Chapter 513 – An Oath.

“It hasn’t been that long, I wonder if Lucienne arrived safely back home… but I guess it’s not home anymore.”

“It’s going to be fine, she knows about me, so not like she won’t be able to visit.”

“I suppose, that’s true…”

Robert replied to Roland while Lucille patted him on the back. Both were dressed in plain, commoner clothes – nothing too fancy to match their new personas. Durendal was posing as a knight from a foreign country whose family had fallen from grace, a fate not unheard of. Curtana, on the other hand, was simply an adventurer mage who had arrived from within the kingdom. Their identities had been forged, but in a world where nobles were always right, there was little chance anyone would bother with a double-check.

The two stood before a dark screen hastily prepared out of curtains. In front of them stood a strange device of a tripod that produced a beam of light. Roland was operating it but it seemed that the trio was done with whatever they were doing here. He stepped back, his hands pulling out a small rune-covered square from within the device on a tripod.

“I never knew that you could use that spell in such a way, there are so many things left to learn!”

“I’m glad that you are enjoying yourself…”

Lucille was captivated by the entire workshop, especially the modified runes, which were highly unorthodox. She had only recently become a Runic Mage. Despite spending years under Arion’s tutelage, she’d never had the opportunity to fully study the art of runes and the intricate operating systems that Rune Mages specialized in. Roland worried that his unconventional approach might complicate her progress later, but perhaps he was overthinking it. She was a bundle of joy whenever she was around runes, and it probably helped take her mind off her issues with her familiar.

“But I’m afraid we are short on time, I need to take care of an issue at the institute…”

“It’s about your assistant? Are you sure it’s wise to leave?”

Robert asked as Roland fiddled with the small runic cube, his mind preoccupied. He had just told his brother about the Headmistress and how she was preventing Bernir from teleporting back. To Robert, it all seemed like a trap, a setup meant to keep him from ever returning. Yet, for some reason, Roland wasn’t convinced. There were many ways the Headmistress could have come after him, and this one felt surprisingly mild. If she wanted him dead, she could easily have declared him the perpetrator of the incident and exposed his hiding place in Albrook. By now, he assumed she knew the location of his teleportation gate, yet, for whatever reason, she had not mentioned it to anyone.

“It should be fine. I don’t think she’ll do anything rash.”

He replied though he was holding back some of his concerns. While the Headmistress seemed relatively calm, Roland knew that didn’t mean he’d get off without consequences. It was possible she’d require some form of trade. Perhaps she would demand some of his secrets or request that he craft runic devices for the institute – work that could take months or even years. After all, he’d already helped them set up a monitoring system, and she might just ask him to stay on much longer.

“So don’t worry about it. Once I’m finished at the Institute, I’ll make sure to reach out.”

As Roland wrapped up his preparations, Robert took a deep breath and faced his younger brother.

He began, his tone more serious than before.

“Before you leave, I’d like to perform a vow as a knight… a proper one. If I am to take on a squire and work in your stead, I want to do it right.”

Roland paused, watching the resolve in his brother’s gaze, wondering where this sudden idea had come from. Vows performed by those with the Knight class were more than words; they were binding oaths with genuine power and influence, often shaping a knight’s future. If Robert took this vow now, it could tie his path to Roland’s and potentially prevent him from ever becoming a knight under a true lord.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Really? Is it any worse than coming here? It’s not like anyone else would want me as their knight after all that’s happened. And while Lord Arthur seems like a great man, I barely know him. With this oath, I’ll be able to find you if anything happens to you in the future. So don’t refuse it.”

“What kind of oath are you thinking about?”

Roland asked, wary of the answer but also intrigued by the idea to some degree.

“One of vassalage.”

“I see…”

Roland fell silent, considering his brother’s words. They both came from a noble family that had served as knights in the past, so they knew well the intricacies of vows, oaths, and pledges. Each type of oath had its own effects, some even providing passive benefits, like the ability to sense a lord’s location in times of need. This seemed to be what Robert was seeking, as the Vassal Oath offered such a connection.

In taking this oath, however, Robert would become bound to Roland as a vassal. Should he ever defy a direct order, the vow would break, marking him with the dreaded “oathbreaker” status debuff, a powerful affliction that would last a year, reducing all his stats by a third. Yet, a Vassal Oath could also grant a random enhancement, depending on the strength of the lord to whom the vow was made. Roland wondered what kind of boon his brother might gain.

“The Vassal Oath… Well, once you reach tier 3, it’ll be canceled automatically if you switch to a new primary class, so it should be fine…”

The world’s system was strict, yet in this case, it offered an escape: any oath would dissolve upon reaching a new class tier, allowing a knight a fresh start. Robert was only a tier-2 class holder and was on track to reach tier 3 soon with Roland’s guidance. This realization eased Roland’s concerns somewhat, and he also grew curious about what advantages the pledge might bring. After a moment’s hesitation, he gave a slow nod, deciding that for now, this might not be such a bad idea.

“Fine, let’s just get it over with but promise me, that once you are tier 3, you’ll think twice before doing something like this?”

“Don’t worry, I thought it through.”

Roland wasn’t sure where all this confidence was coming from, but it seemed his brother now fully trusted him with his life. Roland had rescued both him and Lucille, helping them build a new life – and apparently, that had been enough to earn this deep trust. When Roland finally agreed, Robert’s face lit up, his eyes gleaming with relief. For him, this choice was significant but for Roland it was not much of a risk. There were no downsides of accepting the oath so he was now ready to go through it.

“Let’s just get this over with then…”

What was left to do was perform the traditional pledge and to do that, Robert needed to perform a specific series of words that came from his heart, similar to a mage’s chant.

“I Robert Arden, son of Wentworth, by the code of our forebears. I offer to you this oath of vassalage. Through it, I pledge my undying loyalty and service to you, Roland Arden, my kin and now my liege. May my strength be yours, my blade serve your cause, and my life be yours to command. In times of peace or peril, I shall stand as your shield and follow your word as law. This I swear, by my honor as a knight and as your brother.”

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It was quite a lengthy process but as the words left Robert’s mouth, a faint shimmering light surrounded him, pulsing with a soft, ethereal glow. It settled over him like a mantle, then faded into his body, leaving only the subtle sense of a bond – an invisible tether that tied him to Roland. Roland felt a strange surge of warmth as the oath solidified, like a steady presence now pulsing in the back of his mind, as though he could sense his brother’s spirit nearby.

A prompt from the system appeared, giving Roland the option to decline. Instead, he just nodded and accepted, then watched as the process completed seamlessly. In his status screen, a new section labeled “Vassals” appeared, with Robert listed as his first one.

‘Reminds me of the tier-3 ascension scenario’

During his last ascension ritual, he had been granted the position of a lord, taking pledges from puppet knights and lesser lords as he conquered them. This felt remarkably similar, though the bond he now sensed with Robert felt even stronger, more authentic.

“Well then, it’s done. You’re now officially bound as my vassal. Did you get any interesting skills from it?”

“Hmm, give me a moment.”

Robert replied, standing up from his kneeling position and skimming through his own status screen. He nodded a few times as he read through it, but his expression shifted to one of mild confusion.

“That’s… not something I expected,”

He murmured, clearly taken aback. As a seasoned knight, Robert knew his way around the different oaths, so if he was surprised, it likely meant he’d received something rare. While it was possible to gain abilities from one’s lord through an oath, this was unusual and often lucky.