Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 512: Guardian Family

CH512 Guardian Family

***

Alex and Kron took a moment to ruminate over what Baron Belloc had told them.

For Alex, who possessed deeper insight into the nature of Navi, a possible narrative slotted neatly into place in his mind.

But he kept this to himself.

There was, however, something else he wanted to ask, yet couldn’t bring himself to.

It wasn’t his place to do so.

Fortunately, there was someone else present who both had the right to ask the question... and was perceptive enough to do so.

"How do you know all of this, Father?" Kron Belloc asked.

Baron Belloc gave his son a melancholic smile.

"Because it was passed down along with our duty by our ancestors," the Baron replied.

Kron remained silent as his father gathered the resolve to continue speaking— especially in the presence of an outsider.

Fortunately, since Alex was not of their plane, Baron Belloc saw no reason to shut him out now that he had already revealed so much.

"Back when the combat warriors —led by the deities they now serve— began persecuting the sorcerers, who had no effective means to fight back, some of the more powerful sorcerer organisations activated their ultimate failsafe.

"Massive portals were opened. Entire territories were transferred into sealed spaces beyond the reach of the combat warriors and their deities.

"The hope was to buy time. Time to regrow their strength. Time to prepare for a counter-attack."

The Baron paused before continuing.

"But before they left... some individuals chose to remain behind.

"These individuals would send information back to the safe havens while acting as future gathering stations for the eventual sorcerer reprisal."

He looked directly at Kron.

"The progenitor of House Belloc was one such individual."

A heavy silence filled the room.

"And this," Baron Belloc continued solemnly, "is the secret every Head of House Belloc carries."

"Our duty... is to ensure that the true history is not lost beneath the lies of the combat warriors and their deities."

He sighed.

"Or at least... that is what it was supposed to be. A righteous sacrifice for the greater good."

His gaze grew distant and unfocused.

"What is it, Father?" Kron urged gently. "You’ve already revealed so much. You might as well tell us everything."

"Our ancestors and forebears believed they were doing the world a great service when they agreed to remain behind — to act as an ’important’ piece in the future war of the sorcerers against the false deities..." The Baron chuckled mirthlessly. "Well, they were a piece, alright... pawns."

Baron Belloc’s gaze sharpened as he turned to his son.

"Our forebears thought they were doing vital work. In reality, the sorcerers hidden away in their safe havens regarded them... regarded us, and other families like ours, as nothing more than attendants toiling for their eventual needs in these so-called ’barren’ lands."

He laughed softly, the sound laced with bitterness.

"Can you imagine it? People brave enough to live inside the lion’s den, believing they and their descendants would one day be hailed as heroes of the sorcerer world... only to discover that that same world viewed them as pawns, servants... perhaps even slaves."

"Our elders failed to realise this until it was too late. They allowed themselves to be used... and then discarded," Baron Belloc added through gritted teeth.

Something clicked simultaneously in both Alex’s and Kron’s minds.

"The fall of the Marquisate?!" Kron asked in dawning realisation.

"Yes," Baron Belloc confirmed. "Until roughly four generations ago, our family kept an intentionally low profile. We never allowed ourselves to rise higher than a Viscountcy. That rank granted us entry into true nobility while keeping us distant enough from real power to remain inconsequential. We could observe clearly without being dragged into the struggle between factions.

"A Viscountcy also afforded us the minimum status needed to quietly accumulate resources for the promised sorcerer war."

He paused briefly.

"That changed when an envoy from the Safe Haven arrived bearing instructions."

Another mirthless chuckle escaped him.

"Without hesitation, our elders obeyed. They believed the long-awaited war had finally arrived. They poured everything into rapidly expanding the family’s power and influence until House Belloc swelled into a Marquisate it had no capacity to sustain.

"But that didn’t matter, did it? There was supposed to be a war that would temper this bloated House into something worthy... wasn’t there?"

"Wrong!" Baron Belloc slammed a fist onto the table. A flash of poorly restrained rage slipped through his composure. "The sorcerers hidden away for centuries in their safe havens still lacked the stomach for war. So instead, they sacrificed one of their unwitting ’assets’ to test the waters... and gauge the deities’ response."

He laughed harshly.

"The result? A catastrophic failure— as you already know. A failure that crushed our House into its current state. Our only saving grace was that, even in their blind trust, our forebears had the sense to conceal any direct link to the sorcerers."

"At the end of the day, the sacrifice of our bloodline’s most capable heirs, along with the surrender of countless family treasures and heirlooms, was enough to appease the deities for our foolish attempt to challenge the established order."

He exhaled slowly.

"But the price of that appeasement was that we were left weakened... vulnerable... ripe for the picking."

His hands clenched and loosened repeatedly as he spoke.

"The worst part," he continued, voice turning colder, "was that the sorcerers didn’t merely abandon us. They actively hastened our downfall to erase their traces more quickly — while quietly ensuring that much of the resources we had accumulated ended up in the hands of those still tied to them."

"I only recently discovered that most of the Houses that divided our lands and holdings were directly or indirectly connected to sorcerers and their influence in this world."

Alex watched father and son silently.

He could understand their anger. Their sense of betrayal. But only from a distance.

His thoughts, however, drifted elsewhere — to the sorcerers hiding in their so-called safe havens.

’It’s painfully easy to see what happened to them,’ Alex mused inwardly. ’They were once a dominant civilisation, then forced into retreat into a confined pocket of reality. From rulers of a world to prisoners inside a space of their own making.

’In such a situation, they would never tell themselves — let alone their descendants — the truth. The very fact they call it a "safe haven" is proof of the delusion.’

A faint sneer tugged at his lips.

’They probably taught the younger generations that the outside world is barren, lawless, and unworthy... while their confined pocket is the only true home of sorcery.

’Perhaps it began as a way to protect morale, to keep the young from despair. But over time... that kind of narrative breeds arrogance.’

Alex fell quiet for a moment, turning over Baron Belloc’s revelations in his mind. He filtered them through what he knew of cultivation civilisations, sect structures, and — most importantly — basic human nature.

He arrived at a conclusion.

But he kept it to himself.

"Baron," Alex said instead, "do you know anything about the term ’Sky Beyond Skies’?"

Baron Belloc’s eyes sharpened. "Sky Beyond Skies? Where did you hear that? Are you in contact with them?"

"No," Alex replied calmly. "I am currently moving through the Hollowcrest Wildlands to throw the Navi off my trail. I encountered an individual who assumed I was from ’Sky Beyond Skies’. Since I had no idea what that meant, I neither confirmed nor denied it. However, the level of deference he showed based on that assumption intrigued me."

The Baron studied him for a moment.

"It seems you have already pieced most of it together," he said at last. "Yes. Sky Beyond Skies is a term used to refer to the sorcerers’ safe haven. The phrase circulates within an information network created by the descendants of some of the original guardians, like our House, who remained behind. That network spans much of the Wildlands."

He paused, then added, "I would advise you not to travel under that identity. If the illusion is broken, you may encounter groups that are not... welcoming."

"Noted," Alex nodded. "I had no intention of relying on it."

He leaned forward slightly.

"But I have to ask, Baron. Given everything you’ve told me, how would you describe your House’s relationship with the Safe Haven sorcerers? Are you friends? Allies? Or enemies?"

Baron Belloc’s index finger tapped rhythmically on the desk as he considered the question. Kron watched his father closely, waiting for the answer.

After a long moment, the Baron sighed.

"Make no mistake. The sorcerers disgust me almost as much as the deities and their followers," he said plainly. "However... as a noble, I can understand their actions."

He continued, voice steady.

"At the end of the day, I am bound by my family’s traditions. According to those traditions, the deities... and the mysterious force that ended the sorcerer era... are our greatest enemies."

He looked at Alex directly.

"And since the sorcerers stand against them, then by that logic — the enemy of my enemy is my ally."

A faint, bitter smile appeared on his face. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"An uneasy ally."

Alex nodded in understanding.

"In that case," he said calmly, "let me rephrase my question."

"If my cooperation with your House ever comes into conflict with your family’s long-standing duty to the sorcerers... which side would you choose?"

***