CHAPTER 80……………………………..
You know that.
It’s not like hatchlings are just scattered everywhere in the world. Still, I’m not confident I can handle one.
‘Wait, didn’t it say it knew where something sparkled?’
If it’s a place full of jewels or minerals…, maybe it’s not such a bad deal after all.
-But why did you suddenly come to me?
-Beggar, you smell nostalgic.
-Nostalgic?
-Yes, it’s a smell I smelled a long, long time ago.
Well, that’s abstract.
I don’t even know how far back it’s talking about.
-So what do you say, beggar? Don’t you want a rare pet?
Never in my life did I think I’d see a dragon calling itself a “pet” and throwing a tantrum to be adopted.
-Huh?!
The hatchling shoved its face forward uncomfortably close.
Esther sighed. Dragons grow eccentric as they age, and she wasn’t sure she had the will to handle that.
“Nostalgic smell, huh….”
Even if it was only a half-baked hatchling, a dragon was still a dragon.
They didn’t usually say meaningless things.
Which meant—
This little one really did smell something nostalgic in her.
“Nostalgic smell, huh….”
Who could it be referring to?
After a long silence, Esther finally nodded.
-Good choice! Beggar master!
Should I just throw this brat away?
Esther changed her mind in a single second.
It was a few days later when Esther arrived at the ruins of the Surtr Kingdom.
What had happened in the meantime? …She had realized that Freyja was far stronger a warrior than she had imagined.
She was strong.
Perhaps… even stronger than Kaelos.
‘So that’s why Father couldn’t do a thing against her….’
If you could slice charging monsters in half with a single swing and swat away dragons like flies, then yes—it made sense.
And the moment Esther stepped into the Surtr Kingdom, she was struck speechless.
KWOAAAAH!!
With a deafening roar, some unknown beast bared its fangs, drooling as it howled. The gust tossed Esther’s hair wildly.
“…Oh.”
It was literally a paradise of beasts.
…thought Esther, her face dripping with drool from the creature.
‘…Wait, was the country always like this?’
No, it wasn’t.
It wasn’t!!
Didn’t they say it was safe?!
When Esther turned her head, she saw the two of them calmly drawing their swords as if they had expected this all along.
No, seriously—don’t draw your swords like you’re some heroic monster-hunting party.
“M-Mother… Father?”
“Yes? What’s wrong, my dear child?”
When Esther called out in a sour voice, Freyja immediately bent down, looking at her with worry.
“Seems the monster’s roar frightened her. I should have brought earplugs.”
“Ah, is that it? Then just cover your ears tightly with your hands.”
That’s the problem?
There are monsters swarming right in front of us!
Hearing such misplaced advice, Esther slowly turned her head back.
‘Something’s wrong… this isn’t normal.’
Freyja casually scooped Esther into one arm and began dashing straight through the pack of beasts.
Behind them, the hatchling flapped along.
-Why are you flapping your wings like that? You can fly without using them.
Because even now, it was flying with no wing movement at all.
So those flaps were nothing but an act.
Dangling its arms and toddling after them, the hatchling tilted its head.
-Because…
-Because?
-Because it’s cuter this way! Creatures like me have to express maximum cuteness, or the world suffers. I mean, it’s unfair how cute I am.
-…….
-And besides, I’m a genius. Cute and a genius? Honestly, that’s not a bond a beggar master like you deserves. Rare, really rare.
-…….
-And on top of that, I’m THIS cute!
With that, the hatchling flapped its wings and poked its own cheek with a stubby hand.
-Genius, cute, and strong too!
A fierce surge of mana flared around it.
The beasts chasing the group froze, shuddered, then bolted the opposite way.
-See? How could I not show it off?
The hatchling puffed up its shoulders and blew a sharp snort.
Should I really just ditch it?
Esther scowled.
‘As if anything in this world could be cuter and more of a genius than me.’
Shaking her head at the self-absorbed hatchling, she couldn’t help but pity the creature.
“Mother, were there always this many monsters here?”
“No, not originally. But after the kingdom fell, beasts began to gather little by little. Something in this land may be drawing them.”
Esther nodded. Oddly enough, she felt comfortable here.
That strange sense of dissonance she usually felt was gone.
It was as if she had finally returned to where she belonged.
‘Since there was long exchange with the demonkind, it makes sense… though no one knows exactly what’s hidden here.’
“This land has become a paradise for beasts,” Freyja said.
Nestled in her mother’s arms, Esther glanced around.
Paradise indeed.
On the pitch-black earth, beasts lounged in leisure.
Newborns, elders—it was like a great plain full of animals at rest.
They felt more like wary guardians of their paradise than mindless monsters.
‘Beasts, huh….’
In the end, they were just a corrupted form of demons.
Esther stared blankly for a moment, then buried her face against Freyja’s shoulder.
‘…I’m going to puke.’
All the jolting movement churned her stomach violently.
“We’re almost there, my child. Over there—that’s our homeland, the Surtr Kingdom.”
Esther clamped her hand over her mouth, trying to hold it in.
“So moved, are you?”
‘No, I’m about to throw up.’
“As expected of my child. Blood always recognizes its birthplace, its origin.”
‘No, it’s just that you’re running too fast, and my stomach can’t take it.’
She covered her mouth with both hands now.
“I truly love this land. To tell you a secret…”
‘Can’t you check on my condition first…?’
“This land’s soil has always been this black.”
I can’t hold it anymore.
“Bleeegh!”
Esther hurled over Freyja’s shoulder.
‘Ah, damn it….’
At first it felt good here, but…
The mana was too overflowing. It made her nauseous.
-Hey!
Esther’s head lolled forward.
-Hey, beggar master!
The hatchling’s voice grew faint.
-Don’t tell me you’re passing out again?! No!!
The hatchling screamed and rushed to her side.
‘I’m falling asleep again….’
Her eyes flickered shut.
-YAAAAAH!!
Just as Esther, drunk on mana like a heavy drunkard, was slipping into unconsciousness—
SMACK!
SMACK!
Her cheeks burned, her head snapping side to side.
Esther’s eyes flew open.
-Don’t die! Don’t die! Beggar master, don’t die!!
SMACK!
SMACK!
Her cheeks, already puffed and swollen, were being mercilessly slapped. Esther glared at the hatchling with force.
Somehow, she was lying in a bed inside the castle now.
The hatchling was perched on top of her, noticing the mana surging around her, tears streaming down its face.
-Beggar master! You woke up!
The little dragon leapt at her in relief.
But Esther’s hand shot up and grabbed its head.
Dangling by its skull, the hatchling squirmed in her grip.
-Huh…?
-Hey….
-B-Beggar master…? That hurts…
Mana crackled around Esther’s hand, amplifying her strength.
-Hurts?
-Y-Yeah, it hurts! B-beggar master?!
-Do you not see my cheeks you slapped?
Esther smiled wide.
Her once pale cheeks were red and swollen, making her look almost like a puffed-up fish.
-Look at what you did to my cute face. Do you even realize?
-I-I don’t….
-Don’t? Then take a good look.
Esther conjured a square box of ice, perfectly sized to fit a single hatchling.
Then she dropped it in and sealed the lid.
-B-Beggar master! I-I hate the cold!
-I hate being hurt too.
It was well-known that black dragons were vulnerable to cold.
Esther beamed as she levitated the box into the air.
-B-Beggar master?
-Next time, try thinking before you act. I’m saying this for your sake. Got it?
-Y-Yeah! I got it! So let me out, beggar master!
-Oh, one more thing. If you call me “beggar master” one more time… I’ll rip off your wings and freeze them into a trophy.
-Eeek!
Esther spun the box playfully in the air, then tossed it straight out the window—
Right into a crowd of beasts.
-YAAAAAAHH!!
The hatchling’s scream nearly split the air, but Esther didn’t care.
The box soared in a perfect arc.
‘Not bad, huh?’
Esther smirked at her own handiwork.
