Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 185

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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 185.
The Voice of the Sealed Land (31)
Even though I could not be close to her, I had come to feel Isolet as my one and only beloved in the depths of my heart, and I did not wish to mar her image with even the smallest blemish.
Though we could not be together, I had thought to remain where news of her might reach me. Yet I had returned after telling the Regent, the highest authority on the Island, that I would refuse to become a Pilgrim.
If I did not become a formal Pilgrim, I would have to leave the Island.
That method was certainly correct. Unless Liriope relented in her stubbornness, it was the only way for me to escape this unexpected bind.
To return to the Continent, beyond the reach of the Regent’s authority, to become a person belonging to the mainland once more. And this was possible only because I had not yet undergone the purification ritual.
Yet there existed another great burden in my heart.
Was I truly free to leave Nauplion behind?
I recalled the moment I first arrived on the Island. On that small sailboat cutting unstably through the waves, there was the navigator who had calmed the sea—that wounded young boy, and Nauplion was the only person he had trusted.
Trusting that one person, I had turned my back on my homeland and the Continent, choosing to live in this unfamiliar land. I could almost hear my own voice from that time.
My chest felt unbearably tight. If I left the Island now, there would be no way to meet Nauplion again.
There was no possibility that Nauplion, who had returned to the Priesthood after leaving it vacant for so long, would come to the Continent as before, and once I left the Island, I would never again be permitted to set foot in the Pilgrims’ domain.
Moreover, if the vision I saw in the Forest of Hearts was true, Nauplion’s reprieved life stood at the threshold of its maximum limit—ten years.
I shook my head and finally let the tears fall. To part with Nauplion now meant not only never seeing his face again, but being unable to be present even at his final moment.
He had once been the teacher I thought I loved most among all living people in this world. I had resolved to entrust my remaining life to him, had followed him here vowing to always remain by his side. And now I would abandon him forever?
Regardless of people’s jealousy and opposition, he had made me his sole disciple. Since then, whenever problems arose, he had been the first to step forward, to shield me, to protect me. These memories came flooding back one by one, and I grew increasingly overwhelmed.
I remembered being startled when I first noticed the traces of age on Nauplion’s face. His wrinkles were as much my doing as anyone’s.
There was also Zero, who hoped I would become the Priest of the Sword and lead the Island’s people, who were heading in the wrong direction, toward the glory of Ganapoli. And Oizis, who had miraculously recovered his body but now behaved as though he could not live without me. There was also Despoina, who had suffered greatly defending me through all manner of entanglements.
All these people, each for their own reasons, held fast to my feet.
The door creaked open and then closed. There could only be one person entering.
Nauplion did not come in quickly. Instead, he stood with his back to the door, looking down at me.
The surroundings were dark, and his expression was not clearly visible. I sat by the window, looking up at him. I thought that my own expression must not be visible to him either.
After a moment, I realized his breathing was slightly rough.
“I am truly useless, am I not.”
The words came out like a murmur. It was only possible because we could not see each other’s faces.
“Since arriving here, I have caused nothing but problems. Even if I had ten children, I could not have troubled you more. Why did I say I would follow you to this place? Had I known I would become such a burden, I should never have come from the beginning.”
“…No.”
His voice was as dark as the face shrouded in shadow. I struggled to suppress the sudden surge rising in my throat.
“If only… you would simply be angry with me… my heart would be easier… but there is nothing… nothing I can do… if only I had never known you from the start… if I had remained on the Continent… would I have survived until now….”
My words broke as I had to swallow. All manner of thoughts, every memory, came pouring down at once. Even the happy memories had become a heavy burden now.
I could not let go.
“I was glad you were here.”
A soft sigh escaped.
“I mean it. Would I have known happiness without you? When I was wandering aimlessly on the Continent without purpose, you appeared before me. I was the one who received help. Because of you, my life gained purpose. It is strange. You were in the most desperate state of anyone, yet watching you, I came to understand what hope was.”
It was the first time Nauplion had laid bare his feelings so honestly.
He knew how to speak directly about my affairs and those of others, but when it came to his own heart, he was always clumsy. Or rather, he chose not to express it.
Even with just a word or two spoken indirectly, I would quickly sense his meaning, but even so, it could not compare to hearing him speak so directly as he did now.
“I have always been a hypocrite when it comes to myself and my own life. So I tried to treat at least everyone else fairly. I never became the person I wanted to be. I imitated, but in the end, I have returned to this. When I first met you… you remember, don’t you? I must have seemed carefree and cheerful, but not a single memory I carried then was unmarked by the stigma of ‘regret.'”
In the darkness, Nauplion’s hand moved to brush back his fallen hair. Despite his calm voice, his fingertips trembled slightly.
“I’m grateful that I met you. No matter what you do, I won’t be disappointed in you or hate you. You were my second life. So… it’s fine for you to return to the Continent now.”
It felt as though a dagger had pierced through my chest and lodged itself there.
I had already anticipated this would happen, yet hearing it from Nauplion’s own lips made my heart ache in ways I couldn’t understand. The pain made it difficult even to breathe.
“Where could I possibly go? I would become alone again, just as I was before meeting you, wouldn’t I? Going back to that land where I must be wary of everyone, unable to speak honestly with anyone, where there is no one I care for—how could I possibly forget everything that has happened?”
Nauplion shook his head firmly and spoke.
“You’re different now. You’ve grown stronger, and everything has improved. Enough that I need not worry… Ah, but if I could, I would want to go with you. If we could return to those days when we traveled together… that would truly be wonderful.”
Both of them fell silent for a long time. Memories of that era ignited in their minds, and emotions were rekindled.
Back then, as long as Nauplion was by my side, nothing else mattered. There was no enemy plotting through hatred, no need to face them with a hardened heart to avoid defeat, and… I didn’t even know who the girl was that I saw in the vision within the lake.
Why couldn’t I remain in that time…
But Nauplion soon composed himself and returned to reality. A desolate light flickered in his eyes.
“The finest moments in life are always fleeting. They pass far too quickly. It’s like being unable to hold onto the beautiful light of a summer afternoon. This is simply another such moment arriving. You need not blame yourself. I’ve known for a long time that such a day would come. I’ve always been resolved that you would eventually leave, and when that time came, I would not hold you back. I decided from the beginning that I would not keep you at my side for my own happiness. Do you remember how I opposed your decision to come to the Island at first?”
Daphnen nodded. There was nothing else he could say.
“I’ve been thinking about this since then. There were times I wondered if the opportunity would never come. But Liriope awakened me from my numbness. I should have sent you back, but I was unknowingly forgetting that because of my own happiness.”
“You… you intended to send me back to the Continent from the very beginning? Why?”
Daphnen’s voice trembled. Nauplion shook his head slightly before speaking.
“Perhaps there were moments when I didn’t think that way. Having you by my side was too precious. But in the end, I’ve come to feel that my initial thought was correct. From the moment we first met, I knew you were a Continental through and through. Just as one cannot confine the wind in a cave, this closed society has nothing more to offer you. Now…”
Nauplion stepped closer. Daphnen rose to his feet as well.
His face, shimmering with a bluish hue in the moonlight, resembled a statue standing in a graveyard.
“When you leave, go to those in Lemme who remember me. The ones I mentioned to you when you first went out to the Continent because of Silverskull. They will readily give you work. I’ve taught you the fundamentals well enough that with a bit more effort, you’ll be able to make a living with just a sword. If you aim higher, you might even gain land where you need never wander again. You likely won’t be able to return to your homeland… Do you understand? I’ll write you another letter of introduction.”
Those who welcomed Daphnen simply for seeing Nauplion’s sword would certainly accept him. As long as he avoided any pursuers from Trabaches that might come, it would be possible to live peacefully for a long time.
But what good would that be? Whom would he love, and to whom would he bare his true heart?
“You like Isolet, don’t you?”
At Nauplion’s sudden words, Daphnen was left speechless and didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t expected such a direct question, so he couldn’t even give the answer he had prepared beforehand.
He should have said no, that Isolet was merely a teacher, but his lips simply wouldn’t move.
“Why are you like that? It’s not a bad thing. You’re fifteen years old—there’s nothing strange about liking a girl. I’ve known all along. That’s why I support your decision. If it weren’t for that, I might have asked you to take more time thinking about Liriope. But if you had easily accepted Liriope’s unreasonable request today, I myself would have been angry with you.”
Nauplion’s voice was honest. It was that voice he liked best.
“A person who easily changes their heart is utterly useless. In any case, after you refused the purification ritual and left the Town Hall, an emergency meeting was held. The Regent and all the Priesthood gathered to discuss, but in the end, no good conclusion was reached for your sake.”
I couldn’t say anything. Only then did I understand why Nauplion had looked so exhausted.
He must have argued and fought with many people until this night for my rights. And because he ultimately failed, he had come back and told me to leave.

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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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