Imugi woke up in the cradle and was immediately plunged into deep thought.
'What should I do with this seed?'
It was the seed of the <Nether Rose> that he had just revived.
Lune moved to where the seed was, leaving Baiya, who was sleeping soundly.
He stared blankly at the rose vines that had spread out before him.
'In just one day, the roses have grown by five more stems?'
Moreover, the description had changed slightly.
- Species: Enchanting Black Rose of the Nether
- Hatching Conditions: Unknown
- Requires dark-attribute soil to grow.
There is a rare chance that the seed contains the soul of ■■.
- Belongs to Lune Eclipse
- Servant (Servant) transformation in progress
As soon as he thought about it, additional information appeared.
- Nether creatures that belong to someone become loyal Servants (Servants) of the one who provided the energy.
* Servant (Servant) Level 1 (Activated)
- Feeds on magic power of the same attribute as the Master's source of power.
'If it's a compatible attribute... in my case, it would be darkness.'
Suddenly, Lune examined the roots of the five rose stems and realized something.
'They're holding onto my scales and the pile of black magic stones nearby!'
One of the black magic stones, which were like mountains of dark power, was firmly clutched by the roots.
Lune reviewed the situation and organized his thoughts.
He quickly understood why the roses belonged to him.
'It must be some kind of imprinting effect.'
The roses had been revived by Lune's resurrection command and the power of his scales while they were in a state close to death.
Chapter 30: On the Contrary, It's Good
As soon as he realized this, a serious problem came to mind.
The roses that had sprouted from Lune's scales could now absorb dark power to grow.
This meant that anything with dark attributes could serve as nourishment for the roses.
In other words, all the black magic stones in this place were at risk.
'This is a big problem...'
Perhaps not just the magic stones, but all the artifacts and items in here as well.
Lune paced back and forth, lost in thought.
'There must be a way, definitely. We still have a few days left.'
He crossed his arms, tapping his fingers on his arm, and frowned.
'If I can just take some measures in there...'
He struggled with this difficult problem.
Lune scratched his head, covered in scales, and then plopped down on the spot.
In front of him, the roses that had not yet fully bloomed stood shyly with their buds.
Their appearance only added to his frustration.
The deeper he thought, the slower his tail swayed.
At some point, he stopped all movement.
His red eyes, which held the black roses, gleamed sharply.
'This time, I have to admit that there's nothing I can do on my own.'
However, he couldn't lose all his assets just because he couldn't manage one seed.
Lune jumped up from his seat.
He clenched his fists lightly and cast a teleportation spell.
'I'll start with the bracelet and go to Christina.'
He glanced at the roses and then disappeared from the spot.
The roses trembled sadly, shedding their fresh black petals one by one.
The number of falling leaves was gradually increasing.
It was as if, like a tree that sheds its leaves in winter to reduce its nutrient intake, the roses were doing the same.
"Rune, what's the matter?"
Christina, who was preparing for a meal and a lesson, tied her hair up and asked.
"I came to ask for a favor. Can you come with me to the dark room?"
It was almost time for the lesson to start.
However, she immediately took off her apron.
Rune used a teleportation spell to move to the place where the rose buds had bloomed.
When she saw the roses, her face showed surprise and confusion.
"This is the <Nether Rose>. How did you...?"
'Sure enough, Christina knew.'
He knew he would have to tell her eventually, but he wanted to do it as late as possible.
This was the center of the Gold Dragon's lair, where the sun and light were handled.
It was impossible for a Nether seed to sprout here.
Naturally, if he told her about the roses, she would ask how he made them sprout.
In that case, he couldn't avoid her suspicion.
'But, it's too valuable to lose my Servant and the treasures in here.'
As expected, she quickly guessed that Rune was the cause and looked at him.
She seemed somewhat confused.
Even with attributes, a hatchling who was not even a year old.
He had exceptional talent, but it was impossible by normal means.
Taking Christina's gaze as a question, Rune answered.
"The seed seemed hungry. When I gave it my scales, it came to life."
It was a childlike answer, but it was also the truth.
She also believed that the roses in front of her were not a lie.
However, she had a feeling that it wasn't the whole story.
'Is it really just talent?'
He was a child born from an egg that was believed to be dead.
What happened after that?
A phoenix, which should never have been born, woke up, and even Ferdikion's unchangeable personality changed like a drizzle soaking through clothes.
The Nether Rose in front of her was no different.
'Once is a coincidence, but twice is a pattern.'
Her long experience told her.
She felt as if she had glimpsed the revival of the dark clan.
Meanwhile, Rune noticed something strange about the black leaves that had fallen around the rose buds.
'They were fresh and hadn't fallen when I left...'
As if in response to his thoughts, Christina examined the roses and said,
"The roses are starting to wither. They are dying."
"Look at the fallen leaves."
Rune followed the direction Christina pointed with her finger.
In the short time since he had left,
All five roses had lost several outer petals.
Since the buds had not yet fully bloomed, the number of remaining petals was not large.
The roots of the roses, which had been firmly gripping Rune's scales and the magic stones, had clearly weakened.
"Because of this, they can't absorb nutrients properly and are dying..."
Christina immediately recognized that the scales the roots were weakly holding belonged to Rune.
"Have you become the owner of these roses?"
"Yes. A few days ago, I found a withered Nether Rose seed. I used the inherited information and gave it my scales, and it recognized me as its owner."
Rune briefly explained how he found the roses and the germination process.
Of course, he left out the part about the <Resurrection> command.
Christina nodded occasionally as she listened and eventually reached the same conclusion as Rune.
"If the roses absorb all the treasures of the Black Dragon in this room, it would be very troublesome."
"That's right. I couldn't think of a good solution. And suddenly, they started shedding petals..."
Rune furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.
"Is there any way to stop it?"
"Did the roses start shedding petals after you left?"
Rune nodded in response to Christina's question.
She thought for a moment and continued,
"It's like the relationship between the Demon King and the demons."
Destruction and slaughter. The harbingers of death.
They were the most 'doomed' beings in this world, twisted and evil.
They held feasts in hell and took pleasure in defying the natural order.
Considering the history of dragons being enemies of demons, there was no benefit in getting close to them.
"I don't know exactly, but the demons under the Demon King's rule become Servants (Servants)."
Another fragrant petal fluttered down.
"That's right. The roses have started the Servant (Servant) transformation."
"From low-level monsters to high-ranking demons. They exist under the influence of the Demon King in various ways. They move as the Demon King dictates and accept his power."
A solution seemed to be in sight.
If the roses were indeed influenced by Rune as he thought,
"Then, they follow my will?"
Christina didn't discourage him.
Rune stared intently at the roses and focused.
'I often did this during Ferdikion's singing lessons.'
He recalled how he would immerse himself in the songs, singing happy lyrics with a happy face and sad lyrics with a sad face.
'Right. Is embarrassment the problem? I might lose everything here.'
Determined, Rune clenched his fists.