Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 128

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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 128.
Two Swords, Four Names (12)
Nauplion’s lips curved into a smile—an expression far more aggressive than mere mockery.
“Of course?”
“I know everything. Do not repeat yourself. All you will accomplish is worsening my mood, and I assure you, it would be unwise to displease me at this moment.”
“What in the world are you talking about!”
“Do you not understand? Cease your schemes to harm Daphnen. Never attempt such things again. Should you have already caused him injury, make amends and restore him to his former state. If anyone henceforth attempts such actions, know that it stems from your past conduct, and you yourself must step forward to prevent it.”
Nauplion clenched his interlaced hands tightly as he concluded.
“Completely. So thoroughly that I detect not the slightest hint of it.”
Priest Peloros was deeply alarmed by Nauplion’s forceful tone. The cold expression, so unlike his usual demeanor, filled him with inner dread.
Though he mingled with others, the Priest of the Sword was fundamentally a figure of profound fear to the Pilgrims. When someone on The Island committed a crime deserving punishment, the Priest of the Sword carried out the sentence. Flogging, execution, beheading—all the same.
Thus, the person who had taken the most lives on The Island was always the Priest of the Sword. The “Rune of Thunder,” the symbol of the Priest of the Sword, was the sole blade that held the authority to execute summary judgment and then face posthumous trial.
Yet despite this, the content made no sense to him whatsoever.
“What nonsense! Why should I do such a thing? Do you think threats will make me yield even slightly? I have… I have conviction! That sword Daphnen possesses will bring calamity upon The Island, and I will prevent it at any cost!”
As he spoke, his resolve hardened. Why should he retreat? He had come so far, accomplished so much.
But Nauplion’s next words drained the very soul from Priest Peloros.
“A cost… even if you pay it with your son’s life?”
Nauplion rose abruptly from his seat and circled halfway around the room. Then he stood behind the shocked Priest Peloros and spoke.
“Answer me. Or rather, you may choose.”
Priest Peloros trembled violently and rose, turning to face him. His eyes were bloodshot with rage.
“What… what… that’s absurd! By what means, what grounds do you have to harm my son… or kill him? I will go directly to The Regent and report this, and I will have you… yes, cast out! How dare you, how dare you threaten me? What will you do to my son? If you lay even a finger on my son….”
Watching Priest Peloros spill crude language in his fury, Nauplion spoke.
“I will remember that you failed to show proper respect to a Priest. And there is no need for such alarm, Priest Peloros. I speak not of your eldest son, whom you cherish like life itself, but of your second son. Does that ease the shock somewhat?”
Ekion?
Priest Peloros fell silent once more, his mind reeling. The situation remained incomprehensible.
Nauplion’s voice continued with crystalline clarity.
“Simply put: my disciple Daphnen’s fall from the Cliff was neither mere accident nor the influence of the blade he possessed, but rather the result of one young boy’s petty scheming. Should you wish to know the details, you may ask your son directly.”
Nauplion glanced around the room. There was no doubt that Ekion was hidden somewhere, listening to every word of this conversation.
“In any case, I possess sufficient evidence to prove this. Of course, I could also bring the matter before the Priest Council and open an emergency trial. Should you prefer that course, I am prepared. As you well know, a Priest requires no one else’s consent to open a trial, and if necessary, can convene one immediately—even in the dead of night.”
Silence fell between the two men, separated by the chair between them.
Priest Peloros could not determine how much of Nauplion’s words to believe. Nauplion’s gaze remained steady and unwavering.
“Ekion… tried to kill Daphnen? And you possess evidence of this? I… do not understand. Did you witness it yourself? If you saw it directly, why have you remained silent until now?”
“Unfortunately, I did not witness it directly. However, Ekion removed a scroll inscribed with a rune of magic nullification from the study of this house, and by using it to dispel the enchanted stone above the Cliff where Daphnen and Isolet were practicing the Sacred Chant Tradition, I can clearly prove his intent to kill him.”
“How? Even if such a thing occurred, how could you know that was an attempt to kill him?”
“If not Daphnen, then he must have intended to kill Isolet? That place was a secret training ground passed down by Ilios Priest to Isolet alone, and Daphnen came to know of it only because he became her disciple. And surely you realize that an accusation of attempting to harm Isolet would leave a far worse impression on people than one against Daphnen. Would you prefer that charge instead?”
Priest Peloros floundered.
“No… that is not… but then, how could our Ekion have known of such a secret place?”
“Whether he learned of it through surveillance, stakeout, or some other means is of no concern to me. But there is only one scroll inscribed with a rune capable of dispelling such powerful magic, only five exist on The Island, and one of them was in your study. You cannot deny that.”
Priest Peloros blinked uncertainly without responding. Nauplion continued.
“Isolet, who directly examined the traces of magic, is among the few on The Island with the most profound knowledge of the arcane arts—I trust you are not unaware of this.”
Priest Peloros was well aware of this. There was no reason for magical scrolls to exist in the home of someone who was not even a mage by trade.
However, his younger sister—the youngest daughter among the former Regent’s three children—had been a mage. During her lifetime, she had frequently requisitioned magical artifacts from the Library and Town Hall under the pretense of research, claiming them as her own.
Because she was the Regent’s daughter, such actions had largely been overlooked, and after her death, the remaining items had been transferred to the home of her elder brother, Priest Peloros, for safekeeping.
Yet overlooking such conduct did not exempt the record-keeping of magical artifacts’ whereabouts.
Objects possessing magical power beyond a certain threshold could pose a danger to The Island, and thus they had been catalogued in the ledgers since ancient times—a responsibility that fell under Zero’s purview as keeper of the Library.
Several days prior, while organizing his study, Priest Peloros had discovered that one of the scrolls was missing.
Born with the constitution of a Warrior, he had once aspired to the position of Priest of the Sword, but the misfortune of being born in the same era as Ilios Priest—a prodigy without equal—had forced him to abandon that dream entirely. It was for this reason that he had devoted such effort to making Hector the Priest of the Sword.
True to his nature, he harbored no interest in magic and attached no importance to magical artifacts whatsoever.
Therefore, he did not know what purpose the missing scroll served. He had simply decided to forget about it—whether it was gone or not.
“But… if there are five such scrolls, where is the evidence that it was specifically ours that was used?”
“You can prove it yourself. Bring the scroll that should be there. Right now.”
Priest Peloros’s face drained of all color. He struggled desperately to compose himself and attempted one final protest.
“It may have already been used for some other purpose… couldn’t it? Why must I prove its whereabouts to you?”
“First, as a Pilgrim of The Island, you are obligated to cooperate with the Priesthood’s investigation. Second, such magical artifacts cannot be private possessions, and had you used such an item arbitrarily, you should have reported it to the Priest of the Staff. Third, there is only one person in your household who knows how to use magical artifacts—Ekion. Fourth, the remaining four scrolls are currently secured and untouched. Zero from the Library will vouch for this fact.”
There was no escape now. Priest Peloros’s breathing grew ragged.
If he drove Daphnen away, his own son’s crime would be exposed. And judging by Nauplion’s expression, this would not end simply.
He was not the only one who wished to eliminate Daphnen for Hector’s sake. But his foolish second son had ruined everything.
Should he sacrifice Ekion for Hector’s sake?
That too was not a simple matter. It would be convenient if they could be separated so easily, but Ekion’s crime was inevitably connected to the family’s character.
Moreover, Priest Peloros was no fool, and he understood that if he resisted here, he could be drawn in as an accomplice to the conspiracy, and Hector could be dragged down with him.
The people of The Island knew that since Daphnen’s arrival, Hector and Ekion had despised him together and had acted in concert for a long time.
Indeed, Ekion had always been in a position to receive orders from his elder brother and had shown absolute obedience to him in public—something that, to a certain degree, he himself as their father had orchestrated.
In that moment, a chill ran down his spine. Could it be that Hector was actually involved as well?
“I… ah, no, I understand. Then… if I simply refrain from saying anything more about Daphnen from this moment forward… that would suffice… wouldn’t it?”
“Do not make me repeat myself. From this moment onward, you must become the most ardent defender whenever people speak of Daphnen and his sword. I no longer care about the truth. We shall keep each other’s secrets.”
He did not even have time to exhale in relief at the mention of keeping secrets.
“However, Priest Peloros, your slander has already burrowed deep into the minds of quite a few people, and your silence alone may not resolve the matter. You would do well to make an effort. Should opinion turn once more toward exiling Daphnen and his sword—for whatever reason—and should that opinion be carried out, the agreement we make today to keep each other’s secrets will be broken immediately. You will lose two sons in exchange for exiling one boy.”
The Priest of the Sword’s voice was merciless. The usually affable Nauplion was nowhere to be found. In his place stood only a man with eyes so terrifying that one misstep would see him draw his blade in an instant.
“One more thing: do not attempt to obstruct my disciple Daphnen ever again. Make this clear to your sons as well. Should anyone from your household harm that child in the future—should I even see an attempt—know that the Priest of the Sword will devote everything to striking back.”
There was no room left for excuses. The giant Priest Peloros bent his waist in a pitiful display of pleading.
“I was wrong! I was entirely wrong! Forgive me, I beg you… But it is not simple to take back words once spoken. Nauplion Priest… do not drag my sons into slander I did not commit. What am I to do? I will make every effort, but I cannot live without my sons….”
“How could undoing a wrong be so easy? I appreciate your resolve to make an effort, but should something occur, even if I myself must be destroyed, I will see those two wretches hanged. I swear it by my sword, the Rune of Thunder.”
“That is personal vengeance! Nauplion Priest, please do not say such things….”
“Vengeance?”
Nauplion turned the remaining half-circle and returned to his original position. From his lips flowed a voice as cold as ice.
“The Priest of the Sword is the Moon Queen’s greatest instrument of vengeance. Have you forgotten?”

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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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