Chapter 487 – Unexpected Resistance.

“Robert, are you awake? Quickly, lie down! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Mother, I’m fine…”

“No, you certainly are not! I’ve seen all those wounds! If it weren’t for the good sir from the Institute, you could have been dead by now! Did you even thank him? Quick, lower your head, you foolish child!”

“Uh… It’s fine, madam. I’ll excuse myself…”

Roland stood there in front of his stepmother, concealing his true identity from her. To her, he was just a representative from Xandar’s Institute of Wizardry. She still believed he was only there because of Lucienne, who had gained the rare Clairvoyant class. After spending the night discussing potential issues that could arise during the trial, he was ready to leave. However, when the woman awoke from his spell and found Robert awake as well, she began to panic.

“Nonsense, my good man! We of the Arden house show gratitude, and you have done more for us than we could ever repay. You’ve saved my son, and that is something I will never forget. The least my son can do is show his respect.”

For Roland, who had endured five years of this woman’s jealous schemes, the whole scene felt surreal. She had pitted Robert against him at every opportunity, and now she was forcing Robert to bow before the man she despised. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it and wondered how she would react if he revealed his true identity to her. The scene was quite ironic to him but he did not wish to reveal himself even now, it was better to keep up the act of the concerned professor who was just here to protect Lucienne.

“Madam Arden, I assure you, it’s not necessary. Your son needs his rest, and there’s no need for such formalities. What matters is that he recovers fully and gets ready for the coming hearing.”

Still groggy and trying to wrap his head around the situation, Robert looked between his mother and Roland’s armored figure. The entire situation felt bizarre, but he felt grateful to his estranged brother. It was strange to see his mother grovel in such a way and eventually, he decided to go along with it. His head was lowered and a heartfelt thanks was given.

Roland stood silently, watching as Robert awkwardly lowered his head, mumbling words of gratitude that seemed foreign to both of them. For a moment, he wondered if this charade would be worth the trouble. His stepmother, oblivious to the true identity of her son’s savior, seemed satisfied with Robert’s display of humility. She gave a small, relieved smile and nodded approvingly.

“That’s better, you must always show respect to those who help you, Robert. Remember that.”

“Yes, Mother…”

Robert was still somewhat dazed from the emotional rollercoaster and physical torment he had endured. His eyes flickered to Roland, trying to convey a silent message of gratitude. Roland caught the look and gave a gentle nod, acknowledging the unspoken thanks. He understood that time was short, but they would need to continue playing within the confines of this noble charade.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,”

Roland replied, his voice somewhat firm and hidden behind a voice-altering enchantment.

“I must make preparations for the trial. Sir Robert, you should rest. There’s a difficult road ahead, and you’ll need all your strength.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you… sir… Deputy Professor…”

Robert stumbled over the formal address, the word ‘sir’ feeling strange on his tongue when directed at his younger brother. But at this point, he had already made peace that his brother Roland had surpassed him and probably all their other siblings. He was already a tier 3 class holder that could even overpower Knight Commanders who trained their whole life. If there was someone that could save him from this fate, then it was him.

As Roland turned to leave he took a moment to look at his sister Lucienne. She was standing behind her mother and not speaking. Without any indication for it, a spell effect was activated that created an invisible bubble around his head. A little tunnel formed from this bubble and connected with the area around Lucienne before he started speaking.

“I’ll go check on your friends; they’re staying at a nearby inn and should be safe. Don’t worry, your mother can’t hear us, but cover your mouth while speaking.”

It was a simple modification of the sound-canceling spell, reduced to cover only their heads. A mana concealment spell was also woven in, ensuring that even the most powerful mages wouldn’t detect it. The sound waves would bounce around within the sealed-off area, allowing them to communicate without anyone else hearing a thing. Lucienne nodded slightly, the spell was something she had never seen before but they had previously discussed it.

“Be careful, you never know what that count could do and tell everyone not to worry!”

“I know, don’t worry, they won’t dare attack someone from the Institute. As we discussed, I’ll try to get them to go back.”

“Mmm… Margaret might not want to…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll convince her, one way or the other, she’ll go back to the institute…”

Roland intended to use this time to escort the three girls and the maid back to the mage tower. From there, they could return to the institute. The round trip would likely take no more than a day, giving him ample time to handle this before the trial, which was exactly three days away. Now, he just needed to get the group out of here, even if it meant doing so by force.

‘Now then…’

His sister looked to be sad at the fact that her friends had to go but for Roland this was the better option. If the trial failed, having the three girls here would only complicate things. Eventually, the door shut behind him and he was instantly greeted by two armored men. They weren’t his match but it was clear that no one would let him go around this whole place. Mages had appeared and created multiple barriers already which luckily his new and improved mapping system was able to go against.

‘They clearly don’t trust me… That Leopold is also near and they also got more Knight Commanders to guard this tower…’

It was clear that escaping this place wouldn’t be easy. If Robert lost the trial, it might be wiser to free him on another occasion when the number of guards had decreased. Typically, prisoners were transported elsewhere after the trial was over. The problem was that these lands belonged to the Count, who had the authority to decide everything, including ordering an immediate execution or incarceration once the trial was concluded.

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‘I should go get this over with…’

Roland looked at the guards without nodding and moved forward. The two parted and after he vanished down the stairs, they followed closely after. Once he was outside, the heavy doors closed behind him with a resounding thud. The air outside was cool, a slight breeze rustling the leaves of the nearby trees. There were many more guards there not then when he arrived.

‘They must have called for reinforcements from outside, perhaps more will arrive later…’

It seemed that the Count would not make this easy. In three days this whole city would probably turn into one huge impenetrable fortress. The mages were assembling arrays and preparing siege magic. Even if he tried to use his newly created runic glider, escaping through the air would be difficult.

He made his way through the courtyard, the stone path crunching beneath his boots. The estate was sprawling, a testament to the wealth and power of House De Vere. Everyone he saw was on edge, their hands clutching their weapons and ready to attack. Grand Commander Leopold was there with him, his gaze following his movements as he approached the gate outside.

There was a whole platoon of soldiers at the gate. More than half were wearing heavy armor similar to his Rune Mark I suit and behind them stood a row of archers with a mage in the middle. As he stopped, the Grand Commander made his way in his direction.

“Deputy Professor,”

Leopold greeted but his tone was cold.