Amelia's eyes blinked a few times as she silently gasped in admiration.
[Ne, ne... to me, such a thing... thank you.]
It was preparatory work to reclaim the power of the dark clan, but he couldn't tell her the truth.
Taking advantage of the moment, Rune showed her all the winning pieces.
“Is there anything else you like here?”
Amelia hesitated for a moment, then approached, wagging her tail, to take a look at the items.
The water-colored girl cautiously raised her white fingers.
Rune wore an expression of surprise.
What Amelia's fingertip pointed to was none other than the traditional dwarf's ambitious work, <The Spear That Pierces Anything>.
Amelia shook her head slightly.
Even to Rune, this girl seemed to have never even held a kitchen knife.
‘Still, choosing a spear. Dragons are dragons, after all.’
In any case, it was a good thing.
After all, moving the body can help when you have a lot on your mind.
“Do you want me to teach you how to use a spear?”
Amelia's cheeks flushed, and her eyes began to sparkle.
However, her shoulders soon drooped, and she shook her head.
The mermaid averted her gaze and spoke listlessly.
[If... if I do, you, you will... be consumed by the darkness I possess.]
Unlike Rune, who could naturally make any power his own, Amelia was a blue dragon hatchling with pure water magic.
For a hatchling who couldn't properly integrate dark magic, it was undoubtedly toxic.
‘She's only ever harbored darkness since she was young, but hasn't properly handled it. She hasn't fully absorbed the dark power as her own.’
This was good news for Rune.
If he took the dark power, it would be a good thing for Amelia.
Rune smiled and said confidently.
“You don't have to worry about that. It won't happen to me.”
“By the way, you haven't seen my true form, have you?”
Showing once is better than a hundred explanations.
Rune removed the golden bracelet, a polymorph artifact, from his wrist.
‘Look! This is the real me.’
A black hatchling with red eyes.
Rune spun around to let Amelia see his body properly.
Then he sent a telepathic message to the wide-eyed mermaid.
[As you can see, I am a black dragon hatchling. Darkness is almost a part of me.]
Amelia was very surprised to see Rune's true form as a black dragon.
She realized that his words about not being affected had a deeper meaning!
Amelia visibly brightened but then asked with concern.
[Rea... really? You... you... are so small... but, are you okay?]
[Of course. I may still be a bit young, but that doesn't mean I'm not a member of the dark clan.]
While talking, Rune's tail wagged happily.
Seeing this, Amelia instinctively covered her mouth with one hand.
Meanwhile, Rune thought she was covering her mouth out of fear.
‘Hmm, if she runs away out of fear, that won't do. What should I do?’
Rune took the most well-behaved posture he could to prevent Amelia from being scared.
It was the posture of lying on his belly with all four legs together.
He also made Byakuya perch on his head.
‘This should be enough. This shouldn't be scary.’
Rune, satisfied, wobbled and crossed the water boundary.
‘The pressure is considerable.’
He had prepared somewhat, but the water pressure was so strong that his body felt heavy.
It was as if the gravity pressing on his entire body had filled his hands and feet with training sandbags.
‘If I train in such deep waters, the growth will be tremendous.’
It was a suggestion he had thrown out casually, but the environment turned out to be very suitable for training.
Rune, satisfied, looked back.
Byakuya, surrounded by a spherical barrier of magic, floated like a balloon.
The little bird seemed to adapt quickly to the currents and moved around in the water.
Perhaps because it was a bird, it appeared to have a good sense of balance.
Rune, reassured, turned his gaze from the busy Byakuya to Amelia.
A spear with the power to completely ignore the opponent's defenses.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't a bit reluctant to part with it, but if necessary, Rune could aim for the next artisan competition's prize.
‘Since she has managed to keep the dark power despite the damage to her body, I should at least give her this as a token of gratitude.’
Rune handed <The Spear That Pierces Anything> to Amelia with one of his front paws.
The water-colored girl held the spear dearly and looked genuinely happy.
Rune recalled the humans he had trained when he was a wyrm on the island.
‘Back then, there were a few who gave me this feeling.’
Thoughts of his innocent and talented disciples briefly crossed his mind.
[Now, hold this and imagine drawing a horizontal line in the empty air.]
[Can you try moving like this?]
It was a simple aptitude test.
Amelia, who had been watching Rune's short front paws demonstrate, nodded in understanding.
The mermaid, after a moment, turned her back to Rune and gripped the spear shaft.
She slowly regulated her breathing and thrust the spear horizontally, as if slicing through the sea.
No, it really did slice through.
The water was cleanly divided for a moment, a perfect line.
‘Is this the movement of someone who has just picked up a spear for the first time?’
The firm grip, the natural straight line.
Seeing Amelia, who so naturally showed the realm of a genius, Rune was inwardly amazed.
‘This... she really has talent.’
No matter how timid she appeared, she was still a dragon.
The 'talent' that many couldn't acquire even after a hundred years of training was there.
Meanwhile, the girl, still holding the spear, turned around cautiously to gauge his reaction.
It was a straightforward answer.
Huh? Amelia asked, and Rune folded his front paws.
[Good. You have talent. Your spear skills will improve quickly. And since this is now your weapon, you can name it.]
Nodding, Rune turned his gaze to Amelia, who looked at the spear.
She smiled softly and whispered.
[Then... ‘Mel’. I'll call it Mel.]
It was obvious that she had taken the name from her own. Rune thought it would be easy for her to develop an attachment to it.
Rune sighed and plopped down on the floor.
Amelia stared at the black hatchling, who was deep in thought, resting his chin on his front paw.
After much deliberation, Rune made a decision.
‘This... I have to let this hatchling handle the power herself and gradually release it.’
It would take time, but this was the only way.
Rune waved his front paw, gesturing for Amelia to sit down.
The mermaid-like girl folded her tail to the side and sat down, looking at Rune obediently.
Rune, on all fours, straightened his back and took a proper posture.
[I'll teach you a posture and breathing technique to help you circulate your energy. You don't have to take the exact same posture as me; just choose the most comfortable one for yourself.]
At this, Amelia hesitated, then placed the spear on her thigh and straightened her back.
[Good. Now, watch carefully.]
A calm and deep breath flowed in, then circled his entire body and slowly flowed out through his mouth.
[With each inhalation, I'll infuse the energy of water into you for absorption. When you exhale, imagine sending the darkness that troubles you back to me.]
True to her nature as a dragon who could use magic as naturally as breathing, Amelia gently closed her eyes, felt the water magic, and calmly inhaled.