The Unresolved Riddle
Hesitating yet still following Rune into the passage, Amelia entered.
Splash!
Standing before the passage utterly devoid of any moisture, Amelia transformed into her human form.
Her fish fins vanished, replaced by two legs touching the ground.
For the first time leaving the deep sea, the girl opened her mouth wide, then slowly inhaled the air.
The air... tastes... like this...
"Kyuu."
Rune nodded, slowly wagging his tail.
Baekya flew curiously around Amelia before darting off at Rune's request toward the end of the passage leading to the Black Room.
It was to stand guard and alert them if Christina came looking.
Rune pulled out jars from his subspace pouch: peanut butter cookies, strawberry cake, lemon chiffon, and vanilla pudding.
"Kyuuu."
Amelia's eyes sparkled with wonder at the unfamiliar desserts.
Yet she also glanced around cautiously.
Can I... really eat them...?
Of course. I'll show you how, so watch closely.
With a gesture of his black paw, Amelia sat obediently.
Rune handed her a fork and stabbed deeply into the cake with a soft poke.
"Haaap."
The black hatchling's mouth filled with fluffy cake topped with airy whipped cream.
As expected from Christina's cake. It's always delicious.
Rune raised a paw, pointing at the cake to mimic him.
Like... this...?
Amelia gingerly poked the cake with her fork.
Poke.
"Kyuu."
That's right.
He had taken Jed's advice to heart, stocking up on the cutest, sweetest treats.
And now he could unveil them at the perfect moment.
Amelia finally slipped a bit of white cream and cake into her mouth.
As she chewed, she covered her mouth with her other hand, her face lighting up in shock.
Heavenly bliss!
The first happy flavor she'd ever tasted filled her mouth, her eyes widening at the sweet stimulation.
The mana-infused food began invigorating her body.
Her weary form, long burdened by darkness, felt a momentary ease.
I-it's so good...! My body doesn't hurt! How can food like this... exist?
Just as expected.
It was a taste that would make even the blind see stars.
Though merely suppressing pain temporarily, Amelia, catching her breath, eagerly reached for more of the novel cake.
Without waiting for Rune's reply, Amelia stuffed strawberry cake into her mouth, her eyes sparkling.
...!
The girl trembled, fork in hand, swallowing the sweetness before asking.
Wh-what's... this called?
Strawberry. Personally, spreading cream and jam on the bread together makes it harmonious and delicious.
At that point, Rune glanced at Dullahan.
Dullahan had stayed behind in the deep sea, not crossing into the passage.
Seizing the moment while Amelia was engrossed in her first cake and cookies, Rune signaled Dullahan lightly.
Scout the surroundings and report back.
Dullahan's form vanished instantly into the deep sea.
Rune... aren't you... going to eat...?
"Kkuu."
Rune picked up a salt butter bread from the snacks.
I've had plenty of sweet pastries lately. This is fine.
I see...
Amelia gazed down at Rune thoughtfully, then picked up a salt butter bread and nibbled delicately.
Moist, soft texture with a savory, nutty saltiness.
The rich butter flavor filled her mouth, bringing surprise.
Immersed in wonder, Amelia smiled awkwardly but happily.
Th-thank you...
You're welcome.
The outside world... has so many... amazing things...
Pretty much. The Mokoji Stone I gave you earlier too. They're constantly being developed and invented.
Amelia chewed happily, returning a bright smile as her answer.
The mermaid asked with eager anticipation.
C-can I... one day... go out too...?
Of course. Oh, try this too—it's my special creation.
...?
Rune offered her potato chips baked crisp with honey and butter.
As Amelia savored the new snack in bliss, Rune watched the deep sea beyond her back.
Swish.
Dullahan emerged from the darkness, his green soul glowing.
In his hand was a torn, glossy leather hide.
As expected.
Rune signaled calmly that he'd confirmed it, without alerting Amelia.
Soon, the hide slipped from Dullahan's hand, mixing into the currents and drifting away.
Real combat will have to wait.
What Dullahan had brought was the hide of a sea monster.
Rune had ordered scouting, not hunting.
Meaning Dullahan had encountered a monster during recon.
And it meant he had to kill it and bring back the hide.
Rune felt a displeased twinge inside, as he'd already suspected the reason.
I hoped not, but it's cursed after all.
The Blue Dragon lair.
No signs of life or monsters besides Amelia—because everything had been swallowed by darkness and fallen asleep.
Yet recently, Dullahan sensed other monsters during training and warned Rune.
Thanks to me gradually absorbing it, Amelia's darkness is fading.
That's when he realized.
If he absorbed all the darkness, not only would Amelia's parents awaken, but so would the spirits, creatures, and sea monsters buried in the deep sea.
I sent him to confirm, and he had to kill it instead of just subduing...
Not a good sign.
In the worst case, we might face Blue Dragons corrupted by the darkness.
He'd wanted Amelia to gain real combat experience to intensify her training.
So she could grow strong enough to awaken her parents.
But if the monsters weren't normal, and the Blue Dragons weren't either?
No guarantees they're fine. I need to prepare for the worst.
Forcing combat against cursed monsters might lead her thoughts to her parents' state.
Panic without preparation could make the young Blue Dragon hatchling act recklessly.
Rune glanced sideways.
Amelia appeared, cheeks flushed with excitement as she cupped them, eyeing the pudding.
Contingency plan.
He needed the power of this mere mermaid hatchling.
Unaware of Rune's thoughts, the girl scooped soft vanilla pudding into her mouth and rolled it around.
Wow... so soft and squishy... f-first time...
Glad it suits you. Eat plenty.
Yeah...! These cookies... are really good too. Thank... you, Rune.
It was instinct.
To resolve this, Amelia needed to grow.
Blissfully unaware, Amelia crunched the cookies with a smile.
After returning Amelia to the deep sea, Rune headed back to the Black Room with Dullahan.
Clank, clank.
"Kyuuuhh..."
Sea monsters are manageable, but factoring in adult Blue Dragons...
A sigh escaped him naturally.
Dullahan understood Rune's feelings, his green glow dimming darkly.
"Pyaak!"
Baekya, on lookout at the passage entrance, flew up eagerly and perched on Rune's head, chirping.
Carefree bird.
Ignoring the oblivious bird, Rune sat anywhere in the room and pondered.
Time to sort this out step by step. I need a breakthrough.
The Water Clan's trait was purification.
That's why the exterminated Black Dragon's darkness power was entrusted to the Blue Dragons.
Even cursed, if Blue Dragons could regain their senses enough to activate their innate purification, it would work.
First, I need to identify the curse properly.
It wasn't simple sleep.
Otherwise, Dullahan wouldn't have killed the monster and brought its hide.
Not like he killed a startled beast that just woke up. So...?
After deep thought, Rune sighed heavily.
Rabies.
No physical marks, but a state of heightened aggression.
Even if Rune reclaimed all of Amelia's darkness, he couldn't cure those already afflicted.
She doesn't know, but learning the truth would shock her badly.
Amelia bearing the darkness was like keeping a black pearl in pure, cold water.
A child with pure water power, not clashing with the darkness.
A being who wouldn't misuse that power selfishly.
Amelia fit both conditions perfectly.
But the darkness— the clan's essence—was too potent for a young Blue Dragon hatchling.
She couldn't contain it all.
The curse couldn't be fully purified and instead corrupted everything.
Power beyond one's grasp invites catastrophe.
Ultimately, the uncontained power spread through the deep sea, trapping the entire lair in a massive curse.
Like ink from a burst black pearl in water.
No one near the Dragon lair escaped the darkness.
Amelia's parent dragons.
Marine life and monsters dwelling nearby.
Even those under the Water Clan's blessing.
The dungeon probably didn't survive unscathed either.
The Blue Dragon lair housed a Water Dungeon.
Usually impervious to external influences, but if the entire lair was overtaken by darkness and curse, it was different.
It's become a cursed dungeon.
An aquatic dungeon warped by prolonged darkness and curse.
What it would become as the darkness lifted was unimaginable.
This made Amelia's potential stand out anew.
Even in that situation, she maintained nearly half her attribute purity. Something adult Blue Dragons couldn't do.
Surviving alone at the epicenter for so long was impressive.
But mere survival wasn't enough.
When the darkness lifted and the madness-stricken awoke to rampage.
That water-hued girl would blame herself for not enduring more darkness.
If she sees her parents lost to madness right before her eyes, the shock would be immense.
An unforeseen conundrum.
Tell Christina?
If no other way, explaining to Christina and seeking help could be an answer.
But Rune shook his head.
Then she wouldn't let me take the darkness until I become a full adult. Christina prioritizes my safety above all.
She might make a colder decision than expected.
Understanding it as the cursed Blue Dragons' choice, she could leave them to their fate and prioritize protecting Amelia and Rune.