As the surroundings grew quiet, Rune lay on the bed and took out the Mokoji stone from his pocket.
While skimming through the messages that had accumulated, he paused his fingers upon confirming the message he had been waiting for.
'As expected, there was a message from Amelia.'
When he touched the part marked with Amelia, the characters floated in the air.
<Rune, Christina-sama has passed away. I told her the story well, I hope it was okay.>
<It was fine. Thank you.>
He had lain down to rest a bit until a reply came, but the reply came back sooner than expected.
<Really? I'm relieved. I was worried about making a mistake.>
'Well, with this kid's personality, she was probably anxious and waiting for a reply.'
Rune raised his finger over the Mokoji stone.
<There's no need to worry. More importantly, I think I'll be going back there soon.>
Rune mentioned the story about the <Cursed Dungeon> and informed her that he would be going with Ferdikion.
He thought Amelia should prepare mentally so she wouldn't run away when they met.
<Ah... So that's the Fire Clan's prospective elder.>
<Yeah. We're going to clear the <Cursed Dungeon> together. I'm telling you in advance so you won't be surprised.>
<Okay, I'll keep that in mind.>
‘The reply is taking a while. Maybe she’s nervous and her hands are shaking.’
Considering that Amelia, who had never even written a letter, might be doing just that, he waited.
However, the next message was unexpected.
<Rune... are you close to him?>
Rune couldn't guess why Amelia was asking this.
Judging from her cautious tone, it seemed like a question he shouldn't brush off as a joke, so he thought carefully before slowly writing his reply.
<We're sworn brothers, and he treats me well. I guess you could say we're close.>
After a long silence, a message with a completely different feeling came back.
‘Ah, so that’s what it was about.’
Rune finally understood Amelia's psychology.
‘If only the boys are close, she might feel left out. She’s only comfortable talking to me or Blackmi, and considering how long she’s been alone, she must have felt burdened.’
Rune thought he should answer as neutrally as possible and chose his words carefully.
The quick reply made it seem like she was very pleased.
Rune thought she didn't like the feeling of being alone again.
‘Fortunately, the group going this time is diverse, so there shouldn't be any problems.’
In a bustling atmosphere, Amelia wouldn't have time to feel lonely.
Moreover, since the goal was to clear the dungeon, the burden of maintaining close relationships wasn't necessary.
<I'll prepare hard. I'll try my best not to make Rune embarrassed!>
Rune had no idea what kind of effort she was talking about, but he assumed it was preparation for the dungeon and replied appropriately before moving on to the next topic.
<How is it? The Mokoji stone. Is there any difficulty using it?>
<Yeah. I like it because it feels like I can convey things better than just talking.>
It seemed that communicating through text was comfortable for her.
Rune recalled how much courage it took for Amelia to show her face when they first met.
‘Let’s finish this. Once this is done, it’ll be over.’
Rune's finger touched the Mokoji stone, and a stack of messages from Jedd, who had left the most missed calls but hadn't been checked yet, appeared.
Even without a reply, Jedd had been leaving various messages without a single day off. Rune, with a hazy gaze, shook his head.
‘Let’s finish this. Once this is done, it’ll be over.’
<Jedd. What are you doing?>
As if he had been waiting, a quick reply came back.
<Rune-sama! Oh, how long has it been? It's really too much! I've been waiting for your reply, suffering so much! I'm sure you felt sorrow reading the messages filled with my research and struggles! They were written with tears! I desperately hoped you would understand my efforts, but how could you not even take a look? I was so worried you might dismiss me! But now that you're paying attention, I'm so relieved. I'm really tearing up, Rune-sama!>
‘This guy... The maximum number of magic characters you can send at once has increased.’
A sudden wave of fatigue washed over him.
It was painful to see him waste his talent on such strange elements, but he needed to stop Jedd's fingers from typing so much.
<Should I not give it to you?>
<Have you been well, Rune-sama?>
Jedd suddenly became very polite, even though he hadn't specified what he was going to give.
He was definitely the type who needed a nudge to start a conversation.
On the now quiet Mokoji stone, Rune slowly began to write.
<Do you remember what I said before?>
Jedd, who had immediately recalled the words he had left about improving his skills when he wanted deep-sea field and dungeon materials, pretended to know.
<Of course! As you can see, I've made the length of the missed messages on the Mokoji stone much longer! The stories of my daily achievements weren't just for show!>
‘So it was an experiment of sorts.’
The endless, trivial messages he had been writing every day were Jedd's research data.
Moreover, since he had indeed made progress as Rune had ordered, he couldn't tell him to stop.
Objectively, it was a significant advantage.
<There are quite a few people in the human world who don't know how to write or can't write. So I'm planning to make it possible to send simple pictures or lines soon. Plus, I've been researching through the Musket Guild to obtain water attribute magic stones to handle deep-sea materials.>
<That's great. You've been doing well.>
‘I heard you were planning to open a shop. If you can get magic stones, it seems you’ve made a decent guild.’
Moreover, handling magic stones meant Jedd's personal skills had improved dramatically.
The more he heard, the better the results seemed.
Without missing a beat, <I've worked myself to the bone, Rune-sama!> seemed half sincere, so Rune decided to give him a passing grade.
<Good job. I'll send you the byproducts from the deep-sea field monsters as promised. Use them for equipment making and research. Blackmi will send them, and you can use the money to buy black market items.>
<Heeek! How much are you going to give me??>
<You might end up crying and collapsing when you see it.>
<Really? I've seen a lot of amazing things since coming to the human world, so I hope you don't think I'm as easily impressed as before!>
Jedd was quiet for a while, then a short, hastily written reply appeared.
‘This guy, he must have written enthusiastically and then carefully erased it before sending.’
Rune already knew Jedd's personality.
The guy who had just sent a long message about being disappointed was now probably greedily imagining the dungeon byproducts he would receive.
‘I hope he’s not shaking the Phalium and putting on a fire show out of excitement.’
Anyway, the materials he was sending weren't free.
Rune brought up the matter.
<There's something I want you to make. It's quite important, so you need to do a good job. I'll consider whether to give you more materials based on the quality of the item.>
<Of course, Rune-sama! Just tell me what it is. What is it?>
<I'll have Blackmi relay it. Try making it first.>
If he told Jedd now, the guy would probably insist on making it himself and come to the dungeon, so he planned to have Blackmi relay the message.
‘He won’t be able to refuse anyway. Once he sees the items I’m sending, he’ll try to make it even if it means performing a miracle.’
Solving the intricacies of the commissioned item wasn't his job.
Rune decided to use Jedd's greed and ambition, just like he had in the past.
‘Once that item is made, the preparations for the <Cursed Dungeon> will be almost complete.’
Rune hid his intentions and wrapped up the conversation appropriately.
The next day, Rune, who had just returned from his early morning training with a barely recovered body, collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
Though tired, he felt a sense of accomplishment every day.
‘My response ability has improved a lot. Now, just a couple of hours of rest is enough.’
It was a significant improvement compared to when he used to be bedridden all day.
When he moved to the dining room for lunch, Christina, who was moving the food plates with magic, greeted him.
"Oh, Rune. You're awake already?"
Rune replied with tired eyes and sat down. By his side, Bakyah, whose hair was now curly from some training, and Blackmi, who was holding Bakyah, were visible.
Blackmi had a face full of complaints, and Bakyah, struggling with sleep, had her eyes half-closed and blinking.
Ferdikion, who was also there, seemed exhausted, sitting with his chin in his hand and a blank look.
Teaching wasn't easy, and he looked just as tired.
Seeing them, Christina smiled sympathetically and urged them to eat.
"You all must have worked hard. Let's eat quickly."
It was clear she had put effort into the meal for those who had been striving to improve their skills.
Grilled almonds sprinkled on a fish steak with a lime scent.
The moist, white fish meat, which tore like fresh mozzarella cheese, was exquisite.
On the table, the deep-sea crab, which Rune had asked Christina to procure from the depths of the sea before she left, was cooked to a perfect red and looked delicious.