Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 567

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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 19.
The Princess and the Detective (19)
She possessed refined taste and discerning judgment, surrounded by admirers and flatterers, appearing to be the most carefree noblewoman in the world. Yet in truth, I devoted myself passionately to gathering connections and intelligence for my liege, Princess Charlotte. My princess would become a Grand Duke, and one day transform Orlanne into a kingdom—not a Grand Duchy serving Anomarad. The people of Orlanne tended to grow particularly proud of their nation whenever Anomarad was mentioned, but Colette stood out even among them. It was remarkable how she managed to keep it hidden while maintaining a salon that stretched all the way to Anomarad.
For that goal to be realized, the first priority was ensuring Princess Charlotte safely became a Grand Duke. But the path toward that goal was for the princess to determine. I trusted her, and I cherished being her passionate retainer. Though regarding whether I was the most passionate—I reserved judgment on that. After all, as everyone knew, this group contained one person who was slightly mad.
In any case, the princess now wished to meet a student from Nenyafel. To make that possible, whose assistance would need to be secured?
High status alone wouldn’t suffice. True to its reputation as the Continent’s finest magical academy, Nenyafel refused entry to those who concealed their identities and possessed sufficient ability to identify deception. Yet an official visit in her capacity as Princess of Orlanne would attract far too much attention, rendering it ultimately meaningless. As Colette contemplated every conceivable connection that might reach Nenyafel, she heard Charlotte’s voice.
“No, it’s simple.”
“How so?”
“Enroll.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Colette and Marie Louis uttered the same words simultaneously, then looked at each other’s faces. Charlotte’s expression remained serene.
“Why are you so surprised? I attended the Orlanne Royal Magic Academy, didn’t I?”
Marie Louis rubbed his temples with a troubled expression.
“And you withdrew after four days, Your Highness. That’s acceptable because it’s our own school. Nenyafel is different. The examinations are rigorous. Extremely difficult.”
“Why, are you afraid I’ll fail?”
As Charlotte stared intently, Marie Louis flushed and faltered.
“That’s not what I meant… I simply wondered if such effort was necessary…”
Charlotte’s expression brightened and she burst into laughter.
“It’s fine. Swordsmanship is one of the examination subjects. If I’m worried about the magical courses, would you provide private tutoring? If I receive intensive instruction for just four days from someone who graduated top of their class from the Orlanne Royal Magic Academy, how could it possibly go wrong?”
Marie Louis grew increasingly flustered. Colette even joined in with a giggle.
“This could completely settle the pointless pride struggle between the two academies. If you fail the Nenyafel entrance exam after receiving four days of private instruction from a top graduate of the Orlanne Royal Magic Academy, it proves Nenyafel’s standards are higher. What do you think?”
“Perhaps we should stop now, Colette?”
As Marie Louis raised his eyebrows and shot her a look, Colette feigned surprise.
“What did I do? I’m simply trusting in the princess’s abilities.”
“Is that so? Now that you’ve become a Count of the great nation Anomarad, surely you no longer care about a rural school like Orlanne’s, correct?”
The magical academies representing each nation harbored competitive spirit but never displayed it openly. Because they knew Nenyafel held a firm advantage. They knew it, but admitting it was another matter entirely.
“If that’s how it sounded, I apologize…”
Colette trailed off, gauged Marie Louis’s mood, then sent Charlotte a pleading look. Charlotte took a sip of wine, then tilted her head slightly to one side.
“Don’t worry. I’ll only take two days of instruction. If I pass after two days, Orlanne wins.”
“Why is everyone like this? Regardless of whether I excel or fail, how is that related to my alma mater? The difficulty of the Nenyafel examination has nothing to do with me.”
Facing Marie Louis, who had finally grown serious, Charlotte offered a smile.
“I understand. I’m simply trusting in you, Marie Louis. And I trust the Orlanne Royal Magic Academy as well. I’ll go and see for myself what Nenyafel’s standards are like. I suspect it’s nothing special.”
“That’s… not quite accurate.”
Marie Louis’s expression was complicated. He loved his alma mater, yet he could not deny that Nenyafel was a school of higher caliber. If Nenyafel’s standards were nothing special, then magic itself—the discipline to which countless mages across the entire Continent devoted themselves—would be nothing special. Yet simultaneously, he knew Charlotte had every right to say such things. The princess was not a mage. She had never learned a single incantation. Yet she possessed a power that no magic could manifest, a force beyond explanation itself.
“In any case, if you’ve decided, I’ll contact the Etoile Third Division. Would two personnel suffice?”
The Etoile Third Division prioritized Charlotte’s protection as its foremost duty. However, due to a mission Charlotte had ordered months prior, fewer than half its members currently remained in Orlanne. Charlotte shook her head.
“Dispatching two Etoile soldiers for a journey to a non-hazardous region would be wasteful. I’ll go alone. Besides, it’s absurd for a beekeeper’s son to require an escort.”
“Still, Anomarad is a foreign nation, and Your Highness’s safety…”
This time, Colette shook her head.
“The princess is in danger nowhere once her identity is concealed. You know that perfectly well. I’ll arrange all the comfortable lodgings for your journey. There’s nothing I do better than that.”
Marie Louis, true to his origins as an Etoile trainee soldier, hesitated before responding with a low murmur.
“I understand your wishes, Your Highness, but if Lord Castile had known, he would never have allowed this.”
Charlotte laughed brightly.
“Exactly—it’s fortunate he doesn’t know. While Lorang is too busy to move, I might as well go see something amusing. They say Nenyafel has people from every nation on the Continent, don’t they? And they study together without regard for social rank? It sounds like an interesting place.”
Marie Louis studied Charlotte’s face with an expression caught between sincerity and suspicion before asking.
“Your Highness, are you perhaps planning to study at Nenyafel for a while?”
“Not exactly.”
Charlotte set her glass on the windowsill and walked toward another wardrobe on the opposite wall. She opened the cabinet door with her fingertips, peered inside for a moment, then withdrew a round hat and placed it on her head. Then, moving as if dancing, she twirled in front of the two of them.
“I’m simply intrigued—by the people, not by studying. Besides, once I meet the entrance requirements, access is no problem. I don’t need to study just to meet people; I’m not going to become a Mage anyway. I just want to meet that person, the detective named Maximian Lipkne, and if things go well, I’ll return immediately.”
Her voice had changed dramatically from moments before. Though slightly higher, it was husky and almost boyish. She had become Espin Charles rather than Princess Charlotte. The elegance and dignity vanished from her face, replaced by a youthful, impudent air. With a touch of makeup added, she became remarkably transformed.
Charlotte could produce two entirely different voices and adjusted her expressions and bearing accordingly. Though her basic facial structure remained the same, that alone was enough to deceive people—as long as they never saw both versions in succession.
Colette nodded.
“Once I arrange the route and lodging, I’ll submit a report. Since this student Rifkne apparently resolved the entire case, a generous reward should wrap things up neatly, shouldn’t it?”
Marie Louis shrugged with indifference.
“Well, if this person is both a detective and a Nenyafel student, he must be extraordinarily intelligent, no? He should understand instructions quite well.”
“I really hope he does understand well. If such a person exists, future investigations would become much easier.”
“You’re planning to employ him?”
Charlotte tilted her head slightly to the side.
“Something like that. As I said, if we communicate well. If we depart quickly, we should arrive by late November, yes? Isn’t that when Nenyafel’s entrance examination takes place?”
Marie Louis nodded.
“The entrance examination should be in early December. November is for advancement and graduation examinations. Come to think of it, I’ve heard the Nenyafel students are somewhat mad around that time—do keep that in mind.”
Charlotte tilted her head quizzically.
“Because of exam stress?”
“For them, it’s a matter of life and death. Though for a truly intelligent student, exams might be trivial. As long as Your Highness doesn’t act on impulse if he fails to understand instructions, it should be fine.”
Marie Louis’s final remark carried an almost prophetic quality. What was supposed to be a simple errand would not unfold as planned, for a simple reason.
She had completely misjudged her counterpart.
2. An Inappropriate Gift
The Nenyafel Magic School that Princess Charlotte had resolved to visit indeed possessed uncommon curiosities: great Mages, ancient precious records, rare experimental materials, state-of-the-art plumbing facilities built eighty years prior, a boiler that exploded once every five years, desks covered in graffiti that began by cursing the professors but eventually cursed the entire world and, as of yesterday, the clogged pipes as well, and ambitious young people.
Among them were those seeking to shake the world in times of crisis, and those resolved to prevent such upheaval. Some dreamed of becoming legends; others sought to amass wealth and enjoy prosperity. Yet they remained ignorant of several truths.
First, the world existed in an age of great peace.
Second, one must wait a hundred years after death to know if one has become a legend.
Third, Mages who had reached the secrets of alchemy never grew wealthy, squandering their fortunes on insane experimental apparatus—such as rare materials like feathers from a raven born on the night of a total lunar eclipse, or contraptions designed to turn waterwheels with the force of a single falling bean.
Of course, the school also harbored relatively less ambitious and more pragmatic young people. Yet even they thought thus: At last, I’ve been admitted to Nenyafel! Having struggled so hard to enter, surely once I graduate, my life will flourish? Surely kings and nobles will compete to employ me?

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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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