Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 81: First Retainer

CH81 First Retainer

***

Asta’s body trembled.

”I can handle myself. I don’t need your pity.” she said, biting her lower lip.

Alex’s expression hardened.

”Pity? Is that really how little you think of me?”

She flinched.

”I’m sorry, Alex. I didn’t mean it like that.”

An awkward silence followed.

Alex eventually broke it.

”How did you end up like this?” he asked, voice low but firm. ”Don’t lie to me.”

His ruby eyes locked onto hers.

Asta froze. She felt something stir in the air—an invisible pressure radiating from him. It wasn’t killing intent. It was something deeper.

Regality.

A commanding, natural authority that tolerated no deception. A pressure that demanded truth.

”...Helmut Wastelander,” Asta finally whispered. ”He made me spy on you.”

Alex’s gaze didn’t waver.

”How? I know you. It wasn’t for money.”

The pressure deepened. The presence of his Solmir True name weighed heavily upon her.

”...My family.”

Asta’s composure finally cracked as she shared the full story.

To be honest, it sounded almost cliché to Alex. He’d read stories like this before—so often that he felt an irrational urge to stop her and fill in the blanks himself. But he held back. This wasn’t fiction. This was her reality.

And it hurt.

Asta had been the eldest daughter of a Baronet, a low-ranking noble whose lands amounted to little more than a handful of farming villages. When her magical aptitude had been discovered, her father saw an opportunity and sent her to the Enclave to train.

Her talent, though prodigious back home, was merely decent by Enclave standards.

Still, she worked hard. Took on odd jobs. Saved every coin. Managed to send money back home.

But her status as a Mage-in-training at the prestigious DragonHold Enclave had inflated her father’s pride. He began flaunting her position in a bid to curry favour with higher-ranking nobles. Lavish gifts, endless banquets, displays of wealth—all to impress people far above his station.

The result?

Debt.

Crippling, insurmountable debt.

Unable to repay it, the old baronet made a desperate choice. He decided to marry Asta off to a wealthy noble to clear his dues.

That was when Helmut Wastelander made his move.

Technically, the Baronet was a vassal of a Viscount who served under the Wastelander family—meaning the Wastelanders and, by extension, Helmut, were the Baronet’s liege lord.

Using his noble authority, Helmut threatened Asta. If she refused to follow his orders, it could bring political ruin to her family. And worse—if she didn’t comply, her father would go ahead with the arranged marriage.

Trapped between two terrible options, Asta reluctantly agreed to act as Helmut’s spy.

But she wasn’t broken.

Proud to a fault, Asta refused to fully obey Helmut—or accept charity from Alex. She fed Helmut vague, useless scraps of information while keeping Alex completely in the dark. All the while, she worked tirelessly to buy her freedom.

She sold off everything she owned. Emptied every coin she had saved.

In the end, she was able to pay off her father’s debt herself—on one condition: that he legally forfeit any right to arrange her marriage.

She had wanted to free her younger brother too—to take him away from their father’s toxic influence—but lacked both the means and the authority. Her brother was the heir. Her father would never let him go.

To close the door on Helmut once and for all, Asta had made one final sacrifice.

She arranged to be removed as Alex’s attendant, the very role Helmut had used to push her into spying in the first place.

She knew Alex wouldn’t replace her. She was counting on that.

And she was right.

By removing herself from his service, she denied Helmut his leverage. All without asking for Alex’s help. All without showing weakness.

Her story might have been cliché—but her attitude?

It was fresh.

Fresh... and foolish.

Even if she hadn’t known his background at the start, Asta certainly did by now. Had she simply asked for help, it would’ve taken Alex almost nothing to resolve her situation. A trivial favour.

But no.

She’d refused to play the damsel in distress.

There was clearly a deeper story behind that choice, but Alex knew now wasn’t the time to pry.

The regal pressure that had been weighing on Asta dissipated.

He sat down beside her on the cold floor.

”I’ll be leaving the Enclave soon,” he said quietly. ”I need to return home... to reclaim my place.”

He looked her in the eyes.

”But once I do, I’ll need loyal people around me. You’ve proven your loyalty, Asta. So, I’d like to offer you a position at my side... if you want it.”

Asta’s eyes widened slightly, but she remained silent.

”The Enclave is offering a scholarship to train Spatial Mages,” Alex continued. ”I secretly tested you a while back. You have the aptitude. I can secure you that scholarship.

”In return, once you complete your training and become a competent Spatial Mage, I hope you’ll come work for me.”

Still, Asta said nothing.

So Alex added one more thing.

”I’m not offering this out of pity. I genuinely need Spatial Mages I can trust. I need you, Asta.”

That got a reaction.

She looked down, hands gripping the wand he had given her all those years ago. Her voice came out soft, barely above a whisper.

”...My brother. Can you help me get my brother away from my father?”

Alex didn’t hesitate.

”I can.” His voice was resolute. ”If the Enclave formally requests him for a scholarship, your father won’t refuse. He wouldn’t dare.”

Asta nodded slowly.

”Then let’s do that,” he said. ”But if it comes to it, I can always have someone kidnap him and bring him here.”

”Don’t!” Asta said quickly, alarmed. ”There’s no need to go that far.”

Alex chuckled.

”Then should I take that as your acceptance?”

She nodded again, this time more firmly.

”Mhm.”

Alex smiled brightly.

”Congratulations, Asta. You’re the first person to pledge their fealty to me. I hope you’ll honour that promise when the time comes.”

”I will,” Asta replied, without a shred of hesitation.

”I believe you.” His smile softened. ”And I’ll promise you something in return. Don’t worry about your family’s fief. Even if they lose it now, one day, you’ll win it back... and so much more.”

Asta’s eyes widened. She looked stunned—touched, and a little overwhelmed.

Alex rose to his feet and stretched.

”Alright, we can mope around later. Pack your things. We’re leaving.”

”Huh? Where are we going?”

”What do you mean? You’re my first retainer, aren’t you? How would it reflect on me if I let you keep living here?”

He turned toward her, hands on his hips.

”Come on, no complaints. You’ll be moving eventually once the scholarship comes through. Better to move now and preserve my reputation.”

Before she could argue, Alex swiftly gathered what little she owned, packed it into a small bag, and placed it in her arms.

Then, without warning, he grabbed her wrist and started dragging her out of the house.

”Hey—!” she tried to protest.

But he didn’t stop.

And strangely... she didn’t resist.

Asta followed along, a small smile forming on her lips.

The feeling of relying on someone—it wasn’t so bad.

In that final moment, just before stepping out, Alex glanced back—and noticed something.

The wand.

Even after selling everything, even in her lowest moment, Asta had kept the wand he’d gifted her. Its value alone could’ve paid off her debts.

But she held onto it.

That told him everything he needed to know.

She was someone he could trust.

And with that...

Alex gained his first retainer since becoming a noble in this world.

***