It Can Eat A Lot

Aurelian inwardly grumbled as he looked at the knights still waiting behind him.

"Leave the bodies there for now. Everyone, go back and reunite with your families. You can hand over your armor and weapons to Rune the blacksmith in town; I will cover the costs."

Only now did he truly understand the feeling of being dead broke yet still forcing oneself to pick up the tab for others.

"Thank you, my lord!!!"

The knights spoke in unison. After their trip to the Spruce Forest, they had experienced great highs and lows, witnessing the deaths of their comrades while barely surviving themselves.

Aurelian had Hume take a few servants to move the eleven corpses to the mortuary.

After driving the barbarians' warhorses into the stables, he returned to the main keep of Winter City, changed into a set of black casual clothes, and placed the egg of the Child of Frost—obtained through such perilous effort—on the table to observe it closely.

"Jeanne, why is there no movement? Could something be wrong?"

Recalling how the creature inside the shell had channeled magic power to him while he was being hunted by the deformed monster, he couldn't help but worry about whether that had caused any lasting effects.

After all, the Child of Frost was far too important; his ability to survive this winter depended on it.

"It has already fully developed. It shouldn't be long before it hatches."

"Is it hatching soon?"

Aurelian leaned in closer to get a better look at the state of the creature inside the shell.

"Jeanne, what do you think this creature called the Child of Frost looks like? Will it be like in the knight novels—looking like a beautiful fairy with a pair of lovely wings on its back?"

Aurelian's eyes were filled with curiosity; this was his first time seeing such a magical creature.

According to historical records, the birth of a magical creature was a matter of extreme coincidence, something that could be sought but never found.

They were the darlings of the world and nature, possessing the highest affinity for magic power—perhaps only the dragons, known as the perfect organisms, could compare to them.

"Magical creatures take on many forms: some are humanoid, some beast-like, and some even dragon-like. No one can say for sure what the creature inside looks like."

"I'm looking forward to it. I hope it turns out to be a humanoid magical creature."

Aurelian said with a dreamy expression.

Humanoid would be great; if it were female, even better. It would be best if she were beautiful, too, so he could hold her in the palm of his hand...

Just as Aurelian was fantasizing, he heard a faint cracking sound, which pulled him back to reality.

"It seems it is about to be born," Jeanne reminded him from the side.

Upon hearing this, Aurelian focused all his attention on the crystalline egg.

"The moment a magical creature is born, it will feel a sense of closeness to the first living thing it sees. Do not miss this important opportunity."

Jeanne reminded him; she seemed very knowledgeable about magical creatures and had been helping Aurelian learn about them.

"That's a lot like a chick just breaking out of its shell," Aurelian nodded, knowing what he had to do.

Click, clack—

Several cracks appeared on the crystalline shell, then slowly spread and widened.

Aurelian, standing to the side, clenched his fists, his heart pounding.

A sense of nervousness welled up in his chest; if he had to describe it, he felt like an expectant father waiting outside a delivery room—happy, anxious, and...

More and more cracks appeared on the shell.

Aurelian's breathing began to quicken, his anxiety mounting.

In a sense, its hatching really did have a lot to do with him, as his legendary bloodline had already merged with it.

This created a strange connection, a mutual resonance deep within their blood.

Snap!

The shell finally shattered, and Aurelian's eyes widened.

A black claw reached out, followed by another, and the top of the shell was pushed open by two small, curved horns. Then, a pair of small black eyes emerged from the crack in the middle of the shell, darting around with curiosity and vitality.

"You've got to be kidding me?"

Aurelian covered his forehead, feeling his soul leave his body. His dream had shattered.

Goodbye, my cute fairy.

Clatter, clatter.

Fragments of the shell fell to the floor, revealing a fluffy, round creature.

The two horns on its head curved backward like a ram's, though they were much smaller, with only the faint outline visible.

Its small, black, spirited eyes scanned the surroundings until they landed on Jeanne and Aurelian simultaneously.

"Wuya!"

It opened its mouth and stuck out a large, red tongue.

With a body like a roundball, white and fluffy, it had short limbs, black claws, and glistening eyes, topped off with those two little ram horns.

Aurelian was completely dumbfounded. Why did a ball come out?!

He turned his gaze toward the expressionless maid beside him and asked, "Jeanne, what kind of form is this magical creature?"

"Spherical."

Her tone was brief, her gaze never once leaving the white creature.

A woman's resistance to cute, fluffy things is zero; even a saintly female knight is no exception!

"Wuya, wuya."

Listening to the crisp cries of the white creature, Aurelian furrowed his brows, his face full of confusion.

"Why is it using its big tongue to lick its own face?"

"It must be hungry; it's just like you, Master."

The maid said blankly, her eyes fixed in a stare.

"Ah, this."

Aurelian found himself unable to refute that; why, he was a foodie too.

But what should a newborn creature eat?

For a split second, Aurelian glanced toward the towering mountains, a movement instantly caught by Jeanne.

He looked up to find her face flushed crimson, her sky-blue eyes burning with fire.

"Pervert!"

Aurelian clutched his aching face, every pore and every inch of his skin protesting his innocence; he hadn't meant it, he really hadn't!

His eyes, brimming with grievance, watched the scene unfolding before him.

Jeanne used her slender, delicate fingers to hold a biscuit and offer it to the white creature's mouth, her beautiful face full of anticipation.

The table beside her was piled high with white bread, cheese, and cakes—all sent from the kitchen by the servants at Aurelian's specific command.

The Roundball-like white creature opened its large mouth wide and swallowed the entire biscuit in one gulp.

With a gulp, it slid down into its belly.

After finishing, it continued to stare at Jeanne, its bright, watery eyes wide with expectation as it opened its mouth and stuck out its large tongue.

Jeanne, unhurried, picked up a piece of bread and offered it to the white creature's mouth as if feeding a pet, and the creature swallowed it in one bite.

It opened its mouth, continuing to beg for food.

Aurelian widened his eyes, unable to help but gasp.

My goddess, this thing can eat even more than I can, and it was just born!