Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 263

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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 33.
Not All Children Are Angels (33)
Aneli’s eyes widened before she burst into laughter.
“You’re really something. What makes you think that?”
“Because I have a good proposal for you.”
“Oh? How intriguing. It must be such an amazing condition that I couldn’t possibly refuse it?”
Aneli chuckled teasingly, but Theo responded without hesitation.
“You could say that. As I mentioned, I’ve already completed half of it, and since you’ll handle the remaining half, if you resolve this problem, I’ll give you exactly half of what I gain.”
Aneli flinched and shot Theo a look. Anistan did the same, though for a different reason. After a brief silence, Aneli spoke.
“You seem serious about this.”
“This isn’t a joking matter.”
“No. This has to be a joke. I’m not going to lend my hand to a crime.”
“Consider it differently. This is also a magical experiment. You could call it a challenge. There’s a problem that seems impossible to anyone, and if you solve it, you get an enormous reward.”
“I already told you. Nobody can solve that. The opponent is a Demonic.”
“What I need is an obedient ten-year-old child. Whether that brat is a Demonic or not doesn’t matter to me. It’s a problem that might resolve itself if I wait long enough anyway, but I’m just trying to accelerate the timeline by providing a catalyst. I don’t want to wait any longer. I’ve already waited enough.”
As Anistan listened to Theo’s words, his gaze suddenly wavered. At that moment, Theo turned around as if he’d sensed Anistan’s emotions through the air itself. Their eyes met.
“….”
Soon after, Anistan, who had averted his gaze, asked.
“So all that’s needed is for that child to leave home? Nothing more than that?”
“That’s right. That’s all. There are plenty of places better than the Duke’s House for a brat like that. She might even be happier, having gained her freedom.”
“You won’t kill her or torment her?”
“If she doesn’t bother me, why would I need to do that?”
Aneli, who had been listening, shook her head and interjected.
“Listen here, you clever young people. There are plenty of ways to make a child leave home, but don’t you think the parents will try to find her if she disappears on her own? Even if they can’t find her, would they give up so easily? The real issue isn’t the child leaving—it’s the parents abandoning her. The only way this ends is if they decide this troublemaker isn’t worthy of inheriting the family. And wouldn’t such a conclusion only come when the child is older? What do you think a child under twenty could possibly do to make her parents give up on her?”
At that moment, Anistan spoke.
“There’s no need for that. If we can’t control that child, we can deceive the people around her instead.”
Theo and Aneli’s gazes fixed on Anistan. Aneli soon frowned in disbelief.
“Are you insane? How could you possibly deceive that many people? You’re saying you can manipulate dozens of ordinary people, as if it’s easier than dealing with a Demonic?”
“No. That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what?”
“We create a fake that looks exactly like her.”
Aneli seemed momentarily flustered before shaking her head.
“Of course we could make one, but it wouldn’t behave like a person, would it? And what would you use as material? Materials that strongly reflect mana are mostly low-mass substances, and even making something like that sit in a chair and lift a fork requires enormous energy. Conversely, if you use high-mass material, the mana reflection rate drops, and it becomes like a stone statue. Either way, without pouring an enormous amount of magic into it, there’s no way to make people believe it’s human. You know all this already.”
Anistan made an embarrassed expression and spoke.
“I’ve actually tried something recently.”
Anistan extended his hand into empty space and moved it slowly. A faint ripple appeared, and a translucent mass coalesced before splitting into two. The first mass took the form of a small person and sat in the chair beside Theo. The other remained floating above the table.
“First, I divide it into two, and then like this, if I connect them.”
As Anistan drew his fingers through the air, a glowing line appeared connecting the two. Then he extended his hand toward the mass as if to shake hands. Instead of the mass responding, the person-shaped form sitting in the chair extended its hand.
“Basic responsive connection. Now, if I do this.”
Anistan closed his eyes briefly and whispered an incantation. The person-shaped form beside Theo, though still translucent, transformed to resemble Theo. Theo glanced at it and his shoulders twitched. Anistan continued speaking.
“This is a temporary illusion transformation I’ve created, but if I apply the reflection spell, it would work like this.”
When Anistan told the mass to “walk,” a human form resembling Theo rose and stepped forward. The form passed straight through chairs and tables, and when I said “stop,” it halted.
“It can’t leave the house. Anyway, as you can see, for convenience’s sake, if we call this side the original body and that side the reflection, the original body executes commands while the reflection takes form. By dividing roles like this, we have freedom in material selection and require far less mana.”
Aneli paused in thought, her eyes brightening.
“You’re using a reflection spell to split where mana is consumed into two parts? Ah, that’s quite novel. This might actually become something worthwhile.”
“It’s still in the preliminary stages. We need to verify whether dividing it into three or more parts would be better….”
“That may be true, but this is remarkable. You could dramatically improve the completion rate. What made you think of something like this? Something like that hasn’t even been done in Nenyaple yet… Wait, isn’t that the method they used in Ganapoli?”
Anistan’s eyes widened and he shook his head.
“Pardon? No, no. There’s no way I would know something like that.”
“No, no. Wait a moment. I’ve definitely seen this somewhere.”
Aneli stared into empty space, searching her memory, then furrowed her brow and spoke.
“I see. Wait, I need to think about this quite carefully. Did you really come up with this entirely on your own?”
Anistan asked back with a bewildered expression.
“This is still just a concept, so it’s not really that remarkable. What are you thinking about right now, Aunt?”
Knowing that Anistan couldn’t hide his thoughts well on his face, Aneli soon nodded and spoke.
“Yes, that could be it. You’ve always been somewhat extraordinary from the start. Let’s do some research. Let’s invest time and money. Who knows if we might create something better than what the people of Ganapoli have made?”
As Aneli chuckled to herself, Theo spoke.
“That’s a fine idea. Then please accept this first.”
The pouch Theo placed on the table was heavy. When Anistan peered inside, he wore an expression of surprise.
“What is all this?”
“Startup capital. You’ll need money to procure materials and conduct experiments, won’t you?”
“But it’s still…”
“Take it. I won’t ask you to return it if it fails. Do you think I’d be stingy with money when I’m asking you and your aunt—of all people—to do something like this?”
Anistan still hesitated. Instead, Aneli quickly grabbed the money pouch.
“If what you say is true, then this is investment capital, right? I won’t refuse. Besides, even if we did refuse, you’d force it on us anyway, wouldn’t you?”
Once the money pouch disappeared into Aneli’s bag, Theo spoke, looking at Anistan.
“It’s about time Ive wakes from her nap. It would be better if we don’t run into each other. I’ll send word in about two months.”
Aneli, in good spirits thanks to the money, replied.
“Good. I’m looking forward to it. Something impressive seems likely to come from this.”
“I’ll trust your word on that. Then.”
As Theo stood, Aneli tipped her hat brim and headed toward the entrance first. Anistan rose to follow but dragged his feet hesitantly, then turned back to Theo.
“Theo. After hearing your story today, I thought I absolutely had to help you, and if this brings you happiness, I’ll do my best. But understand this one thing. This path isn’t so beautiful. And once you start down it, you can’t easily turn back.”
“I’m prepared for it.”
“I’m a mage. That’s why I can see the end of this path more clearly than you can. Or perhaps even I don’t fully understand where it leads. But one thing is certain. Magic like this doesn’t end without a price.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll pay the price myself.”
“Theo….”
Anistan bit his lip, started to turn away, then spoke once more.
“Look at where you live. This beautiful island. I love it here. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. I’d just live peacefully, taking walks by the shore with the woman I love.”
Theo laughed without concern.
“When you get married later, you’ll need to get a house here. Real estate is quite expensive, so you’ll have to earn a lot.”
Anistan shook his head.
“I’m not talking about me—I’m talking about you. Don’t you like it here? People can only stay for a few months each year because they desperately want to live here, yet they still build villas. You have so much. Of course, that’s because you’ve worked hard all this time. There’s no one here to torment you. No one but yourself.”
Theo didn’t answer immediately. Anistan quietly observed his friend’s expression. After a moment, Theo spoke.
“There are parents in this world who lay out seven-colored silk ribbons across their children’s entire path because they don’t know what their children will choose. But I had none of that. Instead, I was sold to be laid beneath other people’s children. Am I supposed to accept such a fate as inevitable? If my Father sees me as a rug, must I become one?”
Anistan couldn’t answer. He turned his gaze away. Beyond the window, white and crimson flowers swayed in the breeze. Theo’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“No. I’m different from my Father. I won’t abandon myself.”
Children of Ron – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Month Books
The copyright of this book belongs to the author and 14 Month Books.
To reuse all or part of the contents of this book, 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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