Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 245

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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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Episode 15.
Not All Children Are Angels (15)
If I claimed to understand his feelings perfectly, I would be lying. Yet Franz sensed the frustration his son carried—the suffocating sensation of being trapped in endless social gatherings where one must mask their true thoughts behind hollow pleasantries. For a Demonic to exist among ordinary people…
“But as you know, they don’t live long. Of course, if you live long enough, you’ll eventually meet one. However, that’s a distant future, so for now, I’ll listen to whatever you have to say. Speak freely.”
Joshua didn’t rush to speak. Instead, he stared intently at his father. Franz spoke again.
“I am your father.”
A father would neither hate nor fear his son, no matter what monster he might be. Franz believed this with absolute certainty. He thought there was nothing left that could surprise him. After all, he had raised Joshua for nine years.
“Then, Father, just for this evening, allow me to speak my mind freely. Please understand.”
As Joshua spoke, his eyes grew distant and took on an unfamiliar light. Franz couldn’t help but flinch. What came next was even more unexpected.
“What I intend to do from now on is to bring the age of the Republic to an end and establish a new kingdom. Of course, you’ll need to carry out the execution, Father.”
Franz didn’t know what expression to wear in that moment.
“…Establish a kingdom?”
“Yes. The New Kingdom of Anomarad.”
Joshua tilted his head back and forth, looking up at his father as if wondering whether he had understood correctly.
Franz knew the kingdom his son spoke of was not a wooden castle guarded by toy soldiers, yet he still found it difficult to accept immediately. He took a deep breath and managed to ask.
“I see… So, how do you plan to do this?”
“First, you’ll need to make preparations, Father.”
“What kind of preparations?”
Franz resolved not to be surprised by whatever his son said next, though he wasn’t certain of his own limits—of how far his capacity could stretch.
Joshua answered.
“When the Republic collapses, many people will die. Of course, neither you nor anyone else can prevent that. It’s inevitable regardless. But Father, you made a promise with Dansburg when the Republic first began. Now you must break it. Some will call you a traitor. To not be troubled by such things, you’ll need some mental preparation.”
Franz had never spoken to anyone—not even his wife Elza—about what he had discussed with Dansburg at that time. He certainly had never mentioned it to Joshua. Yet his son, who had been merely two years old then, spoke as if he knew everything about it.
“…Yes, but how am I supposed to bring down the Republic?”
“Of course, even if you remain still, there are hands reaching for the Republic’s throat from all directions. It won’t take more than three years. But waiting isn’t the answer. If it ends that way, it’s terrible for our family. If we remain spectators while the game concludes, our House becomes nothing but spoils for them to divide as they please.”
Joshua’s words struck precisely at what Franz had been wrestling with. What would become of the nobles who had cooperated with the Republican Government when it collapsed?
“When the Republican Revolution erupted, you did well, Father. Given that you had no prior knowledge, you made the best response possible. Now it’s time to finish the game, and there’s only one way to avoid becoming spoils.”
“What’s that?”
“Become a player.”
His son was right. There was simply no other way. The House of Arnim, trapped in Keltika, possessed neither physical force nor supporting factions.
“I wish that were possible, but unfortunately they don’t want a new player. I’m not sure what you’re thinking.”
“I’m thinking about pawns in chess.”
Joshua sat in his chair with his knees drawn up, resting his chin on them. In that posture, he looked truly small.
“The Royalist Faction is divided into two, aren’t they? Those around Duke Amicen, the great-grand-uncle of the late Elbant III, and those who want to elevate Count Parinac, the eldest cousin. There’s talk of joining hands and striking Keltika first, but the discord between them is so severe that they can’t communicate well. Do you think it would be difficult for them to join hands, Father?”
“That’s uncertain. Negotiations aren’t progressing because they view the Republic as a weak entity they can strike whenever they wish. If the Republic were truly threatening, they would have already united and marched on Keltika.”
“Right. Since the Republic is nothing but a scarecrow and will collapse whenever it does, the question of who becomes king afterward is far more important to them. So will they soon turn on each other in civil war?”
Franz found himself wondering what he was doing, debating strategy with a nine-year-old, but he answered as carefully as he would to a military advisor.
“Duke Amicen is old, but his elite soldiers are formidable, and young Count Parinac has supporters rallying around him. Neither side is an opponent that can be subdued in one stroke. If they start, it’s obvious a prolonged conflict will ensue, so they’re being cautious. Above all, powerful lords still remain neutral and entrenched in their territories. Which side they support will be a crucial variable in determining victory or defeat.”
“Duke Amicen lacks patience, and Count Parinac has grown arrogant since gaining his cousins’ support. So the stalemate will likely end soon. Will Duke Amicen, unable to bear Count Parinac’s arrogance—the kind that makes him laugh when called ‘Your Highness’ at banquets—draw his sword first? Or perhaps the reverse. When blinded by overconfidence, he might see the elderly duke commanding twenty thousand elite soldiers as nothing but a paper tiger.”
Indeed, rumors abounded that the conflict between them was on a knife’s edge. Yet it was confusing how much credence to give to someone speaking as if he had actually met them at a banquet.
Joshua continued.
“But if those two are truly wise, they should understand that fighting each other gains them nothing—only the Republican Government benefits. In truth, swallowing the Republican Government would be far more profitable than warring with each other. The Capital, Keltika, would fall into their hands. The only reason they hesitate is fear of premature action leading to failure, which would reduce them to prey for the next stage. This delusion—that they have only one future rival—blinds them. But while those two fight, will neighboring nations like Lemme merely watch? The colonized territories seeking independence, the Orlanne Duchy, the border lords who haven’t chosen sides—they’re all thinking the same thing. In their eyes, the future isn’t limited to two options. There are at least three or four possibilities, and choosing wrongly means falling off the board entirely.”
Franz understood much of this already, but hearing his young son articulate such unsparing analysis left him disconcerted. He asked,
“Where on earth do you hear such things?”
“At school, all sorts of talk circulates. You just have to distinguish rumor from truth. People prefer speaking of hope rather than reality. In any case, we cannot wait long. I’ve heard that Dansburg’s illness is grave—before he dies is our opportunity.”
Dansburg’s condition was a closely guarded secret, yet it proved impossible to seal the mouths and ears of every Republican Government official’s child.
Joshua walked quietly through the schoolyard, gathering rumors and falsehoods from all quarters. He had no need to concentrate on his studies. From the information he accumulated so carefully, he extracted hidden patterns and pierced through secrets. For Joshua, this was perhaps no more difficult than the chessboard Tomison had ruined.
Suddenly Joshua fell silent and stared intently at his father’s face before asking,
“What do you think a pawn is in chess?”
He had posed the same question moments before. Franz considered briefly before answering.
“A pawn is the weakest piece, but when the game reaches its endgame, it can play a decisive role.”
Joshua nodded.
“The game the Republic has been playing has entered its endgame.”
“You mean it’s time for a good finish?”
“It’s when pawns get their chance. If we fail to seize it, we’ll be sacrificed to one side or the other. I believe the position Father must choose now can be found in the pawn itself.”
As he spoke, Joshua pulled toward himself a box that always sat on one corner of the table and opened it. Inside were bitter-tasting candies—a peculiar preference of Joshua’s. He withdrew one candy, placed it in his mouth, and slowly sucked on it while his brows furrowed deeply. Observing the discord between his son’s words and his childlike behavior, Franz fell into contemplation.
Nobles like House of Arnim, trapped in Keltika, were worthless prisoners in the Republican Government’s eyes—not even useful as hostages. To the Royalist Faction, they were already dead pieces. In other words, they were useless pieces no matter which side they joined.
Yet a chess pawn’s strength varies with circumstances. Joshua was suggesting they use House of Arnim’s position—which differed depending on perspective—like a chess pawn now that the board was nearing its end.
That the Republican Revolution’s game had entered its endgame was a paradigm shift he had not previously conceived. Yet he still could not imagine what a pawn might accomplish.
As the candy dissolved halfway, Joshua spoke again.
“Our family has lost its soldiers, so we lack physical force. But we possess other kinds of strength in abundance. First, Father is a duke who survived the Republic. When the Republican Revolution occurred, nearly all prominent nobles were executed or fled. That we survived here means the citizens of Keltika favored Father, and simultaneously that Father did not abandon the citizens. The Republican Government could not ignore the people’s goodwill due to its inherent nature. At the same time, those who now seek to seize Keltika will also desire the citizens’ welcome. Why wouldn’t they? The citizens of Keltika are people who have enjoyed eight years of the Republic. Unless they plan to slaughter every citizen, our family is precisely the gleaming ornament a conqueror of Keltika should wear upon his chest.”
As Joshua spoke with cold laughter, his expression reminded Franz of one person, and without thinking, he tensed, his brows drawing tight. Had his uncle—the one he had once wished to follow—stood before thousands, he would have worn exactly that expression.
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Month’s Books
The copyright to this book belongs to the author and 14 Month’s Books.
To reuse all or part of this book’s content, written consent from both parties is required.

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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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