Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 404

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 174.
In the Name of Loyalty and Vengeance (16)
“Tia? Isn’t that just a small autonomous territory attached to the southern part of the Continent now?”
At Maximian’s words, Riche tilted her head curiously.
“It seems things were going well back then.”
「In those days, Tia was the hegemon of the Southern Region. Icabon was born more than a decade after it was conquered in that manner. I met Icabon when we were young, but from the start he was a wandering orphan. No one knew who Icabon’s parents were. After my mischievous years passed, I walked the path of the Priesthood, but Icabon resolved to escape Tia’s rule and secretly gathered people around him. Eventually I joined him as well, and after Stchoan, who was the son of a great landowner, joined our ranks, we finally possessed a force capable of accomplishing something worthwhile.」
Maximian asked.
“The son of a great landowner? Wasn’t it conquered? How could there be a great landowner if it was conquered?”
「Stchoan’s parents accumulated wealth by colluding with Tia’s people. They were the sort who didn’t care even when everyone pointed fingers at them as traitors. But Stchoan was a romantic who loved paintings and music, and he followed the emotions that welled up from his heart. In the end, he severed ties with his parents while they lived, distributed all the inherited land to tenant farmers, and delighted in feeling unburdened.」
Joshua could see the smile that formed on Kelsni’s face.
「Once comrades and funds were prepared, Icabon attempted to raise a rebellion, but the people of Periwinkle were reluctant to follow the young—or rather, truly young—Icabon so readily. Icabon met with people one by one and asked them what they most desired in the depths of their hearts, even if it seemed like a dream. The people, who had long suffered under their conquerors, were exhausted. Perhaps for that reason, many spoke of the northern Continent. They said that if the people of Sunset Island hadn’t brought forth weapons, they wouldn’t have defected from the Migration Fleet and gone there, and then none of this would have happened.」
Riche asked.
“Where is this northern Continent? I’ve never heard of it before.”
「I don’t know either. Probably no one does.」
Maximian spoke in disbelief.
“Then it really is just a dream story? Does it actually exist?”
「But Icabon promised to fulfill their wishes. People who believed in his promise gathered and supported him, and that’s how the People of Promise came to be.」
Maximian and Riche had heard from Korned’s own mouth that Kelsni would stop at nothing when it came to matters concerning Icabon, so they refrained from saying “Isn’t that a scam?” But those words came from Joshua’s mouth instead.
“That’s a scam, isn’t it?”
Perhaps because it was Joshua who spoke, Kelsni didn’t become angry.
「No. There was a way. In ancient Ganapoli, there actually existed magic that could send people to their desired destination in a single instant.」
But soon Kelsni added.
「And I don’t wish to hear the word scam. Setting aside the fact that he was your ancestor, Icabon was a man who achieved countless miracles in his lifetime. He was also the person who wielded Demonic power most properly and skillfully. I too was among those who believed in his promise. I knew that once he made a promise, he was someone who would stake his very life on it.」
Joshua smiled broadly and spoke.
“I understand. But who uses that magic? The people of Sunset Island couldn’t have helped, right?”
Kelsni also smiled broadly in return and spoke.
「That’s why Icabon and I went into Sunset Island.」
Suddenly Maximian slapped his knee and exclaimed.
“I think I’ve heard that story before! Joshua, don’t you remember? The story about how Icabon and a friend went to Sunset Island. So that friend was Kelsni….”
Maximian, who was about to explain further, then spoke.
“Tch, there’s no way you wouldn’t remember.”
Joshua nodded.
“The story Grandfather told us long ago, right? But in that story….”
Maximian picked up the thread.
“Right. Wasn’t it that they went to find some ruby from the South Sea, or some jewel like that? Then the story doesn’t match?”
“And from what I remember, that was already after Periwinkle had been conquered….”
「History is always embellished. The ruby of the South Sea… I think I understand why it was passed down that way to posterity. Why it was recorded that he went to Sunset Island after becoming the ruler of Periwinkle.」
Kelsni’s voice became somewhat cynical.
「We did go to find the ruby of the South Sea. But that ruby is not a jewel. It was the nickname of a certain person.」
“A person?”
Maximian asked again, and Joshua, his memories restored, murmured in response.
“A jewel gleaming with the radiance of sunset…. The most precious treasure.”
「Yes. That’s what she was called. A lady with hair as red as April’s, though perhaps a shade more vivid. The greatest mage of Sunset Island. Anarose Tikarum.」
“Tikarum?”
This time, all three of them fell silent in shock. Riche murmured.
“One of the three Sworn Allies was supposed to be a mage… a lady? Ah, well, I suppose that’s possible… But why did I always think he was a man? Was it because the others were all men?”
“You’re not alone. I too….”
Joshua was the most astonished. But upon reflection, among all the paintings in Jade Ring Castle, there was not a single one depicting the mage Tikarum. In the painting below the staircase where Kelsniti appeared, she was absent.
「It seems people deliberately left no records because Anarose Tikarum departed, breaking the oath, and for another grave reason as well. No great victory of Periwinkle would have been possible without Anarose, yet they tried to erase even that achievement. She became nothing but a shadow bearing only the name Tikarum. Before going to Sunset Island, Icabon was already recorded as the victor, and what was brought back from Sunset Island was… not a person, but a single jewel. Those who manipulated history in this way were the People of Promise.」
“Why?”
「The People of Promise hated Anarose. Even before she broke the oath and departed. From the very moment she first joined them. Naturally, Anarose disliked them as well.」
Riche asked.
“Because she was from Sunset Island?”
「That’s part of it… but I should tell you the story of how Icabon and I first entered Sunset Island. We managed to reach it by cutting through the magical storms, though we hardly expected a warm welcome. Of course, we were captured and imprisoned the moment we arrived. But in the middle of the night, a lady came to find us and asked why people from Periwinkle had come so far. Icabon answered honestly that we were searching for magic that could send us to an unknown continent. Upon hearing this, that lady—Anarose—laughed loudly with an expression of utter bewilderment. I still remember that sight clearly.」
I could see Kelsniti smiling faintly.
「Anarose said that if such magic existed, the people of Sunset Island would have gone to that continent themselves long ago. She explained that Sunset Island, though never conquered like Periwinkle, faced a different crisis. She told us that the very foundation of Sunset Island was trembling dangerously, unable to bear the weight of a sealed ‘instrument of evil.’ To prevent the seal from breaking completely, the people of Sunset Island would have to stop using magic, but they refused to listen.」
Maximian shrugged.
“What then? Just die together?”
Joshua murmured.
“Having lived with pride thanks to magic all that time, it must have been hard to give it up.”
「In any case, Icabon was deeply disappointed upon hearing Anarose’s words. Seeing this, she seemed moved to comfort him and said there was not entirely no way. She then told us of ancient times, before the fall, when the land of Ganapoli was so vast that when urgent travel was necessary, they used what were called ‘mirrors’—portals through which one could pass through a mirror before them and emerge from another mirror set in a distant place. Among these, there was a special mirror called the ‘mirror of wishes,’ which could send you to your destination simply by thinking of it earnestly, regardless of whether a mirror existed there or not. Now that they’ve grown distant from Ganapoli’s magic, they cannot create such things with their own abilities, but…」
Maximian murmured.
“The mage Juspian chose the wrong research goal. He should have studied mirrors instead of ships. A thousand times more convenient than ships, and no risk of someone borrowing it and breaking it.”
Riche agreed.
“No fuel costs either.”
“No water leaking into the hold.”
“No one mistaking you for a traveling theater company.”
「If we could find the cornerstone that was used to create the mirrors in Ganapoli, there might be a possibility of recreating them, she said. But as we listened to her explanation, we realized that the cornerstone in question was actually in Periwinkle. It was one of the playgrounds where Icabon and I used to play together in our childhood, though we had no idea it was anything like that. Anarose seemed quite surprised upon hearing this. Seeing her interest, Icabon pestered her to go and examine it in person. Though Anarose was a formidable mage, she was still our age, so in the end, curiosity won out. We agreed to examine only the cornerstone and return, and she secretly left Sunset Island with us. But later, Icabon said that even then, he had no intention of letting her go back. In the end, Anarose, having come to Periwinkle, was persuaded by Icabon to remain at our side.」
Maximian turned to look at Joshua and raised his shoulders expressively.
“The more I hear, the more your family’s ancestor seems to be no ordinary con artist. No, I mean this with absolute respect, mind you.”
Then he added further.
“You should learn a thing or two from him.”
「Thus Anarose became a Sworn Brother, and her magic was nothing short of a calamity to the people of Tia, who knew nothing of sorcery. With her power and Oblivion’s financial support, Icabon organized a strong navy… or more precisely, a pirate fleet. From that point on, Periwinkle earned its reputation as an island of pirates. When you think about it, we Sworn Brothers and the People of Promise were all pirates.」
Riche stuck out her tongue and spoke.
“Kelsniti is even a Priest, yet also a pirate—that’s quite extraordinary.”
「Thank you for the compliment, April. In any case, the pirate fleet that was formed this way destroyed Tia’s navy and finally drove out all the conquerors. After that, Periwinkle became a force that no one dared to touch carelessly. However, having assessed the situation on the continent, Icabon judged that if a unified nation ever emerged on the continent, the power of a pirate fleet alone would be insufficient to contend with it. It was necessary to join hands with someone before unification occurred. As the old saying goes, ‘strike the near by joining hands with the far,’ Icabon sought allies not among the southern nations, but in distant lands. The nation that caught his eye was Keltika, which was expanding its influence in the north.」
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.
All or part of the contents of this book may not be reused without written consent from both parties.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————