‘Fortunately, they seem to match well.’
Rune, who felt relieved seeing the two, continued speaking.
[But this guy is quite strong. It might be a bit difficult to handle him.]
He grinned mischievously.
[It’s better to experience it once rather than explain it multiple times. Both of you, get ready.]
A heavy atmosphere, completely different from when they were shaking hands, enveloped Dullahan's body.
Amelia also tightened her grip on her spear, ‘Mel,’ and steeled her resolve.
‘I, I can do it. I’ve been working hard!’
As Rune said, Dullahan was extremely loyal.
However, once he assumed a battle stance, a sharp aura that seemed to pierce the skin surged around him.
Even just the battle cry made Amelia feel cold sweat.
The ability to sense the strength of her opponent was proof of Amelia's outstanding combat talent.
Even though she was unarmed, Dullahan's posture was flawless, leaving no openings.
The moment Amelia raised her spear and tensed her body.
Dullahan, enveloped in darkness, rolled his foot.
It felt like an earthquake in the deep sea, a rumble beneath her feet.
Amelia, sensing the opponent's strength, tensed and hunched her shoulders.
A green soul inside the armor provoked Amelia.
Just a step forward, and the pressure of the current would have to be resisted, overwhelming Dullahan.
Dullahan's preemptive strike was both a handicap and a compliment to her judgment.
Amelia, anticipating Dullahan's swift movement, reacted instinctively.
Dullahan, slicing through the current, extended his fist in a straight punch.
Amelia, who had her eyes wide open and followed the trajectory of the fist, tried to block it with her spear, but the force was too strong and she was pushed back.
However, she deftly slipped him and quickly turned to maintain her defensive stance.
But Dullahan, who had anticipated her move, retracted his fist and rotated his body.
Amelia, struck by Dullahan's armor, was pushed back.
Rune, watching her, fell into thought.
‘It’s over. The skill gap is too wide.’
In one move, Rune gauged their skills.
Amelia, who had watched the attack until the end, waited for the honest punch and thrust her long spear.
But she was overpowered, and although she reacted quickly afterward, she was already within Dullahan's range of response.
‘He anticipated my counter and used it against me.’
The fist disappeared from Amelia's view as she tried to dodge and counter.
Instead, an unexpected large and solid body charged at her.
But Amelia immediately pulled back, minimizing the impact.
If she had this much talent, her skills would improve day by day.
‘She’ll get used to the advantageous distance and fighting style as she uses the spear.’
Dullahan was already giving her considerable leeway.
However, maintaining his body in the heavy pressure of the deep sea was a good condition for basic training for him.
As evidence, Dullahan clenched his hands a couple of times and began to emit a black aura.
‘…Will she be okay? I did tell him to face her at a beginner level.’
Dullahan, emitting a dark aura.
Just standing there without being overwhelmed by his presence was, in fact, all Amelia could do.
After the battle, Rune handed Amelia a glass of orange juice mixed with a recovery potion.
After a few stretches and basic training, they walked through the mana passage to return.
Dullahan followed Rune with a light step.
“Do you like it that much?”
The bracelet on Rune's wrist glinted as he walked in human form.
Although they couldn’t communicate verbally, a sense of satisfaction was felt from his confident steps.
‘After all, it’s been a while since he moved with a proper physical form.’
The green soul’s blinking looked incredibly refreshing.
Rune, who had also practiced and enjoyed martial arts in his Imugi days, couldn’t help but understand the feeling.
Rune tapped his thigh with his fingers and smacked his lips in regret.
Having been under a year-long house arrest.
At least during that period, he had to settle for simple physical training within the lair.
‘If I could have a proper sparring session with this guy… But we can’t do it in the lair where Christina might see, and it would look suspicious to Amelia too.’
Even if Amelia had lived in the deep sea without meeting anyone for ten years, a ten-year-old hatchling fighting more skillfully than the centuries-old Amelia would seem strange.
On the other hand, it didn’t sit well with Rune to learn from Dullahan, who was his servant.
‘Wait a moment. Is it really impossible?’
Christina, who had been giving him various conveniences, would likely do so if he got stronger.
‘Come to think of it, the inheritance wasn’t entirely safe either. I did it because I thought it was necessary for me to become a strong dragon.’
Rune’s eyes sparkled with a new idea.
‘I’ll be honest. I want to get stronger.’
The sweet jam of berries and the savory, salty butter on the bread.
The combination of flavors, sometimes with added cheese, was excellent.
With a sip of warm milk, he could taste the perfect harmony of flavors and feel a sense of fullness.
‘I’ll start the conversation now.’
Rune watched Christina, who was writing something while eating.
Christina, who was spreading cream cheese on the bread, looked up at Rune.
“Rune, does it not taste good?”
“No. The fruit jam and butter together are delicious. I like everything.”
Indeed, Heumi was happily eating the smoked chicken wings, the salad mixed with spicy sauce and tomato slices, and the fresh, buttery croissant in front of him.
Rune puffed his cheeks and swallowed the bread and milk.
“Christina, can I ask you for a favor?”
“Teach me some combat techniques.”
Christina seemed to be thinking about it.
Dragons often practiced light combat or physical techniques as a form of exercise, so it wasn’t an unreasonable request.
Most importantly, Christina noticed that Rune had a more aggressive temperament than expected.
‘Come to think of it, he’s been like that since he was born.’
Rune, from the moment he was born, moved his body vigorously and never stayed still.
‘He used unexpected teleportation magic to go outside the lair, or ate powerful herbs and suffered from their effects…’
Thanks to this, Christina had been surprised several times.
‘Because of this, he even healed Ferdykion’s heart.’
Ferdykion, who had lived by strictly following his father’s will and achieving the set goals.
Rune, on the other hand, had a completely opposite nature.
During the ten years Christina had been protecting him, this child had done things that were hard to predict.
Sometimes he was a troublemaker, and other times he struck at the core with pure intentions.
He was a unique child who decided what to do and worked hard to achieve the best possible outcome.
‘Certainly, learning these combat techniques must be for the result you want.’
She wanted to respond to his sincerity.
Christina looked at Rune for a moment, then smiled softly and nodded.
“Sure, I’ll help you with your training.”
Rune celebrated inwardly.
The stubborn woman who never changed her mind had changed it for him.
It felt so good to be free from the stifling life.
“Let’s start the training from tomorrow. I’ll set the schedule based on your condition, so take good care of your body.”
“Of course! Thank you, Christina!”
Christina smiled faintly, seeing how happy he was.
That evening, Ferdykion, hearing the news of Rune’s house arrest, came to Christina’s lair for dinner after a long time.
He frowned when he heard that Rune was going to receive combat lessons from Christina.
“…Combat techniques from Lady Christina?”
Ferdykion’s expression was far from good.
“L-Lady Christina may seem gentle, but… she’s more ferocious, cough! Strict than you think.”
Ferdykion’s words made Rune recall Christina’s appearance during the Dullahan incident.
“Well… she can be scary if she wants to.”
Confirming that Heumi was chatting with Christina, Ferdykion lowered his voice.
“In fact, I also received sword training from Lady Christina.”
Rune’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Ferdykion’s sword skills in the abandoned mine dungeon, where he couldn’t use his dragon strength due to a weakening curse potion, were quite impressive.
This meant that the trust in Christina’s teaching was justified.
However, Ferdykion’s reaction was a bit strange.
Seeing his face turn as if he was about to vomit, Rune was also seized by a cold premonition.
“Kids! We have strawberry cake and lemon chiffon for dessert. Which one do you want?”
“Heumi wants strawberry cake!”
Heumi raised her hand first in response to Christina’s question.
Bakuya had a separate snack prepared for her.
Seeing Christina distribute snacks to Heumi, Ferdykion whispered.
“Rune, don’t try to win. Just focus on surviving.”
Ferdykion, after saying this, shook his head and quietly chose the lemon chiffon.
Rune, biting into the strawberry cake, fell into thought.
‘She’s more strict than I thought…’
Christina always prioritized Rune’s safety.
So, she would likely be careful to ensure he didn’t get hurt during training.
There seemed to be no need to worry about Ferdykion’s ominous reaction.
The sweetness of the vanilla aroma filling his mouth.
The strawberry, full of fruit, bursting with flavor.
“It’s so sweet! So fluffy!”
Rune agreed with Heumi, who clutched her cheeks with both hands after each bite, looking happy.
Christina was stroking Heumi’s head, worried, “Eat slowly. You might get a stomachache.”
Even if the difficulty increased, it wouldn’t be more arduous than the training he did in his Imugi days.
‘Even if Ferdykion was a hatchling, he was still a child. Sword training must have been very difficult for him. Amelia also found tail training challenging.’
That’s why Ferdykion might have found Christina, his first teacher, more intimidating.
…This thought was a huge miscalculation.
The next morning after a good night’s sleep.
It was the time Christina designated for training.
She usually encouraged him to sleep in, so this suggestion was unexpected.
Rune, yawning, got up and walked slowly, looking at the sky where the sun had not yet fully risen.
‘Training in the morning… I don’t mind it, though.’
The meal before the sun fully rose would definitely be delicious.
The first day of training always starts with the highest enthusiasm.
Rune didn’t hide his satisfied smile.
It was the start of a fulfilling day.
‘The outside air is so good.’
If it weren’t for the training, he wouldn’t have come out to the lair’s courtyard.
Rune inhaled the fresh air and changed his mood.