Apology Gift: Dragon Egg

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The knocking was heavy, just like Dorothy's heartbeat.

She bit her lower lip, her face pale as beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead.

"Creak..."

The doors swung open on their own, though there was no wind.

"What is it?"

A faint voice drifted from the depths of the great hall.

Looking at the empty, pitch-black hall, Dorothy forced herself to remain calm. "Grandpa sent me to deliver something."

"Come in!"

Dorothy gritted her teeth and stepped into the hall.

The hall was vast and completely unobstructed.

She did not know whether it was an illusion, but Dorothy kept feeling as if someone were watching her from nearby.

Forcing aside her distracting thoughts, she walked to the end of the hall, looked around, then circled to one side of the screen wall.

Sure enough, she spotted an entrance to a basement behind the screen wall. It was pitch-black, like the gaping maw of some man-eating beast.

"M-Mr. Asheff, are you in the basement?" Dorothy asked nervously as she stood before the entrance.

"Mm."

Upon hearing the reply, Dorothy nearly burst into tears.

She hesitated there for quite a while before finally gritting her teeth, raising a ball of Inch Light Magic, and descending the spiral staircase.

After walking down circle after circle—

She froze.

None of the terrifying scenes she had imagined—"darkness," "horrifying experiments," "water dungeons," "raising magical beasts," and so on—appeared before her.

Instead, she found an unexpectedly bright world!

The walls were polished smooth enough to reflect a person, glass tanks stood in neat rows, and Inch Light Magic lamps hung overhead.

The place was as bright as day.

Standing high on the spiral staircase, Dorothy immediately spotted Asheff standing before one of the glass tanks.

After a brief hesitation, she gathered her courage and walked over.

"Mr. Asheff, I came today to apologize. I'm truly sorry about that day. I-I lost my composure!" Dorothy recited the speech she had rehearsed countless times in one breath.

After saying that, she took out a seed, infused it with magic power, and activated it.

The seed fell to the ground. In the blink of an eye, it took root, sprouted, grew branches, and bloomed into a giant flower resembling a pitcher plant.

The flower wriggled for a moment, then spat out a giant egg half as tall as a person, covered in intricate Magic Runes.

Yu Sheng'an turned to glance at it, and then could no longer look away.

"This Dragon Egg is an apology gift for you, sir. I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive my reckless behavior." Dorothy looked at the Dragon Egg, and a trace of reluctance flashed through her eyes.

Yu Sheng'an reached out and stroked the Dragon Egg. "This is a dead egg, though it still has a faint trace of life."

Dorothy shuddered all over! This Asheff truly was no ordinary man. He had seen through the Dragon Egg's secret at a glance.

"Yes." Dorothy did not dare explain herself and simply admitted it.

If it had not been a dead egg, her grandpa would likely rather sacrifice her than send it over.

After all, the Dragon Race was the strongest magical beast on the Aizeya Continent, without question.

Any adult dragon was born with Dragon Language Magic comparable to the Magic God's and a powerful physique comparable to the Battle God's!

On top of that, they possessed extraordinarily long lifespans.

They were a peak race capable of contending with gods!

Their sole weakness was their low fertility.

On the Aizeya Continent, if any nation could obtain the protection of a dragon, it was practically guaranteed to prosper for thousands of years.

For example, the Idis Empire in western Aizeya Continent was rumored to be a nation protected by a dragon.

That alone showed what a Dragon Egg represented.

Unfortunately, the Dragon Egg before Yu Sheng'an was nearly dead, though it still retained a trace of life.

Yet that trace of life was likely no more than symbolic.

Like a patient barely kept alive by a ventilator.

Even so, its value could not be denied.

In the hands of Dorothy's grandpa, Doman, it might have already lost its value. Doman had surely tried every possible method to awaken it, only to fail in the end. That was why he had been willing to give it to Yu Sheng'an.

But if this Dragon Egg fell into the hands of the God of Life, one of the Five Great Gods, reviving it by pouring Vitality into it would likely take no effort at all.

Likewise, if it fell into the hands of the God of Death, one of the Five Great Gods, it might well be possible to transform it into an Undead Dragon.

In short, in this world of Magic, nothing was absolute.

"Your grandpa understands people better than you do. I'll take the egg. Go back and tell him I'm not a petty person... but if I ever do get petty, then I won't be a person anymore."

Dorothy had just been about to nod obediently when she heard the last sentence. Her eyes widened, and she nearly bit through her tongue.

"Yes." Dorothy lowered her head with a strange expression, and the huge weight in her heart finally lifted.

Watching Yu Sheng'an stroke the Dragon Egg, then looking at the glass tanks around them, she lingered in place, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Is there something else?"

"N-No."

"If not, then go home!"

"Oh."

Dorothy gave a somewhat empty "oh" and had no choice but to turn and leave.

Once Dorothy had gone, Yu Sheng'an's previously calm expression immediately turned animated.

He circled the Dragon Egg again and again, muttering to himself.

"I've struck it rich! I've struck it rich!"

"This is fucking huge!"

I actually got my hands on a Dragon Egg?

Damn, if I hatch it and sign a Contract with it, what the hell would I have to fear from the Five Great Gods?

...Ahem, I'd still have to fear them. The dragon isn't an adult yet, right?

Uh, fine. Even once it grows up, it might not be able to beat any one of them. But at least I'd have the means to protect myself, wouldn't I?

The Dragon Race's reputation for rivaling gods was no empty boast!

Yu Sheng'an rubbed his hands together, then bent a finger and tapped the Dragon Egg. "Hey? Can you hear me?"

The Dragon Egg remained completely silent.

"Fuck, don't tell me it really is a dead egg?" Yu Sheng'an grew anxious. "It shouldn't be. That trace of life might fool others, but it can't fool my Godhead."

"But when it encounters a god, it still doesn't struggle to survive. It looks like even if it isn't a dead egg, it's pretty much there already. I need to save it quickly, or it could kick the bucket at any moment."

Yu Sheng'an pinched his chin and began to think.

The Dragon Egg's greatest problem was that it had run out of Vitality.

Perhaps it had been born underdeveloped and abandoned by its mother?

Or perhaps it had suffered some other mishap, such as falling into lava or an icy pool, which had worn away all its Vitality.

But regardless of the cause, if he wanted to save it, he had to replenish its Vitality.

Doman had likely already tried every Magic capable of replenishing Vitality.

So if he wanted to save this Dragon Egg, he would have to resort to extraordinary measures.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Sheng'an spread open his right hand and pressed it against the Dragon Egg. Instantly, countless words surged from his palm and poured into the egg.

"If you want to live, it'll have to depend on you! Otherwise, there's nothing I can do."

After a long while, Yu Sheng'an lowered his hand and murmured softly.

He was the God of Contracts, not the God of Life. The only power he could wield was the power of Contracts, so he had sent the Dragon Egg a contract—the Life-Sharing Contract.

If the Dragon Egg still had even a breath left, if it still wished to live, then as long as it signed the Contract, even if it wanted to die, it would be harder than ascending to heaven!