Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 209

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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 209.
Choose the Dawn (21)
The blade that came at me had no edge—it was a practice sword. Seeing that my attacker was a seasoned swordsman, I asked bluntly.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“I meant no harm. Forgive me.”
No one around me had drawn their weapons. The swordsman lowered his blade and turned toward the back of the room as he spoke.
“So you are the champion they spoke of. Truly remarkable. Your technique is flawless, rivaling that of seasoned mercenaries.”
The person reclining in the armchair, watching me, was the owner of the necklace—Lady Rolliani. She smiled softly and spoke.
“I must apologize for testing you first. But you understand I meant no harm, yes? Boris Misterie, the previous Silverskull champion—that must be your name. One of our servants recognized your face when visiting Silverskull and informed me at once.”
I had never imagined someone would recognize me in such a manner, and I found myself at a loss. The lady continued.
“I had a favorable proposal for you, and knowing it was presumptuous, I arranged this meeting. Ah, but I should introduce myself first. I am Rolliani Kaltz, the mistress of the Kaltz Trading Company.”
The Kaltz Trading Company?
The name was so renowned that I almost failed to comprehend it at first. But understanding came swiftly.
Demerin Kaltz, the foremost merchant of Anomarad—was he not someone I had seen with my own eyes? Then this lady must be his wife?
“…What is your business with me?”
This lady had tested me in two ways. One was surely my swordsmanship, and the other was deliberately entrusting me with an expensive necklace. Such tests were simple and effective, but being tested without warning was hardly pleasant.
Yet now that I understood my opponent possessed immense wealth and power, there was no point in stubbornly refusing her apology. Having grown fond of my quiet life recently, I had no wish to create trouble over trivial matters.
The lady smiled broadly and spoke again.
“I wish to either employ you or become your patron. Choose whichever arrangement suits you best. I have a son about your age, and he is quite the handful. I would like you to be a friend who watches over him closely.”
It was an utterly unexpected proposal. I found my eyebrows rising involuntarily.
“It would be simple to think of it as hiring a bodyguard, but what I truly desire is somewhat different. My son has no siblings, and having been raised so preciously, he has no close friends to confide in. I worry greatly about his future. Recently, he has developed some troubling habits as well… So I hope you might be his friend, and at times serve as a mentor to guide him.”
Of course, I remembered Lucian, the lady’s son. I understood what she desired. Now that I observed her more closely, her eyes and smile bore considerable resemblance to Lucian’s.
“If you come to our manor, my husband and I will treat you not as an employee, but as a friend of our son. Of course, we will provide whatever compensation you desire, and we will take responsibility for all other aspects of your life. You need only come. What do you think?”
Lady Rolliani Kaltz, despite her considerable status, spoke and conducted herself with such gentleness and honesty that she was nothing like the disagreeable Countess Belnoer of old.
Yet her proposal was impossible from the start.
“I am grateful for your kind offer, but to speak plainly from the outset—it does not appeal to me.”
My answer came so swiftly and decisively that Lady Kaltz seemed taken aback. She appeared unable to imagine anyone refusing such a generous proposal without hesitation.
“Why not? Is there some other concern?”
“There is no other concern. I simply prefer my work as a blacksmith.”
With those words, I sheathed my sword and retrieved the necklace box, placing it on the table.
“It seems this was not your original purpose, but in any case, I was unable to repair it. My apologies.”
Before Lady Kaltz could respond, I bowed lightly and withdrew from the room.
As I descended the stairs, I smiled bitterly. I realized that the proposal I had received years ago in this very inn, in this very room, was not so different from this one.
Yet my choice now was the opposite of what it had been then. The fact that I was walking a different path created a strange contrast.

The Spring Fair grew bustling after lunch. Somewhere in the crowd, I lost sight of Bunin.
Losing someone wasn’t the same as becoming lost myself, so there was no need to worry. I simply wandered alone, taking in the vibrant energy of the people around me.
Having witnessed much grandeur and luxury in the past, and possessing little desire for material things by nature, the wares on display held little interest for me. My gaze lingered only on those who laughed and chattered.
Everyone appeared so happy…. The small children clutching their parents’ hands, the young people dressed in their finest with pretty dresses and new vests, the townspeople already flushed with drink and linking arms as they wandered—all wore expressions free from worry.
Of course, they each had their own difficulties, but on a day like this, it was permissible to forget them for a while. How wonderful such contentment was….
I found it somewhat curious that the leisurely, harmonious daily life that had never been granted to me no longer felt impossibly distant, but rather appeared as merely another scene in the landscape around me.
Tonya’s words had not been false. This was the third time that girl—whose name I could scarcely remember—had spoken to me.
I felt somewhat sorry that my smile before someone unfamiliar had seemed awkward, preventing me from responding comfortably. If Tonya was right, those children had shown courage in their own way.
Yet I could not help but overlay the scene of the Spring Fair with the memory of the last spring festival I had witnessed on Moon Island, and whenever I glimpsed a blonde-haired girl, the image of one person came to mind.
Of course, nowhere did I see a girl with hair as short as hers.
Though a year had already passed, the girl in my unfaded memory would turn twenty on the approaching twenty-first. It struck me anew how sorrowful it was not to be at her side on that day.
In a place I could never return to, she would become an adult, and I too would continue growing older.
“There you are! I’ve been searching for you!”
I startled as someone grabbed my arm, but it was Bunin. As expected, he had already drunk several cups.
“Let’s go quickly! The auction is starting! We’ve already missed all the good spots!”
That I ended up attending the outdoor auction, which I had no particular need to see, was entirely due to Bunin’s drunken enthusiasm. The auction had already begun. Since it was early, mostly modest items were being presented.
The Spring Fair’s auction was meant more as entertainment than commerce, so the process was relatively simple. Those wishing to sell their goods came forward personally to put them up for auction, and once the auctioneer finished his explanation, anyone in the gathered crowd could call out a price.
Of course, one could not simply withdraw after calling out the highest price, so people were cautious about joining in, but as a result, the atmosphere was quite lively.
The fourth person to bring forth goods was an elderly merchant who collected antiques as a profession.
Because the starting price itself was high and the items were worth viewing, the surrounding crowd naturally quieted and attention focused. The goods were sold one by one to people of apparent wealth.
I suddenly wondered whether the Countess Kaltz had come, so I moved deeper into the auction hall. Just then, the elderly merchant was removing a new item. The auctioneer began gesturing and calling out.
“Now, this! A most impressive piece of refined decoration—an absolute necessity for the ladies! A mirror with a cover, the very sort one might find in the royal court! It features a sapphire larger than a thumbnail, naturally genuine. The jewel alone is worth over a thousand Elso. It is as good as completely new….”
Since few could afford such an expensive item, the auctioneer’s cry failed to capture the onlookers’ interest. I spotted the Countess Kaltz among the crowd. She had brought five servants with her.
“…so we shall begin at four thousand Elso!”
Upon seeing the Countess, I thought it better to remain inconspicuous and turned to leave, but in that moment, I caught sight of the object the auctioneer had placed on the table, covered in white cloth.
My face flushed hot in an instant.
My heart pounded violently. Was that not the keepsake of Yefnen’s mother that he carried with him?
“Four thousand one hundred.”
The voice of a young noblewoman calling out a price came from beside me. Why was it here? Wondering if it might be a different item, I pushed through the crowd to the front row to look, but it was unmistakably Yefnen’s possession. I could not be mistaken.
“Four thousand two hundred Elso here.”
Once I confirmed the item was genuine, I nearly lost all capacity for rational thought.
What was this object? It was Yefnen’s sole keepsake from his mother, which he had cherished dearly before selling it with the pain of tearing away his own flesh, just before his death, for his younger brother’s sake. Without doubt… it was that very item.
The more closely I examined it, the more those painful memories of that time surged back to life, tearing my heart to shreds. The small happiness of recent months crumpled like paper. My chest grew heavy, my eyes burned. It felt as though my dead brother had returned to life.
I had to reclaim it. I could not allow it to fall into another’s hands. Ah…. If I could recover it, how joyful the dead Yefnen would be.
“Four thousand five hundred.”
As I stared in a daze, the price had already risen. After four thousand five hundred was called, no one raised their hand for some time.
I gazed at it with a desperate heart. How wonderful it would be if I could call out a high price all at once and purchase it.
But I lacked the funds. I did not even have five hundred Elso to my name.
Four thousand Elso was a substantial sum that Bunin likely did not possess either. Realistically, purchasing the covered mirror was impossible.
The item that had sold for merely three hundred Elso had risen in price to a degree that seemed almost fraudulent. I now truly understood how little my brother and I had known of its true value at that time.
The more impossible it seemed, the greater the pain became. I had discovered an object I never thought I would see again by chance, and the resentment at being unable to reclaim it was so intense I wished I could die. Never in my entire life had I felt such desperate need for money.
That was when it happened.
“My lady wishes to have a word with you.”
I turned to see a servant sent by the Countess Kaltz. Boris shook his head without a moment’s hesitation. I had no room for other thoughts right now. The servant spoke again.
“My lady is curious—do you perhaps have an interest in that item currently being auctioned?”
I didn’t immediately understand the situation. Then Bunin, who found it strange that a stranger was speaking to Boris, approached.
“What is this about?”
The servant spoke once more.
“Are you not interested?”
In that moment, a single possibility suddenly flashed through my emptied mind. Forgetting everything else, Boris answered urgently.
“I am interested. Please take me to her.”
There was no time to explain the situation to Bunin. The price of the covered mirror had already climbed considerably, and now only the final bid awaited.
Shortly after, a price was called that I thought might be the last.
“Four thousand six hundred.”
Boris approached the Countess Kaltz. She greeted him with a vibrant smile, youthful and radiant.
“Do you want that? I can buy it for you.”
“In exchange, you wish for me to accompany you?”
“Of course.”
In that moment, I was prepared to sell my very soul to obtain Yefnen’s possession. Surrendering my freedom was nothing I could not do.
The decision was made.
“Very well. Let us do this.”
The Countess Kaltz waved toward the auctioneer. From her lips came a price without hesitation.
“Six thousand. That concludes it, does it not?”

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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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