Nodding his head, he took a few wobbly steps, then lifted his body with a flutter of his small wings.
He was also curious about the other hatchlings.
'If I can gauge the level of a 745-year-old hatchling, I can also figure out the level of an ordinary hatchling.'
Christina often brushed off his genius, but a long tail is bound to be stepped on.
It was just the right time to have a benchmark to move around in this world appropriately.
The white chick spread its small wings and chirped proudly.
Christina cast her teleportation magic, and their figures disappeared.
While on the way to meet Ferdikion, Imugi examined the power he had obtained through Christina's inheritance.
The magic and knowledge of this world, and the understanding of the dragon race, made him realize that there were powers he could use.
Swords and magic. A world filled with humans, monsters, demons, angels, merfolk, and other races.
A world brimming with things that did not exist where he had been.
'On the contrary, there are things that exist unnecessarily even though they are not needed.'
Rejection, conflict, war, discrimination, and so on.
These concepts also existed wherever living beings resided.
'Actually, the most absurd thing was Christina.'
Imugi looked at Christina.
Attribute: Light (Blessing, Favor)
Notable: Elder of the Gold Dragons, was a candidate for Lord.
Interfered in the human world, which suffered the most severe damage during the War of the Heavenly Horses, to fulfill her duty as a balancer, contributing to its recovery.
'I had a hunch she would be strong, but an elder of the Gold Dragons, over 3,000 years old, and even owns a dungeon.'
He was puzzled as to why such a person would have taken him along.
The teleportation magic ended, and a figure he had never seen before stood in the room.
"Thank you for the long journey. It's been a while, Ferdikion."
"It's been a while, Elder of the Gold Dragons, Christina."
A young, mature greeting came from a boy with neatly combed red hair.
His attire was a simplified uniform, a harmonious blend of black and red that complemented his red eyes.
The black, reminiscent of darkness, and the red eyes matching Imugi's were no coincidence.
His expression was formal, and his red eyes seemed devoid of emotion, giving the impression of a cold flame.
"Is this the Black Dragon hatchling that was born recently?"
"Yes, he's still young but very clever."
Imugi, nodding at Christina's signal, extended his right hand.
'Please take care of me.'
For a brief moment, a spark-like light flickered in Ferdikion's red eyes, a clear sign of hostility.
Chapter 14: I Don't Know Because I'm Young.
Ferdikion, who had been looking at Imugi's extended hand, slowly took it.
The unpleasant hostility was already gone.
However, his gaze still seemed to burn as if he were about to devour him, even in this ordinary first greeting.
Imugi's eyes narrowed, then returned to their original state.
'Why would a hatchling, who has just been born, have such a gaze? It's as if he's looking at an enemy with a sword.'
If it were a real young hatchling, seeing such a gaze might have made them burst into tears, and it wouldn't have been strange.
He wanted to know the reason for the insolent gaze, but before he could, the baby bird that had been perched on Imugi's head spread its wings and opened its beak aggressively.
The white chick, which had been sitting quietly on Imugi's head, raised its black crest and chirped, drawing Ferdikion's gaze.
"What is this? This insignificant..."
It was a very low murmur, almost a breath, audible only to Imugi, who was nearby.
Ferdikion's face suddenly looked as if he had made a mistake, but he quickly composed himself and spoke to Christina.
"What kind of bird is this? It doesn't seem like an ordinary bird, but it's quite... small."
"Isn't it? This is a phoenix chick."
Unlike his initial cold expression, his face changed in a peculiar way, as if he were genuinely surprised.
"But, isn't the phoenix of the great still alive?"
"I've never seen this happen before, but something unusual has occurred. It hasn't fully awakened as a complete phoenix yet, so we're keeping an eye on it. Fasyas already knows about it."
Ferdikion seemed to want to say something, but he closed his mouth as soon as 'Fasyas' was mentioned.
It seemed he decided not to interfere, as it was a matter being discussed between Christina, the Elder of the Gold Dragons, and Fasyas, the Elder of the Red Dragons.
"...I see. I understand."
"Hehe. Thank you for coming all this way, Ferdikion."
Christina reached out and gently stroked Ferdikion's head.
'I thought he would dislike it, but surprisingly, he's just standing there.'
Just as he was feeling surprised at how mature Ferdikion was, Christina spoke to him.
"Please be a good older brother to this child."
Christina withdrew her hand as a few strands of hair fell.
For some reason, it seemed as if he was disappointed when her hand left.
'So, even a child is just a child.'
Imugi flapped his wings, crossed his arms in the air, and looked at Ferdikion.
To Imugi, who had lived for nearly a thousand years in his previous life, the boy was still a child.
He had planned to go along with the hatchling's life, but he recalled Ferdikion's earlier behavior, which had left him uneasy.
'He hid it well, but that strange gaze earlier is still bothering me.'
The intense gaze directed at a young child was not something he could easily overlook.
Imugi thought for a moment.
'Should I test him simply?'
After a bit of hesitation, he extended his short arm and patted Ferdikion's head, mimicking what Christina had done.
Even if someone dislikes being touched, having their head patted and tousled would surely elicit a reaction.
'This should be something a child can pass off as imitating an adult. Let's see how he reacts.'
Ferdikion, looking startled, pulled his head back, and Imugi looked at him with innocent eyes.
He made a puzzled expression and watched the other's reaction, noticing that Ferdikion's composure was shaken.
Ferdikion, who had been polite and respectful until a moment ago, now had his hair tousled and his ears red.
Imugi was the one who was surprised by this.
'This... is not the reaction I expected at all.'
While he paused, Ferdikion pulled his head away and said shortly.
In fact, he had just come from hearing Fasyas' words about overwhelming the young heir of darkness and standing above him.
Even more so, when he heard that Christina recognized Imugi as a genius, he couldn't help but look at him with disdain from the moment he saw him.
'Why isn't he afraid of me? He should be terrified. Why is he acting like this?'
Normally, when faced with such a hostile gaze, people would avoid even making eye contact, intimidated by the fierce eyes and aura.
After all, he was just a newly hatched hatchling, no matter how talented.
He expected the hatchling to be frightened and on the verge of tears, and he thought Fasyas would be satisfied if he reported this.
However, this small, tiny creature greeted him warmly and affectionately.
After staring at him with hostility, he even patted his head, showing affection.
'Why isn't this young life afraid of me?'
He couldn't tell if it was because the hatchling was strong-willed or simply innocent.
Imugi, who didn't know the situation, tilted his head and wagged his tail in confusion.
'Is it just my imagination? He clearly exuded a hostile aura. Should I test him again?'
Deciding to do so, Imugi flew over to Ferdikion with a sly smile and tousled his red hair.
'You can't spit on a smiling face. But if there's enmity, no matter what you do, it will be unpleasant. It's not hard for me to see the hidden malice.'
He suppressed a sinister laugh and made Ferdikion's soft red hair messy.
Ferdikion grabbed Imugi's plump hand and pulled his head away.
His teeth were clenched, and his brows furrowed, making him look angry at first glance, but Imugi saw clearly.
'What? Not only is there no malice, but he's blushing.'
His ears, as red as his hair, and his eyes, which seemed to glare but were actually just expressing embarrassment.
At first glance, he looked fierce, but he was just a creature who was bad at expressing emotions.
'So, he's just a kid who can't be honest with his feelings. Why?'
Even though he was a hatchling, he had lived long enough to express himself honestly.
Having assessed the other, he decided to change his approach.
'...Now that I think about it, I have a hunch. I'm not sure if it's correct, but I can confirm it later with Christina.'
Imugi obediently withdrew his hand.
Only then did Ferdikion speak.
"You... might not know because you're young, but this is not something usually done to me."
Imugi tilted his head, pretending not to know.
He wanted to know more, but since he was a guest called by Christina, he refrained from any further sudden actions.
However, Ferdikion looked at him with a displeased expression and said.
"Christina-sama, may I hold this creature?"
"It should be fine. The child extended his hand first."
Christina nodded lightly and agreed.
But it wasn't something he would refuse.
'There's no need to make things uncomfortable by refusing.'
Although it was embarrassing, he was a creature with a close relationship to Christina.
He was willing to go along with it to some extent.
'Alright. I can't really cuddle like a child, but I'll extend my hand.'
Imugi subtly extended his hand, and Ferdikion, as if to hold him, spread both hands but only took Imugi's hand with one.
'There. Be satisfied with that.'
Holding the small hatchling's hand, Ferdikion had a peculiar expression and gently shook it up and down.
'Somehow... it feels like I'm seeing something strange.'
Thinking there was nothing particularly strange about it, he tried to pull his hand away, but Ferdikion's face showed a hint of disappointment.
However, Imugi pulled his hand away without hesitation.
He flapped his small wings and flew closer to Ferdikion.
Ferdikion had returned to his stiff, business-like expression.
"You were like that too. You were a bit bigger, though."
"I don't know. I can't really imagine it."
"It was a long time ago, so it's understandable. I didn't see much of your childhood, but I remember you were very cute."
A hungry signal came from Imugi's stomach.