High above the forest, Roland, Robert, and Lucille continued their flight, the glider sailing smoothly through the cool night air. With the wind now at their backs, Roland began to relax slightly, though his mind never stopped calculating. He glanced over his shoulder at Robert and Lucille, who were being pulled along by the ladder attached to the glider. The two seemed to be more at ease now that they had gained distance from the estate but he couldn’t truly fathom what they were feeling
"How are you two holding up? We aren’t far from the city, if we get to the mage tower, we should be safe.”
Roland called out, his voice still intentionally more menacing than usual. He had finally had some time to process what he had done, but he still wasn’t sure if it was truly the right thing, even if it felt like it. Perhaps he could have waited a few months before launching the rescue mission, but maybe this was for the best. He couldn't be certain how Lucille and Robert would have fared if he had withheld his help. Letting them end up like Romeo and Juliet was a real possibility if they were separated for too long. But as things stood now, they wouldn’t be able to continue living as they had before - constantly in hiding, with the looming threat that their parents might find them and drag them back, a fate Roland had endured for many years.
“We’re fine but are we going to make it? The sun is about to rise, are you sure about the gate?”
“It should be fine...”
Robert asked but Roland wasn’t sure how to reply. He had flown out of the mage tower in the middle of the night. The old mage in the tower was nice enough to lend him a room to cool down but he wasn’t sure if he would just let them use the gate that easily. The mages must have been aware of his departure and word of Lucille’s abduction had probably reached them. While this world didn’t have cell phones, it did have crystal balls that could forward information fast. Roland had to assume that Graham’s forces had reached out here to ask for help. While he used a diversion tactic, each city had probably been alerted to what had transpired a few hours ago.
“What do you mean, ‘it should be fine’?”
“Well, the teleportation gate should have cooled down by now, so we can use it to get out of here.”
“That sounds promising,”
Robert replied in a relieved tone but was instantly shot down by Roland’s next words.
“But...”
“Ah, yes, I was afraid there would be a ‘but’ ”
Robert chuckled awkwardly. Lucille, meanwhile, remained quiet. The stress of the situation weighed heavily on her, and the exhaustion from sleepless nights was starting to show.
“Yeah, I wish this was over too, but we still need to keep up the facade and take control of the tower for a bit.”
Roland wished he could simply walk over to the kind old mage and ask him to activate the gate, but that would risk revealing his true identity. He’d managed to mask his mana pattern and had even prepared special runic bombs that spread anti-magical powder, which would help neutralize any nearby mages. The powder had an added effect - it dispersed surrounding mana, creating a temporary "dead mana zone." This would not only block mages from casting spells but also prevent detection spells from working, keeping his secret safe even if specialist mages tried to uncover the truth later.
“I see... but can you really take over an entire mage tower by yourself?”
“Well, I don’t need to take over the whole tower.,”
Roland replied to Robert's question.
“We just need to get into the teleportation gate chamber. From there, it should be fine... We’ll be there soon so get ready and try not to talk.”
Roland knew that if he tried to arrange a meeting or showed his non-goblin helmet, Graham could easily ask the mages to reveal his true identity, handing it to him on a silver platter. While the count could be certain it was Roland behind all of this, without concrete evidence, Roland could still deny it.
The glider sped toward the mage tower, its silhouette cutting through the first light of dawn. The sky was beginning to shift, hues of purple and orange creeping across the horizon, reminding Roland of how little time they had left. His mind raced, calculating every detail of their next move. Robert and Lucille clung to the ladder below, both still shielded by the mana barrier Lucille had conjured but it was beginning to waver.
“Hold on tight, we are almost safe.”
They arrived at the city gates just as dawn broke. The magic Roland had been using to conceal himself wouldn’t work as well in the daylight, but it didn’t matter anymore. It was time to end this journey into the kingdom and return home. From his spatial storage, he summoned replacement batteries, letting them float into the glider's compartment to swap out the old ones. He also drank a high-mana potion, restoring some of his energy for the final stretch.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Robert and Lucille huddled together while he worked on the gate. He could tell that the tower had been sealed now but also that they were getting visitors from the outside. The local guards and soldiers belonging to the De Vere estate were starting to swarm this place. He probably didn’t have more than five minutes before the arrived here and then maybe a minute before they broke through the crystalized wall he made.
Time was against them but he continued to work, his hand resided on the gate and the runes on it started to slowly hum into life. Their glow indicated that he was taking over their software and rigging it in such a way that he could fully control it.
Roland worked furiously on the teleportation gate, his fingers moving over the ancient runes, as he attempted to recalibrate their position. Without the tower spirit on his side, he needed to calculate everything by hand and connect with his tower back home. He would not be retreating into the institute but going directly back to Albrook. Once the connection was established he would let Sebastian keep the connection going from the other side but at the moment, he needed to do everything with his own head.
“I hear footsteps, they are coming, how much longer?”
Robert whispered, his voice barely audible over the clicking and clacking of the gate that had almost fully lit up with runes.
"Not long. Just keep an eye on the door.”
Roland responded while trying to keep it together. While the others couldn’t see it his face was looking pale. He was really struggling with wrestling control from the tower spirit but he was close to achieving his goal. Suddenly, just as some slams were heard from the door side, the gate finally sprung to life and soon the familiar blue light appeared in the middle.
“You did it!”
Suddenly, the first cracks appeared in the crystalized wall he had created. The soldiers were trying to break through, and the vibrations from their repeated strikes sent small tremors through the room.
"Go, now!"
Roland shouted, his eyes fixed on the gate as it pulsed with energy, stabilizing for the teleportation. Robert didn’t hesitate - he rushed forward pulling Lucille along. Once they were in front of the gate, both of them stopped to look at the man responsible for all of this and then promptly, jumped through it.
“We are in!”
“Who is that? What’s with that mask!”
“Stop this instant, you fiend!”
He ignored the shouts of soldiers and mages rushing toward him, his mind fully preoccupied with holding the gate steady. His mana reserves had already dropped below ten percent, leaving him with a splitting headache. Everything here had to be done through his own power, but somehow, he managed. Just as the crowd surged in, he decided to use the last of his bombs before quickly diving through the gate himself.
Those left behind cried out, shielding their faces and eyes. The one they had been trying to apprehend was gone, but this wasn’t their only problem. The once vibrant deep blue hue of the gate began turning an ominous red. The runes that lined its circular structure started sizzling and melting away. With a resounding tremor, the gate collapsed, sealing off any chance of pursuing the trio.
Chaos erupted within the mage tower as soldiers and mages scrambled to assess the damage. All that remained were the shattered remnants of the gate. Their target had vanished, and now they faced a crippled teleportation system, with no way to track where the hoodlums had fled.
On the other side of the teleportation gate, Roland tumbled forward, landing hard on the stone floor of his workshop in Albrook. His limbs ached from exhaustion, and his head throbbed with the strain of maintaining the connection. As he rolled over onto his back, panting heavily, he heard Robert and Lucille’s voices nearby.
“We made it...”
Robert whispered, still clutching Lucille tightly, his eyes wide as they adjusted to the dim surroundings of Roland’s hidden base. Lucille, barely able to stand, leaned heavily on him for support, her face pale, though a flicker of hope glimmered in her eyes. With a quick motion, Robert tossed the hobgoblin helmet aside, the metal clanging loudly against the hard, rocky ground.
Roland slowly sat up, wiping sweat from his brow. His body screamed for rest, but he couldn’t afford to collapse just yet - not before introducing his brother and sister-in-law to the others. He sensed someone rushing to greet him, accompanied by another figure too large to fit into the elevator that could bring them here. A smile crept across his face as he finally removed the mask and helmet he had been wearing. Three words escaped his lips, signaling the end of this long journey.
“I am home.”
“...”
However, while resting, something began to bother him. He grabbed his helmet once more and placed it over his head. Bringing up his mapping device to check, he noticed something was off. The dot descending in the elevator clearly belonged to his wife, Elodia, and everyone he expected to be there was accounted for. But for some reason, someone who was supposed to have arrived before him was missing. Something was wrong.