Chapter 199: The Pregnant Firebird (9)

Chapter 199: 199: The Pregnant Firebird (9)

It would need large amounts of food and fire mana. It would also attract the attention of nobles, beast tamers, and powerful mages.

And they were still trapped inside the Deep Maw Forest.

Lucard had no interest in taking responsibility for another troublesome creature.

The mother pushed one final time. The egg slipped free.

It rolled slightly across the blood-covered ground, but the Crimson Sunwing quickly lowered one wing beside it and stopped it from moving farther.

The bird was exhausted.

Its golden eyes became dimmer.

However, it continued watching the egg.

Elowen slowly moved closer.

"Lucard, the egg is out!"

"I can see that."

"Is it alive?"

"Possibly."

Elowen smiled through her tears.

"Then at least her baby can survive."

Cedric looked at Lucard.

"What should we do with it?"

"Nothing."

Cedric blinked. "Nothing?"

"The egg is not ours."

"But the mother is dying."

"That does not automatically make it our responsibility."

Elowen turned toward him.

"Lucard!"

He ignored her tone.

"We have enough problems. Alan is still somewhere in the forest, and carrying a large egg will slow us down. It needs fire mana to survive, and we do not have a safe place to keep it."

Cedric rubbed his chin.

Those were reasonable problems.

However, leaving a Seventh Rank beast egg behind was something he could hardly imagine.

"Lucard, do you understand how valuable that egg is?"

"Yes."

"An egg from a Seventh Rank beast could cause a fight between powerful noble families."

"I know."

"And you want to leave it here?"

Lucard looked at him. "If you want to carry it, you can try."

Cedric glanced toward the Crimson Sunwing.

The bird was still alive. Its golden eyes followed every movement they made.

Cedric slowly lowered his hand.

"I would rather not steal an egg while its mother is watching."

"Then stay away from it."

Before Cedric could answer, the Crimson Sunwing moved.

Its enormous head slowly turned toward Lucard.

The bird stared at him.

Lucard met its gaze without moving.

For several breaths, neither did anything.

Then the Crimson Sunwing lowered its beak and gently touched the egg.

It pushed the egg forward.

The movement was weak, but deliberate.

The egg rolled a short distance across the ground.

Lucard’s eyes narrowed.

The bird pushed again.

This time, the egg moved directly toward him.

Elowen stared at the scene.

"Lucard..."

"I can see it."

The Crimson Sunwing raised its head and looked at him again.

Then it lowered its beak toward the egg.

Cedric’s expression changed.

"Wait. Is she...?"

"Yes," Lucard answered quietly.

The Crimson Sunwing was offering him the egg.

Elowen stepped closer to Lucard.

"She wants you to take it."

Lucard remained silent.

The bird pushed the egg one more time. It was now only a few steps away from him.

Lucard looked at the mother.

He asked, "Why me?"

The Crimson Sunwing could not answer with human words. But it continued staring at him. Its golden eyes were weak, yet there was still intelligence inside them.

Lucard remembered the final moments of the battle.

The Crimson Sunwing had attacked the Behemoth with everything it possessed. It had almost killed the monster, but the last of its strength had failed. The Behemoth had remained alive.

Then Lucard had approached and delivered the final Blood Claw. He had finished the enemy that threatened the bird and its unborn child.

The Crimson Sunwing had seen enough of that attack to understand who had ended the battle.

It also knew that these three humans had interfered earlier and helped it reach the Behemoth’s damaged shoulder.

Now, with its own life ending, the bird was choosing the person it believed had saved its egg.

Lucard stared at the enormous egg. He thought, "What a troublesome situation."

Elowen moved beside him.

"Lucard, please take it."

"No."

"Why?"

"I already explained."

"But she is asking you!"

"She is a beast. She cannot understand what problems this will cause."

Elowen shook her head.

"She understands enough to know she is dying. She understands enough to save her egg. And she understands enough to choose someone she trusts."

Lucard looked at her.

Elowen continued, "We helped her because she was carrying an egg. Now that the egg is here, how can we just leave it behind?"

Lucard’s expression remained cold.

"I am not running a beast nursery."

Cedric almost laughed.

Elowen did not. She looked at the egg and then at the dying mother.

"If you leave it here, another beast might eat it. Or someone might take it and sell it. The mother used everything she had left to save it."

Lucard said nothing.

Elowen’s voice became softer.

"She is not asking you to save her anymore. She is only asking you to save her baby."

Lucard looked away. He did not like this kind of conversation.

If Elowen wanted him to kill an enemy, negotiate with a noble, or steal something valuable, he could understand that. There would be a clear benefit and a clear cost.

But she was asking him to accept responsibility because a dying mother trusted him.

That was more troublesome than a simple bargain.

Cedric approached from the other side.

"For once, I agree with Elowen."

Lucard looked at him. "Of course you do."

"I am serious."

"That would be a first."

Cedric ignored the insult.

"Think about it properly. This is not an ordinary egg. A Crimson Sunwing has a powerful fire bloodline and can eventually reach Seventh Rank and higher. If we manage to hatch and raise it, we could gain a very powerful ally."

Lucard asked, "We?"

Cedric paused. Then he smiled. "I meant you, of course."

Lucard’s eyes narrowed. "You were thinking of stealing it."

"Not stealing. I was thinking about possible arrangements."

"You are still a thief."

"Says the man who used a rabbit to steal Deepwell water."

Elowen looked between them.

"Could you two stop talking about stealing things for one moment?"

Cedric raised both hands.

"Fine."

He looked at the Crimson Sunwing again, and his expression became more serious.

"Lucard, she is not giving the egg to me. She is giving it to you. That is rare. Powerful beasts do not easily trust humans, especially when they are injured and vulnerable."

Lucard understood that.

A Seventh Rank beast possessed intelligence far beyond ordinary animals.

The mother could have tried to hide the egg beneath her wing until death. She could have attacked anyone who approached her. She could even have destroyed the egg rather than allow an enemy to take it.

Instead, she was pushing it toward him.

That choice mattered.

Cedric continued, "We do not have to make a beast contract immediately. We only need to keep the egg alive and find a safe place for it. The rest can be decided later."

Lucard considered the suggestion.

That was more reasonable.

He did not have to promise to raise the creature forever. He only needed to transport the egg and prevent it from dying.

If the young Crimson Sunwing proved useful, he could keep it. If not, there were other ways to handle a rare beast egg.

Still, the effort would not be small.

Lucard looked at Elowen.

She was standing beside the egg with both hands clasped together.

He sighed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Elowen blinked. "Like what?"

"Like I am about to kill the egg."

"You are not going to, are you?"

"No."

"Then will you take it?"

Lucard closed his eyes for a short moment.

"Why does everyone keep making their problems my problems?"

Then he opened them again.

"Fine."

Elowen’s face brightened immediately.

"Really?"

"Yes. But I am not carrying it because you cried."

Cedric smiled.

"Of course not."

Lucard turned toward him. "And I am not sharing it with you."

"I did not ask."

"You were thinking about it."

Cedric looked offended.

"You cannot punish someone for thinking."

Lucard ignored him and walked toward the egg.

The Crimson Sunwing watched every step.

When he came close, the bird lifted its head slightly. A weak flame appeared around its beak, but it disappeared when Lucard stopped in front of the egg.

Lucard looked directly into its golden eyes.

"I will take it."

The bird did not move.

Lucard continued, "I cannot promise it will become strong. I cannot promise it will live forever. But I can keep it alive until it hatches, provided nothing happens that makes doing so impossible."

Elowen looked at him with surprise.

She had expected him to simply pick up the egg.

Instead, he was speaking to the bird as though it were a person.

The Crimson Sunwing listened.

Then it slowly lowered its head.

Its beak touched the top of the egg.

A faint red light spread from the bird’s beak into the shell.

Lucard immediately felt fire mana moving.

It was not an attack.

The mother was transferring a small part of its remaining fire energy into the egg.

The golden lines across the shell brightened.

Then the red light faded.