Two Eggs (2)
Conrad returned home after his meeting with Owen, but the young man's question lingered in his mind for a long time.
"Whether that red egg can hatch... Heh."
Owen had seemed like he knew something.
But the red egg's shell looked fine, at least on the outside.
It could fail to hatch due to neglect in care, but judging solely by appearance? That was questionable.
But his knowledge was truly astonishing.
After seeing the unusual hatching setup, Conrad had shared many stories with Owen and marveled at the boy's overwhelming expertise.
It made Conrad, who had devoted his life to the dragon stables, feel like a frog in a well.
Maybe he really knows something new. He was certain the moldy egg was a variant.
Still, as far as Conrad knew, no one in the Empire could make such judgments from appearance alone.
His mind grew deeply conflicted.
I'm like a reed swaying in the wind, grasping at nothing.
He pondered alone for days, but no clear answer emerged.
In the end, with his health recovered, he decided to return to the 2nd Dragon Stable.
He figured working might bring some insight.
Fortunately, Owen had given him plenty of time to think.
"Good morning."
As always, Conrad arrived early and greeted the breeders at the 2nd Dragon Stable.
But they all avoided him with awkward expressions.
"Ah... yes."
"Hmph!"
What on earth was going on?
A few hours later, he realized everyone was deliberately shunning him.
"...Heh."
A hollow laugh escaped him.
It was obvious.
Manager Albert must have ordered it.
This went on for days.
They treated him like a ghost.
"Hey! You, handle this."
"I'm busy..."
For the one enduring it, this was no ordinary frustration.
"Haah..."
A deep sigh escaped.
He understood their situation, but Conrad felt resentment and betrayal toward the other breeders.
He had stood up for them and suffered this ordeal.
Yet instead of standing with him, they treated him like this.
His attachment to the 2nd Dragon Stable plummeted.
Then came a summons from Manager Albert.
Conrad went to him as if he'd been waiting.
"You called for me?"
Albert was lounging with his feet on the desk, rifling through papers.
"......"
He left Conrad standing for a long while without a word, then glanced at him as if just remembering.
"You're here."
Albert intended to crush Conrad's spirit completely.
He'd fired him in a fit of anger, but it took only days to realize the 2nd Dragon Stable couldn't function without him.
But begging him back hurt his pride, so he wanted to make him compliant instead.
"Conrad, your recent behavior has been quite disappointing. But given your past efforts, I'm not unwilling to give you one more chance."
Conrad wasn't fooled by such intentions.
Lowly to the end.
He no longer wanted to stay here.
At the same time, he felt a burning desire to work with Owen once.
Come to think of it... I've been working on autopilot for so long.
Papers piling up endlessly, no matter how much he cleared.
Constant unreasonable orders from above.
Tasks unrelated to his duties.
Colleagues dumping their work on him at every chance.
Mindless repetition, like a machine part.
"Haah..."
Suddenly, it all felt suffocating.
No, it had been suffocating him long before.
He'd just endured silently under the name of responsibility.
But after meeting Owen, he couldn't bear it anymore.
That boy offered new possibilities.
Lost in these thoughts, an unwelcome voice pierced his ears.
"...Are you even listening?"
Albert was glaring at him with a scowl.
What a wretched face.
Conrad wondered how he'd endured working under such a man.
The stable would run fine without him.
Yet he was the one making the biggest mess, always preaching to work with a smile.
Conrad knew he could smile every day without Albert.
"I'm giving you a chance, administrator. With that attitude, forget it."
Normally, Conrad would have endured here.
But not this time.
He nodded slightly and replied.
"Understood. I'll quit."
"Good... What? What did you just say?"
"I'll quit."
Albert gaped at Conrad's resolute answer.
I was going to bully him a bit and take him back, so why is he responding like this?
In the end, Albert's petty nature revealed itself.
A slave daring to defy his master?
Unthinkable.
"You bastard! Have you lost your mind? Look me in the eye!"
"No need for long talks. I'm quitting, so find someone new. Though I doubt anyone would work under Sir Albert."
"You think you can work anywhere else? Arrogant fool! One word from me to the other stables, and you're done!"
"Doesn't matter. Do as you please."
Conrad turned without hesitation.
A shout erupted behind him.
"Administrator! You bastard, don't you dare walk away!"
"I'm no longer the administrator, Sir Albert. Do you even know my name?"
"What?"
Albert was speechless at the unexpected question.
"Uh..."
He racked his brain, but the man's name wouldn't come.
An administrative officer was just an administrative officer.
While he fumbled, Conrad left.
"I wonder if I did the right thing."
Leaving the 2nd Dragon Stable, Conrad went straight to Owen.
"You did well. Welcome."
From Owen's perspective, gaining a capable talent like this was ideal.
Now he had someone reliable to manage the 5th Dragon Stable.
"But what are all these documents?"
Conrad had brought a thick bundle on his way.
"Records of various corruptions at the 2nd Dragon Stable. Especially the amounts Albert siphoned off under various pretexts—it's substantial."
"Ho... You've got all this."
"Now that I've crossed Albert, I figured I needed a lifeline."
"Well done. Why not stay at the 5th Dragon Stable from now on? Staying at your old place might invite retaliation."
Not stopping there, Owen had Hyper guard Conrad.
"Kek?"
But Hyper, unlike Grenville, wasn't very bright and didn't understand right away.
"Hmm..."
After some thought, Owen entrusted one of his items to Conrad, and only then did Hyper start following him closely.
It seemed to react to the scent.
"Good boy. Don't worry."
"Reliable."
With security sorted, Albert struck from another angle.
Days later, John brought new rumors.
"What? That rumor is spreading?"
"Yes, it's everywhere. They say the 2nd Dragon Stable's administrative officer caused trouble and fled to the 5th."
"Hm, so he's playing dirty like this."
With Conrad holed up in the 5th, an enraged Albert started spreading lies.
"What will you do? You need to clear it up quickly."
Owen shook his head at John's words.
"Raising suspicions is easy, but refuting them takes far more effort. We can't just defend."
"Then?"
"When they sling mud, we sling bigger mud. Fight suspicion with greater suspicion."
According to John, there was a large tavern in Bris, the hub of all rumors.
"Dragon breeders and city craftsmen gather there."
"How do we spread rumors there?"
"Simple. Ring the bell, buy a round for everyone, and you get to speak. One word from you, and it'll spread."
"Oh, that's good."
That night, Owen took John to the tavern.
"Whoa... It's bigger than I thought."
The place buzzed with noise, packed with countless tables.
Over 200 people crammed inside.
The ceiling was high, laden with chandeliers.
"It used to be a chapel for some cult. After it collapsed, the owner bought and renovated it."
"That explains the size."
"Wet your throat first?"
"No, ring the bell now."
John went to the center and rang it boldly.
Ding-dong!
The bell echoed, silencing the rowdy drinkers.
Owen stepped forward.
"I'm Owen Leire, manager of the 5th Dragon Stable. I'd like to buy everyone a drink today."
Cheers erupted instantly.
No one turns down free booze.
"Woooah!"
And Owen Leire, no less.
Those guessing his purpose couldn't hide their excitement.
"Yesterday the 2nd's manager, today the 5th's!"
"Wonder what he'll say."
"That kid's always at the center of the city's commotions."
"Took down Baron Maroon recently, now tangling with Albert?"
The man at the heart of every scandal.
That was Owen.
Gossipmongers welcomed him with open arms.
In this atmosphere, Owen made full use of his bought opportunity.
"I'm aware of the suspicious rumors lately. But I ask you all: Is Administrative Officer Conrad such a reckless man?!"
Conrad was famous in the city for his integrity, so cheers followed.
"Right!"
"Exactly!"
Owen raised his hand to acknowledge them, then delved in.
"Then why would some despicable fool who doesn't know honesty spread such lies?"
The audience was quite shocked here.
Many knew who that "ignorant despicable fool" was.
The new 5th manager was boldly slamming the veteran 2nd manager.
"...Interesting."
Someone murmured.
Now they sensed this was no small matter.
Amid the murmurs, Owen raised his voice.
"It's that despicable one's scheme to hide his own stench. He's been embezzling stable funds for his whims. Especially blowing most of it on useless dragon eggs. Conrad criticized him to stay true to his duties and fell out of favor."
Murmurs grew.
The tavern grew rowdier.
This went beyond mere bashing.
But Owen, sword drawn, showed no hesitation.
"How vile is that? But I tell you clearly: The dragon eggs he bought with embezzled funds are utterly worthless. Compared to the egg I procured, they're nothing but trash."
"What? What'd he say?"
"This is getting huge!"
Most drinkers were on their feet now.
Excitement made sitting impossible.
Owen affirmed them.
"I want to say this to that despicable man right here: The red egg you schemed to get will only bring disappointment, and in a month, the one laughing will be Owen Leire!"
Owen's intent was simple: a showdown.
Instead of tedious clarifications, he framed it as your egg sucks, mine's the best.
Simple, but effective.
People shifted focus from Conrad to the stables' rivalry.
"What! What did he say?!"
The next day, Albert fumed upon hearing.
That evening, he rushed to the tavern, rang the bell, and ranted.
"Some green kid seems to have filled your ears with nonsense! But I, Albert, tell you clearly: The egg he bought is moldy trash that won't even hatch!"
That night, Albert's words rang true.
Drinkers thought thunderbolt Owen was spouting rubbish.
But the next day, Owen returned, and things escalated.
"That despicable one flapped his viper tongue again! So I propose this: If you're confident, let's duel! What's there to fear?"
"Woooah!"
"Perfect timing—around hatching, the eastern lords gather for the grand assembly. I want to show everyone then: Which dragon is superior? And shouldn't we stake our manager positions on it?"
The tavern exploded at Owen's boldness.
"No way! Positions on the line?"
"My god, a manager duel!"
In the uproar, Owen shouted.
"That despicable coward must answer clearly!"
For onlookers, it was pure entertainment.
Naturally, the next day, Albert accepted in a rage.
"Good! Time to crush that kid and his pet officer! Dare challenge me?!"
Thus, Bris buzzed with the stables' showdown, and soon it reached the Suffolk Duke's ears.
"These bastards—I told them to manage dragons, and now they're betting positions? Unbelievable!"
The duke looked exasperated, but one corner of his mouth twitched upward.
He found the situation amusing too.