Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 525

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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 295.
Beneath the Almond Tree (38)
Being regulars, we were served generous portions. When four mugs of beer arrived, the four of us clinked glasses in good spirits. The amount each drank in one go varied. Joshua and I took two sips, Boris took three, and Maximian took half a mug.
After wetting our throats, the four of us spent considerable time scheming about how to take revenge, but no brilliant plan came to mind. The conversation gradually drifted elsewhere.
“By the way, how did you and Joshua come to know each other, Maximian?”
“That’s a long story.”
I found myself intensely curious about the relationship between Maximian, who looked remarkably modest for a commoner, and Arnim Duke. When I didn’t get an answer, I spoke up.
“Then let me tell you how we became friends first. After that, you two can share your story. Boris is my favorite friend, and the reason is that when I was studying at home, Boris came over—well, actually my Mother was trying to find me a friend who could also help me, but before that I actually already knew Boris, and that was from—”
My rambling story suddenly concluded with what I considered the most important information.
“So Boris is the Silverskull champion!”
Silverskull was a continental-scale tournament where young men and women between fifteen and under twenty competed in swordsmanship and other martial arts. Maximian merely wore an expression suggesting he’d heard the name somewhere before, but Joshua looked impressed.
“That’s impressive! You haven’t even reached twenty yet? How old were you when you won?”
“Fifteen. The minimum eligible age to compete. Really amazing, right?”
Boris looked displeased with my rambling, but he didn’t bother to stop me. It seemed he did this often. Maximian drained his beer and spoke.
“You two have completely opposite personalities. How did you become friends?”
“Because we’re opposite!”
All four of us were hungry, so the steamed pork over lentils, pepper sausage, eggplant and mushroom stew, and pear pie disappeared in no time. Finally, savory biscuits called galettes and dried plums were served. In the meantime, having drunk roughly two mugs, I was in good spirits and chattered away about whatever came to mind. The process of meeting Boris, betting money on Boris at Silverskull, playing dice games together, worrying he might suddenly leave and never return, then appearing just before school enrollment—it all tumbled out in a jumbled mess. Throughout all this, Boris quietly sipped his beer bit by bit.
From Maximian’s perspective, Joshua seemed to have something he wanted to tell Boris all along, but he didn’t bring it up readily. Before long, the number of beer mugs that had passed across the table reached twenty. When I began to doze off, Boris adjusted my posture, supporting me so I could lean comfortably against the wall. Maximian tapped an empty glass.
“So you were originally hired as a bodyguard by Lucian’s Mother? That’s hardly an appropriate condition for becoming friends.”
“It happened because of Lucian’s good nature.”
There was no trace of alcohol in Boris’s voice as he answered.
“What about your parents or family? Already working as a mercenary at that age?”
“They’re all dead.”
Joshua’s hand, reaching for a galette, stopped.
“All of them?”
Boris looked at Joshua’s face, then picked up a pastry himself and took a bite.
“In some countries, it’s common.”
“Where are you from?”
“Trabaches.”
Joshua and Maximian exchanged glances.
“Trabaches? That’s the Republic, isn’t it?”
“I’ve heard it’s a rough place. You must have had a hard time at such a young age.”
At Maximian’s words, Boris’s expression became momentarily ambiguous before he replied.
“One finds a way to survive regardless.”
“But you know,”
Joshua finished chewing his pastry and smiled brightly.
“I’m curious about you. Would it be alright if I asked you a few things?”
“If they’re questions I can answer.”
It was a defensive response, but Joshua pressed on regardless.
“Have you ever been on stage?”
Boris’s expression turned puzzled.
“Not at all.”
“That can’t be right. Your voice isn’t ordinary.”
At the mention of his voice, Boris showed a reaction—more precisely, a hint of tension. Joshua continued.
“You sing quite well, don’t you? No, it’s different from merely being good. You must have practiced for a long time. I can tell. Your voice carries the mark of it. That’s why I asked if you’d ever performed on stage. Most people don’t spend years practicing singing like that. So, what do you say?”
“…No.”
Boris cut him off curtly and turned away. His unwillingness to discuss it was so transparent that Joshua couldn’t press further. As Joshua hesitated, Boris drained the remaining beer and, unexpectedly, shifted his tone.
“It’s a topic I can’t discuss. I apologize. Shall we talk about something else?”
Joshua grinned and immediately asked.
“Fine then. What’s that bundle of cloth you carry on your back?”
“I can’t talk about that either. Something else perhaps….”
“Then who taught you swordplay?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Maximian, who had been watching, waved his hand for more beer and sneered.
“What exactly can you talk about? What kind of seventeen-year-old boy has secrets like some noblewoman? I should start calling you the dignified charcoal kiln from now on.”
Joshua asked.
“Why a dignified charcoal kiln if you have so many secrets?”
“Because it’s pitch black, that’s why!”
From the way he spoke, it was clear Maximian was far from sober. Not surprising, considering he’d drunk more than half of what had been brought out.
“Boris, there’s actually one question I’ve wanted to ask you most of all, and I really hope you’ll answer just this one. Will you?”
“Go ahead. But I can’t promise anything.”
Joshua’s smile faded, and he looked Boris straight in the eye.
“Do you happen to have the power to drive away Spirits?”
Suspicion flickered across Boris’s face. It was neither affirmation nor denial nor confusion.
“Why would you say such a thing? I know nothing of it.”
“No. You have that ability. Even if you don’t know it yourself.”
For something said in the haze of drink, Joshua’s tone was far too serious. Boris’s eyes changed as well—a shift that revealed the serene expression he’d maintained until now had been the result of effort.
“How could you possibly know something I don’t even know myself?”
“I can tell. Because….”
“Joshua!”
Maximian cut him off with a sharp voice. But Joshua didn’t close his mouth.
“I can see Spirits.”
It was the kind of statement that would leave anyone at a loss—whether to believe it or dismiss it. As Boris remained silent, Joshua’s words continued.
“I won’t claim I see every Spirit in the world. But I’ve seen so many that some have followed me for years. I’ve grown accustomed to them, hardly frightened anymore. Coming to Nenyaple, I found far more Spirits here than elsewhere. They gather where strong magical power flows. I’ve even seen Spirits that have dwelt in this Academy for over a century.”
It was the kind of story that would frighten anyone, yet Boris showed no immediate reaction. Instead, he asked this.
“You see them all the time, anywhere, not just in special circumstances?”
“Sometimes I mistake them for the living. But mostly I only hear them—from clear conversations to sounds like birds chirping.”
Boris pondered for a long moment before answering.
“It’s difficult to take your words at face value, but I can tell you’re not lying to yourself. Still, why did you ask if I could drive away Spirits?”
“The moment you passed by my side during the entrance ceremony, everything went quiet.”
Joshua paused, then drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly. A smile crossed his face.
“I can drive away spirits too, but it takes energy, so unless things get really bad, I usually just leave them be—it’s like constantly hearing birds chirping around me. But when I met you, after coming to Nenyaple, that kind of silence was something I hadn’t felt in ages. And right now… it’s the same.”
“Right now?”
Maximian wrinkled his nose and clicked his tongue. He thought it couldn’t be helped, but if things continued like this, he doubted that Demonic bastard would ever gain people’s favor during his time at the Academy.
Yet Joshua was utterly serious.
“Yeah. Honestly, being next to you makes the world feel incredibly peaceful.”
Boris answered after a long pause.
“I understand what you’re saying, but hearing that I bring peace feels strangely unfamiliar to me. I’ve always thought the word ‘peace’ was far removed from who I am.”
Joshua spoke after a moment.
“Now that you mention it, I feel the same way.”
In the end, Boris couldn’t explain why such a thing happened either. Joshua only asked that if he ever needed that kind of power, Boris would help him. When Lucian awoke, the four of them left the tavern. As they were just about to leave the village, Lucian pointed at a shop.
“That pie! I really want to eat that!”
It was a small pastry shop that sold pies, pastries, tarts, and other confections. But the door was already closed. Boris said:
“We’ll come back tomorrow and buy some.”
“No. I want to eat it now. Eating that will sober me up.”
“I’ve never heard of anyone sobering up from eating pie.”
“No, I have a feeling it will work. I’ll just knock on the door. If it doesn’t open, we’ll just leave.”
“It will be rude.”
“But it’s better than giving up without even trying to knock, isn’t it?”
Having rationalized it to his liking, Lucian quickly rushed to the pastry shop door before Boris could protest further and knocked. Contrary to expectations, a sound came from inside the shop.
“Who is it?”
A shop girl appeared, perhaps waiting for a family member to return late. Lucian quickly replied:
“I’m a customer!”
“We’re closed…”
“That’s fine. I’ll buy a lot.”
The shop girl looked at Lucian, then at the three boys standing awkwardly behind him, and after a moment, she smiled brightly.
“I can’t sell much. There are only four left.”
The shop girl lit a lamp. Lucian, who had gone in first, took a pie and immediately bit into it. At the same time, he pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket and handed them over. The shop girl laughed again.
“With that much money, I should give you ten pies.”
“Just take it. I’m sorry for coming so late.”
The three boys who had approached the entrance either declined or accepted the pies Lucian offered them. Joshua, looking at the half-eaten pie in Lucian’s hand, chuckled and said:
“The filling in that pie looks oddly familiar.”
Sure enough, Lucian also cried out:
“Really? The smell’s exactly the same! Disgustingly so. I’d better finish eating it quickly.”
Maximian stared unpleasantly at the pie Lucian had given him. It truly smelled of lemon and honey. Maximian soon went outside and looked around the shop. The shop had no name or anything like that. Coming back inside, Maximian asked the shop girl:
“By any chance, what’s the owner’s name?”
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.
All or part of this book’s content may not be reused without 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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