Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 12

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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 12
The Winter Sword (12)

Yanika regarded Yefnen with an expression caught between amusement and restraint, then simply nodded lightly.
“Yes, the Land of Mortals. That’s the place you know.”
Boris’s eyes widened in shock, and Yefnen found himself at a loss for words. The Land of Mortals—could a living person actually venture into that place and emerge unscathed?
I recalled what I had heard and read. The Land of Mortals was named after a vast wasteland so thoroughly destroyed by a catastrophic magical war in the distant past that not even seeds remained.
Afterward, no nation had sought to claim that territory, which sprawled across a third of the continent. It was a place where the ancients had transformed into specters and reanimated corpses that roamed endlessly, attacking the living without mercy and tearing them to shreds.
Moreover, it was said that the Land of Mortals continued to expand even now.
“You wear the expression of someone entertaining terrible imaginings.”
Romabak chuckled wickedly. He was examining bolts one by one, holding them up to the firelight to inspect their tips.
Yefnen spoke.
“Truthfully, I find it difficult to believe that anyone ventured there and returned alive.”
“So you’re saying we’re liars.”
“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant at all.”
Romabak picked up a bolt and approached Yefnen. He held it before his face so that Boris could also see it clearly.
“Look here. Don’t you notice something odd about it?”
It was exactly as Yefnen had initially suspected—a bolt with a double barb. Romabak handed it to Yefnen’s palm. The bolt was heavier than it appeared.
“Look closely at the tip. There. Do you see something clinging to the needle point?”
Just as Romabak said, traces of a fine liquid were visible. Yefnen felt an inexplicable unease. Romabak leaned in closer, flashing a mischievous smile at Boris’s round eyes.
“Deadly poison. Be careful. If it touches your skin, it will eat right through you. It’s a poison that can even kill spirits.”
Yefnen flinched, and Boris was even more startled. Seeing their expressions, Romabak laughed with delight.
“Hehehehe… With poison like that, we can kill even those already dead. Why would we fear the Land of Mortals? But only the living vanish in that land. The treasures that were already dead from the beginning remain exactly as they were. Did you hear that, boy? Treasure, they call it. Treasure.”
Romabak coaxed Boris like a child, laughing. Then he continued.
“You’ve surely heard the legend that the magical kingdom of Ganapoli once existed in the Land of Mortals, haven’t you? Whatever mad deeds the people of Ganapoli committed, they thoroughly destroyed themselves, but before that, they were so obscenely wealthy that they wrapped every pillar in gold and scattered jewels beneath flowerpots. Well, well, it seems those rumors weren’t entirely baseless.”
Romabak swallowed hard at the mere thought, his body trembling with desire.
“Enough, Romabak. For all your dreaming, we haven’t even reached where Ganapoli truly begins. Our skill level only allows us to be satisfied with the gold trinkets the spirits have abandoned. What can we do about it?”
When Yanika rebuked him, Romabak took back the bolt from Yefnen and returned to his place.
Until he retrieved the bolt, Yefnen could not deny that he had been deeply tense. There was no doubt that this was the weapon that had silently killed their enemies moments before.
Yanika searched inside her clothing. Soon she produced something from her palm and held it before the brothers’ eyes. Boris accepted it without thinking, and found it to be a thick golden bracelet.
In the light of the crackling campfire, the patterns adorning the bracelet’s rim shimmered and came into view. Dozens of dancing maidens were carved with such delicate precision they seemed drawn with needles, and tiny jewels were inlaid throughout, glittering brilliantly. If observed in brighter light, one could surely discern even the clothing and ornaments of the dancers. It was craftsmanship of a caliber neither had ever witnessed.
“It’s my treasure.”
When Yanika said this, Boris quickly returned it. She laughed aloud.
“What a good boy.”
A fleeting vision of the golden city passed through Boris’s mind as well. Beneath the blazing sun, shimmering sand dust and golden pillars rising in places, temple roofs inlaid with rubies and inscriptions carved into spires came into view. Was it a kind of intuition?
“Now, now, this is no time for such reverie. We cannot sleep surrounded by corpses. Besides, there’s no telling if others might pursue us.”
Yanika tucked away the golden bracelet and stood. Romabak and the others of Yanika’s Adventuring Group rose as well. Yanika looked down at Yefnen and spoke.
“I don’t know what you might think, but would you travel with us for a time? We’re headed to Sabanon Village. Since we know the way well, we can guide you there. What do you say?”
There was no reason to refuse. The brothers gathered their belongings and stood.

By the time they arrived at Sabanon Village, dawn was already breaking.
Yanika’s Adventuring Group found an inn with the ease of those who had visited many times before. The innkeeper recognized them as well. This time, Yefnen secured a room with considerably better manners.
Exhausted from walking through the night, they exchanged only brief greetings before retiring to their separate rooms.
Yefnen lacked the stamina to stand watch this time. He secured the door firmly enough, but harbored no great concern. No one knew where they had gone, and no one would pursue them. Besides, they had no particular destination to begin with.
The moment his head touched the pillow, the tension drained away and fatigue crashed over him like a wave. Both brothers collapsed into unconsciousness.

I thought I heard a commotion—the sound of multiple people shouting at once. One voice sounded like my older brother, Yefnen.
But an overwhelming drowsiness pulled me under. Unable to gather my senses, I drifted back to sleep.

“Boris, wake up.”
I heard those words repeated several times in my half-sleep. When I opened my eyes, darkness surrounded me and the floor beneath me was cold and hard. When I shifted my position, uncomfortable as it was, I realized my arms were bound behind me.
“You’re awake.”
Warm breath brushed against my eyes. I didn’t immediately recognize that the person leaning over me was Yefnen—my brother’s voice was hoarse and fractured, nothing like his usual tone.
Weak light seeped in from somewhere. At least it was no longer night.
“Can you sit up?”
“Ugh…”
It proved harder than expected. Kneeling and collapsed as I was, I had nowhere to brace myself. After struggling for what felt like an eternity, I managed to sit upright. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, my brother’s face became clear.
“Where are we?”
“I don’t know.”
Simple as the answer sounded, its implications were anything but. This was not where we had fallen asleep. I had no memory of being brought here. I asked again.
“Did you bring me here?”
“No.”
That made sense. Why would my brother bind my arms?
“Then…”
Before I could voice my ominous suspicion, Yefnen spoke with decisive certainty.
“We need to escape this place.”
His arms were bound as well, so it was far from simple. We turned back-to-back and worked our fingers carefully, gradually loosening the rope binding each other’s wrists.
Yefnen freed my hands first, and once my hands were loose, I freed his. As I brushed off my hands and stood, I noticed blood beading on my brother’s wrists where the rope had cut deeply into the skin. He must have done that while freeing me, still bound himself.
“Now we need to find the Winterer.”
Since I didn’t know the Winterer was missing, I started in alarm and looked up. But understanding came quickly. If someone had kidnapped us and imprisoned us here, there could be only one reason, couldn’t there? But who? How had they followed us here?
Before I could dwell on these questions, Yefnen was already investigating every corner of our prison. Soon he discovered a door with a loosely barred latch. Our captors had clearly underestimated us considerably.
Yefnen grasped the door handle and shook it once or twice, then stepped back several paces before charging forward and slamming his body against it with all his strength. With a creak, the door swung halfway open. It wasn’t the latch that had given way—the hinges anchoring the door to the wall had simply torn free.
Seeing the door open so absurdly, Yefnen’s expression went blank before, a moment later, a hollow laugh burst from him.
The laughter didn’t subside quickly. It continued even as I peered through the gap to examine the outside and turned back to look at him.
“Pfft, hehe, hahahaha…”
“Brother?”
Yefnen finally managed to stop laughing, but his expression was twisted in a strange way. I understood then. He wasn’t laughing from joy.
“Isn’t it beautiful? Isn’t it magnificent? This situation, this state we’re in, hehe, hehehehe…”
Yefnen squeezed through the door first and helped me escape. Once outside, I turned to see a narrow path running behind the dilapidated barn where we had been imprisoned.
It was still broad daylight. Judging by the time, we must be somewhere within the village where we had arrived. But how vast was the village? Could we even find our way out?
“Boris, remember this well. Right now.”
“Huh?”
I drew my lower lip between my teeth and rubbed my empty hands together. The smile had faded from my face, leaving it cold and sharp. The blood that had pooled at my wrist had already dried.
“In a moment, you’ll witness something extraordinary.”
Something heavy settled in my chest. I was about to do something I had never attempted in my entire life. Yes, having suffered this much, retaliation was only natural. But…
But… no.
“You see, I’m still just an ignorant child who knows nothing of the world. But when you reach my age, I hope you won’t be like me. If Father were still here, he would have shown you from the beginning the approach I’m about to demonstrate now. Never again should you suffer the same foolish fate I have. Now, let’s go repay what was done to us. Or rather, to prevent being wronged from the start.”
After a brief pause, I continued.
“Eliminate those who might become enemies before they have the chance.”
It was something Father had once said. Boris felt heat rise to his face.
“But if I’ve already made a mistake like this, I should at least know how to correct it, shouldn’t I?”
The image of my brother that Boris had known since childhood vanished entirely in that moment. Had recent events sharpened my nerves? Or was there something more grave at work?
“Prepare yourself.”
It was a warning to steel one’s mind. Neither of us carried weapons.
I turned back toward the barn we’d been confined in and located the entrance to the house it was attached to. I opened the door and entered without hesitation. Boris followed.
This building also appeared to be a warehouse. Round barrels like wine casks were stacked along all four walls, reaching toward the ceiling. Two middle-aged men stood to one side, conversing. In the corner, a single man sat at a table, writing something into a ledger.
They saw the brothers enter but paid them no mind. I asked in a sharp, clipped voice.
“Who’s in charge here?”
One man turned around, his expression one of utter disbelief. The other shrugged with a dismissive smirk. I spoke again.
“I don’t like repeating myself. Who owns this place?”
The man at the table lifted his head and spoke curtly.
“You’re certainly not, so shut your mouth and get out.”
I closed the distance in three strides and slammed my hand down on the ledger with a sharp crack. As it covered what he’d been writing, the man’s face flushed with anger.
“You little bastard, get out of here while I’m still telling you nicely!”
Even Boris could sense something was wrong with that reaction. It was as though the man already knew of us but had decided not to engage.
But what happened in the next instant made Boris’s confusion seem utterly insignificant.

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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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