Val
Several days passed since I received the blueprints. Even though my work at the inn should’ve decreased a lot these days, I still hadn’t had a chance to test the handgun because I had to replace a worker who was absent due to illness.
I was tired because I had to work a lot after spending time getting used to having more leeway than I originally did. The fatigue from working at an inn is different from going on adventures.
After I finished my work, I went in my room to check on the monster meat. I’ve secured a good deal of it, and I learned that things don’t decay in the item box, so it’s still just as fresh as when I collected it.
Speaking of monster meat, I can apparently make food using it as an ingredient. However… even if that’s true… it’s food produced only from my magic. I have no idea if it might have negative effects.
I was just about to finish the dragon’s egg with my magic, but now I have a proper concern about it. I already told oji-san and oba-san that I wanted to have a pet, and they gave me their permission. They said it was no problem as long as I took good care of it. The problem is, of course, that my pet will be a dragon.
The dragon egg blueprints don’t say anything about what kind of dragon will be born. There are many kinds ― some are excellent fliers, while others live best on land or in the sea. There’s a huge variety of them, and the methods by which a dragon is raised are different for each variety. Ideally, I’d hope it would be a type of dragon that’s easy to raise.
Yeah, the one thing that worries me is what kind of dragon will be born. Of course, my reason for raising a dragon was that, if it grows up with me, I might be able to fight together with it.
Some dragons (again, depending on the type) can also pull a wagon. The bigger dragons grow, the more things they can do. At any rate, I poured my magic into the creation of the dragon egg, completing the final step needed to make it. Soon after, a dragon egg appeared before my eyes.
Dragon Egg [S-Rank]
Huh. Was the dragon egg also supposed to have a rank? I don’t know if it just happened by chance or not, but it’s good to have an S-rank egg. It was about the size of a human baby.
As I held it with both hands, I had a sense of it’s finally happening. The egg was complete. But… oh yeah, what do I need to do to hatch it? How does one hatch a dragon egg? I grabbed the blueprint that I’d remade and converted to modern language.
It says here that [a dragon egg will hatch by keeping it warm]. I see, then… in that case, I know just what to do. Let’s make the finest futon and wrap it up with that.
I made an S-rank futon, and wrapped it tightly. The egg shook a little.
…Ooh? The dragon inside might have reacted. So all I have to do now is just wait until it hatches, right? How long will that take?
I also had to investigate the hatching process for dragons.
◆ ◆ ◆
The next morning, I woke up from something hitting me in the face. Did Ristina-san invade my room without permission again? Thinking I might need to scold her, I opened my eyes and stared at the offender.
That wasn’t Ristina-san. It wasn’t even human.
It was a blue dragon.
The little guy was sitting near my pillow, as big as my head. It’s still small because it was just born. It had scales and felt pleasantly cool and comfortable to the touch.
“Vaa!”
The dragon cried happily and hit me on the head again. He walks on four legs and has small wings on his back, and now he’s slapping my face with his front paw. His tail was even shaking happily like a dog’s tail.
…Seriously? It already hatched?
Jeez, I wanted to witness the moment a life was born with my own eyes. When I looked at where the egg was before, I saw only a few fragments of it. Looking back to the dragon, it had a small piece of eggshell stuck to its mouth.
“Did you eat the eggshell?”
“Vau!”
The dragon squealed happily again, shaking his tail, which hit my cheek since I was still lying down. I sat up and tried to hold the little dragon. It was the perfect size to hold with one hand, if you balance it just right. It’s much smaller than the egg was.
I held the dragon with my left hand and stroked his back with my right. The area around the wings was round, and quite comfortable to touch. It hadn’t grown scales there yet, so it was squishy, almost like human skin.
It’s a little too cute for a dragon. It doesn’t seem strange to compare it to a stuffed toy dragon. It joyously rubbed its face against my arms.
…It’s so cute.
I was rejuvenated from looking at it for a short while, but I suddenly realized, “That’s right, I have to get you some food.”
“Vauu!”
The dragon looked at me happily. Is it possible that… this little guy understands what I’m saying?
“Dragon… ah, I have to give you a name.”
“Vaa, vaa!”
The dragon approaches my face with a shining eyes, as if to say a name!?
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Vaaau.”
He raised his tail pointedly as if to assent. I see, it seems like a pretty clever monster. I sat on the bed and put the dragon on my lap. I don’t know what to do about his name. There was a name that I had been thinking about using before, but the moment I met this child, I decided to think again.
Hmm…
“Vaal?”
The dragon stomped his foot? I was slightly perplexed as to why. Then he started beating his tiny little wings to fly in front of my face. He looked desperate. He didn’t seem to have much flight ability yet, so it was downright adorable to see him moving his wings so hard to support his body.
He then descended to my hand and rubbed his cheeks against it happily. So cute…
“I’ve decided: Your name will be Val. How about that?”
“Val! Val!”
He nodded his head happily many times. Alright then, Val it is.
“Nice to meet you, Val.”
“Val!”
Until then, he had just been calling out, but now Val seemed like he was singing. There were still plenty of things to worry about, but for now… this cuteness was enough.
Bound Pleasures 
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