The Unyielding White Feather
And there is that leftover empty red ruby, which can serve as the salamander’s seal. Just bring me a little of it.
Rune first examined the red ruby that Jed had brought, verifying its mana structure.
‘If I copy the mana formula that allows salamanders to dwell in it and slightly modify it...’
After engraving the modified formula into the ruby pendant, it worked exactly as expected.
Since it was an unusually pure fire mana stone, it was the perfect vessel for the salamanders that Heungmi raised.
Heungmi hung the pendant around her neck and beamed with joy.
“Thank you, Master Rune! The little ones say they like it!”
“Good. Be careful not to lose it. The jewel was given by your older brother, so the thanks should go to Perdikion hyung as well.”
“Yes! Thank you, Perdikion hyung!”
“...”
Watching Heungmi bow her head, Perdikion’s eyes turned bitter.
‘It’s gone to Heungmi.’
The sparkling ruby pendant.
Perdikion’s gift was meant to be a heartfelt support for his little sister’s pure first love.
But for some reason, the precious ruby had returned to the servant brat.
Rune felt an oddly cooling mood and was only a little puzzled.
Verdin’s gaze following him from behind, or Jed poking around and asking about the surroundings as if sneaking away—
all because everyone was fussing over him more than usual, Rune hadn’t been able to slip away to meet the mermaid.
‘In the end, I only had time after the finals of the artisan festival.’
The banquet and preparations for the competition.
Today, with Perdikion and Verdin, the busiest people, as the host, was the only day Rune could finally breathe.
It was right then that the news of Heungmi being able to handle salamanders spread, drawing the dwarves’ interest.
They politely requested cooperation, saying it was rare and wondering if they could take a look.
Graciously accepting, Rune sent Jed along with Heungmi under the pretext of protecting her.
‘Finally, some freedom.’
Just as he was about to pull out the copy of the mana key, Baekya dived down from above.
“Piy!”
“...?”
“Why didn’t you go with Heungmi today?”
The curious voice made Baekya tilt his head and gaze up at him.
Then, with his white wings, he gently flapped and stroked Rune’s head.
“Pipi!”
Watching the bird spread his wings to cover Rune’s head and rub his cheek, something clicked.
‘Is this a tantrum?’
Baekya, who had been attached to Heungmi and acted like an older sibling until now.
But today, since Jed had gone with Heungmi, he had come for Rune alone.
‘Right, the imprinted effect made him treat me like a parent.’
The first being Rune had telepathically connected with after hatching, Baekya was special to him.
Rune raised his hand and gently stroked the little one.
‘No choice. At best, it’s just a bird, so I’ll take this much with me.’
Leaving Baekya behind, Rune activated the copy of the mana key.
Immediately a semi-transparent door opened, and he walked along the mana corridor.
Rune was now quite familiar with the path, but for Baekya it was the first time.
The white bird kept his feathers stiff and looked around curiously as he walked.
Before the water boundary.
Rune searched for the snowballs he had left behind in the dark deep sea last time.
‘Oh dear.’
There were traces of having touched it.
The problem was he hadn’t taken it.
‘Was this gift no good?’
The snowballs, shaped like a tilted blue dragon sleeping on the sand.
Rune stared at it for a moment, then crouched and pushed his hand beyond the water boundary.
Squish.
‘?’
At that moment, air bubbles suddenly rose sharply from behind a distant rock.
“...”
Rune pretended not to notice the sound and kept his gaze fixed on the snowballs.
‘If I suddenly act like I know, it’ll flee. Let’s just observe as if we don’t.’
Placing his hand on the glass, he poured mana as if checking if the snowballs were working properly.
The snowballs began to glow slowly, and the surrounding area brightened slightly.
Inside the bottle, the white snowflakes and sparkling blue dragon fragments scattered faint light.
After watching the shape for a moment, Rune reached to retrieve the snowballs, but a water-colored head peeked out from behind the rock.
It didn’t approach, however, but watched Rune and the snowballs with uneasy eyes.
‘It didn’t seem like he hated the gift.’
To confirm the mermaid’s intention, Rune pulled the snowballs a little closer.
“...!”
A startled mermaid face appeared.
White face with fins for ears.
The water-colored head, swaying slowly with the current, was dyed black in the middle.
Rune carefully watched the mermaid’s reaction, then secretly returned the snowballs to their original position.
The mermaid let out a sigh of relief and hid behind the rock again, only peeking out with her eyes.
“Piyi?”
At that moment, Baekya tilted his head and cried out.
“You can’t go in. If you fall into the deep sea, you’d be swept away by the current and never come back.”
Unlike Rune who had Dragon Skin, Baekya was just a soft, plump bird covered in fluffy feathers.
“Piy! Piyak!”
Whether he heard Rune’s words or not, Baekya kept flapping his short wings and twitching his body as if wanting to go through the door.
Then.
“...That... bird?”
A clear, pure, and delicate voice.
A slender, pure resonance that brought a refreshing feeling.
Rune noticed the mermaid was interested in Baekya and placed his two hands under the bird’s wings to lift it.
“Piy?”
“Is this what you’re talking about?”
Nod.
At some point, the mermaid, who had peeked from behind the rock, moved her head quietly.
“Yes. The name is Baekya.”
“Back... ya?”
The moment her name came from the mermaid’s mouth, Baekya tilted his head the opposite way.
“Piy?”
Pogl.
A short air bubble flowed from the mermaid’s mouth.
Looking at her mouth shape, it seemed like a light exclamation and a self-muttered “Baekya.”
Rune suddenly recalled what Jed had said.
“Women love sweet and cute edible things!”
“...”
Sweet and cute edible things?
Seeing Baekya, Rune shook his head in his mind and stopped the thought with “no way.”
In the meantime, the mermaid stared fixedly at Baekya without blinking.
“You can come closer to look.”
“...!”
But the mermaid hid herself behind the rock again.
Rune clicked his tongue.
‘I was too hasty.’
Fortunately, the mermaid didn’t run far and revealed her face again.
Trying to stay calm, Rune spoke as if nothing happened.
“I’m Rune. What’s your name?”
“...Ah, Amelia.”
“Piyak!”
‘As I thought.’
Amelia, the Water Dragon hatchling, flapped her wings and covered her face behind the rock again, looking at the crying Baekya.
“This little one greeted me.”
“Piyi. Piy.”
Fortunately, Baekya responded to Rune’s explanation.
Amelia hesitantly raised her head.
“Do you like this little one?”
“...”
Nod.
Seeing the tiny nod, Rune fell into thought for a moment.
‘Even if I try to touch it, it’ll run away again.’
The Blue Dragon hatchling who had lived in this deep sea for a long time.
Given her personality, which was far shyer than expected, he had to be careful.
‘Jed said even small accessories are fine, I guess.’
After pondering, Rune came up with a good idea.
“Baekya.”
“Pit?”
“Just one feather.”
“Pe...?”
Rune rummaged through Baekya’s underfeathers and gently plucked a suitably soft and well-grown one.
Pluck!
Fortunately, Baekya didn’t even realize his feather was plucked and just tilted his head curiously.
“Here. A keepsake for you.”
The phoenix feather that held eternal fire mana.
Rune engraved a mana formula that glowed on the feather.
‘The ability to draw mana formulas with Mana Cat’s Cradle is really useful.’
Hug.
The white feather, filled with Rune’s mana, began to emit a faint light.
He cast a water-repellent spell so the feather wouldn’t get wet, then placed it beside the snowballs.
Amelia’s gaze fixed on the phoenix feather and the snowballs.
‘Come to think of it, Jed’s advice was subtly useful.’
He had been mean lately, but the advice fit well and was useful.
Amelia, unable to look away from the feather.
Rune decided it was time to stop and brought Baekya forward.
“We’re going now. Baekya, say goodbye too.”
“Piyak!”
“Ah...”
Amelia looked a little flustered.
But she only slightly showed the tip of her tail with fluttering fins.
The mermaid didn’t stop the departing group or say goodbye.
As if unsure what to do, Rune spoke first.
“Come to think of it, didn’t you like the snowballs? Shall I put them away?”
The mermaid shook her head slowly.
And like someone just learning to speak, she slowly chose words one by one.
“Like... it. There. If I put it down, you... will come.”
‘Oh?’
Hearing Amelia’s answer, Rune rejoiced inwardly.
‘She was waiting for me. Unexpected harvest?’
Thinking again, it made sense.
A ruined place that even Blue Dragon hatchlings couldn’t believe was their home.
Not even the things they needed, let alone the hatchling’s protector, was visible.
Even for a water-attribute dragon, the surroundings were so desolate that warmth would be welcome.
‘Especially since he’s still young.’
Rune organized his thoughts leisurely.
From this situation, it seemed the path to gaining the mermaid’s trust was smooth.
“Really? Then it’s okay to come again next time?”
“...”
Watching the mermaid nod as if she might hide or not, Rune struggled to hide a smile that was about to appear.
“Good. Then I should go.”
“...”
Amelia looked a little regretful.
But since it was really time to leave, the conversation had to end here.
‘There was progress.’
Rune considered it a positive sign that Amelia was starting to express her emotions with non-verbal cues.
Considering the remaining wariness, it meant their closeness had increased significantly.
“See you again next time, Amelia.”
“Piyat!”
The two wings spread wide, Baekya stretched his body upward and flapped.
Amelia watched and hesitated, then slowly raised one hand and waved.
‘Good.’
Rune turned without hesitation.
It wouldn’t do to be too reckless, asking for the darkness to be crossed just yet.
‘Next time, I’ll bring something better.’
Since she seemed to like cute things, he planned to target that point even more.
‘But... why does it feel like I won’t get the power back until later?’
It looked like a long way.
But if successful, it was a task with huge rewards.
‘Yeah, since I’ll have a lot of power, I have to be careful.’
Imagining his future self with power, Rune lifted one corner of his mouth.
Meanwhile, Amelia only approached the place with the white feather very slowly after a long time had passed since Rune left.