Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 354

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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 124.
Ninety-Eight Souls (37)
“Joshua, you!”
Maximian called out in an angry voice, but Joshua did not stop.
“If you want to talk about the Demonic issue, the truth is we’re both Demonic. But Demonic Joshua was born merely because of his family bloodline, and even in death, he cannot escape that shackle. To them, a Demonic is nothing but a frightening or disagreeable human. But Demonic Max Cardi? I created him. I crafted him with all my affection. His talents were beloved by everyone. No one ever said he was unnecessarily or excessively gifted.”
His voice had grown sharp and sensitive. Everyone desires to be exceptional, but the consensus was that being Demonic was excessive. How much Joshua had despised those words, how he had endured them despite his hatred—all of that emotion poured raw from his voice.
“I loved him. Max Cardi feared nothing, believed in his own talents, judged swiftly, and harbored no regrets. I lived under that name for more than two years. All that time, the Young Duke Joshua of the Villa was merely a hollow shell of a name. I had no interest in that name whatsoever. I had no lingering attachment to it.”
Then Riche spoke.
“But what of your parents? Your relatives? Surely there were people there who loved you, or whom you loved? I could concede that perhaps you have no interest in titles like Duke. But are you saying you need none of them either?”
Joshua smiled, lifting only the left corner of his mouth.
“I think I’m truly a strange person. Of course I loved them. But the truth is… I felt as though they wouldn’t matter even if they were gone. You remember what I said in the Forest before? The demon gave me an ability that no one loves—a lack of tolerance and generosity. Think about it more carefully. Father and Mother may have wanted a clever child, but they didn’t want a Demonic. Of course they love me. But being Demonic is my essence, the most crucial part of it. Isn’t it contradictory to say they love me while rejecting what I am Demonic? No one can dislike strawberries while loving strawberry pie, can they? Isn’t that right?”
Joshua turned back to Maximian.
“In this world, most people dislike me because I’m Demonic, but there are those who dislike the Demonic yet like ‘Joshua von Arnim,’ or those who like me regardless of being Demonic. But there was no one who liked me ‘because’ I’m Demonic. No one ever said they were grateful I was Demonic, that they preferred me for it. But Max Cardi? He was welcomed precisely because he was Demonic. As Cardi, I could wield my talents freely, to the very ends of the sky. I, who always pretended not to know things or acted indifferent to everything… Do you know how relieved I was when I first met you in Kotzboldt, when you didn’t know I was Demonic? I lived that way my entire life. Without even realizing it, I was educated to be ashamed of myself.”
Joshua fell silent for a moment, then shook his head.
“But after living as Cardi, my thoughts changed. Why should even I despise that I’m Demonic? Who decided that such thinking was my virtue? Must I hate my innate abilities and therefore hate myself? Can’t I simply do my best as myself? Tell me, Maximian. You told me to become Cardi instead, didn’t you? Then is it really not allowed?”
Maximian gazed quietly into Joshua’s eyes before speaking.
“It is.”
Joshua’s eyes wavered for an instant. Maximian continued.
“Yes. You’re a being who deserves pride. Damn it, I don’t know what meaning my permission holds, but once this puppet problem is resolved, live as you please—whether as Max Cardi or in some other strange theatrical role. Can you silence a canary’s song for fear a crow might hear it and fall into self-loathing? It’s actually the opposite. You’re not the one who should be ashamed. Everyone else is ashamed when they see you. They’re ashamed, so they grow angry. But what’s wrong with doing your best? Just because there are starving people in the world, should you not eat the bread before your eyes? The only thing that matters is not saying, ‘You crow’s spawn, what kind of song is that? Hahahaha!'”
Joshua burst into laughter despite himself. Then he asked.
“When did you start thinking like that, Maximian?”
“Just now. You convinced me, you bastard.”
Riche also spoke from beside them.
“Actually, I was convinced too.”
Then Joshua stopped laughing and looked between them alternately.
“So here’s the thing—I suddenly want to try something.”
“What?”
“I’m thinking of becoming Max Cardi again here, just as Riche said.”
Maximian jumped to his feet.
“Are you insane?”
Joshua smiled broadly, unbothered.
“I really should try it. Actually, I’m thinking of living as Cardi from now on, if possible. Separate from the matter of eliminating the puppet, I need to experiment and see which suits me better. I want to know whether, after living that way, I’d want to return to being Arnim Duke.”
“You can do that sort of thing after the situation with being hunted is resolved!”
Joshua shook his head.
“No. Thinking about it realistically as Riche said, this is the only way. Among us right now, the only one who can earn money—or rather, gold—is not Maximian, not Riche, not Joshua, but ‘Max Cardi.'”
It was a problem difficult to answer easily. When Maximian did not respond quickly, Riche spoke.
“I don’t know what you think, Maximian, but if we use the name Max Cardi, that amount of gold is nothing. I’ve seen that chaos several times, so I know well.”
“Use the name Max Cardi? Why not just send an invitation to that salaryman or wage worker?”
Riche protested.
“But that name is what draws the crowds!”
“Yes, don’t you know that merely speaking that name causes it to spread so rapidly that rumors proliferate in an instant?”
“That’s true, but….”
Suddenly, Maximian began speaking while gesturing wildly at the empty air.
“What does a name matter? That bastard obviously just made up whatever came to mind on the spot. Besides, the person is right here—what difference does a slightly different name make? Was Max Cardi famous from the beginning? All we need is an opportunity to demonstrate real skill. If rumors spread that he might be the same person as Cardi, we simply leave this place before those rumors reach Hyacan. And even if someone were to confirm we’re the same person, how in the world would anyone chase after a ship that flies through the sky?”
Joshua asked, suppressing his laughter.
“So you’re saying you agree as long as we don’t use the name Cardi?”
Maximian muttered in an irritated tone instead of answering.
“Having to call out a retired man—why are the three of us here so incompetent?”
Thus the decision was made. In truth, Joshua alone could handle everything in the scenario—composition, lyrics, choreography, direction—so all we needed was time and money. Maximian spoke.
“The problem will be finding a theater. There are many theaters here, but we need to know someone.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the solution burst from Riche’s lips.
“I heard from the crew that Captain Kalaimon owns half the shares of the Diamond Rush Theater?”
The next morning, Maximian was in the room of Captain Kalaimon—or rather, the Theater Master. It was right next to the room where they had stayed, yet he wiped his brow as though he’d come from far away, and the moment he sat in the offered seat, he broached the subject abruptly.
“I hear you operate a theater?”
“Well… it’s more accurate to say I hold shares in it. My stake is the largest, but someone else handles the actual operations….”
The captain was awake and sitting, but his mind seemed clouded by yesterday’s hangover.
“Still, you must be involved to some degree in running the theater?”
“I was before I became a captain. Now I just visit occasionally when I’m not out at sea.”
“That’s more than sufficient. From what I understand, this port has many theaters, and your theater is one of the three largest, though it seems business hasn’t been particularly good recently. If your theater’s performances were a tremendous success, gaining popularity and earning considerable profit, that would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?”
“Is that what you call talking, friend?”
The captain yawned so widely his mouth nearly split as he responded. But for Maximian, this was just the beginning. He rubbed his hands together once, adjusted his glasses, and began to prattle on.
“Then that settles it! I shall help you, Captain. You’ll surely thank me a hundred times over later, but I’m telling you in advance that’s unnecessary. I’m not bringing this up to receive such gratitude. It’s purely to repay the compassion and effort you showed us yesterday. So please, Captain, put your mind at ease and entrust everything to me. I need no reward whatsoever.”
Captain Kalaimon blinked.
“What are you saying right now?”
“Just do as I tell you, that’s all.”
“Do what exactly?”
Maximian smiled brightly.
“A performance, of course.”
“Now look here, do you think performances descend from heaven as divine revelation? You haven’t even explained what you want to do, and you’re just demanding a performance out of nowhere? What’s the content?”
Finally, he’d taken the bait. Maximian declared with a serious expression.
“The content doesn’t matter. With just one thing, success is guaranteed.”
“One thing?”
“My friend—that is to say… Hispanie appearing in it!”
The name that came from Maximian’s mouth was always recycled.
“Your friend? The one who sang yesterday?”
Maximian didn’t miss the subtle change in Callaimon’s expression.
“Ah, so you recognized him immediately because you’re the Theater Master—truly, your discernment is excellent. The truth is, Hispanie isn’t a mere attendant like me. He’s originally the son of a Musician’s Family, but his household fell into ruin and he became a servant in his youth. But in any case, his singing ability is so exceptional that even nobility would come to hear him sing. Since he only performed before the nobility, he has no fame, yet anyone of note in Hyacan’s high society knows him. If people hear his singing even once, they’ll be completely captivated—I’m certain of it. Above all, don’t you yourself, as the Theater Master, think that fellow sings remarkably well?”
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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