Fantasia of the Silver-Biding House of Eggs ~Eastern Country & Northern Country~ | Chapter 9

[healingbonds]

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We find the lion standing at the base of a large tree. But the moment it notices our presence, it darts away skittishly.

Bradley: Hey.

Nero: I got it.

Bradley and Nero exchange meaningful looks before simultaneously speeding up. They break free from the group and fly around to take the lead.

Bradley: You better not have lost your touch.

Nero: You’re asking for a lot. I’m just a chef now.

Bradley: ......Hmph. Just don’t drag me down.

Without needing another word, Nero and Bradley promptly split off in opposing directions.
The lion tears through the forest like a tornado, mowing down the trees in its path as if they were no more than stalks of wheat.
Coming up from behind, Bradley and Nero close in and trap the lion between the two of them.

Bradley: Give it all you’ve got, you monster! << Adnopotensum >>

Cocking his gun, Bradley fires off multiple blanks into the sky. The gunshots resound violently again and again, threatening to blast a hole in the sky.
Wary of an oncoming attack, the lion’s course veers closer towards Nero.

Nero: << Adnodus Omnis >>

Nero takes aim, as if he’s been waiting for that opening.
His oversized magic cutlery stabs into the forest floor with a deafening clang, blocking off the lion’s escape path.
Bit by bit, the lion is cornered.
As its escape route narrows, it has no choice but to go down the dense forest trail overgrown with thick trees.

Snow: The beast is slowing down!

White: Now’s our time to stop it! << Noscomnia >>!

White directs a blinding flash of light at the lion. Frightened, the lion’s movements grow clumsy.

Snow & White: Mithra, Owen! Cut off the lion’s magic!

Mithra: Should I make it stop breathing then? << Arthi— >>......

Owen: You’ll kill it.
Just use a magic circle to render it temporarily powerless. What, you can’t even do that?

Mithra: What? Who do you think you're talking to?

Owen: Then get on with it already. If you mess up and kill it, you won’t get your share.
<< Cure Memini >>

Mithra: << Arthim >>

Owen and Mithra chant their spells in unison. A magic circle springs up beneath the lion’s feet, splitting the ground with a white flash.
The tempestuous aura encircling the lion’s body starts shrinking rapidly.

Lion: Groar......!

The lion roars as it thrashes around. It steps forward to escape, but it can’t move any further.
Now that it’s been rendered powerless, the trees it felled so easily are impenetrable walls. As the lion butts against them, they remain unbent, preventing its escape.

Faust: Heath. It’s time.

Heathcliff: << Repsevaivulp Sonus >>

Faust: << Satillquinart Mullcreed >>

They overlay their spells, extending the tree branches towards the lion.
The branches grow thinner and spread into a net, trapping the lion within it.

Shino: Good, we caught it.

Akira: Yay......!

Lion: Grr.......!

The lion’s entire body bristles with anger, the very picture of an imprisoned wild beast.
The owner, who Snow had protected during the fight, leaps off the broom and immediately dashes to the lion’s side.

Owner: Oh, thank goodness. You’re safe.....
Here, it’s okay now...... You were just surprised, weren’t you? I’m sorry you went through something so scary. There’s nothing to worry about anymore.

Its teeth had been bared in intimidation, but the lion calms down as the owner continues to soothe it.

Owner: It’s okay, you don’t have to be scared. You just got lost, so I came to find you. Come, let’s go home together.

Lion: ......Groar......

Finally, the lion sits back on its haunches, letting out a feline purr.
It looks as weak and helpless as a child who’s terrified of the wind.

Akira: I can’t believe it..... It was acting so violently.....

White: No matter how it came to be, it’s still only a newborn. It’s the manner of babies to cry and scream because they’re terrified of the new world that they find themselves in.
I’m sure this child was simply scared and unsure. But it looks like it finally found the place where it belongs.

The owner reaches his hand through the cage of branches and pats the lion’s silvery fur. The lion butts its head and wings against his hand, making affectionate purring sounds in the back of its throat.
Somehow, it reminds me of the chickens that gathered around the owner’s feet.

✦✧☾✧✦

Owner: There are no words to express my gratitude...... You even reconstructed the barrier......

Faust: I’ve made it stronger than the previous one. I don’t think you’ll have any more problems, but it should hold up even if your lion gets a little violent.

Snow: Well, half of the damage was done by our kids anyway.

White: Think of it as an extra service from us.

Mithra: You should really be grateful.

Bradley: You didn’t even do anything.

After returning to the House of Silver Eggs, the lion seems like a different beast altogether from when it was born: it huddles quietly in a corner of the chicken coop.
Since it emerged from a silver egg, the chickens all seem unfazed by its presence. It looks like they’ll get along without any trouble.

Owner: Thank you for your patience. Allow me to present these as a token of my gratitude.

He gives us our silver eggs as a token for completing the mission successfully. All the wizards look overjoyed at being gifted rare treasures.

Owen: Oz doesn’t have one, right? I feel great. I might even go and show this off to Sir Knight.

Bradley: ......Mithra? Why did you put the egg on top of your head?

Mithra: I thought it’d be bad if I lost it. This way, I won’t roll over and crush it in my sleep. Isn’t it a great idea?

Owen: Yeah. You look like an idiot.

Snow & White: Silver eggs, silver eggs.

White: How delightful. I wonder what will be born from them.

Snow: I’d love for a matching set of silverwork to be born from our eggs.

White: It’ll reflect our own desires. So there’ll be no hard feelings no matter what emerges.

Snow & White: Ohoho.

Faust: ......What is it, Shino? Why are you staring?

Shino: Isn’t your egg slightly bigger than ours, Faust?

Faust: No, I don’t think it is, but......

Shino: No, it definitely is. Nero, let’s compare our eggs.

Nero: Hey, don’t get hung up on it. Size means nothing; what matters is what lies inside.

Shino: That’s right. Nero, that was a pretty cool line.
Faust, what matters is what lies inside. Not the size, got it?

Faust: ............

Akira: (Everyone looks so happy......)

Even though they’ve lived far longer, the older wizards are as elated as the younger wizards as they gaze at their own silver eggs.
A silver egg, yet unborn, that belongs exclusively to each of them.
While each egg holds the undeniable allure of strong magic, I’m sure there’s something else inexpressibly extraordinary about these eggs that make wizards’ hearts sing.

Heathcliff: Sir Sage.

As I gaze fondly at everyone, Heathcliff comes up to me.

Heathcliff: It was so hectic this morning that I missed the chance to tell you, but my silver egg actually hatched.

Akira: Really!?

I yell at the top of my lungs. Hurriedly lowering my voice, I take a deep breath, feeling a sense of relief and joy spreading through my chest.

Akira: Congratulations..... It’s because you gave it your all to raise your egg, Heath.

Heathcliff: Thank you. I wanted to show it to you, Sir Sage......

Heathcliff delicately takes something out of his pocket.
On his palm lies a small silver ornament in the shape of a panther.

Akira: Wow, it's so cool.....! And beautiful, too.

At my frank praise, Heathcliff smiles, a little embarrassed, but mostly joyous.

Heathcliff: Nero said the same thing.

Chapter 8 << | index | >> Chapter 10