Chapter 43
Dragons were famous for cherishing their young.
Especially if the egg had not yet hatched, they would protect it with all their strength.
So, normally, a dragon egg without parents should not exist.
Except in very rare cases.
“Master, an unclaimed egg was discovered in the valley of the wastelands!”
“An abandoned egg? What kind of monster—griffin? Gargoyle?”
“No… according to this letter, it seems to be a dragon egg.”
“……What?”
Sometimes such eggs were found.
If the parent dragon had died by accident, or if it could not return to brood the egg.
A normal creature’s egg would simply die if left alone.
But dragons were different.
Even as eggs, hatchlings had the ability to survive.
Without warmth, they slowed their growth, stopped their heartbeat, and adjusted their metabolism, like dragons entering hibernation.
They would wait until their parents returned—
whether it took ten years, a hundred, or a thousand.
Like seeds buried in frozen ground, waiting for spring.
“It was found when a merchant wagon fell into the valley. The guards felt suspicious energy, so they dared not touch it and only watched. But now that we know its true nature, should we destroy it…?”
“Wait.”
Among demons, the custom was to destroy abandoned dragon eggs in secret, never letting dragons know.
Because a grown dragon was too dangerous.
So the subordinate expected that order.
But Bagis Fedwick thought differently.
“No one else knows of this yet, right?”
“……No. Only us.”
“When was that egg abandoned?”
“The last record of a dragon in that valley goes back a thousand years. And even that record is weak—we don’t know what dragon it was, if it died, or why it left the egg.”
That only deepened Fedwick’s interest.
The report also said the eggshell shone faintly gold.
“A gold dragon.”
Gold dragons were extremely rare now.
In the Demon Realm, legends claimed they symbolized wealth and prosperity.
Where a gold dragon lived, it was said gold would never run out.
Bagis Fedwick did not believe such myths.
If gold dragons truly brought blessings, demons would not have fought them so fiercely through history.
But still—he decided to hatch it.
“Seal the site immediately. Send people and resources in secret. And search for records of eggs hatching without parents! Only a tiny few in the guild must know.”
Bagis Fedwick didn’t believe in legends.
He believed in money.
And he knew some demon lords were foolish enough to believe such tales.
“To a demon lord, it would be like a charm to revive their land. They’ll drool over it.”
The higher one’s status, the more they clung to absurd stories.
“If it hatches, the hatchling will sell for a price beyond imagination!”
Bagis Fedwick was a merchant to the bone.
“Think. If trained well, they could command a dragon as their servant. At least one demon lord will fall for the temptation!”
He first thought of moving the egg to headquarters.
But old records showed it must be brooded in a place thick with mana.
The valley where it was found was exactly that.
Too much mana for ordinary creatures, but perfect for dragons.
So he sent trusted men to create a secret hatching site there.
And for the egg, it was both fortune and misfortune—
they succeeded.
The egg cracked.
A gold dragon hatchling was born.
Slash!
After hearing this story, Ludwig swung his sword.
The merchant soldiers tied with ropes died instantly, unable to scream.
“These bastards really lost their minds.”
The interrogation was over.
Now they knew exactly what Bagis Fedwick had done.
But one piece of information was still missing.
Ariella carefully approached the chained dragon.
Ludwig tried to stop her.
“Hey, give it up.”
The hatchling was locked in heavy restraints.
Even the guards said they didn’t know how to break them.
“Taking the hatchling with us is impossible. We can’t break the bindings. Let’s leave and return later—”
Ariella shook her head.
“If our intrusion is discovered, there won’t be a second chance. They’ll smuggle it away. And that child is suffering right now. We must free it.”
The hatchling had been bound and forced into obedience training since the moment it hatched.
To make it docile when sold to a demon lord.
Its eyes had been blindfolded from the start.
‘So they covered its eyes before it even saw the world?’
It was because of the legend—
that a dragon would imprint on the first thing it saw after hatching, like a bird.
Fedwick planned to remove the blindfold in front of the buyer.
Which meant the hatchling had never once seen the world, even though its eyes were perfectly fine.
‘How could they do this, even as demons?’
The hatchling growled through the gag as Ariella came closer.
“Grrr—!”
All their obedience training had failed.
The dragon’s instincts refused to submit.
It tried to spread its wings threateningly, but the chains clanged, holding it down.
Ariella remembered—it could still hear voices.
She spoke gently.
“We’re here to free you.”
“Grrr!”
“You don’t need to be chained here anymore. We’ll take you out.”
“……Grr?”
The hatchling’s violent movements slowed.
It tilted its head slightly, as if listening.
“We are not the ones who trapped you. We came from elsewhere.”
“……”
“You don’t belong here. Do you know how wide this world is? We’ll set you free.”
The hatchling seemed to understand.
“Let’s go. Outside.”
Its wings, puffed up in threat, folded.
Its claws, ready to strike, withdrew.
‘Good.’
Ariella exhaled softly.
“Let’s get rid of these cursed shackles.”
She reached carefully toward the bindings.
Ludwig gripped his sword, ready.
If the hatchling lashed out, he would act first.
Her fingers touched the restraint.
The dragon shuddered, but did not resist.
‘Thank goodness.’
Ariella scanned the wounds where scales had been crushed and torn by the metal.
The sight made her grit her teeth.
She vowed to free it—then focused on the artifact’s flow of mana.
As she studied, she understood how the energy moved and suppressed the dragon.
‘Terrible!’
The more she examined, the clearer it was.
Any other race would’ve died already.
The tool radiated malice, even through its magical structure.
“Ariella!” Ludwig urged.
“Shh!”
She concentrated, analyzing the signals.
Her eyes narrowed.
“…I think I can break it.”
“……?”
“But I need your help.”
Her mana was nearly drained from the invisibility spell.
She could forcefully pull on Ludwig’s power again, but not here, in enemy territory.
If he fainted, it would be disaster.
“Touch here.”
Ludwig hesitated but stepped forward.
The hatchling growled again.
Ariella placed her palm on its forehead, soothing it.
“Easy. See? He’s here to help you too. He’s not an enemy.”
“……Grrr.”
Reluctantly, Ludwig placed his hand on the restraint.
“Follow my lead with your mana.”
He pushed mana in carefully.
But to Ariella, it was clumsy.
‘He’s good at smashing and burning things, but this…’
Unable to bear it, she put her hand firmly over his.
“……?”
Ludwig’s back muscles stiffened at her touch.
Ariella ignored it and said,
“Follow me. I’ll guide you.”
She sent a faint flow of mana.
It looped through Ludwig’s palm and into the restraint.
Because it passed through him, he could feel the movement clearly too.
He followed her path, pouring his own strong mana in.
How long did it take?
Clang!
The restraint on the dragon’s foreleg shattered with a loud noise.
