"Th-This much... I didnāt know."
"Well, well. Since itās food imbued with mana, it will be helpful whether you eat it or the Blue Dragon couple does. I hope you recover soon."
Amelia's eyes were still swollen and red.
But her expression looked relieved.
Suddenly, Rune recalled the moment when the fairy inside the black pearl had incited him to take over the deep sea lair and dye it with darkness.
'If I had fallen for those words and taken over the water lair, I would have lost the trust of the water clan and everyone who knows me. I definitely wouldnāt have obtained the Water Jewel either.'
In the worst-case scenario, the water clan's territory might have disappeared.
The water lair had already turned into a <Cursed Dungeon> due to the inability to withstand the power of the darkness clan.
The water power would surely have vanished, leaving only a cursed spot consumed by darkness.
'Besides, that fairy thought I only handled the power of the darkness clan.'
For Rune, who could handle all attributes, this was a proposal with far more disadvantages than benefits.
Losing both the Water Jewel and trust.
Even if I had obtained the Water Seal, I wouldnāt have been able to use the water power properly.
Most importantly, Rune didnāt like it.
'It would be a terrible thing to do to Amelia. Thatās for sure.'
He had his pride as a guardian, and such exploitation was something he detested.
Instead, Rune helped Amelia, who was to become the elder of the water clan, and bestowed her a favor.
The innocent mermaid, who didnāt know betrayal, also played a part in his decision.
'Sheās a trustworthy one, after all.'
In the harsh environment of the deep sea, where he had been abandoned, she had grown up with a rather good disposition despite the darkness that had seeped into her body.
Amelia had more potential than he had thought.
'Itās enough that Iāve done a favor for the water clan and have the next water clan elder on my side.'
Moreover, Rune was already settled in Christinaās lair, the elder of the Gold Dragon.
He was under the protection and favor of the most powerful ancient dragon, which no one could invade. There was no need to create a lair in the deep sea, which he had no intention of managing.
If he really needed the water power, he could always ask for Ameliaās help.
'This is beneficial for me and a way to revive the water clan. There was no need to listen to that fairyās words.'
Amelia, unaware of Runeās inner thoughts, suddenly hugged a bunch of pearls and food in her arms and smiled kindly.
"Next time... see you again, Rune."
They exchanged a handshake as a farewell.
'Now, itās time to deal with that annoying fairy who tried to trick me.'
He was well-versed in handling such troublesome guests.
He already had a plan to deal with the situation without getting his hands dirty.
As they passed through the mana key-created passage, a white, round light swirled in the distance, welcoming the group.
Lai circled around them, drawing pictures with her light tail, as if she had been waiting for their return.
Perdikion, walking beside Rune, muttered.
"Seems like Lady Christina was quite worried."
[ āā ā(ć»Ļć»)ā ā¾ā¾ ]
There were only a few steps left, but Lai had heard their voices.
Thinking she had understood their inner thoughts, Lai drew another picture of light.
"Hee hee. Lai! Thanks for the welcome!"
Bakya and Heukmi reacted immediately, but Rune narrowed his eyes and stared intently.
'Is that picture a greeting?'
Rune wasnāt sure if Laiās drawing was a greeting.
Frankly, it was surprising that Heukmi had caught it so quickly.
It did seem similar to the dancing figure she had drawn.
As soon as the entire group emerged from the passage, Laiās expression changed, and she stared intently at the Dura-han.
Specifically, at the chest of the armor where the black pearl was hidden.
Lai had sensed the fairy and was feeling uneasy.
Rune, knowing this was the situation he had intended, pretended not to notice and spoke.
"Did you notice? After all, itās not right to keep such a creature in your lair without Christinaās permission. Weāll be here, so please bring Christina, Lai."
Lai, in her innocent voice, left a picture and disappeared.
Then, a sharp, fearful voice of the fairy echoed.
[Abandon? Abandon? Me? No way!]
"Who knows, since this isnāt my lair, I canāt say what will happen."
Rune shrugged and raised his hands.
Though he replied that he didnāt know, the outcome was already decided.
'Christina wouldnāt accept this creature so easily.'
This was how you dealt with a troublesome situation without getting your hands dirty.
The fairy, perhaps sensing her future, trembled in fear and couldnāt utter a word.
[No, donāt send me away! Donāt touch me!]
Dura-han looked at the black pearl for a moment before handing it to Christina.
As the light mana was felt, the black pearl buzzed and cried out in a frenzy.
[No! No! I donāt like this! Save me! Save me!]
"Really noisy... You might startle the children."
Rune felt a chill run down his spine at Christinaās words.
The chill was so intense that even he, with his sensitive senses, felt a bit tense.
At that moment, Dura-han seemed to try to stop her, gently grabbing the pearl in Christinaās hand.
No one spoke as their gazes met.
"Hmm, thereās no need to be so afraid. Any host would naturally set up safety measures, wouldnāt they?"
Despite her calm and kind words, there was a chilling undertone, as if she could stab with a dagger at any moment.
Christina naturally took the pearl and created a thin needle imbued with light mana in her other hand.
She then pierced the pearl with the needle, which had no warmth.
A light noise was heard, and then it was silent.
Only then did Christina smile and hand the pearl to Rune.
"Here, now itās safe to keep this pearl. Are you all hungry? Iāve been waiting to make something delicious for you when you return."
Christina, handing the black pearl back to Rune, looked as kind as ever.
Heukmi raised her hand first.
"Thanks, Christina. Iām a bit hungry too."
It was a good time to change the atmosphere, so Rune also agreed with Heukmi.
Christina turned and cast a movement spell.
"Alright, everyone, tidy up your things and come to the reception room."
Lai swirled around Christinaās hair and then disappeared with her movement spell.
Perdikion, who had been stiff, spoke first.
"...As expected, sheās a scary one."
Even Rune, who hadnāt seen her expression, felt a chill down his spine. The one who had witnessed it must have felt even worse.
'Fortunately, Christina is on our side.'
Rune held the pearl in his hand and shook it.
There was no sound, no sign of life.
Runeās original plan was for Christina, who possessed the opposite attribute of light, to purify the fairy with her light power.
But now, it was unclear whether the fairy was dead or alive.
Rune tried putting the black pearl into his subspace pocket as a demonstration.
Since normal living beings couldnāt be stored, it was clear that the fairy was either in a minimal state of life or truly dead, just like with Leviathan.
'This is better left unknown.'
He decided not to mention it further.
"Lord Rune, letās go eat."
Fortunately, there was nothing unusual on the surface, so Heukmi seemed to have taken the situation lightly.
And apart from the various reasons, Rune was also hungry after completing the arduous mission.
Perdikion also implicitly agreed with the decision.
Dura-han stayed in the black room with the jar containing the kraken, while the others moved to the reception room.
They were greeted by the aroma of spices and barbecue, homemade jelly and candies, butter cookies and lemon earl grey cookies, and a stack of plates filled with cupcakes.
Especially, the sweet scent from the three-tier chocolate fondue fountain in the center of the table was fantastically blended, evoking a festive atmosphere.
"Exciting! Lady Christina is the best!"
Meanwhile, Bakya looked at a cake that resembled her, alternating between her own body and the cake.
Heukmiās eyes sparkled at the cake with a sugar ear adorned with custard cream.
"Please, help yourselves."
"I wonāt refuse, Iāll eat well."
Rune had already selected some items to introduce the taste to Dura-han and placed them on a plate.
He then picked up a custard pan bread as big as his face and looked at the part where Heukmiās face was drawn.
Christina smiled happily.
'Is this in response to the scroll I gave her?'
What he had given her was a magic scroll, not a drawing, but he humbly acknowledged it.
The custard pan bread with Heukmiās face drawn on it, using magic like scroll ink.
Rune blinked once and took a bite of the end.
A few centimeters in front of his nose, a small, simple Heukmi appeared.
She held her skirt with both hands and bowed.
Then, holding a flower, she danced for a few seconds and disappeared.
Rune, nodding his head while chewing, received a nod from Christina.
Moreover, her skills were impressive.
To draw a picture on bread, which doesnāt absorb and preserve mana well, showed her exceptional skill.
'Itās hard to catch up, even if I want to.'
After all, she had lived at least 2,000 years longer than his original thousand-year life.
Rune picked up another custard pan bread filled with chocolate custard cream.
A small Dura-han image popped out, relaxed its shoulders, and then disappeared with a dignified pose.
'This is quite a level, making it enjoyable to look at. I shouldnāt slack off in my training if I want to reach this level.'
As he marveled inwardly, Christina looked at him with eyes filled with anticipation.
'Come to think of it, I forgot to respond.'
"Itās interesting and amazing."
Only then did she smile widely at his praise.
"Hehe, I put quite a bit of effort into it."
"Yeah, Iām honestly impressed."