Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 115

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 115.
Blood That Does Not Fade (28)
The Barbarian led the way while the two followed behind. The man’s name was Isaac Ducastel—one of Khan Commander’s fearsome Four Wings, the first and fourth, who trailed after him with every manner of flattery and charm. It didn’t seem to be his true name, but everyone called him that regardless.
After dozens of days of careful effort since meeting Isaac at the Golden Scorpion restaurant, Kanta Kulgu, Ryusno and Yurichi had finally succeeded in becoming his traveling companions.
At first glance, one might have assumed he was a man of considerable standing, but his actual position exceeded all imagination.
He was the consort of Merjebed, the Queen of Sansruria, and a founding merit-holder who had rendered distinguished service in her ascension to the throne.
And he was of Lemme Barbarian stock at that.
Yet strangely, Isaac no longer wished to remain in Sansruria. The perceptive Ryusno quickly discerned this sentiment.
True to his Barbarian origins, Isaac knew nothing of etiquette or social graces, excelled in combat but had no interest whatsoever in the roles of consort or merit-holder.
Driven by wanderlust alone, he had taken a Lemme name and drifted to Sansruria, where he chanced to meet the young Princess Merjebed—the beginning of his tumultuous present.
Sansruria was a theocratic nation devoted to their god Sansru, and throughout its history only priestess-queens had inherited the throne.
When the former Queen Merjebed passed away suddenly from acute illness, among the three remaining princesses, the eldest possessed the greatest power, followed by the second.
The third princess, Merjebed, was both young in years and lacking in political acumen. The forces supporting her were unremarkable.
Her sole advantage over her elder sisters was her exceptional sacred power as a Sansru priestess.
Yet despite this, Merjebed harbored no intention of relinquishing her claim to the throne.
In Sansruria, among the daughters born to the queen, all princesses except the one who would inherit the throne were forbidden from marrying.
In other words, only by claiming the throne could one marry and bear children. The other princesses received the position of High Priestess but lived their entire lives unmarried.
When the civil war among the princesses erupted, two people decisively aided Merjebed. One was the current Prime Minister, who had betrayed his two elder sisters in turn before joining Merjebed’s faction. The other was a terrifying Barbarian who had fallen in love with the third princess.
The Barbarian swiftly subdued the unaccustomed-to-combat, fragile people of Sansruria.
He excelled not only in one-on-one combat but also in commanding legions and securing the loyalty of soldiers. Once he made an enemy of someone, he would cleave them apart without hesitation, showing a cruelty that granted no mercy even to hunted beasts.
But once Merjebed achieved victory and became queen, circumstances changed.
Queen Merjebed had not abandoned Isaac. She, who had never been particularly political by nature, had grown considerably through the civil war, and her affection for her husband deepened alongside that growth.
Yet once the civil war ended, the Barbarian’s crude attitude—disregarding all propriety and procedure—became a source of trouble in the palace.
After hearing many explanations from his wife, his behavior improved somewhat, but then he himself began to tire of court life.
Constantly exercising caution for his wife’s sake—this careful, that careful—left him with no joy, and even his digestion suffered.
Sleeping on the street seemed far preferable to resting upon the plush bed draped in the finest silk.
Thus, when Isaac came to Kanta Pars Harbor to catch some fresh air, he encountered Ryusno and Yurichi.
The two foreign men seemed determined from the start to cater to his preferences. At first they posed as friendly drinking companions, then suddenly proposed a journey circumnavigating the realm for a change of pace.
Isaac, thinking that inspecting the interior under the pretext of a domestic survey would be ideal, and that he could rid himself of the troublesome priests if he ventured far enough, accepted their proposal.
Thus began a companionship that had now lasted half a year.
The intent behind Ryusno and Yurichi’s approach to Isaac was transparent. As foreigners whose very appearance drew attention, they had no means of traveling through Sansruria alone.
Moreover, traveling in the company of the queen’s consort proved decidedly convenient. There was nowhere in Sansruria they could not enter, which greatly aided their investigation.
Yet they could not help but waste time accommodating Isaac’s travel style, which favored poking into everything.
At first they had grown impatient, but eventually they surrendered to it. Rather, they had to surrender. By now, they too had grown accustomed to enjoying the journey in moderation.
In any case, they had obtained results. There had been no record of a small boy named Boris Jineman carrying a strange sword ever arriving in Sansruria, nor were there any wrecked small boats along the coastline from Lemme to the Sansru Peninsula.
Those fellows had truly vanished beyond the sea.
And they had obtained one suspicious discovery.
“Beyond the northern sea, you say? I’ve heard rumors among sailors that there’s an island where people live there, but since it’s just hearsay among seafarers, I can’t say for certain.”
When pressed further, this response came.
“Ha, well, sailors are prone to wild imaginings. They often claim to spot phantom islands.”
…This proved utterly useless.
In any case, the party had escaped Sansruria and was slowly climbing toward the Nim Peninsula.
Isaac’s barbarian friends were supposed to be there. The goal was to conduct one more thorough investigation with their assistance.
Though considerable numbers of Barbarians had been driven from Elbe Island after the Elbe Battle, they still maintained a firm grip on long-distance maritime routes across the North Sea near Lemme.
To make use of them, they could never afford to part ways with Isaac. To that end, flattery and feigned weakness had become their daily existence.
Two people pursuing perfect mission completion, teetering on the edge of personality corruption, found themselves unconsciously mimicking the cheerful humming of the Barbarian who was singing about going to eat, following along behind him.
Hector had returned.
I heard news of his return the day before, but I didn’t actually meet him until the next day. And even then, it was by chance—we crossed paths while walking along the hillside.
Hector was climbing up while I was heading down. We recognized each other immediately.
I recalled how Hector had pretended not to see me at Scoli’s Dining Hall before, and I assumed he would do the same this time.
But as we passed by each other, a low voice reached my ears.
“It seems I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
His tone remained arrogant, but the content was not. I stopped walking.
“What are you talking about?”
“Several things. First of all, you saved my life.”
He seemed to be referring to the matter of slaying the monster. But I hadn’t killed that creature for his sake.
“I wasn’t trying to save you.”
“It doesn’t matter. Either way, if you hadn’t come out from inside back then, I would be a dead man. Besides, I had already done something shameful.”
At those words, old anger surged up within me. My voice grew slightly heated.
“So now you want absolution from me?”
Suddenly Hector turned to face me directly. I was momentarily startled.
There was a sharp scar across Hector’s forehead, as if carved by a blade. It hadn’t been there immediately after the monster’s attack.
“No. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I don’t even expect you to grant it. But what must be made clear should be made clear. I owe you a debt.”
I didn’t answer. Hector continued.
“First, I was saved from death. Second, you concealed my sin. I know it wasn’t for my sake. You must have had your own reasons, but the outcome is the same, so it’s not a fabrication.”
Had I wished it, I could have easily killed Hector back then when he was wounded and unconscious. After his return, I could have spread rumors of his cowardice.
But I had no interest in such revenge. Could a retaliation of which the enemy remained unaware truly be called judgment?
If Hector was my enemy, I would have to kill him again whenever the opportunity arose, and at that moment, any accidental consequences born from the past would mean nothing. To kill a person meant to cleanly sever all the past entangled with them.
“I don’t suppose I need to hear any more?”
I tried to pass by. Then Hector quickly continued speaking.
“And you taught me something. I’m grateful for that too.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Thanks to you, I lived once more. There was conflict with warriors on Silence Island, but thanks to recalling what happened between us, I was able to survive.”
….
“But just as you attach no significance to all those events, I intend to do the same.”
I stood there, turned away. I found myself willing to hear more from this coward. At the same time, a boiling displeasure filled my mouth.
“We’ll fight again eventually, won’t we? Whether at Silverskull or somewhere else. When that time comes, I will cut you down without hesitation. But if, just if, I ever see you being attacked by someone else, I will set everything aside and help you three times over.”
I turned back around. My calm grayish-blue eyes were blazing with fire.
“You… taught me hatred. And because of that, you awakened the nature within me that had nearly slumbered longer. And yet you speak so well. Do as you please, do whatever you wish. As for me, I care not. No matter what you say, I will kill you someday. And I won’t care if it’s not a fair duel.”
The two young men turned their backs and parted ways.
At last, I had uncovered everything.
Suppressing the urge to leap with joy, Ekion walked through the night. So consumed by this investigation had I been that I had failed to properly greet my Elder Brother upon his return after so long.
But if I succeeded, I would have something to tell him. If only I could succeed.
It was exactly as I had theorized. When I went back the previous night and examined it carefully, what lay upon the cliff was a transparent stepping bridge suspended in empty air.
Using it as stairs, the two of them had been ascending and descending the cliff’s peak. Recalling how they walked as casually as any passerby, it was clear they had traversed this path more than once or twice.
The method I employed was to scatter magical spheres of light throughout the empty space where something might plausibly exist. Doing so revealed the rough outline of the stairs. They were unmistakably magical stones.
I had not dared to climb that day, but this time I steeled myself against my fear and ascended all the way to the end of the stairs. Part of me wanted to see the view since I might never return, and part of me was curious whether I might glean any information.
By the time I reached the summit, my entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
The cliff’s peak was not an empty stone floor. The first thing I saw was a small spring. Beside it lay a single leather pouch. When I opened it, I found a book inside.
I carefully opened the book. A single sheet of paper fell out from within. The contents written upon it were simple.
Create two pieces of verse.
After thinking about it briefly, I understood immediately. The book was a collection of poems and epics. It was clear that Isolet had left this here for me to practice composing verse.
Then Daphnen would come to retrieve it the next day?
A plan could not have aligned more perfectly. I returned the book to its original place and descended the magical stairs once more.
After descending about five steps and turning around, I withdrew from my pocket a sheet of paper covered densely with runes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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