Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

CH732 Duke Cyrindale... Aristocrat or Father? II

***

"One Rune Tattoo cannot give him that. Certainly not the kind of weakened tattoo I gave Azgrug—the chief of Camp Red Rock’s copper-skinned orcs.

"Unless I could somehow offer him something capable of strengthening his conceptual power and pushing him closer towards the Legendary Rank, I doubt there is anything related to personal combat strength that I can currently provide which would truly balance out the favour he would be doing for me," Alex admitted.

"The only options remaining would be to either strengthen his political influence... or increase the military strength of his territory," he added thoughtfully.

"We are currently in need of the latter ourselves, so even if we possessed such resources, we could not realistically spare them for him," Udara analysed calmly. "And as for the former... we are literally here seeking assistance from his political influence. Which means we have nothing meaningful to offer on that front either—or at least, nothing we are currently aware of."

"Exactly," Alex nodded in agreement.

Udara gradually began to understand the root of his dilemma.

"Aren’t you perhaps overthinking this a little?" she asked after a moment. "Since Saul is the one making the request on our behalf, would that not mean Saul becomes the one indebted to the Duke, while we simply owe Saul in return?"

"That is not how things work—at least not at this level," Alex shook his head.

"We are asking the Duke to help us obtain noble status within the Empire. For an ordinary citizen of the Celahan Empire, that would already be a significant matter. But we are foreigners, and the Duke undoubtedly knows that already."

Alex’s tone grew more serious.

"This situation extends far beyond merely granting Saul a favour. The Duke would need to shield us from the negative implications tied to our foreign origins and simultaneously push for our acceptance into the aristocracy.

"Handling either issue individually might not be too difficult for someone of his standing. But accomplishing both together? The political influence and social capital required would not merely double—it would compound exponentially.

"I seriously doubt whatever favour Saul is owed could possibly compare to the amount of political leverage the Duke would need to expend to make both happen simultaneously."

"Wasn’t retrieving House Skywalker’s Seal supposed to solve part of that problem?" Udara asked. "By obtaining the Seal, we effectively gain a legitimate Celahan identity capable of offsetting much of the backlash tied to us being foreigners, right?"

"Not exactly," Alex shook his head. "This is one of those things deeply rooted within noble society itself. How do I explain it..."

He paused for a moment to organise his thoughts before continuing.

"You know how nobles tend to look down upon fallen noble Houses, right?" he asked.

"Yes," Udara nodded.

"This situation is somewhat similar," Alex explained. "Even though we now possess the identity of a prestigious House such as House Skywalker, the reality is that the House has effectively vanished from history for over a century.

"Yes, the House’s legacy and reputation are impressive. But that alone will not stop the current aristocracy from viewing us similarly to fallen nobles after such a long absence. Especially not with the Wildlands’ reputation attached to our names as additional baggage."

Alex leaned back slightly onto the bed before continuing.

"To many members of the current nobility, we will likely appear as descendants of a once-great House that failed to survive within civilised society and ultimately degraded themselves by rolling around in the mud alongside savages out in the Wildlands.

"In their eyes, that would make us little different from savages ourselves."

Udara nodded solemnly as she gradually understood the deeper layer of Alex’s concerns.

"If all else fails, do we not still possess our final card?" she asked carefully. "The heir who inherited the legacy of the Twilight Adjudicators?"

Alex frowned immediately.

"That is not a card I wish to reveal casually," he replied seriously. "It is far more volatile than you think."

Udara tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Seeing this, Alex elaborated further.

"Remember, we are not dealing with a simple father here, nor merely an ordinary noble. We are dealing with a high-ranking member of the Imperial aristocracy. At this level, nearly every decision is weighed against benefits, losses, and long-term consequences."

Alex’s expression remained calm, but his tone grew colder.

"From Saul’s descriptions, this heir is not the Duke’s only child. In a situation where alternatives exist—especially potentially superior alternatives—it simply becomes difficult to justify expending the enormous political and social capital required to support outsiders like us... merely for the sake of a replaceable child."

He paused briefly before adding quietly,

"It is cold, but that is the reality of aristocratic society."

"But there is still a strong possibility that Duke Cyrindale is a good father before he is an aristocrat," Udara argued. "Did he not choose to protect his child even when the Archbishop pushed for war? He was even willing to sacrifice a High Priest in order to protect that child.

"Wouldn’t... shouldn’t our request carry greater weight because we are not only saving that child, but are also connected to the very same High Priest who was sacrificed?"

Alex shook his head slowly.

"That situation was not nearly as simple as it appeared," he replied. "I doubt the Duke’s decision was driven primarily by fatherhood. More likely, he acted for the sake of his House’s interests first."

Alex’s gaze turned distant as he analysed the matter.

"Handing over his child to a foreign nation would have been a direct humiliation towards both the Duke himself and House Cyrindale as a whole.

"It would severely damage the prestige and authority of his House. After all, who would willingly fight for a man—or a House—that cannot even protect its own heir? And that is merely one of the many consequences that could follow."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Protecting the child was therefore a necessity—even if it required the ’voluntary’ sacrifice of a High Priest to prevent the situation from escalating into open conflict, or even war.

"The Duke being a father was most likely only a secondary motivation behind the decision."

Udara frowned slightly as she processed the implications hidden within Alex’s words, gradually beginning to understand the logic behind his thought process.

At the same time, she also gained a deeper understanding of the aristocracy itself—and how fundamentally different nobles were from ordinary citizens and commoners in the way they viewed the world and made decisions.

The conversation even caused her to subconsciously reflect upon aspects of her own past and the circumstances that had shaped her life.

Even so, Udara was also keenly aware that this perspective stemmed largely from Alex’s inherently pessimistic view of human nature. Reality itself might not necessarily be as cold or cynical as he believed.

Still, she understood that this was the kind of mindset she herself needed to learn how to consider if she truly intended to become the capable hand operating within the shadows for his sake.

As expected, arranging a meeting with a Duke was far from simple.

It was only two days later that Saul finally returned with news that Duke Cyrindale had agreed to receive them the following morning.

***