Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 403

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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 173.
In the Name of Loyalty and Vengeance (15)
Three people and a spirit sat on the sandy beach, waiting for morning. Though more accurately, they were waiting for Joshua to recover.
Joshua lay on the sand, gazing out at the sea. A soul that had plunged into deep slumber needed time to readjust to its body and find stability once more. His hands and feet were bitterly cold, so he required blankets wrapped around him just as Riche had needed. But there was no pillow. When sand began to drift toward him, Joshua tried to turn his head, but it proved futile.
“Pfft.”
Riche spoke to Maximian.
“Lend him your leg as a pillow.”
“Why should I let some man use my leg as a pillow?”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to do it?”
Since that wouldn’t be proper, Maximian’s leg was borrowed instead. Joshua closed his eyes, then called out to Kelsniti.
“I’m curious what Korned said while I was gone.”
「I think it’s time I told you. It would be better for me to explain rather than for you to hear it from Korned. Why the oath was broken, and why the promise shattered.」
“Yes. I think it’s time I listened.”
「If I could have had it any other way, I would have wished you never knew. I hoped that once the spirits departed, this ancient history would be buried and forgotten—that you wouldn’t become entangled in their grudges and feel responsible for them. You have so much you want to do and must do; why should you be cleaning up the mess your ancestors made centuries ago? When you called for me and I didn’t come, you must have wondered where I was and what I was doing. I was searching for a way to send them away from you.」
Joshua opened his eyes slightly wider as he asked.
“Is that even possible?”
「It wasn’t impossible. But you keep making it harder.」
Maximian spoke up.
“That’s right. You’ve grown so close to the spirits that you won’t even collect rent anymore and are ready to forgive debts entirely. No matter how much we tell you to keep your distance, you won’t listen.”
“This time, it couldn’t be helped.”
As he answered, Joshua gazed intently at Riche. Seeing that her arm had fully healed, his heart eased and he smiled softly.
Maximian asked Kelsniti.
“So, what is this way to send them away?”
「If we fulfill the promise that keeps them bound to this land—in other words, grant their wish—they will be freed from their spectral state. Then they will no longer appear before you.」
“Is there actually a way to grant this wish?”
「If I had found the answer, they wouldn’t have appeared here today. But all hope is not yet lost.」
Then Riche spoke.
“One of the spirits mentioned earlier that their wish was to ‘return to their homeland.’ If that’s true, where exactly is this homeland? How can spirits who can go anywhere be unable to reach their own homeland?”
「To explain that, I must first tell you why they came to hold such a wish. We must trace back to a time even more distant than the age of Icabon.」
To Joshua, it seemed as though Kelsniti’s gaze turned toward the sea. The crimson light of the rising sun filled his entire being.
「About a thousand years ago, when Periwinkle was still an uninhabited island and kingdoms were merely tribes, there was only one true nation on the Continent.」
“You mean Ganapoli?”
Kelsniti nodded at Joshua’s words.
「Yes, Ganapoli. Because they transformed the Continent from a wasteland into verdant land, other tribes wandering in search of oases were able to settle and lay the foundation for kingdoms. The people of Ganapoli did not regard other tribes ignorant of magic as competitors. So they bestowed their grace readily. And as you know, Ganapoli fell. Its remnants became the Land of Mortals.」
Maximian asked.
“I heard Ganapoli was corrupted all at once because they misused magic, but places like Anomarad remained perfectly fine?”
「Yes. The power that destroyed Ganapoli was confined to the realm where Ganapoli’s magic reached. That’s why other regions remain verdant. But do you know that Ganapoli’s fall was caused by four cursed artifacts from the Other World?」
Riche shook her head.
“Cursed artifacts? From the Other World? What is the Other World?”
「The Other World refers to a realm different from this one. No one knows how many such worlds exist. In truth, there’s no need to know. It is best that each world remains disconnected from the others. But though they have nearly vanished now, during Ganapoli’s time, rifts to the Other World would open with some frequency. Though each world appears superficially similar, actual connection between them poses grave danger, so any rift discovered had to be sealed immediately. However, one mage observed the Other World without sealing the rift and became absorbed into that realm, opening the way. Then tremendous things poured through from the Other World, and the mage possessed by the most malevolent of the ‘cursed artifacts’ transformed into a monster and destroyed Ganapoli. It was Princess Evbzenis who stopped him—the princess who had received a prophecy that she would kill her own father.」
Joshua nodded. He had already read enough to understand the gist of this tale.
「The Mage fell by the Princess’s hand, but the power that crossed from the Other World corrupted the land, withered the waters, and twisted flora and fauna into grotesque forms. To purify it, Princess Evbzenis and the other Mages joined their strength to cast a formidable spell called the Origin of Extinction. And to prepare for the spell’s failure, they devised an escape plan. They readied flying ships like the one you arrived on, intending to load the Migration Fleet aboard and send them away. On the ground, those prepared to die ascended the Dawn Tower and cast the final magic, while the fleet seeking escape blanketed the sky. And as you know, the Origin of Extinction failed, so only those who boarded the ships became the survivors.」
Riche spoke.
“Survivors? Then you’re saying the people of Ganapoli didn’t all perish? Where did they go?”
「I don’t know that myself. I wasn’t a person from that time, after all. They say those people intended to go to the Continent in the north, but problems arose before they could travel far.」
The sun, emerging from the sea mist, began casting a crimson glow. The faces of those sitting on the sandy beach were tinged red.
「Since nearly all the Mages participated in the Origin of Extinction, there were precious few among the Migration Fleet. Of course, everyone from Ganapoli knew how to use magic to some degree. But one of them conceived of something terrible. Thinking that life after migration would be extremely difficult without Mages, they gathered various items imbued with magical power and boarded the ships with them. Among those things secretly brought along was one of the Four Instruments of Evil.」
Maximian suddenly cried out.
“What? They took that with them even though it destroyed the nation? Are they insane?”
「Having grown accustomed to all the conveniences magic provided, the thought of starting empty-handed in an unfamiliar place filled them with dread. As I’m not a Mage myself, I cannot fathom their feelings beyond that, but… in any case, when this fact came to light, great chaos naturally erupted. Such an object couldn’t simply be discarded anywhere. The one who brought the Instrument strongly persuaded those on their ship. Rather than use it directly, they would seal it away and draw upon the magic that flowed from it, they said. That way, they could live freely using magic as they had in Ganapoli. Remarkably, this persuasion worked.」
“So they ended up taking it with them?”
「The Migration Fleet decided to expel those who sided with that person. They didn’t resist. Perhaps they thought it would be difficult to share all the magical power emanating from a single Instrument. Thus they departed from the Fleet and turned their course southward.」
Joshua, who had been silent for a while, spoke quietly.
“So… Periwinkle is where they landed?”
“What?”
Riche turned her head in surprise. Though she had sensed the direction the story was heading to some degree, she found it difficult to accept that the descendants of Ganapoli—that legendary Magic Kingdom—lived so close by.
Maximian felt the same.
“The people of Periwinkle are descendants of Ganapoli? Then Joshua’s family too? I can hardly believe it. And magic as well…?”
「You needn’t worry—they can’t use magic anymore.」
“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if Demonic turned out to be a form of magic.”
Kelsniti smiled faintly, though of course Maximian couldn’t see it.
「After arriving at Periwinkle, opinions split once more. Periwinkle was a pleasant island, but its bedrock wasn’t sturdy enough to seal the problematic Instrument. It was an island formed where coral had overgrown volcanic remnants, you see. Opinions diverged again. Many believed that such an environment was livable without relying on such a dangerous object. Ultimately, the minority who supported the Instrument departed once more. They went to a place called Sunset Island. That was a rocky island, not a coral one. With sturdy bedrock came barren soil, so those who went there struggled to make a living, and naturally they chose to use the Instrument’s magic. As generations passed, Periwinkle became an island that didn’t use magic, while Sunset Island became known as the island of Mages.」
“You mean that magic is the same magic? If that’s how it is, then all the magic in this world might share the same origin.”
「Rifkne may be right about that. After that, Sunset Island chose isolation, but Periwinkle expanded its influence to surrounding islands. However, as the people of Sunset Island used the magic flowing from the Instrument, weak earthquakes and tidal waves became frequent in the vicinity. Periwinkle, whose livelihood depended on coral harvesting and fishing, reacted sensitively to the damage. As tensions worsened, the two islands frequently exchanged envoys, trading threats and mockery. Around that time, the nations of the Continent took their current form through mergers and conquest, and once the balance of power stabilized, they one by one turned their eyes toward the sea. Periwinkle was called a treasure island because of its coral harvesting, lapis lazuli mines, and sapphires—though those are now depleted. It was naturally a coveted land. When the Tia Kingdom invaded, Periwinkle’s archipelago, having never experienced true warfare, was conquered in an instant. Some sought aid from Sunset Island, but the people of Sunset Island, whose resentment ran deep, refused.」
Children of 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 this book’s contents, 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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