Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 491

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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 261.
Beneath the Almond Tree (4)
“He is stabilizing it again. In exchange, he made me promise to handle the fragments.”
“But the fragments of the Spear of Malice cannot be destroyed. They are indestructible.”
“Yes. We will need to prepare a safe place for them. Of course, that comes after we find them… In any case, he said it will take considerable time to fully restore the seal. Until then, we must protect that place safely. If the seal is incomplete and the spear fragment enters Sunset Island once more…”
“We might perish without even knowing what happened.”
Juspian sprang from his chair and began pacing across the Grassland with quick strides. The faster he walked, the deeper the furrows between his brows became. Then, suddenly, he stopped and turned to face Joshua.
“Who in the world brought that fragment there? Does he still have it?”
“The Puppet Master had it. It seems he used it to amplify the magical power needed to create the Puppet.”
Juspian’s brow furrowed.
“Ah, so that was the secret of the magical power. Truly a madman. He dared to touch the Spear of Malice for such a purpose? He deserves expulsion from the Mage Council, and in truth, should not have been left alive. Yet you say he still has not been found?”
“That is correct. However, while I slept, my Family Clan continued to track him and seems to have found a clue. So once the recovery period the Doctor set ends, I intend to go there myself.”
“Where to?”
“Nenyaple.”
One of Juspian’s eyebrows rose. Joshua continued.
“According to my Grandfather’s investigation, the Assassin was originally from Nenyaple.”
“…”
Juspian fell into serious contemplation. His eyes darted back and forth, and he blinked several times.
“A man without such basic ethics hailing from Nenyaple? What were the professors there teaching? It brings shame even upon me. But tell me—do you understand what kind of place that is before you go?”
“I do not, but…”
“It is not a place the Nobility can simply enter as they please. And certainly not somewhere one can sneak into. Without the insignia granted only to students and professors, you cannot pass through the ‘Curtain of Agonina’ that surrounds the School. They do not readily reveal the identities of their native sons, but in this case, the matter is quite serious. Still, they are more likely to attempt to resolve it among themselves. Do not think the Duke’s House can exert pressure. You would be greatly mistaken.”
“I do not harbor such thoughts.”
Juspian began walking again. The hem of his loosely flowing robe trailed behind him, clinging to his legs. As he walked, the campfire gradually dimmed and eventually died out. Even the Grassland seemed to lose its vitality. Standing at last across the Pond, Juspian called out.
“You presumptuous fool, so certain I would help you! Are you prepared to answer the question I asked moments ago?”
Joshua nodded.
“I will not yield myself to anyone. Not even to ‘him’—to that other self. Only then will I escape the sunset I share with myself, where both stench and allure exist together, and finally rise in the east.”
Despite the enigmatic answer, a faint smile crossed Juspian’s face. His third finger extended.
“You said you would share much with him once the Puppet awakens. Now, as I said, if you simply abandon him, the Puppet will die. But you said you have no intention of severing his connection to his original body, knowing you might die in his place. Finally, if there were a way to keep him alive while maintaining that connection, would you risk being hurt by his hand once more to attempt it?”
The hesitation was very brief.
“I would.”
“Why?”
“Because I know precisely how he must feel—abandoned by those I love, by the Puppet Master, and even by ‘myself.’ Moreover, through him, I came to know the Other for the first time, witnessed the truth of self-love, and finally discovered the door to leave the isolated child’s chamber where I dwelt.”
Juspian nodded. Then he opened all his fingers.
“You said you would go to Nenyaple?”
“Not that I intend to enroll there.”
Joshua smiled faintly, recalling Juspian and Maximian’s circumstances. Juspian spoke.
“Whether you enroll or not is no concern of mine. But if you go, seek out Professor Derike Leomentiis. If you speak well, Derike will grant you entry to the Vineyard. There, you may find what you seek.”
“The Vineyard?”
From the name alone, I could not guess what it might be. It surely was not an actual Orchard bearing real grapes.
Juspian nodded thoughtfully, considering something further, then suddenly added:
“Oh, and remember—if you mention me, it’ll backfire.”
3. The Trap Beyond the Stage
On stage, an actor is never struck by an arrow shot from offstage.
But in reality, it happens all the time.
The almond blossoms had not yet opened. Buds clustered on branches cast shadows across the Gallery Corridor, where students passed as they had the year before. A sprite in a wall niche stood guard with an unchanging face, but the Young Boy who once stood there was gone now. All who walked there had forgotten his face.
Footsteps echoed. A soldier passed through the Gallery Corridor toward the student dormitory. No one failed to recognize the reddish-brown uniform with double rows of buttons, gold shoulder boards, and the black lizard insignia affixed to his cap.
The lizard traced a curve nearly resembling the figure eight. Thus came the name: Kingdom 8th Army. What began as a nickname had become an official designation, one even the king himself now invoked. The original title—”Guardian of the Kingdom, Exalting the Glory of His Majesty”—had been too cumbersome to speak.
Even if such a man walked the grounds of Grome School, no one was surprised. Every school in Keltika fell under the administration of an officer assigned from the Kingdom 8th Army. Soldiers belonging to that unit had the right to enter and exit schools at any time.
Major Howell Jenas of the Kingdom 8th Army ascended the stairs without hesitation upon reaching the student dormitory, entering through the main entrance. Students in the lobby parted subtly as they saw him. An unnatural current formed around him, as though a magnetic field flowed from his presence. Jenas paid it no mind. He was already accustomed to it. He crossed the lobby toward the staircase. It was then that someone acknowledged him for the first time.
“Major Jenas!”
Turning, he saw Patrick, son of Baron Liearid, waving from the entrance as he walked in. He appeared to be returning to the dormitory. A playful smile hung at the corners of his mouth.
Jenas turned and saluted briefly.
“Good day.”
“We seem to be seeing each other quite often lately?”
“I have business here.”
“What sort of business? Something serious?”
“No. I merely referred to routine investigations as business.”
“I see. What could possibly happen at a school? I was secretly hoping something interesting might occur, since I’m bored to death, but I suppose that’s wishful thinking.”
“I regret to hear of your disappointment.”
Patrick chuckled, thinking that such stiff responses were precisely what one expected from a Kingdom 8th Army officer, no matter how one engaged him in conversation.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Your offer is appreciated, but I would prefer not to impose.”
“Impose? There’s nothing burdensome about it. Besides, wouldn’t it be fastest to get help from a student if you’re investigating the school? Haha.”
Jenas appeared to consider this. Patrick waited with his arms crossed, hoping his bait would be taken.
“Very well. Would you assist me for a moment, then?”
“Now that’s what I like to hear.”
“I shall lead the way. Follow me.”
Patrick followed Jenas while continuing to ramble on.
“You see, my father has been telling me for years that I should join the Kingdom 8th Army after graduation. At first it annoyed me, but as graduation approaches, I find myself with nothing better to do, so I thought I might give it a try. But how am I supposed to know what it’s like without actually joining? So when I started seeing Major Jenas around frequently, I thought I should try to have a conversation with you sometime. Of course, I probably don’t look like I’d make a good soldier, but when I’m home with my siblings, I keep them in line well enough. I have three younger siblings, and they’re so rowdy that if they don’t respect me, it becomes troublesome. But Major Jenas, what did you do before joining the Kingdom 8th Army? Did your father also….”
“I was originally a soldier. Joining the Kingdom 8th Army was simply a transfer.”
Hearing the curt response, Patrick was satisfied. He had intended to appear frivolous and thoughtless. What the Kingdom 8th Army would investigate in schools in Keltika was obvious: the Friends of the People.
The Kingdom 8th Army’s well-known investigative prowess stemmed from overlooking no detail, however small. Students were classified as a group easily susceptible to the ideology spread by the Friends of the People. Schools were also convenient places for operatives to hide and assume false identities. Moreover, in recent years, a distinct organization had been growing at Grome School, so there was no way they could have failed to catch its scent.
Yet Langier Rosencrantz had vanished. Ienna Amaranth had graduated. Hailzer Dintz had taken a leave of absence and departed for his homeland. The core of the organization had largely moved beyond the school. What was Major Jenas searching for?
Major Jenas had begun frequenting Grome School since winter. He was unlikely to be looking for Patrick himself, who had yet to undertake any significant activity. Perhaps he was following the traces of those who had disappeared. If so….
At that moment, Jenas’s voice rang out before the dormitory manager.
“A search warrant signed by Lieutenant Colonel Dearmerit of the Kingdom 8th Army. There should be a place where belongings left behind by students who have departed the school are stored. Guide me there.”
Patrick barely suppressed words that rose to his lips as if to protest.
“The Warehouse, perhaps? What business do you have there?”
Jenas spoke without turning around.
“I shall inform you once we arrive.”
The caretaker obediently took up the key and led the way. Just as Patrick had said, it was nothing more than a shabby warehouse beneath the dormitory. When the door swung open, a cloud of dust swept toward them. Patrick turned his head away with a grimace of distaste.
“I’ll be covered in dust.”
Jenas stepped inside without reply. The caretaker illuminated the staircase descending ahead with his lamp and muttered under his breath.
“But since nothing’s been organized properly, I’m not sure what you’re looking for….”
“Recently—that is, belongings of students who have left from last year until now. Surely you have those.”
“Well, that’s… you’d think it wouldn’t be many. Ah, no, yes.”
Even beneath the dim lamplight, the caretaker seemed to catch something in Jenas’s gaze, for he suddenly quickened his pace down the stairs. A space lined with multiple shelves came into view. The caretaker examined the numbers marked on the shelf’s side and located the right spot.
“Here it is.”
When Jenas gestured for him to leave, Patrick accepted the key from the caretaker’s hand. Soon after, the sound of the door closing behind them creaked through the darkness.
Patrick watched as Jenas picked up several books resting on the shelf. After a moment, he set them down and opened another, flipping through it hastily. What lay here was far more than books alone. Worn slippers, blankets, pens and ink, locked boxes, chipped cups, and even tattered portraits—all manner of objects were stacked haphazardly across the shelves without order.
These things no longer belonged to anyone. Patrick himself had no confidence he could pick out Langie’s belongings from this heap. How could anyone else manage? Unless Yenie herself were to come.
At that moment, Jenas’s hand came to rest in the middle of a book. Patrick shrugged and peered over his shoulder. It was a book with torn pages.
“….”
Patrick felt compelled to say something.
“What are you looking for? How can I help?”
Jenas held out the book he was holding.
“If you could find me a book with pages torn like this, that would suffice.”
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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