The Truth Behind the Scent Box
Rune tried contacting Perdikion with the Mokoji Stone, but there was no reply.
'He probably just doesn't feel like coming if I'm alone.'
But the fact that he had the Dark-Stained Scent Box bothered him.
Perdikion always went around bragging about that scent box when he held it.
"Surely not...?"
"What?"
Christina's question made Rune's eyes flicker for a moment.
Rune fell silent and showed a troubled expression.
"He got so drunk on the box that he said some embarrassing things about me."
Rune remembered the moments when he wanted to shut Perdikion's mouth.
"He was going around telling strangers like that."
His eyes clearly showed denial, but Heungmi kept telling Rune anyway.
"It could be! Perdikion-nim really loves Rune-nim!"
'...!'
A bad feeling came over him.
Rune spoke after a few seconds of silence.
"I'll go look for hyung for a bit."
At that, Heungmi raised her tail.
"I'll help too!"
-That's right. It's better to look together than alone, isn't it?
At Heungmi's and Jed's words, Rune shook his head.
"It's fine. He might come here too. If you cross paths with hyung, text me with the Mokoji Stone."
"Understood!"
Clank!
Heungmi waved energetically and greeted, while Dullahan bowed silently with respect.
-Hah!
At that moment, Jed suddenly sensed something.
-Rune-nim. From what I sense, you don't need to worry that much.
"...?"
Did he know something?
Rune thought that and turned his gaze to the Paralium that Jed inhabited.
"Jed, if you know something, tell me."
-Sigh, it's not some amazing thing I saw, but...
With his smooth tone, Jed told the story of what he witnessed.
-When Rune-nim was talking to that elf named Didan, Perdikion-nim was talking with some young elf while holding the box, then he left the place.
Rune asked with a strange look in his eyes.
"Did you see where he went?"
-It seemed like he went north from the World Tree, but I don't know the exact location.
If it was just to see an elf, there was no big problem with Jed's words.
But.
"Something feels off. It wasn't the usual situation."
Rune muttered to himself and slightly narrowed his brows.
Although he was still a hatchling, Perdikion was quite strong.
Even if a full-grown elf came, there wouldn't be much to worry about.
'He probably wouldn't go beat up someone...'
Rune recalled the day he first experimented with the scent box.
He remembered the things the drunk Perdikion had said.
-Brother. Do you know that I think of you as my true brother?
"..."
Yeah, he definitely said that.
-Your looks today are cooler than my father.
"..."
Perdikion usually answered quickly, so the fact that he didn't reply was strange.
'Is he saying that kind of thing somewhere?'
Things that seem impossible actually happen.
'If that's the case?'
A chill ran down his spine.
The drunk Perdikion might not remember, but Rune would feel the humiliation directly.
Back then, Rune had stopped him directly to prevent more nonsense, but now it was after the box had been used on other elves.
'This is bad.'
Rune rubbed his neck, feeling the scales prickling.
"It seems I can't just let it be. I'll go myself."
Deciding that, Rune put on the black rabbit mask.
Then Jed showed interest.
-That mask is always amazing. It even feels like Rune-nim's appearance is blurred, so I want to study it sometime!
His inner thoughts were quite transparent.
Rune gave Jed the answer he wanted.
"I'll make sure you can touch the materials used to create your body later. Just keep an eye on things here."
Unable to hide his excitement, Jed immediately replied.
-Oh my, of course! This Jed has incredible credit, right? Leave it with me!
He was still greedy even as a weapon.
Impressive that he had such a consistent character even in death.
In a way, he thought Jed was trustworthy, and he told him.
"If Christina asks, tell her not to worry too much, and contact me with the Mokoji Stone."
-Yes! I'll check it out and come back, Rune-nim!
Behind his humble or fawning answer, Rune left the room alone.
He didn't want things to get bigger, so he took the path where fewer elves were gathered and moved north.
***
'This place feels a bit different.'
Surrounding himself, Rune quickly figured out why.
First, there were tools made of iron and steel.
The clothes elves wore were also different.
'Is that animal leather?'
Normally, elves wore clothes made from spider silk imbued with mana or woven from plant fibers.
But these elves didn't.
Unlike those who preferred white or natural colors, these elves' clothes were dyed in various colors.
But the most striking feature was the ears.
Although they were elves, they were smaller and had a different slant than the elves Rune had seen before.
Even elves with round ears existed.
Rune instantly realized where he was.
"This is the Half-Elf Settlement."
It was definitely the place where half-elves with mixed human blood lived.
"He almost never went to funerals. There must have been damage."
Fortunately, he didn't notice Rune hiding, so Rune walked the streets comfortably.
And Rune easily found where Perdikion was.
"Here it is."
The house where the scent came from the box.
The door was closed.
Rune sensed the presence and removed his mask, then knocked.
Knock knock
After waiting a moment, the door opened.
And a young orange-haired elf girl with freckles and the same height as Rune came out.
"Who are you?"
The orange-haired half-elf girl blinked.
Rune told his business while looking beyond the door.
"There's a red-haired hyung here, right? I'm his little brother."
The girl showed a knowing face and opened the door.
"Come in."
Following the girl into the room with a carpet, a strong herbal scent filled the air.
"Mom! Guests!"
The girl shouted loudly and went into the inner room.
There, an old man and Perdikion were lying on the bed, breathing shallowly.
"What are you doing, hyung."
"You finally came?"
Rune looked at Perdikion with eyes that said he was an unstoppable one and thought.
'You left the place alone without a word.'
Staring at him with that meaning, Perdikion spoke with an indifferent face.
"Somehow I thought you'd get involved in this."
"This?"
When Rune asked, Perdikion pointed at the elderly woman and the elf girl on the bed with his chin.
"As you can see."
Rune's gaze naturally turned to them too.
An elderly woman lying on the bed, her body frail.
She was breathing with difficulty.
Perdikion added, "That freckled kid brought me here."
At that, Rune showed surprise.
"Even though he was wearing the mask?"
Rune had tried it himself, but unlike a child's toy mask, the hiding effect was truly good.
It was very unexpected that a young elf had found the masked Perdikion.
"...No. It didn't suit me, so I took it off in the middle."
"Oh."
'So that's how.'
Only then did Rune understand why Perdikion was caught.
The gathered elves had experienced the miracle of the World Tree recovering right in front of them and were in confusion due to guilt and recovery.
It wouldn't have been easy to notice Perdikion taking off the mask.
Even so, the orange-haired girl's sense seemed quite good.
"What's your name?"
Internally amazed, Rune asked the elf girl watching them.
"I'm Amanda."
The girl who blinked answered.
"The others?"
After quickly looking around the room with herbs hanging and cloth that looked woven directly, Rune asked.
"Only my mom and me. Mom is sick."
From the context, the old man on the bed called mom was a human nearing the end of her life.
Rune and Perdikion quickly exchanged glances.
'Hyung, talk about it.'
'Got it.'
Rune took a World Tree fruit from his spatial pocket and put it in the Dark-Stained Scent Box.
"Amanda, since you came to the funeral, you know what this fruit is, right?"
"I do."
With a childlike but calm voice, Amanda answered, and Rune nodded.
"The fruit in this box will reduce pain. Don't touch it, stay with your mom."
"Okay."
The freckled elf girl sat on a triangular wooden chair next to the bed and answered.
Then she took her mom's wrinkled hand as if she was used to it.
"Mom, just hold on a little longer, okay?"
Squeak-squeak-
She was breathing with something stuck in her throat, but Amanda's mom slightly nodded.
Rune and Perdikion, considering the elves' developed hearing, went outside the house.
First to speak was Rune.
"Even if I look, it's a life nearly over... right?"
"Seems so."
Perdikion swept his hair roughly and answered with an unhappy face.
"I tried to check the situation, but I didn't expect this."
Seeing Perdikion acting a bit haughty, Rune wondered.
"Why were you here alone?"
He didn't really blame him, but Perdikion opened his mouth with a somewhat embarrassed look.
"That is... Rune, you weren't recovering the elves diligently?"
"That's right."
Perdikion's forehead wrinkled when he heard Rune's answer.
"That Amanda kid came and said that even if it's Rune, you couldn't save her mom."
Perdikion's expression looked like he was being ignored, displeased.
"Hearing that, I didn't feel good."
"?"
Rune was puzzled how to take that.
'Was there anything bad? I'm not a medical god, and it's not entirely wrong.'
While Rune thought that, Perdikion coughed and finished.
"Even if it's a young kid who doesn't know much. I didn't like the idea that I was recovering the elves diligently but later a half-recovered one pops out. So I came here myself."
Rune stared at Perdikion.
'Is this also the effect of the scent box?'
After thinking for a moment, Rune reached a satisfying conclusion.
"If I do, I'll do it."
"What?"
Perdikion sent a puzzled look.
But Rune had somehow accepted the conclusion he had recalled.
'I've heard it. Hyung is always bullying his little brother, but he hates it when someone badmouths his little brother.'