"As you can see, it's just a simple piece, but would you like to try infusing it with magic?"
Rune looked at Jedd once and took the piece.
Following Jedd's advice, he infused it with magic.
A light emanated from the sleeping dragon's body, which was a pale blue, and snow began to fall inside the glass orb.
In the volcanic region, one couldn't see snow, so it seemed to be made based on stories from other regions.
"How about it? It's called a 'Snowball.'"
Rune recalled the murky and dark deep-sea space where the mermaid lived.
Given that the jewelry attached to the mermaid's body was milky white pearls, he had a good feeling that this would be a decent gift.
'To catch a cautious one, you need a bait that can grab their interest.'
"Quite a nice item. Thank you."
"Not at all~ If it works out, just remember it was my doing."
'What does he mean by "if it works out"?'
When he looked at Jedd, the man's eyes seemed to be twitching with mischief.
In short, he was a real pain.
As he turned away from the snowball without a second thought, he didn't realize that a pair of blue eyes, hidden in the darkness, were quietly watching him.
Recently, every time he moved, someone was following him, making it difficult to secure enough free time.
"Hey! Master Rune, where are you going!"
"Ah! You're going to train alone! All by yourself!"
"Why are you stretching the point?"
"Oh, I'm not stretching anything."
'He's really getting on my nerves.'
Every time he saw Jedd's grinning face, his dormant violent tendencies stirred.
Meanwhile, what about Ferdikion?
The gift Ferdikion suddenly offered was a magic stone, a ruby, large and of high rarity.
"It's called a 'Sunrise Ruby.' I heard it looks quite good when made into jewelry."
"......? Can I use this as I please?"
"Ah. Thanks for taking care of it, bro."
Originally, he thought Ferdikion was the type to subtly take care of things, but he was puzzled as to why he was giving him a gem now.
'It's a high-purity fire magic stone. According to Ferdikion's usual philosophy, it must mean he wants me to strengthen my subordinates.'
After all, a gift should also consider the giver's intentions.
After a brief moment of thought, Rune immediately called Jedd.
"Yes! Did you call me, Master Rune?"
"Make a decent pendant with this."
"A pendant? Ah, I understand perfectly!"
Just as he was about to leave,
"Also, bring the empty carnelian from the old salamander seal."
Rune first examined the carnelian Jedd brought to check its magic structure.
'If I copy and slightly modify the magic formula that can house a salamander......'
Next, he engraved the magic formula onto the pendant he crafted from the ruby, and as expected, it was perfect.
Since it was a high-purity fire magic stone, it was ideal for storing the salamanders that Chae-mi raises.
Chae-mi was delighted when she tried on the pendant.
"Thank you, Master Rune! They like it too!"
"Good. Be careful not to lose it. Since your brother gave you the gem, thank Brother Ferdikion too."
"Yes! Thank you, Master Ferdikion!"
Seeing Chae-mi bow her head, Ferdikion looked somewhat bitter.
'That it ended up with Chae-mi.'
The sparkling ruby pendant.
Ferdikion's gift was actually a heartfelt support for his young brother's first innocent love.
But for some reason, the precious ruby ended up with the servant kid.
Rune, sensing the strangely dampened mood, was a bit puzzled.
The strangely following gaze from Berdin, or Jedd's subtle probing about the people around him.
All of them were paying more attention to him than usual, making it impossible for him to secretly meet the mermaid.
'Finally, I have some time the day before the final of the craft competition.'
With the preparation for the competition and the banquet.
Today, the busiest day for the organizers, Ferdikion and Berdin, was the only day Rune could catch his breath.
Just as the news spread that Chae-mi could handle salamanders, the dwarves were quite interested and politely asked for a demonstration.
Rune, who readily agreed, sent Jedd along with Chae-mi to the forge under the pretext of protection.
'Really, it's been a while since I've had some freedom.'
Just as he was about to take out the replicated <Magic Key>, Baek-ya landed heavily on his head.
"......? Why aren't you with Chae-mi today?"
At his puzzled voice, Baek-ya tilted his head and stared at him intently.
Then, he gently stroked Rune's head with his white wings.
Seeing the bird spread its wings to cover his head and rub its cheek against him, something dawned on Rune.
Baek-ya had been acting as a senior to Chae-mi.
But today, since Jedd went with Chae-mi, he seemed to have come to Rune, who was alone.
'Well, he thinks of me as a parent due to the imprinting effect.'
Rune, who had been the first to communicate with Baek-ya when he hatched, was a special existence to the bird.
Rune gently patted the bird on the head.
'Can't help it. He's just a bird, so I'll take him along.'
Rune activated the replicated <Magic Key> without leaving Baek-ya behind.
He immediately entered through the semi-transparent door and walked along the magic passage.
The passage was now quite familiar to Rune, but it was the first time for Baek-ya.
The white bird kept his feathers stiffly erect throughout the journey, curiously looking around.
At the boundary of water.
Rune found the snowball he had left in the dark deep sea.
There were signs that it had been touched.
The problem was that it hadn't been taken.
'Did she not like this gift?'
The blue dragon in the snowball, lying tilted on the sand, seemed to be sleeping.
Rune stared at it for a moment, then bent his knees and pushed his hand through the water boundary.
At that moment, air bubbles rapidly rose from behind a distant rock.
Rune pretended not to notice and kept his gaze fixed on the snowball.
'If I suddenly acknowledge her, she might run away. I'll just pretend not to notice and check it out.'
He placed his hand on the glass and infused it with magic, as if checking if the snowball was working.
As the snowball began to glow, the surroundings became slightly brighter.
The white snowflakes swirling inside the glass and the sparkling blue dragon piece emitted a soft light.
Just as Rune was about to retrieve the snowball, a head with water-like hair peeked out from behind the rock.
But it didn't come closer, only watching Rune and the snowball with an anxious gaze.
'She didn't dislike the gift, it seems.'
To confirm the mermaid's interest, Rune gently pulled the snowball closer to himself.
The surprised face of the mermaid was revealed.
A white face with gill-like ears.
Her water-like hair, dyed black from the middle, swayed slowly in the current.
Rune carefully observed the mermaid's reaction and then subtly returned the snowball to its original position.
The mermaid seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and slipped back behind the rock, only her eyes peeking out as she watched Rune.
At that moment, Baek-ya tilted his head and made a sound.
"You can't go in. If you fall into the deep sea, you'll be swept away by the current and won't be able to return."
Unlike Rune, who had dragon skin, Baek-ya was just a soft, plump bird covered in fluffy feathers.
Whether he heard Rune or not, Baek-ya flapped his short wings and kept trying to get through the door.
[......T, that... is a bird?]
A voice as clear as crystal.
Though thin, it was pure and resonant, giving a refreshing feeling.
Rune noticed the mermaid's interest in Baek-ya and, using both hands, lifted the bird from under his wings.
The mermaid, who had quietly revealed herself from behind the rock, nodded.
"Right. His name is Baek-ya."
Hearing her say his name, Baek-ya tilted his head in the opposite direction.