Picnic
If a Black Dragon hatchling ended up in trouble, there would be no way to prevent my father’s wrath.
That thought alone had made me shout at Christina.
She, however, gave no sign of having passed on any message to the Imugi.
The Imugi slipped the artifact bracelet onto his arm.
“Big brother, sorry for startling you. Thanks to you, I slept well. I heard you sing the song too.”
“Yeah. Good thing there was no trouble.”
Perdikion arrived two hours earlier than usual, but the Imugi showed no trace of fatigue or reluctance in his eyes.
If anything, his bright red eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“……Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Why? I want to hear your brother’s song.”
Perdikion’s face showed confusion.
It had been just yesterday that he had come home singing the song his father had forbidden, and he had been unable to shake the anger inside himself.
“I won’t sing it again. That kind of song.”
The Imugi shrugged.
“But it was nice, right? I dreamed nothing and slept soundly. I’m in a good mood thanks to you. I even asked Christina for something as a thank-you.”
“A thank-you?”
Perdikion asked in surprise.
The Imugi grinned and answered naturally.
“Today we’re going on a picnic. So this is…… an outdoor study, right?”
Only then did Perdikion notice the picnic basket Christina was holding.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes. There’s a sunny spot in my lair where I was planning to take you for a visit someday.”
Perdikion hesitated.
“But there’s no such thing in the elder successor’s class I prepared for.”
The Imugi slipped in smoothly.
“Big brother, I heard that thanks to Gold Dragon mana, Christina’s lair affects the entire basin. I was curious how that could be. I heard you could explain it.”
“Christina-nim?”
Christina smiled and nodded.
“It’s a good place for this child’s study. Theoretical lessons matter, but actually going there would be even better.”
Perdikion hesitated briefly before finally agreeing.
“……Since you put it that way, I understand.”
“Thank you. By the way, this is a return stone containing the return magic for the journey home.”
Christina took out a yellow magic stone she had prepared and shared it with them.
“The basin is inside, so there’s no need for worry, but since you’re the only ones going, I prepared minimal precautions. You can contact me, and it will tell me your location. Don’t take it off; keep it on your body.”
“I understand.”
“I will.”
“Pii!”
Christina smiled gracefully and called her spirit.
“Rai.”
The light spirit in the air formed a circle, shrank to the size of a table tennis ball, and flew straight into the magic stone in the Imugi’s hand.
The Imugi marveled at how easily a spirit could do such things.
“The lesson will be undisturbed; you won’t be seen. Are you all set?”
“Yes!”
Perdikion answered loudly.
The Imugi simply nodded.
“Have a good trip.”
Christina cast a teleportation spell on the three of them.
Watching the empty air where they had vanished in an instant, she murmured like a sigh.
“What an interesting thought. I wanted to give Perdikion the mental space he needed to sing comfortably.”
Hearing the words Rai had relayed from the Imugi last night, she was amazed.
Even a newly born hatchling’s thoughts and eyes could be more accurate than those of a dragon who had lived thousands of years.
It was a childish reason, yet it was true.
From what Christina knew, Perdikion was a child who had never slept through a growth period and showed no interest in playing in human or other realms.
‘The boy who lives only to fulfill his father Pasiyas’s expectations—how will he feel about his first real break from that?’
Meanwhile, after the teleportation ended, the scenery that greeted the Imugi and Perdikion brought a moment of silence.
From the mountaintop, the lair inside the basin looked like a round golden dome, and beyond it stretched the forest.
Clouds and the first light of dawn filtered softly between them.
They watched the darkness retreat slowly like a black dress before the sun rose fully.
It was a peaceful, natural sight that brought back memories of a time when the world was visited by beings.
‘The view is beautiful.’
The winding outline of the mountains on the far side and the wide-open sky above it invited deep breaths.
“How is it, big brother?”
“……Well.”
Perdikion stared at the majestic landscape without looking away.
When he suddenly recalled something, his brows furrowed.
His face was soft with emotion.
But when the Imugi asked again, his expression hardened coldly once more.
‘He felt something, but still…… too far.’
The Imugi, who already knew Perdikion was not used to expressing his feelings, looked at him steadily.
‘I know he’s not honest. But right now, there’s nothing I can do.’
He hid his thoughts and deliberately spoke up a little.
He reached out and took Perdikion’s hand.
“Yeah? I like it here. The clouds in the distance and the scenery are wonderful.”
“Really?”
Perdikion gave a short reply, then walked toward somewhere nearby.
“Where are you going, big brother?”
“Outdoor class. I’m looking for the right spot.”
“?”
‘This place is fine too, isn’t it?’
Christina had chosen the perfect spot for their study.
It was a clearing in the middle of the lush basin where only a few large trees were planted sparsely.
As the Imugi looked around, he suddenly sensed something and glanced at Perdikion.
‘Could it be……’
A shadow of melancholy crossed the hatchling’s face.
At that moment, Perdikion muttered softly.
“Why here of all places……”
Realizing he had been overheard, Perdikion fell silent.
The Imugi looked at him questioningly, but Perdikion quickly recovered his expression.
The Imugi sensed that the chosen location had stirred up Perdikion’s trauma.
‘He must have been close to Christina. He probably saw this view for the first time.’
His face looked solid and cold from the outside, but the Imugi could not be fooled.
The fact that he was still a hatchling barely a day old was easing his tension, and the familiarity he had picked up from recent lessons was melting him.
Because of that, Perdikion was unknowingly revealing signals.
‘He won’t find it strange for me to ask.’
After a while of silence, the Imugi spoke first.
“Big brother, have you been here before?”
The Imugi asked casually, as if he knew nothing.
“Yeah. I think I have.”
The answer came with uncertainty.
‘There must be something.’
The Imugi guessed that Christina’s choice of this place had a reason.
He paused briefly, then continued.
“Alone? Or with someone else?”
“Father.”
It was obvious who Perdikion would bring on a trip.
Yet the answer did not end there.
Perdikion hesitated for a moment before adding in a quiet voice.
“……And Mother. I forgot for a while, but……”
His words were not light, yet he spoke as if he had been asked directly.
If he truly did not want to speak, he could have stopped short.
But here he was, forcing himself to talk.
‘After all, the boy who cannot even remember his dead mother is finally able to speak of her. It must be awkward after so long of silence, and he probably doesn’t want anyone to read his mind.’
While they walked toward the study spot, they did not leave the clearing completely.
No better place than this one appeared, and the psychological reason was stronger.
‘It seems there is still a desire to speak inside him.’
Christina, who had known him longer, had chosen this outdoor class spot for a reason.
Surely she had chosen it after reading his heart.
The Imugi spoke as if he knew nothing.
“The clearing earlier was nice too, big brother. You can see the whole basin and the scenery is great. It would be good to check how the mana from the lair interacts with the entire basin.”
“That’s right.”
Perdikion, sensing he had almost been seen through, fell silent for a moment before walking back to the clearing.
Watching his retreating back, the Imugi thought to himself.
‘If this is a place tied to Kuzna-nim, it must have been quite a long time ago.’
A hundred years or more would have faded memories or emotions, yet it still affected Perdikion.
The things he had forgotten while living without leisure came back one by one as he faced this place.
- Little one, stay here safely.
- Let it be. You have to learn the hard way too.
Deep in the memories Perdikion had buried.
Kuzna, the silver dragon with her long silver hair, and young Pasiyas, the red dragon, had taken human form and were speaking together.
- You, too. Where did you get such cruel words? You’ve only just given birth.
- He’s still young. That one is a dragon’s bloodline too. Don’t worry; he’s not weak.
- If dragons are dragons from the start, why is there a word “hatchling”? Fel. Come here.
- Yes!
The young, spunky child of that time leaped across the grass on all fours without even using his polymorph.
Perdikion, held in his mother’s arms, laughed happily while singing with Kuzna.
It felt as if time itself had wrapped itself around this place.
Perdikion stood with a rigid expression, lost in thoughts pushed into his heart.
The Imugi took out the mat from the picnic basket and spread it on the ground.
“Pii!”
Baekya jumped down from the Imugi’s head and began running around the mat.
The flat ground, covered with short, sturdy grass, looked ideal for sitting.
A few stones at the corners of the mat would make it comfortable.
The Imugi placed the picnic basket in the center and sat down, calling Perdikion out of his thoughts.
“Big brother, let’s sit here first.”
“Eeh. Yeah.”
Seeing Perdikion sit, the Imugi naturally took out bread, cookies, and warm milk.
Baekya, who had been looking back and forth between the Imugi and Perdikion, tilted his head, then flapped and flew straight into the basket.