Children of the Rune – Winterer - Chapter 99

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 99.
Blood That Will Not Fade (12)

“Elder Brother, dinner is ready!”
Hector had his eyes closed, trying to endure the sting as he applied medicine to various parts of his body. At the sound of his younger brother’s voice, he turned around.
“All right.”
It was Ekion who had prepared the evening meal. Their parents were expected to return late after visiting The Regent.
The brothers’ house was among the finest in the Unnamed Village, and the food and tableware were of excellent quality. Yet unlike the nobility of the Continent, they had not a single servant.
Among the people of The Island, serving another was done only when that person was regarded as a master.
Hector—strong, exceptional in every way, and even handsome—was a source of pride and joy to Ekion.
Ekion, save for the occasional cunning scheme that occurred to him, was skilled at nothing, and his meager appearance cut an unimpressive figure.
He might have envied his elder brother, yet he did not. He had learned far too early that such envy would help nothing and would only prove inconvenient.
Thus Ekion swiftly decided his life’s course: to become his brother’s most fervent supporter. Within the scope of his understanding, it was an exceedingly wise decision.
Their parents, who ought to have loved only their accomplished elder son, showed clemency toward their lesser younger brother who preferred Hector to himself. It was, in its own way, a survival strategy.
“If the Nauplion Priest hadn’t stopped him, Elder Brother would have crushed that wretch into pulp in no time. The priest interfered because he thought Daphnen would lose.”
At moments like this, Ekion spoke with half-intoxicated self-satisfaction, eating his meal with little attention. Hector made no reply, simply spooning his soup.
“Daphnen is cunning, but his skill is pathetic. He has no vigor either. Next time we meet, I’ll have to thrash him again.”
“It won’t be easy.”
Only then did Hector open his mouth. Ekion looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“What do you mean? There’s no way you’d lose to that wretch.”
“I don’t mean losing. Did you hear what the Nauplion Priest said earlier? He asked us to visit the Morpheus Priest, saying he wishes to see that boy. He was subtly wielding the authority of the Priesthood to suppress us. With such tactics, it will be difficult to find another opportunity to fight.”
“Tch, cowardly bastards… That wretch was the one who first challenged me to a duel. I can just crush him with my sword this time!”
Hector spoke more to himself than as a true reply.
“There might be a way, though…”
Ekion, growing excited on his own, suddenly struck the table as if remembering something.
“But Elder Brother, did you actually like Isolet? Not Liriope?”
Hector, favoring his uninjured left hand over his throbbing right, picked up bread and answered flatly.
“I prefer Liriope.”
“Then why did you praise Isolet so enthusiastically?”
“Because it’s a good strategy.”
Ekion tried to think it through. In such matters, he often surpassed his brother, yet now no suitable thought came to mind. He gave up easily and asked Hector.
“I don’t understand. If you have no interest in Isolet, what does it matter what Daphnen does? Just mocking him should be enough.”
Hector opened his mouth, then winced as his split lip stung, and replied with a grimace.
“Have you suddenly become a fool? Isolet is the daughter of the late Ilios Priest. She inherited all of his talent and knowledge. If Isolet were to gain a suitor, all the advantages that come with her status would go to that man, wouldn’t they?”
“Ah…”
While Ekion stood with his mouth agape in surprise, Hector finished his bread, then picked an apple from the basket and split it in half. He took a small bite, keeping his mouth as narrow as possible, and continued.
“People say the Nauplion Priest’s disciple will become the next Priest of the Sword, but I think differently. The Nauplion Priest has been absent from The Island for a long time, and aside from the Desi Priest and the Morphe Priest, he has virtually no allies. The Desi Priest is old and due to retire, and the Morphe Priest is an eccentric with little interest in Island affairs.”
Hector chewed and swallowed the apple, then wore a contemptuous expression.
“Moreover, if the rumors of the Nauplion Priest’s illness are true, this is no long game. All the people of The Island yearn for the Ilios Priest. They say he was the greatest priest of all. And all that nostalgia is concentrated upon Isolet. That is why she now holds the position of saint and princess. So if you wish to know who the next Priest of the Sword will be, simply watch carefully who stands beside Isolet. The man who claims her—he is the true one.”
It was truly a remarkable insight. Ekion’s eyes widened as he cried out.
“Then shouldn’t you also be careful not to lose Isolet?”
Hector shook his head with an indifferent expression.
“A woman like Isolet would be difficult to manage. Training such a clever and accomplished woman to obey would be exhausting. I have no desire for such troublesome affairs. Liriope is the perfect match for me in terms of status and other conditions.”
“Then what?”
“Isolet will have to remain a maiden for life. Or else… I’ll strip away that halo of hers.”
It was a cruel perspective. Even Ekion fell silent, still holding his water cup.
The night was quiet. No sound could be heard except the breathing of sleeping Nauplion.
Daphnen could not sleep. There were many reasons, but each time I heard Nauplion’s breathing, my thoughts returned to one thing.
Had I made him sad?
When I went to find Morpheus, Nauplion’s demeanor was different from before—somewhat distant. Even after returning home, I should have eaten dinner, but Nauplion claimed to be tired, skipped the meal, and simply went to bed.
After finishing my meal alone, I paused to listen and realized that Nauplion had not yet fallen asleep. But I could not bring myself to speak to him.
I tried to sleep but could not manage it. Just when I thought Nauplion had finally fallen asleep, I slipped out of bed and sank to the floor. And for a long time, I struggled and turned over many thoughts in my mind.
I remembered last night. It had been such a beautiful night that I wondered if I had merely dreamed it, yet now that memory only made me restless and uneasy.
Had I done the right thing? What was the source of this uncomfortable feeling?
It was around then that I thought I saw white fabric fluttering before my eyes.
A soft rustling sound.
Translucent fabric drew near and settled beside me.
「Why are you troubled?」
Daphnen froze in place. Just because it was not the first time did not mean I could grow accustomed to it the second time.
A soft laugh reached my right ear. I barely managed to murmur.
“Don’t laugh….”
「It’s amusing to see you frightened. I can’t help but laugh.」
This time he spoke clearly.
“I said don’t laugh.”
The form grew increasingly distinct. A pale-haired boy in flowing white garments knelt on one knee before me.
He held up a single finger, and through his transparent hand I could see his white cheek, and beyond it the table resting in the darkness.
「I won’t laugh. But am I not welcome?」
How could he act so familiar after seeing me only a few times? Caught in an awkward situation, I could only move my lips slightly without answering.
「Come on, say you’re glad to see me. Ghosts get their feelings hurt easily.」
Wasn’t this half a threat?
“I… I’m glad. But give me some warning before you appear next time. I’ve broken out in a cold sweat.”
「How should I warn you? If you decide, I’ll do it that way from now on.」
“What do you mean… wait, are you saying you’ll keep appearing from now on?”
Endymion suddenly crossed his arms and turned his head away sharply.
「Hmph, the ghost is offended now.」
It was half jest, half earnest. I found him an amusing companion, but still—he was a ghost.
I tried to relax and nodded.
“No, wait—please do come often. You’re an amusing friend. I had so many things I wanted to ask you. That vision you showed me last time… what was it?”
I had tried to bring up any topic to distract him, but in speaking, I had struck at the very heart of what I most wanted to know.
Even as Endymion pretended to be offended, he did not miss the slightest change in the other’s expression.
“You’ve returned to this world, and far more time has passed than you might have expected, hasn’t it?”
It was true. Daphnen nodded in acknowledgment.
“More than five days have gone by. Since I disappeared.”
“You slept in that cave all that time, didn’t you? It’s a place called the Egg Cave—it’s where the spirits of those recently deceased are put to sleep for long periods. When that happens, the intense memories they held in life gradually crystallize and transform into small orbs, pearls of sorts. In this way, the spirits preserve their thoughts in a faded form, and they lose all will to interfere with the living world.”
Had something similar happened to Daphnen’s memories, even though he had not died?
“Such orbs must be preserved carefully. If you were to break one carelessly, the memories within could bring great calamity, depending on what they contain. Because…”

Endymion’s expression remained blank as he opened his eyes wide.
“In the world of spirits, memory is reality itself. Depending on how the memory’s owner masters their own emotions, the evil within, the suffering, the thoughts—all of it can happen again.”
“Then what about the orbs that were at my feet?”
“Your orbs were opaque, weren’t they? That’s because you haven’t died yet. And precisely because of that, those orbs showed you prophetic dreams instead. In any case, the Egg Cave is the safest place for the living to remain in the world of the dead, so I had you sleep there. But the cave’s own power was unavoidable. That’s why orbs of your memories formed. To be precise, I gathered the ones that had crystallized throughout the cave and placed them together.”
“Then… will I lose my memories too?”
Daphnen spoke with severe bewilderment and confusion. But Endymion shook his head as if to say there was no need to worry.
“Because you’re alive, even if you sleep in the Egg Cave, you won’t lose your memories. But the emotions you held within those memories may have changed slightly. Very slightly. There will be no great impact. So the vision you saw back then…”
Daphnen suddenly cried out sharply.
“I don’t want that memory to change! Not at all!”
The Needlegrass Plains and the figure of my Elder Brother calling to me as a child…
Endymion gazed quietly into Daphnen’s eyes and spoke softly.

“Do you truly believe the memories you hold will never change? They already have. Long before you ever entered the Egg Cave, and they continue to change even now.”
A small light in Endymion’s colorless eyes moved slightly from side to side.
“The memory you saw back then… it was surely of your Elder Brother, wasn’t it? Your relentless attachment seems to be holding him, even in death, unable to rest. Think of it this way—even after he died, he continues to care for a younger brother who doesn’t exist in the world of the dead. Yes, let me say it again. You are the one who holds that memory, but when you saw that old image anew just now, didn’t it stir something different within you? Because it is the past, because it cannot be undone, wasn’t it sorrowful and painful, more desperate than ever, and yet not without despair?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————