Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 319

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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 80.
Ninety-Eight Souls (2)
The Exile Council.
Five years ago, the Republic fell, but not every republican was captured and executed in the Grand Square. The survivors secretly formed a clandestine organization called the “Friends of the People,” and they called their leadership the “Exile Council.” The name was chosen to signify those who had lost their nation and lived in exile abroad.
Now, with the New Royal Family’s authority reaching toward the heavens, membership in the Friends of the People was the sole crime for which summary execution without trial was possible, regardless of status or rank. The Royal House viewed the hidden republican faction as a grave threat and was obsessed with rooting them out. If anyone merely exposed that a person was a member of the Friends of the People, that person would receive a reward even if they couldn’t make an arrest.
Therefore, the Friends of the People had no choice but to devise a special organizational structure to survive. Except for the highest-ranking executives who needed to meet and consult directly, middle-ranking officials and below knew only of each other’s existence and their activities within the club—not their true names, real identities, whether they were male or female, or even their ages.
As for ordinary members, based on the principle of “not putting all eggs in one basket,” junior officials formed them into small groups of a few people each, managing them so that only members of the same group shared each other’s identities. Thus, even if one section was exposed, only that corner would crumble; the entire organization would never be shaken.
Of course, within the vast organization of the Friends of the People, there were members who knew each other’s identities through personal connections. However, the principle was not to reveal this even if they knew. Instead, the communication network was perfectly structured so that orders from the leadership could be transmitted down several levels to operatives and returned in just a few days.
The book Langie received appeared no different from an ordinary book on the surface. Someone who didn’t know would never discover what was hidden within it, no matter how thoroughly they read it. In this way, they subtly altered the content within books so it was difficult to notice, printed them secretly, and used them for encrypted communication—their network was that sophisticated.
“Ah… wait, does it really work that way?”
Yien, who had been shaking his head in disbelief, finally burst into laughter. Langie gave a light shrug of one shoulder.
“When they see a sixteen-year-old boy sitting across from them as a negotiating partner, they might think we’re mocking them.”
The person who issued the order could never have imagined that Langie was a boy not yet twenty, still attending school. Of course, Langie’s track record was excellent. His columns appeared regularly in the Republican Newspaper, and within the organization, he had a reputation as a rare young theorist who presented remarkably coherent logic. There were some who noted a touch of youthful impetuousness, but even being generous, most would have estimated him to be in his mid-twenties at most.
However, no matter how outstanding Langie’s abilities were, the limitations of his physical age were unavoidable. Sitting across a negotiation table from a teenage boy made it nearly impossible to take him seriously, let alone trust him. This was especially true when receiving orders to negotiate with someone outside the organization.
“What should we do?”
Yien’s smile faded, and his expression became serious.
It seemed a shame to give up. Yien, born into nobility, had only recently joined the Friends of the People. This was a time when he desperately wanted to accomplish something impressive. Moreover, an opportunity to shake the house of the “traitor Arnim”—it was a mission too intriguing to abandon. He glanced sideways, hoping his friend would offer a good solution, but a quick answer didn’t come.
“Langie, are you going to give up? Should I send a message back asking to pass the mission to someone else?”
Though it contradicted his true feelings, he had to speak this way because he knew his friend’s rational nature well. But Langie shook his head.
“The time it would take to devise a cipher explaining this problem, send it up, have the leadership discuss it again, select a new suitable person, and send down new orders would be at least a week, no matter how quickly. We’d miss the date. Given that the orders specify a meeting date and place, it seems the appointment is already set. It would look bad for us to break it due to our circumstances.”
“Then?”
Langie stood and walked toward the window, muttering unexpectedly.
“I wonder if Hailjer has finished his supplementary lessons yet…”
Yien, uncertain what his friend meant, blinked—then a moment later, he let out a soft chuckle. He had grasped his friend’s intention.
The Friends of the People was a secret society, but it was an opponent whose scale and organizational power could not be ignored. King Checel hadn’t lit his eyes with fury and established a standing army directly under him to arrest republicans for nothing. Though the Republic had fallen, ten years of its existence had not been in vain.
No one was unaware that the sudden disturbances that had occurred in Keltika and its surroundings during this time were the work of the Friends of the People. More than once, they had posted large warning notices exposing the corruption of the so-called “New Nobility,” the inner circle of the New Royal Family, and brought them shame.
The Republican Newspaper they secretly printed and distributed was difficult to eradicate no matter how hard they tried. The journalists who produced the Republican Newspaper had pens that were not merely sharp but mischievous and even witty, making it quite entertaining to read. Recently, caricatures had become wildly popular that depicted King Checel as a vain fool, Queen Anliche as a greedy vixen, and the Prince as an imbecile who caused nothing but trouble. Thanks to this, it was openly said that people would risk being dragged away by the palace guard just to unfold a copy of the Republican Newspaper once if they were caught with it.
However, they generally refrained from violence. The current republican faction was a headache for the New Kingdom, but they couldn’t be called a direct enemy. Therefore, they needed to win the people’s favor now. A single page of witty caricature was more effective than burning the Palace’s warehouse or attacking noble carriages in the streets.
When humiliating nobles, they targeted those closely aligned with the New Royal Family and deliberately left others alone. They even classified young nobles who had spent their childhoods during the Republic era as potential recruits. Thus, the school where young nobles of their generation gathered was an important operational ground.
“Do such activities really work? Is it possible for children born into noble families, guaranteed privileges, to voluntarily become republicans? I find it hard to believe.”
Theo, who had been listening to the report, raised himself slightly from his chair. It was a plush chair upholstered in purple velvet with gold-trimmed edges. Theo, sitting with one knee raised and the other leg extended in such a chair, looked every bit the master of the manor.
“Since it would be a serious secret, I cannot know the exact details, but there are certainly successful cases. Among the rumors that leak out bit by bit, there are stories that recently a child of considerable high nobility has joined. There’s no way to find out which school in which location, but it’s probably somewhere near Keltika.”
Theo laughed, but it was actually a sneer.
“This is no ordinary matter. There are plenty of empty-headed fools among the nobility, but the more foolish they are, the more they cling to their privileges. In the end, they’re attracting quite intelligent ones, which means… should I be impressed?”
Though Theo was a noble, he had grown up in circumstances inferior to commoners. Once he entered the House of Arnim, no one openly disrespected him, but Theo was well aware of what people said behind his back. He had adapted flexibly, but considerable resentment had accumulated. For this reason, the story that such people sympathized with the Friends of the People’s cause seemed all the more implausible to him.
“That must be it. To me, this rumor suggests that there are quite capable individuals within the Friends of the People. It’s remarkable to turn someone born a noble into a republican, after all.”
The man Kanka, who was reporting, appeared to be four or five years older than Theo. His tan skin and distinctly white sclera gave him a calculating impression. He was from Recordable.
Kanka had come with Theo and Ivnoa when they returned from Hyacan. At the House of Arnim, he was regarded as a servant who helped with miscellaneous tasks. Had Theo held a higher position, he would have been seen as a secretary.
“Would those who plan to swallow the entire House of Arnim not exercise caution? The person who sits at the negotiation table will not be an easy opponent. You must not underestimate them and must prepare thoroughly to deal with them.”
“I know.”
Though he responded this way, there was no hint of dismissing the servant’s nagging as trivial. Kanka, whose pale eyes made expressions difficult to discern, had once served as a shadow strategist for Cyclamen, one of Recordable’s three major Mercenary Bands—a man of exceptional cunning and foresight.
Such a man had rejected countless offers from other Mercenary Bands and followed Theo upon hearing the name ‘Arnim’.
He was not the type to find fulfillment in loyalty to a single master. He saw investment potential in Theo, which was why he endured the scorn of being a foreigner and remained here serving as a servant. This breed of strategist produced results beyond what was asked because they saw their own ambitions reflected in their master—but they would leave without hesitation if the master failed to satisfy them.
There was one more thing: Kanka seemed to harbor a particular interest in the House of Arnim. Since Recordable lay beyond the Land of Mortals, it had little diplomatic exchange even with Anomarad. Why someone from such a distant land would take such keen interest in Anomarad’s Duke’s House remained a mystery.
“Will you accept the time and place they proposed?”
Theo nodded and lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Yes. I’ll play along, pretending to be docile and manipulated. I’ll test this negotiator they’ve sent, and if he’s the arrogant type, I’ll gently provoke him—make him desperate to succeed at the task I’ve given him. What comes next is a problem for later. Isn’t that right?”
Though he spoke with confidence, Theo watched for Kanka’s reaction. Kanka regarded him with his characteristic expressionless face, then nodded ever so slightly.
“Indeed, sir.”
That was enough.
Theo rose from the chair where he had been sitting like a king. He was not yet a king. His ambitions ran high. The situation was improving. Kanka remained at his side.
“Kanka, go and bring Annie here. I need to speak with her.”
Kanka stood and asked.
“Will you have Bwolf present at that meeting as well?”
“Of course.”
As Kanka departed, he offered praise for the first time.
“An excellent idea, sir.”
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Months Publishing
The copyright of this book belongs to the author and 14 Months Publishing.
To reuse all or part of the contents 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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