The White Hatchling
A hatchling.
White scales and red eyes.
It was the exact same color scheme as the dragon in his memories.
'It destroyed Bebelhon before soaring across the continent.'
Flying through the sky, singing its song of ruin.
It claimed countless lives without even using a common breath attack.
Though it was currently just a tiny hatchling, it would swell in size and gain high intelligence after shedding its skin a few times.
"Peeep..."
'Crying won't save you. I have to crush you now.'
Squeeze.
Roan grabbed the hatchling by the scruff of its neck without hesitation.
The sensation of its cold scales sent a chill through his fingertips.
And then, a thought struck him.
'Wait. If I play this right, couldn't this thing become a powerful asset?'
Hatchlings could technically be raised as pets.
While it was rare to maintain a bond once they grew into full dragons, it wasn't entirely unheard of.
'The dragons were driven mad because of the awakening of the Dragon Emperor.'
'What if I raise it well so it doesn't fall under that influence?'
It would be an incredible asset in preventing the destruction of the continent.
Slowly...
Roan loosened his grip.
"Peeep?"
The hatchling stared up at him blankly, utterly oblivious to its near-death experience.
Its red eyes, glowing faintly in the darkness, looked somewhat watery.
'Alright. Let's find someone to raise it.'
There was no warmth in his intentions.
He was merely seeking someone who could instill justice and conviction into this ignorant creature.
Roan cradled the hatchling in his arms and returned to where the miners were gathered.
"You're... back...?"
"What the... Is that a dragon...?"
"...I've never seen scales like those before. What is that?"
Naturally, the miners reacted with utter bewilderment.
Even after working in these mines for years, they had never stumbled upon such a creature.
"I've finished today's quota, so I can head back now, right?"
Once again, he made a bold demand.
No matter if he had finished his quota, this was incredibly cheeky.
And a hatchling, of all things?
If they could get their hands on it, they would be set for life.
"...Hey, rookie. Aren't you being a bit too arrogant? Mining isn't a job where you can just come and go as you please."
His eyes greedily swept over the hatchling.
"If you really want to leave... hand over that baby dragon, or split the profit with us when you sell it."
It was greed masquerading as a choice.
Roan immediately shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let it fall into the hands of bad people. I'm going to give it to someone who can raise it properly."
"Ha! Give it away? For free? You might be strong, but you're incredibly naive. Just hand it over. That's not something a kid like you can handle."
The atmosphere turned cold.
Led by the oldest-looking miner, greedy glares locked onto him.
He could see their grips tightening on their tools.
Roan was unarmed, cradling a hatchling in his arms.
They seemed to think they could take him if they swarmed him together.
"Grab him!"
At the veteran's signal, the miners lunged.
However...
Whoosh!
"Urgh!"
Thud!
Smack!
"Argh! You bastard! Why did you run into me?!"
"Oof!"
Roan didn't allow a single hand to touch him.
With just a slight shift of his feet, every single attack missed.
The miners only crashed into one another; none of them could lay a finger on him.
Time ticked away without them making any progress.
Drenched in sweat, the miners stared at Roan.
Their eyes were filled with a mixture of futility and terror.
"This is impossible..."
"Damn it... He's barely even moving his feet..."
His breathing wasn't even slightly disturbed.
It was like trying to fight a ghost.
"...Do you want to keep going?"
With those few words, the miners' spirits completely broke.
No one stepped forward, and no one answered.
Averting his gaze, Roan turned around.
He had successfully smuggled the hatchling out of the mine.
'Wait. This means I have to walk around Bebelhon with this thing.'
Roan realized the reality of his situation a moment too late.
A hatchling was rare enough, but one with white scales and red eyes? He would draw attention wherever he went.
After a brief hesitation, Roan stuffed the hatchling inside his shirt.
"Peeep!"
No matter how much it protested, Roan remained unmoved.
'I know what you did in my past life. There's no way I can grow attached to you.'
Even so...
'...I don't like killing things that have no intention of resisting.'
Mixing in a bit of personal justification, Roan quickly returned to the inn.
Once he slipped the hatchling into the backpack he always carried, he finally felt like he could breathe a little easier.
'Well, that decides our next move.'
Go to a heavily populated place, like a kingdom or an empire.
And there, hand the hatchling over to someone trustworthy.
'That's all well and good, but I also want to start looking for our next companion soon...'
Roan pondered for a moment, but he didn't need to overthink it.
He could just search for information on his next companion after delivering the hatchling.
Having made up his mind, Roan immediately stepped out of the inn.
He then began roaming the vast city of Bebelhon, searching for Jane and Belgard.
"Ah! There they are! Jane! Belgard!"
Finding them wasn't difficult, thanks to Roan's naturally immense stamina and strength.
On the other hand, the other two looked completely exhausted, likely worn out from searching all the places Lowell might visit.
"Ah... you're back?"
"Good work..."
"I think you two worked much harder. Well? Any progress?"
Jane nodded.
No way.
He hadn't actually expected them to successfully track Lowell.
But the words that met the expectant Roan were not what he hoped for.
"...They said he already came and went."
"What?!"
"Apparently, he sold it to the blacksmith shop right here and left."
Saying so, Jane placed a sword that had been resting beside her onto the table.
"So I bought it."
"...You bought it?"
"Yeah. For one gold coin more than what he sold it for."
Money is always right!
"Though overspending isn't great..." Belgard muttered.
"Still, it was part of the plan from the beginning."
"What plan?"
"...We wanted to buy you some gear."
Roan tilted his head at the unexpected response.
Seeing that he didn't catch on immediately, Jane averted her eyes and added,
"You're always standing on the front lines with a flimsy sword and no armor. It worried us. Honestly, I wanted to buy you armor too, but then I figured you'd probably prefer to move light, so I decided against it."
A warm heart hidden beneath a blunt and irritated tone.
Who could possibly suppress their emotions upon hearing that?
Overwhelmed with emotion, Roan covered his eyes with both hands.
"Yes...! We might have missed Lowell, but just seeing how much you guys care is more than enough for me...!"
Right as Roan cried out, a sharp "Peeep!" echoed from his backpack.
"...What was that? That was an uncharacteristically cute sound."
"I didn't make that sound!"
Roan peeked into the backpack.
Despite being in the pitch-black bag, the creature was sitting perfectly still.
"Oh my...!"
"A hatchling... Its scales look a bit unusual, don't they?"
"Yeah. That's why it stands out so much."
At Roan's words, Belgard's face turned pale.
"Then... why did you bring it here...? Surely, you aren't going to... right in front of us..."
"No!"
Right as Roan denied it, the hatchling let out a tiny squeak.
It was as if it were responding to his shout.
"So you're not going to kill it? Wasn't that your original plan?"
"It was. But..."
Through the gap in the backpack, a pair of bright, sparkling eyes peeked out.
It was a tiny, adorable gesture, more than enough to melt anyone's heart.
Jane nodded in agreement.
"I guess even you have a human heart, Roan. How could anyone kill something this cute?"
"Then, are we keeping it with us?"
"Nope."
Roan calmly stated his objective.
The Kingdom, the Empire, and the Holy Empire.
The three largest nations on the continent.
He would travel to one of them and hand the hatchling over to someone trustworthy who could raise it well.
"If it grows up well, it could become a powerful ally in the future."
"Never mind, you don't have a human heart."
"That's harsh!"
For now, he closed the backpack. It was a creature that shouldn't be seen by others.
As if to change the subject, Jane handed him the sword.
"Anyway, take this. We'll get the rest of your gear together later."
Roan took the sword she offered.
He then swung it through the air.
The slash cut cleanly through the heavy air of Bebelhon.
While it couldn't compare to the swords of the Eastern Continent he had used in his past life, it still felt excellent and fit perfectly in his hand.
"I love it so much... Thank you..."
Roan sniffled, not even bothering to hide his tears.
Watching him struggle to compose himself, Jane casually threw out a question.
"So, are we just going to leave it at this? Personally, I want to teach that bastard Lowell a lesson."
"A lesson?"
"Yeah. If nothing else, I really didn't like how he deliberately dropped his sword in front of you just to pick it back up."
"...I must admit, I didn't look too favorably upon that either," Belgard added.
Belgard lent his weight to Jane's words.
Even if Lowell was destined to become a companion later, it was also Roan's duty to soothe the feelings of his current comrades.
"Alright. Then let's track him down and have a little chat. We'll handle that first, and then we'll figure out what to do with the hatchling."
Just like that, their next steps were decided.
However, they were still missing the most crucial piece of information.
"So... where did the knight go? We only know he stopped by here, but nothing else."
"Hold on a second."
Roan stood up.
He walked into the workshop and began chatting with the owner, firing off questions.
Haha, hoho.
Laughing jovially, Roan returned to his seat.
His laughter felt a bit forced, but fortunately, the owner didn't seem to notice.
"...What did you talk about?"
"I asked where Lowell went."
"...And he told you?"
"Yep! Apparently, he headed to the Kingdom."
'What the? He was so stubborn with me,' Jane grumbled.
Leaving her to her grumbling, Roan spoke to the other two.
"Alright, let's head to the Kingdom! I heard Lowell is planning to stay there for a while!"
"Why?"
"The owner said he mentioned taking on some requests around there."
Roan had squeezed every last drop of information out of the man.
With a thoroughly sulking Jane, Belgard trying to soothe her, and a sleeping hatchling in the backpack...
...the next destination for the three humans and one creature was set.
The Erdimia Kingdom.
The border nation that encompassed Melgen and Piolo, the places Roan had passed through, ruled by an indifferent king named Jerkoil Lionheart.
'Still, no major incidents happened there.'
He recalled it being relatively peaceful, considering the kind of person who ruled it.
'...No, I can't be sure yet. It's massive, and its borders are heavily divided.'
Even so, he couldn't let his guard down.
For the seeds of ruin lay hidden all across the continent.