Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 586

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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 38.
The Princess and the Detective (38)
Tichiel had never mentioned to anyone that she could communicate with Juspian from her chamber. Even though everyone likely knew it, she had never abandoned her efforts to conceal this privilege. But in moments like these, even such principles vanished without a trace. The moment Tichiel rushed toward the Dormitory, Lucian spoke.
“It looks like a tidal wave of trouble is coming from behind us, so let’s get out of here. Oh! There’s someone who absolutely needs to know about this situation. Where is he?”
Boris shook his head.
“He said something about lacking training time, so he was leaving right after the exam ended.”
“Really? But I don’t think I saw him when I came out of the exam hall either. Did he actually take the test?”
Boris nodded.
“Yeah, he left after about ten minutes.”
8. Disappearance
“Doesn’t something seem odd to you?”
By afternoon, Nenyaple had grown quiet. The November exams had ended, and winter break began immediately. Many students had left school today to return home. Fewer than one in ten students remained in the Dormitory. Even those who stayed were half-gone, having left school to meet visiting family and friends.
Tichiel and Lucian sat facing each other atop the rocky outcrop that surrounded the Garden behind Anaya Savante Hall. When Tichiel was in the midst of personal research, she would remain at school rather than return home. Since she could speak with her father, her only family, whenever she wished, there was no need to rush back.
Lucian, being the son of a wealthy household, had servants camped outside the school gates for the past five days, eager to escort him home the moment break began. Yet he felt little urgency to leave. The grueling exams had just ended, and it made no sense to part with his friends without at least enjoying himself first. Besides, his servants were content to idle about under the pretense of waiting, so what was the harm?
“Well, I find it hard to believe, honestly.”
Lucian tilted his head and scratched his chin. Tichiel immediately perked up.
“You think so too, right? The fact that voice magic doesn’t work means he’s definitely gone far away, but heading straight to his Homeland the moment break starts? That’s not like Maximian at all. No matter what the teaching assistant said….”
The story that Maximian had vanished via instantaneous teleportation after being escorted away by the Professor from the Dining Hall, only to have supposedly gone to his Homeland, would strain anyone’s credulity. Yet because it came from the teaching assistant, Tichiel couldn’t outright call it a lie and hesitated instead. This was precisely the sort of situation where someone unconcerned with such courtesies needed to bluntly say, “That doesn’t make sense.”
“I mean, does this even make sense?”
Lucian suddenly scowled and cried out.
“He said there’d be a special party after the exam when everyone left! And then he goes and leaves first? Nothing but lies! This is infuriating!”
“A special… party?”
This was the first Tichiel had heard of it. Seeing her expression, Lucian sprang to his feet.
“Exactly! The other day, I was up all night studying introductory magical theory, right? It was so difficult and I was so sleepy and frustrated that I gave up and pulled out my bag to throw it on the bed. That’s when Maximian, who’d been sleeping on the sofa, suddenly jumped up and said he’d hidden something amazing in a box somewhere. He said that once everyone left and the Dormitory was empty, he’d take it out and throw a special party! Hmph! I never forget things like that, you know? So was that all a lie?”
“….”
Tichiel could clearly imagine what that situation had been like, but she was confused about how to explain it. Maximian’s kindness usually amounted to nothing more than spouting nonsense on the spot, but there was no guarantee it was always that way. Sometimes genuine sentiment was mixed in. And if that had been genuine, then Maximian’s sudden disappearance made even less sense.
The fact that Juspian wasn’t giving any hints about Maximian’s whereabouts was also suspicious. Not that she was biased because he was her father, but the Juspian she knew wasn’t the type to keep secrets. If he was withholding something, there was a strong possibility it was truly significant.
What could it be?
“Right? Even you think it’s strange, don’t you? Maximian doesn’t seem like the type to lie about something like that, does he?”
Lucian seemed to have just thought of this as he listened to Tichiel speak, but as always, once he’d seized upon an idea, he became relentless. Tichiel, lost in thought, nodded absently. But having obtained Tichiel’s agreement, Lucian became triumphant.
“That’s right! Unlike me, you’re clever, Tichiel! The fact that you think so too means I’m definitely right. Maximian really did plan to throw that party. And that drink was definitely something amazing. He has a great palate for alcohol, after all. But the fact that he suddenly went home means….”
Lucian seemed to be making some deduction, and Tichiel finally snapped out of her thoughts to look at him. His face was brimming with the thrill of discovery.
“I’ve got it! He’s telling us to follow him! Definitely!”
“Huh?”
Their eyes met. The excited Lucian paid no attention to the expression on her face.
“Now I understand! I should have figured it out sooner. The place where he hid that drink wasn’t at school—it was somewhere else. So the special party can only happen if we find him. Wow, I solved the riddle!”
Was that really such an elegant riddle to solve….
“Let’s go find Maximian right now. What was his family’s place called again? Kotz… something? Anyway, it’s in Central Anomarad, right? If we leave now, we can make it down the Mountain by evening, can’t we? That’s right! Remember that restaurant we went to last break? The seafood tomato stew there was delicious, wasn’t it? We can eat dinner there. Should I contact the servants to call for a carriage?”
Lucian was already poised to dash toward the main gate to summon his servants, so Tichiel had no choice but to say something.
“Lucian, wait a moment. For now… it seems too late to depart today. It’ll be dark soon. If we’re going, we need to prepare our chambers too. Have you packed your things?”
“Right.”
Lucian was the type who grew restless if he couldn’t execute something the moment inspiration struck, yet the thought of returning to find his chamber in disarray and facing a dormitory supervisor’s wrath after the holiday ended—forced into a massive cleaning—made him hesitate. Acorn Villa had spent the entire exam period in a state of comfortable chaos: snack crumbs scattered from abandoned meals, precarious stacks of books with overdue return dates, unwashed teacups piled high, and shredded practice sheets torn up while memorizing. If they left it as is and returned next year, it wouldn’t be surprising if the dormitory’s inhabitants had transformed from the four of them into four thousand insects instead.
Lucian’s spirits sagged momentarily, but he quickly raised his index finger and exclaimed.
“What if Langie cleans it? He’s fastidious about such things. He’ll probably stay in the dormitory during the break anyway.”
Tichiel studied Lucian’s face intently. Lucian immediately conceded.
“Then again, we all made the mess together. It wouldn’t be right for him to clean it alone.”
Though he said “we all,” Lucian was the primary culprit behind most of the disorder. With his initial enthusiasm dampened, he was now in a state to actually listen. Tichiel spoke with emphasis.
“I don’t think Maximian actually went to his Homeland.”
“Then what?”
Since Lucian seemed incapable of being helpful, Tichiel steeled herself for the troublesome friend and continued, her eyes narrowing with concentration.
“Think about it. The person who took Maximian was Professor Kin, and he did it right in front of everyone using instant teleportation. That means something extremely urgent happened. There’s no precedent for a professor to take a student away like that. It doesn’t make sense that after going to such lengths to retrieve Maximian, they’d simply send him home for the holiday.”
“That’s true.”
“And they suddenly cleared out all the students who were busy packing for the break, saying they needed to do a major corridor cleaning. But it wasn’t a cleaning at all. Something happened in the dormitory.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, when I came back, nothing had been cleaned.”
Tichiel spoke with narrowed eyes. Since Lucian never paid careful attention to things like dust in corridor corners, he merely tilted his head in confusion.
“Really? Then what were they doing?”
“Instead, there were traces of mana scattered throughout—incredibly powerful traces. Only professors use that level of mana.”
“Seriously? But what were the professors doing there?”
“I’m not sure. There were signs of a barrier being erected, so I know they were trying to block something. But the traces of spells cast inside the barrier had all been erased with an erasure spell. However, I could determine one thing….”
“What?”
“There was something they absolutely didn’t want the students to know about. It’s odd to say, but among our school’s students—including Research Students—there aren’t many at my level. The fact that they used an erasure spell means they anticipated pursuit from people like us.”
As she said this, Tichiel’s face flushed slightly. But Lucian looked puzzled instead.
“Really? There’s another genius like you at school? I find that hard to believe. Well, except for Joshua, of course. But the Young Duke doesn’t even study magic. Something did happen, but what does it have to do with Maximian?”
“Remember being called to the Map Room because of Keepdust? I think what happened in the dormitory is connected to that. The traces of Keepdust that were around your chamber have all disappeared too.”
After hearing the full explanation, Lucian fell into thought. Of course, there was little chance his thinking would produce any new conclusions. He was weak at gathering clues and reaching logical conclusions. Tichiel knew this, but she waited. Then she added.
“And today, it’s been unusually difficult to see the professors, and even the teaching assistants seem evasive and won’t give clear explanations. Even my father.”
“Really? Your father too?”
Lucian thought for a moment before uttering something quite insightful.
“When my father hides something from me, it’s always something bad.”

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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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