Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 419

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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 189.
In the Name of Loyalty and Vengeance (31)
Richard Fell gazed upward at the sky, his expression contemplative for a moment before he spoke.
“Not all of them, I’m afraid. Galifer von Arnim, the great-grandson of the first Duke, departed for the Land of Mortals and has not been heard from since. No one knows where he was buried.”
“And everyone else?”
Richard Fell’s face betrayed his confusion at Joshua’s persistent questioning.
“Yes. To the best of my knowledge, that is correct.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Would you like me to show you the records?”
Joshua made no reply and instead circled the graveyard once more. Riche, who had been following behind, spoke up.
“So we came here for nothing?”
Maximian had also examined the area around the columbarium in his own way, but found no signs of anyone having broken in. When Maximian returned to Joshua’s side, he remained lost in thought without uttering a word. At that moment, Joshua gestured to Richard Fell, signaling him to leave.
Richard Fell shook his head.
“The Young Duke must also depart.”
“I’ll follow shortly. I won’t keep you waiting long, so rest assured.”
Unexpectedly, Richard Fell proved stubborn.
“No, that won’t do. I shall wait and escort you back.”
“It’s fine, really.”
“It may be fine for the Young Duke, but not for me.”
When Joshua’s elegant brows furrowed, Richard Fell continued.
“If you do not return, I have no way to placate those people.”
“Do I appear to be someone who would flee?”
Remarkably, Richard Fell answered thus.
“One can never be certain.”
“….”
Joshua stood with his arms crossed, eyes downcast, before suddenly lifting his head.
“Very well. From this moment forward, do not be alarmed by what transpires.”
“What do you intend to do?”
Joshua made no response and turned back toward the columbarium. Richard Fell’s gaze grew suspicious when, suddenly, an unfamiliar voice echoed through the air.
“You called for me?”
Richard Fell glanced about frantically. He heard Joshua’s reply.
“Yes. I’d like you to examine the interior.”
“That’s not difficult.”
“Check carefully for any signs of intrusion. Look for any damaged coffins as well.”
“Give me a moment.”
As Joshua turned, Richard Fell’s eyes widened in astonishment. He had never realized his eyes could open so wide.
“Who were you speaking with just now?”
“A dead person.”
Richard Fell blinked repeatedly. Yet no matter how he looked around, he could see no one who had just answered from beside them.
“A… a dead person, you say?”
“I warned you not to be startled.”
“H-how are you speaking with a dead person?”
Joshua smiled broadly—a somewhat mischievous expression.
“Weren’t all the Demonic ones necromancers?”
After a moment, a voice came again.
「There isn’t one.」
“No trace?”
「Looking at the thickness of dust on the floor, it seems no one has entered here for at least several decades. There was no need to examine the coffins.」
Joshua shrugged one shoulder and spoke.
“Go back and examine the coffins anyway.”
「But I’m telling you no one came in.」
Joshua continued without acknowledging the protest.
“Go and check if the coffins of the names I mention are properly there. Icabon von Arnim, Galifer von Arnim, Geoffrey von Arnim, Arabella von Arnim, Dominic von Arnim, Camille von Arnim, Pailbrue von Arnim, Delpina von Arnim, Dayton von Arnim, Christabel von Arnim, Svanhilde von Arnim, Rasmus von Arnim.”
Maximian interjected.
“But you said Galifer isn’t there?”
“We still need to verify.”
Riche, who had grown quite accustomed to spirits ever since they repaired the ship’s hull, chimed in without fear.
“How can you remember all those people by yourself? Only you could memorize that, Joshua.”
Joshua’s lips curved upward in a broad smile.
“Did you think I called on just one? We each memorized three names, didn’t we?”
Indeed, another spirit’s voice was heard.
「I memorized them, but how would a person even enter without disturbing the dust, let alone a spirit?」
“When I tell you to go, don’t talk back. I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
The spirit laughed then.
「Heh heh, that’s how a Duke should be. Understood.」
Richard Fell stared at Joshua conversing with the spirit, his expression frozen entirely. He had once read that the Demonic ones possessed mediumistic qualities in the past. Yet he had never witnessed it firsthand, and above all, he could never have imagined that a medium would summon spirits in broad daylight and actually command them.
He began backing away slowly. Joshua paid him no mind—it mattered little if he left.
The spirits returned after some time. To Joshua, one of them approached while another leaned against the plaster wall, and yet another sat on the floor. Joshua looked them over and asked.
“Well?”
「No trace. If the coffins had been moved recently, the dust around them wouldn’t have remained undisturbed. But here’s the thing.」
“What is it?”
「It doesn’t seem like any of them were opened recently… but there was an empty coffin.」
Everyone’s eyes widened. Joshua pressed urgently.
“Empty?”
「Yes. Inside the coffin was nothing but fragments—grain husks or something, not human remains. You see, as a spirit, I can definitely recognize human dust. It’s quite useful, after all. In any case, it means they placed an empty coffin there from the start. There’s no other way to interpret it. Ah, I was shocked too, of course.」
Riche grimaced at the mention of human remains. Yet the spirit’s voice seemed oddly sharp.
Joshua asked.
“So. Whose coffin was it?”
「Icabon… von Arnim.」
Joshua was more stunned than anyone. Icabon had not been buried here?
“What in the world… how did this happen? I don’t know about others, but I’ve been reading for ages that Icabon was buried here. Every book said the same thing. Are you telling me it was all a lie? Did people back then deceive everyone too?”
「It’s astounding. Truly astounding. How well he concealed himself. Where did he go? Where did he die? A cunning trickster… he always was one. Deceiving everyone… and now he’s even hidden his corpse without a trace.」
The spirit’s emotions reflected directly in his voice. Even mild displeasure transformed into a metallic screech like something from a dream. Maximian glanced at Riche’s expression before speaking.
“That’s enough. If you’re done, send him away quickly.”
I had assumed they wouldn’t listen to me anyway, since they only conversed with Joshua. Yet I heard another spirit respond.
「No need to nag, boy. Farewell.」
“….”
When Joshua and Riche turned around simultaneously, they saw Maximian standing speechless, his mouth agape. Riche forgot her earlier fear and burst into laughter. Maximian bristled and cried out.
“One of you is a Duke and the other is… don’t call me like that!”
“He’s already gone.”
Joshua spoke, and Maximian frowned before protesting.
“You—just because I can’t see him doesn’t mean he’s gone. You’re lying about it. Like last time too….”
By then, the Steward who had been backing away paused, lost in thought. The unfamiliar voices heard from all directions were undeniably distinct. I considered the possibility of ventriloquism and observed carefully, but abandoned this hypothesis when the Young Duke and the unfamiliar voice were often heard together. Then could these truly be the voices of spirits?
Perhaps they could be.
Richard Fell was a man who read old records meticulously. He knew that the Young Duke who would inherit the Family Clan was Demonic, and he also knew that if he truly became Duke, he would be the first Demonic to do so. He was well aware that even a Demonic who had once been an heir eventually became a severed branch and disappeared.
Yet he also knew there was one exception. The founder of the Family Clan—Demonic Icabon.
There was no record of whether Icabon von Arnim had conversed with spirits. For other Demonic individuals, there were scattered records, though they seemed to have been dismissed as a kind of madness. Or as a harbinger of madness—written in such a manner.
Richard Fell observed Joshua once more. It was difficult to sense any harbinger of madness in Joshua as he laughed and conversed with his two companions. The Steward recalled the records again. Around the time a Demonic claimed to have seen spirits, mental derangement began to set in, and soon they ceased conversing with anyone, gradually isolating themselves in their own world….
“He deceived everyone back then and was buried elsewhere. So where should we search for him?”
Riche murmured while looking up at the Columbarium. Birds perched atop the roof, chirping leisurely.
Maximian spoke. “We’ll have to inquire among the Island’s people. There’s nowhere else to ask, after all. Perhaps there’s a Grandmother who remembers old legends, or someone like that. Let’s find out.”
Joshua spoke with his eyes downcast.
“But… is it really Icabon?”
“His coffin was empty, wasn’t it? Is there any other possibility?”
“No, that’s not what I mean. I just feel strange about it. The material used to create the puppet happened to be the founder…, the person who brought our Family Clan into existence. It feels odd when I think about it. It’s hard to put into words exactly, but….”
Unexpectedly, Riche spoke.
“Desecrated?”
Joshua’s cheeks flushed at her words. Yet after a moment, Joshua lifted his head and spoke.
“Let’s return for now. There are people waiting for us.”
The two nodded without further words. Joshua called out to the Steward, who had backed away quite far.
“Come with us!”
Riche, perhaps recalling the documents piled on the table and the endless queue of petitioners, spoke with a note of concern.
“Rather than calling him, it might be better to flee right now.”

Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Months Publishing
The rights to this book belong to the author and 14 Months Publishing.
To reuse all or part of this book’s content, 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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