Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 465

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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 235.
Playing Oneself (11)
Victoire Sebo, the proprietor of the confectionery, hailed from the central pasture lands. When the Republic crumbled, her husband perished in the campaign to conquer Keltika, and she had lived with her younger brother ever since. They were always together, yet they had not always been in this place. After her husband’s death, influenced by her brother, she joined the Friends of the People and accompanied him on his studies abroad, which the Exile Council had arranged. Victoire and Diancord studied in Rosa Alb of Orlanne—under the tutelage of Giscard de Natangsong.
Students who received Giscard’s education maintained a special bond even after returning to Anomarad. Respecting Giscard, they regarded one another as trustworthy simply because he had acknowledged their graduation—their right to return to the Exile Council and work. Without any explicit instruction from Giscard, they sought each other out, met in secret, and aided one another discreetly.
The reason Victoire and Diancord came to meet Langie was the same. Upon graduation, Langie was called the jewel of the so-called “Giscard faction,” drawing the attention of the entire school. Diancord took a liking to him the moment they met. Victoire disliked his excessive maturity, but recently she had found joy in drawing out the hidden boyishness concealed within him.
When Langie stayed at Giscar’s House, Lanzumi was with him, but upon returning to Keltika and assuming the position the Exile Council had granted, he needed someone to care for Lanzumi. There were many places where he could stay temporarily. However, having her constantly meet new people while moving from place to place would be too much for Lanzumi’s fragile grip on sanity.
He thought it would be ideal if someone could care for her like family, but finding such conditions seemed difficult. It was then that Victoire stepped forward. She had just taken on the role of liaison on Natang Street, and the Exile Council had provided her with a confectionery for this purpose.
A small room on the second floor of the confectionery became Lanzumi’s world. The Sebo siblings treated her with the tenderness one reserves for a youngest sibling, both in body and spirit. Diancord in particular cared for her with meticulous attention, as if compensating for Langie’s absence. Victoire, observing this, even jested with a barbed edge that she doubted she herself received such devotion from her betrothed.
“Now that their hair colors are similar, they finally look like siblings, don’t they?”
As Victoire spoke, Lanzumi turned to look at her brother and smiled softly. It was the first time Lanzumi had seen her brother’s hair color change, yet she showed no surprise.
Diancord chimed in.
“They look alike even without the matching hair.”
“Well, you two are fine. But imagine if we looked like each other.”
“What do you mean?”
“Thank goodness we look completely different. The thought of your face on a woman terrifies me.”
Before Diancord could muster a retort, Victoire began giggling to herself and slipped out to the back. Diancord shouted after the already-closed door.
“Your face on a man actually looks surprisingly fitting!”
Of course, she could not have heard him. Langie rested his chin on the table and spoke.
“I wish I could have as many conversations with Lanzumi as you two do.”
“Your poor brother. Lanzumi, won’t you tell a joke, even if it’s just for fun?”
Lanzumi merely offered what seemed to be a drawn smile. Langie and Diancord exchanged glances and chuckled. Though they spoke lightly, Langie felt profound gratitude that Lanzumi could smile at all.
In his younger years, before joining the Friends of the People, Langie had once served as a servant in a nobleman’s household. The condition was that he would care for Lanzumi, and in exchange, he accepted no wages. At some point, that nobleman brought home a boy from abroad, claiming him as an adopted son. Since the boy was Langie’s age, he became his attendant. Shortly after, a Sword Master arrived to teach the boy swordsmanship—and he was the one who performed the miracle.
The Sword Master, who used the alias “Walnut,” revealed neither his origins, status, nor even his true name to the nobleman who employed him. He was quite eccentric and possessed somewhat suspicious abilities, yet his swordsmanship was flawless, leaving nothing to criticize in his role as an instructor.
One night, Langie entered Lanzumi’s room and witnessed the Sword Master wielding what might have been magic or some other power. He said he had conversed with Lanzumi’s heart and mind. That very night, Lanzumi’s voice, which had been silent for years, finally opened.
The Sword Master left the Manor one day and vanished without a trace. No word of him had come since. Langie did not use Nightwalk for personal matters, but when he had once entrusted another investigation, he had asked about the Sword Master on a whim.
Since he had not conducted a thorough investigation, he had failed to find any trace. The Sword Master changed his name wherever he went, so that might have been the reason. Should fate grant him the chance to meet him again, Langie was determined to repay the debt. By any means necessary.
In the meantime, Diancord had finished preparing the pastries. He placed the board with the rolled dough on the table and pressed the pastry mold into Lanzumi’s hands. Then he spoke.
“The pastries Lanzumi makes are popular, so I’m counting on you again.”
“Yes.”
Lanzumi’s clumsy hands moved, pressing out a single star. It was white and plump.
Since it had been so long since his last visit, he was treated to dinner as well. The evening table bore a stew made with tomatoes and eggplants stuffed with minced meat, the broth drawn from chicken bones he had procured. Since Victoire had made it on a whim, it bore no particular name, yet it was palatable enough to cause no concern.
In fact, it was excessively fine for a commoner’s meal. Each time Langie ate food so removed from an ordinary table, he felt a burden he did not voice aloud. He knew that today he was receiving hospitality as a guest after a long absence, and that the Sebo siblings’ confectionery had prospered beyond the Exile Council’s expectations, generating additional income. Moreover, living with Yien had afforded him many opportunities to taste far finer fare than this. He could forgive himself for this much today. He knew this, yet the feeling remained unchanged.
As Langie set down his spoon early, Victoire asked.
“Does it not suit your taste? Even so, eat a bit more.”
“No. It was delicious.”
“How can I believe such words when you’ve eaten so little? Prove it by eating more at once.”
Without asking, Victoire ladled more stew into Langie’s bowl as she spoke. As Langie pondered his response and averted his gaze, he found Lanzumi had stopped eating and was watching him.
Diancord spoke.
“It seems Lanzumi will stop eating if her brother stops.”
The Rosencrantz siblings exchanged gazes as if conducting a conversation no one else could hear. Presently, Langie lowered his eyes and picked up his spoon again, beginning to eat the stew Victoire had served.
Victoire chuckled softly and spoke.
“Lanzumi won.”
Beneath the gentle candlelight, the evening meal concluded with laughter exchanged between them. Langie meticulously wiped Lanzumi’s mouth with a napkin. Afterward, he poured half a cup of the tea he’d brewed for after dinner, tested its temperature with the back of his hand, and placed it before Lanzumi. Though it had been a long time, the gesture came naturally—something he’d done countless times over the years. The Sebo siblings exchanged glances and gave small shrugs of their shoulders.
It was time for Lanzumi to return and rest. Just as when she’d come down, Langie carried his sister on his back up to the second floor. Victoire followed with a lamp, then came back down and, watching her brother wash dishes, smiled to herself.
“You still have a long way to go.”
“What?”
He pretended not to hear clearly because of the water sounds, but he’d actually heard everything. Victoire sat down, pushing back a chair with her hip while holding a teapot in one hand and a teacup in the other.
“You’re clumsy.”
“At what?”
“You work hard, but you’re still far from Langie’s level.”
Diancord shrugged his shoulders in displeasure.
“That’s because Langie is my brother and I’m not. It’s not like there’s anything I can’t do.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Victoire took a sip of her tea. She set her apron down on the table.
“Langie was talking to Lanzumi after laying her down, and wouldn’t you know it—the moment I adjusted the lamp light, she fell asleep. You know how she usually has trouble sleeping at night, don’t you?”
“Hmm…”
Just as Diancord finished washing the dishes and turned around, Langie came back downstairs. Victoire gestured for him to come over.
“I’ve brewed fresh tea. Have another cup before you go.”
Langie nodded and pulled up a chair to sit. As Victoire poured, she added a remark.
“If I didn’t call you like this, you’d just bow politely and leave without a word, wouldn’t you? I know exactly how you are.”
Langie lowered his head and smiled.
“The night watch will be sending the revelers home soon, so I was planning to leave.”
“I know, I know. Just have one more cup of tea. That’s an order. The council agreed too—they said to send the chairman off after a cup of tea.”
“I will.”
Diancord also dried his hands, came over, and sat down as he spoke.
“Why didn’t you give me any tea?”
“It’s right in front of you. You can pour and drink it yourself.”
“Tch, discrimination.”
“If you’re unhappy, get promoted. You know the saying.”
Steam rose from three teacups. Victoire took a sip of her third cup and opened her mouth.
“Are you busy these days?”
“Yes.”
“The fact that you’re admitting you’re busy tells me something’s not right.”
Victoire was a perceptive woman. Langie didn’t deny it, only smiled.
“Stop taking on dangerous work. If one day you don’t come back, your sister will lose her breath.”
Even while speaking as if she didn’t know, Victoire, who oversaw the information network on Natang Street, wasn’t entirely ignorant of the situation. She simply chose not to show that she knew.
But Diancord was different.
“You went to a party at Duke Arnim’s house, didn’t you? Word’s already gotten around—someone saw you there. When I heard that, my breath caught. You know Grome School is starting to draw attention, don’t you? If things continue like this, it’s only a matter of time before your identity is revealed. I might be overthinking this, but isn’t what you’re doing these days getting too risky?”
Langie spoke calmly.
“So a Nightwalker showed up there too, it seems.”
“That’s not the issue. The problem is you can’t keep walking around with your face exposed like this. Everyone who sees you once will recognize you. There might even be nobles among them who remember you.”
“I’m leaving the school.”
Diancord’s eyes widened slightly.
“You and Yien and Hailjer too? Aren’t there a few others besides those two? And who else did you bring along—that young lady named Aizenelmo?”
“Yien and the others will stay. If I remain with them, they’ll be in danger. As for Aizenelmo, she was never a student to begin with, so she’ll be leaving with me.”
“Then where will you go? Have you decided?”
“It will be decided soon. It’s not my decision to make.”
A brief silence fell, and Victoire murmured.
“It’s a shame you won’t graduate. Your grades were decent too.”
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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