Shall We Experiment?
Rune pondered for a moment, piecing together his guess at the situation.
'They all thought I'd become the ideal adult dragon in their eyes.'
Amelia hoped he'd grow into a calm, profound dragon.
Perdikion wanted a decisive ruler who never hesitated in action.
Heungmi dreamed of a kind dragon who'd share stories together.
Christina said he'd become a dragon who achieved all his desires.
In a way, those were the finest forms each of them envisioned.
'And what I said...'
"You've all got me. As long as we can keep living well like this, that's enough. Here's to many more good times ahead."
Not words about becoming something grand.
A wish for a future shared with everyone.
'In other words, I was asking them all to stay by my side in the future, just like now.'
Coming from a young boy's lips, it came across as an utterly pure desire.
No wonder even Jed suddenly rubbed his nose and said,
"I'm a dwarf who doesn't cry much, you know, but khh. This hits right in the feels, Lord Rune."
"……."
Instead of replying, Rune glanced away.
Seeing this, Jed assumed he was embarrassed and gazed at him with warm eyes.
"I get why you're shy about it. My face was burning up too. Kehahaha!"
Rune wanted to snap, 'That's not it.', but he held back.
It would've been less awkward if he hadn't said anything.
Denying it outright would've drawn all eyes on him, turning the atmosphere unbearably warm.
And if they pressed, 'You sure it's not?', he wouldn't even have a good comeback.
'No choice. Play it cool.'
Before his face heated up more, Rune dropped round ice cubes blooming with purple pansies into his orange ade, plop-plop-plop.
He sipped it at a measured pace.
The carbonation stung his throat, but it cooled him inside.
Then Heungmi wagged her fox tail and chirped up cheerfully.
"Heungmi too! I want this moment to last forever and ever! Dullahan must feel the same!"
Such an honest sentiment.
Her word choice was a bit clumsy, but the feeling came through clear.
Coming from sunny Heungmi, it sounded all the cuter.
'And that's probably how I came across.'
Just thinking about it made his insides itch.
At that moment, Perdikion slammed his honey milk down on the table with a thunk! and replied to Heungmi.
"Don't worry. Now that I've taught you the power of fire, I'll never abandon you."
"Eek! That's awesome!"
Pleased by her bright response, a hint of bashfulness colored the fire dragon boy's face.
Amelia, too, opened her mouth with a soft smile in her eyes.
"M-me too... Y-yeah, Heungmi."
"Peep!"
Baekya flapped one wing like punctuation.
It had turned into a warm scene somehow, but Rune felt a slight pang of conscience.
'Without those insignias, we might not have bonded this quickly.'
It was meant well, but still a bit materialistic.
Not entirely without calculation.
'Still... I like this scenery.'
That's why he could say it.
That he wanted scenes like this in the future too.
Of course, they might naturally drift apart with their own lives and goals.
But voicing that honestly wouldn't be easy.
Rune blinked once, checking if his gentle hatchling face was holding up.
The atmosphere tickled too much to stay in it, so he reached for the basket of food he'd set aside.
"Oh, right—I’ll take some food to Dullahan."
The group, now chattering among themselves, turned to him.
"Uuung, can Heungmi come too?"
Rune shook his head firmly.
"It's fine. Stay with Amelia and Perdikion."
"Got it!"
Heungmi replied briskly.
Rune nodded and picked up the basket.
'Even if those two butt heads, Heungmi'll mediate well.'
They grew through fights, sure, but he couldn't let them clash every time.
Rune exchanged light greetings with Christina and stood.
"Dullahan."
As Rune entered the Black Room and called, a presence stirred from afar.
Clank! Clank!
With the sound of metal clashing, the black-armored knight guarding the room alone approached Rune.
Clank!
The black knight sat in a practiced lotus position.
Rune pulled out the Dark-stained Scent Box and said,
"Yesterday was so hectic you couldn't enjoy it properly. You're alone today, so savor it all you want."
Clatter!
A luxurious box was placed before the nodding Dullahan.
Click.
Rune opened it, added ice flowers and honey-drizzled pastries, then closed the lid.
Soon, a refreshing rose scent mingled with sweet honey.
The nutty aroma of fried pastries subtly dispersed as mana particles.
Huuuh—
Dullahan's chest swelled as he inhaled deeply.
Not rushed, he exhaled slowly.
Seeing him focus calmly on the savoring, Rune was glad he'd come alone.
'Thank goodness the others didn't tag along nosily.'
Heungmi had her own room in the Black Room and spent so much time with Dullahan anyway, so she'd have been fine.
But not Perdikion or Amelia.
Not that their company would've been unwelcome, but letting him enjoy the meal in peace was better courtesy.
'Especially worried Amelia might get hooked on the Scent Box like Perdikion.'
Rune had tested it on Perdikion once, only for him to get tipsy and embarrass himself.
Even after tasting it, Perdikion often tried sniffing the box with Dullahan.
In short, addicted.
'That guy's got strong self-control at least. Can't let the others end up like that.'
Perdikion had willpower.
Amelia, until recently, had stored darkness and been tainted pitch-black by it.
She'd grown strong as a prospective Water Tribe elder, but one wrong whiff could knock her out cold.
'If Perdikion reacted that much, Amelia wouldn't stand a chance.'
Rune shook his head.
He refilled the Scent Box with more contents.
Cla...tter.
Dullahan, practicing silent meditation, inhaled deeply once more.
A sensation bringing peace to the soul.
Immersed in it, Dullahan's green eyes gleamed faintly as the scent faded.
'All done.'
Rune closed the box and stowed it in his subspace pocket.
"Alright, now it's my turn. Shall we experiment?"
At Rune's words and glance, Dullahan snapped to attention like receiving an order.
"Good. Dullahan, guard the front until I cross to the other side. Just let me know if anyone comes."
Clank!
Confirming the black-armored knight's crisp salute, Rune drew a mana key from his hand.
Then he opened the Fairy's Path to the moldy, moss-covered wooden door the Tooth Fairy had given him.
Clank.
Not the usual sound—a vibration in the air.
The key turned smoothly, revealing the crudely forged path.
Beyond it, the wooden door.
'Each fairy's path has its own vibe.'
The previous Deep Night Fairy's path had a mystical darkness laced with hazy longing light.
But the Tooth Fairy's felt slapdash, with foggy sparkles like trinkets and warped shapes flickering in and out.
Maybe his artistic soul at work, or just vintage from neglect.
Rune crossed the path and touched the door.
No lock at all.
"Figures. No need when you can only enter via the Fairy's Path."
The path itself was the ultimate security.
Rune opened the door and stepped in.
He gave his impression with a somewhat queasy look.
"What a nasty hobby."
The musty stench was expected.
The Tooth Fairy's mug wasn't exactly likable.
But it went beyond mere tooth collecting—cruel and grotesque.
Teeth displayed whole with dangling flesh like taffy, as if ripped mid-meal.
Beast fangs rotten black with suspicious holes.
Some from bipedals forcibly turned beast-like, yanked midway.
'Sorted by grade, huh.'
Looking up, glass cases held neatly preserved milk teeth.
From monsters to rare beasts, demons, elves, humans.
Rune surveyed the hoarder’s den crammed with every kind of fang.
"Extinct ancient species... and the first human king's teeth? How'd he get these?"
Shaking his head in disbelief, Rune muttered,
"Felt it from first sight, but this guy's no ordinary Tooth Fairy."
Normal ones weren't like this.
They collected teeth like taxes, leaving light blessings for new ones to grow safely.
Rune's fairy had started similarly.
The difference came next.
Collected teeth were tiny mana taxes returned to the world.
Legends said they extended life slightly or forgave minor sins, but the truth was simpler.
Body parts reverted to mana to keep the world spinning smoothly.
Dragons tolerated it; most folk didn't know and didn't reclaim lost teeth anyway.
But exceptions existed everywhere.
This one hoarded them instead of releasing—made Rune shake his head.
"This is straight-up embezzlement."
Not converting them to mana promptly, but stockpiling.
Rare types, dragon fangs, high demon milk teeth—obsession beyond normal.
Even extinct ancients, hard to source.
Rune murmured,
"Guess I should thank him for gathering such fine materials."
Some creature parts served as magic sacrifices, prices, or proxy offerings.
Gruesome and unpleasantly obtained, sure.
But in Rune's hands, uses abounded.
Until Dullahan signaled, Rune examined the teeth, selecting a few for his subspace pocket.
Then he returned via the path to the Black Room.
'Perfect timing for training materials.'
He left the rest behind the door—that was right.
Preserved timelessly, and now the path was his alone.
To Rune, that space was basically his personal material vault.
As Rune smiled contentedly, Dullahan cast a curious green gaze.
"Curious, huh?"
Clank!
To the nodding Dullahan, Rune answered quite readily.
"Thinking of making something useful for class. Might as well use a variety."