A Promise Worth More Than the Lesson
Rune nodded naturally and opened his mouth.
“Actually, I had separate training with Christina.
Maybe that’s why.”
Jed clapped his hands together with a crisp sound!
“Ah! As expected, if that’s the case, I must have underestimated you, this Jed!”
His hands rubbing together, Jed laughed with a ha ha and started rambling.
“While traveling as a merchant, I’ve had many experiences of letting out weird words when I don’t know the other party well.
So I guess that was why I was worrying too much.”
Rune maintained his straight face and gave a slight nod.
“I see.”
After clearing his throat, Jed waved his hands in a panic.
“Haaaargh, Rune-nim. I hope I didn’t sound harsh and upset you in any way?”
Rune slowly shook his head.
Looking calm and denying, Jed seemed relieved and spoke cheerfully.
“Then it’s fine! From now on, I’ll teach you plenty of honey information that I know.
Feel free to come in at ease!”
Rune nodded and made a request.
“Alright.
Make sure it doesn’t show that I received preparatory lessons from Christina.”
“There’s no problem?
I keep my promise once I make it.
Business is all about credibility, right?
Then, do your best for the next lesson.
Azazaz!”
Excitedly sending encouragement and support, Jed.
Rune waved his hand to reply with a light greeting and naturally turned his body, thinking.
‘Indeed, when facing someone up close, there are times when I can’t hide completely.’
While heading to Christina’s lesson, Rune let go of the tense feelings he had been secretly holding back.
It had been an unexpected obstacle.
‘Probably because the lesson is face-to-face.’
Even from Jed’s perspective, as a subordinate who had to listen to the teacher call him, his eyes were bound to be quick.
‘But since I mentioned it, it should be fine from now on.’
It was better to explain it separately later than to be suspected of lying.
Rune stretched his arms long and stepped into the teleportation magic circle heading to Christina’s combat lesson location.
Whoosh!
When the light disappeared, a familiar voice rang out.
“You’re a bit late, Rune.”
Christina greeted Rune with a bright lemon-like smile.
From her leather armor, a fresh and clear scent of grass and dew filled the air.
And on the dirt floor, a black dragon hatchling boy was lying sprawled.
“…Brother?”
“Kuk.”
Rune looked at the fallen Perdikion and stiffened his shoulders.
‘No way.’
A combat lesson being held in the nice outdoor weather.
Christina’s healing magic was manifesting on the black dragon hatchling boy.
“Even though it’s been a while, you’ve become a bit loose, Pel.”
As she said that, Christina lightly brushed her golden hair aside, and a few strands of grass blew away on the wind.
“Kyu!”
Perdikion, whose body had recovered, raised his upper body and stood up from the ground.
Rune watched the scene and shook his head inwardly.
‘He rolled on the floor right after waking up.’
From the very first lesson, the sight of him being sprawled on the ground.
Rune sensed that this reality might become his own future.
Christina opened her mouth.
“Since Rune has come, let’s begin the real lesson.
I’ll help you both build your skills properly.”
Startled!
The black dragon hatchling boy flinched for no reason.
Rune had never seen Perdikion look so tense like this.
Christina added.
“If you rely only on magic, there are limitations to experiencing various things.
There are surprisingly many situations on the continent where magic cannot be used.”
Rune recalled the Abandoned Mine Dungeon from the Red Dragon Lair.
‘I see.
That guy was in an unexpected special situation, but he immediately used the sword.’
Perdikion had been showing his flame-related abilities with almost all of them sealed.
After that, he unsheathed his sword without hesitation, thinking it was more advantageous.
Naturally, Rune could predict Christina’s movements.
‘She might tell me about weapons too.’
He had tried swords and bows as hobbies in his previous life.
He was quite looking forward to it in many ways.
Meanwhile, Christina put her fists on her waist and reached out with the other hand to take a combat stance.
“Alright, let’s do it lightly.”
A ball of appropriate size shot out from Christina’s hand.
She opened her mouth.
“I’ll face you with just this ball.
If you can take this ball from me, it’s a pass.”
No hands or feet used, just opposing with a ball.
‘It makes me a bit proud, but I’ll try.’
As Rune thought that, he lightly adjusted his breath.
In the meantime, Christina bounced the ball a few times and said.
“Alright, one of you can go first, or both can come at me.”
The ball spun on the tip of Christina’s finger.
The gazes of Perdikion and Rune crossed.
Shunk!
Perdikion charged forward first.
And Rune, hiding his presence in the darkness, moved to confuse her field of vision.
Thud!
“Kuk!”
But Christina precisely threw the ball and hit Perdikion’s face, then kicked the bouncing ball toward the shadow where Rune was hiding.
Splat!
Kaboom!
The ground cracked.
When the swirling dust settled, the exposed ground looked like it had been hit by a cannonball.
If Rune had stayed there.
Or if he had been just a little late in dodging, he would have taken a significant hit.
‘She’s merciless.’
Rune, having barely dodged, checked his collar.
‘It got torn.’
The collar had been on the verge of ripping due to the ball’s speed and friction.
“Christina.
You said it would be light, but isn’t this too strong?”
As Rune grumbled like that, Christina’s voice came back.
“I thought you’d dodge.
This plan was too obvious.
One person to catch the sight, the other for ambush.”
Tap
Tap
Slap!
Christina, who had been dribbling with one hand, caught the ball in her palm.
“But saying it’s obvious makes it sound like a rule.
You don’t have to be disappointed.”
At that moment, before the dust fully cleared, Perdikion’s hand shot out.
Just before the hand touched the ball.
“Good, this kind of attempt is quite nice too.”
Christina spun the ball behind her back and pulled her body back.
Perdikion, who had failed the ambush, furrowed his brows.
“Tch! Sorry, Rune.”
“It’s okay, brother.”
Having been caught by Christina despite complaining weakly, he had been held back again.
“Alright, what should we do?
Brother.”
Rune, bending his knees and placing both hands on his thighs, asked.
At that, Perdikion came closer to Rune and stood beside him.
“Just grabbing one ball from an opponent who doesn’t use hands or feet.
Could we really not do this?”
Both were hatchlings with combat experience.
Especially Perdikion exuded a fierce aura.
Smiling.
Christina’s smile deepened.
She spoke as if waiting for this moment.
“If you snatch this ball, I’ll give you a good thing.
You can think of it as a graduation gift for this lesson.”
“!”
“!”
The declaration of a Gold Dragon Elder.
It wasn’t said in jest or as a joke.
“Then, maybe we’ll graduate today.”
Rune said calmly and turned his wrist.
“I knew it.
Of course we’ll graduate.”
Perdikion, rubbing his chin, accepted and glared with fierce eyes.
***
The next morning.
Amelia, the water dragon hatchling swimming with excitement about the lesson, sang a small tune along with a soft nasal sound.
[Hello.]
Whoosh whoosh!
Looking at the Kraken greeting with its huge legs waving, the mermaid found it adorable.
When she saw the rippling surface, she gave her tail a stronger kick.
Splash!
“Hwaa!”
The mermaid brought her head out of the water, shook her long hair, and flicked off the water droplets.
Then she slowly swam up onto the land.
‘Yesterday’s lesson…… was fun.’
Now with her white scales changed, Amelia briefly basked in the sun pouring down from the ceiling.
The water droplets flowing over her skin sparkled like jewels under the light.
The lessons with Heungmi were the same.
They made her time sparkle in the same way, so even though it was her first lesson, it had been very enjoyable.
Amelia, standing up, walked while reminiscing about yesterday.
“Hmm…… If we had all been together last evening… it would have been better……”
Rune and Perdikion’s combat lesson had originally continued until the scheduled dinner time.
Thanks to that, in the middle of deciding whether to eat dinner alone or not, Heungmi, who had taken the lesson with them, offered to eat together.
‘Today, I wish we could all eat together.’
Upon arriving at the reception room, Amelia saw Heungmi and Baekya waiting at the table.
Amelia greeted them happily.
“H, Heungmi-ya.
Good morning.
Baekya, hello.”
“Amelia unnie! Come quickly!”
“Piyak!”
Welcomed by Heungmi and Baekya, Amelia sat down at the table.
She opened her mouth with a voice mixed with concern.
“Um, yesterday, the two… what happened…?”
“Rune-nim and Perdikion-nim?”
Heungmi held up both index fingers, put them to her eyes, and stretched them out.
“They looked extremely tired.
Their eyes were droopy like that, and they had no strength.”
“Oh……”
Amelia covered her mouth with her hand, looking sorry.
Heungmi added.
“I was worried, and Rune-nim told them the word they hadn’t heard before… ‘Overexertion state’!”
“!”
Amelia’s blue eyes opened wide.
And the appearance of the two at breakfast time.
“A…… Ah! Are you all okay?”
“Kyuwo.”
Black hatchling Rune, making a tired crying sound.
“Kya, kyaak.”
[I’m fine.]
Even though no one was looking, the red hatchling Perdikion, making a sound like he was fine with a gloomy face.
Visibly, they looked perfectly fine without any wounds.
But even after a day of rest, they looked exhausted.
Amelia, feeling sorry, looked at the two sitting side by side and thought.
‘They must have worked really hard.
How did they come so urgently even in their true forms…….’
After everyone sat side by side, the table automatically prepared a meal.
The smell of fresh bread and the aroma of fresh butter.
And potato soup with a soft taste and pumpkin soup that was sweet.
Rune picked up the milk bottle and chugged it.
Glug! Glug!
Thud!
The one-liter milk bottle sat empty on the table.
Thanks to the nutrient-rich milk, Rune looked at Amelia with clear eyes.
“Kyuwo.”
[I’ll live now.
Yesterday, I couldn’t even eat a meatball.]
After exhaling, Rune opened his ruby-red eyes and looked at Amelia.
[Was your lesson okay?]
“U, yes… Rune, what about you?”
“Kyu kyu.”
Rune nodded and took a bite of bread, chewing it.
Both he and Perdikion had fought Christina for more than half a day, so they had a significant mental hunger.
Amelia, hesitating for a moment, opened her mouth.
“Th, yesterday…… I heard the lesson was extended.”
“Kyu.”
[……Lesson.]
As Rune muttered that, he exchanged gazes with Perdikion.
“Kyu kyu kyu kyu.”
“Kuku kuku.”
The atmosphere was a bit strange.
The two hatchlings, who clearly looked tired, were making strange sounds as if they had something up their sleeves.
“Kyuwo.”
[It was satisfying, right.]
“Kuoak.”
[Yeah.
It was tiring, but the sense of achievement was good.]
Yes.
They had finally succeeded in touching Christina’s ball.
It was the result of determination and fighting spirit.
“Hmm, I don’t know what, but…… it was good, right?”
“Kyuwo.”
[That’s how it is.]
Thanks to that, they had heard that they could graduate anytime they wanted.
But neither of them intended to be satisfied with that.
‘Since it’s a rare opportunity, I need to get everything.’
With their collaborative attack, they had just touched the ball, not subdued an opponent who didn’t use hands or feet.
At least they had to be able to touch it when facing each of them.
‘Somehow it felt like I was getting used to Christina….’
The graduation gift they received was a training match voucher with Christina.