Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 218

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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 218.
Choose the Dawn (30)

“Happy birthday!”
One mid-July morning, I rose from bed and stepped into the living room only to find myself face-to-face with a group of musicians. I had to rub my eyes to shake off the last vestiges of sleep.
Of course, even after rubbing my eyes and looking again, the musicians didn’t vanish. But the effort wasn’t entirely fruitless—nestled among them was Lucian, clutching an enormous box.
“Now, begin!”
At Lucian’s signal, the musicians launched into a lively dance tune.
While I stared in bewilderment, the musicians exchanged knowing grins and finished their performance. Lucian then thrust a box so large it covered his shoulders entirely into my arms.
“Open it quickly!”
Was today my birthday?
I’d answered Lucian’s sudden question about half a month ago, and I was impressed that this forgetful fellow had actually remembered. Truth be told, I myself had completely forgotten about it until now.
A ribbon-tied box—when was the last time I’d received something like this? Before I turned ten, perhaps?
The thoughtfulness touched me, and I couldn’t help but smile. Only Lucian would think to arrange such an absurd celebration.
The box appeared quite heavy by its volume, but it turned out to be surprisingly light. When I untied the ribbon and opened the lid, I was startled once more. Inside lay another box, slightly smaller than the first.
“Open it!”
I opened the second box with a puzzled expression. Upon discovering yet another box inside, even smaller than the previous one, I immediately glared at Lucian.
Lucian giggled and spoke.
“Exercise a little patience. There’s still plenty more. If you give up already, what will you do?”
Patience was indeed required. As I opened the seventh box, I began to suspect that the boxes themselves might be the actual birthday gift.
“We’re almost there now!”
By the time I’d opened ten boxes, even the musicians—having completed their employer’s task—began cheering me on in this unprecedented multi-box opening challenge.
When I pulled out the seventeenth box, it bore a note reading “Happy seventeenth birthday!” I opened the final box with the resignation of someone who’d already abandoned all hope of finding an actual gift.
And my hands froze.
“….”
Lucian watched as I steadied my breathing and reached into the box. I saw myself cup it in both hands, then withdraw and step back as if unable to believe what I was touching.
Eventually, I lifted a single strand and rubbed it between my fingertips. Dry grass powder crumbling and falling away—needlegrass from the southern Meadow of Trabaches, brought here so parched it had withered completely. The long-stemmed weed that had carpeted my homeland’s fields.
Ordinarily a useless plant….
Yet I had dreamed of that grass countless times, the way it rippled like hair in the darkening evening breeze across the meadow. Though I harbored no longing for my homeland, the fields where needlegrass grew never faded from my memory, appearing whenever I thought I’d forgotten them.
The land where I’d rolled and tumbled, trampled and raced, where the grass clung to my clothes—that was where my Elder Brother had been.
I gathered a handful and held it to my nose, breathing deeply. Though faint, it carried the scent I’d often caught in autumn. Like a child remembering his mother’s fragrance, it filled me with an indescribable sense of comfort.
“I had someone make a special trip to Trabaches to fetch it. How is it? Did that grass grow where you lived? I heard it’s the most common weed in southern Trabaches.”
A moment later, I lifted my head and smiled.
“Of course. It truly was a wonderful gift.”
Four months had passed since I began living with Lucian.
In late July, when the summer heat reached its peak, I took him along with several servants and hunters on a camping expedition to a nearby riverbank. While I soothed Lucian, who whimpered from insect bites on his limbs, I taught him how to spear fish the way Nauplion had taught me.
Lucian, experiencing this for the first time, soon found himself splashing about gleefully, soaking his clothes without a care in the world.
For me, camping was something I hadn’t done in nearly a year. I rolled up my trouser legs, tied my long hair up the way Nauplion did, and spent the entire day happily with Lucian, armed with nothing but a single spear.
By evening, we’d caught five or six large fish. When we returned, the servants had already constructed a cottage and kindled a fire. Though it felt strange not to prepare the campsite myself, we were able to prepare dinner immediately.
For a child of noble birth, Lucian was remarkably unpicky about food. He lavished praise on the fish soup I’d prepared using skills I’d picked up during my time with Nauplion, and ate every last drop.
“You know how to do so many things. I’m not particularly good at anything.”
It was after dinner, during that brief moment before retiring for the night when they had paused to gaze at the stars. Lucian, chin resting in his palms with his head tilted upward, murmured these words, and Boris, who had been looking up at the sky alongside him, replied.
“Finding enjoyment in anything—that’s your talent.”
As August arrived with sea breezes, the heat began to break. During this time, Lucian had hosted his Bluebell Party, though Lanji never attended.
Boris had considered asking Yien about it, but decided it was better to keep his promise and refrain. He didn’t linger long at the party venue either.
The Kaltz Estate had quite a substantial library, and as the weather cooled, Boris spent considerable time borrowing and reading books. One evening, after finishing his sword practice, Lucian approached Boris with a serious expression.
“I’m thinking of going to school.”
“School?”
“Yeah. I’m seventeen now, and it feels like I haven’t properly learned anything so far. I guess I’ve only ever wanted to do things that were fun.”
Such words from Lucian’s mouth were entirely unexpected. Boris tilted his head in puzzlement, then nodded and asked.
“What kind of school? What would you study?”
“Magic! If you go west along the Mountain Range from here, there’s supposedly the finest Magic School on the Continent. It doesn’t only teach magic—they also teach swordplay, history, and classical studies. But apparently the entrance exam is quite difficult. I’m thinking of studying hard this autumn and winter, and taking the exam at year’s end… Boris.”
“What?”
Lucian suddenly grabbed Boris’s arm firmly and spoke.
“Won’t you come with me?”
“Huh?”
It would certainly be strange if Lucian didn’t ask him to come along, Boris thought, yet he couldn’t answer easily.
Honestly, he had no confidence in studying for the entrance exam, but more than that… a school was a place where children his own age gathered and belonged together.
Lucian was somewhat exceptional, but Boris still wasn’t confident he could get along well with peers his age. Even during his time at Scoli, he had few pleasant memories.
Above all, children from wealthy families who would naturally attend such a place wouldn’t understand the circumstances that had forced Boris to grow up as he had. Meanwhile, he would find it difficult to blend in with their ordinary lives. To go to such a place deliberately…
Then Lucian spoke.
“Boris, well… spending time with you and watching you, I’ve realized I’ve been living entirely as I pleased. Of course, I still enjoy amusing things and playing pranks, but still… wouldn’t it be good to find something I’m suited for and work hard at it? For the first time, I’m thinking that way.”
Lucian’s eyes held genuine seriousness.
“Boris, you said you’ve faced many difficult things since childhood, right? I haven’t experienced that, so even though we’re the same age, I’m far behind you. I’ve touched on many things and heard I have talent for them, but ultimately I’d get bored and abandon them all. I never even thought about seeing anything through to the end.”
Today, Lucian was saying things that were hard to believe coming from him. Then, clasping his hands tightly together, he continued.
“This time, I want to truly try until I’m really good at something! But… I’m worried that if you’re not beside me, I won’t be able to keep working hard. So come with me. I’ll ask Father to pay for all your tuition, so please, come with me!”
“…”
Boris didn’t answer readily. If Lucian went to school alone, Boris would have no reason to remain at the Kaltz Estate. He would have to leave for somewhere new.
Returning to Gwallero and staying with Bunin would be pleasant too, but… was that really the right choice?
When Boris didn’t respond, Lucian eventually nodded and spoke.
“If you can’t decide right away, take some time to think about it. Oh, and I don’t think the exam will be too difficult for you. That school has nine important subjects, and if you’re really good at just two of them, you can be admitted even if you’re terrible at the others. One of them is swordplay. So you’ve already secured one subject, haven’t you? So think about it slowly, in a positive direction! Understood?”
The next day, it rained.
Sitting on the terrace, Boris gazed blankly at the buildings visible beyond the curtain of rain.
Lucian had gone out with his tutor to purchase books for his studies. Boris, having spent the morning alone for the first time in a while reading, had come to the terrace after hearing the sound of rain.
The late summer rain fell quite heavily.
This terrace was located at the western corner of the manor, making it ideal for watching sunsets. Of course, seeing a sunset on a day like this would be difficult, but being in the corner meant the Meadow beyond the estate stretched far into view. Boris often came to sit here to gaze at the horizon.
Beyond the mist, the shadow of the Forest lingered. He knew the Forest existed there, but had never once visited it.
When spending time with Lucian, there was almost no time to go out alone for a walk. Though the Garden within the estate was so beautifully arranged it could be called a small forest.
The Forest sways.
The rain intensified for a moment, then eased, repeating this pattern. When the rain lightened, he noticed that what had appeared to be a somewhat prominent tree was actually quite close.
Tap, tap, tap.
By the time the sound of water dripping from the eaves became distinguishable from the rain itself, I realized the figure standing in the downpour was a person on horseback. Standing at a distance, watching this way.
I could make out little more than their pale blonde hair.
The moment I realized that person was looking at me, the rain began pouring down again in earnest. The face I’d almost recognized was erased by the deluge.
“Boris, look at this. Isn’t it incredible? Isn’t it amazing?”
Lucian tugged at my sleeve, urging me to look quickly. Since I hadn’t read a single page yet, his enthusiasm was directed more at the leather-scented covers than the contents themselves.
Of course, Lucian had seen plenty of such books in his own Study back home. But these were the first books he’d purchased himself, so everything about them seemed magnificent to him.
I flipped through several pages of the stacked books before asking.
“Are you really going to be able to read all of these?”
“Reading alone isn’t enough. To get a good score, I’ll practically have to memorize them. I’ve already found out what the nine subjects are. They’re divided into Magic Studies, Warrior Studies, and Academic Studies—for Magic or Warrior Studies, you only need to excel at one thing, whether it’s incantations or weapon types. And for Academic Studies….”
Academic Studies included Alchemy, Ancient Literature, Mathematics, Music Theory, History, Logic, and Rhetoric. And one more thing—there were rare cases where the Headmaster would call someone in even if they failed the exam. If you received something called a “Rune” after a conversation with the Headmaster, admission was guaranteed unconditionally.
“Of course… since the last person to receive a Rune was admitted five years ago, I can’t really count on such luck.”
“So which subject are you going to study?”

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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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