Discovering Their Taste
It's always far more persuasive to show something subtly than to spell it out bluntly.
“Kyuu!”
Shall we get started?
Rune, brimming with sudden enthusiasm, quickly scanned the ingredients Christina had prepared.
No pork or fish.
Even with the dwarves, Christina had tailored things somewhat to their tastes.
These ingredients were surely matched to Amelia's family's palate as well.
Perfect. Tastes grasped.
Rune snatched up a tomato from the selection Christina had chosen.
Christina smiled faintly at the little black hatchling's surprisingly serious gaze.
“What dish are you planning? I'm quite looking forward to it.”
Rune, having sorted through his mental menu, finally spoke.
“Kyuu kyuuu.”
How about something like this...? What do you think?
Rune possessed considerable knowledge of cuisines and cooking methods from various races and nations, thanks to Christina's teachings and his Resurrection Authority training.
“Kyuu.”
Amelia said her parents have a bit of an unusual diet, right? They can't eat live animals, can they?
Christina's eyes lit up with surprise at his words.
“How clever. You figured that out just from these ingredients alone?”
“Kyuuu.”
I had a hunch.
A kitchen without seafood or meat.
It wouldn't be hard to notice if you knew what to look for.
But for a hatchling who took meat and fish for granted, it wasn't an obvious leap.
Christina was genuinely impressed, but Rune had seen this kind of ultra-strict vegetarian diet before—healthy to the point of extremity.
Of course. The temple rice ingredients had that exact vibe.
Even elves ate meat occasionally, along with milk and honey.
But these ingredients Christina had prepared—beans, celery, carrots, herbs, tomatoes, and so on.
No milk, eggs, or meat. Just vegetables and spices.
It instantly brought to mind monks casually munching cucumbers or carrots as snacks.
Rune briefly recalled his past life.
They'd chuckle and clasp their hands in prayer, then rip apart wicked beasts with smiles during battle.
The monks would seek out imugi like him for exorcisms or advice on capturing other malevolent creatures.
Rune dredged up a memory from his past life.
—Lord Imugi, take a look. This radish kimchi has a crisp, crunchy bite that's just divine.
—Pass. Get out.
—Heh heh. Just gazing at these fine clouds and seas fills the belly, I see.
Watching them pile kimchi and radish kimchi atop plain rice made them seem transcendent somehow.
Rune shook his head inwardly, snapping out of his reverie.
“Kyuuu.”
Anyway, factoring in their diet, I'm thinking tomato vegetable soup. And the really important part...
Christina's eyes widened slightly as she listened, then curved into a smile.
“Yes. That should be more than enough to impress Amelia's family. No—they might even be shocked by the dishes themselves.”
Rune, having double-checked the menu just in case, gripped a ladle with his left front paw.
Cooking was culture itself.
His adept handling of food culture proved he had received thorough preparation for venturing into the continent.
Of course, this meticulous calculation existed only in Rune's mind.
To Christina's eyes, he was just a black hatchling utterly absorbed in cooking because he loved good food.
Christina watched Rune begin cooking with a warm, pleased gaze.
Truly remarkable. Figuring out Amelia's family's tastes from the ingredients alone is impressive enough.
As she observed Rune focusing intently on the task, she pondered privately.
He's always so diligent with cooking. Could it be he just wanted to show off?
Christina had heard from Rai about the hatchlings' lively night of play, yet here was Rune, bursting with energy and no sign of fatigue.
For Rune, cooking served as Resurrection Authority practice and training in handling mana-infused ingredients.
It was a chance to demonstrate he was a hatchling fully ready for the wider world.
Nothing more.
But Christina had no way of knowing that.
Seeing his unusually proactive attitude, her gaze drifted to the round black hatchling's head.
Whatever the reason, realizing they don't eat meat shows real insight. It takes deep consideration for others to notice something like that.
She watched approvingly as Rune mixed seasonings and stirred the pot with the ladle.
Several hours later.
Now in human form, Rune nodded as he inspected the finished dishes.
“Seaweed salad and kelp wraps. Tomato stew, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw salad. Whole wheat bread and fruit sandwiches with carrot-apple juice... Perfect.”
Rune transferred the dishes that would hold up well over time to the table.
The group, gathered at the table after his summons, couldn't hide their bewilderment.
Perdikion furrowed one eyebrow and sighed.
“Rune, this is the first table in my life piled high with nothing but greens.”
Rune nodded.
“Yeah. No meat, eggs, or milk today. Even the whole wheat bread's made without butter or milk.”
At least it was from grain the elves grew and harvested themselves.
Regular whole wheat flour would have been tough for anyone with normal tastes to enjoy.
The table overflowed with health—purely grass and veggies.
Everyone except Rune looked inevitably disappointed.
Heungmi, in particular, despaired at the meatless spread.
“Hiiing. So we're eating only veggies today?”
“Not exactly. There's steak.”
As Rune shook his head, Heungmi finally relaxed, patting her chest in relief.
“Phew, that's a relief, Baekya. Right?”
“Peep!”
Truth be told, even Rune wondered how Amelia's parents had managed meals during their own hatchling days.
Hatchlings ate substantial amounts.
Without meat, their options must have been severely limited.
Living mainly in water realms, the most accessible food would have been sea vegetables.
Undoubtedly, vast quantities of seaweed had vanished back then.
Jed, arriving last with Dullahan, recoiled at the sight of the table.
His critique of the spread was harsh.
Small wonder—dwarves filled their tables with nothing but booze and meat.
“That's why it's even better.”
Meat-lovers and non-meat-eaters alike will be satisfied.
Rune's lips curved into a faint smile with that thought.
Jed, oblivious to it, was utterly baffled.
Rune shrugged at Jed, who even mimed an invisible headshake with a weary sigh.
“Yeah. You'll see.”
At that moment, Christina entered the parlor.
“Amelia's family will arrive soon. Will you join me in greeting them?”
There was no reason to refuse.
Everyone exchanged glances and nodded.
Their eyes finally settled on Rune.
Rune spoke up.
“Sure, sounds good.”
They headed to the place where a lake-sized kraken was raised.
Splash!
The kraken thrashed joyfully in
Even gulps of seawater gleefully in the pool, then slipped silently underwater as Christina and the others approached.
Rune watched it vanish through the warp gate.
So that's how it lives here—the warp gate connects straight to Amelia's family territory.
Thanks to that, the kraken Rune had gifted was thriving freely.
After a short wait, light flashed from the warp gate.
Water sprayed in a vortex, swirling around the gate's center.
Splashhh!
Waves rose, bending into a tunnel shape.
A massive watery vortex formed a passage.
Riding self-moving water masses through it came Amelia's family, clad in exotic garb.
They resembled humans at a glance, but gill-like ears and thin webbed hands felt alien.
The three stepped from the seawater onto the lair's land.
“It's been a while, Christina.”
The man with long blue hair and deep navy eyes spoke first in greeting.
“Welcome, Volga. Natalia. And Amelia.”
Christina returned the greeting.
Amelia followed, trying her best to seem composed.
“H-Hello... Christina ma'am.”
The woman with pale sky-blue hair, apparently Amelia's mother, gave a light bow.
The water clan's blues varied in brightness, evoking sky, sea, and lake.
They had delicate features, though their temperaments seemed a touch sensitive.
Amelia, thrilled to be out with her parents despite her tension, locked eyes with Rune.
“...!”
The water-haired girl mouthed his name and waved.
Rune nodded back lightly.
Amelia then gestured toward her parents.
“M-Mom. Dad. This is Rune... He's the Black Dragon's heir and the prospective elder of the Shadow Clan.”
She went on to introduce Perdikion, Heungmi, Dullahan, Jed, and Baekya.
“Rune here.”
“Perdikion. Pleased to meet Water Clan Elder Volga and Natalia.”
Heungmi's fox ears perked up as she greeted brightly.
“I'm Heungmi! Nice to meet you!”
Clank!
Dullahan offered his own form of salute.
Among them, Volga's curious deep navy gaze fixed on Rune.
“I vaguely remember you. Feels like just yesterday you were flooding my mouth with candies and snacks.”
It sounded like a joke, but he referred to the time Rune freed him from the Shadow Clan's festering curse.
They hadn't met since, but Rune recalled the adult dragon's suppurating hide.
Rune replied.
“Glad to see you're recovering well.”
His skin was likely still healing under his long clothes, but vastly improved from before.
Amelia's father, the male Volga, crossed his arms.
“Hm. I've heard about you from Amelia now and then. I'm Volga, Water Clan Elder. This is my mate, Natalia.”
Though human-like in form, his presence evoked a full adult dragon.
His abyss-deep navy eyes lingered on Rune, exuding subtle pressure.
They were terrifying when madness gripped their true forms.
As Rune thought that, Christina spoke up.
“Rather than standing around, why not catch up over a meal? Rune here prepared dishes just for you.”
Volga and Natalia fell silent at her words.
Even skeptical glances flickered across their faces.
But Christina added softly.
“You'll like them. He made them with your clan's tastes fully in mind.”
“A young hatchling considering our palate to make human food. Must have been quite the challenge. Impressive.”
Volga, surprise in his eyes, looked down at Rune.