Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 275

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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 45.
Not All Children Are Angels (45)
Franz pulled down his muffler with an air of frustration, loosening the fabric around his neck.
“If Joshua were to be sacrificed as well…”
“Should I summon Joshua and ask him? Shall I tell him to pretend his dead sister never existed? Sacrificed? Yes, he could be sacrificed! But compared to the humiliation of bowing one’s head in shame after a blade pierces the heart, a child is nothing at all! Even without Joshua, even without being a Duke, if the master is honorable, House Arnim that began on Periwinkle Island remains unchanged. The prestige of the Icabon Archipelago will not fade either. If Joshua thinks himself fortunate to have survived while the man who killed his sister fled, then he has no right to be the heir of House Arnim in the first place, does he?”
Franz fell silent for a long time. As the silence stretched on without response, Hispanie turned and walked several steps toward the window before asking abruptly.
“Is Joshua truly so precious?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Franz answered with visible bewilderment.
“Now that Ive is gone, he is the one and only precious child in this world.”
“Then should you not raise him as befits such a precious child?”
Franz’s eyes widened slightly as he struggled to comprehend.
“Unless I have misheard, are you suggesting that I have treated that child unfairly?”
“Until now, you have praised my abilities highly and asked for my help. Yet why do you acknowledge me but not acknowledge that child? Is it some common myopia afflicting fathers?”
“How can Uncle and Joshua be compared? He is merely twelve years old.”
Hispanie turned to face Franz. Backlit by the window, his expression was obscured, but his voice came through sharp and cutting.
“Yet both are Demonic. As one bearing the Arnim name, surely you have not forgotten what the Demonic are?”
Franz had long tried to avoid that truth. From childhood, he had prevented anyone from calling Joshua Demonic. Through that hypnosis, he had even briefly deceived himself into thinking his son could live an ordinary life despite being Demonic.
“Even if that child is Demonic… he cannot be compared to Uncle. What should I expect from Joshua?”
“Have you forgotten where the scheme that toppled the Republic originated? That child is a scholar, a strategist, a musician, a vocalist, a painter, and a poet. The Demonic, you see—the fate of the Demonic is…”
As Hispanie continued, a light kindled in his eyes. Franz recognized that light. It was the very gleam he had always wished to borrow from his uncle.
“Rather than be destroyed by another’s hand, they destroy themselves.”
Franz’s eyebrows rose sharply once more.
“Are you telling me to entrust that child’s future to fate?”
“The Demonic do not merely shatter themselves with their vaunted genius—they splinter all those caught in their wake. From the perspective of fate, the Demonic are like pillars caught in a whirlwind. Such is the overwhelming power of their destiny. The Demonic have countless times overturned and trampled the peaceful fates of their own brothers.”
“Are you asking me to have faith? I know you have studied the deeds of all Demonic throughout history. Perhaps they were as you say. But I do not believe in fate. If it were I, I would devise means far stronger than fate to protect that child. Whether he is wrapped in swaddling clothes or iron armor, I cannot see it with my own eyes.”
Hispanie stepped backward until he reached the window, gripped the sill, and tapped the glass with his other hand as he spoke.
“Would you hear a curious tale?”
“Pardon?”
In the darkness, Hispanie seemed to smile faintly.
“Two years ago, when you entrusted Joshua to me, I deliberately left that child alone in an empty house for nearly a month. I wanted to see how he would manage on his own, and how well. Do you understand how curious I have been about that child? Throughout the generations, a being called Demonic has been born perhaps once every three or four generations, yet all have had lifespans far too brief. This is the first time in our family’s history that two Demonic have existed simultaneously, and it is the first time a Demonic has watched another Demonic grow.”
As Franz maintained his silence, Hispanie’s words continued.
“Yet the Demonic are peculiar. Among all the Demonic of the past, only one succeeded—the great first Duke Icabon of our house. The rest either failed, destroyed themselves, or abandoned the family of their own accord. Therefore, no Demonic has ever influenced the direct bloodline. Only one—the blood of Demonic Icabon—has continued to this day. In me, and in Joshua.”
“…”
“Is there another ledger so strange as this? Between the greatest and the worst, consider the countless choices that lie between them like stars. Yet in the end, there was only one supreme, and the rest were those destined for ruin. Shall we return to Joshua’s tale? You have lost Ive, so Joshua alone remains to you. He is the sole child to inherit the title of Count Armorican. But I assure you, people will whisper that House Arnim is on the verge of collapse. Because the Demonic cannot be trusted. Who can say whether he will die, go mad, or abandon the family on a whim? A strange house indeed. The Duke’s one and only son, yet that alone is insufficient. So, what will become of Joshua? Can he shatter their expectations beautifully?”
“What… are you trying to say to me? I am not the sort who believes that if a child dies, one simply bears another to replace him.”
Hispanie moved only his left hand, untying the cord that bound the curtains behind him. Though he did not turn, his movements were as precise as if he were studying the knot’s shape. As the curtain fell with a whisper, the room grew darker still.
“Yes. Unfortunately, House Arnim is also a family where grandsons are precious. Do not forget, Franz. I too am Demonic. Who decreed that the Demonic should be excluded from our family’s history? Who can declare with certainty that the Demonic are of no benefit to the family? Such a person has no right to exist in this house opened by ‘Demonic Icabon.’ But Franz.”
Franz closed his eyes briefly, shielding his brow with one hand as if exhausted.
“I know well what you think of Joshua. My words must have sounded cruel. But this situation is a grave crisis. Because you have lost Ive, both the honor and dignity of House Arnim face ruin. If you make a commotion like a frightened rooster in the name of protecting Joshua, not only will the one who poisoned Ive but also those vultures watching for opportunity descend upon House Arnim with contempt and hunger.”
“Then what should be done? What would you do, Uncle?”
“I believe I’ve said this before. If I speak, can you keep your word?”
Franz did not answer immediately. Hispanie continued without waiting.
“Do not assign guards to Joshua. Do not increase the soldiers. Keep the Castle’s atmosphere as it was—no new measures, only restoring calm. Yet you must not act as though Ive’s death is a trivial matter. Hold a grand funeral before numerous guests and declare your vengeance before them. Swear that you will show how House of Arnim punishes those who dare meddle with it. However, let no one know what plans you harbor for your revenge. Forbid festivities for one year, commission a large new portrait of Ive and hang it in a prominent place in the hall, and whenever her birthday—which is also the anniversary of her death—returns, you must hold a memorial service. Have your son-in-law wear mourning clothes for three years. Simultaneously, ensure that your son-in-law and grandson never absent themselves from household events or gatherings.”
Franz spoke.
“Such matters are not difficult. But do you truly believe Joshua will be safe?”
“The assassin will hide for at least half a year, and watching your movements, perhaps up to three years at most. After that, it depends on what you do. Even if the assassin were to kill Joshua, if their identity is revealed in the process, it would be worthless—the assassin knows this much. So for now, at least, he is safe. What you should truly worry about is Joshua as a Demonic. If he becomes a failed Demonic, what meaning would his survival hold?”
“Uncle.”
At the sound of his resolved voice, Hispanie’s eyelids twitched slightly.
“What is it?”
“What if you took Joshua back with you, Uncle?”
Hispanie shook his head.
“That cannot be.”
“Is it because I have broken my past promise?”
“It could be said so, or it could not. What I learned for certain from what happened before is that you, Duke, have no intention of relinquishing your heir. Even as you sent the child to me, you were thinking I would train him for a few years, strengthen him, and then return him to you. I was disappointed in you, and while I will help you in this crisis, I will not take Joshua back and raise him again.”
Franz could not answer and lowered his eyes. Hispanie continued.
“What I mistook was believing that you, who are not a Demonic, could understand the fate that awaits a Demonic. That is something even a father cannot do. Now that you know, I am giving you a task you can accomplish. Do not run. Do not hide in some unknown place. If dignity crumbles in such a manner, there is no stopping it.”
Franz returned to his seat behind the table. Staring at the stiletto still embedded in the wood, he spoke as if to himself.
“I see. Running is not an option. Neither for me nor for Joshua. I understand. I understand well, but it is difficult to become as cold as you, Uncle. At times like this, I fear you a little—you who are Demonic. You speak only of the hardest path, the one least desired, and though I understand, I cannot easily abandon my lingering doubts.”
“Let me be clear.”
Hispanie approached the table and withdrew the stiletto once more.
“I hope that child succeeds as much as I have failed. It may sound strange, but you must believe in the storm-like fortune that Demonic Joshua was born with. Even if you stand aside, that child will not die. Even if you do not follow day and night to care for him, he will seize his own fate with his own hands. That child is precious—very precious. So raise him as befits a precious child. Leave the Demonic to be Demonic.”
The stiletto disappeared into Hispanie’s collar. As Franz turned over the words he had heard, Hispanie laughed softly and spoke.
“Do you truly think I would simply abandon that child, whether he lives or dies, succeeds or fails?”
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Month Books
The copyright to 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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