Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 603

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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 53.
The Velvet Invitation (16)
Part 4.
1. Two People in the Square
Several days later, the merchant ship carrying Maximian Rifkne reached the end of the river—a place that was both ending and beginning.
Gilbert Bay and Keltika Bay merged together, earning the name “Dragon’s Mouth.” As the ship glided into that vast confluence where two rivers mingled with seawater, I kept my gaze fixed beyond the mist. Though my eyes could not penetrate it, my mind conjured countless visions of what lay ahead.
Escaping Gilbert Bay and entering Keltika Bay was no simple feat. Hidden reefs lurked everywhere. Ordinarily, a pilot would be taken aboard just before entering the bay, but among the merchant ship captains, many were masters of navigating the Dragon’s Mouth. Two other merchant vessels followed in our wake, and as their numbers swelled, they scattered across Gilbert Bay like confetti strewn upon the sea. It was 11 o’clock in the morning.
For winter, the day was oddly warm—warm enough that perspiration beaded beneath my coat. Morning sunlight shattered across the bow of each vessel as large and small ships strained at their helms, rotating clockwise to escape the river’s current. Scattered throughout were small, deceptively charming rocks that had to be avoided—the treacherous entities known as the Reef Princesses.
The coastline lay hidden beneath sea mist as gossamer as organza veiling. Once clear of the reef zone, our ship accelerated, and green capes thrust upward while sloped riverbanks unfurled like curtains. Even the foam traced parallel lines across the water. Now we had to cleave against the surging waves of the Bluet River. Standing at the rail, I felt the faint resonance emanating from the keel spread throughout the entire vessel. The sporadic creaking sounds seemed to speak of the ship giving its all.
I had boarded a ship bound for Keltika Bay years ago. That time, I had entered from the sea rather than the river. I was just finishing a long voyage.
It had been summer. That day, the Dragon’s Mouth exhaled no white breath. So I had wandered the deck with friends, and seeing the coastline clearly revealed in the distance had brought relief. It seemed everything would go well from that point forward. That day was…
Several people had been aboard that ship—friends, steadfast protectors, capable people intent on safeguarding them. Among them, I was one of their number, engaged in important work. Perhaps it was true. I had wanted to believe it. Now, looking back years later, I could see it clearly. I had wanted to believe. In my own worth.
But the dawn that greeted me upon reaching Keltika did not unfold so favorably.
That day, for the first time, the world revealed its outline before my eyes. It rose like a colossal rocky cliff, standing immovable before me. Yet I refused to acknowledge it. An unbreakable wall that no amount of shattering impact could penetrate, a seamless rock face. I denied such a thing existed, and continued to hurl myself toward what I could do, insisting that I could change the world, find a way to wedge myself in, and that if I dug deep enough, there would surely be one weak point.
It was only after all the things I had deemed important then were finished that I truly faced a wall without seams. Only then did I understand: the worth I had believed in myself did not actually exist within me.
“Well, we’ve arrived.”
Shaking off my reverie, I found myself before the dock. The ship, which had labored to cut through the water, now bobbed gently in the shallows.
Had I just taken a journey into the past? The lingering heat of those thoughts burned my cheeks, making the cold wind feel refreshing. Ahead, sailors bustled about laying the gangway. I shook my head and placed the hat I had been holding onto my head. I am not Maximian Rifkne right now. That fellow is not here.
Maximilienne de Pleasance turned and handed each sailor a silver coin for lowering the chair. I accepted their offer to carry my bag without refusal. Gripping my walking stick, I crossed the gangway slowly and stepped onto solid ground. The earth was slightly damp. The dock, bustling as befitted morning hours, appeared chaotic, yet it was filled with people who all knew exactly where they were going. Watching them, I felt oddly lost—though I too had a destination. One I had not chosen myself, but a destination nonetheless.
“Are you perhaps Pleasance?”
Had I anticipated this somewhat? A carriage stood at a distance. The Carriage Driver, who had been watching me since earlier, approached and bowed respectfully. Gianni, who had followed behind, chattered and giggled.
“Wow, right on schedule again. You’re truly remarkable.”
The Carriage Driver said he had been instructed to escort Pleasance to whatever address was desired—anywhere in Keltika would do. Hearing this, I tilted my expressionless face slightly and spoke.
“No, thank you, but I must decline. I’m familiar with Keltika, so I can manage on my own.”
As I walked past the carriage with long strides, a startled Gianni quickly caught up and asked.
“But wait, there are plenty of post-carriages from here to Keltika, but… what about that chair?”
I waited for Gianni to catch up somewhat, then turned around. With a dignified smile, I spoke.
“Gianni, I have a favor to ask. Considering the deep friendship we have built through our voyage together, I trust you will gladly help. What do you say?”
“Ah, well… if you would give me such an opportunity…”
I entrusted the chair to Gianni. The relative’s house where Gianni would stay during his time in Keltika was in the same Rockly District as Pleasance’s residence. We agreed that Gianni would keep the chair there temporarily, and I would retrieve it in about five days. At that distance, it would be no great trouble to hire someone to move it.
After a light farewell to Gianni and those who had come to meet him, I walked through the throng of people crowding the docks, carrying only the travel bag and walking stick that Professor Nenyaple had given me. Simultaneously, I scanned my surroundings, searching for anyone watching me. I did not believe this “noblewoman” harbored goodwill or intended to help me. I did not believe she was truly a noblewoman at all. Initially, I had entertained the possibility that she might be a mischievous aristocrat playing pranks.
But after what happened in the dining hall, I abandoned such thoughts. Nothing is as aggressive as excessive kindness. It is the most dangerous attack precisely because it reveals no intent—perhaps even a sinister one.
I had no intention of revealing my residence to such a person. Of course, if she truly knew Pleasance well, she would know the address. But something told me that was not the case.
I found no watchful eyes tracking me until I reached the post-carriage station. Deliberately, I chose an unusual route among the lined-up carriages—one that circled through the cities surrounding Keltika.
Around noon the next day, after spending the night in a nearby village, I boarded another post-carriage and descended before the Central Square, the most bustling district in Keltika. It would take more than an hour to walk from here to Rockly District. But the weather was warm that day too, so I thought it would not be difficult.
The post-carriage departed. The people who had descended with me scattered in an instant. I alone stood there like a lost country person. Instead of hurrying, I looked around and recalled old memories—not so very old either. Perhaps that was why they struck so vividly. Three of us, dressed in shabby clothes, had passed through this square to a tavern, then crossed back through to a place called the Costume Shop. At the time, I had scarcely realized I was enjoying that moment. I had not known it was a moment unlikely to be repeated.
But soon I scattered those thoughts and crossed the square. It was a sunny winter afternoon, so all manner of birds had emerged to peck at scattered food scraps. The sound of hoofbeats mingled with barking dogs, and behind haggling and laughter, creaking wheels, children’s footsteps wove through. The people of Keltika pushed carts, led donkeys, begged, enjoyed the sun, and stood in the middle of the square chatting with friends they had encountered, clutching long bread bags, fashionable parasols, or milk cans in transit. In short, there was considerable foot traffic. My pace had gradually slowed—perhaps because the sun was pleasant, the bright blue sky conjured the illusion of summer, I felt as though I walked alongside people who were not here, and my gaze kept drifting to the small, tart apples piled on the stalls.
“Hey, Maximian!”
In the middle of the square, amid countless strangers, something vivid suddenly emerged and stood before me. It was a young girl in a white blouse layered with a short sweater. Unmistakably, a young girl. A sky-blue skirt that fell past her knees and a long ribbon fluttered in the freshly blown wind; in her hand was a travel bag made of pale sandy leather. Behind her, the winter coats of countless people flowed like a wave.
Immediately after, confusion, bewilderment, and suspicion crossed my face in succession as I recognized the person before me.
“You….”
Espin, her short hair pinned up on both sides, smiled softly and added her words.
“…Senior?”
Maximian had more than one reason to be at a loss for words. First, he had never imagined encountering her in a place like this. Second, the person he had believed to be a boy was now dressed in women’s clothing—and not only did it suit her naturally, it fit her perfectly. More than that, this very appearance echoed something that had haunted his mind ever since arriving in Keltika. Moments he knew he had lost, though he could not pinpoint exactly when.
In the place where memory forced its way into my heart, I was telling myself that it had never been my burden to carry, that I could not and should not reclaim it, and that I must think of it no longer since I had to become someone else entirely. Yet suddenly it leapt before my eyes, staring directly at me. Like hands flipping through pages I had lingered over with regret, a sudden gesture turned the page with a soft rustle and pointed to a new one, saying ‘look here.’ My breath caught slightly, though I could not fully explain why.
But to be clear, it was not because the other person was Espin. She was not someone I knew that well. It was merely that she happened to resemble a landscape I had once loved, sketched carelessly on blank paper. That summer had possessed exactly this hue. I understood it all, yet my eyes would not leave her. I could barely breathe.
Yet barely swallowing my breath, the words that came out were these:
“Why are you here?”
“Well, shouldn’t I be allowed to be where I want to be?”
She tilted her head as she spoke, then shook it with a laugh.
“But that’s not why. Didn’t you have business with me? I thought we were supposed to meet? We said we’d do something fun?”

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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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