In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.
A strange silence lingered between them.
Rune was lost in thought for a moment.
'I did take precautions, but from Ferdikion's perspective, it must have seemed reckless.'
Reclaiming the power of the dark clan.
Though physically young, he was mentally mature enough to predict that the chances of failure were minimal.
However, one can never be entirely certain that a plan will succeed perfectly.
'I thought it would turn out well, so I didn't feel the need to inform him... But that was complacent of me.'
Despite Ferdikion's fierce anger, Rune quickly noticed the underlying concern and worry.
He was angry because he didn't know anything and a major event could have happened without his knowledge.
'The one I thought was close enough to entrust with the seal of fire acted without even a word. In a way, I did something to be sorry for.'
He showed a somewhat embarrassed face.
"I understand. I'm sorry for worrying you, brother."
"Do you really think so?"
"Of course. Besides, I know you were worried about me."
Rune smiled faintly and said to Ferdikion.
"Thank you, brother. And I'm truly sorry."
He hadn't expected his much younger brother to admit this so readily.
Rune remained silent for a moment in front of the bewildered Ferdikion.
'Ferdikion cares about those who enter his domain. He's just immature in managing his emotions, but he'll improve as he grows. In a way, his anger is a good sign. He wouldn't be so shaken by a worthless opponent.'
Rune decided to wait until Ferdikion calmed himself down.
While some might get angry to assert their dominance, Ferdikion wasn't one of them.
He only got angry because he cared.
This was proof that he maintained a friendly relationship with the successor of the fire clan, so Rune felt at ease.
'His anger shows that he trusts me deeply. If so...'
Ferdikion, who was at a loss for words and flustered, caught Rune's attention.
'Instead of confronting his anger, I'll use it to my advantage.'
Rune continued his explanation calmly.
"Even though you got angry, I know it's because you care so much."
Rune, looking at Ferdikion, slowly continued.
"Actually, I also thought Christina should know. So, would you like to hear my story?"
Rune explained how he had asked Christina to procure ingredients from the deep sea when he was seeing her off.
Ferdikion, suppressing his anger, listened quietly and summarized the key points.
"…You guided Lady Christina to visit the domain ruled by the water clan."
"Yeah. And if anything happened, I thought she could escape using the <Mana Key>."
In fact, the reason Rune had designed it for Christina to go to the water clan was for the long-suffering Amelia family.
But framing it this way would help justify the safety measures he had taken.
'Well, in the worst case, I did intend to secure a safe escape route.'
However, Ferdikion crossed his arms and looked displeased.
"But what if the key didn't work? She could have been easily overwhelmed by adult dragons."
"Of course, I verified it multiple times beforehand."
Ferdikion still looked displeased.
Seeing this, Rune preemptively said,
"If I thought it was dangerous, I wouldn't have acted so recklessly. Even during the <Abandoned Mine Dungeon>, I never acted recklessly, right?"
Rune had taken down the hidden boss alone, but Ferdikion didn't know that.
However, the purpose at the time was to help Blackmee fully utilize her hunting instincts.
In other words, Rune could have just watched from a distance as Blackmee gained combat experience.
'Come to think of it, there was nothing truly reckless. The enemies were too weak to show my strength.'
Ferdikion, unaware of Rune's true intentions, reluctantly accepted this.
"At least you considered safety. But confronting two adult blue dragons was reckless. Don't do that again."
Even with Blackmee and the others, they were far too weak compared to the adults, so Ferdikion kept nagging.
"Since we now have a means of communication, let me know where you're going in the future."
If Ferdikion accompanied him, it would be easier to explain to Christina.
Moreover, seeing how much he cared made Rune feel guilty.
He had a place he wanted to visit soon, so he thought it was for the best.
'I was thinking of going to the <Cursed Dungeon> soon anyway.'
The <Cursed Dungeon> that still existed in the water domain.
Rune was pondering how to bring up the idea of visiting the blue dragon lair when Ferdikion subtly asked,
"What do you plan to do when Lady Christina arrives? She won't let it go easily."
"I've prepared, but... I guess I'll have to brace myself."
'Even if I explain it well as Amelia asked, it won't be easy to get past her.'
After the explanation, he would still have to deal with the aftermath.
There was still some time left.
Ferdikion, observing the troubled Rune, finally spoke with a resigned tone.
"I'll stay with you until Lady Christina arrives."
"It might take a few days to sort things out."
"Then I'll stay even longer."
His firm answer conveyed that he wouldn't allow any further objections.
"Don't worry too much. You're still young. She probably won't scold you too harshly."
Though he outwardly agreed, Rune inwardly anticipated a harsh outcome.
However, he could feel Ferdikion's genuine intention to reassure him.
Rune suddenly realized how much the young boy had changed since they first met.
'He used to have no adults to rely on and no one to confide in.'
Though still clumsy, Ferdikion was genuinely trying to show his concern.
Rune pointed to a nearby chair.
"Brother, sit down for a moment."
Ferdikion, surprised by the sudden request, obediently sat down.
Rune then placed his hand on Ferdikion's head and gently ruffled his hair, as if petting a young puppy.
"Just because I wanted to."
Ferdikion looked slightly surprised but soon cleared his expression with a cough.
"Ahem! As I've said before, this isn't something a young one like you should do to an older brother like me."
'He's surprisingly well-behaved. If he really disliked it, he would have pushed my hand away.'
Rune removed his hand without further comment.
Ferdikion, whose hair had been tousled, awkwardly asked,
"Did you learn this from Lady Christina?"
"Yeah. She often does it."
Rune recalled how Christina, when he was in the cradle, would affectionately pet him as a young hatchling.
Suddenly, he realized something.
'Now that I think about it...'
Rune reflected on his past and came up with a hypothesis.
'Maybe this will go better than I thought.'
While Rune pondered this idea, Ferdikion bit his lip, looking troubled.
"Rune, were you afraid of me?"
After a moment's thought, Rune understood why Ferdikion asked this.
Ferdikion had once ruled the dwarves with tyranny, causing deep conflicts with the lair residents.
He was undoubtedly concerned that his outburst might have instilled fear and disgust in Rune.
'How uncharacteristic of him.'
Rune quickly dismissed this thought.
'Ferdikion cares for his close ones, but he's not the type to worry about not being trusted by mere dwarves.'
Reflecting on this, Rune opened his mouth to speak.
"Getting angry isn't something that would make me feel good, but it wasn't particularly unpleasant either."
"Yeah. You were genuinely worried because it seemed dangerous to you. It was understandable to get angry in that moment."
Unfortunately, life isn't always filled with positive emotions.
Sometimes, one has to face uncomfortable and unpleasant feelings.
"If you used anger to manipulate or intimidate others to achieve your goals, I would have thought it was bad. But I don't think the emotion of anger itself is bad, especially when it's genuine."
After a long silence, Ferdikion finally nodded.
His face looked somewhat relieved.
Rune recalled the day they first met.
Changing one's way of life, which they had believed was right, is never easy.
However, the future leader of the fire clan was willing to open up and listen to Rune's story.
'He's even considering how his anger might be perceived. It's a good sign. Despite being a young successor, he's still growing.'
Rune's judgment was that Ferdikion's anger over the incident in the water domain was justified.
A young hatchling, who couldn't even enter a school, was wandering around a place where he could easily die without any fear.
"Come to think of it, you've never gotten angry."
Rune's eyes widened in surprise, and Ferdikion continued with a serious expression.
"Yeah. It's unusual for someone your age. The dwarves often gave me negative looks. Although they bowed in front of me, their fear and contempt couldn't be hidden. But with you..."
Ferdikion pointed to his eyes.
"I've never felt any negative emotions from you."
The reason was that Rune wasn't an ordinary hatchling.
"Even a simple tantrum or outburst of anger, you've never had one. You were always too smart and kind."
'Is that how it's interpreted?'
It was a heartfelt statement.
Rune, at a loss for words, felt it was difficult to respond.
The reason Rune never got angry was that, as a thousand-year-old imugi, he was a fully grown adult to a child.
'And I can't tell him the truth.'
Ferdikion, who had been staring intently at Rune, frowned.
"Rune, you're too kind for your own good."
Ignoring the reflexive question, the young fire dragon shook his head.
"Yeah. That's what worries me. Someone might try to take advantage of your kind nature."
'Is he treating me like a naive kid?'