Chapter 19: The Egg Has Hatched
A large egg, roughly thirty centimeters in diameter.
It was the egg of a monster that I had carefully cultivated in my garden.
“Since it’s called a monster’s egg… that means a monster will actually hatch from it, right?”
Monsters, by their very nature, were violent creatures, fundamentally incompatible with humans. The thought made me pause—was it really safe to let this egg hatch?
Well, perhaps a baby monster wouldn’t be so dangerous. Even if it were, I should be able to handle it, I reasoned.
Carefully, so that my little sister wouldn’t find out, I hid the egg somewhere within the garden, waiting for it to hatch.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning, Lilcarlia-san,” I replied, greeting her as usual.
As expected, Lilcarlia-san had come to collect the day’s harvest.
“I actually have something I’d like you to take a look at,” I said.
“Oh? What is it?”
Of course, I wasn’t about to show her the monster egg. My plan was to have her inspect the newly cultivated, high-quality vegetables I had managed to grow.
“Well, these are… really something, aren’t they?” she remarked, her eyes widening slightly at the sight.
“Yes. I’ve managed to grow vegetables that are far superior in quality than before,” I explained proudly.
“…Superior to the ones before, you say…”
Lilcarlia-san’s cheeks twitched slightly, as if uncertain how to respond.
“May I taste them?” she asked hesitantly.
“Ah, yes, but they’re raw,” I warned.
“That’s fine! If they’re your vegetables, Geo-san, they’ll taste amazing even raw,” she said confidently—and with that, she sank her teeth into a carrot.
――――――――
For a brief, suspended moment, time seemed to freeze. Lilcarlia-san stiffened mid-bite, almost toppling backward, and I hurriedly steadied her small frame.
“A-are you alright?” I asked, concerned.
“Huh…?” Her eyes blinked, slowly refocusing as she regained consciousness.
“D-did we… just lose consciousness…?”
“Yes,” I replied, slightly taken aback.
‘…Weird choice of words,’ I thought. She’d said “we” instead of “I.”
“I-I’m sorry… wasn’t it tasty?” I asked nervously.
“No, no! Actually, it’s too delicious!” she exclaimed, quickly correcting herself. Her usual speech pattern returned, so perhaps my ears had just tricked me.
“It was so delicious that I passed out!” she added dramatically.
“R-really?” I asked, unsure whether to believe her.
“You have to try it yourself, Geo-san!”
I picked up an eggplant. It was large, glossy, and looked delicious beyond measure.
Even so, I thought, surely eating vegetables shouldn’t make someone lose consciousness. Shrugging off the thought, I bit into it.
――――――――
“Huh!?”
I froze mid-motion, standing there in a daze. What had I been doing just now…?
“Ah, Lilcarlia-san? You were here all along?”
“You… even forgot what happened just now?!” she exclaimed.
“What’s going on? And why do I have a half-eaten eggplant in my hand?”
The rich, savory flavor spreading across my tongue told me exactly what had happened.
“Remember! Geo-san, you gave me this because you grew vegetables even better than before!” she insisted.
“Ah!” My memory finally snapped back into place.
“Just eating them raw… and this happens…?” I murmured, astounded.
“These are truly terrifying vegetables,” Lilcarlia-san shivered, as though the sensation had shaken her to her core.
“Well, we certainly can’t sell these,” she added.
“Eh? Why not?” I asked.
“They’re too dangerous. People might go to war over them!”
“W-war…?” I thought she was exaggerating, but judging by the serious tone in her voice, perhaps not.
So, for the time being, the high-quality vegetables would be put aside. Whatever had been grown would be consumed at home.
“…” I trailed off, watching her silently.
“What is it? You’re staring so intently…” I asked.
“Slurp…”
Drool dribbled down from the corner of her mouth as she gazed hungrily at the vegetables.
“Uh… you want to eat more, don’t you?” I teased.
“N-no! Of course not! I mean—absolutely not! Even as a merchant, I have pride… slurp…” she stammered, flustered.
In the end, I gave all of it to Lilcarlia-san. After all, I could always grow more.
――――――――
Fluff… fluff…
“Ah! The egg is moving a little!”
I couldn’t help but exclaim when I noticed the monster egg trembling slightly. Though it was hidden in the garden, I had been checking it dozens of times each day, unable to resist my curiosity.
“Maybe it’s almost ready to hatch… alright, alright,” I murmured, cradling it gently. The egg seemed to respond, vibrating more strongly in my hands.
Fortunately, Sena wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. She was apparently staying overnight in a new area, tackling it head-on. Three girls would be staying in the tent tonight. That sounded… fun.
With Sena gone, I decided I’d spend the night with the egg. Somehow, I had grown attached to it already.
I wrapped myself and the egg in a blanket. Holding it close, I could clearly feel its tiny vibrations. There was something alive, something real, pulsing within it.
Then, in the predawn hours…
Crack! Crack!
The sound of splitting eggshells and the strong vibrations woke me instantly.
“Ah! It’s going to hatch!”
It seemed the creature inside was trying to break free. I encouraged it with a gentle, whispered, “You can do it! Keep going!”
Crack-crack-crack!
Finally, a small arm pierced the shell, causing the egg to tumble lightly onto the blanket.
“Almost there!” I whispered, heart pounding.
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
Eventually, a hole large enough for the baby to emerge opened, and it wriggled out.
Its eyes were still closed, but it twisted its tiny head as if searching for a mother.
I lifted it gently, cradling it with as much care as I could muster.
“Nee…”
A fragile, faint cry escaped its lips.
“…A cat?”
There was no mistaking it. This little creature… was a cat.