Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 539

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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 309.
Beneath the Almond Tree (52)
Boris understood immediately who Joshua was referring to. Surprisingly, rather than refusing outright, he glanced at Joshua for a moment before responding.
“Tell me.”
“You said we wouldn’t meet again.”
Boris nodded.
“Is that because they won’t agree to meet you? Or is it simply because the Land of Mortals is dangerous?”
Boris considered for a moment before speaking.
“It’s closer to the former—their intentions are difficult to discern. Of course, the Land of Mortals is dangerous, but even if one were to brave those dangers and somehow enter, without their willingness to meet, there would be no way to encounter them at all. They don’t remain in one place.”
“Then how did you meet them?”
“I simply received their help by chance. It wasn’t something I accomplished on my own.”
“So they live in the Land of Mortals? How is that even possible?”
This time, there was a moment of hesitation. Finally, Boris spoke.
“It’s complicated to explain, but if they were human, it wouldn’t be possible.”
“If they’re not human, are you saying they’re a Spirit?”
“That’s… not quite right either.”
All manner of imaginings about an existence that was neither human nor spirit crossed Joshua’s mind, but since Boris had stopped speaking, pressing further felt burdensome. Joshua nodded with a bitter smile.
“I see. Thank you. I had nowhere else to turn for hope, and I still haven’t found them, so I ended up asking despite knowing you didn’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry.”
“No.”
A hint of empathy flickered in Boris’s eyes, different from his usual expressionlessness.
“I understand how you feel. If I thought there were any way to meet them, I would have helped you myself. But that place is far too dangerous to wander through hoping for coincidence. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”
“That sounds like you’re saying you can’t tell me because you’re afraid I’ll cause trouble.”
Joshua attempted a laugh, squinting his eyes, before speaking.
“But a hundred years—that’s far too long.”
Everyone fell silent at those words. Surprisingly, Boris spoke first.
“That’s not what I meant. Rather, it seems I need time to prepare myself mentally. Honestly, I never imagined something like this would come up right after entering the Academy. This school seems stranger than I thought.”
Maximian removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes before offering a comment.
“Is it really the school that’s strange? Or is it you two who are strange?”
Just then, the door opened and Frederick Valet, the duty assistant, wheeled in a trolley. The two-tiered trolley was laden with plates of various foods.
“To think of eating in a place like this—these new students certainly have ambition these days.”
He muttered sarcastically while glancing about for where to place the food, but all that existed was an antique white oak table in the center. Frederick shook his head and stared hard at the table, but ultimately set the plates upon it while casting a warning glance toward the four suspicious-looking new students.
“Regardless of being new students, you’re not at an age to eat while spilling food everywhere, are you? I’m counting on you.”
Tichiel answered promptly.
“Of course. Thank you, assistant.”
Even after Frederick left with the trolley, the four of them simply stared at the plates. When no one made a move to touch anything, Tichiel spoke with an awkward laugh.
“This is strange. Usually after using magic, I feel sleepy or hungry, but today I feel neither.”
Maximian rolled his eyes, surveying each of them in turn, then sighed before speaking.
“Whatever happened, humans need to eat to survive.”
With that, he was the first to scoop a generous portion of lamb stew onto his plate. Shortly after, Tichiel picked up a jam donut, and Boris took some boiled beans. The inconsistency of the food was because it had been gathered from what remained after the evening meal service. As a result, it was all cold, but it was too late in the night to lodge complaints.
Tichiel bit into the donut and stared blankly into space, muttering mechanically.
“Yeah. I feel a bit better after eating.”
It was less an actual improvement than an expression of hope that things had to get better. Maximian glanced at Tichiel, then swept his gaze across the other two before his expression shifted to that peculiar sense of duty one assumes upon realizing their role. He promptly emptied his plate and began breaking apart bread while muttering.
“Everything’s fine, but you professors lack the consideration to pair it with a bottle of wine. That’s exactly what I need right now.”
Boris spoke.
“If you drink, you won’t be able to conduct the interview.”
“Not me. I’d do better. One bottle now and I’d probably start reciting memories from my past life without stopping.”
Tichiel said.
“Honestly, we should be grateful they’ve set out food at all. Nearly everything here is an antique, and this table especially—it’s over three hundred years old. But to be frank, I think I’m feeling something similar to what Maximian is right now.”
“Since when does the lecture-loving teacher talk like that? Hearing it from you makes me want to climb out the window and steal a bottle of wine.”
Maximian had spoken carelessly, but Boris finished his plate, set it down, and said.
“I heard there’s a wine cellar in the basement of Des Davin Hall.”
Maximian and Boris’s eyes met. Maximian’s face twisted into an odd expression with one eyebrow raised, while Boris maintained his usual composed demeanor. Despite their different expressions, both were asking the same question: ‘Are you serious right now?’ Tichiel laughed with a somewhat loosened expression and asked.
“There actually is one, but Boris, how did you know about that?”
Boris evaded the answer. Maximian transferred the fried eggs while casting a sidelong glance at the one person who still hadn’t touched any food. Tilting his head at his friend, who seemed lost in thought and merely stared blankly at the plates, he spoke.
“Hey. What are you doing not eating?”
Their eyes met, but there was no response. Tichiel called out to Maximian.
“Just leave him alone….”
But Maximian knew Joshua better. Or more precisely, he knew how to handle him.
“You’re making that face because it looks unappetizing, right? If you’re going to endure a hundred years, you have to eat whether it tastes good or not.”
Joshua glanced at the greasy, cold fried eggs and grimaced, then slowly changed his expression as he spoke.
“How am I supposed to wait a hundred years while eating something tasteless? It’s hard enough enduring with only delicious food. But these eggs are absolutely intolerable. If you’d just make four fresh plates, that would be enough, but I suppose I can’t expect such consideration.”
Tichiel quickly responded.
“The staff must have clocked out.”
“That may be, but there are plenty of Magic Masters outside. With such remarkable magic, can’t they even cook four eggs?”
Maximian, who happened to be taking a bite of egg, replied.
“Now that you mention it, that’s true, but isn’t it also strange for a Magic Master to show up just to cook eggs?”
In that instant, Tichiel burst into laughter before she could help herself, causing the powdered sugar on the donut she’d been biting to scatter like fireworks. Tichiel hastily covered her mouth, Joshua’s eyes widened at being dusted with powdered sugar, a fried egg slipped from Maximian’s plate and fell, and only Boris rose from his seat. Thinking he was going to fetch a cloth, Maximian called out to him.
“Hey, Charcoal Kiln. Where are you going? Just brush it off.”
“No, I’m moving away.”
“…You’re overthinking this.”
Then Maximian quickly stood and moved to the distant sofa. But somehow, the egg followed Maximian. Joshua pointed and spoke.
“Is that a newly released pet egg?”
“What’s wrong with this one now? Can’t the Mages even make a proper floor?”
Tichiel set down her donut and untied her apron to brush the sugar off Joshua’s knees and hair, but Joshua waved his hand as if his clothes were already ruined, then made a motion to grab Tichiel’s donut and throw it at Maximian who had fled. As he did, chocolate jam continued to drip from where he’d bitten, falling here and there. Maximian spoke.
“Hey, have you gotten a taste for throwing food? But this isn’t some senior’s common room—it’s the Magic Masters’ reception room.”
“Makgun, why don’t you do something about that egg? It’s chirping at your feet like it wants coconut topping or something.”
Tichiel quickly snatched the donut from Joshua’s hand and said.
“Sorry. I can warm up the eggs for you.”
Then Maximian waved his hand.
“No, stop. If it’s you, you’ll definitely warm up that table too. Then we’d be stuck here until tomorrow night.”
Tichiel suddenly turned serious and glared at Maximian before looking at Joshua.
“Want me to take it back?”
The moment Joshua readily accepted the donut, Maximian bolted toward the entrance. Joshua slowly got to his feet, took a bite of the donut, and spoke.
“This is actually pretty good. Too good to waste by throwing it.”
“What’s gotten into you? Since when do you say sweet things taste good?”
“I don’t know. My tastes must have changed.”
Tichiel, who had somehow settled onto the sofa, opened one hand and shrugged her shoulders.
“That donut is traditionally famous, you know. For having an excessive amount of chocolate. Supposedly perfect for use as a projectile?”
“Tichiel, that comment you just made seems to have some ulterior motive behind it….”
Boris, the only voice of reason among them, had finished his meal and was watching the jam dripping from the donut with a somewhat concerned expression before speaking.
“May I say something too?”
“What?”
“Someone seems to be at the door.”
The moment his words ended and three counts passed, there came a knock at the door, and it swung open. Frederick Valet, the duty teaching assistant, and Ingrit Kettle, Professor Leomentiis’s assistant, started to enter but flinched and stopped at the threshold.
At that moment, Tichiel was hiding under the table pretending to clean up spilled jam, Maximian was just pocketing a pet fried egg into his coat pocket, Boris was trying to discreetly cover the powder-covered sofa by pulling Tichiel’s apron, and Joshua was sitting comfortably with one arm resting on the sofa’s backrest, eating his donut.
“What in the world….”
The antique table stained with chocolate, the sofa and carpet dusted with powdered sugar, the trail of grease left by the egg on the polished wooden floor, and finally Joshua licking his chocolate-smeared fingers after finishing the donut—Frederick and Ingrit’s expressions became utterly dumbfounded. Frederick frowned and shouted irritably.
“I think I heard someone say the new students this year are a bit strange, but have they all gone mad? Do you know where this is? In a professor’s reception room, and you’re….”
Then Ingrit nudged Frederick with her elbow and spoke.
“Hey, did you forget? That girl over there. She’s the daughter of the great Juspian. The rest are all in the same group. What did you expect?”
Frederick’s eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly gave up and muttered.
“Ah yes, that Family Clan. Hmm… is this actually better than expected? At least the roof is still intact….”
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, 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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