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Chapter 51




Pong.
As the shimmering magic stone was pushed by the current,
“...?”
[...!]
Blue eyes.
Long hair adorned with red coral and white pearls.
And on her white fingers, thin, transparent fins were attached.
The mermaid, who looked like a young girl, fled hastily with a startled face, avoiding the glowing magic stone.
“Hey!”
He shouted at her retreating back, but the mermaid didn’t look back and disappeared, waving her fins.
‘What’s this?’
Rune waited for a while to see if the mermaid would return.
But when it seemed unlikely that she would reappear, he had no choice but to give up and turn back.
Meanwhile, after Rune left and the magic conduit disappeared.
It took a long time before the deep-sea mermaid cautiously peeked out from behind a rock.
The girl couldn’t take her eyes off the yellow diamond, which shone with light magic.
As she couldn’t bring herself to approach, the magic inside began to fade, and the light dimmed.
[...!]
Finally, the mermaid reached out and carefully held the magic stone.
But the light magic had already exhausted its remaining light and disappeared.
The mermaid was left alone in the dark depths of the sea.
[...]
Tears welled up in her blue eyes and disappeared into the sea.
[Sniff... It hurts...]
Tightly.
Her white hand clutched the now dark yellow magic stone.
[It hurts... It hurts...]
Muttering that it hurt, the mermaid gradually fell silent in the dark depths of the sea.
Her long, blue hair, which was blackened from the tips, belonged to a mermaid whose voice, carrying the darkness in her heart, was buried in the depths of the sea.
***
‘What is this? Why was there a mermaid?’
Back in his original room, Rune wiped the seawater from his hands.
With the key reabsorbed into his body, Rune pondered the questions that came to mind.
‘Moreover, I felt the same darkness attribute magic for a moment...?’
The pure darkness aura of a Black Dragon.
It was undoubtedly a kindred spirit.
But, wasn’t it said that the Black Dragons were all extinct?
After pondering for a while, Rune decided to seek Christina’s help since he couldn’t find an answer.
He took out the communication magic stone Christina had given him from his leather pouch and activated it.
- Oh, Rune! It’s been a while. How are you?
“Yeah, I’m fine. Is Rai there?”
- Of course. He’s already excited and walking around, listening to your voice.
It had been a while since he last heard Christina’s voice.
How long had it been since he came to Ferdikion’s lair? He missed the forest and the lair filled with light magic.
After exchanging brief pleasantries, Rune got to the point.
“Is there any other Black Dragon left besides me? Or... a race with similar darkness magic to the Black Dragon?”
- A being with the same dark attribute magic as the Black Dragon?
The affectionate voice on the other side of the magic stone paused for a moment.
- Could you be talking about the Blue Dragon hatchling, Amelia?
“Amelia?”
When Rune asked, a sigh mixed with Christina’s voice.
- Yes. When we did the magic resonance test, you must have felt it too. There are compatible attributes to the main attribute.
“Yeah, I know.”
- Before you were born, when the Black Dragons were exterminated, the darkness magic in this world began to disappear. In this unprecedented situation, we had to take action, and it was decided that the dragons with the most compatible attribute, ‘water,’ would take on the role of ‘darkness.’
An old story was relayed through Christina.
According to Christina’s explanation, the mermaid Rune met was ‘Amelia,’
the Blue Dragon hatchling.
- I don’t know how you found out, but it’s a bit early for you to know this story. Don’t worry too much about it.
The gentle voice was soft, but Rune felt skeptical.
‘If that’s the case, she should be the hatchling that the water dragons should protect the most. Instead of being protected, she was terrified and ran away when she saw me.’
She might have been startled by the sudden encounter and tried to avoid him.
However, the absence of any protectors around her was suspicious.
Moreover, she was a powerful being who possessed both water and darkness magic.
A predator fleeing from an intruder in its territory.
Normally, she should have been angry about how he got in.
‘Even if she’s a weak hatchling, it’s normal to have at least one adult Blue Dragon protecting her, right?’
Could it be?
Nothing was clear.
But if he asked more, he would have to reveal that he had copied the dark market key.
So, he decided to cut the conversation lightly to avoid suspicion.
“Thanks for letting me know. The master craftsman competition ends on the last day of this week. I’ll buy a gift when it’s over.”
- Take care of yourself. Try to contact me sometimes.
“Got it, Christina. Say hello to Rai.”
With that, Rune put away the yellow communication magic stone and fell into deep thought.
‘If they entrusted the darkness to that mermaid, thinking the Black Dragons were extinct, then it’s the power I should have inherited...’
The problem was whether she would willingly give it up, and even if she would, it was questionable whether they could even communicate.
‘I should meet her again. Hearing directly from her would be the most accurate way to understand the situation.’
She was so scared that she ran away just by seeing him.
If he went without a plan and she fled again, it might be a long time before he saw her again.
‘...For a dragon, she’s awfully timid.’
Thinking that even a goblin wouldn’t be that scared, Rune shook his head.
That evening.
Rune had been pondering all afternoon but couldn’t come up with a proper solution, so he joined the dinner.
“Rune, is something wrong? You look like you’re deep in thought.”
“Yeah, you look pretty serious today.”
Ferdikion, who was eating bread, and Jed, who slurped his noodles, asked.
Looking at them alternately, Rune decided to seek their advice, even if it was a last resort.
‘Getting advice from a third party might be a good idea.’
“It’s nothing serious, just something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“What does a timid girl like?”
Suddenly.
Ferdikion and Jed, who were about to pick up their bread, stopped simultaneously.
“Heumi likes playing with Baekya and Lord Rune!”
“Thanks, but I need a different approach.”
At Rune’s response, Heumi, with a fork in her mouth, blinked.
The quiet atmosphere at the table made Rune turn around, and he saw Ferdikion and Jed staring at him with wide eyes.
‘Why is the atmosphere like this?’
He just wanted advice on how to charm a Blue Dragon to regain the dark attribute power.
But he had a bad feeling that he had created unnecessary misunderstandings with Ferdikion and Jed.
Thinking about it, he had cut the story too short.
Rune finally realized his mistake.
‘Damn, it sounds like a love consultation.’
Rune shook his head and pushed a piece of potato into his mouth.
‘If I retract it, it’ll be even stranger. But I can’t give up the dark attribute power. I’m going crazy.’
In the end, he quickly withdrew his statement.
“No, forget it. Just forget it.”
“...”
“...”
Jed and Ferdikion exchanged quick glances.
Rune knew they were communicating silently but didn’t say anything more.
Jed, looking embarrassed, started moving his fork and cleared his throat.
“Ahem! Well, this Jed, though not an old dwarf, knows a thing or two about what women like!”
“Really?”
“Yep. Women love delicious things, pretty and shiny things, and romantic gifts that show your heart.”
“Hmm.”
Rune looked at him with interest.
Nodding for him to continue, Jed puffed out his chest and spoke.
“For example... a small accessory or flower you buy on the way because you thought of her. They also love sweet and cute snacks.”
“You must have had a lot of relationships, Jed.”
Rune meant it as a compliment.
However, Jed lowered his head slightly.
“...People who can’t date often become experts...”
“...Sorry.”
When the dungeon team was formed, Jed had received potato chips as a prize and wanted to use them to gain popularity with a female dwarf.
He was a pure young man with only theoretical knowledge and no actual dating experience.
“Jed, are you crying?”
“Ah! Lady Heumi, no. The garlic is just really spicy today!”
Heumi looked at Jed for a moment, then picked up a sausage from her plate with her fork and placed it on Jed’s plate.
“Uncle Jed! Eat this.”
“Ah, so kind!”
Leaving the strangely moved Jed behind, Rune finished his remaining tea.
“I’m full. I’ll go to bed a bit early today.”
“Sure, get some rest.”
Rune nodded at Ferdikion’s somewhat sympathetic response and left the dining room.
After Rune left.
“Berdin.”
“Yes!”
“Check if there was a timid woman around Rune.”
“Hehe, I understand.”
Jed looked at Ferdikion with a subtle interest.
“Could it be? The beginning of first love is often unrequited!”
“My brother would never have a crush. If he liked someone, he