Edio
by Afuhfuihgs
The golden shell that had illuminated the basement with its golden light gradually lost its luster, turning into a translucent, fingernail-like shell.
Just as the Golden King had said, the hatchling truly had no color of its own. The hatchling’s brief golden glow was simply due to the Golden King’s magic.
, “The, the hatchling could talk?”
Ellie looked at me with a surprised face. But I was also experiencing this for the first time, so I could only shrug with a bewildered expression.
“The name is the same as the protagonist in the book ‘Edio and the Golden Dragon.’ I don’t think this is just a coincidence.”
Raelan twisted one corner of his mouth and looked at the hatchling. The Golden King, who had taken the hatchling out of the cage, hugged it tightly as if it were precious and answered instead.
“That’s right, that’s that Edio.”
“I knew it.”
I hadn’t read the book, but judging from the reactions around me, most people seemed to know who Edio was.
Lamine, who usually didn’t join the conversation, asked with an interesting face.
“But the Edio in the book was a human, right?”
“Because I promised Lumiel that I would definitely return.”
At the hatchling’s answer, the women covered their mouths with both hands, looking touched.
“In the end, Edio kept his promise.”
“Of course, I knew Edio would do that.”
I can do anything for Luna too. Even if I live as a hatchling for the rest of my life, if I’m with Luna, I’ll accept it without hesitation. As I was building an inner sense of closeness with the hatchling, Ellie suddenly shouted.
“W-wait a minute. You took a bath with us!”
Ellie, who stiffly turned her head towards me, muttered quietly.
“…Luna too.”
“…”
“…W-wait a minute! It’s a misunderstanding!”
Edio, who had already manifested a shadow spear in my hand, hurriedly flapped his wings, escaped from my arms, and hid behind the Golden King. Fortunately, thanks to recognizing the surrounding spatial coordinates in advance, I can pierce his head even if he hides behind the Golden King.
Before I could stab with the spear, the Golden King stepped forward to protect the hatchling.
“That’s right, Edio’s mind hasn’t awakened.”
“…What do you mean?”
As I subtly raised my magic power and asked, Edio, who was hiding behind the Golden King, shouted as if he was wronged.
“I’m awake now! I have no memory of anything before that!”
As he said that, he glanced at Ellie’s chest as if he was a little disappointed, which was a bit too much, but I looked at the Golden King for confirmation.
The Golden King, receiving my gaze, nodded slightly as if it was true.
“Hatchlings have no color. The reason it looked black was… because its ego hadn’t awakened due to being asleep for a long time. It’s true that it had no memories.”
“…I see.”
Perhaps because his beloved lover had returned, the Golden King’s eyes, which had been steeped in sloth, seemed a little brighter. He also seemed to be talking more… It was a good change.
“That’s right! It’s a misunderstanding! If my memories had returned, I would have asked you to take me back to Lumiel right away. Why would I be trapped in this narrow cage just to peek at women’s bodies!”
I felt sorry for him as he vented his frustration. If there were circumstances, it couldn’t be helped. As I released the manifestation of the spear, I suddenly asked a question that came to mind.
“But… why did you hate me even though you had no memories?”
Edio seemed to get along well with everyone else except me. He didn’t even reject Estelle’s touch, who was stroking the hatchling with greedy eyes as if she was looking at an expensive item.
But when I reached out my hand, he would flap his wings as if he was afraid and pull his body back to escape, so there must have been another reason.
Edio, who had been pondering for a moment at my question, scratched his side with his fingernail and said.
“Wouldn’t it be instinct, even though I don’t remember?”
“Instinct?”
As my companions waited for the next words with interesting eyes, Edio flapped his wings in embarrassment.
“No, it’s not as big of a reason as you’re expecting, I just think I instinctively hated you because you’re the same man…”
“I guess we’re still far from getting the Dragon Heart?”
Ignoring Raelan’s eerie muttering from behind, I sighed. Come to think of it, I and Raelan were the only men in our group.
Raelan, who had no interest in the hatchling, naturally didn’t approach it, so I misunderstood that the hatchling only hated me.
“But why were you in the Trial Chamber?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
At his bewildered appearance, I explained how I got the hatchling’s egg and how I was able to hatch it. After listening to the explanation, Edio tilted his head and looked at the Golden King.
“I thought you were the one who took me out?”
The Golden King shook his head without saying a word.
Edio, who was tapping the table with his tail and pondering, opened his mouth.
“My last memory is heading to Midas’s Dungeon to solve the witch’s curse and finding the Holy Grail.”
“The Holy Grail…?”
Everyone was surprised by the sudden appearance of the word Holy Grail. At that reaction, Edio asked me in embarrassment.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“We’re looking for the Holy Grail too.”
“Ah, so that’s why you reacted like that.”
If Edio really used the Holy Grail to turn from a human into a hatchling, then the Holy Grail’s power is real. It seemed like this was the past story of the Holy Grail created by plausibility.
“Anyway, my memory cut off the moment I found the Holy Grail.”
“…Yes?”
“Really. I don’t remember anything after that. I feel like I just woke up?”
“You don’t remember using the Holy Grail at all?”
“No, not at all.”
I, who was embarrassed by Edio’s words, looked at Raelan. Raelan, who had been pondering for a moment, asked the Golden King.
“When Edio disappeared, did you try to find him?”
“Yes. I sent my subordinates to investigate. But there was no trace of Edio anywhere in the dungeon. So I waited for him to return on his own.”
“Edio might have secretly left the dungeon. Or someone might have taken Edio, who had become an egg.”
The Golden King shook his head at Raelan’s speculation.
“No, at that time, I was waiting for Edio to come out from outside the dungeon. No one came out of or entered the dungeon.”
“Why didn’t you go together?”
“If I went into the dungeon, it could collapse due to the influence of my magic power.”
Edio nodded as if agreeing with the Golden King’s words.
“That’s right, so I had no choice but to go in alone.”
Of course, he wouldn’t have sent his lover, who was cursed by a witch, into the dungeon alone. If they were separated due to unavoidable circumstances, there was enough plausibility. Raelan also nodded as if he understood.
“Then, was the Holy Grail that Edio found also missing?”
Raelan asked in a sharp voice. The Golden King, who had been staring at Raelan intently at that question, nodded slightly.
“…It was gone.”
“I see. I understand.”
Raelan smiled quietly as if he had realized something.
I subtly approached him at that sight, but Raelan only frowned and kept his distance, not telling me what he had found out.
As I was quietly wondering if I should call him separately, Yunis, who had approached, said.
“Ross, then I’ll be going now.”
I tilted my head at Yunis’s appearance, who was not wearing a mask and robe unlike the other companions.
“…Where are you going?”
“Haven’t you heard the explanation yet?”
As I turned my head following Yunis’s gaze towards Raelan, Raelan shrugged as if it was nothing.
“Yunis will not be with us in the labyrinth.”
“…Why?”
With Estelle gone, losing one more person was a big loss. In particular, Yunis, a strategist who could read the situation, could be of great help to us.
“Why, Yunis is a student of Transcendence, unlike you.”
“Ah…”
I had been so busy that I had forgotten. It was natural for Yunis, who was still a student unlike me, to act with the academy.
“Then what about Ellie?”
“No, Ellie is going with us.”
“…Isn’t Ellie also a student?”
“Yunis, whose role overlaps as a strategist, is a replaceable talent, but the future Grand Magus Ellie is irreplaceable. Besides, you and Ellie have already worked together in the Triathalon’s labyrinth, haven’t you? Ellie is an essential talent that we have to take even if we have to force her.”
“Well, that’s what they say. They say I still need to grow.”
As Yunis pouted and grumbled, Raelan looked at her as if she was saying something obvious.
“Our goal is to reach the 10th floor of the labyrinth. You, who have the worst combat skills and are dumber than me, will obviously be a burden, so why would we take you?”
“…”
Yunis, who was speechless, closed her mouth with a dumbfounded expression. Ellie, who was listening to the conversation from the side, smiled at me as if to say it was okay.
“I promised, didn’t I? That I would help you save Luna.”
“But…”
“And I got permission from my teacher in advance to act separately.”
I was worried that she was pushing herself because of the promise… I’m glad that she got Nelson’s permission in advance.
As I was relieved, I saw Raelan twisting his lips.
It was clearly a sneer.
“…?”
As our eyes met, Raelan immediately erased the smile from his lips and said.
“And Yunis will be with the Messiah club as a temporary member along with Navier.”
“Did you deliberately make the two of them stay with the Messiah club?”
“…Why are you asking something obvious? Do you think I’m someone who acts without a reason?”
I closed my mouth at Raelan’s contemptuous gaze.
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