Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 542

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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 312.
Beneath the Almond Tree (55)
But Riche came chasing after me and covered my mouth, preventing me from shouting to the end.
“Let me handle this.”
“What’s wrong? Are you shy?”
As Maximian began shuffling downward, Riche eventually followed after him.
“If you’re going, we’re going together!”
The moment Joshua heard a familiar voice from the deck, he sprang up and rushed toward the entrance. Riche was just about to descend, and Joshua was just looking up when their eyes met perfectly.
“….”
Maximian, who had already come down, saw the two of them frozen and smirked.
“Doesn’t your neck hurt looking at each other like that?”
His words were certainly true. After hesitating, one tried to go up while the other tried to go down, and they ended up meeting in the middle of the staircase. Riche spoke hurriedly.
“I didn’t come because of you two—it’s just that Grandfather ordered clothes from our Costume Shop, and we’d barely finished the tailoring when he suddenly said he had to leave, so I couldn’t cancel the order….”
Riche couldn’t finish her sentence. Joshua suddenly pulled her into an embrace. The next moment, Riche pushed Joshua away and shouted.
“Seriously! Do you just love hugging everyone?”
Joshua, flustered, touched his lips awkwardly.
“Ah, sorry, I was just so happy to see you….”
“Well, I’m not unhappy to see you either, but….”
Seeing the two of them at a loss for words, Maximian looked between them with an amused expression before heading up to the deck.
As the sun began to set, Maximian woke from his nap and gazed distantly at the mist brushing past the ship’s rail. Though it appeared to be mist, it was actually clouds. Thinking back to how incredibly nervous I had been when first boarding this ship, so much had changed.
“It’s already been two years since we boarded this ship.”
Joshua, who had approached from behind, also looked down below. The sea was pitch black without a single light.
“It was so fascinating at first. Come to think of it, even Boris, who knows almost everything, was seeing an airship for the first time.”
Joshua nodded. Maximian continued, asking.
“Did you explain to Riche where we’re going?”
“Grandfather told her almost everything. She was upset that I didn’t tell her last time.”
The two boys shrugged their shoulders.
“Tch. I was just trying not to worry her.”
“Yeah. When I said that, she decided she wouldn’t worry us either from now on, so she said she won’t tell us anything about what she’s been doing in Hyacan all this time.”
Maximian narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“She’s still not ordinary.”
Joshua let out a low sigh and said.
“I’m actually a bit worried about her coming with us now.”
“At least we don’t have to worry about being killed in one hit by that terrifying Mage since we destroyed the Artifact Fragment.”
Joshua nodded.
“Right. If we hadn’t managed that, I wouldn’t have brought Riche along.”
“That’s exactly the attitude Riche will hate.”
Joshua rested his chin on the ship’s rail and thought for a moment before speaking.
“Then I’ll have to fix it.”
Maximian didn’t respond further and yawned. Despite having slept well during his nap, he still seemed drowsy. Joshua suddenly spoke.
“But what about Boris? I wonder what his true identity really is.”
“What do you mean? He’s just like us—the guy who was holding a mop and cleaning the jam.”
Joshua chuckled and spoke.
“Thinking about it, he’s definitely not a mage. But how did he manage to reach the Land of Mortals?”
“That sword, you know? He’s definitely not a mage. When Tichiel brought that rotten salaryman’s thing, even that bastard was terrified.”
Joshua nodded and spoke.
“Right. But do you remember that story about the Silverskull championship?”
“That sword tournament Lucian was going on about?”
“Yeah, that one. But after hearing that story, I thought about it later, and I realized—we’ve actually heard about Boris from someone else’s mouth before.”
“Someone else?”
Maximian seemed to be thinking, so Joshua waited for a moment. Shortly after, Maximian suddenly furrowed his brow and looked at Joshua with a strange expression.
“Could it be….”
“You remember? He said he won at fifteen years old. When I thought about it, that was exactly that year.”
“Wait, but back then, didn’t that salaryman guy praise him in a way that wasn’t like him at all? He was cursing some baron’s son as nothing special, but he said the champion was extraordinary, didn’t he?”
Joshua nodded with an expression that seemed caught between laughing and not laughing.
“He did.”
Maximian shrugged with an incredulous expression and muttered rapidly.
“I kept saying something felt off the more I looked at him, and it turns out he really isn’t an ordinary guy. How does someone like that end up at the Academy, and in the same dormitory no less? What in the world is going on? Something’s seriously wrong. Save me, save me.”
“Well, considering he’s Lucian’s friend, he might not be as terrifying as all that.”
Maximian nodded seriously and rested his chin in his hand.
“Phew, yeah, Lucian. That guy’s a good one. He’s useful. For mental stability, I think about him. He’s a terrifying guy who gets praised by the salaryman, but the kind who’ll buy a hundred pies and throw them at you if he’s in a bad mood—Lucian Kaltz’s friend.”
“Ninety-six, actually. You took four out.”
“That was on purpose.”
“On purpose?”
Maximian cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“I’ll tell you later. But now that I think about it, who was the one who threw the pies with the most enthusiasm?”
Joshua let out a small chuckle.
“Yeah. I threw them before Lucian did.”
“That’s when I knew. Rich kids really are different. Look at me and Boris. We didn’t even dare think about throwing pies that cost 3 Elsono each—we just watched from behind.”
Joshua began to laugh out loud. Meanwhile, Maximian smacked his lips and spoke.
“When we get back, those cream villa people will probably try to devour us. Thinking about that, the existence of that monster actually seems quite reassuring.”
Joshua smiled broadly and stretched.
“Right. I wish that time would come soon.”
Maximian didn’t respond, but he understood what Joshua meant. While they exchanged banter, both were actually tense about returning to Sunset Island and meeting Anarose Tikarum again.
“But I wish this ship would go slower.”
However, the ship was flying at maximum speed. It was scheduled to arrive in approximately four days.
14. The Thread That Mends the Heart
A woman spinning thread on the island cradled by that river
During the day she works the spinning wheel beneath the sun
At night she combs the thread beneath the moonlight.
The threads are dyed in two colors.
White threads are the threads of fortune, red threads are blood.
No one knows where the threads end.
Once, Kelsniti had guided us along this path. From the beach where the summer sun beat down mercilessly, past the hill thick with deciduous trees, to the well, to the ruins, to the tomb. Only the gentle voice that had spoken to us both was absent from our side.
No, it wasn’t absent. It was simply sleeping deeply.
We entered a small square. Joshua stopped before a building where only pillars remained. Looking around, the summer leaves had withered, but the oak trees stood unchanged. The stones remained unchanged. The passage of time carved into those stones remained unchanged.
“Kelce. Are you listening?”
At Joshua’s sudden words, Maximian and Riche, who had been about to continue, stopped as well. Joshua stood before the pillar base and extended his hand as if truly meeting someone.
“Promises must be kept.”
“Don’t tell me you’re actually seeing Kelce right now?”
Instead of answering, Joshua looked up at the broken pillar and continued speaking.
“Three wishes. You didn’t grant the last one, remember? We rowed together back then. Of course, thanks to that, I did compose the South Wind Symphony.”
Riche went to Joshua’s side and looked up at the pillar with him. Soon Joshua smiled softly.
“So you’ve come to grant the third wish.”
The wind passed silently. Layers of fallen leaves rustled. Somewhere, a winter bird chirped softly. No voice came.
Joshua eventually turned and walked on. As the two followed, he spoke.
“Kelce must have heard. He’s weak to requests like this.”
“Do you really think so?”
“He’s not absent from this place. He’s here, in this place.”
Joshua placed his hand over the scarred spot. My heart raced.
Soon we passed the well. We passed the empty houses. When we emerged from the forest, the rocky plateau finally appeared. Following Kelsniti’s instructions to jump from the edge of the plateau proved difficult because Riche was frightened. Even when I tried to go down first to catch her, her dress made it impossible.
“Should I carry you down?”
At Joshua’s words, Maximian scoffed.
“You? In your state?”
Riche spoke.
“That comment is subtly offensive.”
“Why does it bother you?”
“Because Joshua said I was too heavy for him to carry!”
Maximian raised his index finger as if to say he’d caught her red-handed.
“So let me carry you instead.”
After some bickering, Maximian had no choice but to carry her down. Joshua, who jumped down after them, muttered.
“My pride took a hit.”
“For someone who only picks vegetables to eat, you talk a lot.”
Soon a cave that resembled an eye socket appeared. Riche spoke.
“It’s a bit eerie.”
Knowing that lamps would be lit inside, we felt our way through the dark passage. When we thought we’d gone far enough, Joshua spoke.
“This place seems a bit different.”
“Different how? I don’t see it.”
Even though he said he didn’t see it, if Demonic Joshua said it was different, then it was different. The evidence soon became clear. No matter how far we went, the lamps didn’t appear, and only when we hit the wall did we understand the situation. The golden lamps that had been lit until last time were all extinguished. After fumbling around to find a lamp, Maximian frowned and tapped the surface with his fingertip.
“Can we really assume this went out by coincidence?”
Joshua shook his head. They had brought another lamp anyway. Once they lit it, the interior brightened. As Joshua swept his gaze around, he gasped in surprise.
“It’s open.”
The massive Stone Door that had given them such trouble to open on their last visit now stood ajar—a gap of roughly three hand-spans wide. It was easily large enough for anyone to slip through.
“We opened it and went inside last time, didn’t we? Maybe it just didn’t close all the way.”
“That’s a plausible theory.”
The three of them passed through the gap one by one and entered. Maximian, feeling something brush against his foot, snatched Joshua’s lamp from his hands.
“What is this?”
Children of Rune – Winterer
Author: Jeon Min-hee
Publisher: 14 Months Publishing
The copyright of 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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