Chapter 18: Chapter 17: Alicia, the Chick Owner!

“Why am I so poor?” the poor Alicia lamented, mocking all the so-called middle-class people in this world. If she was poor, then all the hard-working middle-class folks might as well be homeless beggars. Despite having a rented room, a job, and food, she still whined at every opportunity. Many would envy her, yet the ungrateful Alicia never failed to complain.

She looked over at her precious green egg, which had started to glow faintly ever since she placed an arcane stone beside it. Then, a small crack appeared. Alicia jumped in excitement, thinking it was finally about to hatch.

But it didn’t.

Alicia stared at it, puzzled. In movies, when creatures hatched, the egg cracked and the babies popped right out. So why wasn’t anything happening?

Little did Alicia know that hatching took time. The first crack didn’t mean instant birth—it simply allowed the baby creature to breathe oxygen before it began its real struggle to break free.

“Alicia, come on. You’re late,” Elena knocked on the door. She grumbled softly, annoyed at having to babysit someone just a little younger than her. Still, she held back from scolding her. Alicia was about to become a mage, and society always needed mages. You never knew when you’d need one.

“Yes…” Alicia replied lazily. She didn’t forget to bring her precious dragon egg. She planned to ask Alexandraine what was going on with it. She didn’t remember dropping the box—was it cracked because it had hit the lid?

Then Anne came back. And the ever-insensitive Alicia spoke bluntly, “Anne! I thought you’d given up. Want to learn magic again?”

“Yes. Even if I’m not a mage, as long as I can learn a spell or two, I might be useful. And it’s a good thing to brag about too. Hehehe,” Anne grinned. Children were honest. Unlike adults, Alicia’s words didn’t hurt Anne in the slightest—and Alicia hadn’t meant them with any malice anyway.

“Good! Let’s learn together and rule the world!” Alicia declared with bright ambition. Eli sighed from her seat, quietly waiting for their teacher to arrive.

“Greetings, Lady Elidranthia, Miss Alicia, and Miss Anne. I’m glad you didn’t give up so soon. While you may not be eligible to be hired as a mage due to your low mana, Anne, you never know when that one skill might save you—or someone close to you,” Alexandraine said warmly.

“Yes!” Anne nodded eagerly.

“Let us go to the courtyard. While Miss Alicia and Lady Elidranthia continue learning spellcasting, I shall teach you how to charge an arcane stone, Miss Anne. If you happen to own a mana scale, who knows—it might be enough to sustain a small refrigerator, a mana flask, or even an oven,” Alexandraine continued.

“Yes. Thank you, Mr. Alexandraine!” Anne beamed.

“Teacher, my egg cracked. Do you know why? I thought it was supposed to hatch, but it didn’t! I swear I didn’t drop it,” Alicia said, holding up her green egg with concern.

“Well, then it’s in the process of hatching. It should emerge either tomorrow or the day after. Let’s give it a little more time,” Alexandraine reassured her. Unlike the clueless Alicia, he had seen the hatching process of magical eggs before and knew it wasn’t immediate.

“I see…” Alicia nodded, though she still doubted him. “Was your egg cracked too, Lady Elidranthia?”

“Hm? I didn’t notice,” Eli replied. Unlike Alicia, who treated her allegedly dragon egg like a cherished child, Eli cared for hers like a mere houseplant—simply swapping the arcane stone in the morning, afternoon, and evening. It was a chore, but considering the egg had cost a full year’s wages for a peasant, she wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

Thanks to their dedication, both eggs hatched the very next day.

“It’s hatching!” Alicia jumped in excitement. Her fervor was contagious—Elena, Laura, Alexandraine, and even Rodrique gathered around to watch.

From Alicia’s egg, the crack widened. As it formed a jagged circle, the shell broke apart, and a feathered chick emerged from the giant emu-like egg. It had white down with soft light-blue stripes along its body. The fluffy creature struggled to climb out of the shell, wobbling before falling with a soft thud. Then it let out a chirp—a cry for help. Everyone was instantly enamored by how adorable it was.

Meanwhile, Elidranthia’s egg hadn’t cracked, but a slit had formed along the side. A black snakelet slithered out. It had two small golden horns on its head and hissed softly as it moved. Its scales were smooth and glossy, gleaming like polished gemstones. The regal little serpent slithered proudly toward its owner.

“Well… no dragons,” Rodrique sighed.

“Ah, but I know this bird. It’s a Swiftfur. A flightless bird, popular among girls in the Royal Academy,” Alexandraine said, inspecting it closely.

“Is it powerful?” Alicia beamed with hope.

“Erm… no. It’s more of a favored mount for the girls in the academy,” Alexandraine admitted, a bit awkwardly.

Being told her prized egg had produced something no more intimidating than a fluffy ostrich, Alicia dropped to her knees in disappointment. The chick, however, gazed up at her with innocent affection. Its white down matched her hair, and in its tiny mind, Alicia was unmistakably its mother.

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The disappointment faded as Alicia scooped up the fluffy creature. She hugged it close, her heart melting. Dragon or not, this was her daughter now. In her innocent heart, she decided—This is a dragon. She was coping so hard. After all, she couldn't buy any more eggs as the count and Eli had forbidden her.

“How cute!” Alicia and Elena cooed in unison. Alicia then declared proudly, “I have decided! No matter what anyone says—you are a dragon! I shall name you Ralphi!”

Meanwhile, the snake reached Elidranthia. Unlike Alicia, who had been brimming with dreams and disappointment, Eli never expected anything in the first place. The serpent brushed against her hand with its cold, smooth body. Eli let it climb up to her neck, unflinching. Its sharp blue eyes met her own golden ones. They gazed at each other in silence—an unspoken connection forming between them.

Eli was suddenly hit by a wave of nostalgia. The cold touch of the snake reminded her of her days as an assassin and soldier—wielding daggers and guns as she braved the battlefield.

“Lady Elidranthia, should we try another egg?” Elena and Rodrique asked.

“No. I like this one. It’s beautiful.” Eli smiled.

When her gaze shifted to her surroundings, a chill crept down everyone’s spine. Her smile was eerie. With the snake coiled around her, it felt as though she were peering into your soul—judging you, weighing your worth, ready to strike from the shadows.

Alicia then placed the chicken—no, the swiftclaw—on Eli’s head. The bird chirped cheerfully as it roosted atop her, entirely unaware of the mood it had shattered. The tense atmosphere melted away as the foolish bird mimicked its equally foolish master.

“That’s impolite, Alicia!” Rodrique scolded.

“Sorry! But it was cute! Look!” Alicia placed the oversized, newly hatched chick back on her own head. The baby swiftclaw clapped its wings and chirped again.

It looked ridiculous. The chick resembled a living beret perched atop Alicia’s head. Giggling, the energetic girl skipped around, showing off her feathery new accessory to everyone.

Her antics drew laughter from the others. The tension Elidranthia had created moments earlier was completely gone, replaced by Alicia’s contagious silliness.

As Alicia hopped about, she felt something new—a strange warmth on her scalp. A spreading warmth. Wet, and sticky. Slowly, horrifyingly, realization dawned.

“Eh?” Alicia froze, her hand flying to her head. She quickly grabbed the chirping chick and lifted it away. As she feared, it had left a parting gift: its very first turd—along with a splash of bird urine—right on her head.

“AHHH!!! Damn it! This bird pooped on my head!” Alicia screamed, her fingers brushing the sticky mess. Entirely denying her previous claim that this was a dragon.

She dropped the now innocent-looking bird and sprinted toward the bathroom in a panic.

“Language, Alicia,” Miss Laura called after her, sighing.

But Alicia had already vanished down the hallway, cursing all the way to the toilet.

“Shit! This is the third time! Fucking bird! I hate birds!” Alicia’s voice echoed down the hallway.

Elidranthia looked over at her snake. Unlike the empty-brained bird, the snake slithered up onto the table and defecated neatly into the hollowed remains of Alicia's green egg.

After relieving itself, Elidranthia placed a bowl beside it and poured in some water.

Without further ado, the snake slithered inside and washed itself clean.

“Good girl,” Alicia muttered, thoroughly impressed.

“Pfft!!” The usually stoic Rodrique couldn’t help but giggle. His chuckles were contagious, and soon everyone else was giggling—except for Laura, who looked absolutely scandalized by Alicia’s language.

“Fucking bird! How dare it poop on my head? Is this pee? It even peed on me! I’m going to roast that chicken!” Alicia grumbled, stomping as she turned on the water faucet.

The knob glowed with a faint blue light as a small water arcane stone activated. Water gushed out from the faucet, filling a basin.

Alicia washed her hair thoroughly, scrubbing away both the shame and the mess, before returning to the meeting room.

There, she saw John emerging from the Count’s office, slipping a pouch into his pocket.

“Papa?” Alicia called, her head tilting in curiosity. Why had he been in the Count’s room? Then again, it wasn’t particularly strange—John was a knight under Shadowstep. It made sense for him to receive tasks from the Count.

“Alicia! You seem well. Did they mistreat you?” John pulled her into a hug and patted her head.

Alicia winced, too late to stop him. His rough, stinky leather armor rubbed against her clean maid uniform.

“Well, I’m working now. And I’m fine. They treat me well. The work’s a bit hard, but I can manage,” Alicia lied as naturally as she breathed.

If you’ve been reading the last five chapters, you’d know—she only worked once. Even now, she was playing around and celebrating the birth of her new pet. Neither studying nor working.

She wanted to complain—he had dirtied her freshly cleaned maid uniform—but she stopped herself when she saw John’s face.

Tears streamed down it. The dirt and soot on his cheeks made the paths of those tears stand out like chalk on a blackboard. Alicia blinked. Why was he crying? Did he miss her that much? It had barely been a week since they last saw each other.

“Good. I’m glad you’re doing well. Stay safe. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you more, Alicia. But there’s something I have to do. Thank you, Alicia. You made this possible. After this, our lives will change,” John said, his voice thick with emotion.

Alicia tilted her head.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

But John didn’t answer her.

“I’m sorry, Alicia. I haven’t been a good father to you. But after this mission, I promise—I promise I’ll be better. After this, we’ll finally have some leeway. No more stale bread every day. I’ll be able to buy you wastel every day. We’ll even be able to eat parfaits… every month. And not just water, I should be able to buy you some fruit juice. After this, things will be different.” He hugged her again, tighter this time.

Well, of course. I’m a mage now. A high-level mage, at that. I’m going to be rich. Alicia snorted mentally. She could earn a year of peasant's salary in a day. Alicia was about to speak up against her dad's indulgence. She thought her dad was about to smooch off her income to live a luxurious life. But John’s expression silenced her thoughts.

“I see. Stay safe, Dad,” Alicia said at last. A vague, uneasy feeling stirred in her chest. Something about his words felt like a premonition. But she couldn’t remember the original book clearly enough to piece it together—the reason Elidranthia had made her first kill, slaughtering those bandits. The memory eluded her small brain, and she didn’t connect the dots between John’s solemn face and his ominous mission.

“I will. Alicia… thank you.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

Oh great. Now I have to wash up again. Alicia groaned internally.

“Goodbye,” John said, and then he turned and left.

As Alicia watched his retreating back, she noticed something different. He is no longer slouched. His shoulders were squared. His back looked broader than she remembered—like a man walking toward something bigger than himself.

Somehow, Alicia wondered if she had ever carried that kind of resolve when she was Nathan.