RHFTY chapter 40

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“Ah, Enoch.”

“Chaeyi! Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Chaeyi shook his hand dismissively as she showed Enoch a round, white object.

“It seems the fountain broke and made a loud noise because of this. I’m not sure who dropped it, but by the time we arrived, there was no one around.”

“…Hmm?”

Enoch, who was examining the round object up close, suddenly raised his eyebrows with a peculiar expression.

Curious about the sudden change, Chaeyi asked softly.

“What’s wrong, Enoch?”

“Hmm. It kind of looks like an egg…”

“An egg? This?”

Surprised by the unexpected suggestion, Chaeyi looked at the round object again.

However, Enoch seemed uncertain as he shook his head.

“I’m not sure. For now, we should inform the lord and Prince Leonard.”

“Okay. Please take care of that.”

“Yes. I’ll need someone to explain the details, so could you come with me, Bennex?”

“…Me?”

Bennex, suddenly pointed out, was visibly startled. Considering it might be a chance to introduce Bennex to Leo, Chaeyi’s eyes sparkled as she eagerly agreed with Enoch.

“Yes, Bennex should come with us.”

“But…”

“Come on, hurry up.”

Although Bennex was reluctant, he had no choice but to follow Chaeyi’s insistence.

Eventually, Bennex and Enoch headed toward the main residence, and Ferdinand, who had been watching them, sighed and sat on a nearby bench.

“It doesn’t seem like a big deal after all.”

“Indeed.”

“Assuming, of course, that it’s not a dangerous object…”

Ferdinand, with his arms resting on the back of the bench and his long legs crossed, added with a sideways glance.

Chaeyi agreed with him.

However, since touching the surface didn’t show any immediate problems and there were no signs of it suddenly exploding, it seemed safe for now.

Just then…

A strange noise came from the round object, causing Chaeyi to look back in shock.

‘What?’

Cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the once-solid round object.

No one had touched it.

It was as if the object was hatching like a newborn animal breaking out of its shell.

‘Could it really be an egg?’

As Chaeyi watched in tension, the spiderweb-like cracks spread across the surface.

Crack. Crack.

Small pieces began to fall away, and eventually, a huge hole appeared.

From there… something tiny peeked out and revealed itself.

“What’s that? A white lizard hatchling?”

As Chaeyi watched with curiosity at the unfamiliar yet somehow familiar sight, the hatchling, smaller than its own head, spread its tiny wings.

It seemed strong, as even the hard shell of the egg was torn apart.

Soon….

The creature fully emerged, completely white with a reptilian, bumpy skin.

It had small but sturdy-looking wings and two horns protruding from its head.

Its golden, slit-pupil eyes held an enigmatic charm.

“Grr.”

At that moment, the creature opened its mouth wide and let out a feeble cry.

Then, it quickly jumped out and stuck to Chaeyi’s face.

“Ah…!”

Chaeyi, startled, ended up sitting on the ground with a thud.

Because it was hidden behind Chaeyi’s back, Ferdinand, who had been unable to see the situation clearly, was startled by his sudden scream and jumped up.

“Chaeyi! What’s going on….”

Ferdinand, who had come up behind Chaeyi, stopped speaking.

Chaeyi managed to peel the creature off his face and looked back.

“Fern?”

Ferdinand’s expression was one of shock.

Just as Chaeyi wondered why, Ferdinand, pointing and stuttering, shouted.

“T-That’s… a dragon!”

“What?”

Chaeyi was equally surprised to hear this.

Among the high races—elves, dwarves, and dragons—why was one of them here?

Flustered, Chaeyi looked down at his chest.

The lizard-like creature had now stuck to his chest, purring contentedly.

“This… is a hatchling?”

But something was odd.

Unlike dwarves, who were friendly and frequently interacted with humans, dragons and elves were known to live in seclusion and were not friendly towards humans.

Yet this hatchling showed no signs of discomfort or aggression.

Instead, it seemed happy and was purring, making Chaeyi feel perplexed.

‘Is it because it’s still young?’

Or was there another reason….

“Chaeyi?”

Just then, Chaeyi heard Enoch’s voice, as if he had just returned. Enoch, Bennex, Lawrence, and Leonard were with him.

It seemed they had come with just a few people to quickly assess the situation.

When they saw the creature clinging to Chaeyi’s chest, their faces showed immediate shock.

“Gasp… Is that a dragon?!”

“Where did it suddenly come from?”

“No, Sir Lawrence! Look over there! It seems like what I mentioned earlier was actually an egg!”

It was at this moment that Enoch, who had discovered the shattered white eggshell, cried out urgently.

Leonard, stepping closer to Chaeyi, tried to remove the hatchling himself.

At that instant, the hatchling, which had been growling, suddenly bared its teeth and emitted a low, aggressive growl.

Before Leonard’s hand could reach it, the hatchling snapped its jaws as if to bite immediately.

“Kak!”

Startled, Chaeyi retreated, holding the hatchling close. It was an instinctive reaction driven by fear of potentially harming Leonard.

The three others who had been watching from behind Leonard, shocked by the sudden turn of events, also let out brief cries. Ferdinand waved his hand and said,

“Don’t provoke it unnecessarily. It could make Chaeyi more dangerous.”

At Ferdinand’s words, the three who had screamed immediately fell silent.

Leonard, though visibly displeased, seemed to understand that there was no other choice at the moment and withdrew his hand.

And so….

The combined gaze of the six people—Enoch and Bennex, who had gone to report the unknown object, Lawrence and Leonard, who had come to find out after hearing the story, and Chaeyi and Ferdinand—was fixed on a single living being.

More precisely, it was on the creature biting eagerly at the hem of Chae’s clothes.

“I was worried, but it seems like it doesn’t show any aggression toward Chae,” said Lawrence.

“Hmm. To me, it even seems like it’s following Chaeyi well… or am I mistaken?” replied Enoch.

While Lawrence and Enoch were conversing, Leonard, who had been observing the hatchling’s behavior quietly, spoke up.

“Chae, could it be that the first person this hatchling saw after hatching was you?”

Reflecting on the situation at the time, Chaeyi nodded in agreement.

“That must be it. Ferdinand was covering my back, so it wouldn’t have seen anyone else… and I was the closest when it broke out of the shell.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

Leonard responded with understanding and continued,

“This hatchling seems to consider Chaeyi as its parent. Dragons are smart and will soon adjust their recognition, but… for now, it won’t be a danger to Chaeyi.”

Hearing that it wasn’t a threat to Chaeyi right away, the group gradually let out sighs of relief.

They had all been worried because the hatchling seemed reluctant to leave Chaeyi.

The fact that it recognized Chaeyi as its ‘parent’ was a small blessing amidst the misfortune.

Chaeyi looked down at the hatchling playing with the hem of his clothes, nestled in his arms.

Meanwhile, the group continued their conversation.

“So, where did this dragon egg suddenly come from? There shouldn’t be any major dragon habitats around here.”

“That’s true.”

“Hmm… Oh, could it be that Takra dropped the egg while carrying it? The impact that shattered the fountain suggests it might have fallen from a height.”

Benyaak’s speculation seemed reasonable, as Lawrence and Enoch nodded in agreement.

“That’s possible. It is the time of year when Takra is active. If you consider that an extraordinary coincidence could occur once every few centuries…”

“Hmm. If no signs of an intruder are found in the mansion, that would be the most plausible explanation.”

Chaeyi tilted his head in confusion.

“Takra?”

Lawrence kindly provided an explanation for Chae.

“Oh, Takra is a type of avian monster. It lives in the forests around here and feeds on the eggs of other species. Dragon eggs, being large and nutritious, are especially sought after.”

In short, Takra is a dragon’s natural predator. It was fascinating to think even dragons had such enemies.

“Of course, it’s more common for Takra to be caught stealing and then killed by the mother or for the hatchling to turn the tables.”

“So, you’re saying that Takra might have accidentally dropped the egg while flying, and it just happened to land on the fountain at Lancaster Mansion and turned out to be a dragon egg?”

Enoch added to Lawrence’s explanation.

If this were true, it would indeed be a remarkable coincidence.

However, if no intruders are found in the mansion, it would be the most realistic assumption.

“Kwaaang!”

At that moment, the hatchling, which had been quietly nestled, suddenly squawked and tapped at Chaeyi’s chest.

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