Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 299

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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 69.
Finding the Cat in the Furnace (18)
“Listen here, Jo.”
Maximian finally shed his carefree demeanor, his expression growing somewhat grave.
“If you hear me out, you won’t be able to dismiss this with such naive thinking. I noticed something when I saw how you treated that knight—your father’s friend, Sir Baiyer—and I wondered if I’d misread the situation. Was I mistaken?”
Joshua turned to face Maximian.
“Yes, I know I’m not being protected—I’m being held captive. The circumstances of how I came here were suspicious, and it’s strange that Sir Baiyer, whom I thought was in the Capital, suddenly appears here. But, well…”
Suddenly, Maximian’s voice turned sharp.
“Is that all you’ve grasped? The name Demonic is wasted on you. Why do you think I went through the trouble of doing foolish things to get in here and meet you? From where I stand, you could be murdered tonight without anyone finding it strange. In that regard, I’m in the same boat as you—and so is she.”
“Now, listen…”
Riche opened her mouth to speak, but Maximian continued without pause.
“At the hands of that knight—your father’s friend, Sir Baiyer.”
“…What did you just say?”
Joshua’s face seemed to harden like plaster in an instant. Even his gray hair appeared to stop trembling for a moment.
“Maximian, I trust you not only as a friend but for your judgment as well, but this seems premature. You may not know what kind of person Sir Baiyer is, but I do. He’s a careful and loyal man who has served my father for nearly twenty years. He’s the one who carried me on his back as a child and showed me the streets of Keltika. Sir Baiyer even has children my age. How could someone like that harm me when our house hasn’t even fallen?”
Despite Joshua’s response, Maximian neither bent his opinion nor attempted to placate him. Instead, he spoke with even greater directness.
“If I’d grown up in your circumstances, I wouldn’t be thinking the way you do at this age. Where did all that insight you had as a child go? Is there anything eternal in this world? Unless you’ve been inside that man and come back out, blind faith is nothing but contempt for the other person. What, is ‘loyalty’ something people are born with written on their foreheads? Do you think Sir Baiyer is the only one? That lady who guarded your villa is already part of the same group. They don’t seem to cooperate well with each other, but look at the situation. You have a good head—you can figure it out in an instant without me explaining, just by looking at what’s visible. Since you’re Demonic, I’ll give you exactly one minute. Does my words still sound like nonsense?”
“…”
When Joshua truly remained silent, his lips pressed firmly shut, Maximian asked in a mocking tone.
“Tragic romantic—are you done calculating?”
Riche rolled her eyes with a startled expression. The warmth she’d shown moments before had vanished, and listening to what seemed less like a conversation and more like a quarrel, she found herself increasingly unable to fathom the nature of this friendship. It was strange enough that Maximian, who appeared to be a commoner, was the Young Duke’s friend. And the fact that this Young Duke was simultaneously Max Cardi made it all the more peculiar.
After a moment, Joshua spoke in a still-rigid tone.
“I’ve thought about it. But I still can’t accept it. Above all, our house still stands firm. If I disappear from here, my parents will surely search for me soon enough, and if Father sets his mind to investigating, there’s no way what happened at this villa—which Mother owns—could be hidden. From the moment my death becomes known to the discovery of the full truth of the incident, only a few days would suffice. That’s why I can’t accept the fact that someone like Sir Baiyer would devise such a reckless plan. He’s one of the few who knows Father’s power better than anyone. His heart may change, but he can’t suddenly become a fool.”
“You’re wrong.”
It was cynical, but now it was his turn to speak words that tasted bitter even to himself.
“Your premise is wrong. The fact that you’re dead won’t be known to anyone. Not to your father, not to anyone. You’ve already returned to Keltika and are staying at Jade Ring Castle. That’s what everyone believes. Even your parents.”
“How is that possible? I’m here…”
Joshua’s voice suddenly trembled. Maximian peered into his eyes as if trying to see through his very soul. Then he cut through mercilessly.
“There’s already someone exactly like you at Jade Ring Castle.”
Along the western wall where the castle’s shadow stretched, there walked one who moved like a ghost. The ring-shaped forest surrounding the castle lay silent, glowing with the light of jade. As one ventured deeper, directional sense gradually blurred. Even those who had lived long in the castle sometimes lost their way in a forest where the sun itself seemed to set through the crevices of gnarled trees like a ravine.
Pushing aside drooping branches and treading upon rocks, the young boy ventured deeper. When the place he sought appeared, he drew a deep breath for a moment before stepping inside.
The two well-grown trees he had imagined as a secret gate in his childhood were now becoming ancient. Back then, he had thought it a round clearing surrounded by oak trees where sunlight streamed in abundantly. But now, it was merely a grassland so small and shabby compared to his memory. As he walked in, the wind finally stirred, and the grass rustled softly.
The young boy crouched in the middle of the grassland, then lay down.
When he was very young, his father would sit facing his son for half a day, crafting ship models, and taking just the two of them into the forest where no one else ventured, teaching him the dueling techniques of knights while wielding wooden swords.
Sometimes they waged wars—his son’s fortress was an ancient oak tree with its insides hollowed out, and his father’s castle was a gray rock by the spring. The wooden swords and bows carved by his father, the slingshot crafted by his son, a flag drawn with remarkable skill, and things like a drawbridge dug over three hours—a secret playground made of such things. Did he think some of it might still remain? Was his heart still that of a child deep down?
The oak tree and the rock couldn’t be far away, but he didn’t bother searching for them. Rather than confirming once more how shabby reality was compared to memory, perhaps it was better to simply lie here, feel the wind, and take a brief nap.
Yet an original sin committed without his knowing
would not allow him to taste dreams.
“Return to me.”
A voice calling to the young boy. Without direction, yet vivid as if spoken at his ear.
I bolted upright reflexively, my heart hammering without understanding why. I was bewildered by my own body’s response to that unknown voice—as if every fiber of my being yearned to answer its call.
“I command you. I am calling for you.”
The small Grassland vanished. Torn away in an instant from that childhood paradise, I heard what sounded like a summons from the depths of hell itself. My face flushed crimson and tears streamed down my cheeks—yet I couldn’t fathom why I was weeping.
Regardless of the Young Boy’s feelings, the voice clung persistently to his ears. It spoke with an overwhelming authority unlike the friend who once addressed him this way, only to slip away unnoticed before he could comprehend.
“Leave that place at once and come to where I am.”
The call came again.
“Joshua.”
Act 4. Initial
1. The Shadow Moves
I don’t want to fight you. I’m sure you feel the same. Why should we draw blades over someone else’s troubles?
No, you’ve misunderstood me. I want to fight.
The water drawn in the bathtub was pleasantly warm. Whether summer approached or not, she adored hot baths. Whenever she stayed at home, the poor servants would toil every night heating water, their brows glistening with sweat from tending the flames.
Rose petals floated upon the water, releasing a delicate fragrance. As she spent the duration of a full meal soaking in the wooden tub, her humming drifted all the way to the Reception Room. The exhausted servants, having prepared towels, had been mercifully released to their rest, leaving no one else awake in the house.
The water gradually cooled. Once the bath concluded, she planned to wrap her warmed body in thin blankets and sleep for roughly ten hours. Maintaining smooth skin while wearing heavy makeup daily required extended rest as the ultimate remedy.
That plan ended precisely at its introduction.
“You’ve kept me waiting quite long.”
With eyes half-closed by drowsiness, wearing only a robe, she was crossing the Reception Room when a voice suddenly erupted from the darkness. The Woman was startled nearly to fainting.
Yet no scream escaped her throat. Her mouth opened, but no sound emerged—a silk towel had already wound around her neck, choking off her cry.
The Woman’s eyes widened as she saw a figure’s silhouette rise and approach through the darkness. The only light was the three-branched candelabra she’d nearly dropped moments ago but managed to grip tightly.
The approaching figure accepted the candelabra from her hands, then adjusted the wick and placed it on a nearby table. Every movement was as natural as handling familiar household items in one’s own home. Soon, the face of a man she had never seen before turned toward her.
“I waited patiently, considering it your final bath in life. I nearly fell asleep doing so.”
He didn’t look like someone on the verge of sleep. The Tall Man was tall, with eyes slightly upturned at the corners, but otherwise possessed unremarkable features. What was striking, however, was his right hand. While his left hand was ordinary, his right hand was so large and thick it could conceal an average person’s hand entirely within his palm. With that hand, he held and fingered something white and limp like cloth.
“….”
The one who had wrapped the towel around the Woman’s neck stood behind her. He wasn’t cutting off her breath, yet he had rendered her unable to speak—controlling the pressure with considerable skill. After a moment, he loosened the towel’s grip slightly upon receiving a glance from the large-handed man.
“Who are you!”
Her voice emerged, but suppressed by admirable restraint, it came out only as a whisper.
“The one who will guide you to heaven.”
With that, the man laughed. It wasn’t a vicious laugh—merely the ordinary laughter of someone amused by his own jest.
“Why… me?”
“You saw what you shouldn’t have seen.”
“I… have committed no crime….”
“Ah, I share your opinion entirely.”
Children of the Runes – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Months Books
The rights to this book belong to the author and 14 Months Books.
To reuse all or part of this book’s contents, 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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