure things out with Father… eventually.”


    Things were a little moreplicated when it came to him. He was now part of the Valerian knights which couldplicate things. Albrook was his new base of operations and he had already left his old life behind. There was no real reason for him and his father to interact at this point, the only reason he was even humoring the possibility was due to Robert and Lucienne.


    As Rnd and Lucienne continued their conversation, the air between them grew lighter. It was almost like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders as they shared their experiences and concerns with each other. Rnd found himself feeling a sense of relief and was sure that he had made the right decision in having this talk with his sister. Now he could safely leave this ce and have her full cooperation in finding Robert as well.


    This sister of his was someone that he didn’t know but he hoped that perhaps, their rtionship could grow from this point. Despite more than twelve years having passed since theirst meeting, he found sce in the fact that Lucienne hadn''t turned out like Vi. However, now the conversation wasing to an end and it was time to move on.


    “Lucienne, if you need anything, be sure to use that bracelet or contact Professor Arion, you can trust him. Also, it would be good if you informed your mother about Vi, even if I wanted to, I can’t protect you forever…”


    “I understand…”


    She nodded as she understood that she could not keep solely relying on her brother. Rnd had told her to leave his true identity out of the picture now as it was better if the other side didn’t know about his involvement in the demise of the trio of knights known as Cerberus.


    “I''ll be leaving now, Lucienne. But remember, you''re not alone. If you ever need anything, don''t hesitate to reach out to me.”


    “I will, Rnd and Thank you… for everything.”


    To his surprise, as Rnd rose from his seat, he was enveloped in a hug by his sister, who wrapped her arms around his waist. It was undeniably a genuine disy of affection and a proper hug. Rnd, unustomed to such demonstrations of warmth, felt unsure of how to respond, a fact that Lucienne quickly picked up on.


    “Brother Rnd… what are you doing?”


    “I uh?”


    “You’re supposed to hug your long-lost sister back…”


    Rnd wanted to chuckle at Lucienne’s teasing tone but just as he was asked, he returned her embrace but with a pat instead.


    “Hey, I’m not a puppy!”


    “Really? You certainly look like one from up here.”


    “Hey, I’m not short!”


    After this bit of yful banter, both of them parted from their familiar embrace. Their previously lost bond had been finally rekindled. Soon the two were walking side by side towards the exit.


    “I can’t wait to tell brother Robert, I wonder what he will say… but I still won’t forgive him for lying to me…”


    As Rnd secured his helmet back in ce, he nced in Lucienne''s direction. There was a peculiar glint in her eyes, and she seemed to be clenching her fist as if she were itching to punch someone again. From the stories he''d heard from Robert, it was apparent that she had been quite the troublemaker beforeing to the institute. It appeared that her old personality was beginning to resurface, and Rnd couldn''t shake the feeling that he had something to do with it.


    “Go easy on him, it was me that forced him to keep it from everyone.”


    “Don’t worry, he’ll survive…”


    Rnd nodded, and eventually, the two emerged from his newly acquired hidden office. He had received it from the Headmistress but made some adjustments to keep a degree of privacy. Since arriving at the institute, he had delved into extensive research on concealment and spell disruption mechanisms to safeguard his identity from prying eyes. After utilizing certain runes designed to counter nt-based spells, he ensured that any conversations held within his office remained private.


    “I see that your friends are waiting for you, better not to keep them waiting.”


    “They are? I don’t see them?”


    “All of them are behind thatrge tree.”


    He didn’t point at it directly but only indicated it with his head. Lucienne followed her brother''s gaze and indeed, there was arge, ancient tree standing just a short distance away from them. She squinted her eyes, trying to discern any movement or figures hidden behind its thick foliage. After a moment, she spotted a flicker of movement that looked like a tail belonging to her friend Atasuna. It seemed that she along with her two other friends were waiting patiently for her.


    “Ah… they really are hiding there! I’ll be seeing you then, Professor Wand!”


    The two finally parted ways and it was time to leave. Now his conscience was rather clear and with the help of the bracelet and some systems that he had left behind in the Institute, he could keep an eye on Lucienne from a safe distance. He watched as his sister rejoined her small group of friends who instantly started throwing questions in her direction. She had promised to keep his identity hidden from everyone, including her friends, so he trusted that she would keep her word.


    ‘I guess that’s it with that… maybe I should have done this sooner.’


    His pace hastened as he headed back towards the mage tower of mes. Upon reaching the elevator tform, he swiftly proceeded to his next destination, which was the chamber housing a dimensional gate. There he would find the magical device that would allow him to reach his home in a matter of moments. However, he knew the trip wouldn''t be straightforward, as there were no nearby Mage Towers equipped with receiver gates.


    The chamber was a circr room with high ceilings adorned with runic symbols that glowed softly in the ambient light. In the center stood the teleportation gate, a massive circr structure surrounded byyers uponyers of runes. It was something that he had extensively done research for as he would need to supply it with a massive amount of his mana whileing out on the other end.


    Most teleportation gates in this world worked bypacting space around them, it wasn’t true teleportation but instead a maniption of spatial dimensions. However, there existed magic that could perform this feat but was not something a tier 3 ss holder could hope to produce.


    “Are you that fool?”


    “Yes, I’m probably that fool.”


    “... Are you sure about this? If something goes wrong you’ll either pop like a tomato or could end up in the middle of the ocean…”


    “I’m aware of that…”


    Once he was before the gate, the man responsible for it stepped forward. He was an old man, much older looking than any other mage he hade across. His long, flowing robes flowed around him as he approached, his face weathered with age but his eyes sharp with wisdom. He had probably heard about the new Deputy Professor and his insane attempt at going through a teleportation gate without one on the other end.


    Just like the name stated, the gates were usually linked with each other. They locked onto a predetermined trajectory, which the dimensional spell then followed. Without a fixed destination to lock onto, traversing through spatial space was somewhat dangerous. While theoretically possible for a skilled mage to form a course once inside, it was a gamble that most weren’t ready to take.


    “Well, it’s your funeral, I hope the Headmistress picks a better Deputy Professor next time.”“I won’t die… Just unlock it.”


    “Hmph.”


    The man grumbled under his nose while Rnd got ready for the jump. Rnd was one of the few mages proficient in runic magic capable of executing this transition. Together with Arion, they had devised a device to facilitate his transportation. The jump wouldnd him close to Albrook, high in the sky, from where his journey would continue.


    With a deep breath, Rnd focused his mana, channeling it into the runes etched on the surface of the gate. The magical energy surged through him, pulsating with power as he prepared to activate the teleportation spell. The mage tower backed the gate, so he didn’t need to use up much energy and soon the runic gate was shimmering with brilliant light.


    “Hm… maybe the Headmistress wasn’t wrong…”


    The old manmented from the side as he watched Rnd activate the gate without the need for the side console. He usually used this device to connect two gates, but the new Deputy could do it by hand. The air crackled with energy as the spatial distortion began to form within the circr structure of the gate. It was a mesmerizing sight that looked like a swirling vortex of liquid light.


    Without hesitation, Rnd stepped forward, bracing himself for the intense sensation of discement that would apany the jump. As he passed through the threshold of the gate, he felt a sensation akin to being pulled in all directions at once. It was disorienting, like being caught in a whirlwind and suddenly, he was gone.


    “I wonder if he made it…”


    The man was left alone in the dimensional gate chamber and quickly returned to duties. The fate of the man that just stepped through was not his concern. However, if he did make it through in one piece, it would be a nice conversation starter among the mage circles he frequented.