Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 428

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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 198.
An Angel’s Face and
The Blood Flowing Through a Demon’s Heart (7)
Thus, the three who suddenly found themselves needing to depart for Sunset Island put their heads together once more. Riche spoke first.
“Sunset Island is currently uninhabited, correct?”
“Grandfather mentioned it before. Since we’re here, we should ask the locals for precise details, but yes.”
“The people here would know the route at least, and if it’s not too far, sailing might be better than flying… ah, of course, with the locals’ help. If the Young Duke requests it, we should be able to receive that much assistance, shouldn’t we?”
“Well, probably, but…”
“What do you mean probably? It’s certain.”
“However.”
Maximian suddenly pushed back his chair and stood, drawing both their gazes after him.
“There’s something suspicious about this.”
“What is it?”
“Even you, Joshua, only learned today that Icabon has a separate true grave. Moreover, none of the people on this island knew about it either.”
Maximian paced beside the table before suddenly stopping, his brow furrowing.
“How did your brother-in-law find out about it?”
That evening, everyone in Periwinkle was busy with a single purpose. It began with ship preparations. Joshua had insisted several times that they could sail in the vessel they’d arrived on, but no one believed him, so a respectable ship requiring twenty sailors was procured in an instant. If it were a matter of flying through the sky, they’d accept any ship regardless of its appearance, but sailing the sea was different. The people of Periwinkle, in complete agreement with the sailors of Kalayso, viewed the Beauty’s Pinnacle as nothing more than a festival toy boat to be set afloat in the bay during celebrations.
There was no need to worry about provisions, water, or materials. When the administrator, reluctant to blemish the tax ledgers, declared requisition—or rather, “voluntary donation disguised as requisition”—the supplies piled on the beach by evening were enough to make ten round trips to Sunset Island. The surplus was cheerfully recorded in the ledgers as intended for a second voyage, naturally one that was never planned.
Next came the matter of sailors. The careful opinion of many was that they should have found a ship large enough to carry forty men, not twenty. The dozens who were rejected spoke with bitter voices. Since it wasn’t a lengthy voyage nor a treacherous route, there were plenty of volunteers eager to leave their descendants the glory of having sailed with the House of Arnim. Even after sailor selection ended, groups kept coming to kick at the Guild’s door and enjoy evening strolls, so the Maritime Guild Master—or more precisely, the pirates’ quartermaster—Old Stilton stood before the door bellowing throughout the evening, his voice echoing across the beach.
“The Young Duke said to throw anyone who kicks the door into the sea and fish them out three times until they become a nice salt pickle, then load them in the hold! Understand? I’m telling you again—if you want to board the ship, come well-salted in every crevice. Anyone insufficiently salted will be hung from the ship’s stern to taste the salt properly!”
The Young Duke, who had never dreamed of saying such things, left only the words “I’m going to visit Sunset Island” before collapsing into sleep until 7 PM. Upon waking, he received a report from the administrator waiting in the parlor—all departure preparations were complete, from supplies to the captain and crew aboard the ship.
Joshua nodded with vacant eyes, still tormented by dreams.
“We’ll depart tomorrow morning.”
Richard Fell hesitated rather than leaving, watching Joshua. As Joshua’s mind gradually cleared, he noticed and spoke.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“Why are you going to Sunset Island?”
At the direct question, Joshua shrugged lightly.
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t go?”
“There’s nothing there. No one lives there. There’s nothing worth examining.”
“People have different interests.”
“Though those people came to settle there and Periwinkle has since been subordinate to it, that wasn’t always the case. In other words, it’s difficult to call it our land. People haven’t visited in a long time. There are no good fishing grounds, no natural resources, and I’m uncertain if fresh water remains. It’s not difficult to approach the vicinity, but landing is complicated. It will only be a troublesome journey.”
By this point, it was certain that Richard Fell had a reason for not wanting Joshua to set foot on Sunset Island. Joshua rolled his eyes once.
“With conditions that favorable, I wouldn’t be surprised if other pirates had built hideouts there.”
“That’s rather harsh. Above all, unless you distrust our administrative abilities, that is. No matter how desolate the land, it is unmistakably the territory of Duke Arnim, and we would never allow other pirates to set foot there…”
“I see.”
Joshua rose from his seat. Richard Fell’s eyes followed him as he walked toward the opposite side of the parlor, continuing to track him even as he stopped before the door, turned around, and returned to the table.
“Tell me. What is on Sunset Island?”
Richard Fell blinked several times before speaking.
“Nothing.”
“What is it that you don’t want me to see?”
“….”
Richard Fell, unaccustomed to deception, twitched at the corner of his mouth and gazed toward the end of the table. Joshua smiled faintly.
“You needn’t tell me—I’ll see for myself anyway. I have no intention of canceling our departure. It’s better to know beforehand than to be surprised upon arrival, wouldn’t you say?”
After a moment, Richard Fell asked.
“Your Highness… or rather, Young Duke, do you have a particular interest in magic?”
Joshua shook his head.
“No.”
“Why is that? You are blessed as one of House of Arnim—if you wished, you could learn and master anything in mere moments, and do so brilliantly at that.”
“Yes, of course that’s true.”
Since Richard Fell knew Joshua’s family well, he accepted the words without discomfort.
“Then?”
“I simply don’t wish to.”
It was refreshingly straightforward. Richard Fell furrowed his brow.
“Is there a particular reason?”
“There is, but it’s not something you’d be pleased to hear.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Thank you for saying so. I fear becoming something far more terrible than I already am.”
Joshua’s face remained serene as he spoke. Richard Fell did not immediately comprehend and tilted his head in confusion.
“What do you mean by that?”
“If one could excel at anything and therefore pursued everything, what would become of such a person? Would it be a happy outcome where all things are mastered?”
“As someone like myself, I find such words difficult to grasp.”
“You saw me summon a spirit yesterday, didn’t you?”
Richard Fell could not immediately conceal his revulsion. Thus when their eyes met, he stammered severely.
“Ah, yes, I, saw it, and now I understand well.”
“Even without magic, I can already do such things. If I learned magic, I would be capable of far more. Consider a person who takes thousands of steps while others take a hundred. Such a person always wishes to go further, to places no one has ventured. They do not wish to rest. With each step forward, an unprecedented world of unimaginable wonder unfolds before them. They know even more wondrous places await. Addiction to such thoughts leaves one unable to rest for even a moment, and those who were called blessed, who ran and ran in pursuit of such visions, arrived at….”
Richard Fell knew the answer in his heart. Yet, being a man of principle, he did not speak first before his companion voiced it. Joshua’s lips slowly pronounced the word that Richard Fell could not utter.
“Madness.”
Richard Fell exhaled a slow sigh.
“I am a rigid man and lack the capacity to understand the inner world of someone like you, Young Duke. But I have always feared it. I… that is to say… I wish for House of Arnim to prosper eternally.”
Joshua understood the unspoken implication—how precarious it was to depend upon an only heir who might lose his mind at any moment. After a pause, Richard Fell spoke.
“Have you harbored such thoughts for a long time?”
Joshua laughed softly and replied.
“No. Actually, I first had such thoughts yesterday.”
“Hmm….”
Richard Fell hesitated a moment longer before finally speaking.
“Long ago, Sunset Island was called the Island of Mages. There is even a history of bitter conflict between our island and theirs. During the height of their magical flourishing, no force on our island—nor indeed any power on the Continent—dared approach it. Yet for some reason, their magic weakened, and as more time passed, the people of Sunset Island desired to migrate to Periwinkle. When we, surprised, journeyed to Sunset Island to investigate, we discovered they no longer possessed magic at all.”
“They did not teach magic to the next generation?”
“I do not know the reason. In any case, they lost their magic and thus lost the very means to survive on the barren Sunset Island. We accepted the migrants, but they preferred to live among themselves and chose a distant, secluded place to establish their own village. After that, we forgot about Sunset Island. As I mentioned, there are no worthwhile resources there. Yet several months ago, strange news reached us.”
“What sort of news?”
“Sunset Island had little contact with us for many ages. But how could we have known their magic had weakened? In the past, when their magic was formidable, Sunset Island possessed a characteristic that anyone could recognize.”
“What is it?”
“A magical storm.”
Joshua tilted his head in thought.
“A magical storm—you mean the fierce tempest that once shrouded Sunset Island, the one no one could penetrate? Yet a single person managed to break through it….”
“Yes, precisely. Long ago, the First Duke of Arnim pierced through that storm and entered Sunset Island. That is exactly it. It gradually weakened and eventually vanished. Not long after, the people of Sunset Island requested relocation. The storm disappeared along with the magic of Sunset Island’s people. That is what happened, but….”
“It has returned?”
“It has.”
Joshua’s eyes grew grave as well. The administrator sighed once more, as was his habit.
“I do not yet know how powerful it is—whether it matches the strength of old. Upon receiving this report, I ordered those who brought me the news to maintain absolute silence. Thus, only a handful of us know of this matter. You may think me overly cautious when you hear my reasons for not informing the people, but….”
“Tell me. I do not take such things lightly.”
The administrator lowered his voice further. Already quiet from the start, it now descended into barely a whisper.
“The storm is created by the magical power of Sunset Island. If the magic of Sunset Island has truly returned, this is no trivial matter. They possess a long history of conflict with us. The people of Sunset Island who settled here have never truly assimilated with us and remain insular even now. Should they learn of this, they may seek to return to Sunset Island. And if that happens….”
Joshua shook his head.
“There is something I do not understand. Is the magic of Sunset Island fundamentally different in nature from the magic of the Continent? Are there not still Mages upon the Continent? Why do you suppose only the people of Sunset Island lose their magic according to the Island’s circumstances, and then regain it once more?”
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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