Children of the Rune — Chapters 26-40 pt2

26 to 40 s1 end pt2

MC's sword training with Walnut begins.

On the first day, Walnut orders MC to run laps. MC continues until he becomes completely exhausted and collapses.

Lenzie eventually appears and splashes water on MC.

Walnut notices Lenzie's unusual behavior and becomes interested in MC's personal servant.

After recovering, MC drops the sword he is carrying and continues running.

Walnut suddenly reprimands him.

Walnut's reason for getting angry is simple: he is training MC to use a sword. To Walnut, casually putting the sword down is unacceptable.

MC quietly accepts the scolding.

Walnut ends the training for the day, but even Walnut himself seems strangely bothered by how angry he became over something so seemingly trivial.

Walnut continues training both MC and Rose.

Rose remains sheltered and bossy, but she gradually seems to become fond of MC and sometimes insists that he stay with her.

One day, heavy rain forces Walnut to stop the training. Rose asks to rest, and Walnut agrees. MC is not originally supposed to rest with them, but Rose asks for him to stay, so Walnut allows it.

During the rest, an important conversation about dreams takes place.

Walnut becomes angry with MC because MC's reason for learning the sword is not to become stronger or powerful.

MC simply wants a peaceful life.

He doesn't dream of conquering anything or becoming the strongest. He wants to eventually find somewhere quiet, perhaps even a cave, and live there peacefully for the rest of his life.

Walnut disagrees with this mentality.

Walnut believes that the world will always test a person, and therefore MC must become strong enough to stand against the world.

MC's desire for peace seems deeply connected to the words and teachings left by his elder brother: survive, endure, and do not carry resentment in your heart.

MC has internalized those teachings so deeply that his idea of peace has become almost complete isolation.

His attitude is essentially: leave me alone, let me live peacefully, and I will not bother anyone.

After the rest, the rain continues, but MC asks Walnut if he can continue training.

Walnut agrees.

MC fights Walnut again for Winterer and fails.

However, Walnut praises MC for his effort.

For the first time, MC smiles.

Walnut notices this.

Unfortunately, MC becomes distracted by the praise and lowers his guard, causing Walnut to immediately reprimand him again.

At this point, Walnut begins to feel less like merely an instructor and more like a new father/brother figure.

Walnut does not want to protect MC by keeping him safe from the world.

Instead, Walnut wants MC to become strong enough to protect himself.

On the final day of training, MC has his final bout with Walnut for Winterer.

MC still loses.

However, Walnut hugs him and praises him.

Walnut tells MC to let everything out.

MC finally cries.

The moment becomes an emotional release for MC, who has spent much of his life surviving, enduring hardship, losing his elder brother, losing his original place in the world, and accepting whatever identity or role circumstances placed upon him.

That night, MC accompanies Walnut for a drink.

MC is underage, so he does not drink.

The next day, Walnut prepares to leave.

Before leaving, Walnut realizes that Winterer is missing.

MC has taken the sword back.

MC enters Walnut's room and returns the relic dagger that Walnut gave him as insurance.

The training agreement is effectively complete.

Walnut becomes angry and leaves.

MC does not fully understand Walnut's anger, but he is grateful.

Walnut taught MC how to use a sword, but more importantly, he taught MC how to survive.

MC's dream of a peaceful life has not necessarily changed.

What has changed is that he now possesses the strength and discipline necessary to pursue that dream.

SEASON 1 END.

Children of the Rune — Chapters 26-40 pt1

26 to 40 s1 end pt1

MC arrives at the Savior Noble's territory and begins living as the noble's adopted/fake son. His original identity is Boris + his original family name. After his elder brother's death, he used only the name Boris. When the Savior Noble's family rescued him, he revealed his real name and family background. To become an adopted/fake son of the Savior Noble, he was given another name, marking the second time MC has effectively taken on a new identity.

The Savior Noble's family is a famous and well-renowned warring family. MC feels detached and out of place among nobles despite now being treated as one himself. His upbringing makes him unusually grateful simply to be accepted into a noble household.

MC meets Rose, the Savior Noble's only daughter and heir. Rose is a spoiled, sheltered, bossy little girl who treats her servants tyrannically. She isn't necessarily evil, however; she has simply grown up believing herself to always be above others and has little understanding of the wider world.

MC behaves very differently toward servants. He treats them with respect rather than superiority. This becomes noticeable to Lenzie, the personal servant assigned to MC.

Lenzie is eccentric and somewhat strange in his behavior toward his masters. MC notices that Lenzie's respect seems partly like a facade, as though he isn't truly submissive beneath the surface. MC appears to be one of the few people who notices this.

Lenzie also has a disabled sister whose name is currently forgotten. She may become significant later, but she has not yet become important to the current story.

MC's purpose in the Savior Noble's household is connected to Rose's future. He must eventually defeat a noble's son in a duel so that Rose can avoid being forced into a marriage with the elder son of an old family friend. The agreement for this marriage was made when the Savior Noble and his friend were still young.

Because the duel will be a sword fight, the Savior Noble arranges for MC to receive sword training. Rose is also being trained in swordsmanship.

MC later encounters an extremely eccentric man outside the Savior Noble's castle while looking for walnuts. MC initially feels that the man is being disrespectful toward him.

MC eventually realizes that the strange man may actually be his sword instructor. MC considers surprising him by revealing that he is actually the Savior Noble's son, but the man already knows.

Instead of treating MC like a noble, the man treats him like a child.

The instructor introduces himself as Walnut. Walnut is not necessarily his real name; he uses different names in different lands, and in this particular land he goes by Walnut.

That night, Walnut steals MC's sword, Winterer, from his bedroom.

MC initially suspects Lenzie, but quickly deduces that Walnut is responsible. He tracks Walnut and finds him performing a sword dance with Winterer.

MC demands his sword back.

Walnut refuses.

MC is prepared to fight him, but Walnut instead proposes an agreement that appears to function like a magical oath or contract.

Walnut will teach MC swordsmanship.

Every day until the end of the training, MC must fight Walnut in order to reclaim Winterer.

As insurance, Walnut gives MC a mysterious relic dagger.

MC is uncertain about accepting the agreement. Lenzie persuades him, and MC eventually accepts.

Strangely, MC feels delighted after the agreement is made.

Children of the Rune — Chapters 1–25 pt2

Children of the Rune — Chapters 1–25

Part 2: The Wraith, His Brother's Death, and Boris's New Path

Boris Notices His Brother Changing

The story increasingly shifts toward Boris's perspective.

During their journey, Boris notices his older brother becoming:

- pale;

- exhausted;

- increasingly worn down;

- unable to properly rest.

One night, Boris sees his brother crying on the floor beside his bed while Boris is supposedly asleep.

Boris notices, but doesn't know what to say.

He holds it inside, closes his eyes, and pretends to sleep.

---

The Nightmare

While camping, Boris dreams that he is drowning or being choked.

A panel shows what appears to be the hands of his older brother.

Morning comes, and his brother is standing there waiting for Boris to wake.

He is still gentle toward him.

The incident happens again later.

But this time it occurs at an inn.

Boris realizes:

It wasn't a dream.

His brother had actually attacked him.

Boris is slammed onto the floor and wakes with pain in his side.

---

The Wraith's Curse

The truth is eventually revealed.

The brothers are experiencing the same supernatural corruption connected to the Wraith at the forbidden lake.

This is the same corruption that affected their aunt Yanni.

Boris's older brother has been corrupted.

His exhaustion and strange behavior aren't simply the result of their difficult journey.

The Wraith is taking control of him.

---

His Brother Stops Sleeping

The older brother becomes terrified of what might happen if he sleeps.

He stops sleeping because he is afraid that the corruption will take control and he will hurt Boris again.

Boris remains gentle toward him and reassures him that things will be okay.

But the older brother understands that their situation is becoming hopeless.

---

The Coming Separation

Throughout their journey, Boris's older brother repeatedly prepares him for their eventual separation.

He tells Boris:

- Survive.

- Don't allow revenge to become the purpose of his life.

- Don't trust people too easily.

- Be careful about whom he gives his trust to.

- One day, he will leave Boris.

These warnings gradually become clear.

His brother knows what is coming.

---

His Brother's Suicide

Eventually, Boris's older brother chooses to end his own life.

He digs a hole and plants Winterer upright, with the sword facing upward.

He then jumps into the hole, allowing himself to be impaled by the sword.

The exact moment is not fully shown; the story shows the beginning of the action and the aftermath.

Even at the end, his brother thinks about Boris.

He removes Winterer so that Boris will not have difficulty pulling it out.

Boris buries his brother.

The exact details of what happens to the legendary armor after the burial are uncertain.

Boris continues his journey carrying Winterer.

The sword now has a completely different meaning.

It isn't simply a legendary family weapon anymore.

It is one of the last things his brother left him.

---

Boris Alone

Boris continues traveling.

He reaches a tavern looking for both lodging and work.

He meets a blacksmith, who tells him to come to his smithy the following day.

Boris plans to look around the smithy before then.

However, while outside, he is knocked over by a passing rider.

The rider is associated with the nobility.

Boris is beaten because of the social expectation that nobles don't apologize to people beneath them. Instead, the person who inconvenienced the noble is expected to apologize.

Boris refuses to submit.

He is beaten badly.

---

A New Noble Saves Boris

A traveling noble from another land finds Boris and intervenes.

The noble takes Boris to his medic.

Boris eventually wakes.

The first thing Boris does is look for Winterer.

At this point, the sword has become one of the most important things in his life.

---

The Adoption Proposal

Boris meets the noble who saved him.

The noble explains that he once made an agreement with a friend.

Their children would eventually fight in a duel, with the winner receiving a promised wish/reward.

The noble's first child is a daughter.

His friend has two sons:

- an older son with a disability;

- a younger, apparently healthy son.

The noble fears that his friend might use the agreement to force his daughter to marry the older son if that son wins.

So the noble wants another boy to represent his family in the duel.

He offers Boris a solution:

Become his adopted son.

The noble will create a story that Boris is his son from another woman/relationship.

Boris will represent his family in the future duel.

Afterward, Boris will be allowed to leave the family with money and live independently.

---

Boris's Choice

Boris now has two paths.

A peaceful life

He could remain where he is and live an ordinary life, potentially becoming a blacksmith's helper.

The noble's life

He could become the noble's adopted son, enter the world of nobility again, participate in the future duel, and accept whatever complications come with it.

Boris chooses the noble's offer.

He becomes the noble's adopted son.

Chapter 25 ends here.

---

Where Boris Stands at the End of Chapter 25

- Boris's family has effectively been destroyed.

- His older brother—the person who loved him most—is dead.

- The brother's death was caused by his fear of the Wraith's corruption.

- Boris carries Winterer, the sword his brother gave him.

- Boris has experienced the supernatural influence of the forbidden lake.

- He has lost his old noble identity but is now being placed into another noble family.

- He is being prepared to participate in a future duel connected to an old promise between two families.

- The mystery from Chapter 1 remains: why will Boris eventually be traveling to a distant kingdom with Rose while carrying Winterer?

Children of the Rune — Chapters 1–25 pt1

Children of the Rune — Chapters 1–25

Part 1: Boris and His Brother

Chapter 1 — Prologue

The story opens with Boris, the protagonist, being sent toward a distant kingdom together with a girl named Rose.

Boris is carrying a sword wrapped in cloth.

Very little is explained, making the scene mysterious. The story then jumps backward to Boris's childhood.

---

Boris's Family

Boris is the younger son of a powerful noble warrior family.

Their society seems to function more like a republic, although powerful noble families, political factions, and a prince still exist.

Boris's family is a major warrior/war house.

The family possesses a legendary artifact set called the Winterbottom Kit:

- Winterer — the legendary sword.

- A legendary armor set, whose exact name is uncertain (possibly Coldguard).

The artifacts are traditionally associated with the family heir/patriarch.

The family strongly favors the elder son, who is the heir.

Boris therefore grows up without receiving the same status and affection that his older brother receives.

But his older brother genuinely loves Boris.

---

Winterer

When Boris's older brother eventually receives the family's legendary artifacts, he gives Winterer to Boris.

This goes against the traditional expectation that the heir should possess the family sword.

The sword later becomes far more important to Boris than simply being a legendary weapon.

---

The Uncle and Yanni

Boris's father, uncle, and their sister Yanni were three siblings.

Yanni was supposed to leave the family because of a marriage/political arrangement. The exact details are somewhat unclear, but Yanni was willing to go.

The uncle opposed this.

He tricked Yanni by telling her that her fiancé had gone to a forbidden lake, which was supposedly inhabited by a terrifying Wraith/monster.

Yanni went to the lake.

The legend turned out to be real.

Yanni returned corrupted and mentally deranged.

The uncle wanted to save her, but Boris's father believed that someone corrupted by the Wraith could no longer be saved.

He ultimately killed Yanni.

The uncle blamed Boris's father and was eventually banished.

---

The Uncle's Revenge

The uncle eventually returned with an army and powerful mages.

The attack overwhelms Boris's family.

The mages are capable of summoning enormous monsters.

Boris's father orders the older brother to escape with the Winterbottom Kit.

The older brother wants Boris to come with him, but they are forced to separate.

Boris remains with his father and a trusted mage aide.

His father eventually tells Boris to run toward the forbidden lake and a particular tree, whose significance is still unclear.

Boris encounters what appear to be undead/zombie-like creatures.

The legend of the lake is real.

Boris's older brother eventually returns and saves him.

Boris's wounded father and the mage aide also reach them, but the uncle's mage tracks them down.

A confrontation follows.

Then a gigantic creature emerges from the lake.

Boris experiences some kind of supernatural/mental attack and loses consciousness.

A scene suggests that his older brother takes the brunt of the attack.

---

The Brothers Escape

Boris wakes up in a grass field with his older brother.

Boris cannot remember everything that happened.

His brother gives him an explanation that seems partly intended to reassure him rather than tell him everything.

The brothers continue traveling toward a nearby village.

---

Among Commoners

The brothers are nobles who don't understand ordinary commoner life very well.

At a tavern, they pay for food with a gold coin, immediately identifying themselves as wealthy outsiders.

Instead of receiving a proper meal, they are given a bowl of filthy worms.

The older brother confronts the tavern people.

Boris is taken hostage, forcing the older brother to stop.

When the older brother reveals that they are nobles, the tavern people are shocked.

He challenges their leader to a duel.

He wins easily and shows mercy.

---

The First Attempt to Rob Them

After leaving the tavern, the brothers camp outside.

The older brother realizes that they are being followed by the same people from the tavern.

The attackers want Winterer and intend to ransom the two nobles.

The brothers are outnumbered.

Fortunately, a traveling group of fighters/mercenaries arrives and saves them.

The group eventually heads to a nearby village because they cannot stand the dead bodies around their campsite.

The brothers receive their own room.

---

The Betrayal

The next morning, Boris discovers that his older brother has only just freed himself from being bound.

They have been betrayed.

Winterer has been stolen.

The innkeeper is involved.

The plan is to sell the two noble brothers to a mercenary group as slaves, while selling Winterer separately.

The brothers track down one of the mercenaries, interrogate him, and eventually let him go.

They then track another mercenary and discover that Winterer is with another group.

The betraying mercenary is apparently in debt to this other group and intended to use the two nobles as payment.

The brothers escape.

The betraying mercenary tries to settle his debt with gold, but the other group's leader refuses.

The brothers reveal themselves and expose the traitor's actions.

Instead of simply attacking, the mercenary leader establishes a duel:

the betraying mercenary versus the brothers.

---

Winterer's Power

The betraying mercenary is highly skilled with a sword.

He also has Winterer.

During the battle, Boris's older brother manages to reclaim the legendary sword.

Winterer's power activates.

The betraying mercenary becomes trapped in solid ice.

The brothers win the duel.

The traitor's partner wants to ignore the result and attack anyway, but the other mercenary leader intervenes and honors the duel.

The brothers recover Winterer and continue their journey.

---

The Journey Continues

The brothers are traveling toward a distant family connection in another land.

Their funds gradually run out.

Eventually they are forced to sell their possessions.

One particularly painful sale is a memento from their mother.

It is worth only around 400 coppers.

Emotionally, they would never have sold it even for 300 gold pieces, but they are desperate.

Their noble status is becoming increasingly meaningless.

They are simply trying to survive.