Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 496

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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 266.
Beneath the Almond Tree (9)
“I think I may have considered it once. But it’s not clear. It was all vague. In truth, I’ve almost forgotten about it.”
Joshua tilted his head.
“I find that hard to believe.”
“What would I gain by lying to you?”
Since I could only see her back, I couldn’t discern her expression. Joshua quickened his pace and fell into step beside Riche once more.
“Well, Keltika is rather a complicated place to wander alone.”
“Yes. I was afraid to come out. Worried I’d get lost.”
“That sounds like a lie too.”
“Are you going to keep this up? Do I seem like someone who does nothing but lie?”
Riche’s voice rose slightly. Joshua curled up one corner of his mouth.
“It’s just that I thought you’d have been brave enough to venture anywhere. That’s all I meant.”
“Ah, well, that would only apply when there’s no pale-faced person buried in bed begging me to please talk to them.”
“Riche.”
His voice suddenly turned serious.
“What?”
“When I was asleep. You said you sat beside me and spoke to me about many things.”
It was merely a sudden question, yet Riche felt an uneasy prickling in a corner of her heart. Surely that couldn’t be it.
“Yes, I did. But why are you asking about that now…?”
“During all that time, did you perhaps not mention something important?”
Riche’s steps halted for a moment. But she soon resumed walking and spoke.
“I talked to you about so many things while you were asleep that I can’t possibly remember them all. As you know, it was half a year. Half a year.”
Joshua’s head moved slightly in acknowledgment.
“I suppose so.”
As we walked, we soon arrived at the river landing. When the three of us had come down to the bustling district, we had taken a small boat down the Bluet River. Jade Ring Castle lay upstream from here. Since Riche didn’t know Keltika’s geography, she was simply following along and now looked at Joshua.
“What are you thinking? We can’t go upstream by boat.”
“Such boats aren’t entirely nonexistent, but there aren’t any at this hour.”
“You’re not suggesting we walk, are you?”
“If we’re going to walk, what’s to stop us? The weather is fine.”
Joshua replied casually, glancing at Riche’s expression before smiling faintly. Then he turned direction and walked toward the ferryman’s house. Riche hurried after him, calling out.
“Are you planning to arrive tomorrow morning?”
Joshua knocked on the ferryman’s door. After a moment, a man poked his head out and quickly emerged, greeting him.
“Welcome.”
“Yes.”
The man went around to the back and soon returned leading a horse. Joshua took the reins and gestured to Riche.
“Let’s go.”
Joshua swiftly mounted the horse, and the man who had brought it helped Riche up behind him. Riche, now seated behind Joshua, asked.
“What’s happening? Is that man a servant of your household?”
Joshua, who had been placing his hand on the horse’s neck, merely nodded.
“When did you prepare this?”
A light laugh echoed in response.
“I figured you wouldn’t want to walk.”
As the tall man bowed, Joshua kicked the horse’s flank. The creature wheeled about and began galloping along the River.
It was smoother and more fluid than any horse I’d ridden before. Was it the horse’s excellence, or the rider’s skill? The pace quickened steadily, and the surroundings dissolved into darkness where shapes became unrecognizable. Riche spoke suddenly.
“So tomorrow we really do part ways. It doesn’t feel real.”
Joshua replied after a long pause.
“Neither does it for me.”
“Tch, you didn’t even try to stop me from leaving, and now you say such things?”
Joshua answered after an even longer silence.
“What right would I have to hold you back?”
Riche merely shrugged slightly without responding. Beneath the rhythm of hoofbeats, Joshua’s voice continued.
“You’ve endured so much.”
“It’s fine. It’s over now. Thank you for showing me the Costume Workshop.”
Joshua rode in silence for a moment before answering.
“Truth be told, when you mentioned you’d been at the Castle all this time without ever visiting that place, I felt genuinely sorry.”
Riche did not answer. The Forest rushed past. The dark waters of the River flowed silently. The hoofbeats grew louder. Riche murmured to herself. I can’t tell him anyway. Even if you knew.
Joshua suddenly laughed.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“About what?”
“Apologizing, comforting, dwelling on the past—none of it seems to fit. I’m finding it incredibly difficult to find the right words right now. It feels like I just forgot my lines on stage.”
“How would you know that feeling? You’ve never experienced it.”
Joshua nodded in that habit permitted only to him.
“You’re right.”
Riche’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“I wonder if the day will come when I miss even that arrogant way of speaking of yours.”
Joshua laughed silently. Riche suddenly remembered something and added.
“Come to think of it, I’m leaving without even saying goodbye to Kelce. When you see him next, give him my regards.”
Joshua hesitated for a moment.
“…Yes.”
They entered the Slope Path. Since the pace showed no sign of slowing, Riche, who had been inwardly afraid for some time, spoke.
“This is rather fast.”
“It’s quite far.”
Riche tightened her grip around Joshua’s waist.
“You ride quite well, though.”
“…Well, I’m the Duke’s son, after all.”
5. The Arrow
The child who retrieved the arrow I shot
was young and brave. I placed
a bow in his hands and the beasts he would hunt
I blessed him with a short death,
A gentle prey that would breathe his last with a single arrow,
Without struggle or resistance.
The Craft Workshop where Anna worked sat at the entrance of a small forest on the outskirts of Keltika. It was operated by two master woodworkers who oversaw five or six apprentices, crafting wooden bowls, baskets, and wooden toys. Two charcoal kilns stood ready for times when profits dwindled. Aside from when goods were delivered to the Market, foot traffic was sparse. It was rare for people to come directly to purchase items.
Though the place lay beyond the notice of most, market folk occasionally wondered: how had they obtained logging permits? The forests surrounding Keltika belonged to the King and the Nobility. The forest where the workshop stood was likewise private property of a certain marquis.
Anna did not wonder. When Langie had sent her here, the two brother craftsmen had already been informed and greeted her warmly. This place was ideal—hidden safely from the eyes of the Kingdom 8th Army and curious onlookers alike.
Soon it would be a year since I had stayed here. I had grown reasonably skilled at carving wood. I had learned to fashion plates and trays, however clumsily. They were not yet of market quality, but in such a short time, I had learned much. Had I entered an ordinary workshop, I would have spent over a year doing menial labor before any skills were passed down to me.
Yet the safe routine of the workshop had quickly grown tedious. Here, I could hear no gossip from Keltika.
When word came in mid-May that a friend had come looking for me, I felt a surge of joy—though it made no sense that any friend would find their way here.
The chamber given to Anna was at the far end of the annex building. I shared it with another female apprentice, but she, being an advanced apprentice, had gone to the Market that day.
When I entered the room around 8 o’clock after the day’s work ended, a man sat at the table wearing a gray hood pulled low. Anna stopped in the doorway. The man spoke.
“It’s been a while.”
It took a moment to recognize the voice.
“Brian?”
As Anna closed the door and stepped inside, the man lowered his hood. It was Brian Matelo, the fellow apprentice from Giscar’s House.
“Surprised?”
Anna’s movement toward the table faltered. Brian’s words illuminated a hazy memory. Brian Matelo—why was he here?
Brian, observing Anna’s expression, laughed with a trembling jaw.
“I suppose you’ve heard a lot about me.”
Brian’s face had deteriorated considerably. His skin had darkened and roughened, his lips pale and cracked around the edges. His eyes were sunken, making him appear years older. When he smiled, his cheeks and cheekbones became uneven and gaunt.
“How did you know I was here?”
“I went to great lengths to find you.”
Anna barely managed to pull a chair toward her and sit across from him. The creaking of the worn chair’s joints grated on her ears.
“Why did you search for me?”
“Before that… aren’t you curious how I’ve been all this time?”
Brian had entered Rosa Alb’s Villa slightly after Anna. At first, he had competed with her in everything. Both wanted to capture Giscar’s attention and earn his recognition. Though Anna was competitive by nature, she had no taste for underhanded methods, and when things did not go her way, she simply disliked Brian outright. After a month or so passed and their silence finally broke, they came to understand that both had struggled to reach this place, and gradually their hearts opened to one another. By the time Anna left Giscar’s side, they had become close fellow apprentices who joked readily and helped each other with chores.
And then everything changed.
“You seem to have had a difficult time.”
Brian nodded, resting his chin on the table. The knuckles of his thin hands were prominent.
“It was terribly difficult. I don’t even know how I survived.”
Anna almost asked what had happened, but swallowed the question. She already knew. She knew that Brian had been cast out from Giscar’s side, expelled from the Friends of the People, and what came after…
Seeing the scrutinizing look in Anna’s eyes, Brian burst into laughter.
“Hahaha…”
“Brian, what on earth happened to you? Were you really…”
Brian stopped laughing and glared at Anna.
“A spy, you mean? How dare you ask me that, Anna Eisenelmo? This is all because of you. While I’ve been barely clinging to life for the past year, you’ve been safe under the organization’s protection, hiding in a place like this. Yes, you won. Teacher Giscar abandoned me and chose you. How does it feel? What’s it like to be the teacher’s favorite?”
That was a story that had ended long ago, before they had even parted ways. Yet Anna understood why Brian, appearing so belatedly, would say such things.
“Don’t say that. There was nothing like that between us. But what do you mean it’s because of me? I…”
“You’re right, it’s not because of you. It’s because of him.”
“Who?”
“The person who took you away.”
Before Anna could respond, Brian’s voice rose.
“You suspected me and took me away, then when your suspicions of me cleared, you suspected me instead, and because of that you even made Giscar lose faith in me, and ultimately forced me to have no choice but to flee if I wanted to survive.”
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Published by: 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, you must obtain written consent from both parties.

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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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