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By a twist of fate, Luke received a ‘wyvern egg’—an unusually colorful egg supposedly containing a Familiar—from an acquaintance, the white cat beastman, Chaton.

Initially, Luke struggled with how to handle it, but after learning to communicate with the wind spirits, the egg began to grow rapidly. Within half a month, it reached the size of an emu’s egg, about fifty centimeters in diameter. However, it then ceased growing, and for a time, with no further changes, we began to suspect it might be unfertilized. Recently, it had almost slipped our minds, but it seems it was developing well after all.

I quickly wrapped up my experiments with the talismans and hurried to the guest room, which had somehow become Luke’s personal room.

Originally, Luke was to stay in the academy dormitory—not the common dorms, but a separate mansion reserved for nobles—or rent an entire floor of a hotel that ensured both prestige and safety. However, due to the egg situation, he started living with us over a month ago.

On our days off, he would accompany me to visit the orphanages, and sometimes, for fun, help out at the store. By now, it seems Luke has fully integrated into our daily routines.

Frankly, I expected Luke’s attendants from his home country to object to a genuine prince living under the same roof as someone as suspicious as myself—I mean, I’m a witch—whose background is entirely unknown—officially considered dead. Surprisingly, they responded very positively with comments like ‘We’ve heard a lot about Lady Julia from the Master,’ ‘This place is very safe,’ and ‘Please don’t mind us,’ immediately approving our cohabitation. It’s all quite puzzling.

Fortunately, we had enough spare rooms, so now half of them are used by Luke’s attendants.

In any case, after we got permission from one of Luke’s waiting attendants, Pryui and I entered the guest room. Inside, Luke and Ashimi were anxiously watching the large egg inside a custom incubator, designed to maintain the right humidity and temperature, shaking and rocking back and forth. (For some reason, these two have been getting along well lately).

“Ah, Jill! Look, it’s about to hatch!” Luke turned around, pointing excitedly at the egg.

As if responding to his voice, the egg began to shake even more vigorously, rattling back and forth in an erratic eight-beat pattern.

“What, what is this strange movement!?”

I stopped in my tracks, staring at the egg that seemed to be performing a bizarre dance. When Vier hatched, her egg didn’t move this violently.

Just as I felt it might explode, a crack suddenly ran horizontally around the egg with a loud sound.

“Whoa!!” Luke reflexively recoiled in surprise, and the egg burst apart from the inside.

“Meeoooowwww!” And what emerged from the egg was… a cat with pure white fur.

““““““ …What!?”””””

All of us gasped in astonishment as the newborn cat meowed once and began grooming itself. From its movements to its voice, it was undeniably a cat.

“Why… why is it not a wyvern…?” Luke muttered in disbelief.

“…Come to think of it,” Pryui, who seemed to have regained her composure before the rest of us, looked slightly suspicious as she observed the white cat that had hopped down from the incubator and rubbed against Luke’s leg. She compared it with Luke, who stood there with a dazed expression. “Didn’t the zoan girl who brought the egg say that it was ‘the fruit of our love’ to Luke?”

“—Now that you mention it, the fur does resemble hers.”
“Eh…?”

When I agreed, Luke finally seemed to notice the kitten at his feet and stared at it intently. After a moment, he frantically shook his head.

“N-no! I only have eyes for Jill! I’ve never been unfaithful! This must be some kind of mistake or a bad joke! The real wyvern has got to be hidden somewhere!”

Even though I hadn’t meant it seriously, Luke, clearly distressed and possibly panicking, began frantically sifting through the remains of the egg, repeatedly muttering, “Wyvern, wyvern!” as he searched around.

Meanwhile, the white cat, now meowing softly, weaved in and out of Luke’s legs. As its fur dried, we noticed tiny wings on its back.

“What exactly is this creature?”
“It looks and feels like a cat, but…”

Pryui and I both tilted our heads in confusion.

Ashimi, who had been standing frozen in shock, suddenly muttered something that blended doubt with amazement, though at the time, we didn’t pay much attention.

“…Could it be… not a mere wyvern… but an ancient dragon… impossible…”

Author’s note:

In this world, 『竜』”dragon” is basically a general term for violent and powerful monsters, but 『龍』 “dragon” can also refer to intelligent monsters, and in some regions they are objects of worship or treated as indigenous gods.

The image of White Cat Dragon is a combination of Naru from a certain game and Ryo-ohki from a certain OVA, divided by the “Make a contract with me and become a demon girl!” creature.

Translator’s note:

About 竜 and 龍; They’re both kanji for dragon. They’re honestly interchangeable and used very commonly today. If there is a difference, it is that, in a fantasy setting, 竜 is often used for western dragon (ドラゴン) aka a beast with four limbs and a set of wings, grumpy and hostile and violent most of the time, meanwhile 龍 in comparison is often used for chinese dragons (e.g. shenlong) aka divine beings shaped like a noodle, benevolent and magnanimous.

Who doesn’t love casual racism?

Naru that Author mentioned might be from the game Lunar: Silver Star Harmony. It’s a quadruple white beast with a pair of wings. Ryo-Ohki is a character from Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki. And the last creature is definitely Kyubey.

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After dipping the pen nib into ink mixed with finely ground magic stones, I soaked a paper strip in water also infused with the magical powder and allowed it to dry naturally. I then proceeded to draw magic circles and runes that Cestlavie had previously taught me.

Although my handwriting is not particularly elegant, I strive for fidelity to basics and readability—a point noted by the librarian who caught me copying a forbidden manuscript from the academy’s library.

My emphasis on legible writing likely stems from the numerous admonitions I received from Regina during my studies at the hermitage in Tenebrae Nemus.

In this world, the script combines hiragana, katakana, and phonetic symbols resembling distorted Roman letters. Logographic characters akin to kanji, known as “ancient characters” or “sacred characters,” are rarely used except by scholars or clergy.

It is said that in ancient times, there were tens of thousands of these characters, but now, due to the losses incurred during the ancient Finis Jihad war, even someone as learned as Cestlavie, a full-fledged Priest, only knows about 500 sacred characters.

The rapid decline of cultural knowledge without regular use is a recurring theme, as I’ve noted even the common kanji used to number around 2,000.

On a slightly different note, believers and clergymen are baptized with sacred characters homophonic to their birth names. For example, someone named “Francis” might be officially assigned a name like 腐乱死酢, or Decomposing Death Vinegar, which reads Furansisu—a name as elegant as a biker gang’s graffiti.

Having learned this during a theology class, I immediately decided to remain irreligious.

Interestingly, when I asked Cestalvie about his official baptismal name, he evasively changed the subject and didn’t disclose it.

Once the ink had fully dried, I infused the talisman with the activation incantation and the necessary mana.

“―Wind!”

The charm ignited with a flash and turned to ash in an instant, the remnants crumbling and scattering into the wind.

““Aahhh~~~…””

Eren, Lana, and Pryui, who had been watching anxiously, all sighed in unison, disappointed.

“…Another failure. I thought I had restrained my mana, but it seems the magic circuits can’t handle it.”

Despite Cestlavie’s thorough instruction in Talisman Art, it appears incompatible with me. Every attempt to transmit mana to the talisman results in it either burning out instantly or exploding. Reducing the magical power has not helped, and attempting the activation incantation without mana infusion only produces a faint burning smell and smoke, rendering the charm unresponsive.

When I had others try activating the charm, a small whirlwind appeared with Eren, a gentle breeze with Lana, and a fairly strong wind with Pryui. It seems the activation conditions vary based on each individual’s internal magic capacity and familiarity. In my case, the amount of magic power I unconsciously release is too great for the fragile magical circuits drawn on the cards.

“I didn’t expect it to work perfectly from the start, but this makes learning the talisman magic quite a waste, doesn’t it?”
“I’m surprised that even Lady Jill can fail at something,” Eren’s remark, blending astonishment and slight relief, elicited a wry smile from me.

“Of course. My life has been a series of failures and setbacks from the very start…”

“Talking about life at your age seems a bit odd, though,” Pryui remarked, cocking her head to the side.

“Well, compared to elves who live for a thousand years, that might be true. But believe it or not, I feel I’ve lived quite an intense life.”

Truthfully, the past two or three years have felt as though they’ve compressed about a decade’s worth of experiences for an average person. Is this just my imagination?

“In any case, this art needs fundamental improvements.”

It’s akin to trying to light a rocket firework with a flamethrower instead of a fuse. I should focus on minimizing the initial spark. However, if I already have a flamethrower, there’s hardly a need to bother with fireworks—conventional magic is quicker and more efficient than fussing with talismans.

“This is tricky…”

I sighed, pondering whether there might be a way to harness this knowledge effectively. If the circuits are too fragile to withstand the magic, maybe incorporating more magic stones or enhancing the talisman material’s resilience could be the solution. Yet, the end result might still not be worth the effort if it merely amounted to a flashy, short-lived spectacle.

Just then, Monika approached with a courteous bow.

“Milady, Lord Lucas is seeking you. Could you please come to the guest room?”
“Luke is? What’s the issue?”
“It seems the egg that Chaton gave him is about to hatch.”
““““!!!””””

Everyone in the room gasped at the news.

“Understood. Please tell him I’ll be there immediately.”