Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 300

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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 70.
Finding the Cat in the Hearth (19)
The Tall Man with large hands entered the Bathroom that The Woman had just left and confirmed the water remained. He pulled something from his pocket and scattered it inside. What looked like powder fell, and soon a clattering sound echoed through the bathtub. The remnants of a pearl necklace with a severed string, and a single jeweled ring.
Shortly after, the man appeared at the Bathroom entrance and spread both arms wide.
“Come now, I suggest you get back in the bathtub.”
Everything was ending without her understanding a thing. The Woman tried to struggle. But the towel around her neck tightened forcefully again, and simultaneously her limbs lost all strength beyond her control. The one holding her possessed forearms so powerful he could snap her wrist as easily as breaking a twig.
“If you have pleasant dreams, they say you can drift naturally to heaven. Why resist?”
Resistance proved futile. The Woman was lifted and plunged into the bathtub as if she weighed nothing. There was no other way to describe it.
The Tall Man’s large hand gently lifted The Woman’s left wrist from the cold bathwater, trembling slightly. In a blink, something glimmering passed across her wrist. Only when a bright red mass dropped into the water did she understand what had happened.
“Mmgh….”
Now the silk towel denied her even speech. Having spoken so many lines throughout her life, she had never imagined that in her final moments, she would depart without words. Plop, drip, plop—drops of blood continued falling, unraveling like thread in the lukewarm water. When the man released his hand, The Woman wept and convulsed. And with that, it ended.
The man opened the wardrobe and retrieved rose petals from a crystal bowl, scattering them everywhere. In the bathtub, across the Bathroom floor, on the curtains. After spreading them all, he even offered an unsolicited explanation.
“It should look like a crime of passion.”
Shortly after, the man released the towel from around her neck. The Woman had already fallen into the sleep of death. The Tall Man with large hands fingered what he’d been holding all along, then unfolded it. He held it up to his face. It was a delicately crafted white mask.
The other man left first, and he, mask in hand, pulled back the curtain to leave when he turned back and offered a brief farewell as if speaking to a friend.
“Goodbye, Muchia Benevento.”
Around 3 in the morning.
Untimely lights illuminated the Alley in all directions. Dozens of torches swayed back and forth, their shadows sweeping across the darkness. In other words, pursuers.
Simultaneously, noise erupted. Since ordinary people never approached this area where luxury Villas clustered densely, it had been as silent as the ocean depths at this hour. The sound of footsteps running through narrow Alleys and commotion awakened the Nobility and royal elders who had been sleeping, and they irritably roused their servants to investigate. Thanks to this, the chaos only grew.
After about half an hour, the area filled with all manner of noise and shouts rarely heard even in broad daylight. It went something like this.
“Have all the Alleys leading south been blocked?”
“Who in blazes are all of you!”
“Team 3 has completely sealed off the corner where Count Kent’s Villa stands!”
“Do you know whose household I belong to?”
“If you interfere any further, I won’t let this slide!”
“My mistress ordered me to find out exactly who you all are!”
“We lost sight of the suspicious shadow reported earlier.”
“His Majesty King Axoleme III, the dignified right hand of the great Lemme Kingdom, the noble Marquis Criomel has commanded that you all be brought in! And as for myself, since childhood…”
“Near the northern wall, there’s not a rat in sight… no, there appear to be several servants… no, dozens of unidentified individuals are loitering about!”
“…Furthermore, they all appear hostile.”
The pursuers’ predicament meant an improvement in circumstances for the fugitives. Of course, this wasn’t luck that simply rolled in for free. The nominal leader who had devised today’s escape plan was a person of admirable character who had abandoned any expectation that fortune would fall into their lap before even considering it.
“Unforeseen circumstances always exist, but the principle of the world is that unexpected misfortune arrives far more often than unexpected fortune. From that perspective, it goes without saying that maintaining a constant readiness for the worst-case scenario is prudent.”
Maximian walked precariously across someone else’s Rooftop while gesturing with both arms spread wide as usual, muttering away, and following behind him….
“Such readiness would certainly be admirable. If only you didn’t prattle on as though you’d planned every detail of today’s events.”
Riche had changed from her troublesome dress into clothes Joshua had lent her and even pulled a hat down low, so except for the hair fluttering behind the hat, she looked exactly like a boy. Maximian, of course, tried to object.
“I’m saying that I carefully selected the precise time and location where this situation was bound to unfold….”
“You’re not asking me to believe that, are you?”
“I am asking you to believe it!”
Of course, neither of them raised their voices loudly.
While the two of them chattered endlessly, Joshua, walking at the very end, remained silent. Maximian glanced back as if to confirm he was still following, then moved forward again.
In this manner, I bounded across several rooftops until I reached a vantage point overlooking an alley that appeared to lie beyond the encirclement. Maximian descended first, methodically treading upon the second-floor terrace railing of a nearby house, the wall facing the stable, and a heap of straw that seemed deliberately stacked for this very purpose. In the darkness, his coat tails fluttered as he landed.
He crouched low and surveyed the surroundings, then glanced upward at the rooftop and gestured for me to descend.
“Oh my, it was here all along?”
Riche, who had descended far more lightly than Maximian—evidently from childhood experience—looked around and murmured in astonishment. This was the very heap of straw that Maximian had, by his own insistence, extracted from some stable the day before and carelessly piled here without explanation, just before he and Riche had set out to the villa where they deduced Joshua would be.
“Did you really plan this from yesterday? How did you even know about this route?”
“If I recall correctly, you were the one who drew me a map of this area.”
Could it truly have been Maximian’s plan all along—even this fortuitous commotion that allowed us to escape undetected? Riche tilted her head with a skeptical expression. Maximian, having confirmed that Joshua had descended, turned to leave but then reconsidered and looked back at him.
“Don’t think too deeply about this now.”
Joshua did not respond. Maximian attempted to move forward once more but ultimately stopped again.
“Very well. There’s no helping it. When one possesses an inconveniently sharp mind, one inevitably comes to know things one would prefer to remain ignorant of. I’m aware that you’ve already calculated most of the plausible scenarios and understand what has transpired. Your reluctance to accept it is the only issue. With a heart as fragile as paper, you’ll be torn to shreds the moment someone comes at you with intent.”
Only then did Joshua’s lips part.
“A hundred terrible possibilities, a single good path—even so, ignoring one does not make it acceptable. It would harm someone, at least in spirit, so I have no choice but to deliberate carefully.”
Maximian exhaled deeply.
“You’re wrapped in paper armor and now you worry about others? If a stranger’s hand reaches into my pocket as I walk the street, what’s the immediate answer? Is it more likely that a passerby would put money in my pocket, or steal from it? Must we truly debate such an obvious matter?”
“Debate isn’t necessary. This isn’t the sort of problem decided by discussion. A hundred opinions in agreement don’t turn a masterpiece into drivel, nor does red become blue. Let me think on this a while longer.”
…
Maximian, finding nothing more worth saying, abruptly turned and began walking. As we exited that alley, a stranger suddenly emerged before him. Maximian and the man’s eyes locked instantly, and the two of us following behind froze in place.
And then… Maximian cried out without hesitation:
“Blast it all, what hour is this! Who are these wretches disturbing our lord’s sleep? Every last one of them ought to be seized and thrown into prison!”
The irritated man facing us immediately chimed in with delight.
“Oh, you think so too? Whose household are you from? I serve Countess Meymoor.”
Relieved that his quick wit had worked, Riche exhaled softly. Maximian replied with perfect composure.
“Ah, I’m from Count Kotzboldt’s household.”
In that instant, a remote countryside village was promoted to a countdom by sheer audacity. The servant tilted his head uncertainly.
“I haven’t heard of it… In any case, what shall we do about these bothersome vermin? Do you have any good ideas?”
“Oh, I certainly do. In fact, I’m working on it now—my subordinates and I are pooling our strength to seize these unknown ruffians wherever they appear and lock them away in some suitable place. By morning, won’t our lords and ladies issue a most reasonable and logical resolution?”
“Would that be acceptable?”
“Acceptable? Quite the opposite! If these wretches escape somewhere before dawn, who do you think will bear the full brunt of our lords’ wrath tomorrow morning? Even if the commotion dies down, I believe we must capture at least one of them. What do you say?”
Up to that point, it was entirely convincing. The servant’s expression grew thoughtful and approving.
“That makes sense. Then we should join forces. I have other men over there—come along with us.”
Maximian was inwardly flustered but had no choice but to feign enthusiasm.
“Y-yes, of course! How fortunate! Where are these men of yours?”
At that moment, Joshua suddenly stepped forward and pointed in one direction.
“There! Let’s seize that one first!”
The gloomy atmosphere from moments before had vanished entirely, and the servant had transformed into an enthusiastic participant swept up in the moment—Joshua was indeed an actor. Maximian seized the opportunity and shouted along with him.
“Grab him!”
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Month Books
The rights to this book belong to the author and 14 Month Books.
To reuse all or part of the content of this book, you must obtain written consent from both parties.

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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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