You Can Count on Me
Rune guessed that Amelia’s sincerity had saved the day and turned this mess into something workable.
Christina picked up the thread for Rune.
“I somehow thought you were already acting like a fully grown dragon, and that this outcome would naturally follow. I never imagined I’d be mistaken like this.”
‘!’
It was shocking.
She had said “mistaken,” but it meant Christina had unconsciously grasped the heart of the entire matter.
Rune usually acted far more mature and sharp than any ordinary hatchling in order to move freely, yet with his young appearance it had still been impossible to feel like a grown dragon.
‘As expected of an ancient spirit who lived so long. Maybe she simply got lucky, but—’
In truth, Rune had lived as an Imugi for more than nine hundred and ninety-nine years.
Learning that Christina had seen straight through him sent a chill down Rune’s spine.
‘I’ll have to lighten up the training intensity a little and be more careful with everything else from now on.’
Unaware of Rune’s inner resolve, Christina gently stroked his round head and spoke with warm affection.
“You are precious to me. No matter how many years pass or how old you grow into a mature dragon, you will always remain my little, adorable child.”
“Kyuut.”
‘Please keep thinking that way.’
Though she had pierced the truth, Rune felt both surprised and grateful.
Finding someone who could offer unwavering sincerity was rare indeed.
‘After all that time living a thousand years, I’ve learned to see through lies.’
But the next words sent a chill racing down his spine.
“Still, you must receive proper punishment, Rune.”
“Kyu-uuk?”
‘Punishment?’
“Taking responsibility for the choices you made yourself is only fair. Even as a young hatchling, that is only natural.”
Christina straightened up and looked down at Rune.
“From now on, you will attend morning combat lessons every day.”
‘Every morning!’
“Kyu, kyu-u. Kyuu……”
Christina watched Rune freeze solid and slowly brushed her long hair aside with one hand.
“The three combat sessions every ten days will now become daily classes. Of course, the lazy breakfast-time lessons are over. This time you will train at full intensity.”
“Kyu-uu!”
‘She wasn’t actually planning to let it slide after all!’
The training had been too harsh for a hatchling.
Rune had just apologized for not looking childish enough, yet the shift from gentle words to iron discipline made him want to protest.
Rune had always loved training, but sparring with Christina was a level far beyond what any martial artist could handle.
The future where Rune would be walloped by Christina already loomed before his eyes.
As if answering Rune’s shock, Christina continued.
“To help others, you must first possess the strength to do so. Now that you belong to a clan, don’t you think you should learn how to wield that power?”
Her words were not wrong.
Yet since she had called it “punishment” instead of training, there was no way this would be a pure lesson.
“Fine. Since you’ve already brought it up, I’ll let you experience the kind of lesson I have in mind.”
‘Is this some kind of pre-training?’
Rather than agonizing over the unknown, Rune decided it would be better to know what he was facing and prepare his mind.
When Rune hesitated to answer, Christina added more details.
“I said ‘punishment,’ but once you master it, you will become skilled at handling power. I possess the light element, which is the opposite of yours.”
‘!’
The offer was tempting.
He had only just gained clan power, and using it against a specific target felt dangerously unstable.
Yet Christina, the ancient gold dragon, could easily counter whatever Rune possessed.
‘Perfect. This is the ideal opponent to test my strength against. Besides, I’ve been dying to fight someone seriously once or twice.’
To Rune, who had only ever fought at the level of a ten-year-old hatchling, this proposal was a long-awaited chance to unleash the power he had held back.
“Of course, if you aren’t confident, I won’t force you.”
Christina tilted her head in a light challenge. Rune silently clenched his fist.
‘Maybe this is the chance I’ve been waiting for—to finally fight Christina on equal terms.’
Excitement surged through him.
Rune met Christina’s eyes and nodded firmly.
“Kuu!”
[Good. I’ll give it a try.]
Though he sensed she had set a trap, he decided to let it pass.
“Let’s move to the new location.”
Click.
Christina snapped her fingers, and both of them vanished from the spot.
***
The place Christina brought them was a vast, empty hall lined with several ancient statues.
It was nearly as large as a small village, surrounded by a colossal white dome with no windows on any side. The feeling of being trapped never arose.
Rune sensed the unnatural atmosphere and sharpened his senses to feel the surrounding mana.
‘Mana is flowing with pure light.’
Subtle rays of light and steady mana. Christina’s lair came to mind at once.
“This is a space I created myself. Using a clan’s power, I can open an inner dimension like this.”
“Kyu-a.”
[Amazing.]
Rune’s hatchling wonder showed as he surveyed the hall.
The walls and statues were not ordinary metal but condensed light mana.
Every detail was breathtakingly precise, and Rune felt awe rise from his deep mastery of mana.
[This level of concentrated light mana is something I’ve never seen before.]
“You will be able to create something like this one day.”
Light gathered in front of Rune and began to form transparent blue crystal orbs.
Each hexagonal orb grew larger as new crystals appeared at every corner, creating a sky full of sparkling snowflake patterns in mid-air.
‘To think I can now wield mana on such a grand, refined scale.’
The crystal sky eventually faded, yet the gap between them was clear enough.
Christina folded her arms and gave a small nod.
“In this space, you may unleash every bit of your power without fear of harm. Do you understand what that means?”
[Of course.]
The answer was simple.
[If only light mana exists in this place, I can freely bring out every bit of my darkness.]
“Exactly right.”
After confirming his understanding, Rune spread darkness around himself.
The swirling black veil stood out sharply against the sea of light.
“My darkness is incredibly strong, but it is also a cruel power that devours anything. Use it as much as you like.”
Christina smiled lazily and waved her hand.
Ripples of light shimmered like heat haze, the white walls warped, and an ancient city of towers and buildings appeared.
It was a city from a thousand years ago—imposing yet somehow desolate, yet strangely beautiful.
“Means and methods don’t matter. Find me inside this light city.”
[Hmm…… is this hide-and-seek?]
‘That sounds too easy.’
Rune thought the game was childish, but Christina’s gentle smile hid a playful glint.
“What an adorable idea, Rune.”
‘!’
Though she had carefully controlled the energy, the pressure felt suffocating.
It was like standing inside the territory of a wild beast—tense, dangerous.
Yet at the same time, electricity raced from the base of his tail all the way up to his crown.
Unlike before, the feeling was not just nerves.
This was…… the thrill of having a worthy opponent to test himself against.
‘I really have grown since then.’
Rune, only a few months ago, would have been crushed by her pressure. Now he calmly spread darkness outward.
A quiet war between light and darkness had begun.
Rune’s mana pressed against her domain, steadily expanding as it did not yield to Christina’s pressure.
Though young, the darkness was a force capable of threatening her light.
Christina’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
“The vessel of darkness is so vast. Your innate talent is truly wondrous.”
The inky shadows greedily swallowed the light and spread across the city.
Where shadows passed, the walls looked as though they had been erased with an eraser, revealing the original white surface.
Light then gathered once more where darkness had passed, resurrecting the ancient cityscape.
“I wonder how well you will perform.”
Christina’s figure wavered and split into several copies.
Each version had slightly different appearances, expressions, and clothing as she began to stroll through the city.
Short hair, braided locks, every hairstyle imaginable, and women of every age walked with glowing vitality.
It was a perfect illusion created from light mana.
Among the illusory Christinas, the one standing closest to Rune spoke gently.
“One hour. Find the real me within that time.”
Rune tried to grab her, but first surveyed the surroundings.
Everything was an illusion, yet the city mixed real and fake elements.
Rune stood in the center of the square.
‘Multiple targets. Good practice material. The simplest method first.’
Rune slowly drew out his power to cover the entire space with darkness.
The city’s daylight vanished instantly, turning the scene into a dark night without even a sunset.
The sight felt like magic that had transcended time.
Darkness rushed forward and devoured the city’s light with greedy hunger.
But the darkness lasted only a moment. As Rune’s young hand waved, light poured from the sky between the shadows and the city reappeared.
Rune gazed at the ever-bright city in thought.
‘One hour. Creating a space like this for that long is nothing for me.’
Rune already knew the answer Christina had given.
Sorry to the unsuspecting Christina, but darkness, curses, and poison were powers he had mastered since his Imugi days.
‘It would be strange if I solved it instantly. This is also a chance to test my strength, so let me try.’
Since this was the perfect place to use darkness freely, Rune decided to take his time.
He pretended not to notice and poked the thick darkness with his front paw as if touching the walking Christina.
Swoosh!
Sudden intense light rained down from the ceiling.
‘!’
Rune reacted instantly, sensing something dangerous. The spot he had occupied melted as if acid had been splashed on it.
The melted area soon cleared, revealing a clean city street.
‘This is—’
Unrestrained light-magic attack, illusionary space, even dragon skin proved useless against the rays.
Rune, who had witnessed the merciless assault, changed his plan to find a slow solution.