A Remarkable Performance
Rune, arms folded, asked with a lazy tone.
“If you have no plans to hand over my teeth?”
- Huh?
The toothy fairy gaped with a vacant expression.
His face twisted into a mask of mischief and rage in an instant.
- What a joke! If the fairy spirits recover my teeth, the fairies’ blessing will attach to them!
“That’s not really that special. It just helps you not feel pain when they fall out.”
Rune’s response was utterly cold.
- Th-that’s right. But……
The fairy, having heard that the ability to prevent pain didn’t work on him, clicked his tongue.
Then his eyes sharpened into something quite serious.
- This ability is actually pretty useful. Dragon hatchlings’ teeth are extremely tough, and they rarely fall out on their own. It’s super annoying and painful while they’re forced to stay in.
The fairy’s eyes sparkled.
- But if you leave it to me, you’ll feel no toothache until they fall out!
“…….”
He spoke as if it was an enormous honor, but the implication was clear: once they fell out, the problem would be gone.
Yet the young Heungmi and Amelia stared with wide eyes.
Amelia was the first to gasp.
“W-wow…… A-and…… T-that means…… the tooth that fell out…… was in a place we didn’t know!”
“Heungmi wants that ability too! It would be so handy when I use fire!”
Seeing the children admire the fairy’s power, the fairy puffed out his chest with renewed confidence.
- Exactly! This is my body!
The proud fairy glanced at Rune.
But Rune’s expression showed zero interest.
The fairy was taken aback.
‘Even a kid who just started drinking milk doesn’t fear pain?’
Just as the thought crossed his mind and he opened his mouth again—
“Black Dragon Hatchling Teeth!?”
Jed, dangling limply from Perdikion’s fist, shot upright.
He immediately leaped forward, looking every inch like a heroic guardian knight.
Jed declared.
“Sir, whatever are you saying?! Handing over Rune-nim’s teeth to such a scoundrel?!”
- W-what is this!
The fairy and the dwarf doll glared at each other without blinking, locked in a standoff.
‘Those two… This is truly amusing.’
Rune alternated glances between the mismatched pair.
Jed struck a bold pose and shouted.
“Don’t worry, Rune-nim! They call this a toothless scoundrel. I’ll have my dwarf kick them out right away!”
- What are you saying?!
“Shall I repeat myself? You pathetic toothless scoundrel!”
The fairy, insulted, clenched his fist.
He desperately wanted to stomp his feet, but the black ribbons still bound him.
His wounded pride, however, refused to stay silent.
- How dare you call me that kind of thing!
“It’s obvious from your thief-like behavior! You thief!”
Hearing “toothless scoundrel” followed by “thief,” the fairy foamed at the mouth with rage and bolted upright.
- You would dare speak to a fairy like that?!
The fairy leaped up and down in place as if truly grabbing the back of his neck, but Jed’s temper snapped.
“Eh? Toothless scoundrel?”
From Rune’s viewpoint, both were birds of a feather.
‘They’re both the same.’
Jed acted as though he would protect Rune, but Rune could easily read the greed that flooded his heart.
It was obvious he wanted to use the gifted tooth to craft whatever equipment he pleased.
‘And I want the same thing.’
It would hurt a little, but with Christina’s blessing and some perseverance, it would be fine.
He couldn’t simply let such precious treasure go for the sake of a single tooth—especially since more would fall out in the future.
- You think the blessing I gave is nothing special? There is no tooth in existence that sends you out without pain like mine!
The fairy pounded his chest to show off his skill.
“There’s no need for that. Rune-nim will be healthy his whole life! Dragon Adult teeth are that tough!”
Jed dared to mock the fairy.
One side craved collection.
The other side craved greed.
Watching the evenly matched contest, Rune stepped in to mediate.
“That’s enough. There’s nothing falling out today anyway. Stop it.”
“Eek? You want us to stop here?”
Jed protested, and Rune nodded.
Then, turning his gaze to the fairy, the fairy flinched under the pressure.
“If you keep pestering me like this—”
Swoosh!
The black ribbons binding the fairy’s ankle tightened, then vanished.
A faint killing intent rose in Rune’s red eyes.
“You won’t even be able to show your face in front of me.”
- Grr……
Dragon Fear.
The fairy, still mumbling, glanced sideways at Rune’s expression.
One look was enough; he had no choice but to retreat.
Yet, unable to fully surrender, the fairy left behind a reluctant parting shot.
- Even so, I am a renowned fairy spirit who has recovered teeth from various races. I’m not some lowly minor spirit after all…… I’ll wait. Whenever you need me, just call.
“Think about it.”
The fairy’s lips twisted at the reply, then he disappeared.
Focusing her senses around her, Rune detected absolute silence.
‘They’re still watching.’
A light sigh escaped her. That was fine for now.
It would bother her, but she had remembered what the real tooth was for.
‘He must have hoarded teeth from so many races. Which means I can’t go to those places right now.’
The moment was perfect for gathering information.
‘I can’t ask here. I’ll have to wait until I’m alone.’
While inwardly chuckling and deftly concealing her thoughts, Rune cleared the atmosphere.
“Everyone, let’s stop playing. You’ve been waiting, right?”
At those words, Heungmi’s ears and tails perked straight up.
“Exactly! Heungmi was waiting the whole time!”
“Pyeok!”
A white bird on Amelia’s head flapped its wings and cried, giving the water-blue girl courage.
“U-um…… Me too……!”
Amelia timidly clenched her small fists and joined the fight.
The sight made Heungmi grin brightly.
“Let’s play together! It’ll be so much fun!”
Heungmi’s eyes sparkled as she quickly pulled out the card set from their last game.
***
A card game featuring various professions, mages, and demonkind.
Except for Amelia, everyone else’s hand-shuffling was smooth and practiced.
Since they had played it once before, their card-handling skills were already flawless—better than any pro.
They attacked the beginner Amelia relentlessly without holding back.
“U-uh…”
Amelia, overwhelmed by the barrage, clutched her two-card hand and shrank.
“There’s…… nothing good…….”
The water-blue girl had worked hard, but lacking game sense, she suffered helplessly.
She had recklessly sacrificed the “Fairy Queen” card that granted supreme control, and even now traded the valuable “Elf Knight Captain” card—strong in both attack and defense—for a “Turtle Shield” summon.
“W-wait… This will block all damage…… So…… I’m invincible…….”
When asked why she chose that card, Amelia hesitated.
Rune had quietly taught Perdikion the rule before he could scold her.
“That’s only for special attacks, traps, or magic. Like this.”
Tap.
Rune’s magic card summoned a massive turtle into the field.
“Eek, turtle……!”
To Amelia’s pathetic foot-stomping, Rune explained further.
“Using such an illusion card actually gives the opponent the benefit.”
“Y-yes…… I remember.”
They had mastered basic concepts—counterattacks, magic, traps—but Amelia, who had never played before, could not possibly execute everything perfectly from the start.
While struggling, she gave a tiny smile as if enjoying the game.
Rune cheered her on.
“Don’t give up and keep playing.”
Jed raised the stakes.
“Honestly, you would say that after stealing the turtle so easily?”
“Of course. Winning and advising are different things.”
Calmly speaking, the self-proclaimed “Master Gambler” Jed burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Well said! But do you even have the luxury~?”
The smug smirk on his face made killing intent rise.
‘I want to hit him just once.’
The moment, Jed slammed five cards down at once.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The cards struck hard.
The party scanned Jed’s hand.
Prophecy Scroll, Black Magic Tome, White Magic Tome, Four Elemental Scrolls, Origin Scroll of Light and Darkness.
Each was a card of overwhelming power and lasting buffs.
They were sorely tempted to use them, but the fact that he had gathered them so carefully was almost impressive.
Jed dusted his empty hands with a satisfied voice.
“Listen up, everyone! The king of mages, Jed, has taken all five of the Great Magic Tomes at once!”
“Filthy bastard.”
Perdikion clicked his tongue after hearing it.
His hand was simply terrible.
Rune maintained an expressionless face and thought.
‘That guy’s card luck has always been suspicious. Gambling fortune is terrible.’
While Rune was pondering a defensive card, Jed snapped his fingers.
“Wait! I almost forgot!”
With a grand, arrogant flourish, Jed flipped a pre-placed magic card on the floor.
The card was “Reflecting Mirror.”
Even Amelia realized the combo.
“G-great…… Mirror Reflection……?”
“Hehehe! Exactly! Now you’re dead!”
Kyahahahaha!
The mad mage summoned a massive explosion on the field.
‘At least I took the turtle, so I’ll get one more turn…….’
The battle between Jed and Rune was clearly about to decide the winner.
And beginner’s luck shone.
“U-um…… I…… Using the Fairy Queen’s prayer…… I will borrow the power of a dead fairy…….”
The water-blue girl hesitated for a long time before carefully playing one card.
“Fairy Queen’s Blessing…….”
Flash!
The card glowed. Amelia’s pajamas faded, replaced by the Fairy Queen’s outfit drawn on the card.
“Waaah! Amelia-unni is so pretty!”
A jewel crown made from sliced sunlight and earrings forged from moonlight sparkled.
The Fairy Queen and Elf Knight cards, which Amelia had failed to use properly in the past, awakened by the summons of the fairy guardian Amelia.
“W-why is it…… here……?”
Jed could not be blamed; Amelia had not performed enough to be targeted.
But the price was enormous.
The scene unfolded where Amelia’s guardian fairies revived from the dead.
Then Amelia calmly read the event text floating in the air.
“Today…… is the day the fairies awaken. The fairies who bear grudges will…… repay their grudges…… and the fairies who received favor will…… repay their favors……”
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