By Zephyria Everyone danced, ate, drank, chatted, and laughed.
Then they laughed, chatted, drank, ate, and danced again.
And then Duke Widrow suddenly appeared and took Hugh Benson away. I was with them at first, but after talking with Hugh for a long time, the Duke, finding something so amusing, burst into laughter alone and whisked Hugh away.
What reason could Hugh Benson possibly have for a private meeting with Duke Widrow? Standing alone in a corner of the boisterous party hall, I pondered for a long time but found no way to know.
Far away, the sight of the Emperor and his wife sitting side-by-side caught my eye.
Blue Star seemed desperate to snatch the wine glass from the Emperor’s hand. Even though there was nothing in this world he couldn’t take by force, he couldn’t even properly grasp the Emperor’s wrist, only caressing his forearm as if tickling it.
“No, I want to drink more.”
“You’ve already had more than a bottle. In Kiadris, they told you to stop after just one bottle.”
“I couldn’t make a mistake there, but it’s okay hereee…”
“You’re not already drunk, are you? What if Yongyong is surprised to find out Daddy is a heavy drinker?”
“Ughhh… I’ll keep it a secret from Yongyong.”
“I’ll allow just this much more. Okay?”
“Two more glasses.”
“You’re going to negotiate with me.”
Both of them, bickering, had smiles thoroughly spread across their faces.
Just watching how bizarrely the Emperor behaved made my back itch and my stomach churn. Ugh. I didn’t want to see anymore. Leaving the noisy hall behind, I moved my feet.
Where should I go now?
Duke Widrow’s castle was as familiar to me as the Shatun Desert. Even though roads branched out like a spiderweb, with buildings scattered like constellations, the structure was quite simple. If you followed the right path from the main hall, you’d find the knights’ quarters and the martial arts training ground. If you walked straight to the left, you’d find the Duke’s and her family’s living quarters, and the guest rooms.
Naturally, my steps, which had been heading down the familiar right path, faltered. Hugh… went left with the Duke. I wanted to go that way too. But there was no reason to go down this path unless I had business there.
After fierce deliberation, I made my decision.
I should go see Yongyong.
Whenever Rubel and Michael appeared before people, Spiritus was the one who took care of the egg. I didn’t know why Spiritus was so attached to Blue Star’s offspring, but just as I rarely understood Oasis’s thoughts, I figured there was something that only gods understood.
I was close enough to have private meetings with both Blue Star and the Emperor. Spiritus didn’t dislike me much either, due to my connection with Oasis. So, I could see the dragon, see Yongyong, and go to meet Hugh. It was a very wise thought.
I patted my head for no reason, praising myself. Just as Hugh often did to me.
Duke Widrow’s castle was built with sturdy stone walls and heavy pillars. All the walls were rough and unrefined. But the guest room was different. From the hallway, it gleamed as if made of sweet sugar cookies, and the thick carpet laid on the floor muffled sounds softly.
I saw a door, half-open, in the distance.
Gods never cared about the divisions humans made. They mostly lived with their doors open. Thinking Spiritus was just ahead, my steps naturally slowed. Should I have just waited out there? How long could the Duke and Hugh talk alone for me to have come all this way?
But even as I pondered, the hallway shortened, and I stood before the door.
Even though the Magic Lamp’s illumination was low, the room was dazzling. The Divinity that Spiritus exuded was so potent that neither the long sofa nor the low table cast a single shadow.
The god, buried deep in the center of a nest made from every cushion piled on the plush sofa, glanced up at me.
“What is it?”
“…”
“What. Did Oasis say something stupid again? Does he want you to come over for a moment?”
“No. I just…”
“Just?”
“I was curious about the baby.”
“…You?”
Why is she looking at me like that?
Spiritus slowly scanned me up and down, and down and up, several times. It was fortunate that she didn’t immediately kick me out. I just stood there, and she chuckled and gestured for me to sit. My gaze fell upon the egg lying askew in her embrace, and I obediently sat opposite her.
Then Spiritus said something strange.
“One way or another, you seem to be Oasis’s vassal.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re alike. Your vacant expression, your utterly confused thought process, your sudden logical leaps.”
I didn’t know if she meant it as an insult or a compliment. Being told I resembled Oasis sounded like an insult no matter how I thought about it, but Spiritus, saying it with a subtle smile, made it sound like praise.
Not knowing how to respond, I remained silent. She asked again,
“What is there to be curious about? Babies being born are all the same.”
“The egg…”
“The egg what?”
“It’s fascinating how Blue Star and the Emperor act as if they can hear the egg’s voice.”
“…I find them a bit peculiar too.”
Spiritus finally burst into laughter. She gestured for me to come closer, so I awkwardly stood up. She gestured again, and I took two more steps closer. Making a ‘tsk’ sound through her teeth, she urged me on, so I sat right next to her.
Then Spiritus pushed the egg into my lap.
“…Oh…”
“You can touch it. It’s curious about you too.”
“Does it really speak?”
“Rather than speaking… it’s more like thoughts or consciousness, so it’s a bit dazed. You were born from an egg too, so you know, right?”
“…Me?”
“Well, it was a bit bigger than this. Oasis’s life support system looked roughly similar. A baby inside a round shell, with the empty space filled with fluid for shock absorption and nutrient management. The eggs he created were modeled after fish eggs, so the only difference is that they’re transparent.”
“…Ah…”
“Hatch… no, Yongyong, due to its species’ characteristics, can have basic cognition from within the egg. It can’t see its surroundings, but it can hear sounds, react to touch, and learn. Just like you did.”
But I was already born… No. If a god says so, then it must be so.
In any case, since I had received the god’s permission, there was nothing to hesitate about. I placed my hand on the egg, which Spiritus was still cradling.
I have rather large hands for a human, so when I spread my hand wide, half of the egg was easily covered.
The youngest humans I had seen were the ones at the Academy. Thinking that an even smaller, younger offspring human was inside this egg made me feel strange. I felt a sensation of something within pressing against the shell, leaning towards me.
‘…’
Thump. Thump. Thump. A very faint heartbeat echoed within my palm.
Now I understood why Blue Star and the Emperor couldn’t stop fiddling with the egg. The life inside the egg had already taken on a human form to some extent. The spot where my hand touched must be where the child’s cheek was resting, and where Spiritus’s hand supported it, the child’s sole was placed. The hand movements, clenching into fists and opening them a couple of times in front of its belly… I could feel them now.
It’s amazing.
Spiritus gently stroked the eggshell and laughed.
“Perhaps it’s because its father is a certain kind of fellow, but it does react to Divine Power. It’s clinging to you so much. It seems it can’t transmit thoughts due to the difference in wavelengths.”
“…Mm.”
“But it’s cute, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“It’s going to have to live among humans its whole life, so I hope it won’t be too shy, but I can’t tell if it’s wary of Mana or faces.”
As if displeased by Spiritus’s grumbling, the baby kicked inside the egg. Ah, sorry, sorry. As she giggled and readjusted her hold on the egg, I could no longer keep my hand on it. I looked back and forth between my still-warm palm and the smooth, beautiful egg.
As I looked closely, I noticed something else.
“It’s… gotten a bit bigger than before.”
“Well, it’s not like the eggs of ordinary beasts. It’s natural for its body to grow according to what its fathers feed it, and for the protective barrier to expand accordingly. When it grows enough that it no longer needs a protective barrier, it will open the egg and come out on its own.”
“If it no longer needs a protective barrier…”
“When it can freely wield Mana equivalent to 1st Circle? That’s usually the case, but I don’t know about this one. It’s a very special case. Right, Yongyong?”
“Ah…”
A desire I didn’t know I had slowly began to surface. It was a craving slightly different from material desire.
As I gazed at the egg, Spiritus’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.
“What. Do you covet it?”
“…Yes.”
It wasn’t just that I found the baby cute and wanted it. Hugh always wanted a family. A father, a mother, a child. I wanted to give him the ideal family he envisioned. Then Hugh wouldn’t think of leaving me anymore.
However, eggs are formed from the mating of a male and a female. I had no intention of searching for another female human just to have a child, and I wasn’t sure if a child born that way would be accepted as Hugh and my child. And if Hugh decided to live with another female, I…
As I fumbled through my thoughts, Spiritus’s face broke into a wide smile.
“Well, maybe if you slept with someone a hundred times, you might get one.”
“…Pardon?”
“Whether it’s a hundred times or a thousand times. What’s impossible about it? In life, the world itself has been torn apart and put back together.”
A hundred times.