Chapter 13

With the long spring break over, today marks the start of my second year.

On the first day of the new semester, I walked to school holding a large egg, drawing the attention of those around me.

"It's been a while, Yumiera. So, what's that?"

"It's my child, I gave birth to it."

"What, who's the... Ah, you're joking, right?"

I was asked about the dragon egg by Patrick, whom I hadn't seen in a while. He seemed to take my joke seriously for a moment, grabbing my shoulders and trying to question me. I didn't expect him to be so flustered.

"It's a dragon egg, I got it during the break."

"Can you just get a dragon egg like that? Are you going to hatch it?"

"I plan to, and I've already talked to the king."

While the joke I just told isn't entirely false, the part about it being my child isn't wrong. Dragons infuse their eggs with magic to hatch them.

The more magic they infuse, the stronger the offspring will be, so parents often neglect their meals to continue infusing magic. To the point where, in the Montford territory, they might even attack livestock they normally wouldn't.

Once hatched, the child recognizes the one who infused the most magic as their parent, even if they are of a different species.

In other words, if a human hatches a dragon egg, the child will recognize the human as their parent. Among the monsters that are said to never become tame, dragons are the only ones that have the potential to follow humans.

However, obtaining a dragon that is tame to humans is extremely difficult. For one, it's hard to find the eggs, and it's not easy to infuse more magic than the original parent dragon. As evidence, the Balshain Kingdom currently has only two dragons.

In the game, a light-attribute dragon is born due to Alicia's magic. This dragon grows to the point where it can carry party members in flight.

So, the event I've gotten myself into is a familiar one in RPGs, where you gain a means of transportation. Unlike in the game, there's no restriction that you can only go to places you've been to before, which I found very appealing. I also had a desire to fly in the sky, and it would be convenient for travel. In case of an emergency, it could even help me flee the country.

"Still, I don't know what to say... To put it mildly, it feels ominous."

Patrick gave his opinion on the egg, but I think calling it ominous is harsh.

True, the egg, into which I've infused so much magic that I'm worried it might explode, is dyed black with dark magic and emits a sense of intimidation.

"Don't say such mean things about my child, it's so adorable..."

I said, hugging the egg tightly in my arms.

At first, I thought of the dragon to be born as a convenient taxi, but as I carried it with me during the long break, I gradually grew attached to it. Since it will be born from my magic, it's like my own child, and I have no intention of treating it poorly just because it's a monster.

"Adorable?"

"Yes, a very cute dragon will surely be born. Oh, I need to think of a name too."

"So, you're not trying to summon the world's strongest dragon, then?"

Patrick said, looking a bit taken aback. What is he talking about?

"Of course, it will be the world's strongest dragon since it's my child."

"...Ah, I see, I hope it hatches safely."

Patrick said with a tired look and left. He only makes that face when I've done something, but he usually points it out directly. Did I say something unconventional without realizing it?

After some time, when I was recognized as a dangerous person carrying an egg by the new students at the academy, I noticed that the egg sometimes moved. I had been expecting it, but it would probably hatch today or tomorrow.

I called Patrick to share the moment of excitement.

"Please, by the way, this is the first time I've invited someone to my room."

"Ah, I'll be careful."

Patrick, who entered my room, was clearly flustered. Is he shy about entering a girl's room? No, I don't think he's treating me like a girl.

We chatted about the break and watched over the egg. As the time got late, I was about to give up for the day when the egg started to move.

Cracks began to appear on the shaking egg.

"Come on, you can do it!"

As I encouraged it, the egg's movements became more intense, and a black hand shot out from inside.

"Yay! We did it, Patrick!"

When I glanced at Patrick, he had a serious, determined look on his face. I didn't expect him to take my child's birth so seriously.

After the hand appeared, things moved quickly. The baby dragon broke through the egg and crawled out.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I froze, and Patrick spoke in a concerned tone.

"Ah, Yumiera was imagining a cute dragon, but I think a scary... cool one isn't bad either. So—"

Patrick says it's cool, but I think...

"It's adorable!"

What a cute baby! About the size of a medium dog, with a big mouth and big eyes, its presence is even divine. Its body color, of course, is the same black as my hair and eyes. Children resemble their parents.

"If Yumiera says it's cute, that's fine... I also think it's divine."

Patrick seems to be saying something, but I can't help but hug my child. The baby dragon, burying its face in my chest, purrs like a cat.

"Patrick! It's purring, like a cat!"

"It sounds more like a growl to me..."

While stroking the baby dragon's throat, I thought about a name. I had been thinking about it all along, but I couldn't come up with a good one.

"Your name, hmm, Dragon, Ryū..."

"Ryū sounds good, doesn't it?"

"Ryū... Ah, I see."

I thought a name derived from "dragon" or "ryū" was too simple, but Patrick came up with a good idea. Since the word "ryū" doesn't exist in this world, it sounded like a name to him.

I liked the sound of the name Ryū. I don't know how to tell the gender of a dragon, but it felt like a boy's name, so it was perfect.

"Ryū, your name is Ryū."

Ryū seemed to understand my words, barking happily and releasing a breath. I swatted away the breath aimed at my face and sternly disciplined him.

"Ryū, no using your breath indoors, okay?"

Ryū barked again but didn't release any more breath. What a smart child. However, he shot a black laser from his eyes, which I dodged by tilting my head.

"No, that's not okay either. Ah, Patrick, I need to put Ryū to bed, so that's it for today."

"Hey, you're going to keep the dragon in this room?"

Patrick was huddled in a corner of the room. Maybe he's not good with animals.

"Of course, I plan to sleep in the same bed until he grows up."

Eventually, he'll be too big for the room, but I'll think about that when he gets bigger.

"Alright, you'll be fine, just don't die."

Patrick said that and left the room as if he were running away.

The next morning, I woke up to the maid Rita's scream. When I jumped up to see what was happening, I found Ryū, who had grown much larger, sleeping soundly.

They say children grow fast, but I didn't expect this much...

First, I rejoiced at my child's growth, then I had to figure out how to get Ryū out of the room.