“Hwaaah!”
The tiny creature that had just emerged from the egg yawned widely.
She was a remarkably beautiful little girl with dark-blond hair.
Her petite, delicate appearance made her look no older than five.
However, two small wings extended from her back.
One was pristine white, while the other was as black as pitch.
‘A Phantasmal Being.’
Phantasmal Beings belonged to a category separate from demonic beasts.
The term collectively referred to incomprehensible entities such as spirits, evil spirits, angels, and demons.
Even among Phantasmal Beings, however, there were differences in rank.
‘This one is a supreme hybrid. She carries the blood of both a demon and an angel.’
They were two superior races said to reign over the Celestial Realm.
Demons were beings whose mere partial descent into the world would inevitably bring about a bloodbath.
Angels were said to heal countless patients with a single breath.
The creature born from the Egg of Calamity was a hybrid Phantasmal Being who had inherited the blood of both those mighty races.
‘She has hatched successfully. Raising her properly will be the real challenge.’
As expected of a creature born from the Egg of Calamity, she would grow into a tremendously powerful being.
However, the direction of her growth would vary greatly depending on how she was raised.
‘That is the defining trait of a hybrid. She can become either of the beings whose blood she inherited.’
With sacred power descended from the heavens, she could annihilate legions of demons.
Alternatively, she could grow into a calamity that burned the angels of the heavens with the flames of hell.
In the original story, the protagonist eventually discovered the egg’s true identity and deeply regretted its destruction.
Had he properly hatched and raised the creature, he would not have lost a single companion to the final boss of Act Two.
‘On the other hand, she will be just as dangerous if she grows up improperly.’
What manner of catastrophe would occur if a supreme hybrid grew twisted and ran wild?
He had claimed that she was only a calamity by the standards of the Celestial Realm, but she was equally dangerous to the continent.
The precise extent of the destruction would depend on how much she had grown and what path she had taken, but at the very least, several major cities would be obliterated.
Still, Kranol could hardly object on that basis.
‘The same is true of the hatchling and me. If our futures go wrong, a catastrophe will occur.’
Kranol frowned as he contemplated the matter.
Now that he considered it, they were practically a party of walking time bombs.
Even if he had gathered these calamities to cure his madness, was it truly wise to keep them together?
Just then—
“What are you, Mister?”
The yawning girl rubbed her eyes and looked up at him.
The young Phantasmal Being regarded Kranol with curiosity.
Perhaps because of her celestial bloodline, she could already speak quite fluently despite having been born only moments ago.
“I am—”
“Give me clothes!”
The young Phantasmal Being abruptly interrupted him.
Kranol frowned slightly.
“I am Kranol Wizar. I was the one who hatched you. Also, do not interrupt me while I am speaking.”
“Understood! But I was only just born, and I am completely naked. Therefore, I require exceedingly beautiful clothes!”
The little girl fearlessly looked up at him and made her demand with perfect confidence.
Kranol took a large piece of cloth from his backpack that he had intended to cut into bandages.
He roughly folded it and tossed it in front of her.
The young Phantasmal Being immediately complained.
“What is this? My clothing is hideous! I do not like it at all!”
“Then give it back. I will buy you new clothes once we reach the territory.”
“...Hmph! You are a wicked human! I refuse to walk around naked!”
The young Phantasmal Being carefully folded the cloth and wrapped it around herself in a reasonably presentable fashion.
She was such a pretty child, with soft baby fat still on her cheeks, that even the crude cloth looked surprisingly charming on her.
She was adorable enough that any passing adult might smile and slip her a few coins.
“SKRREEE?”
Meanwhile, the hatchling stared curiously at the young Phantasmal Being.
It seemed slightly wary, yet it was also attempting to sniff her.
“What are you?”
“SKRREEE.”
“What did you say? That human is your father?”
Apparently, the girl could understand the hatchling.
She flapped her black-and-white wings indignantly.
“Hmph! Do you take me for a fool? You do not resemble each other in the slightest! There is no possibility that you share the same blood!”
“SKRREEE!”
The hatchling stubbornly shook its head from side to side.
The girl then turned to Kranol and asked seriously,
“Do you have a wife?”
“No.”
“Hatchling! He says you do not have a mother!”
“SKRREEE?!”
The tenderhearted hatchling immediately burst into tears.
Kranol ignored them both, already lost in thought.
He needed to assess everything he had acquired from the Vortex Cavern Dungeon.
‘Four magical scrolls taken from the demonic beast hunters, two pieces of One-Star equipment material, the Two-Star Gloves of Demonic Energy, the Rot Dragon’s heart, and now a supreme hybrid.’
He had extracted every worthwhile clear reward and Hidden Piece from the dungeon.
It could safely be called the best possible outcome that anyone could achieve in the Vortex Cavern.
Even so, Kranol was not satisfied.
He still had an exceedingly long way to go before he discovered a method of completely curing his madness.
He needed to grow stronger without wasting a single moment.
‘Before I lose my sanity and kill everyone.’
***
That afternoon, Kranol frowned.
An unexpected problem had arisen.
“SKREEEEE!”
“She bit me first!”
The problem had begun when Kranol briefly left them alone to gather dry weeds for firewood.
When he returned, the young demonic beast and the Phantasmal Being were glaring and huffing at each other.
A lump the size of a chestnut protruded from the top of the hatchling’s head, while tiny bite marks covered the girl’s forearm.
Both were thoroughly offended, and their differing dispositions made the situation exceedingly troublesome.
“SKREE! SKRREEE!”
“I did nothing wrong! I only told her the truth—that she does not have a mother—but she kept getting angry!”
The tearful hatchling clung to Kranol’s leg, while the girl continued chattering about how unfairly she had been treated.
Kranol felt as though his headache was worsening merely from standing there.
‘How long have they even known each other? They have already started fighting?’
It felt as though he were raising two unruly daughters.
Kranol had been single before transmigrating, so he had no experience with such situations.
In the end, he decided to resolve the issue in his own way.
“Do not fight. Not unless you want to drive me insane.”
“Hmph! What could you possibly do even if you went insane?”
“I would probably make you explode while you were still alive.”
“That is a lie!”
“Hmm.”
After considering the matter, Kranol took something from his pocket.
It was a handkerchief stained with dried reddish-brown liquid.
The girl’s expression stiffened in surprise.
“Wh-What is that?”
“A handkerchief stained with human blood. I could not leave evidence at the scene.”
“...What?”
Kranol spoke calmly.
“I blew three wicked men apart while they were still alive. I used this to wipe their blood off my body.”
“....”
“You do not need to become close friends. Just do not fight.”
The girl looked uncertain whether he was telling the truth.
Then she abruptly closed her mouth and murmured in a tiny voice.
“Then, if I do not fight with the hatchling....”
“I cannot hear you.”
“If I do not fight with her!”
The girl looked up at Kranol with dejected eyes.
“Will other people love me?”
“What do you mean?”
The young Phantasmal Being puffed out her cheeks.
“I know everything! Everyone called me the Egg of Calamity and wanted to smash me to death. A horrible demonic beast even devised a plan to kill me. Everyone hated me before I had even been born! They must have done it because they hated me. But if many people come to love me, that will never happen again!”
Did she remember the time she had spent inside the egg?
Unlike the hatchling, she had possessed great intelligence from the moment of her birth.
However, intelligent children also learned of unhappiness sooner.
“...No one has ever loved me. What must I do to be loved? Do you know, Mister?”
Kranol contemplated the question for a moment.
Then he answered quietly,
“I do not know either. I am in the same position as you.”
“Hmph. You are just as pitiful as I am, Mister.”
The girl stepped closer.
After staring intently at Kranol, she spoke softly.
“Still, I will listen to you. You are strange, but you do not seem like a bad person. Everyone else only hated me, but you allowed me to be born into this world. I do not particularly like it, but you also gave me my first piece of clothing.”
Kranol merely looked at her.
Then he stroked the child’s head.
The girl flinched in surprise but soon allowed it.
The unfamiliar gesture seemed awkward to her at first, but she did not appear to dislike it.
“From now on, your name is Plumpy. Your cheeks are plump with baby fat.”
“You are a foolish human, Mister!”
The offended girl flapped her wings and shot away like an arrow.
Kranol frowned.
What had he done wrong?
“Hatchling! I am sorry! I do not have a mother either. Let us be friends from now on!”
“SKRREEE!”
As though they had never fought at all, the two quickly reconciled and began playing together excitedly.
Kranol watched them and let out a quiet sigh.
He had somehow ended up with two troublesome children.
***
Four days passed after the new calamity joined them.
The hatchling sat on Kranol’s shoulder and repeatedly whined.
“SKREE. SKRREEE.”
“What is it saying?”
When Kranol asked, the girl translated.
“The hatchling is demanding that you find it a mother as soon as possible.”
“Tell it to stop talking nonsense.”
“SKRREEE?!”
What woman would involve herself with him?
His head hurt throughout the entire day, and a severe fit could cause him to commit an indiscriminate massacre.
Protecting his own life was far more important than pursuing a romantic relationship.
The girl continued staring at him.
“What are you looking at?”
“May I continue calling you Mister? I did not notice because of your gloomy expression and manner of speaking, but the more I look at you, the more you seem like an older brother!”
“Call me whatever you please.”
“Yes, Mister!”
Kranol did not feel particularly angry or uncomfortable about being called Mister.
His current body was twenty-two years old, but before transmigrating, he had been in his thirties.
They continued walking throughout the day as they returned to the Birsi Territory.
Then the situation Kranol had feared finally occurred.
“We have run out of food.”
“SKRREEE!”
“I am hungry, Mister!”
The hatchling and the girl looked utterly devastated by the grim announcement.
Despite their small bodies, the two young creatures possessed enormous appetites.
Naturally, even the generous supply of dried provisions he had packed eventually ran out.
“Endure it for a little while. We will reach the Birsi Territory tomorrow afternoon.”
“SKRREEE!”
“But that means we have to miss three entire meals!”
The two children were deeply upset, but there was nothing he could do.
To conserve energy, Kranol lay down early that day.
Only when he was about to fall asleep did he notice that something was wrong.
‘Where did those two go?’
The hatchling and the girl had disappeared.
However, there was no need to search for them.
They soon returned with leaves and dirt covering their bodies.
“SKRREEE!”
“Hee! Mister, look at this! We caught it ourselves! But how are we supposed to cook it?”
The two children were dragging the corpse of a wild boar larger than both of them combined.
Kranol stared at the sight in disbelief.
He nearly scolded them for disappearing without saying anything, but ultimately stopped himself.
They must have been unbearably hungry to go to such lengths.
“Bring it here. I will roast it for you.”
Thanks to his various experiences, Kranol had become proficient at outdoor cooking.
He skillfully butchered the carcass, drained its blood, and placed the meat over the fire.
Thanks to the children, they enjoyed a generous meal of roasted boar that evening.
Kranol skewered the sizzling meat on branches and handed it to them.
“SKRREEE!”
“You are extremely good at roasting meat, Mister! It is so juicy!”
Kranol watched the two children devour the meat, smearing soot across their faces.
He found himself thinking that keeping them beside him had been the right decision.
‘After all, they are my ticket to effortless gains from now on.’
Kranol took a bite of the meat as well.
It was juicy and pleasantly chewy.
There truly was nothing more convenient than automated hunting.
He was already looking forward to the following day.
It was time to begin reaping genuine benefits from these young calamities.