The Runesmith

“Today we celebrate the union of Arthur Valerian and High Priestess Meleen of the Velvet Grove.”

Arthur’s mouth twitched as he stepped slowly toward a lone figure cloaked in white. He walked barefoot through a grassy meadow, a ceremonial tradition of the forestfolk. The sky glowed with the light of two large moons, and the wind carried the rich scent of tree sap. When he looked down, he saw he was dressed in a ceremonial robe of white and violet, the colors that marked nobility.

Behind him stood a small crowd of humanoid figures who clapped softly. On one side were his people, those he had spent months guiding through the strange ascension trial. On the other stood the forestfolk, his soon-to-be allies, whose support would help him prevail in his final confrontation and claim his place as a high noble.

Music began to play. A soft melody filled the air as people cheered, and Arthur looked toward the lone figure waiting at the altar. She stood still, draped in a white dress and a long veil. Arthur couldn’t help but notice the strange way the fabric clung to her body, making it difficult to tell what lay beneath.

‘I can do this. This is just a trial. None of this is real.’

He swallowed hard and stepped forward toward the person who was meant to become his wife. It was nothing more than a political marriage, much like the ones he had read about in real life. He had avoided this path during his first two attempts, but now he knew that without it, he would only fail again.

Soon, he reached the forest altar and stood beside his bride-to-be, Meleen. This was a purely political marriage, one in which he did not even know the true face of his future wife. The trial space had fast-forwarded through many events, making it difficult to follow everything that had transpired.

In the past, he had spoken with the woman’s father and worked to convince him that he would make a good husband. It had been a challenging task that required several conversations, the use of resources, and the elimination of rival suitors. Some were defeated in duels, while others were discredited through carefully spread rumors. He had stopped short of resorting to assassination, but only barely.

Now he had finally arrived at this moment. Despite his nervousness, he kept reminding himself that this space was nothing more than an illusion. Once it was over, he would receive the ultimate reward: a prestigious lordly class that he could present with pride to his father. The ceremony continued. Arthur stood before the altar, heart beating slower now, but still the tension wasn’t leaving his body. 

“…as the spirits of the grove bear witness…”

“…forged through will and sacrifice…”

“…sealed beneath the two moons we will bring…”

The priest continued with a rather long speech. Arthur could hear some of the guests weeping tears of joy while all he wanted was to go home. Eventually, silence settled over the crowd and the priest stepped back. It was finally time for the ceremony to end.

“Now, Arthur Valerian. You may unveil your bride and become one with the Velvet Grove.”

It seemed the ceremony was over. All that remained was to remove the veil, and then he would be recognized as the lawful husband of this woman. His hands moved slowly and trembled slightly. He brushed the silken veil aside and saw her face. The guests behind him began to cheer as the bride was revealed, but everything inside him went still.

Her face was more or less what he had expected, but seeing it up close made it nearly impossible not to turn away and run. Two large amber eyes blinked at him, framed by curled lashes. Her entire face was covered in white wool, soft and pristine, with an oddly puffy texture. Where a nose should have been, there was a small black snout that barely peeked out from beneath the thick fleece. She was not human. She was mostly sheep.

Arthur had seen beastmen before, but most of them had only minor animal traits, like his maid Mary who had different ears and a tail. That was manageable. But this woman standing before him was far more animal than human. She could walk upright and speak, but she was undeniably more sheep than person. The same seemed to be true for the rest of the Velvet Grove. The priest who had officiated the ceremony was a large stag, with antlers rising high from his head. As the crowd applauded the ceremony’s conclusion, Arthur only had one thought.

‘This should be enough, right? The trial will jump to the next event now… right?’

The ascension trial usually skipped past events like this, returning him to his domain or placing him inside his carriage. But this time, it did not work the way he had hoped. Instead of passing over the celebration, he found himself dancing with his new bride. Her hands were not human. Instead, she had fluffy cloven hooves that felt strange to hold.

The two moons cast a silver glow over the grove as Arthur led her through the opening steps of the traditional dance. The music was sweet, slow, and surreal. Around them, animal denizens swayed and clapped in rhythm. This was not the first time the trial had caught him off guard. It had already taught him that becoming a lord required more than military strength. Politics, diplomacy, and charisma mattered just as much. Without gaining allies from every corner of this strange realm to impress the king, he had no chance of progressing.

Drinking and partying followed. For some reason, the trial forced him to endure all of it as if mocking him. For several hours, he greeted guests and accepted their gifts with awkward formality. Some of them held real influence, and he was expected to give each one his full attention. But even when the festivities seemed finished, the ceremony continued. Now, he stood frozen before a large, ornate door.

“Why hasn’t it ended yet? D-do they really expect me to go through with this?”

“Lord Valerian, please accept the ceremonial shears.”

“Shears?”

A butler who resembled a goat handed him a cutting tool. It looked like a large pair of scissors. The goat-like servant gave him a wink and stepped away. Arthur stared at the door. His wife waited behind it. From what he had gathered, this tool was necessary for completing the marriage ceremony. Without finishing it, he would not receive the armies he needed to succeed.

“Dear husband, I’m ready… You can come in.”

Her voice was gentle yet hesitant. Arthur pushed open the door and saw her waiting on a massive bed. She was a round ball of fluff, so dense he could barely see her body. The shears made sense now. Without them, he could not proceed with the ritual.

“I…”

He stood at a crossroads. He was not sure he had the strength to go through with it. He took a few hesitant steps, reminding himself that this was only an illusion. His heart pounded loudly as he slowly moved forward. He slowly raised his head, but just as he did, something burst into view, startling him so badly that he nearly lost his balance.

“Oh… thank the gods!”

He cried out in relief. A system window appeared before him, offering an alternative. The suddenness of it startled his bride, who nearly rolled off the bed. His hand trembled as he carefully selected the correct option, terrified of clicking the wrong one. The world around him began to blur. The familiar sensation of transition overtook him. It was finally over. He would not have to see this through. Perhaps now, he could finish the trial without failing again.

“No one can ever know about this.”

When the event ended, he was transported back to his castle. He was now a proper noble lord, commanding vast armies. His once solitary throne now had a smaller one beside it. His wife sat there, though much of her wool was now gone. He could only imagine what had taken place that night, and he vowed to carry that secret to his grave.

******

“Was that a sheep… and are those…?”

Roland stood within the memory chamber, staring at the rapidly shifting flashes being uploaded into his console. His sharp eyes and heightened perception allowed him to catch more details than most. He had seen the strange wedding and caught a full view of Arthur’s wife. It appeared they even had sheep children. The sight reminded him of his own trial involving a wooden puppet wife, a memory he had tried hard to forget.

“Are all these lord trials like this? What kind of twisted god comes up with these scenarios?”

Although he knew Arthur’s trial was similar to his own, he had not expected it to force him into marriage. He could not decide what was worse: a wife made of wood who was also a puppet or a walking sheep. Mary, who had been standing nearby, heard him mumbling, and her large cat ears twitched.

“A sheep?” 

She asked while narrowing her eyes.

“Oh… It’s nothing, forget about it. More importantly…”

Roland realized Arthur would likely prefer to keep that part of the trial secret. A few images showed them together, but he could not tell how far the marriage had progressed. He quickly turned his attention elsewhere. The memories were flooding back, but something about the process felt different this time.

“The memories aren’t getting erased.”

Mary caught the importance of his words immediately.

“They aren’t? Does that mean…”

“Yes. He must have succeeded in his trial.”

If the memories remained intact after the ascension trial, then there was only one possible conclusion: he had reached the third tier of class advancement. After a few seconds, Arthur’s fingers began to twitch. Suddenly, his eyes flew open. He jumped forward, nearly falling from the foldable chair, but Mary caught him just in time.

“Lord Arthur, you’re back. Everything is fine now. Please be at ease.”

“Y-you…”

Roland moved around the console and approached Arthur. He knew that spending so long within the ascension trial would leave him disoriented. By Roland’s calculations, Arthur had spent more than a year there before being forced back into the real world. It would take him a few moments to regain his bearings.

“Take your time. You’re back, and you were successful. Congratulations.”

Arthur sat in silence, his head shifting and his eyes scanning the white room and the surrounding runic equipment. Slowly, his memories returned. Just like Roland before him, he realized that he had made it back.

“I… I did… Argh…”

His joy was brief. The pain hit him as his internal transformation began. His organs, bones, and muscles were torn apart and rapidly reassembled into a stronger form. It was a brutal process. Fortunately, Roland had prepared several pain-dampening spells, and within moments, Arthur no longer felt anything.

“Just lie down for now. Let the transformation happen. Don’t fight it.”

Roland activated his identification skill and observed the changes taking place within Arthur’s body. The transformation was immense, even more dramatic than what Robert, his older brother, had experienced.

“Meister instead of a Master?”

Without hesitation, Roland took a quick glance at Arthur’s status screen. The class Arthur had received followed a naming pattern similar to the Runesmith High-Lord variant Roland himself could have chosen in the past. Due to Arthur’s current state and lack of defensive barriers, Roland was also able to view his most personal skills and, more importantly, the stat multiplier.

‘That sounds quite similar to my Overlord class. The benefits just focus on stamina and aura instead.’

The similarities were obvious. If Roland had chosen the High-Lord path, he would have received the same multiplier of four instead of the four and a half that came with his current class. 

‘He even gained a skill similar to Overlord’s Might.’

As Arthur struggled to collect his thoughts, Roland continued reviewing the skills he had received. Some appeared to be slightly weaker versions of his own abilities, while others were more distinct and unique.

That covered the main skills Arthur had gained. Most of them enhanced his combat effectiveness and aura control. With this many improvements, Arthur could likely use his strongest techniques for longer periods, delivering devastating strikes without suffering the usual drawbacks that aura users faced. Aura was a powerful force, but it was also known to deplete quickly.

“You really did it, Arthur. Congratulations again.”

Roland nodded slightly as he reviewed the assortment of skills. Arthur had managed to receive a powerful tier-three class, one that would make many nobles envious. While Roland wasn’t sure what the other Valerian brothers had received, it was hard to imagine anything surpassing the High-Lord class granted to Arthur.

“Hah… It’s finally over… right?“

While Roland admired his noble friend’s achievement, Arthur seemed more relieved than proud. Roland understood that feeling well. After leaving the world filled with wooden puppets, he too had needed time to come to terms with everything. Unfortunately, Arthur had little time to reflect as they would need to depart soon. Their visit to Isgard was less than a day away, and there was little left to do besides rest.

“Yes, it is, Lord Arthur. Please allow me to help you up.”

“No, thank you, Mary. I can stand on my own.”

Thanks to the recovery runes Roland had implemented, Arthur’s body had healed much faster than expected. He no longer needed assistance, and his mind had finally begun to recover. However, as he stretched, Mary said something that nearly shattered his composure.

“As you wish, Lord Arthur. But Sir Roland, what was that about sheep?”

Roland froze.

“…”

Arthur froze as well and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

“…”

Mary raised an eyebrow, uncertain what was happening. She glanced toward one of the screens still displaying fragments of memories from the ascension trial. She took a step towards one of them, but Roland quickly blocked the path forward.

“Ahh… it was nothing. I just thought we might get some wool for the bedding.”

Roland quickly waved his hand and shut off the power to all the screens in the chamber. He watched Arthur’s face go pale as the realization sank in. Someone else had seen the memory.

“Why don’t you take Lord Arthur back to his mansion? I’m sure he’s hungry and needs some rest.”

He started coughing loudly and acting strangely. Mary narrowed her eyes, but after seeing her weary lord nod repeatedly, she gave in.

“Yes, of course.”

Arthur let out a sigh of relief as he rose from the chair. Roland stepped behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder, and whispered quietly.

“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. I’ve already destroyed all of the evidence.”

“… Thank you. You are truly a friend.”

A small tear formed in Arthur’s eye as he nodded and moved ahead. With everything settled and his advancement to tier three complete, it was finally time to depart for the main city of Isgard. He wasn’t sure what awaited them there, but if all went smoothly, it would be nothing more than a dull ceremony. After a few uneventful days, he hoped to return and focus on the dungeon once again. He still wanted to achieve more levels, something he still desperately needed.