Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 405

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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 175.
In the Name of Loyalty and Vengeance (17)
Maximian spoke.
“Keltika is the Capital, isn’t it? So Keltika was the predecessor of Anomarad?”
「Indeed. I’ll spare you the detailed account of the alliance, but that is how Icabon von Arnim, the founding Duke of Anomarad, came to be. After that, the southern powers like Tia never again dared to threaten Periwinkle. Once stability returned, the People of Promise urged Icabon to honor his oath. But the real problem was the discord between the People of Promise and Anarose. From the beginning, they disapproved of her—they sought to diminish her achievements simply because she was from Sunset Island. Anarose, rather than trying to win their favor, began to ignore them in kind, and the rift deepened steadily. Eventually, it became difficult to say who was worse.」
Riche twisted her lips.
“Why can’t we say? The People of Promise hated her first. If they openly say they dislike you, it’s only natural to dislike them back.”
「You’re right about who initiated the cause, but afterward Anarose made them suffer terribly on several occasions. There were even incidents where neutral parties turned their backs on her… The matter of the Wish Mirror pushed the already severe tension to its absolute worst. Anarose maintained an attitude of ‘I could make mirrors whenever I please if I wished, but why would I do something you desire?’ Because of that, the People of Promise, their judgment twisted by disappointment, came to hate her even more. And then, by cruel coincidence, Icabon and Anarose fell in love.」
Joshua murmured.
“…Fell in love? The more I hear, the stranger this all becomes. As far as I know, the first Duke married someone else….”
“What? It ended up that way?”
Riche, who had been concentrating on this intriguing story, twisted her lips when she learned the disappointing conclusion. Maximian murmured from beside her.
“You said that person Tikaram left earlier. What did you expect?”
「For the People of Promise, it was a grave crisis. They must have believed that if the two married, Anarose would never leave them be. Too many unforgivable incidents had already occurred. But even knowing all of this, I hoped for Anarose and Icabon to be happy. Having watched them from close by for so long, I believed they should not be apart. However, the People of Promise were numerous. When they began to deliberately, even desperately, drive a wedge between the two, even I could not stop them. There is no advantage greater than numbers when it comes to spreading rumors and manipulating circumstances.」
Even a mage who could face hundreds alone would struggle against the words of hundreds. Anarose surely understood this. But perhaps she did not wish to acknowledge it.
「Misunderstandings accumulated between them, and when a critical incident deeply wounded Anarose’s heart, she departed on a journey without a word. Icabon, believing everything was over, resolved to accept one of the countless marriage proposals that had been coming his way. By the time Anarose returned, it was already beyond repair. When they met again, they fought so bitterly that it pained those who witnessed it. In the end, Anarose declared the oath broken and returned to Sunset Island. Naturally, the Wish Mirror became an unsolvable problem as well.」
Everyone sat in silence, only moving their lips. Riche, who had become emotionally invested, let out a sigh.
“I don’t understand why people can’t simply leave those they love alone.”
Maximian tilted his head in a different line of thought.
“But didn’t you say Korned is also a mage? Moreover, he was always boasting about how close he was to Ganapoli Magic.”
「Comparison is inherently cruel, but in this case it is excessively so. By current standards, Korned is indeed an accomplished mage, but he is not on Anarose’s level. When it became known that Anarose was aiding Icabon, Sunset Island sent some dozen mages to bring her back. Korned was one of them. But all of them together could not overcome Anarose alone, and at that time, Korned became enchanted by her magic and remained instead of returning to Sunset Island. Anarose attempted to teach him, but she abandoned the effort after a short time, apparently finding it tedious. In any case, after Ganapoli fell, I believe Anarose was the person who came closest to the peak of a Ganapoli Mage.」
“If they had actually married, they would have been an extraordinary couple. The husband a Demonic, the wife an Arch-Mage. Just imagining it is remarkable….”
As Riche spoke thus, she suddenly looked at Joshua and fell silent. She had remembered that Joshua was, after all, descended from someone other than Anarose.
「After Anarose left, Icabon pretended to endure for a time, but ultimately could not hide his true feelings. He postponed the wedding and rushed to Sunset Island. I remember well because I went with him the first time. Anarose would not meet any of us. Only after she disappeared did Icabon seem to realize something. Despite the situation being unfavorable for him to leave the Castle, he went a second time, a third time, and continued returning. From the third time onward, he went alone while I remained to guard Jade Ring Castle. It was during that period that an incident occurred. I cannot recall which visit it was…」
“So at that time….”
All three understood. Kelsniti smiled bitterly with an expression visible only to Joshua.
「Exactly. Enemies, noticing that both Icabon and Anarose were absent, attacked the Castle. That is when I died. The People of Promise also fell defending the Castle, refusing to retreat. I remember seeing Icabon return in panic, now a spirit. Truly… it was not the face of a living person. At that moment, I lacked the power to speak to him….」
The voice tinged with sighs sounded as though pitying the friend left behind more than the self now dead.
「After that, Icabon never returned to find Anarose. Stchoan, disappointed by the oath that had crumbled so futilely, also departed. Left alone, Icabon must have suffered terribly. Personally, I am grateful that he did not collapse then and managed to endure. Afterward, Icabon made great efforts—gathering materials from across the Continent, assembling mages—but ultimately, he never succeeded in creating the Wish Mirror before his death. The promise was never kept.」
Having finished the long tale, Kelsniti turned his gaze toward the Sea. The sun was no longer there. It had risen higher and entered the clouds. The sky had become a clear blue. Morning had begun without notice.
Maximian spoke.
“These People of Promise—at that point, they’d have no excuse even if we said they threw away their own opportunity. Yet now they’re harassing Icabon and even Joshua? They truly know no shame.”
「For them, it was as if they never received the reward for their loyalty. They gave their devotion believing only in Icabon’s promise through long years, yet he cherished Anarose more than them, and thus they died—or so they believed. Though disappointed, they never fled even unto death, still believing he would one day honor his oath. Yet even that was not fulfilled. I suspect they also believed that driving away Anarose, a mage fundamentally untrustworthy like those of Ganapoli, from becoming the Duke’s companion was itself an act of loyalty.」
Riche was astounded.
“If that’s the case, that’s truly absurd logic. Who are they to choose someone else’s partner?”
Joshua sat lost in thought. He thought of the people—or rather, spirits—he had seen in the world of his heart. He thought of how they had marveled at his world, how he had returned to this realm holding their hands.
Among the People of Promise, there were those like Korned who cursed Icabon, but there were also those like Kelsniti who cherished Joshua. And regardless of which, they all yearned for the mirror….
“Kelce, you said earlier you were searching for a way to grant the wish. Does that mean you’ve found a way to create the mirror now?”
「Not yet. Since all the mages of Sunset Island have vanished, there is no way to obtain the cornerstone of Periwinkle, and I am searching to see if any mirrors remain in Ganapoli. But that place is dangerous even for spirits, making the search extremely difficult. If I had not been a Priest, I could not have entered at all. When you called for me and I did not come, I was likely there.」
“If the search fails?”
Kelsniti did not answer immediately. Joshua pushed himself up and continued speaking.
“If I cannot find the Wish Mirror in the Land of Mortals… what happens then? I’m not saying the Spirits will continue to follow me and that’s a problem. There’s a reason they linger at my side. A promise—Icabon’s promise—they seek it in me. Though I lack the ability to fulfill it, and they seem to know this as well… yet because they can expect nothing from anywhere else, they remain at my side, don’t they?”
「Joshua, you have no obligation to fulfill their wishes. You are you, and Icabon is Icabon. That promise should have ended centuries ago. I speak differently because I am of that era, but you are merely a person of today, unbound by ancient promises or old debts. There is no law that descendants must repay for the deeds of their ancestors.」
“But they are bound to me because of the promise they made with Icabon. Even if it was born of a mistake… the oath to serve me as they served Icabon—the moment I inherit that, doesn’t responsibility come with it? And I was born as a descendant of the Family Clan that Icabon established, so I have enjoyed many privileges. When I trace it back to its roots, as long as they remain loyal to me, perhaps I gain the justification to fulfill their promise… I simply don’t know.”
「Joshua, do not forget. That promise was not your choice.」
“But the promise already exists. Ah… I don’t know exactly what I should do. If I had the power to grant their wishes, I would do so immediately. But I lack such ability, and yet their expectations seem to shackle my ankles.”
Kelsniti offered no further response and fell silent. After a long pause, he spoke.
「Joshua, go back now. It is time to rest. We can think about that matter later, once your mind has settled. There seems little point in discussing it further right now.」
Joshua nodded. As he turned his gaze from the empty air and rose to his feet, Riche assumed Kelsniti had left and stood as well.
But Maximian did not rise.
“What are you doing?”
When Riche asked, Maximian grimaced in response.
“My leg cramped because of that bastard.”
Shortly after, the group left the seaside and began making their way back to the house where Milestone slept alone. Maximian’s leg soon recovered, but now Joshua was the one pressing his hand to his lower back, his face contorted in discomfort.
“Why does my back hurt so much?”
Maximian spoke with an unbothered expression.
“Bad deeds always make the back ache.”
“But Mak, what are you holding in your hand?”
“An ordinary plow handle. You attach a plow blade to the end and use it to till the fields.”
Riche stuck out her tongue and asked.
“Does your knee not hurt?”
“My knee is killing me.”
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 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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