An Unexpected Talent
A thin, long white hand slowly covered my eyes.
The despair of voicing hopelessness for his own kingdom weighed down on his entire body.
"We've tried similar methods. Our elf spiritists, those skilled with water spirits, attempted to purify the water."
Recalling that memory brought a sudden wave of fatigue, and when he removed his hand, his distant gaze darkened.
The words from the one who had shouldered the unbearable weight of the entire elf race vividly conveyed the horrors of the past.
"But with the demonic energy continuously leaking from the World Tree, even when spiritists poured out their lives, it lasted less than a week. Sometimes, the demonic energy would infect the spirits and spiritists during moments when their power weakened."
'They tried to fix it but ended up making it worse.'
His emaciated body, having done everything possible, looked infinitely frail—yet also tougher than anyone else's.
Moments when he must have wanted to give up countless times.
His kin, whom he couldn't abandon despite it all.
And then.
"After my son, the spiritist who handled water spirits the best, ended up like that, we could no longer use that method."
The ultimate reason they had to give up.
Belianus picked up the now-cold milk glass with a sad smile.
"It might sound like boasting, but my son Aquir was a promising spiritist prophesied to summon even the Water Spirit King. I can handle spirits too, but the clean water still in this house was largely thanks to that child."
His mention during dinner—that even obtaining water had become difficult—came back to mind.
Perdikion straightened his posture, his resolve softening a bit.
Meanwhile, Rune subtly rubbed his chin with his hand.
'If I solve the water issue, Aquir and Belianus will surely manage it well.'
Even accounting for the time until Aquir recovered, the effects of the Dark-stained Scent Box would linger.
The chances of them agreeing to a request were high.
First, Rune cleared his throat and sent a telepathic message.
"Brother, can I mention the seals?"
"Isn't that the only way to resolve this crisis? It's not just the elves' problem—with demons involved, we can't just stand by."
"Good."
Rune rummaged through his subspace pouch and pulled out the Orb of Water.
"First off, I'm not a spiritist. So my solution is completely different."
"This is…?"
"An artifact with the power to transform water. It's touched by the Water Spirit King himself, so it's high-grade. The only drawback is that only those with the Seal of Water can use it, but since it's influenced by my darkness attribute, its effect increases at night."
"The Seal of Water—does that mean you can summon the Blue Dragon water clan?"
"No. But I have the Seal of Water personally given to me by a prospective elder of the water clan."
"…!"
Belianus's gaze fixed on the Orb of Water with an indescribable light.
Then, realizing something, his eyes widened suddenly.
"Wait—did you say its effect increases at night?"
"That's right."
"Then when do you plan to use it?"
"Seems like only now, with time running out. Don't you have to head to the royal palace tomorrow?"
Belianus started to say something but abruptly stood from his seat.
Various hypotheses—impossible, it won't work—still lingered in his mind.
But the thought that even time to try was scarce forced those doubts to stay silent.
Gone was his earlier despondence as he flung open the door and barked orders at the soldier.
"Bring my staff and robes discreetly! Hurry!"
"Yes, sir!"
The elf soldier guarding the door startled and moved swiftly.
Rune and Perdikion also rose.
Truly unmatched in speed, the elf quickly returned with Belianus's traveling robes and wooden staff.
"Here you are."
"Guard this door—no one gets through."
"Understood!"
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the soldier whispered back with alert eyes.
'Good to have sharp subordinates.'
Coincidentally, the robes were a discreet dull dark brown, perfect for stealth.
Belianus changed quickly while Rune and Perdikion turned away briefly.
With a mask on, only his silver-gray eyes were visible.
"Alright. Let's go."
Belianus cast the elf spirit magic blessing, Wind Runner, the boon of wind fairies.
"Jumping rooftops is fine?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
"If Rune's fine, so am I."
Glancing once at his son, Belianus leaped out the window first.
Despite his age, nearing that of an old man, his movements outpaced most young rangers.
'An unexpected powerhouse.'
It hit home just how suppressed he'd been; Belianus's steps were so swift and agile that the two barely kept up.
Too fast—even Rune and Perdikion had to use short-range teleportation mid-jump to catch up.
Confirming they followed well, he accelerated further.
Just five minutes after exiting the window.
They arrived at the reservoir dam.
"Hoo, moving after so long… my body's not what it used to be."
"Hard to say—your skills are impressive. I figured you mainly handled administration."
"Without the war, maybe. But in my time, wartime merits were highly valued."
Unmatched mental fortitude, and physical prowess too.
His younger self could have sparred evenly with Christina.
'And a spiritist to boot… what a talent.'
Rune coveted him enough to want to recruit him as a vassal.
"This is the reservoir supplying most of the elves' drinking water."
"Good. Let's start."
"Be careful, Rune."
From the dam, the water below was thick with visible demonic energy.
Rune cast a levitation spell and descended over the reservoir.
'Purifying living things like Amelia would be tough, but pure water should be manageable.'
Rune dropped white pearls coated in Baekya's tears and black pearls infused with his power into the reservoir—plop, plop.
At a glance like black and white magic stones, the pebbles sparkled as they sank.
Then, gripping the Orb of Water, Rune activated it.
Splash—
The white pearls resonated with the orb, gleaming brightly.
Next, Rune's Seal of Water began purifying the water.
The rising malevolent demonic energy, rebelling, was devoured greedily by the darkness-tainted black pearls, which gleamed darkly.
Like prey facing a predator, the demonic energy was soon consumed and fled.
The water rippled and churned with the flow of power.
"Impossible… the water, the water is returning."
Belianus, watching from the dam, gaped in shock.
Whoosh—
The surging water spilled slightly over the dam's edge.
Moonlight illuminated the splashing droplets, and darkness danced with the lively waves, heightening the thrill.
Even Perdikion watching smirked.
"Heh, as expected of my little brother."
The tale of moving water and darkness flowed like music in the unknowing night.
Belianus stared blankly and murmured unwittingly.
"What a beautiful sight."
As night deepened, the revived water waved more vibrantly, trailing transparent veils.
'Tougher than I thought. Reminds me of old times.'
Days when all creation ignored him completely came to mind.
He'd thought himself proficient now, but this demon-tainted water was exceptionally stubborn.
'Feels like crashing someone else's party. Really draining.'
Rune recovered the pearls he'd thrown in and inspected the water thoroughly.
For safety, he dove alone—immune to the demonic influence.
'Rune, anything strange?'
'Nope. Got most of the pearls back, fixed the demonic field for now. I'll swap in fresh ones before leaving.'
Rune scattered pre-prepared crucian carp bait around the growling ones.
Ingredients: bread and snacks blessed by Christina, plus water he'd brought.
'Meant to practice Resurrection Authority with local elf ingredients.'
He'd eagerly packed sprite-usable blessed water too, but it all fed the moss in the water.
'Call it payment for taking the Seal of the Forest—cheap enough.'
Considering ecosystem cycles, ignoring primary producers like moss or plankton wasn't an option.
After diligently cleaning the depths, Rune scanned the reservoir once more and surfaced.
"Pha!"
"Good work. Probably the only dragon who'd go through this."
Perdikion offered a towel with a half-bemused look.
Up on the dam, Rune dried off hastily with a cleansing spell.
The sun was already rising.
"Didn't expect it to take this long. Place is huge."
A warm breeze blew.
Belianus, master of sylphs, gazed at Rune with kind eyes.
"Changes my view of dragons. What a strange feeling."
The now-clear water was so transparent the bottom showed plainly—Rune's movements and efforts visible with crystal clarity.
Watching him felt like looking at a nephew or young cousin, warming the heart.
'If only the Elf King saw him that way.'
Rune handed back the towel.
The reservoir showed no trace of demonic energy.
Demons mixed from the World Tree were devoured by the black pearls; white pearls maintained the purity.
"If someone who handles water spirits manages it, it'll hold for a while. It's a patch job, so get the Seal of the Forest before it wears off."
The pearls were excellent but not infinite.
"Understood. No one's achieved this much before—I won't let the chance slip."
Belianus responded with a brighter voice than last night.
With burdens lifting one by one and paths forward visible, a smile came naturally.
"If Belianus says so, it's enough. I'll propose to the Elf King: the Seal of the Forest in exchange for restoring the World Tree. For the elves' sake, help make this deal happen."
"Agreed. My deepest thanks to the darkness and fire clans for your efforts. On my name, I'll inform my king. Surely, he won't ignore this feat."
Belianus replied with confident assurance.