“Wow, what should I do with this adorable little creature!” she thought, taking a deep breath and inwardly relieved.
Her breath was caught, but it was successful in eliciting the expected fondness.
“It feels like all my scales are about to fall off. Please be gentle,” she thought, even though the effect was too good.
“I shouldn’t boast recklessly.”
Christina repeatedly praised the creature, then gently lowered it into the cradle.
It stretched its arms wide and said, “Milk.”
However, no matter how long she waited, the milk did not appear.
“What should I do? There’s no milk today.”
“……!”
The creature widened its eyes, extended its arms, and wore a bewildered expression.
“No milk…?”
Seeing its grown appearance, it looked more starved than gaining any advantages, causing its legs to weaken and it plopped down.
Its expression seemed as if it had lost an entire country.
“Starving a creature that hasn’t even been born for long… I guess I shouldn’t have trusted so easily.”
The feeling of hunger combined with disappointment, and a sense of frustration began to rise.
With eyes filled with disbelief, it looked at Christina.
“Phew.”
“You’re smiling?”
Christina slightly smiled, revealing her dissatisfaction.
“Today, I brought something even better.”
As Rai, who had been hiding behind Christina, emerged, the basket that had been obscured by Rai’s light was revealed.
Observing the situation, the creature narrowed its eyes and looked at Christina.
“I didn’t mean to tease you.”
Nevertheless, since it was receiving a gift from Christina, it offset any possible grievances.
“Here. You can eat it even if your teeth haven’t fully grown.”
“Eggs?”
The eggs in the basket were much larger than regular ones.
Almost the size of a human face, it seemed like a full moon as Christina handed it to the creature, filling both of its hands.
“It’s a phoenix egg, the egg of a phoenix. Even if it dies, it will be reborn from its own ashes.”
“I think I’ve heard something similar.”
Since it was an intriguing fellow, Imugi remembered it as well.
A phoenix.
A sacred creature that can immediately resurrect even if it dies.
“It gives a similar impression, but it’s not a phoenix egg.”
The Imugi knew that the phoenix it was familiar with was not born from an egg.
To alleviate some of its doubts, it wondered how it should eat the egg.
“It’s an egg of a bird with the power of resurrection.”
It was an egg that emitted a strong energy.
Although the shell looked extremely tough, when Imugi pressed its claws against it, it began to crack slightly.
Imugi extended its index finger and made a hole in the eggshell.
It required some effort to pierce through its hardness, but the shell did not easily shatter, allowing it to maintain its shape.
“Alright!”
Crack.
When Imugi peeled off the shell, the freshly cooked white flesh was revealed.
Without hesitation, it devoured it in one bite.
“…It tastes delicious!”
It was a delicious Imperial Egg, with a texture so smooth and a rich and savory taste.
Imugi quickly ate one egg as if its life depended on it.
Seeing its satisfied expression, Christina let out a sigh of relief.
“I’m glad you like it. I heard that it’s a delicacy, especially since it’s cooked with the flames of a Red Dragon. But I was a bit worried, you know, even if it’s a disguise of Hatching.”
“It’s delicious. It’s really delicious. How can an egg like this exist?”
Imugi made smacking sounds as it licked the eggshell remnants around its mouth.
The firm white part broke like pudding when put in the mouth, and the yolk exuded a rich flavor and vitality.
Moreover, it seemed to absorb magic power, perhaps due to being cooked with the flames of a dragon, and it was seasoned perfectly without the need for additional salt.
“Mmm. Yum!”
“This is really delicious!”
Once it started eating, it couldn’t stop.
It seemed like it had devoured three roasted eggs in no time.
Christina, who watched this with a pleased expression, spoke kindly.
“Ha-ha. Since there’s enough, don’t eat too quickly. You should drink some milk while eating, right? It’s better to be cautious even though it’s a disguise of Hatching.”
Imugi nodded, but its speed didn’t slow down.
The texture was so smooth and easy to eat, and the time spent peeling the shells was well worth it due to the delicious taste.
“Hmm? Why is this one so hard?”
Imugi pushed aside the unusually hard-shelled egg and focused on another roasted egg that was easier to peel.
As it filled its mouth with the delicacy, it unintentionally finished a whole bottle of milk.
Although it was a huge egg, Imugi had finished six of them before finally laying down on its back.
“Ugh. I’m so full.”
Its stomach was already plump, and now it was bloated.
Its stomach was so full that every breath made a squeaky sound.
Christina removed all the eggshells and moved the egg basket near the cradle.
“I didn’t know you would eat so well. I guess I should bring more.”
“Kyu-woo! Kyu-woo!”
Imugi happily wagged its tail, and Christina smiled with delight.
“Yeah. Since you said it, I should go get some more. Rest for now, my dear.”
“Kyu-woo!”
Satisfied with its full belly, Imugi waved its front paw as it saw Christina off.
“This excessive indulgence wasn’t my intention. It will take time to digest… Hmm.”
Imugi had good digestion, so there was no need to worry about indigestion. However, its bloated belly made it difficult to breathe, so it needed some rest.
Lying down in the cradle, Imugi rhythmically breathed, and eventually closed its eyes.
“Did I doze off?”
Blinking its eyes, Imugi looked around.
Confirming that it had fallen asleep, Rai had moved away so that its light wouldn’t disturb the sleep.
The room was quiet without Christina or Rai.
Looking around, Imugi noticed the egg basket.
Its appetite returned as it thought again, “I’m not very hungry, but… should I have one more?”
The perfectly roasted texture tempted it.
“Yeah, I’ll have one more. It won’t make a difference.”
Imugi made up its mind and flexed the muscles in its back, flapping its wings.
Although its wings were small compared to its body, they were enough to lift its body.
Fluttering and landing in front of the egg basket, Imugi picked up one egg with its front paw, its eyes twinkling.
The smoky aroma of the roasted egg stimulated its appetite.
There was no need to hesitate.
Crack. Breaking the shell, Imugi took a big bite of the egg.
“As expected, this is the taste.”
With just one egg, it experienced the taste of paradise.
Imugi became curious about the Red Dragon species.
“If they can create such a fiery taste, they might have the best culinary talents.”
However, the decision to eat just one more was disregarded as it absentmindedly devoured another egg.
“Now, why is this one so hard?”
Imugi disregarded its decision as it naturallycracked open another egg, unknowingly leaving only one behind.
“Hmm.”
It was an exceptionally large and well-lit egg.
Unlike the other eggs, it had a unique light red color, and it was so tough that even Imugi throwing it couldn’t break it.
“In the end, only this one is left.”
“Kyu.”
Imugi eyed the egg, using it as a support to stand on its hind legs.
“After all, I have to face it head-on.”
A faint mana energy emanated from Imugi’s eyes.
“To this extent!”
Imugi’s accumulated mana from training and the power of its heart began to manifest, enveloping its small body in a calm display of strength.
“Kyoo… Hoo!”
Taking a deep breath, Imugi spread its wings and assumed a calm and poised stance.
For a creature that had difficulty standing on its two feet, it was an unbelievable and stable form.
“Phoo!”
“Huh!”
Imugi’s punch, perfectly synchronized with its breath and energy, struck the egg with a forceful impact.
Bang!
“Kruk!”
Although the strike carried concentrated power, Imugi couldn’t even crack it, which made it furrow its brows in frustration.
“Well, if it was going to be this tough, it should have cracked sooner.”
Imugi extended its right hand and performed a palm strike.
Swish!
“This doesn’t work either?”
Its attack, which was sharper than any blade, had no effect.
Instead, the part that collided with the egg vibrated with a thud.
Moreover, it felt like its own mana was being neutralized, even stealing away its strength.
“Just for a roasted egg?”
By this point, Imugi’s frustration had grown.
“…I didn’t intend to go this far.”
However, the need for a target to exert all of its efforts was another contributing factor.
“Just once. Pour all my strength into breaking it.”
The presence of an incredibly small but powerful aura emerged from the Hatchling.
Imugi had eaten enough food rich in magical energy, and its body was filled with vitality.
“This time!”
Imugi poured everything it had accumulated into this single strike.
“Huuaaah!”
“Kyuuaaaah!”
The tremendous energy radiating from Imugi’s feet made contact with the surface of the egg.
“Pa!”
The concentrated energy burst forth, intensely focused on shattering the egg from the inside.
The center of the egg vibrated, as if an earthquake had occurred, emitting a thumping sound.
