Chapter 68

"What do you mean, Seika-sama?"

Yuki murmured, looking puzzled.

The meaning was clear.

This dragon was in the middle of raising its young.

It probably laid eggs during the past few days when it flew less frequently.

The strange behavior over the past year was likely due to preparing for egg-laying. The attacks on stray livestock were because the land's magic alone was not enough to sustain its strength.

All of this made sense.

The problem was...

Why was this dragon raising young...?

"That creature is male, right...? Then, does that mean there is another individual, a mate, somewhere?"

"No, I don't think so."

It's impossible for another such dragon to exist without anyone noticing.

"Then, why..."

I mentioned one possibility.

"...Sex change."

"Huh?"

"This dragon has become female."

To Yuki, who didn't understand, I explained.

"Among fish, many change sex based on their environment. They can change from male to female, and from female to male."

In ancient Rome, where fish breeding was popular and fish ponds were a status symbol, a famous naturalist left detailed records.

"One of the conditions for sex change is the absence of a mate. This dragon probably changed sex at some point after its mate died. Perhaps the change in behavior a hundred years ago, when it became more docile and its territory shrank, was due to this."

While there are no known cases of land animals changing sex, many species' sex ratios are influenced by factors like temperature during development. The sex of living creatures is, in fact, quite fluid.

"But, Seika-sama..."

Yuki pressed on.

"Even if it has become female, it still doesn't have a mate. How can it produce offspring?"

"Species that can reproduce asexually are actually not that rare."

I explained again.

"There are cases of snakes and lizards kept as pets laying and hatching eggs without a mate. Some species don't even need males at all."

"Such things exist?"

"I had some crucian carp in the pond at the mansion. They were like that. At first, there was only one."

It was an accidental discovery, but I was surprised when I found out.

"Were they for eating?"

"Initially, yes. But it makes sense that they could reproduce asexually. While reproducing with a mate has more advantages, sometimes the environment doesn't allow for it."

"Hmm..."

Yuki responded with a deflated nod.

"Your hobby came in handy, Seika-sama."

"Hobby... whatever. Anyway, what should we do?"

The reason for the strange behavior is now clear.

But the problem isn't exactly solved.

We could wait until the young leave the nest, but according to past records, egg-laying occurred in several batches.

How long would it take for all the young to leave?

Moreover, there's the issue of the young dragons leaving the nest.

A hundred and fifty years ago, when they were independent, it might have been different, but now that they are a vassal state, would the empire allow dangerous young dragons to leave freely?

Inadvertently, the prince's plan to slay the dragon seems like the best option... but that mercenary group wouldn't be able to do it. And it wouldn't be right for me to get involved either.

Hmm...

While pondering the eggs, I suddenly noticed some marks on the sand.

They seemed to be the traces of the eggs rolling.

I had an idea.

"...The prince said there are no examples of humans hatching dragon eggs... I think I know why."

"What is it?"

"Rolling the eggs. Dragon eggs need to be rolled."

I explained again.

"Most birds, like chickens, need to change the orientation of their eggs occasionally. If not, the young can stick to the inside of the shell and die. On the other hand, lizard and turtle eggs must not be moved... In the case of dragons, which raise their young, the eggs are more like birds than lizards. So, like this..."

I slowly rolled the large egg along the sand marks.

"They probably roll them regularly. The reason dragon eggs sold in the market don't hatch is likely because this step was neglected. They certainly wouldn't do this during transportation."

"..."

"The legend of the Astirian queen who raised a dragon also gains credibility. Knowing the method was enough. Of course, just rolling them randomly probably wouldn't work, so there was likely a significant element of chance."

"Seika-sama... you're really into this..."

"Shut up."

I replied with a straight face to Yuki's exasperated mutter.

So what? I can talk enthusiastically!

"...Ah, right. While we're at it..."

《Fire Element --- Flame Technique》

Flames burst from several human-shaped figures, heating the rocky mound that served as the nest. The parts exposed to the fire gradually turned red-hot.

"Wh-What are you doing, Seika-sama? Are you going to make steamed eggs?"

"No, look closely. I'm just warming the rocks. The eggs won't get too hot thanks to the sand. By heating the rocky mound with fire, the temperature can be maintained even when the dragon leaves the nest. This is how dragons incubate their eggs."

"Why do you know this?"

"There were some stones that were brittle and cracked, evidence of repeated red-hot heating. Plus, they were still slightly warm."

Additionally, I had heard of birds in the far southern islands of Khmer (Cambodia) and Champa (Vietnam) that warm their eggs with the heat of the earth. This is similar.

I suddenly noticed that the dragon had been unusually quiet.

Looking over, I saw the dragon's stern eyes, hidden behind its scales, fixed on me. I no longer sensed any hostility.

I sent the human-shaped figures flying.

"Seika-sama!? What are you doing...?"

The human-shaped figures, imbued with the spell to dispel curses, reduced the asbestos net to dust. The freed dragon shuddered slightly but showed no signs of aggression or attack.

It just stared at me.

"...Grrr!"

"Huh?"

Suddenly growling, the dragon spread its wings wide.

Then, using that pressure magic again, it took flight into the sky.

Yuki and I watched the dragon fly off, stunned.

"...What was that?"

"I don't know... but..."

Somehow, I felt like I was being told to take good care of the eggs.

※Flame Technique

A technique that generates flames using the fire element. It is inefficient without combustible materials.