Putting this in two places. In the anime, Saito's runes are just a power buff, and represent his place in the world. For anime onlys, I want to inform you that this is not true in the light novel. There is real mind control bullshit taking place with the runes, Saito is, on some level, mind raped.
If you don't know this, you might be completely flabbergasted by my handling of the rune on Sasuke.
I wont be spelling it out here, ( in an author's note), the exact way this effects Sasuke, because if I fail to convey it in the story, that's my fault. But I will give that meta info, that the rune IS a pseudo mind controlling slave seal in canon.
Wardes was riding his Griffon. Dead or defeated bounty hunters were no longer a valid way to hunt for the void mage and her familiar. Fortunately, there were still monsters and bandits available in the wild. And while it wasn't easy to track them from that, it was possible.
Wardes wasn't sure where they were, but he knew he was gaining on them, he had to be. He could fly and didn't have to be sneaky.
He currently had spells of Eagle Sight and Deeper Ear active. Which was fortunate for him, because he managed to hear something approaching at a dangerous speed.
The Griffon knight managed to move his head in time to avoid a metal projectile. He swore, and his Griffon screeched. He flew higher up and tried to see if he could spot his assailant.
The man flew higher into the sky. Sasuke stayed still, henged as tree branch.
"If that's you, Louise, and your familiar, you have nothing to fear!" The man shouted, his voice caring well.
If he wished to talk to Louise, the man was out of luck. He was close enough to be a problem, but not he was still a good distance away from where Louise and Sasuke had been.
"Trust that I wouldn't lie to my fiance!" The man, Louise's supposed fiance, said, his bird creature circling in unusual patterns, likely trying to avoid anymore sneak attacks.
Louise had talked about her loved ones, and a man described as a griffon knight was mentioned. Jean Wardes, some type of viscount. Sasuke considered henging into Louise. That had benefits, but if he wasn't going to kill this man, he'd permanently be exposing a valuable technique. And honestly, Sasuke wasn't fond of the kill count he already had.
Sasuke spent 2 minutes finding the shuriken that Wardes had dodged, and decided to show himself on top of a tree. The knight looked at him, and slowly headed towards him.
"I presume you to be Sasuke Uchiha?" Wardes said, still flying down at leisurely speed.
It felt silly, but Sasuke decided to shout back. "You would presume correctly!" The familiar was ready for the man to try something.
"And is Louise nearby?" Wardes asked. Sasuke frowned.
"What do you want? And what is your name?" Sasuke asked. He wouldn't confirm name for the man to use if he was lying.
"I am Viscount Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes, fiance to Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Vallière. I want to help my Louise. It is as simple as that." Wardes said, his griffon now flying in front of Sasuke.
"And why, exactly, would you be helping a criminal who barely counts as a noble?" Sasuke pushed. Wardes smiled.
"Well, you're rather cynical, for a boy your age. I've always supported Louise, and the deaths of a few foreign nobles, and bounty hunters isn't stopping that."
"Sure, and what does your help look like?"
"I'm a well connected and experienced man. I ca see us out of the country easily enough."
"But what's your end goal? You just help us leave? Sounds risky for a man of your stature."
"It would be, if I planned to stick around. I do not." Wardes explained. This was a red flag for Sasuke.
"You're going to go rouge for Louise? Am I supposed to believe that is out of the kindness of your heart?" Sasuke didn't like Wardes.
"For now, no. Believe what you wish, Sasuke Uchiha. But if you know of me, surely you know of Princess Henrietta? I am one of her most trusted knights, and she personally sent me on this mission. A mission for best friend's safety. Does even Henrietta need a cynical reason to assist Louise?" Wardes questioned, his tone still light, as if he was amused.
Sasuke scoffed, "Ok, try anything funny, and I'll end you before you can regret it." Sasuke jumped off his branch, and jumped to another, and another. Wardes hurried to follow.
Maybe Sasuke didn't have to start causing trouble yet. Maybe this man actually had a plan. But he wasn't to be fully trusted.
Louise on gaurd. Sasuke had told her someone was close and that she was watch over herself until he got back.
"Blast 1st, ask questions later." Sasuke told her, before running off.
It was careless to just leave her here, she thought. But Sasuke was the child soldier ninja, so she'd trust his judgement.
"Itachi, father and mother are both..." dead. "I don't understand." Grief, hurt, fear. The emotions were suffocating. "What have you done, big brother?"
"Mangekyo sharingan." His brother said. And the world darkened.
"Stop it, Itachi, why are you showing me all this!" Repeated suffering, and for what?
"You're out of your mind!" Rage, fear, grief. Sasuke tried to attack Itachi, but received a punch to the gut for his efforts.
FEAR, FEAR, FEAR!
Louise shivered upon remembering that dream. Trained he may be, but Sasuke was also clearly a traumatized child. His judgment had to be impaired.
She heard more than just one person's footsteps, and aimed her wand. Sasuke walked past a tree, and she mostly relaxed. She promptly froze upon seeing her fiance.
Sasuke frowned, but remained silent.
"Louise, it has been too long." The viscount slowly approached. "I know things have been tough for you, but it all gets easier now." He got within 11 feet before Sasuke grunted. Wardes swiftly halted.
"Louise, snap out of it." Sasuke commanded. That seemed to do the trick.
"What are you doing here, viscount?" Louise asked him, her vice and body trembling.
"I'm here to support you, my Louise. As I always have." Wardes slowly continued his approach. He reached for her trembling hand, and she allowed him to hold it.
"But, but you'll get yourself into trouble!" Louise complained, eyes watering, heart soaring, hoping above hope. Wardes flashed her a smile.
"It's nothing I can't handle. You need me, and so I am here." Louise starting sobbed and tackled into the Viscount's chest. They embraced each other.
Sasuke analyzed the scene before him. No flush to his cheeks, no perverse staring, hands kept in appropriate places. Either the viscount was showing an impressive control over his body, or the man was not attracted to Louise's body, and likely not even her mind.
Louise forming a reliance on this man would be a problem, but she was already forming that with Sasuke and that was a problem too. If the viscount's presence helped heal her mental scars, this could be a good thing. So let the knight sweet talk the naive girl, it was acceptable for now.
Yeah...Wardes is an actual character of this story. I know, I know...I know.
I hope This doesn't come as a big surprise, I had that letter in earlier chapters for a reason. ( Hm, I like letters).
Look, no one is immune to my blood thirst! But the cast is set! Sasuke, Louise, Henrietta, and Wardes. With the occasional drop in from Siesta and her family.
And I ended up using some older spelling for griffon. its accurate, tho griffin would be more modern.
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