Chapter 53: The Egg Has Hatched

“Looks like it’s about time for it to hatch, huh?”

The large monster egg had begun to tremble now and then, as though something alive was stirring within. From the gentle vibrations, I could tell the little one inside was moving — perhaps stretching for the first time, trying to greet the world beyond its shell.

“Meow~!”

Milk clutched the egg protectively against her belly, her tail flicking with restless excitement. She let out a chirping mewl that all but said, I can’t wait any longer!

“Geo-san!”

“Oh, Denis-kun.”

A sweet, youthful voice called out from the entrance. Startled, I hurried to hide the monster egg in the vegetable garden before my guest saw it. The last thing I wanted was to shock him again — he’d probably faint this time.

“Milk, I’ll leave the egg to you, okay?”

“Nyaa!”

Once Milk had taken over egg duty, I stepped out to greet my visitor. Denis was standing there, holding a small glass vial. The liquid inside shimmered with an almost blinding brilliance, as if sunlight had been trapped and liquefied.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“Ah, well… remember the Phantom Spirit Herb you gave me the other day? I passed it on to Merlin-san, and, um…”

Denis lifted the vial slightly, his eyes filled with a mix of awe and disbelief.

“…She ended up making an Elixir.”

It felt awkward to keep talking by the door, so I invited him in.

Once inside, Denis carefully set the tiny bottle on the table, his fingers trembling ever so slightly as if he were afraid to drop it.

“This… is the Elixir?”

“Y-Yes. According to Merlin-san, it really is an Elixir. But… she didn’t dare test it to confirm the effect.”

Merlin-san, I knew, possessed a gift called the Pharmacist’s Appraisal Eye. If she said it was an Elixir, there was no reason to doubt it.

“So then, why bring it to me?”

“She said… just holding onto it was so terrifying she thought she might die.”

“…That’s a bit of an exaggeration, isn’t it?”

Denis shook his head nervously.

“She told me its value can’t really be measured. But, um… when one appeared at an auction in the royal capital ages ago, it sold for five thousand gold coins.”

“F-Five thousand!?”

I nearly choked on my own breath. Five thousand gold coins — for a single bottle!?

“It’s that rare,” Denis explained softly, “and everyone who knows what it can do wants it. Apparently, there was even a war once… all because of this.”

I sank into silence. Well, in that case, it was perfectly understandable why Merlin wouldn’t want it lying around in her workshop. Still… if she was that afraid, maybe she shouldn’t have made it in the first place.

“She said… when the ingredients are all gathered before her, she feels an irresistible compulsion — a pharmacist’s impulse — to complete it.”

“…That sounds like a troublesome kind of talent.”

Either way, I decided the Elixir had to be hidden somewhere safe. You never knew when such a thing might come in handy.

Fortunately, Elixirs hardly ever deteriorated. Some of the ancient ones made centuries ago were still found intact in ruins every so often.

“Actually,” Denis added, “most of the Elixirs that exist today are those ancient ones. Back then, they must’ve been made more frequently. But now, since Phantom Spirit Herb is only discovered once every few years, a new Elixir is only created just as rarely.”

The more I learned, the clearer it became that what we’d stumbled upon was nothing short of a miracle.

“Meow!”

After Denis left, Milk came dashing toward me, her fur puffed up and tail straight like a flag.

“What’s wrong?”

“Meow!”

“What? The egg’s about to hatch?”

“Meow-meow-meow!”

I hurried to the garden, heart racing.

Tap-tap! Tap-tap! Tap-tap!

“It’s true… it’s coming from inside!”

Just as I reached the nest, a strange sound echoed from within the shell — not the soft crack of a chicken’s egg, but a sharp, solid clack, like stone striking stone. The baby inside was hammering against its prison.

CRACK! — SPLINTER!

A particularly loud crack split the air. A chunk of the thick shell broke away, scattering fragments across the soil.

“Quite the strength you’ve got there…” I murmured.

The gap widened, and something sharp gleamed from within.

“A beak…”

So it was a bird-type monster, then.

“Pii-pii…”

A tiny voice piped up from the hole, weak but full of life.

“Meow-meow!”

In a burst of excitement, Milk began circling the egg, her paws pattering rapidly against the dirt as if cheering the newcomer on.

But the hatching paused — perhaps the baby had exhausted itself. The shell was unbelievably thick, and making an opening large enough to squeeze through must have been a monumental task.

“Meow!”

“Ah, no, Milk — don’t help!”

“Meow?”

She froze mid-step, tilting her head in confusion.

“You have to let it break the shell on its own.”

If we intervened now, it might weaken its spirit. All we could do was watch… and believe. Milk gave a quiet “meow,” as though understanding.

After several rounds of rest and effort, nearly two hours passed. And then—

Crack!

A final piece of shell gave way, and from within emerged a small creature, drenched and trembling under the morning light.

“Pii…”

It was a bird — a downy, golden chick, its feathers glimmering faintly as though dusted with sunlight. It looked like a common chick… except for one thing.

It was enormous — easily the size of a full-grown cat.

When Milk was born, she’d been no larger than a kitten. And now she towered over me like a lioness. If this little one grew the same way…well, I decided not to think too hard about that.

“Pii-pii.”

The newborn toddled toward me on unsteady legs, peeping softly, before hopping right into my lap. Despite being freshly hatched, it jumped surprisingly well.

“There, there,” I murmured, stroking its soft golden fluff.

“Pii-pii.”

“Now then… what do baby birds even eat?”

Surely not milk, right? Maybe insects?

“Pii!”

“Ah—wait! Where are you going?”

The chick suddenly leapt off my lap, stuck its beak into the soil, and after a moment, lifted its head. A poor earthworm dangled, writhing helplessly from its beak.

“Whoa… you caught that yourself?”

“Pii!”

Down went the worm — the chick’s first meal in the outside world.

Then, as though emboldened by its success, the little bird began darting around the garden, hunting for more bugs.

Unlike Milk, who had once needed days to even stand, this newborn was already full of energy — running, peeping, and exploring the world as if it had been waiting for this moment all its life.