Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 584

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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 36.
The Noble Daughter and the Detective (36)
Maximian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he carefully opened the door and stepped inside. Lucian had already vanished. Maximian navigated around the sunken spot on the sofa, positioned himself with perfect posture, and spoke.
“It happened.”
“There must be a reason you couldn’t tell me?”
“There was.”
Boris looked down at Maximian with his characteristic expressionless face, saying nothing. When Boris adopted that demeanor, neither friend nor foe could ignore it. And perhaps because I was lying down looking up at him, he seemed even taller. No wonder the seniors were startled by him. Maximian removed his glasses and set them in their usual place on the table, then rubbed his eyes as he spoke.
“First, I’m sorry for dragging you into this troublesome affair. I should be able to explain everything soon, so bear with me a little longer. I’m relieved the situation didn’t spiral out of control, but what exactly is this thing called Keepdust?”
“I don’t know what it is, but….”
Boris paused briefly before continuing.
“There is one thing I’m certain of.”
“What?”
“This won’t end as it is.”
Maximian sprang upright, put his glasses back on, and shot a look at Boris.
“The professor ended it, but you think the senior research students will bring it up again? You know as well as I do that school regulations aren’t that lenient, right? And research students have to be even more mindful of the professors than we do. Besides, even if Professor Broccoli seems a bit scattered, his work ethic is razor-sharp.”
Boris shook his head.
“I don’t know about that. I can’t deduce. That’s your strength. So I’d call it intuition.”
They held each other’s gaze in silence. Maximian wasn’t so much looking at Boris as he was thinking. Presently, a voice echoed from the depths of his mind.
Boris was right.
Boris was an entirely different breed of human from Maximian. He wasn’t the type to solve problems through intellect. Yet whether born with keen instinct or shaped by experience, he possessed a profound understanding of human nature—particularly the nature of humans entangled in conflict.
Maximian sighed. He knew his friends’ strengths well. And he wasn’t the type to stubbornly cling to pride when proven wrong in his field. Maximian was pragmatic rather than intellectual.
“Fine, let’s prepare for an attack. Figuring out what it might be is my job. But tell me—why are you standing there looking down at me so menacingly instead of sitting?”
Boris replied with the exact same expression as before.
“I’m going to breakfast.”
By the time lunch arrived that day, the biggest issue at Nenyaple wasn’t the story of “the famous gathering place Acorn Villa clashing with someone again.”
Most students, having slept in heavily from the previous night’s aftermath and returned from zombie to human, had missed breakfast. Consequently, they lined up densely at the Dining Hall to eat lunch. Top student Tichiel, deductive genius Maximian, and Boris with his animal instinct—all three had failed to predict this.
“To overlook humanity’s basic survival instinct so thoroughly.”
Maximian muttered from roughly the third position from the end of the line coiled outside the Dining Hall. Normally in such situations, he would abandon his effort to eat. If he went back to sleep for another hour or so, the rush would pass.
But he had a commitment at noon, and more than anything, Maximian was the hungriest among them. He’d gotten up early and gone to the Dining Hall only to drink water and leave, so it was inevitable.
Boris, who came with him, seemed calm, having eaten breakfast late. Maximian tried to brainwash himself with a vacant expression that “I am not hungry,” but the aroma of bacon sizzling in the Dining Hall wafted over, and he surrendered within a minute. At this rate, if someone offered him bacon, he’d follow them and sell his soul, his future—no, wait, what if Juspian appeared and offered a plate of bacon on the condition of graduating with honors?
Then a person who had successfully predicted appeared.
“You came? I saved us a spot inside! Hurry up!”
It was Lucian. How was this possible?
Following him in with a bewildered expression, Maximian found four servings of food laid out in a prime window-side corner of the Dining Hall. Tichiel, who had been standing in the middle of the line, was just being called over by Lucian and taking her seat. Noticing everyone’s surprised faces, Lucian boasted.
“I knew this would happen, so I ordered special meals right before breakfast ended.”
Special meals were prepared separately when students were ill, special guests arrived, or staff had requests with specific timing. That day, many students had upset stomachs, but special meals were limited to a few per day, so Lucian, who had applied early, was the victor. Maximian pulled out a chair and showered praise with a serious expression.
“This is the most moved I’ve been since meeting you, Lucian Kaltz.”
However, upon sitting at the table, he was somewhat disappointed. True to a patient’s special meal, the menu consisted of wholesome health food: grain porridge, chicken soup, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, soft bread, banana, and apple. There was bacon nowhere. Maximian observed the table carefully with a serious expression and spoke.
“I suppose I’ll have to sell my soul after all.”
With that, he sprang up, loaded chicken soup onto a tray, and disappeared between the neighboring tables. Meanwhile, Tichiel picked up a piece of bread and spoke.
“Thank you, Lucian. You’re truly remarkable. I’m grateful we enrolled together. It would be even better if we could graduate together.”
“Don’t worry about it! Besides, it looks like I’ll graduate later than you anyway, right? You can stay with me until you graduate! I’m really glad about that!”
Tichiel wore an expression that said “there’s no good way to respond to that” and offered an awkward smile, but then she picked up a banana with its peel still on using the fork she’d been about to use for her scrambled eggs, and gasped, her eyes widening in surprise.
In the meantime, Maximian returned after successfully completing his trade, having chosen a table occupied by people with particularly poor complexions. He set down a plate heaped with warm bacon and short sausages dusted with black pepper, then sat and spoke.
“Well, now that all the preparations are complete, nagging teacher, tell us your research findings.”
“Wait, before that….”
Tichiel, having regained her composure, swiftly snatched a piece of bacon, and immediately forks came at her from all directions. After a successful defense, Maximian shoved three pieces into his mouth and pushed his chair back. Boris tactically avoided the points of strongest enemy resistance and successfully raided the sausages, achieving respectable results. Lucian tore off bread and ate the remaining grease with satisfaction, boasting as if he’d developed the ultimate eating method. It was a typical lunch scene for the Acorn Villa faction.
After that, the meal proceeded in relatively orderly fashion. Tichiel sighed softly and spoke.
“Let me start with the Raven Villa situation first. When Professor Koller refused to accept the complaint, the senior research students apparently went all the way to Professor Leomentiis. To give you the result right away, it was rejected as well. Professor Leomentiis also believes that Keepdust couldn’t possibly come from the pockets of first or second-year students. Rather, all the senior research students ended up being investigated. They need to figure out who Keepdust came from.”
“Nice, this is getting interesting! They deserve some trouble.”
Lucian was simply delighted, but the expressions of the others were not. When matters become complicated, someone harbors resentment. But who could have orchestrated this?
Maximian asked.
“The thesis?”
“It hasn’t surfaced anywhere. So Marisa’s herbalism training records for this year have been completely destroyed, and she has to undergo another year of training.”
With such a result, she must be absolutely furious. Maximian coughed several times before continuing.
“Are there any other suspects besides us?”
“No, but everyone who has had contact with Keepdust is under investigation. You’ll all have to go through questioning once.”
Boris, who had been listening silently, opened his mouth.
“What exactly is Keepdust?”
Tichiel offered an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you a precise explanation. Just understand it as a rare substance that only comes from a place called the Keep. It has somewhat dangerous properties, so it’s under special management.”
“Where is the Keep?”
“I can’t tell you that either. I’m sorry. Actually, I think the professors are even more upset because this is classified information that only research students and above handle.”
Boris didn’t ask further and fell into thought. He never pressed for more when someone said something was a secret. Instead, Lucian tilted his head and asked.
“Really? But how did you find out? You’re only a second-year student.”
“Ah, well….”
Tichiel panicked and picked up the banana she’d stabbed earlier, beginning to peel it. Lucian quickly pretended to be offended and rambled on.
“Hey, you’re hiding way too much from your friends, aren’t you? You’re actually a research student pretending to be a regular student, right? That’s why you’re monitoring whether we study or not, right? You accidentally dropped that Dust thing when you came to visit our villa while secretly doing research student work, didn’t you? Wow, I’m becoming a deduction genius.”
“Ah, no, it’s not like that. I just heard about it from my father….”
When the clever Tichiel found herself unable to escape such a situation and stammered, there was always a reason. There was partial truth in Lucian’s words. When truth and falsehood are mixed together, attempting to classify them tends to result in the truth being revealed, and trying to avoid that leaves one with no choice but to stammer.
Unable to listen any longer, Maximian spoke.
“Hey, stop it. It’s not like it’s the first time Tichiel knows things we don’t. She probably even knows whether you’ll be promoted to second-year next year or not, so why are you asking about useless stuff like that?”
“Huh? Is that really true? Will I be promoted to second-year next year or not?”
“H-how would I know something like that?”
As Tichiel became even more flustered, Maximian continued.
“Then should I tell you? You’re barely short by about five points or so, so you’ll fail promotion and remain a first-year next year….”
Lucian’s expression was truly worth seeing. In other words, he seemed to completely believe Maximian’s words.
“But I worked really hard….”
At this rate he looked ready to shed tears, so Boris tapped Lucian’s arm and spoke.
“Lucian, calm down.”
“But I’m failing again this year! At this rate, I really don’t think I’ll even be able to graduate….”
Boris exhaled a heavy sigh before speaking.
“When you hear words like that, don’t cry—get angry instead.”

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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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