A Warm Gathering
The atmosphere felt strangely tense, and Rune found himself fixing his gaze on her as well.
'There's no way she figured it out that easily.'
He had lived his previous life as an Imugi and had often taught those who came to the island.
This evaluation couldn't be wrong, so why had Christina come to think of him as S+ or higher?
Soon, her lips moved.
"The Dullahan told me. Even in the moment when he held a blade to my throat, he didn't sense your presence."
Christina murmured it half to herself.
Rune looked at her with puzzled eyes.
"It's not just that no weaknesses were revealed. For a seasoned fighter like him to notice nothing at all—that's unusual. It means your combat prowess was too perfect for a hatchling."
That much was fine.
No matter how skilled she or the Dullahan were, they couldn't see what was invisible.
'I did suppress my presence too thoroughly, though.'
To move at the level of a hatchling just over 100 years old, Rune couldn't use flashy, aggressive combat skills like Perdikion's.
Instead, he had thoroughly erased himself, ensuring the Dullahan wouldn't sense him.
As a result, he remained undetected until the sword was at his throat.
'Was that the problem? That there were no mistakes or flaws?'
He considered it, but figured it wasn't decisive evidence.
So what was it?
Christina continued.
"For something so coincidental, you did something quite intriguing, Rune."
"Me?"
He tilted his head.
The hatchling's innocent face was adorable, but it also heightened her surprise.
She let out a soft chuckle before speaking.
"You analyzed the battle traces for Amelia and Heungmi, explaining in detail what had happened."
At her words, Heungmi and Amelia exchanged glances.
Rune's eyebrow twitched slightly.
Christina went on.
"That's only possible if you've grasped the overall flow of the battle. Why swing the sword in that direction. What Perdikion would do next. It means you anticipated and moved ahead."
"I just fought alongside you, so I explained what I remembered. Brother did great too."
Christina shook her head at Rune's words.
"If that were all, I'd rate you A+ now and highly evaluate your potential. But there was something bothering me about quantifying it from the stories I heard."
"?"
Christina tilted her head slightly, gazing at the puzzled Rune.
"For an accurate assessment, I went there myself with the Dullahan. Fortunately, he remembered the entire battle. And I used magic to manifest the land's memory from the traces."
Then, Christina's finger pointed at the table.
"The scene we confirmed was quite impressive, Rune. You hid your mana and darkness within the Dullahan's presence. Even the presence you used to target the decisive moment—you blended it into Perdikion and the Dullahan's killing intent... That's the astonishing conclusion I reached."
Caught.
Not just a passing glance, but reviewing it with replay magic, no less.
Rune felt his heart tighten like a wrung sponge.
'It's not a skill you gain just by thinking about it... though.'
He hadn't expected her to go back after class and check.
He'd cleaned up so thoroughly, yet her ability to uncover it was impressive.
Christina crossed her arms and asked.
"Rune, when exactly did you learn such a skill?"
This was bad.
If he couldn't give a proper answer, she'd definitely find him suspicious.
No, even if he brushed it off well, avoiding suspicion would be hard.
'Tricky.'
Rune racked his brains as much as he could.
Christina had watched him since birth.
Claiming he'd mastered such a skill overnight would lack credibility against her.
'Saying I learned something no one taught me would be weird.'
Feeling cold sweat inside, Rune hesitated before slowly parting his lips.
"Actually... I didn't learn it separately. But I have a guess."
"A guess? What is it?"
"Maybe I learned it before I was born. You said it, Christina—that for a very long time, I was as good as dead."
"!!"
Christina's eye twitched.
Rune lowered his head.
He looked gloomy or melancholic on the surface, but really, it was guilt pricking his conscience.
'Feels kinda sorry.'
Thinking of the child who had truly lost its life, Rune silently mourned inside.
Of course, he set that aside and continued.
"Thanks to you and everyone here, that fact never really hurt me. But you said I was so close to death that I might not even be born... Maybe it naturally ingrained itself in me to survive?"
"……."
It grew quiet.
Not just Christina, but everyone else too.
'Too quiet. What are the others doing?'
Glancing at the group around the table, Rune was stunned.
They all looked at him with pitying eyes.
'?'
He'd just stated facts, yet they gazed at him like a tragic, pitiable creature.
Heungmi spoke up with sympathetic eyes.
"Rune-nim... I had no idea you went through something so sad."
The fox beastkin clenched her hands as if praying.
The water-colored girl nodded in agreement.
"I-it was... like that... I didn't... know... And I kept asking you to go... here and there... with me..."
Her voice grew watery as she spoke.
She looked ready to burst into tears.
"Piiiii... Pii, peep..."
Baekya, pecking at bread on one side of the table.
Poof.
Baekya fluttered over, circling Rune as if to comfort him.
Flutter flutter.
It even patted his shoulder with tiny wings.
'Why are you...'
It must understand language perfectly.
"That's awful. Almost dying before even being born—Heungmi can't even imagine it."
Heungmi shook her head vigorously with a hum.
Rune thought with a clouded expression.
'Well, just that fact alone is sad, but you too...'
Before his thought finished, Amelia spoke.
"Y-you're... too... sad, Rune..."
For some reason, Amelia cupped her pale hands over her mouth, blew a soft breath, and bowed her head slightly.
Perdikion said nothing.
But his face was grave, a deep furrow between his brows.
"As expected, we should head to the Demon Realm and slaughter every last demon."
Killing intent sparked in his eyes like embers.
He looked ready to make it his Adulthood Trial.
'Please no.'
Rune watched Perdikion a bit longer.
He feared the fire dragon boy might fixate wrongly and do something rash.
Fortunately, he restrained his aura, mindful of the others.
Whew.
Rune nearly sighed inwardly.
The situation was utterly dizzying.
'But I have no other excuse.'
With her saying she'd seen it all, who would believe "Oh, that must be a mistake"?
Claiming a nonexistent skill was even less believable, but denying a clear ability would be weirder.
Watching the pondering Christina, Rune prayed silently.
'Please buy it.'
He seemed calm outwardly, but his heart pounded so loud it might echo.
Moments later, Christina spoke.
"I see... Yes, that could be possible..."
She murmured, her gaze on Rune subtly complex.
For a different reason, Rune broke into a fresh cold sweat.
'Did it work?'
There was land-memory magic, but this was just a class to gauge skill.
He hadn't expected such precise scrutiny, so if this excuse failed, he had nothing else.
In the worst case, he might have to confess his past-life memories.
Fortunately, Christina slowly nodded.
"Understood. Everyone worked hard today, right? Let's rest tomorrow and resume class the day after."
Phew.
Rune checked his palms unconsciously, wondering if they were sweaty.
'All good.'
Only then did he relax a little, noticing the odd stares and turning to the group.
'What to do with these.'
How to put it.
Gazes full of desire to pat his head, full of admiration.
Or eyes brimming with sympathy, support, awe—all converging on him.
Then, hesitant Amelia mustered courage and raised a hand.
"Um...! W-wanna play... all together... with Rune?"
"?"
'Suddenly?'
He couldn't read her mind.
Amelia suggesting it, not Heungmi.
Heungmi shot her hand up quick.
"Heungmi loves it! The dice game last time was fun too!"
"Ah...! W-we did... that...?"
"Yes! Wanna try with us, sis?"
Amelia brightened with a small smile.
But cautiously, she turned to Christina.
"Um... Christina... Is it okay... if I stay... in the lair...?"
"Of course. As long as you get permission from the Water Clan elders."
"!"
The water girl's eyes sparkled like a sunlit lake.
'That exciting?'
Rune stayed calm—he'd known a day like this would come eventually.
Just the timing felt awkward.
But Perdikion's eyebrow crooked sharply.
"Don't be ridiculous. Thinking of play when there's studying to catch up on?"
He seemed thoroughly displeased, but it didn't faze Heungmi.
"Huh? Then Perdikion-nim's going off to study alone?"
"Who said that!"
"Eee! Perdikion-nim's manticoresh again!"
"Peep-yak-!"
The reception room quickly filled with lively chatter.
Rune was inwardly pleased by the sight.
'Nice vibes all around.'
As he thought that, the chattering trio's eyes turned to him.
They stared intently, all of them.
"You'll play too, right, Rune-nim?"
Heungmi asked on their behalf.
They all seemed eager to cheer him up somehow.
Maybe that's why.
Rune felt like joining in moderately.
"Yeah. We can play and study. It's a rest day—should be fine."
With permission granted, Heungmi scooped up Baekya and tossed it in the air, cheering.
"Yay! So exciting!"
"Pipi-yaak!"
Unlike the thrilled chirps of Baekya, Perdikion grumbled with arms crossed.
"Remember you said we'd study too."
Rune could see right through the fire dragon boy's heart.
He wanted to pinpoint weaknesses, confirm, refine, and train diligently.
'Well, rest is important sometimes.'
Chopping wood endlessly with an axe doesn't yield the most timber.
Sharpening the blade midway can fell far more without damaging the tool.
And.
Though he'd used a pitiful excuse, Rune wasn't used to receiving pity or sympathy.
Honestly... it was a bit embarrassing.
Before those gazes stuck to him like a tail, he wanted to shift the mood.
'It'll fade naturally once we hang out during the stay.'
Not just him.
No one gathered here had lived hardship-free lives.
Between tough, worrying moments, they needed times to laugh and chat.