The Stone That Missed Its Mark
Unlike yesterday when he'd jumped straight into the water from the dam, today they were at a spot with bushes and dry land.
Heungmi and Dullahan watched Rune intently from behind.
"It's something like this."
A sinister, ominous energy faintly spread from his other hand, the one not holding the pearl.
It was a portion of the demonic energy Rune had absorbed yesterday.
Mixed into the darkness within Rune, it was weaker than pure demonic energy, but just looking at it stirred an inexplicable unease.
"Eww. This isn't pretty at all."
"Peep!"
Heungmi picked up a nearby twig and poked at it, but Rune grabbed her hand and pulled it back.
Crack!
"Ah?"
The tip of the twig she'd poked with withered and twisted.
Startled, Heungmi and Dullahan turned their gazes to Rune.
"It has the property of draining the life from living things. I treated my hand a bit yesterday, so stuff in the water won't have this much power."
"You handled all this by yourself?"
Heungmi looked at him with worried eyes.
"I'm fine. See?"
Rune held up the black pearl and awakened the dark power dwelling within it.
The trembling demonic energy was then sucked straight into the nearby black pearl.
"Like this—you use a pearl infused with darkness to swallow up the demonic energy."
"Ooooh!"
Jed, who had been watching alongside them, chimed in.
"If possible, just assist Dullahan. Your soul is too fragile to face raw demonic energy from demons directly."
Jed sounded disappointed, but with the aftereffects of amnesia hitting right after his soul was transferred into a weapon body, it was too risky.
If he touched demonic energy carelessly and got corrupted, that'd be the end.
"I don't want to lose you a second time. Sorry."
He said it cheerfully, but Rune could tell there was some regret there.
Maybe age had deepened his insight—Rune smirked, sensing the subtle consideration in Jed's words.
"Got it. In exchange, I'll teach you some useful methods."
"Got a complaint?"
Rune eyed the suddenly ultra-polite Jed and pulled out Baekya's feather adorned with pearls from his subspace pouch.
It was a decoration Rand had hand-woven, crafted with fine skill to match Paralium's appearance perfectly.
"Here. A phoenix feather infused with fire power and pearls. Use this to counter the demonic energy."
The black pearl granting darkness affinity as Rune's vassal.
The white pearl of the same affinity as the one housing Jed's soul.
And the phoenix feather brimming with strong life force and fire power.
All three were items a fire-affiliated dwarf soul like Jed could wield effectively.
"Specialized in protection and offense, so it'll be enough to safeguard your body. Once we get the World Tree branch and head back, I'll teach you other ways to handle the power."
After attaching the pearl-and-feather decoration to Paralium, Dullahan slung it over his shoulder.
Clank!
The majestic black knight awaited Rune's command in dignified form.
"Absorb the demonic energy weakly lingering in the reservoir. Practice fusing it into the darkness within you. If it feels unpleasant, use the white pearl immediately."
"Yes! Let's go, Dullahan!"
"Peep!"
Click!
With added magic allowing free movement and breathing underwater, Dullahan and Heungmi dove cleanly into the reservoir.
Splash!
Plop!
Dullahan plunged in with the sound of a massive boulder, Heungmi like a small pebble.
In the clear water, the two sought out and absorbed bits of demonic energy, just as Rune had demonstrated.
Perdikion praised them as he watched their smooth progress.
"Who would've thought you'd make former demons perform like this. Well thought out, Rune."
"Just got lucky. Now big bro just needs to make up his mind."
"...I said I would."
His response seemed reluctant, but Rune encouraged the resolute dragon.
"It's something only you can do, bro. I'm counting on you."
"Hah."
Perdikion rarely sighed as he turned his gaze to the clear sky.
That was when it happened.
"He's here."
A message came through the Mokoji Stone he'd lent to Rand.
"We need to hurry."
"Indeed."
Rune typed into the Mokoji Stone after Perdikion confirmed the contents.
Perdikion wore a complicated expression upon seeing Rand's reply.
Rune watched Dullahan and Heungmi moving about in the reservoir.
Fortunately, their results were quite good.
"Pha!"
Dullahan and Heungmi, having meticulously absorbed every trace of demonic energy in the reservoir, swam out of the water.
As soon as they emerged, before even casting a drying spell, Heungmi shook out her ears and tail fur vigorously and flashed a big grin.
"I caught all the demonic energy so none's left inside! Did Heungmi do good?"
"Yeah. You did great."
Rune replied as Heungmi and Dullahan dried off.
She looked just like a kid fresh from a swim.
Heungmi's eyes sparkled at the praise as she made tiny fists with both hands.
"There were these black little specks swimming around, this big. I went grab! with my hand, and poof! they vanished! Then they slipped right into me and made me stronger—it was fun!"
Clank!
Dullahan nodded in agreement, and it seemed the two had taken a liking to absorbing demonic energy.
'Nice day for playing in the water, huh.'
It was past noon already.
The hot sun blazed fiercely.
By now, Belianus should've had plenty of time to gather the village elves in one place as requested.
"Glad you had fun. Now for the third request."
"What is it?"
Her pure eyes gazed at him, full of expectation for another fun task.
Rune turned his gaze straight to Perdikion.
The fire dragon hatchling, who'd been furrowing his brow nonstop, spat out the words.
"I'm putting the elves to sleep. Then you absorb the demonic energy inside the sleeping ones."
"Put to sleep? By you, Perdikion?"
"Yeah."
His gruff tone felt like 'I'll put 'em to sleep forever,' but he meant it literally.
As Heungmi tilted her head questioningly—'Naptime?'—Rune added an explanation.
"Bro's the best singer I know. He's so good his lullabies can even put ferocious monsters to sleep."
"Really?"
A power that could lull even a hatchling.
For elves with weakened resistance, the effect was guaranteed no matter how many.
'Come to think of it, Heungmi's never heard Perdikion sing.'
Heungmi eyed the singing dragon with sparkling curiosity.
Rune checked the Mokoji Stone and informed Perdikion.
"Bro, Belianus says he's gathered the villagers in one spot."
"Hoo—."
"Just close your eyes and sing once. If it works, we solve it fast and efficiently with zero casualties, right?"
"......"
Realizing he'd have to sing in front of an elven crowd, Perdikion gritted his teeth.
His face looked like someone reluctantly pushed into an awkward drinking party.
With a hint of apology, Rune gently coaxed him.
"You're wearing a mask over your disguise anyway. They'll fall asleep in seconds—they won't even know it's you."
"Some slapdash mask. Can't trust it."
'Fussy guy. I get it, but...'
Perdikion had argued a store-bought mask would spread rumors, so skilled Rand had agreed to carve one from wood.
By now, the mansion was probably busy crafting Perdikion's mask.
With time short and no other options, Perdikion had no choice but to leave it to Rand.
He'd only reluctantly agreed after seeing Rand whip up the Paralium-matching pearl decoration in a flash.
"You're not an elf anyway, so even if they look, they won't find you. Might even rumor some red-haired elf like you. How'll they ID you by voice alone?"
A long moment later, Perdikion finally nodded.
"You expect me to wear this crap?"
Back at the mansion, Perdikion yelled at the sight of the mask, face twisted like he wanted to smash it.
In his hand was a red bunny mask.
Rand, loosening his stiff shoulders, replied with his usual laid-back expression.
"Isn't it cute, little firebug?"
"What's cute about this!"
'It is kinda cute.'
But Perdikion flushed beet red, as if clutching a devil's mask.
Rand merely tilted his head slyly.
"You said the most important thing was making sure no one recognizes you as the fire clan's elder... wasn't that the job you entrusted me with?"
"......"
The mask was undeniably cute.
More precisely, it was an extremely cute red bunny mask—hard to associate with Perdikion at all.
"This... stupid bunny."
His murderous red eyes, infused with fire aura, gleamed with real killing intent.
Perdikion gripped the mask hard, as if to shatter it for real.
Before cracks formed, Rune spoke in a soulless tone with dead eyes.
"Why, bro? It suits you great. Wow. Really, no one would guess it's you—it's so cute... I mean, fine."
"! Fine, then you wear the mask, Rune! I'll sing from behind!"
"Nah, that won't work."
Rune withdrew immediately, face serious.
Perdikion glared at him with rare fury, but Rune just ignored it.
'Karma from that time he bailed on me mid-transformation in front of Heungmi... maybe.'
Pitying Perdikion's mask meltdown, Heungmi tried cheering him on in her own way.
"Heungmi likes bunnies too, Lord Perdikion!"
"!"
Unfortunately, the little fox beastkin's encouragement struck as a critical hit.
'Is this what they mean by a frog dying from a casually thrown stone?'
For one raised nobly as fire's ruler, this was pure torment.