Chapter 81
It would be useless to try and stop him.
He could endure taking the loss himself, but he could never tolerate it if Grace, if I, were the one losing.
‘He’ll probably try to restore me to the Head of House position first.’
…I don’t want that.
Ceres gently shook her head without even realizing it.
Becoming the Head of House of Ellsia again, that was truly something she wanted to refuse.
‘You want me to do that again?’
It was a short life—barely even reaching thirty.
Even so, she had no regrets. She had lived as Grace with all her might, without holding back.
That was why she didn’t want to continue the life of Grace Ellsia.
Her current life was enough.
‘Of course… I’m dirt poor, but still.’
Even though her debt increased just by waking up each day, it was surprisingly satisfying.
And so…
“Who is that?”
Ceres had no choice but to give this answer to Kainel, her longtime friend.
“Grace? Arthia?”
I’m sorry for leaving you alone, Kai.
I’m really sorry.
But just a little longer, I want to stay like this—just a little longer.
“…You don’t know?”
“Am I supposed to?”
“……”
Ceres didn’t avert her gaze at all as Kainel stared at her intently.
In the end, a short sigh escaped from his lips.
“That’s your answer?”
“Yeah.”
“You…”
Crack.
“…Crack?”
Just as Kainel tried to say something more, a strange sound echoed out.
Both Ceres and Kainel turned their eyes simultaneously toward the source of the noise.
It was the box lying at Ceres’ feet.
Something inside was making a breaking sound.
Tok… Crack……
Tok, tock……. Craack.
“That is…”
The source of the sound was the black egg inside the box. The very one that Arthia had brought 300 years ago to bury underground.
‘Wait, can we even call that a thing?’
‘You’re really going to put that in there?’
‘Yep!’
‘That’s the egg you found in the Black Forest last time, isn’t it?’
‘It is.’
‘Why are you burying it?’
‘It’s exhausting to keep staring at it every day.’
‘Then just don’t look at it.’
‘I can’t do that. My eyes keep going to it no matter what! I have to bury it to forget about it and not search for it.’
‘Do you even know what it is? What if something jumps out of it? You trying to blow up the Academy?’
‘Don’t worry, don’t worry. Someone once found a similar egg in the Black Forest, and it took at least 30 years to hatch. There’s no way it’ll hatch before we dig it up again.’
‘And what came out of the one that took over 30 years to hatch?’
‘An S-rank monster.’
‘…Kai, kill that bastard.’
‘Okay.’
‘Ah, I’m telling you it’s fine! Really! It’s totally harmless! They said it thinks the first person it sees is its mother and becomes super gentle!’
It was the egg they had found together at the site where they had first conquered the S-rank Black Forest.
The S-rank Black Forest was different from ordinary Black Forests.
Not only did black trees grow there, but even the environment inside would change in peculiar ways.
The Black Forest where they found that egg was like that, too.
A world covered completely in black.
And in that place, they found the black egg.
‘Why is it hatching now, of all times?’
Not after 30 years, but after 300 years!
Shouldn’t it have rotted away by now?
‘No, no!’
We should’ve dug it up before 30 years had passed in the first place! Damn it, Alti!
Tok, crackle!
Meanwhile, the black egg was diligently cracking.
It sounded like something inside was knocking hard against the shell to break it open.
“Kai! In front!”
Whoosh!
At Ceres’s shout, Kainel instinctively stepped forward—only to glance back at her in confusion.
You told me to go in front, but why are you backing away?
“I don’t want to be the ‘mother’ of some monster.”
You do it, you!
“……”
Kainel clicked his tongue inwardly.
She said she didn’t know who Grace was, and yet now she’s bringing up things only we would know. Seriously…
He subtly shook his head and stepped back a few paces.
“Why, why?”
Why are you backing away?
To Ceres’s puzzled look, he replied casually, as if stating the obvious.
“I’ll pass too. I don’t want to be a monster’s mother.”
Still, his eyes never left the egg, ready to draw his sword at any moment. In case something went wrong, he’d be ready to jump in.
Ceres frowned and poked at Kainel’s back.
“Don’t come back here. Stand in front of me.”
“No.”
“Come on. What if an actual S-rank monster comes out? Raise it well.”
Even as the two of them bickered, the sound continued to grow louder.
Crack! Crackle!
A strangely light, almost pleasant sound rang out, different from before, and both Ceres and Kainel froze.
At the same time, the black egg shattered completely, and something popped out.
[Bu-oo?]
“…What is that?”
What is that small, pitch-black blob?
Ceres peeked out from behind Kainel and studied the creature that emerged from the egg.
A black lifeform, just a bit bigger than an adult’s palm.
It even had tiny flapping wings on its back.
‘No matter how I look at it…’
…No, it can’t be.
Ceres hurriedly shook her head.
Alti, you bastard! What the hell did you throw in there?!
[Bu-oo?]
The little black creature blinked rapidly, unfamiliar with the suddenly bright world. After scanning its surroundings for a moment, it locked eyes with Ceres.
Then, flapping its tiny wings, it flew straight toward her.
“What the—?!”
Ceres quickly shoved Kainel forward to distance herself, but the black creature spun around and gently landed right on top of her head.
“Seems like Arthia got it wrong. It’s not that it chooses the first person it sees—just the one it likes.”
Kainel smirked and took a step back from Ceres.
Still, one thing the guy got right.
He said it wouldn’t be dangerous—and it really wasn’t.
Unlike Ceres, who was scowling in full displeasure, the creature resting on her head let out a happy purring sound.
“This thing… no matter how I look at it…”
“Looks like a dragon, right?”
“Have you ever seen a dragon this small?”
“Nope.”
I’ve never even heard of hatchlings being this small.
Ceres picked up the creature from her head and placed it in her hand.
[Pu-oo!]
Apparently displeased about being removed from her head, the black dragon grumbled.
Ceres let out a helpless laugh.
“So it really is S-rank.”
She wasn’t sure if something as legendary as a dragon should be called a monster, though.
[Bu-oo?]
The dragon was small enough to fit snugly in her palm. As befitted a newborn, it was bursting with curiosity.
It looked ridiculous, throwing a tantrum with such a tiny body, so she gently poked its forehead. It wobbled like a bobblehead before steadying itself.
[Bu-oo?]
Then, as if it had never caused a fuss, it sat calmly in the center of her palm with a docile expression.
It moved its short arms and grabbed hold of her thumb, trying hard to bring it to its mouth.
Watching it, Ceres let out a sigh.
‘What… are you?’
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