Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 329

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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 99.
Ninety-Eight Souls (12)
Joshua, who had been unable to stop laughing until then, continued to laugh in much the same manner as Juspian. But upon hearing his words, I paused for a moment before speaking.
“There’s one thing I should clarify, though.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not actually the grandson of Demonic Hispanie.”
Juspian’s expression suggested he found this utterly absurd.
“He’s a Demonic, you’re a Demonic, and didn’t you just call him Grandfather?”
“He is my grandfather, but he’s my great-grandfather—my actual grandfather was the late Duke Friedrich von Arnim, who was Grandfather Hispanie’s elder brother. The Demonics in our family have such a peculiar history that they’ve never influenced the direct bloodline. Not once, except for Demonic Icabon. And as a bonus, Grandfather Hispanie has never married and, of course, has no children whatsoever. Hahahaha!”
The moment I finished speaking, I burst into laughter—so remarkably similar to Juspian’s just moments before that Riche and Maximian exchanged bewildered whispers.
“See? I told you they were alike.”
“One would have been enough. Damn it.”
Juspian, of course, looked thoroughly disappointed. He pressed further.
“Is that really true? That old man, at his age, still has no children?”
Maximian added leisurely.
“The truth is, he has too many personality flaws to marry at this point….”
But the situation shifted once more. Just as Riche, thinking everything was settled, glanced at Joshua, who continued laughing, she suddenly said this.
“But come to think of it, Maximian, didn’t you have some old, decrepit violin? It’s funny to think about, but what if it somehow ended up in your hands after all this time….”
At that moment, Maximian let out a sharp cry.
“That’s impossible!”
“Right, it isn’t.”
Of course, Riche’s response did nothing to resolve the situation.
The search had concluded. Thirty mounted soldiers under Sir Baiyer’s command gathered at the edge of the meadow, waiting for one man to arrive. Shortly after, the man who had received the search results appeared. He was the commander, so to speak.
He surveyed the soldiers in silence before gazing out at the meadow. There was no point in pressing those who had found no traces. After the soldiers, tense under the commander’s silence, endured a grueling half hour, a single rider came galloping from the distance.
Only then did the man react.
“Well?”
The approaching rider bowed his head while still mounted and answered.
“As expected, sir. Magical power is at work in the meadow. There appears to be an invisible barrier, and I suspect those we seek have entered within it.”
“Who created the barrier?”
“According to the nearby villagers, there is a mage living in this area, but since there’s little contact with him, they don’t know much about who he is.”
It meant they couldn’t determine how formidable this mage might be. The man nodded.
“How do we enter the barrier?”
“It varies greatly. In other words, unless we find the method the barrier’s creator has established, entry is impossible. There’s no way to deduce it either.”
“Then could someone who entered the barrier move to another location? Or would they have to return here to go anywhere else?”
“Barriers can be cast over very wide areas, but if this is indeed the mage’s house as rumored, it would likely be cast small to match the building’s size. So it probably isn’t a barrier large enough to connect to other places.”
The man nodded and carefully adjusted his gloves. Only then did he turn his attention to the soldiers.
“Good. We move into position. As soon as reinforcements arrive, establish a thorough encirclement around the meadow.”
Though his tone was merely matter-of-fact, the soldiers moved instantly as if electrified. As they dispersed, the man swung the riding crop he held in his left hand back and forth. His posture seemed rather clumsy. The man who had made the report asked.
“Is your right hand troublesome, sir?”
“No. But the Doctor told me not to use my right hand for a while. I should listen to the Doctor.”
“I absolutely cannot give it up!”
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
“I obtained it through legitimate means!”
“You’re nothing but a thief’s apprentice!”
The attic where Maximian had been sleeping became cramped the moment four people crowded inside. Among them, the person clutching the tightly wrapped bundle presumed to be a violin was still Maximian. It wasn’t that Juspian lacked the ability to seize it—he was a mage, and this was his house. He could have taken it whenever he pleased, which was precisely why he chose to focus on venting his fury instead.
“A thief? I won’t stand for that word!”
With those words, Maximian suddenly raised the violin bundle high and attempted to smash it against his own knee. Juspian, startled, practically embraced Maximian’s waist and thrust his head between the violin and the knee. Seeing the situation unfold, Riche bolted toward the entrance, ready to flee if things escalated further. At that moment, Joshua, the tallest among them, stepped up onto the bed and snatched the violin from Maximian’s grasp.
“Everyone, stop this!”
Because Joshua, being the tallest, held the violin high above his head, the two men—unwilling to jump around like children—ceased their movements. As the blanket slipped away and fell to the floor, the violin was revealed: an instrument whose days as a musical piece seemed finished, fit only to be used as firewood.
Riche clicked her tongue in disbelief.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t take it even if you paid me. Actually, I’d just take the money.”
Juspian glared at Maximian.
“If you’d broken that just now, your life would’ve ended today.”
Maximian shot back without yielding.
“Before your life ends, I would’ve beaten you so thoroughly that no matter how long you live, you’d never forget it.”
There was no possibility of reasonable conversation. Yet fighting served no purpose either. Until the violin issue had surfaced, I had hoped to receive Juspian’s assistance in escaping this place and disposing of the doll.
The violin’s nickname, “Capricious,” was actually a name that suited Juspian far better. If the situation deteriorated, there was a genuine risk that all three of us could be hurled into the dangerous Meadow in the blink of an eye—where a Salaryman might appear. Of course, the violin would be spared.
And he probably wouldn’t regret it either.
“So then….”
Joshua opened his mouth to speak, but reconsidered. He didn’t see how he could persuade Maximian to simply hand over the violin. Above all, Joshua couldn’t give away Hispanie’s possession based solely on one-sided claims.
Yet saying “I cannot trust your word” would only escalate the conflict further. Still trapped in this dilemma, Joshua continued.
“Everyone, please calm down for now. I’ll entrust the violin to a neutral third party.”
Joshua gestured for Riche to move to the corner of the bed, then gently placed the violin in her arms.
“Watch it for me.”
Then he turned to face the two men.
“Let me clarify the situation. According to your account, Juspian, roughly half a century ago, Hispaniae von Arnim ‘borrowed’ the violin from you, and when you first demanded its return, you both agreed to new terms—namely, that he would send his son to serve as your apprentice for three years as payment. Yet he didn’t even honor that agreement, correct?”
Juspian responded.
“That’s why he’s a thief.”
Joshua shook his head.
“No. It may have been theft initially, but when you met again, you attempted to reach an agreement, didn’t you? So now it’s changed from theft to a transaction where payment was never made. In other words, not theft—fraud.”
Upon hearing Joshua’s characteristically pointless observation, Juspian shot him a look of utter bewilderment.
“This demonic bastard, already trying to derail the argument. But whether it’s theft or fraud, one thing remains the same—I have legitimate rights to it!”
“What if the debt were paid now?”
“What?”
Joshua then turned his head toward Maximian.
“I understand your position well, Maximian. When we lived together in Kotzboldt, my Grandfather gave it to you. At the time, I thought it was rather stingy of him to give such a worn-out thing as a gift, but well, I later learned the truth of it. Regardless, you obtained it through legitimate means, and you have no interest in what came before, correct?”
“Would you?”
Joshua responded with a bright smile.
“Of course not.”
The moment those words left his lips, he immediately turned back to Juspian.
“For this problem to be fundamentally resolved, we’d need to summon Grandfather Hispanie, but that’s impossible, isn’t it? So it seems the only option is for you, Juspian, to reach a new agreement with Maximian on different terms.”
“Why should I negotiate over my own possession!”
Joshua smiled faintly and spoke.
“Juspian. If you bought a beautiful hat for your daughter, but then some stranger appeared claiming it was stolen property and snatched it away without warning—would you simply stand by and watch?”
Joshua’s anticipated response came immediately.
“I’d never let anyone take what belongs to my Tichiel!”
“Then Maximian must surrender the violin?”
“….”
Joshua crossed his arms and looked between the two men alternately.
“So you need to set new conditions. To be honest, those conditions are something Grandfather Hispanie would need to fulfill—they have nothing to do with Maximian. Maximian isn’t Grandfather Hispanie’s son, nor his grandson, nor even his disciple, is he?”
As Joshua spoke those words, Juspian was scrutinizing Maximian intently, as if pondering something. Then, abruptly shifting his demeanor, he spoke.
“A violin is an instrument. It’s best when held by one who plays it well. Moreover, performing Capriccio is extraordinarily difficult, and unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to practice it. So if you could play this well, I wouldn’t mind it becoming yours. What do you say—will you give it a try?”
As Juspian finished speaking, he curved his index and middle fingers together, then spread them and flicked them through the air several times. The violin that Riche had been holding rose into the air and fell into Maximian’s hands. As Maximian grasped the violin, Juspian gestured with his chin and spoke.
“Let me hear it.”
Children of the Runes – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Published by: 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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