Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 325

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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 95.
Ninety-Eight Souls (8)
Riche’s answer came thus.
“You certainly ask early on.”
He stared intently at Riche’s face before speaking.
“Knowing the name from the start is a grave violation of the rules, but I’ll overlook it for Caesar’s sake. So who are the other two?”
“People who don’t need to overlook anything for Caesar’s sake.”
At that very moment, Maximian let out a prolonged yawn and spoke.
“I’m so full I’m getting drowsy.”
Joshua smiled with a relatively courteous expression, though his words were these.
“For a dwarf, you’re far too tall. If you desire perfect entertainment, next time do reduce your height before appearing.”
The Mage had one daughter, and she had never behaved like these three. Therefore, lacking considerable skill in dealing with delinquent youths, he glared at them in turn while speaking.
“If you’re my friends, you need not fear now.”
Riche yawned after Maximian, then spoke.
“Kind words indeed. Though terribly late. Save such talk for after the cleaning is done. But you really haven’t changed, sir. You were strange before, and you’re equally strange now.”
Seeing Riche behave in exact opposition to his own daughter, The Mage judged that his friend had burdened him with a troublesome handful, and suddenly grew angry.
“Where on earth has Caesar gone!”
“He’s probably lingering around the monument, desperately waiting for you to summon him too. Since that was two days ago, he might’ve gotten hungry and sought out the inn in the Lower Village instead. Or perhaps something went wrong with your magic in the first place, which is why he couldn’t come? If that magic or whatever had worked properly, we wouldn’t have suffered such egregious exploitation last time either…”
Riche demonstrated the cunning of one who, despite being more enthusiastic about the work, categorized all unpaid labor as exploitation. The Mage, recognizing his assigned role—that of the ‘unscrupulous employer’—responded in kind.
“My name is Alberic Juspian, but this year you’re to call me simply Juspian, sir.”
In other words, he answered evasively. And as if asking whether they’d forgotten anything, he stared blankly at the remaining two youths.
“…Maximian Lipkne.”
“Joshua von Arnim.”
“Good. Now then, you three—what brings you here?”
The three exhaled in unison. Joshua spoke.
“You certainly ask early as well.”
“Well, I’ve asked now, haven’t I? Why did you come? No business? Then get out.”
Riche, worried they might be immediately cast out if they didn’t answer quickly, spoke hastily.
“You promised to grant us a wish earlier, didn’t you? We came trusting in your skill at blowing roofs away. A terrifying gangster is chasing us—please deal with them. We’re in a truly dangerous situation right now.”
Juspian, despite being a man in his forties, rested his chin in both hands like a peer and stared intently at Riche.
“Isn’t dealing with gangsters Caesar’s specialty?”
“That won’t work. I mean, these are too frightening to deal with casually…”
“I’m a mage, not a problem-solver. Besides, you’re safe inside here, so there’s nothing to worry about. Settled? Next.”
Perhaps because he’d said he would grant each person a wish, Juspian now looked at Maximian. Maximian thought he needed to choose his words carefully.
“You said you’re a mage?”
“Can’t you tell by looking?”
“Are you a skilled mage?”
“Can’t you tell by looking!”
“Then instantaneous teleportation should pose no problem for you?”
The approach seemed reasonable enough, for Juspian tilted his head and spoke.
“Where are you headed?”
“Ah, Keltika.”
“Keltika?”
Alberic Juspian paused in thought before delivering an absurd response.
“Where is that again?”
“The capital of Anomarad!”
Joshua spoke from beside him, his voice tinged with concern.
“So Anomarad is located west of the Drakenz Mountain Range….”
“Are you giving me a geography lesson right now?”
Alberic Juspian cut off Joshua’s words with a look of utter disdain, then turned to Maximian with his answer.
“That’s far too distant. Next.”
“It’s merely crossing the continent! You’re a mage—no, a brilliant mage, aren’t you?”
“If it seems so trivial, why don’t you try it yourself?”
Maximian bristled.
“I’m not a mage! So how close does it need to be? Just send me as far as you can!”
Alberic Juspian wore an irritated expression, but it seemed he had resigned himself to offering an explanation.
“Teleportation has inherent distance limitations—I can’t traverse even a single city in one casting. I could repeat it multiple times to reach Keltika, but for that to work, you’d need to be a mage yourself, wouldn’t you? Without my accompanying you, I can only transport you once. How would I continue sending you forward? Hmm? Do you understand now?”
Alberic Juspian’s gaze shifted to Joshua. Joshua tensed, sensing that one misstep would result in no further assistance whatsoever.
“I came because I have a question.”
“A question? Go ahead. If it concerns magic, I’ll answer.”
“Of course it concerns magic. It’s a remarkable and terrible spell I’ve never heard of in my entire life. I believe only a ‘brilliant mage’ like you, Alberic Juspian, would know how to break such an incantation.”
As expected, intrigue flickered across Alberic Juspian’s face.
“What is it? Something remarkable and terrible to you might be nothing in my eyes.”
“But if it seems remarkable and terrible to you as well, could you break that magical incantation directly?”
Maximian glanced at Joshua with an expression of mild approval. Alberic Juspian tilted his head uncertainly, his gaze drifting erratically between ceiling and floor as he responded.
“Well… I suppose so. As long as the components aren’t overly complex… Though I doubt you’d have brought something truly remarkable… it shouldn’t be difficult… But what is it anyway? I’m dying of curiosity. Tell me now. What kind of magic is it?”
Joshua’s face now bore an expression of ease. He waited until Alberic Juspian was on the verge of bursting with curiosity before speaking.
“Magic that creates another person, identical to a living person.”
“What?”
Alberic Juspian removed his hand from his chin.
“Who created such a thing? Are you certain you’re not mistaken? Did you witness this directly?”
“I witnessed it directly.”
It was Maximian who spoke.
“You saw it? You saw two people standing side by side? They’re not twins, are they?”
“They are not twins. And I didn’t see them standing side by side.”
Maximian raised his hand, pointing toward Joshua.
“It’s because I’m someone who cannot mistake that man, you see?”
Alberic Juspian stared at Joshua.
“That means….”
Maximian nodded.
“Yes. The replicated one is that fellow right there. Since the other one is in Keltika, that’s where we need to go.”
“Explain in more detail.”
Now Alberic Juspian showed interest beyond mere curiosity. He leaned close to the table, his gaze shifting between Joshua and Maximian with an intensity that differed markedly from before.
“It’s not just the face that’s identical—everything truly is the same?”
“I know that friend far too well to be deceived by mere disguise or imitation. Moreover, he possessed personal memories that only I and Joshua could know—he knew them as naturally as if they were his own. That’s why I didn’t suspect anything at first.”
“I want to believe you, but if that’s truly the case, this is no ordinary matter. I need precision. What about the others?”
“The others? Of course they were deceived. That day was a celebration of Joshua’s return home after a long absence. The guests gathered there, even his parents—none of them noticed that the person standing before them wasn’t Joshua. Of course, at that very moment, the Joshua here had never left Hyacan. As you know, Hyacan and Keltika are not places close enough for one person to play a dual role. And besides, Joshua knows no magic.”
Alberic Juspian suddenly rose to his feet and began pacing rapidly beside the table, muttering incoherently to himself.
“One person identical to another, a fake so perfect it deceives everyone, two cannot be the same person, one must be false, yet this false one shares even personal memories perfectly… that is…”
Alberic Juspian returned to stand before Maximian. His face had transformed entirely from before. Though he was naturally a changeable person, I had never seen him wear such an expression—so ideally that of a true mage—that he seemed like a different person altogether.
In that state, he spoke.
“A puppet.”
Maximian furrowed his brow.
“A puppet? What do you mean?”
“You don’t know of Ganapoli’s magical puppets? Beings that possess the exact appearance of a person and behave like one, yet are not human. You’ve never heard of them?”
Joshua answered.
“I’ve heard of them, but those puppets aren’t made to be identical to a specific real person, are they? They merely look human.”
“Right, that’s the commonly known puppet you’re referring to. They have human appearance but such poor mental capacity that they can only repeat simple tasks. But there exists another type called a ‘replica puppet.’ These possess not just appearance but intellectual and practical abilities identical to a real person, capable of understanding even complex commands. In other words, far more convenient. However, records of such puppets are scarce. Why? Because it was a forbidden technique even in Ganapoli.”
While Maximian and Joshua sat speechless, Alberic Juspian suddenly grew angry.
“Who is it? Who created such a thing? That the great Alberic Juspian couldn’t accomplish what this wretch succeeded in—how infuriating. That creature must not be allowed to live.”
Though his reasoning differed from theirs, it was nonetheless extraordinarily fortunate that he thought this way. Maximian spoke quickly.
“Yes, so please help us eliminate that puppet.”
“Of course such a thing must be destroyed!”
Alberic Juspian returned to his seat and looked at Joshua. Unlike Maximian, Joshua’s expression held no certainty—rather, he appeared confused. Alberic Juspian thrust out a finger and spoke.
“You. Do you understand what it means that a puppet replicating you exists?”
Children of the Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Months Publishing
The copyright to this book belongs to the author and 14 Months Publishing.
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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