Miss Maron stared at Shade and asked, pausing after every word:
"Are you saying that I'm connected to that cult?"
"No, of course not. But I suspect that the missing 'antique' was connected to the Dragon Devouring Order."
Shade said, reminding the Witches:
"At the time, the cultists were arranging a sacrifice involving the lives of everyone on the ship, perhaps even themselves. In that situation, why were so many crew members helping that first-class lady search for something?"
From an outsider's perspective, Shade easily spotted this suspicious point. Miss Teresa, curled up beside him, understood as well:
"You mean that thing was connected to the true purpose of their actions?"
"Yes. That antique could not have been large, and it did not possess enough power for the Witches to easily detect it. Since it was related to dragons, my first thought was dragon scales, but actually..."
"Not dragon scales. That precious item was an egg, a dead Dragon Egg."
Miss Maron suddenly said. Only after speaking did she realize her voice had grown too loud. She lowered her head dejectedly and added in a tiny voice:
"For some reason, I suddenly... knew that."
Shade hesitantly nodded at her:
"Then everything makes sense. It's just that you probably still haven't fully sorted out your memory, right?"
"Yes. My mind feels so confused right now. Could I... be the young dragon that was supposed to have died inside that egg?"
She was asking Shade and the Witches for help, but no one could answer that question. Only Professor Evans tugged at the blanket draped over him and spoke hesitantly amid the firelight and shadows:
"Under normal circumstances, even a Dragon Egg incapable of hatching a young dragon should not end up outside. Dragons view reproduction very differently from humans. Eggs that