EWH Chapter 83

[Well, it is an egg.]

At that nonchalant response, Nathan examined the egg again. The egg, about the size of his hand, was hard to believe as a dragon’s egg. Usually, when one thinks of a dragon’s egg, they imagine a huge egg, but the one in front of him now was much smaller than even an ostrich egg. If you asked anyone, ninety-nine out of a hundred would probably dismiss it as just a slightly large stone.

But is this really a dragon’s egg?

“Isn’t it too small? Usually, a dragon’s egg is… about this big, isn’t it?”

Nathan muttered doubtfully, unconsciously tracing a large oval shape in the air with his hand. Seeing this, Calypse spoke with interest.

[Oh? You’re surprisingly close. That’s right, usually they are.]

“Then what about this one?”

[Sometimes, deception is necessary for survival. This place was the safest space possible, but that was when I was alive. For this little one that had to be left behind after my death, it’s not really a good environment. So I must have cast a spell before closing my eyes. What do you think, doesn’t it look just like one of the many stones you’d find on the roadside?]

“…Now that you mention it, it does. If you hadn’t told me, even I would have just thought it was a slightly egg-shaped stone and passed it by.”

Nathan crouched down and reached out to tap the egg. Indeed, it felt like a stone.

[But this makes one thing clear.]

“Huh?”

Nathan, who had been tapping the egg with his hand, reflexively asked.

[It wasn’t a dragon that came in here. I don’t know what race it was, but from past experience, it’s obvious it was humans. And they must all be humans who have broken taboos.]

Calypse’s gleaming green eyes took on a chilling light. From the start, dragons couldn’t even approach his nest, and it was a place that ordinary humans couldn’t dare to approach or find. This was because magic different from what they used was thickly spread, forming a formation. But there were some who could come here. Those who, like Calypse, had broken taboos could do so.

The reason Calypse naturally assumed the intruders here were human was that during his lifetime, it was particularly humans who would break taboos whenever they felt bored. They broke them when life was unstable, and they broke them even when it was peaceful. As unpleasant memories surfaced, Calypse shook his head as if to shake off the thoughts.

[Tsk, it was a wasted trip. Let’s go back. I came thinking there might be something to help you, but…]

“What? We’re leaving just like this?”

Nathan hurriedly asked back, dumbfounded. They had just barely made it here, and now they’re leaving right away? Empty-handed? After all the trouble to get here…! Nathan momentarily felt a headache coming on and let out a small groan while holding his forehead.

“Then what about this, this egg?”

[…Well. I’m not sure if a new dragon will be born from it, so why bother?]

The voice saying this was quite indifferent.

[If you really don’t want to leave empty-handed, then fine, take that. …Well, it wouldn’t be bad to use it for your magic practice.]

“What? No, magic practice… Isn’t this like your child or something?”

[What?]

At that moment, Calypse burst into laughter as if he had heard a very funny joke, his laughter echoing through the cavern. His massive body shook greatly. After laughing for a while, Calypse finally stopped when he saw Nathan’s face crumple.

[Ha, you say amusing things. Did you think that was my child? Oh, human, human. We don’t have the concept of parent and child like you do. That is just another me. You know what? We live eternally. Death is just a moment for us. We repeat the cycle of dying and being reborn. Each time, the memories of our past life are not lost but fully inherited in the present.]

Being reborn with all the memories of past lives intact… It somehow seemed similar to the Buddhist concepts of reincarnation and rebirth. But if that’s the case, shouldn’t he want to take this egg now and hatch it? According to what he said, that small egg was Calypse himself. Even though there might be a chance to be born anew, this dragon in the book was acting as if it was someone else’s story. So Nathan couldn’t help but ask.

“…Then shouldn’t we not leave it like this?”

[Of course, for an ordinary dragon, that would be the case. That’s why I said, I didn’t expect it to be left neglected like this.]

Calypse let out a noticeable sigh.

[Originally, another dragon would have been taking care of this egg. That’s usually how it is. But Calypse was in a state of being ostracized even by other dragons. The only one he had any interaction with was Bella, but as you can see, it seems she didn’t help. Well, I understand…]

As he said this, Calypse nodded his head. There wasn’t a trace of resentment towards Belganus in his voice. Rather, he just muttered in a voice that suggested he understood such behavior, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

[Well, it might be better not to be born at all.]

Soon after, Calypse’s form began to blur. At the same time, black smoke suddenly spread in all directions before quickly disappearing. Once again, only Calypse’s voice could be heard.

[Let’s go now. There’s no point in staying any longer in a place with nothing to gain.]

“…I’m going to take the egg anyway. What about these bones?”

[There’s not much we can do about them right now. You don’t have the strength to carry them out, and we can’t divide them up to carry either. We’ll have to come back later when we have more time. Tsk, if it weren’t for that meddler, we wouldn’t be so bound by time. There’s not a single thing I like about this!]

Knowing who the “meddler” he was referring to, Nathan just laughed awkwardly. Indeed, if it weren’t for Azar, they certainly wouldn’t have needed to move at night or hurry back before sunrise.

Nathan reached out and grasped the small egg. It really felt like holding a stone that fit in one hand. He felt fortunate that it was small in volume. He already had to hold the book in one hand and the lamp in the other, so what if the egg had been larger? With his hands full and only his trouser pockets and robe pockets available, he would have ended up giving up on the egg and returning empty-handed.

Nathan put the egg into his pocket and was about to get up when Calypse’s next words drew his attention to the blue flowers.

[Ah, right. If you can take those flowers too, take one. One is enough.]

“Why the flower?”

[It’s for your medicine.]

“…This?”

Nathan blinked blankly. The flower didn’t seem particularly special. It was just a flower with a soft blue glow.

[This flower is called Pleria. It’s a flower that blooms at night, against the natural order. Haven’t you heard of it?]

“Ah! I know. So this is it?”

Nathan let out a short exclamation. He remembered when he heard the name. Wasn’t this the medicinal herb that Azar had brought? He hadn’t recognized it at first because it looked different from what he remembered.

“So this really is helpful…”

[That’s right. In fact, right now that’s the only useful thing here. Now we just need to mix it my way to make medicine. Or you could just eat it as is.]

“I heard it was poisonous?”

[That’s only for others. Not for you. In fact, it’s more effective if you eat it whole.]

“I understand for now.”

Nathan carefully uprooted the flower. After pondering for a moment how to carry it, he had no choice but to carefully place it in his robe pocket. The robe pocket was relatively spacious.

‘What am I doing?’

A small sigh escaped him. On one side was a dragon’s egg, and on the other was a flower with its roots and soil. He felt both pockets suddenly become much heavier.

“Phew, let’s go now.”

Nathan shook the dirt off his hands and picked up the book and lamp. He more or less remembered the way they came, so it should be easier going back than coming. He was a bit worried about the monsters, but…

The moment he left the nest, Nathan had to shiver slightly. The gazes suddenly flying at him from all directions were eerie. Even if they had no intention to attack, each monster’s appearance was not exactly friendly.

‘Moreover, it seems like there are more of them than before we went in.’

Worried that all the monsters living in this forest might gather, Nathan hurried his steps. What’s more, it was already daybreak.

[You remember the way back, right? I hope you haven’t forgotten something as simple as that.]

“You’re talking a lot.”

[Hmph, I kept getting interrupted earlier, so my mouth is itching to speak!]

The early morning air tinged with blue light was slightly cool, and perhaps due to the mist, his clothes quickly became a bit damp. Realizing more time had passed than he thought, Nathan’s pace gradually quickened.

[Hmm, the way back might be boring, so shall I tell you an old tale?]

“…An old tale?”

Nathan slightly frowned at those unexpected words. What old tale?

[Yes, a story from long, long ago when dragons still lived openly on this land.]

“That sounds interesting.”

[I hesitated a bit. I wondered if it was right to tell you this story. But if a dragon really is born from that egg, I thought it might be good for you to know this story too. So listen carefully!]

“Yes, yes, go ahead. Let’s see… Was it this floor?”

Nathan responded half-heartedly as he entered the hut. He didn’t know what kind of story Calypse was going to tell, but he was preoccupied with the thought of hurrying back to the castle, and Calypse’s tone was so light that he subconsciously thought it probably wasn’t an important story.

But that was Nathan’s great misconception.