You Raised Me Well
“Kyuu?”
[Are you crying?]
At the black hatchling’s question, Amelia hurriedly rubbed the corners of her eyes with her index finger.
“Ah, oh dear. Me too.”
The mermaid turned her face away shyly, flustered.
Watching her, Rune let out a quiet sigh of relief deep inside.
Good thing. It’d be a problem if she just came and cried every time.
After a short wait, Amelia lifted her damp eyes and smiled.
“S-sorry… I thought I’d grown a little… b-but I guess I still have a ways to go.”
She’s still young, after all.
Her experiences in the deep sea were limited.
That mattered more than her age, which was only about a century less than Perdikion’s.
This one needs to grow too.
Rune gazed steadily at Amelia and asked.
[Have you ever thought about how you’ll handle your Adulthood Trial?]
“W-well… I guess I should start th-thinking about it s-soon…”
The mermaid, carefully tending to the precious World Tree fruit, answered with a troubled look.
“I get it… but the Water Lair. My parents still n-need to recover. It’s not like I can just l-leave…”
Her voice grew smaller with each word.
Deep down, she must want to see the outside world, just like Rune and Perdikion.
Rune nodded, understanding her situation.
“Kyuu…”
[It’s tough, huh.]
Amelia gave a faint smile at Rune’s words.
“Still, I want to do my Adulthood Trial… p-properly. That’s what my parents did.”
Her deflated spirits lifted as she spoke, her voice regaining energy.
“Our Water Dragon clan has always gone to places outside the sea. Other water clans, Elf villages, or h-human settlements. S-sometimes even the Great Forest.”
“Kyuu.”
[Really?]
Her desire to become a proper adult, clashing with her inability to leave.
Just listening, it felt like the perfect spark to fuel her growth.
This could work.
Worried his intentions might show, Rune dipped his head slightly, pretending to think.
Then he lifted it again, eyes innocent as a gentle hatchling.
“Kyuu.”
[Oh yeah, I just visited the Elf village.]
It was a perfect segue, since she’d mentioned elves.
“R-really? That’s am-amazing!”
Amelia’s eyes widened in awe, leaning in eagerly.
“What’s it like? Are their ears re-really this long? They say it’s vast like the sea, but f-full of green… so beautiful. Is it true?”
Rune had never seen her eyes sparkle like this.
“Kyuu.”
[Hold on, I’ll tell you one thing at a time.]
Amelia, shaking her water-blue hair, approached Rune.
At his protest, she quickly pulled back.
“Ah, oops. S-sorry… I got too excited.”
Rune shook his head and one front paw casually, signaling it was fine.
[No worries. I’ll start with what happened in the Elf Kingdom.]
The water-blue girl nodded eagerly, curiosity alight.
“…Yeah!”
She clasped her hands over her chest.
Her heart pounded, her gaze on Rune sharpening.
“Kyuhm.”
Rune cleared his throat lightly and began his telepathic tale.
[The Elf Kingdom—they call it Lueltotura. It used to be a massive Great Forest, apparently.]
Before long, the mermaid folded her tail and sat neatly.
“Oh… I-I think I’ve heard. There’s a World Tree at the center…”
Rune nodded, affirming her words.
[Right. It was like a maze back then, but now it’s a huge round forest in the middle of the desert.]
He explained what had happened there.
Her water-blue eyes softened, like a child lost in a fairy tale, happy just imagining it.
But they snapped open at the part about the demon corrupting the World Tree.
“N-no way!”
Amelia clenched her fists unconsciously at the news of the demon’s blood spreading plague through the elf village.
“H-how could they…?”
Demons were dragons’ eternal enemies.
Anything involving them infuriated her too.
“Kyuu, kyuu.”
[Of all things, the Elf King thought the demon’s voice—corrupting the World Tree—was the World Tree itself.]
Rune shook his head, and Amelia furrowed her brow.
“Th-that’s awful! Tricking demons are the worst. The Elf King… an idiot!”
Rune nodded at an even pace and continued.
[Yeah. In the end, the World Tree, the brown dragon Rand who’d bet everything on love, and the other elves—all played by the demon.]
Her mermaid tail flicked once.
“Ugh. So… what happened?”
The usually timid Amelia couldn’t hold back, urging the next part.
Rune chuckled softly.
“Kyuhu.”
[Relax. Luckily, I chased the demon off good.]
“A-alone?”
Rune shook his head.
“Kyukyukyukyu.”
He let out a mischievous laugh, laced with an adult’s cunning scheme.
[The guy gave me an invitation, but I had a return stone to Christina’s lair. So I attached it and sent it off.]
Rune shrugged nonchalantly.
[Thanks to that, Christina gave the demon a proper thrashing. She’s seriously strong.]
Amelia, who’d witnessed Christina’s power firsthand, sighed in relief.
“Christina… yeah, she would. But most of all, I’m glad you’re safe, Rune…”
The reaction was great.
Sensing things were going to plan, Rune opened his subspatial pouch.
[Check this out.]
Lucky Moon Pieces—snacks he’d named—and seasoned meat skewers.
“Wh-what’s that…?”
To the curious Amelia, Rune explained they were food made with Baekya’s tears to heal the elves before getting the World Tree fruit.
[They have Baekya’s tears, so they worked great. Try some.]
Crescent-shaped treats dyed yellow with edible flower ink.
Meat skewers in savory, stimulating colors.
Amelia touched the moon piece first, gasping at its chewy texture.
“S-so amazing.”
The water-blue girl glanced at Rune, then the snacks.
She parted her lips slightly and tasted them.
“Mmm! Hnng!”
Sweet honey burst inside.
Her widened eyes curved softly at the pleasant sweetness.
“D-delicious…”
Rune wagged his tail slowly and nodded confidently.
[Right?]
As Amelia munched the meat skewer, Rune slipped in what he most wanted to say.
[Amelia. If you give the World Tree fruit to your parents, their condition should improve a lot. Then maybe you can go outside?]
Amelia chewed a few more times.
She hesitated slightly, then spoke.
“If… if that works, I’d love it. No, I really want to.”
Her gaze drifted to the World Tree fruit floating in water magic.
Out in the world, she could get more things like this.
Experience and resolve events like Rune and Perdikion, grow through them.
Such thoughts filled her mind.
Lowering her eyes, she looked at Rune.
“Rune… um. If I st-start my Adulthood Trial task… w-will you come with me?”
“Kyuu?”
Rune pointed his front paw’s thumb at himself, and Amelia clamped her mouth shut, nodding.
“I-I… I’m not enough. I have to take responsibility, mature… and lead our clan like you and Perdikion.”
Admitting her shortcomings felt embarrassing.
Especially to a much younger hatchling.
Her face burned.
But it wasn’t shame.
It was true, and that’s why she wanted to change.
“St-still… I want to grow properly.”
Her water-blue eyes, filled with resolve, met Rune’s firmly.
Perfect. She took the bait.
Rune smirked inwardly and answered positively.
[Why not? Sure.]
At his ready agreement, Amelia smiled softly.
“Th-thank you.”
But then her eyes darted, and she muttered softly.
“Honestly… I don’t know if I have the experience or strength for the task. I’ve never even seen other races…”
Rune shook his head at her words, thinking.
If you lack it, learn it.
Amelia was like a kid who couldn’t attend school properly because of family troubles.
She’d heard and seen indirectly, but nothing beat hands-on experience.
Rune thumped his tail on the ground.
“Kyuu!”
With a spirited cry.
Thud.
He reached out both front paws and grasped her hands.
The water-blue girl blinked, looking at him.
“Kyukyu.”
[Amelia. Don’t worry about the rest—just ask your parents with the will to make it happen. You’re the Water clan’s successor.]
“!”
The weight of being the elder-to-be, leader of the clan.
It was no light burden.
“It’s… what I have to do.”
Responsibility weighed on her heart.
But Amelia wouldn’t run.
Through restoring the Water region with Rune’s group, she’d suppressed her urge to flee and purified monsters.
Protected her companions.
“Yeah!”
Recalling those moments, the mermaid nodded firmly.
Rune was satisfied.
Good, her eyes are alive.
Confirming her will, Rune casually dropped more info.
[Oh yeah, Perdikion said he has to do his Adulthood Trial task soon… and asked me to come along.]
Sorry to Perdikion, but it’s for the greater good. No harm in it.
To Rune, it was necessary.
Joining Perdikion’s task would help Amelia gain experience.
And Rune was confident he could convince Perdikion.
That guy’s more righteous and kind than he seems.
His words and actions could be rough, but he couldn’t ignore injustice.
Well raised, really.
Hiding his sly inner laugh, Rune laid the groundwork.
[If you join, it’d be a great chance to gain experience before your own task.]
The white hand in the black hatchling’s paws twitched.
“Perdikion’s… task?”
Recalling Perdikion from the Wave Dungeon restoration, the mermaid looked flustered.
Their first meeting wasn’t great.
Rune understood, but no better opportunity existed.
If Amelia misses this, there won’t be another before her trial.
Christina’s priority was protecting Rune.
Even if asked, helping Amelia’s trial had limits.
The Blue Dragons couldn’t easily leave the Water Lair either.
If they did, they’d pick an easy task and rush back—but for dragons, trials shaped their ideals and mission.
They couldn’t be taken lightly, without preparation.
A trial decides how you live as a dragon. Can’t rush it.