Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 588

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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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Someday, when someone finally
pierces my heart,
I will remember you as you are today.
My young adversary,
my first enemy born anew.
And on that day, if a heart dwells within me,
the piece that harbors
the darkest flame,
will be yours.
Do not doubt that I have reserved the very best for you.
Episode 40.
The Velvet-Lined Invitation (1)
1. The Meeting in the Purple Room
Approximately three hours earlier.
“Maximian Lipkne, what on earth were you—no, in any case, this time—no. There’s no way to hide this. This won’t do.”
Professor Kin paced rapidly back and forth before the purple wall, its paint peeling in patches to reveal white flowers blooming beneath.
He appeared flustered rather than displeased. His anger was not absent, but it was directed at himself rather than Maximian. Simultaneously, he had formulated a new plan yet deliberated whether to proceed with it as conceived.
Maximian deduced these facts from merely a glance at Professor Kin because he had assessed himself to be in crisis. In such moments, his selective attention functioned entirely differently than when he thought, “Whatever you do, what does it matter to me?”
Yet even with such attentiveness, he could form no judgment regarding the place where he had just arrived. It was not merely because he had come by instantaneous translocation.
Thin bars of light carved brilliant gold across the shadows, lending the darkened corners an even more romantic hue. The Purple Room overflowed with tables, chairs, curtains, and tea sets painted in shades of purple—some deeper than the walls, some lighter, some nearly black. The frames hanging on the walls were purple; the people within the frames wore purple garments and stood beneath purple skies. Whose taste was this? Who lived in such a room?
“Where is this place? Is it your chamber, Professor?”
“It’s not, and besides, you don’t need to know the details. I came here only to evade pursuit. Forget what you’ve seen here. You won’t have occasion to return anyway.”
As Professor Kin spoke, his clothing gradually shifted in hue, drawing closer to purple. But there were so many other pressing questions that asking about this took lower priority. Maximian extracted the most crucial word from what he had just heard and posed it back as a question.
“Pursuit?”
“Yes. Pursuit. From now on, you are a fugitive. From whom? Why, from Nenyaple, of course.”
Maximian rolled the words he had just heard around in his mouth once, then fixed his gaze upon Professor Kin’s elongated face, furrowing his brow.
“Are you saying, right now, that Nenyaple will pursue me? That I must flee from the school I was attending until moments ago?”
“Yes. Or rather, that’s how it amounts to. If Nenyaple truly resolved to capture you, would even a day be required? But Nenyaple will not find you. Because they must not find you.”
At this point, even Maximian found himself confused about what Professor Kin was saying. So he must flee for reasons unknown, yet the side tasked with capturing him will not capture him… So he can simply return home?
“If I may ask, how is this different from simply expulsion?”
“It’s vastly different. You have created a grave problem for Nenyaple—one that mere expulsion cannot remedy. And this problem threatens to escalate beyond Nenyaple alone into a matter affecting the entire Continent. No, it will certainly become so. That means to prevent it, we must minimize and conceal this. We must do our utmost to make it appear as though nothing happened. How fortunate that the holiday begins today, so we needn’t inform the students. Though there will be those who question why not a single student remains in the Dormitory or Research Lab during the break. In any case, we’ll conduct preliminary cleaning first, then expel all the Research Students by day’s end and begin the full purification. If all goes well, we’ll finish during the break, but if not…”
Maximian listened intently to Professor Kin’s words, striving to comprehend them. For him, the ‘grave and continental problem’ he had supposedly caused remained utterly incomprehensible—he could not even fathom what sort of thing it might be. As he heard what came next, his jaw fell open involuntarily.
“We must close the school.”
Closing meant shutting the school doors, did it not? The words seemed to carry no other meaning…
“Are you speaking in earnest, Professor?”
Professor Kin, who had been glaring at the purple wall throughout, turned to face Maximian. His expression resembled that of an angry classmate.
“In my entire life, I have never been more serious than on the day I heard my five-year-old son had contracted smallpox!”
Maximian had never heard such a story about Professor Kin before—indeed, he had not even known the professor was married or had children. He did not know whether the child had survived or perished, and he certainly could not presume to question whether the current situation was as grave as that tragedy. He could only sit in silence, his expression one of shock.
Professor Kin squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and exhaled a deep sigh, his expression returning to that of a professor.
Professor Kin squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them and let out a deep sigh before returning to his professorial expression.
“That’s enough. What am I even saying? In any case, if this isn’t resolved during the break, we’ll need outside help, which means we’ll have no choice but to close for at least a year. That would put every student in a situation equivalent to academic probation. All research and experiments in progress at the school would have to be halted or abandoned. Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue? What becomes of Nenyaple’s honor?”
As Professor Kin pressed his forehead forward, delivering warnings—or threats, I couldn’t quite tell—one after another, I remained wide-eyed and lost in thought. I simply couldn’t believe it.
Maximian Lipkne versus Nenyaple. And I’d apparently won that confrontation. Yet I hadn’t even known such a conflict had occurred.
“Moreover, since this matter is directly connected to the Keep, Symbolion will certainly investigate and expose the cause and facts of what happened. That leaves us with only two options: admit Nenyaple’s mistake and humiliatingly accept an outside investigation, or hand you over and say, ‘Here, this wretch is the culprit.'”
At the mention of being handed over, I started in alarm and objected.
“What did you say? Symbolion…? What’s that?”
“Symbolion. It’s a council of representatives from institutions representing magic in each nation. Places like Nenyaple, Orleans Royal Magic School, Lemme’s Reserve Forces, and Lugran’s ‘Collegio Magon.’ It was originally founded as a rather loose association for academic exchange, but its status changed once joint operations began at the Keep. Above all, when problems related to the Keep arise, they have the authority to demand an investigation, so this won’t simply be overlooked.”
Professor Kin fell silent, pressing his lips into a thin line and shaking his head.
“However, I believe neither option is acceptable. I can’t speak for the other professors, but that’s my position. Nenyaple being exposed to outsiders is unthinkable, and what could you possibly say if you were dragged into such a situation when you don’t even understand magic?”
So listen carefully to what I’m about to say. From now on, you’ll hide wherever I tell you to. Then Nenyaple will claim we can’t find you, and we’ll buy time by saying we’ll send you immediately once we do. Once the purification is complete during the break, we’ll declare the problem solved and handle the investigation and discipline internally, thereby closing the case.
Of course, they won’t agree readily, but what can they do if Nenyaple refuses to open its doors? All we need is a plausible excuse.”
Hearing such words from a professor made the gravity of the situation feel all too real. I’d thought I was attending a rigid school where exceptions to academic rules simply didn’t exist, but suddenly loopholes—delays, escape, concealment—were tumbling out all at once. It was difficult even for someone like me to accept. I barely managed to collect myself and speak.
“I understand most of what you’re saying, but there’s one thing I can’t grasp. How someone like me could have done such a thing. How is that even possible?”
I wasn’t being unusually self-deprecating when I said this. Nenyaple is the greatest magic academy on the Continent, and its professors are mighty Mages.
I’m the worst failing student in the school’s history—someone who shouldn’t even claim to have learned magic by watching over someone’s shoulder. How could such a wretch have any impact beyond scrawling graffiti on Nenyaple’s walls? It seemed impossible no matter how I looked at it.
“Well, it is rather astonishing, isn’t it?”
The voice came from behind me. Startled, I turned to see Professor Diana Loreldin, Master of Herbalism, sitting backwards on one of the purple chairs, her chin resting on her hand as she regarded me.
I’d never imagined professors could adopt such ordinary, human postures. Moreover, she wore an unadorned iris-colored dress. But that wasn’t all. Through the open entrance behind her, Professor Hoiock entered in a lilac robe and sat in another chair before speaking.
“Lipkne, you’re truly remarkable. You’re a failing student who will be remembered in Nenyaple’s history.”
Professor Hoiock was always cheerful, and nearly everything he said sounded like a joke, but not today. Surely he hadn’t obtained an extended leave and was simply in a good mood.
“I have no idea what’s happening here.”
“Neither do I. Who would? That’s why we’ve come together to figure it out. How did the Failing King, Maximian Lipkne, manage to shut down the great Nenyaple?”
“….”
The professors’ demeanor wasn’t one of joy, but neither was it anger—rather, it bore the peculiar self-mockery of someone who’d suffered an unimaginable blow.
If I was bewildered, the shock the professors had received was even greater. Unlike me, they understood very well what their magic was capable of. Yet even with all their power, they’d been unable to prevent the accident I’d caused.
Professor Kin looked between the two newly arrived professors before letting out a long sigh.
“You’ve already learned everything. I thought we’d have about thirty minutes, but I suppose that was naive. Of course—you must have investigated Kiphdust. Still, there’s one piece of the truth I should help you assemble.”

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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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