* * *
“Chaeyi, are you okay?”
“Ah…!”
“Oh no, are you hurt?”
The group hovered around Chaeyi, visibly anxious after the hatchling’s sudden outburst.
Leonard and Ferdinand glared at the creature with wide, wary eyes, as if it were a troublemaker.
The hatchling, however, simply gazed at Chaeyi with its bright, innocent eyes, seemingly oblivious to their scrutiny.
‘Hmm?’
Chaeyi had a vague sense that the hatchling was dissatisfied with something.
It had been chewing on his clothes for a while now.
“Could it be… that you’re hungry?”
“Kkuu!”
The hatchling responded as if it understood, surprising Chaeyi once again.
The others watching were equally astonished.
Chaeyi turned to his companions.
“Does anyone know what dragons usually eat? Should we give it something like meat?”
The group exchanged glances.
With little to no interaction with humans, it seemed none of them knew much about dragons.
Leonard, who had some knowledge, stroked his chin thoughtfully before speaking.
“I’ve heard that dragons learn to hunt shortly after they’re born. They have teeth and are generally omnivorous, so they should be able to eat meat, as long as it’s not too tough. Something like chicken should be fine.”
“Got it.”
“I’ll go get some chicken then!”
Enoch quickly responded and headed toward the nearby Onyx Estate with Lawrence.
Since they weren’t sure how much the hatchling would eat, it seemed they planned to bring back a large quantity by asking the chef.
Chaeyi, watching them leave, turned his attention back to the hatchling.
“Do you think its parents will come looking for it?”
“They’re probably too far away to find it.”
“Ah…”
Hearing Leonard’s words, Chaeyi felt a pang of pity.
This little one hadn’t wanted to be separated from its parents.
Of course, it was fortunate that it had survived, but…
Seeing Chaeyi’s downcast expression, Leonard, who had been observing him carefully, gently patted his back and spoke softly.
“I know a dwarf friend who once mentioned having a dragon friend. I’ll ask him if he can help us find the parents.”
“Thank you, Leo.”
Chaeyi smiled softly, his heart warming at the thought of Leonard’s concern.
“Sir Chaeyi!!”
Just then, Enoch and Lawrence returned, carrying a large tub filled with raw, unseasoned chicken.
“Here! We brought the chicken! We made sure it’s all raw and unseasoned, just in case.”
“Kkuang!”
The hatchling reacted first, seemingly catching the scent of the mountain of chicken. It extended its tiny claws, as if asking for some.
Chaeyi took a few pieces of chicken from Enoch and brought them to the hatchling.
The creature’s tiny mouth opened like that of a baby bird, and as Chaeyi dropped in a piece of meat, the hatchling chewed it up eagerly.
Satisfied with the taste, it grabbed the remaining pieces with its claws and began munching away.
“It’s eating well… That’s a relief.”
“Indeed.”
Everyone sighed in relief, watching the hatchling focus entirely on its meal.
Suddenly, Lawrence frowned in concern.
“What are we going to do now? Raising a dragon until it matures could cause a lot of problems for the family.”
The group fell silent, realizing the gravity of the situation.
Lancaster, one of the five great ducal houses known as the cornerstone of the Empire, was permitted to own magical creatures.
However, the law only allowed the ownership of creatures up to the fifth and sixth levels of danger.
Dragons, on the other hand, were more dangerous than first-level creatures and were a highly advanced species that could not be tamed by humans.
Naturally, there was no law regarding them, which could lead to various complications.
“It might be possible under the autonomy laws of the estate, but… many nobles would be opposed. They might even think we’re trying to start a war.”
Ferdinand murmured while looking down at the hatchling.
This situation was far more complex than rescuing a stray kitten.
The role of the dwarf, who had mentioned knowing a dragon, became even more critical.
“Let’s focus on finding the parent dragon first. In the meantime, everyone, please be discreet about this.”
Leonard looked around, particularly directing his words at Ferdinand and Bennex. Chaeyi added,
“I’ll take care of it for now. It seems to want to stay with me anyway. Forcing it away and isolating it might be more dangerous.”
“But…”
Leonard frowned, trailing off.
Dragons were like ticking time bombs—seemingly obedient now, but they could turn at any moment.
The thought of Chaeyi bearing this burden made him uneasy.
However, the hatchling viewed Chaeyi as a parental figure, and forcibly separating them could be even riskier.
Knowing this, Leonard was conflicted.
Sensing his discomfort, Enoch stepped in to reassure him.
“Don’t worry too much, sir. I’ll stick close to Chaeyi and help out.”
At this, Bennex shyly added, fidgeting with his fingers,
“Ch-Chaeyi, I’ll help as much as I can too. I’ll do my best!”
“Sounds like fun. I’m in too.”
With even Ferdinand joining in, Leonard’s expression turned complicated, clearly displeased with the situation.
However, Chaeyi looked at Leonard with a bright smile.
“They’re all willing to help. Isn’t that great?”
For some reason, Leonard sighed lightly at that moment, causing Chaeyi to tilt his head in confusion.
Leonard quickly shook his head as if it was nothing and spoke up.
“Alright. I’ll go contact the dwarf. If anything happens, let me know immediately.”
“Sure. We’ll stay at the Onyx Estate for now.”
Leonard, reluctantly pulling himself away, headed towards the main estate.
Chaeyi waved as Leonard departed and then led everyone back to the Onyx Estate.
The chaotic day flew by.
Chaeyi couldn’t get any proper rest, as the hatchling kept whining when it was sleepy, constantly getting hungry, and pestering him whenever it was bored.
But at least…
The hatchling, being such a highly advanced species, had an incredibly fast learning ability.
After observing humans up close all day, it had begun to understand some of their language.
Whenever it felt uncomfortable or wanted something, it would express it through gestures.
Its learning capability was astonishing.
Thanks to this, they were able to communicate, reducing the stress of the situation.
The next day, the dwarf, who had received Leonard’s message, arrived at the Lancaster estate.
Being a species that valued friendship highly, the dwarf had rushed over upon hearing that his friend was in trouble.
Holding the hatchling, who had fallen asleep in his arms overnight, Chaeyi headed down towards the gate with Enoch.
Leonard and Delion had already gone ahead to greet the dwarf.
‘A real dwarf, just like in the books…’
It’s much smaller than I thought.
Chaeyi, trying not to appear too awed, carefully observed the dwarf.
Despite his small stature, the dwarf was muscular and clad in armor, his skin tanned and rugged.
His long, thick beard was impressive, covering his entire chest, and he spoke the imperial common language fluently.
Suddenly, the dwarf, who had been conversing with the Lancaster men, turned to look at Chaeyi.
After a brief nod, the dwarf let out a unique chuckle and stroked his long beard.
“Hohoho. So, you must be the Beta child. I’ve been wanting to meet you, and now that I have, it’s a pleasure. My name is Kukuf.”
“Ah. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Chaeyi realized anew that even a Beta living under the protection of a grand duchy attracts attention without doing anything at all.
“Yes, yes. Hmm. But more importantly….”
Kukuf narrowed his eyes sharply and began observing the hatchling nestled against Chaeyi more closely.
Was it because of that?
The hatchling, feeling wary, slightly bared its teeth and pressed itself even closer to Chaeyi’s chest.
“So, this is the hatchling that young Lord Leo mentioned… a White Dragon.”
Kukuf, stepping back to avoid alarming the hatchling, stroked his beard in fascination.
“Hoho. A dragon that’s so attached to a human! They say White Dragons are less ferocious compared to other dragons… but they’re also smarter, and that makes them even more arrogant. I’ve never seen one like this.”
“Well, I think it’s because I was the first thing it saw when it hatched.”
Chaeyi added awkwardly. But Kukuf chuckled meaningfully and said,
“Of course, it’s true that the first thing they see upon being born is recognized as a parent. But if you think that’s all there is to it, that little one might be disappointed. White Dragons are incredibly cunning.”
* * *
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Thanks
They’re so adorable 🥺
Aww it loves chaeyi.
i have a soft spot for dragon companions grh