Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 213

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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 213.
Choose the Dawn (25)
“Was that stubbornness? I never even got angry with you—I only said I might become angry. Truth is, most people told me to do whatever I wanted before I even said that. But you’re different. Is it because you decided to play the role of Elder Brother yesterday?”
“Don’t assume everyone in the world is a servant of your household.”
“I didn’t think that! But since I’m not your younger brother today, I can do as I please, right?”
“You’re still planning to go?”
Lucian started to answer immediately, then hesitated as if remembering something, tilting his head slightly. After a moment, he spoke.
“Well… now that I think about it, I don’t really feel like going.”
“That’s how it is. But when morning comes later, you’ll think differently.”
“Will I? Then if I practice swordplay today before I go, you won’t interfere, right?”
“Lucian, I don’t usually meddle in other people’s affairs. The reason I forcibly brought you along was…”
Boris himself seemed to find it strange, and though his expression was awkward, he continued to the end.
“I noticed your attitude toward gambling has changed from before. When you first went, you said it was merely a game, that you enjoyed playing with many people. The money you always lost seemed like a fortune to me, but I tried to think from your perspective since it meant nothing to you. But think about today. If it were truly just a game, would you have tried so hard to win even by borrowing money?”
Lucian tilted his head but continued listening. Boris went on.
“I’ve never gambled, but I can guess. You probably found it easy to lose all the borrowed money, and then you would have either borrowed more or tried to stake something absurd. People who become heavily addicted to gambling that way end up wagering all their possessions and homes, and eventually even their families.”
“Come on, that’s ridiculous! How could anyone stake a person in a bet? Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
Boris turned his head to look directly at Lucian’s face.
“If you don’t think so, then promise me. That you won’t go there again.”
“Promise… you say?”
Lucian seemed hesitant. Then Boris drove the point home.
“You don’t think you’re a person with strong self-control. Look back on your actions today. If something seems like you can’t restrain yourself from it, don’t touch it. Otherwise, I won’t trust you.”
Time passed in silence, and then Lucian spoke.
“I understand. I won’t go again. I promise.”
“I believe you.”
It was quiet, with nothing but the sound of their breathing. Looking up at the night sky pierced by stars, Boris spoke.
“I ended up meddling too much in your affairs. I’m not sure why I do that.”
Lucian, who had been tracing constellations with his finger, replied.
“I’m different from you. Since we think differently, there’s much to say.”
“That’s not it…”
“That’s not it?”
For the first time in a while, Boris wore a boyish expression, tilting his head in puzzlement as he spoke.
“I’ve been wondering if the reason you turned to gambling in the first place was because you won a large sum at Silverskull before, because of me…”
“Ahahaha…”
Lucian suddenly burst into laughter, and Boris stared at him in disbelief.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Hahaha, so your thinking actually hit the mark… and, hahaha… the fact that you’d worry about such a thing… it’s funny!”
Boris’s expression became even more incredulous.
“What’s funny about that?”
Lucian kept his promise for ten days. Exactly ten days.
On the eleventh day, Boris noticed that Lucian was nowhere to be found after lunch. When he went to the Stable to ask, he learned, as expected, that he had gone out. Boris borrowed a horse as well.
Finding the way to Amochia was simple enough. But locating the building where gambling took place proved far more difficult. The alley I’d followed the men down could only be accessed through the back door of the General Store, so circling around outside made it impossible to pinpoint the location.
After wasting considerable time, I finally stood before my destination. When I turned the doorknob, it was locked.
“….”
An ominous premonition swept across my entire body. It wasn’t foresight, but instinct alone was enough to be certain.
I scaled the wall to search for another entrance. As expected, a large main entrance appeared. Several men stood guard at the door.
As I moved to enter, two men blocked my path and attempted to shove me aside with their bodies.
“Do you know what place this is?”
They started with crude language. Perhaps influenced by the bad premonition, I found no courteous words coming to my lips either.
“Move.”
“Arrogant bastard… Why don’t you get lost?”
As the man tried to push me away with one arm, I struck his solar plexus hard with the hilt of my sword instead of drawing the blade.
“Ugh!”
As the man collapsed, another immediately drew his sword and rushed at me.
If he wanted to draw steel, that suited me fine. It took me less than three minutes to drive back the three men with my drawn blade. Fortunately, no one was watching.
After chasing the men far away, I went straight through the main entrance and opened the door leading to the Gambling House.
The ease with which the door opened seemed suspicious. And indeed, the interior was completely empty.
“Damn it!”
I surveyed my surroundings before proceeding hastily. There was a risk of being trapped. The men I’d driven away might return with reinforcements.
There had been many people at tables other than the one where Lucian sat, yet today there was no one at all. I wondered why. Were all those people truly in on this together? Or was today simply a day of rest?
No, that couldn’t be it.
My eyes fell on the curtain covering half the opposite wall. I removed the bolt from the door I’d entered through and destroyed the wooden lock, then approached the wall and yanked the curtain aside.
As expected, there was a door. But it was locked. A padlock secured it from the outside.
If Lucian wasn’t trapped alone somewhere, there had to be other people inside besides him. Even with just one guard, if it’s locked from the outside like this, there’s no way out from inside. Then there must surely be another exit.
When I went back outside, I noticed the building was single-story but connected to other structures via an external passage. That door must lead to the passage, or perhaps to a basement beneath it.
After brief consideration, I climbed onto the roof. There it was—a trapdoor on the roof leading down to the passage. This time it was locked from the inside.
The ceiling hatch was easy to break. Using my weight, I rammed it five or six times until one hinge came loose and the door panel fell inward. After a few more strikes, the other hinge gave way, and I landed inside the passage.
Looking toward where the door had been behind the curtain, I found stairs descending into the basement, exactly as I’d anticipated.
Drawing my sword, I descended the stairs and paused, listening carefully. I heard voices—people talking. Laughter mixed in occasionally.
As I went further down, I unexpectedly heard what seemed to be Lucian’s voice.
“Did I lose this round too? Ugh, seriously….”
Still in the middle of a game? What trick had they used to make Lucian enter the basement room so unsuspectingly?
When I reached the room from which bright light was spilling out, I listened carefully to the conversation flowing from within and grasped the situation.
Lucian was already losing substantial sums, and it seemed he’d borrowed money several times without hesitation. If he continued borrowing like this, eventually he would want to stop, and the moment he refused further temptation would be when they’d make their move.
It could be kidnapping, or they might force him to write a letter home demanding more money. Either way, their goal was to extract the maximum amount from this wealthy young master.
But then Lucian said something unexpected.
“I’ve lost quite a bit. You all seem to need money very badly? You’ve won that much, yet you won’t stop for today? Want to play a bit more? I still have far more money than you do, so I can afford to lose more.”
No response came to those words. The men seemed flustered. The reply that came shortly after was this:
“Ha, haha… Of course, young master, as you wish….”
“Then let’s play some more. Will you lend me another thousand Elso?”
By then, I had assessed how to handle this situation. Without waiting any longer, I opened the door and stepped inside.
“Ah, no….”
The three men stared at Boris in shock. None of them carried weapons. They had either been satisfied with stationing guards outside, or perhaps they hadn’t wanted to threaten Lucian just yet.
But now Boris had appeared with a sword in hand—the situation had spiraled far beyond their control.
Boris walked forward calmly and took his place beside Lucian. When Lucian saw him, he laughed sheepishly and scratched his head.
“I’ve broken my promise…. But I wanted to continue a bit longer….”
“I’ll make sure you don’t want to continue anymore.”
Boris spoke in a cold voice, then turned his gaze toward the men.
“How about a round with me this time?”
Since Boris had never shown interest in gambling before, the men—and even Lucian—stared at him in astonishment.
Without waiting for a response, Boris pulled a chair forward and sat down at the table.
The leader among the men forced an indifferent expression and his mind raced. They had stationed guards outside, yet this man had made it through—either they’d all been overwhelmed, or he’d found a clever alternate route.
The Young Boy alone couldn’t have subdued all of them, so there was a possibility of more accomplices outside. Conversely, there might be no one else, and their own guards could arrive at any moment.
In any case, they were unarmed, and they had no clear way to subdue an opponent with a sword. Even if they could manage it, they’d sustain considerable injuries. Moreover, they would expose their identities to Lucian.
Lucian had been a good source of income for some time, but they knew they couldn’t bleed the heir of the Kaltz Trading Company dry forever.
The Kaltz Trading Company controlled more than half of the commercial interests in this region, directly and indirectly. One misstep could cost them their lives.
When they saw Lucian arrive today after so long, they’d thought it was their last chance. Their plan was to have him accumulate as much debt as possible through gambling, then force him to write a letter asking his family to bring money.
Once the money arrived, they could send him off without incident. There was little chance the money wouldn’t come—considering how freely Lucian had spent his wealth here before.
Then they could pocket a tidy sum and disappear to another region. As long as the naive Lucian didn’t realize he’d been swindled, there was no risk of pursuit. But if he did realize it, things would become difficult.
In any case, they had guards outside, and it was worth buying time. Waiting would reveal which situation they were actually in.
“I thought you weren’t interested in places like this. Well, if you want to play, there’s no reason to refuse. But do you have money?”
Boris spoke in an indifferent tone, looking down at the dice.
“I don’t usually enjoy gambling, so let’s keep it between you and me—a single round. You stake all the debt my friend owes.”
The leader-like man let out a bewildered laugh.
“Do you know how much that is? It’s 4,000 Elsona in total. So you’re saying you’ll stake an equal amount on your side?”
“Money? I have none of that. What I’m staking is your head.”

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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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