'! Is this from Lizé...?'
After calmly surveying her surroundings, Christina felt the lingering breeze of Lizé.
'She was still young, but among the green dragons, she was the most outstanding in the field of healing.'
Christina sighed, feeling both relieved and perplexed.
'So... Lizé was here. Lord Isha must have sensed the birth of the black dragon hatchling.'
She had tried to keep it hidden for as long as possible, but if Lizé, who was on Isha's side, knew, then the Dragon Lord must have known as well.
'Thanks to this, the black dragon hatchling saved a life... Should I be grateful for this?'
It was fortunate for now, but Christina blamed herself.
'It was my mistake. I thought it would be fine with just Rai, as the hatchling wouldn't be able to leave the lair.'
Teleportation magic was a spell that spanned the spatial domain.
If it failed, it could result in being trapped between spaces, unable to return, or only part of the body moving, leading to terrifying consequences.
It was not a spell one should attempt alone, especially for the first time.
'Who would have thought that the hatchling would attempt teleportation magic, succeed, and leave the lair.'
Though not yet a perfect adult, the hatchling's courage and skill in using teleportation were commendable.
The result was absurd, though.
'And the first thing he did was to chew on a mandrake raw.'
Of all the fruits and herbs, he chose one that could be toxic to a young hatchling.
The child, who was sprawled out and coughing, looked mature and well-behaved, but she had a premonition that he would become a tremendous troublemaker.
"...Cough, cough. Cough."
Imugi, who had just regained consciousness, blinked and coughed.
"Child, really... What have you done?"
Seeing the expressions of the spirit and Christina, Imugi subtly averted his gaze.
She was speechless, and her heart ached at the thought of the dangerous act he had nearly died from.
'I should have been more careful to prevent him from attempting reckless actions.'
The fact that her negligence nearly cost the child his life made her throat dry and uncomfortable.
Despite this, she gently held him, trying to make him more comfortable.
Though his body was battered, Imugi also realized his mistake when he saw her pale, worried face.
'I must have really done something wrong.'
Imugi felt embarrassed and couldn't meet her gaze.
'I'm sorry for acting on my own.'
He had intended to bow his head in apology.
However, being so close to Christina, his head ended up resting on her chest.
He fidgeted, feeling embarrassed.
He looked like a child who instinctively knew he had done something wrong.
Just as he was about to lift his head, Christina picked him up.
"Let's go back. Your body is badly hurt."
Imugi could hear Christina's heartbeat clearly, as his ear was close to her chest.
'...Christina must have been quite shocked.'
She held him even tighter, as if afraid to let him go.
Under normal circumstances, he would have pushed her away out of embarrassment, but this time he remained quiet and stayed in her arms until they returned to the original room.
'My internal injuries are severe, and my energy is in chaos.'
Lying in the cradle and examining his body, Imugi clicked his tongue.
The energy from the herb was too strong, causing him to feel unwell instantly.
As the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be bad.
His desire to become stronger had led to this situation, so he couldn't blame anyone else.
'Well... At least I'm alive.'
He decided to think of a way to properly resolve this situation, feeling a mix of appropriate remorse and slight embarrassment.
'I need to be more cautious in the future.'
Thinking about how futile it would have been to die from eating roots after just receiving a new life made him feel so absurd that he couldn't even laugh.
'At least I've been training all this time.'
As she lay there, Christina said she would find something medicinal and left the room, leaving Rai behind.
Imugi, feeling dejected, secretly practiced qigong to heal his internal injuries while Rai glowed in the corner.
Thanks to the medicine given by the green-haired boy, he could control the energy from the mandrake sufficiently.
'Almost dying is one thing, but I need to absorb all the energy from the herb that entered my body.'
He immediately began to absorb the mandrake's energy through qigong.
A small, white chick, with tear marks on its face, chirped and nestled near Imugi's head, rubbing its cheek against him.
He felt tears rolling down the smooth scales, immersing himself in a strange sensation.
Though he wasn't hurt, seeing the chick cry as if the world had ended for him made him feel touched.
Imugi reached out and stroked the white chick's head.
'Don't cry. It's just a stomachache.'
The small white wings caressed Imugi's cheek, and the chick cried even more pitifully.
A tear from the chick's eye glistened.
A pure, clear droplet rolled down Imugi's smooth cheek, sparkling like a gem.
A purifying energy that burned away harmful substances seeped into his cheek.
Sensitive to magic, Imugi instinctively realized something and gasped inwardly.
He immediately wiped the chick's tear with his index finger.
Licking the tear, which was as clear as a gem, a faint salty taste filled his mouth.
Swallowing the small amount of tears, his internal injuries began to heal.
'Sure enough! The tears have an effect on toxins.'
Though not from an adult, the tears of the divine bird that burns away impurities perfectly healed wounds and restored those with severe internal injuries.
'And a warm energy seeped into my dantian.'
He smiled, showing his teeth, feeling unexpectedly lucky.
'This chick. More useful than I thought?'
His smile seemed both happy and slightly sinister.
"Awake, I see. Did you rest well?"
Christina entered the room with some simple food.
Imugi answered simply and nodded.
Seeing him looking much healthier than expected, Christina felt relieved and continued.
"You must have been scared. It's okay now. You're just a young hatchling, so you got sick from the mandrake, but once you grow a bit, it won't be a problem."
She gently stroked Imugi's smooth head.
Imugi sat up to show that he was fine and looked at her.
'I'll be fine with this.'
Christina was surprised again.
When she brought him in, he was groaning, but now, apart from looking a bit tired, there was no sign of injury.
'Even when Rai told me the situation, I found it hard to believe. Using teleportation magic, and recovering so quickly from severe internal injuries...'
Though Lizé, the green dragon, had helped, this level of recovery was astonishing.
'This hatchling has too much talent to grow up as an ordinary one. Perhaps this child will become the greatest hatchling of all.'
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Imugi looked at Christina.
'Is she suspicious of me as a strange kid? If necessary, I can use this chick as a hint.'
Thinking of the chick, he remained quiet, and her hand gently grasped the small front paw of the creature.
"I'm going to cast the 'Inheritance Magic' on you."
As if answering Imugi's thoughts, Christina continued.
"Through Inheritance Magic, you can gain or develop knowledge and abilities such as our culture, magic, and ancient languages. You won't accidentally eat dangerous herbs like this time."
'So, I can receive the knowledge of this world?'
The prospect of receiving Inheritance Magic made him feel excited, as it would allow him to step out of the limitations of being a baby.
"Normally, this would be discussed when your body has matured, but I believe you have the potential to undergo the ritual."
'It's enough. I want it.'
Imugi nodded enthusiastically, but Christina, still worried, shook her head and smiled.
"Even thinking about it, it's... unbelievable."
No dragon receives an inheritance a month after birth.
Not only is the body not mature enough, but Inheritance Magic is about planting the roots of a dragon's knowledge.
The information and abilities implanted in the subconscious are absorbed and developed as the mental body matures.
However, the magic is burdensome for a newly hatched dragon due to its nature.
'As a massive conceptual magic, it can cause problems if mishandled. But...'
Though it requires extreme caution, the recent mandrake incident made her decide that giving the child the knowledge and concepts to handle his own power would be safer.
'It's not just the mandrake. The Dragon Lord has discovered this child's existence. Giving him the foundation to survive on his own will be much more helpful.'
Though she wanted to help him always, protecting him from a distance wasn't the best approach.
'Especially since this child has already mastered teleportation. I can't keep him perfectly within my boundaries.'
It might seem harsh, but she was confident it was the right approach for his nature.
"This magic will develop your abilities, but it's painful and dangerous. You must trust me completely and entrust everything to me."
This ancient spell, said to be cast by the gods on intelligent beings to live in the world, is a rare and powerful magic.
It implants the caster's knowledge, culture, and concepts into the recipient, and only a handful of beings in the continent can use it.
Very few know how to use it properly, and the conditions are strict.
The terrifying aspect of this magic is the possibility of the caster imparting incorrect knowledge or ideas to the recipient.
Therefore, dragons never cast it on very young hatchlings, as it could influence their developing values.
Because of this, those who impart Inheritance Magic are bound by one restriction.
Inheritance Magic can only be cast once in a lifetime.
Thus, it is usually performed by a guardian or parent dragon, or as a coming-of-age ritual for a hatchling.
Considering the weight of the decision, she looked at him calmly.
"Child, can you trust me?"
Imugi's eyes met Christina's.
Rai circled around, seemingly worried about Christina.
She smiled, as if to reassure him, and poked the spirit's light with her index finger, but her face suddenly darkened.
"Actually, I wanted you to have a more ordinary childhood. Growing up too quickly means learning things you shouldn't know too soon."
Like the fact that he is the only black dragon.
Or about those who wiped out his race.
She wasn't sure if it was good for him to learn these things while he was still innocent.
Imugi, looking at such a worried Christina, thought,
'It's a pointless worry. This body has already lived for 999 years. Still... I appreciate your concern.'
It wasn't a spell he could use lightly. Imugi expected that there would be some restrictions or strict conditions.
'She must have made a difficult decision. I should repay her kindness.'
It was rare for a child to receive something that should be naturally provided.
In a world where warmth is often taught through self-reliance, and where stepping on others to reach the top is learned before considering others, he had seen many such cases.
A world where making peers rather than friends was the norm.
To him, what Christina was teaching was rare and invaluable.
'Pain is expected. I can endure it.'