Timing Matters
Rune had actually considered making a bet.
The elves would surely never forget the song they had heard from Perdikion today.
‘If they find that carrot-shaped magic tool and the curative potion with the explanation script on the stage, they’ll think Perdikion left them behind. Who on earth would ignore that?’
And his guess had proven right.
The elves had studied the script carefully, then divided the potions among those who could not make it to their seats in time.
As they shared their experiences and witnessed the song and the miracle, they talked about it with glee.
In the distant future, the ballad of the legendary strongest rabbit would be born from the elves, and the entire continent would catch the fever of the lucky rabbit.
The story would spread, fleshed out, and told through the elves’ oral tradition.
Perdikion, still unaware of all this, gave Rune a vague warning while he sensed the coming storm.
“The animals on stage are about to wake up. Move before the elves wake up too.”
“Good. You’re all ready, right?”
When Rune turned around, Baekya grinned and made a V-sign with his fingers.
Most of the elves had not slept properly for a long time, so they were still dozing off.
But after Perdikion’s stern reminder, the group moved toward Belianus’s mansion.
As they arrived at the rear of the mansion mentioned earlier, Rand was waiting there.
“I’ve been watching everything through my familiars… from this side.”
He did not need to explain what situation he was referring to.
Rune nodded and immediately followed Rand.
Perdikion shot Rand a quick glare, but soon continued walking.
Soon the welcoming party appeared, and a distant carriage came into view.
When Belianus noticed Rune’s gaze, he asked,
“How did the gathering proceed?”
“It went exactly as planned. The mana that had seeped into our bodies was removed, and the remaining illness will heal slowly with the curative potion.”
“It must have been hard for you. I heard from Rand just now that you went to the reservoir in the morning and treated the water with a curative like that.”
“Yes. Thanks to Baekya and Dullahan turning the water into mana-free water.”
“Hee hee. Baekya and Dullahan really worked hard.”
Clang!
Belianus gave a warm look to Baekya and the silent Dullahan.
“This is a very grateful matter. For the successors of the Darkness and Fire clans as well.”
“We were lucky. Without anyone of you, we would never have been able to try this.”
Rune handed the credit to the others while recalling the performance of the Orb of Water he had checked.
In truth, after Dullahan and Baekya had swallowed all the new mana that had entered the reservoir,
Rune had used the Orb of Water on it.
The result brought a mix of surprise and satisfaction.
The Orb of Water could not turn into Baekya’s tears, but it could instead be transformed into a mild diluted medicine.
‘Perhaps because the original water contained the essence of the World Tree.’
He had no desire to reveal all his cards, so he would keep secret that he had secretly used the Orb of Water after absorbing all the mana.
‘I expected the power to turn water into alcohol, but it can also turn it into a potion that helps healing as poison or medicine.’
Depending on how he used it, the Orb of Water would let anyone facing him turn the beverage before him into poison or medicine.
They were rewarded according to each visitor’s contribution.
Feeling the true meaning of the custom reward tailored to his own traits, he felt both admiration and regret.
‘Because it was an artifact that could save the Water Lair or let it be stained by darkness depending on my choice, it’s a treasure I won’t get again. It’s a shame.’
Keeping his thoughts hidden, Rune arrived at the carriage prepared by Belianus.
The driver’s seat was empty, which made him curious for a moment, but Baekya pointed at the horses with his finger.
“Oh? Rune-nim! The horses are sparkling.”
— Hoooh! This is a very rare creature! Shall I guess? Isn’t it a unicorn subspecies that only lives in the World Tree?
“As expected, Jed. You’ve done many things on the continent, and your depth of feeling is truly great. Indeed. It is not as pure as the pure-blooded unicorn, but it does not dislike humans much and is friendly with the elves.”
— As I thought! Wow, I get to see something I never could in my lifetime! It’s a shame I can’t touch it directly. If I ride it, it says it runs as if flying in the sky—how fast it must be!
Seeing Jed’s excitement, he seemed on the verge of touching the unicorn subspecies even without friendliness.
‘The reins are quite special.’
Upon closer inspection, the decorations on the reins were not tied with leather but made of a soft, silky material.
“Get in the carriage. I will move it myself.”
“You’ll ride it yourself?”
“These unicorn subspecies move with me in harmony. The others will not be difficult.”
Smiling quietly and nodding, Belianus turned his head as if giving permission.
‘He doesn’t listen to the horse except for Belianus.’
Even during the rest period, there was no elf servant to serve the governor.
Since Belianus belonged to the race that once hunted on horseback, if he wished, someone would have been there for safety.
But in the end, Belianus climbed onto the driver’s seat himself and held the soft, gentle reins.
Rand got in the carriage as if he knew it well and said one thing.
“I woke up after a short nap, and I feel quite refreshed. The song of the red little one was quite effective.”
“Be quiet. The strange mask maker, stay silent.”
Perdikion replied and sat down.
Rune, who then boarded the carriage, had one thought in mind.
‘The means to reach the palace as quickly as possible was chosen, but this carriage is too conspicuous and I’m a bit worried.’
There would be no mad creatures running in front of the carriage, but if they tried to restrain or check every one, it would become troublesome.
Entering the first village, it had taken six hours to enter the village.
As they approached the palace, checkpoints became stricter, so he worried it would consume quite a bit of time.
“Well then, let’s depart.”
With a light nudge, the four unicorn subspecies started moving their hooves.
The carriage gave a smooth ride without any shaking as it headed toward the palace.
And Rune realized through bad scenes that his worries were unnecessary.
“Hiiing. It smells strange again.”
Baekya whined and held his nose once more.
Belianus’s village was quite far from the World Tree.
To head to the elves’ palace, they naturally had to go straight in the direction of the World Tree.
And as the group passed villages near the World Tree, they sensed an increasingly foul stench.
‘This is the smell of rotting corpses.’
Even the smell of burned remains could be detected.
Rune warned Baekya not to stick his head out the window.
Baekya, with his ears tightly folded, muttered sullenly.
“Rune-nim, I don’t feel good.”
“Come on, hold Baekya. Let’s put on the mask.”
“Ppyak.”
Because of the stench, Baekya quickly put on the mask and pulled Baekya into his arms.
The mask had magic on it, but unfortunately it could not completely eliminate the bad smell.
“……I’ll help you.”
Rand took out the string tied around his neck.
Now it was clear he was wearing a necklace.
And surprisingly, what was hanging on the necklace like a decoration was the shimmering green scales of the Forest subspecies, the Green Dragon.
“This is the Green Dragon scale, right?”
“It is a scale given to me by the previous Green Dragon Elder. It was a gift I received on the day I became an adult and completed my last name.”
Rand, who had once been Randel Efest.
Now he had given up the name, but he could not let go of the scale containing the protection of the previous Green Dragon Elder.
As Rand clenched his hand and recited the old dragon word, the scale let out a faint emerald glow.
“Wind…”
Along with Baekya’s muttering, the protection of the Forest and Wind subspecies slowly enveloped them.
A pleasant breeze blew, refreshing the air.
Breathing became much easier, and a faint forest scent filled the air.
“It’s a temporary measure.”
Having exerted himself, Rand sighed with a weary look.
The fading stench slipped in between the spaces where the wind had disappeared.
“Let’s use mine.”
Rune took out the fragrance box from his spatial pocket.
He opened the lid, put in orange candies and flowers dipped in honey, and closed it.
After waiting a moment, the two scents blended and acted as air fresheners.
Thanks to this, the group could breathe freely again.
Rand, who had tucked the necklace into his chest, looked at the box quietly and said,
“The effect is good, that artifact.”
“Yes. It’s a relic of the Black Dragon clan. I examined it a little more.”
“……Huuung.”
When he mentioned the relic of the Black Dragon clan, Rand stared at the box without saying anything, as if interested.
But soon, losing interest, he shifted his gaze out the window.
Belianus also put on the mask and inhaled the scent coming through the window a little at a time.
“Everyone, please wear the mask. The scent smells like something has been done, but the surrounding situation is not good at all. It is strange that there are no people to maintain order at all. I do not know what will happen.”
Hiiing!
Hihiiing!
The neighing of the unicorn subspecies told how desperate the situation was.
Rune pushed the fragrance box toward the window where Belianus was visible as much as possible.
“Here. Place this so the horses can smell the scent. Because of the wind, the scent reaches this side well.”
“……! I accept your kindness. The horses were already struggling anyway.”
“Yes. The vibration has gotten worse. This will make it fine soon.”
Belianus took the box, placed it beside him, and tied it securely so it would not fall.
The horses, who were losing control, really began to calm down.
“I wish we could reach the palace faster.”
“If I could, I would, but the horses are struggling too…”
Hihiiing!
Hihhing!
The unicorn subspecies snorted hard and shook their heads violently.
Then, the running speed gradually increased.
“Ah, no! The horses are starting to gallop at incredible speed!”
“Tie the box properly, Belianus.”
Belianus, who found this strange, exclaimed in admiration.
Holding the reins with one hand and fixing the box more firmly according to Rune’s words, the horses lifted their upper bodies and stamped their hooves powerfully.
“Hoo!”
Soon, the governor on the driver’s seat had no time to chat and had to focus only on the reins and the horse.
Of course, this was what Rune had expected.
‘The fragrance box effect has started. That’s fortunate. If any sudden situation arises, the horses will listen to my words.’
The physical abilities of the unicorn subspecies were extremely outstanding.
But the only flaw was that only Belianus could handle them.
But with the fragrance box, at least when Rune handled them, they would not show resistance.
‘Even consideration must be timed well.’
Time was time, but since he had tested whether it would work well on the horses, the unicorn subspecies, who had maintained their noble appearance, began galloping at full speed as if they were racehorses.