Chapter 471: Better Limb.

Chapter 471: Better Limb.

“My Lord.”

“... Enter.”

A man wearing a butler uniform stepped into the opulent office of Theodore Valerian. The room was adorned with rich, dark wood paneling and deep, crimson drapes that framed tall, narrow windows. The air was thick with the scent of aged books and polished leather. Theodore sat behind a grand mahogany desk, cluttered with various documents and arcane artifacts. The butler slowly approached the desk with measured steps, carrying a silver tray with a lone letter on it.

“Reginald, did you bring the report?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Reginald nodded respectfully and presented a sealed letter resting on the tray. The seal bore a dark crimson raven insignia. This seal was magical in nature and could only be opened when Theodore brought his ring, which had a matching bird, to it. Both magical artifacts began to flash, and the wax started to melt. Once the wax had dissolved, the noble quickly scanned through the letter, a frown adorning his face.

"Interesting..."

Theodore murmured, setting the letter down and tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the desk. He looked up at Reginald, who stood waiting with the disciplined patience of a seasoned retainer.

“What is that bastard planning, he is starting to become a thorn in my side...”

The man continued to tap his finger while contemplating the matter at hand. His brother had begun growing in power recently but it was not to the point of him becoming a valid threat. In Theodore’s opinion, even Ivan was still a much bigger threat than an upstart bastard with one city. However, it was best to tackle issues before they had time to fester and rot. He knew this truth but could not act hasty as he was not just going against a singular opponent.

“Reginald, what do we know about this so-called Knight Commander Wayland?”

The butler bowed slightly, his expression revealing nothing but a calm efficiency.

“I must apologize but not much is known about this man. We have done extensive background checks on this individual but no one by this name seemed to have existed.”

“A fake name then?”

“That is what we can assume, My Lord.”

Theodore's eyes narrowed as he considered the implications. A man with such expertise and unknown origins could become a threat, especially if he was aligned with one of his brothers.

"It’s possible that he is just a diversion... Could Julius be pulling the strings? or could he be someone else's man...”

The tapping on the desk continued to intensify as the noble contemplated the issue. The idea that Arthur was capable of handling such a competent retainer was far-fetched. It was more likely that one of his three other brothers was trying to divert his focus from other matters. The man called Wayland was probably hired to quickly raise Albrook up and force him to relegate manpower there. If this was true, then attempting to bribe the man would be pointless. Either they would need to kill him or avoid partaking in this game his other brothers were trying to play.

"Knight Commander Wayland appears to be highly skilled in magical combat. His skills and classes are unknown but we can assume that it's a profession involving runes and artifacts, something akin to a Rune Mage is most probable. However, we can’t discount him having a rare special class...”

Theodore leaned back and continued to listen to all the information about Knight Commander Wayland. He knew well about Rune Mages, and considering the increase in runic artifacts within Albrook, it made sense. However, they didn’t have enough information and the appearance of a strange magician in one of the border cities complicated things further.

“... Not enough.”

“My Lord?”

“There is just not enough information but we can’t keep ignoring this upstart... We will send the third raven unit, the first and second will continue with their tasks. I want to know what that brother of mine is doing and who is truly behind this.”

"My Lord, the third raven unit will be deployed immediately."

Reginald acknowledged with a bow. He turned on his heel, departing swiftly to relay Theodore's orders. The sound of the heavy wooden door closing behind him seemed to echo Theodore's thoughts. He leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the flickering candlelight that cast dancing shadows across the room. He couldn't afford to underestimate any potential threats but he also couldn’t let something like this distract him. This was cleary a rouse created by one of his other brothers and he couldn’t let himself fall into their trap. He would do the bare minimum to contain this problem but still focus on his true opponents.

*****

Back in Albrook, Roland was putting the final touches on Bernir's prosthetic arm. His workshop was buzzing with noise as there was a new addition to it. The finished prosthetic arm lay on a wooden workbench, gleaming under runic light hanging from the above ceiling. The arm had a silvery luster to it and the intricate runes were quite noticeable but focused mainly on the forearm portion.

“Is it getting hot in here, Boss?”

“Hmm, looks like it’s working smoothly. How does it feel?”

“This... is this really a fake arm?”

Bernir replied, stunned. He could see the plethora of glowing runes along with the intricate patterns over the forearm. Once the potion wore off and he regained the feeling of touch, the real shock set in. The replacement he had been given felt as if it belonged to his own body, much more so than the other runic arm he had previously used.

“This... it’s a bit tingly and faint but, I can feel it again. Boss, I can feel my fingers!”

“Congratulations, the use of the previous prosthesis must have attuned your spiritual mana to this one faster. If I’m not mistaken, you should eventually regain full sensation in the arm over time. Just take it easy for now, don’t try to overexert yourself. The integration process will continue for a while as your body gets used to the new limb. You will probably continue to feel this strange tingling sensation for a while but it should subside eventually, if it doesn’t we’ll have to perform some more tests.”

Bernir nodded enthusiastically, his eyes fixed on the marvel before him. He flexed the fingers again, marveling at the dexterity and responsiveness of the prosthetic arm.

“Thank you, Boss... This is beyond anything I expected.”

“Ahem...”

Just as Bernir was having a moment with Roland, someone interrupted them by clearing his throat behind them. Once they looked at Rastix that was there he raised his nose up, as if he was waiting for something.

“Aren’t you forgetting something...”

“Aye... Thank you Mr. Rastix, this wouldn’t have been possible without your help.”

“It surely wouldn’t!”

The gnome started chuckling, as if he were the main reason for the success, while Bernir nodded awkwardly. Roland, on the other hand, focused on the gathered data, listening to his tower spirit, Sebastian, who was communicating with him through his helmet. His AI was tasked with analyzing the data and, perhaps in the future, replicating this process without Roland's direct involvement.

Now that Roland’s understanding of runic technology had reached this level, it wouldn't be far-fetched for him to begin automating some of the processes he had been forced to perform manually. As long as Sebastian was given the data and a tool or golemic body to control, he would probably be able to recreate the same process. The tough part was still a way to recreate the runecrafting process that was locked behind skills but he had an idea to tackle it.

“Bernir, take the rest of the day off, cover your arm with this sleeve for now until we can make something better.”

Bernir was handed a long leather glove to cover the silvery prosthesis. He didn’t need to be seen walking around with it in the city. The glove wasn’t quite form-fitting and needed to be strapped on at the upper arm portion, but for now, it was fine. In the future, he planned on replacing it with something similar to the Silvergrace suit he used for his armor.

“Aye, boss and thank you again.”

“No need to thank me, once you’re done recovering you’ll have a lot more work to do...”

Roland removed his helmet, revealing a big grin. Bernir flinched at the sight, realizing that soon he would need to increase his productivity. Eventually, he and Rastix left, but the gnome continued to act smugly about the new invention. He didn't wish to ruin the man's mood now, but eventually, he would need to remind Rastix about the contents of their contract. The gnome probably wouldn't be this happy when he realized that the rights to the prosthesis and the adhesive all belonged to Roland.

“Finally that’s over, I just hope that there won’t be any complications. The process is simple enough so applying it to other people without my help is feasible... which leaves me with one last thing to decide on...”

Once he was alone in his workshop, Roland headed to his private research room. On a workbench to the side, there were numerous golemic arms, remnants of his initial tests and research. Some had been retrieved from goblins, while others had never made it onto a live subject. Then on the other side was a rather strange-looking contraption that he started approaching.

Two metallic arms dangled from the setup, connected to something that looked like a thick metallic ring. In the middle of the ring was a thick pole, to which the ring was connected by four metallic rods. These arms included both the upper arm and forearm areas, and they sprang to life as Roland approached.

Once the strange limb creation was activated, it started to mimic its creator's posture. When he raised one of his arms, the metallic arm moved up as well. If he turned around, the ring moved with his motions. After a moment, he sent a few punches flying forward, and the machine mirrored his movements at almost the same speed.

“What should I do with this technology... and how big can I make this?”

Not far from this apparatus with arms stood a recently repaired runic machine. It was the large harness golem with clawed hands that Bernir had used when the abyssal cultists appeared. This golem also began to mirror Roland’s movements and could even move forward in tandem with his steps.

“With something like this, even a farmer could start killing monsters...”

The golem was deactivated and soon he moved over to a schematic. There a few detailed drawings of runic armors and armaments were present. There was still a week left for him and perhaps there was some time to make some upgrades.