Did You Really Just Swallow That?
‘Christina. Thanks to your ties with the Black Dragon Elder and the priestess, you’ve struck gold. I knew you were keeping the last egg of the darkness clan...’
The sole hatchling of the vacant darkness clan was still just a newborn lifeform.
He’d gained a chance to build rapport with the young heir who knew nothing of the world yet, but Pasiyas licked his lips with greedy intent.
‘If I’d known that egg would hatch, I’d have seized it by any means necessary. It’s a shame I couldn’t act directly.’
In any case, Pasiyas had preempted the Dragon Lord Isha by making the first move on the child.
With his calculations complete, Pasiyas nodded once.
Good. That child is the last of the Black Dragon clan, destined to grow into the Elder who leads the darkness. It wouldn’t hurt for my son, who will become the Fire Clan Elder, to get acquainted early.
“I think so too. The two of them will have a positive influence on each other.”
The massive red dragon let out a hot snort at her words.
‘A fresh newborn influencing my son positively? Fine words.’
She had already guessed Pasiyas’s thoughts but chose not to voice them and bruise his pride.
At the very least, she outwardly supported his decision with elegant grace, offering a soft smile.
Pasiyas bared his ferocious fangs at Christina.
I’ll look into the phoenix matter further. And soon, my son will visit the lair. Instruct the child to teach him what he’s learned as an Elder successor.
“Thank you for your kindness, Elder Pasiyas.”
Christina finished her courteous bow and rose from her seat.
I look forward to seeing what face that ragtag one makes when he realizes not everything bends to his will.
Christina lightly shook her head at the words meant for her ears.
‘You’re no different, Pasiyas. There are things that don’t go your way.’
His excessive frankness was one thing, but his greedy and radical temperament clashed with Christina’s own.
Business concluded, Christina exchanged farewells and exited the cave via flight magic.
She turned as she left the cave mouth.
A lair narrow for such a massive body, with a small entrance, came into view.
Pasiyas, who had once lived in a vast volcanic lair, had given it early to his still-hatchling son Perdikion and chosen to dwell in his late mate’s lair instead.
Christina knew this, as did Dragon Lord Isha, but neither cared to prod at his fiery temper.
‘A meeting with someone free of the Red Dragon clan and Pasiyas’s shadow... it’ll surely help Perdikion too.’
Christina believed this encounter would benefit not just the Black Dragon child, but the young Perdikion as well.
Kuung!
The moment the cave entrance sealed, a sharp wave resonated in Christina’s mind.
Geeng.
“Ugh. Rai?”
Christina’s expression hardened in an instant.
“No way.”
‘An emergency?’
Her form vanished from the sky.
Splat.
“Kids!”
Returning in haste, she gasped at the sight before her.
Rai should have been inside the lair, but here they were in a lush forest of grass and trees.
“Pek! Pek pek pek!”
“! Why are you all outside the lair...? What happened?”
She teleported instantly to her spirit Rai’s side and swallowed hard at the sight of the collapsed hatchling.
‘The child...!’
“Kyuu, kyuugh. Ugh.”
The Imugi sat leaning against a tree, drenched in cold sweat, barely catching his breath.
The little white chick was tear-streaked, pacing frantically between the hatchling’s legs, chirping in distress, while Rai circled her with a sobbing expression.
Rai, projecting expressions, displayed a light drawing.
Mimicking something wrongly eaten, and at the final shape drawn in light, her face paled.
At the same time, the spirit repeatedly sent the will of ‘sorry’ only to her contractor, Christina.
‘Rai. What happened?’
At her question, the spirit’s humming grew louder.
Examining the light sketch of the screaming herb closely, she furrowed her brow.
“Mandragora...?”
Approaching the Imugi to check his condition, Christina picked up a half-torn Mandragora nearby.
The plant, which should have screamed deafeningly, was already dead.
‘You just swallowed this whole?’
A chill ran down her spine at the thought.
Mandragora was inherently dangerous.
This one, grown infused with dragon mana, was far more potent as both herb and poison than usual.
For a child just over a month old to swallow a centuries-old root whole was absurd, and surviving without worse consequences was a miracle.
He could have died outright or been left crippled.
Questions piled up, but Christina first assessed the hatchling’s state.
‘How is the child?’
Inspecting him, she noticed something and sniffed near his nose.
‘! This is Lize’s...?’
Calmly scanning the surroundings, Christina sensed the lingering wind of Lize.
‘Still young, but among Green Dragons, the most gifted in recovery domains.’
Christina sighed, a mix of relief and complication.
‘So... Lize came by. Dragon Lord Isha sensed the Black Dragon hatchling’s birth.’
She’d tried to hide it as long as possible, but if Isha’s pawn Lize knew, the Dragon Lord did too.
‘Thanks to her, the Black Dragon hatchling was saved... Should I call this fortunate?’
It was a relief for now, but Christina blamed herself.
‘My mistake. I thought Rai alone would suffice since he couldn’t leave the lair.’
Teleportation magic spanned space-time realms.
Failure could trap one between spaces or teleport only part of the body—terrifying risks.
Not a spell for a first solo attempt.
‘To think he’d try teleportation, succeed, and exit the lair.’
Not yet a full adult, but possessing the guts and skill for it was commendable.
Even if the outcome was ridiculous.
‘And the first thing he does is chomp raw Mandragora.’
Not some fruit or safe herb, but a toxic one for a young hatchling.
The limp, hacking child seemed mature and docile, but she foresaw a major troublemaker.
Then.
“...Kkh, ugh. Kek.”
The Imugi, regaining consciousness, blinked and coughed lightly.
“Baby, really... What on earth happened?”
Seeing the spirit and Christina’s expressions, the Imugi averted his gaze slyly.
She was speechless, her chest tightening at how close he’d come to death.
‘I should’ve watched him closer to prevent recklessness.’
Her own complacency had nearly killed him, leaving a dry lump in her throat.
Yet she gently cradled him, mindful of his comfort.
Though battered, the Imugi saw her pale face and knew his grave mistake.
‘Looks like I really messed up bad.’
So.
The Imugi couldn’t meet the eyes of the caring Christina, feeling awkward.
“Kyuu... Kyuu.”
‘Sorry for acting on my own.’
He’d meant to bow his head in apology.
But so close to Christina, his head thunked softly into her embrace.
‘...?’
Embarrassed, he fidgeted with his claws.
The picture of a child instinctively knowing his wrong.
As he tried to lift his head slyly, Christina scooped him up.
“Let’s go back first. You’re badly hurt.”
With his ear near her chest, the Imugi heard her heartbeat thunderously.
‘...Christina was pretty shocked too.’
Squeeze. Christina hugged him tighter, afraid to let go.
Normally he’d push away in embarrassment, but this time he stayed quiet in her arms until back in his room.
‘Not only external injuries, but his energy’s a mess too.’
Lying in the cradle, inspecting himself, the Imugi clicked his tongue inwardly.
The herb’s energy overwhelmed him momentarily.
Too much medicine becomes poison, as they say.
His desire to grow had backfired; no one to blame.
‘Well... I survived, that’s what matters.’
He’d figure out how to smooth this over later. With some reflection and mild embarrassment, he closed the Mandragora incident.
‘Gotta be more careful from now on.’
Reborn into a new life, dying from yanking and eating a root? Laughably pathetic.
‘At least all that training paid off.’
As he lay still, Christina said she’d fetch healing items, left Rai, and exited.
The Imugi quietly circulated energy in secret, healing his internals while Rai glowed sadly in the corner.
Thanks to the green-haired boy’s medicine, he could control the Mandragora’s energy inside.
‘Nearly dying is nearly dying, but I’ll absorb this herb energy fully now that it’s in me.’
He immediately began circulating to claim the Mandragora’s power as his own.
Before long, the teary-eyed white chick chirped “Pii pii,” settling near his head and rubbing her cheek.
Feeling tears roll over his smooth scales, he sank into a strange sensation.
‘Feels weird.’
Not her injury, but seeing a stranger like him hurt and her bawling like the world ended—it tugged at him.
The Imugi reached out and stroked the white chick’s head.
‘Don’t cry. It’s just a stomachache.’
“Peep! Pii! Piyaak!”
The tiny white wings caressed his cheek as she wailed even more pitifully.
Then.
Pong.
Tears pooling in the chick’s eyes gleamed with pure light.
‘What’s this?’
Flawless droplets slid down his glossy cheek like sparkling jewels.
Trickle.
Purifying energy that burned away impurities seeped through his skin.
Mana-sensitive, the Imugi instinctively realized and exclaimed inwardly.
‘No way, is this...?’
He wiped a tear with his forefinger.