It was a silver egg. The egg bore deep blue patterns, like beautiful designs etched into rock. Its surface was not particularly smooth, and it felt much warmer to the touch than an ordinary egg.
The egg was about 35 centimeters long, and it felt somewhat heavy when cradled.
Avira’s greatest regret was that she passed out immediately after giving birth to the egg. All her magic power had been utterly depleted, transferred entirely into this ominous object—the sinful seed that had brewed the Demon King’s evil bloodline, Ophitia’s.
She knew now that the Demon King was actually a being sealed away countless times, but as a background figure in stories, the Demon King had no records or even rumors of ever marrying or bearing children. In other words, barring any surprises, this was the Demon King’s first child in name.
The sinful seed had been planted in Avira’s body, and she had become the nurturing bed that provided it sustenance.
—Avira couldn’t help but think this way.
Ordinary weak beings couldn’t withstand the Demon King ravaging them like this.
If an ordinary person had been implanted with the Demon King’s seed, they would theoretically have all their magic power and life force drained away, withering like a fading flower.
Barring surprises, she was probably the only one who could bear the Demon King’s child?!
Of course, the good news was that Ophitia seemed to like the dragon egg quite a bit.
This was also bad news.
“Ophitia, have you played with it enough?!”
Avira watched as the Demon King knelt on the bed, stroking the dragon egg. She didn’t know if it was worry or anxiety bubbling in her heart. Due to her weakness, she could only lie motionless on the bed, watching how the Demon King treated her child.
Damn it, was this part of the punishment too?
I went through all the trouble of giving birth—how could I just hand it over to you that easily, you jerk woman?
“Wife, let me touch it a little more… hehe…”
“You can touch it however you want once I’m asleep… No, you can’t touch it even if I’m asleep!”
“Avira, didn’t we agree that this egg belongs to both of us?”
“…”
Avira nodded. She couldn’t quite remember anymore.
Her current mood was a mix she couldn’t quite name—joy or anxiety. The joy came from her master liking her “masterpiece.” She was the creator of this egg, and if Ophitia liked it, it gave her a sense of validation.
The anxiety stemmed from her fear that Ophitia would play with the egg too roughly and break it!
Instinctively, she felt that no one understood this egg better than she did, even though she had no relevant knowledge whatsoever. A few months ago, she had been absolutely convinced she wouldn’t care about the dragon egg at all—like expelling a toxin from her body and handing it straight over to Ophitia.
But now, during her pregnancy, she had both loved and hated the egg. Strange emotions had taken root, and no matter what words described them, she absolutely would not give it away.
It was like peeled sunflower seeds—not as enjoyable to eat if someone else did the shelling…
Finally, after giggling foolishly at the egg for a while, Ophitia handed it back to Avira.
This egg—what kind of egg was it, exactly?
Ophitia had turned Lena into an egg and inserted it into Avira’s body, where it had merged with her genes. So even if categorized, it should be called a “dragon egg.”
But…
“Ophitia, how do I make my wings go away?”
Thinking of this, Avira inadvertently shed tears.
It felt like something had changed forever, impossible to revert. She had once been able to retract her jet-black wings into her body by controlling her magic power. But now, even before laying the egg, they had grown increasingly sensitive until the wings became a true part of her body!
“Why would you want to hide them? Avira looks beautiful with them—super domineering too. Keep growing, and they’ll be bigger than mine.”
“I don’t want bigger wings…”
“What’s wrong? Is Avira still thinking about turning back into a human?”
Ophitia sat on her legs, showing no concern whatsoever.
“The current Avira is an angel—a dark angel. That’s a type of magical beast too, but the only one of its kind in the world.”
“What do you even know?!”
“Hehe, I learned this from a forbidden book. Does Avira want to hear more interesting things?”
Avira curled up, clutching the egg tightly, eyeing Ophitia warily.
“What?”
“For example, what happens when angels give birth to children.”
“Then don’t say it!”
Such unverifiable nonsense was a waste of energy. Avira just wanted to smack the Demon King on the head to snap her out of it—who knew how many weird pop-science articles she’d read to come up with these ideas.
Avira felt deeply conflicted now.
Not only did she have to protect this egg, but her body was limp and useless. She could put on an aggressive front, but it was all bluff. It was as if, ever since getting pregnant, she’d lost most of her combat ability—transformed from a powerhouse who looked down on the Demon King into a helpless little bird stuck at home. Now she even had to watch over the Demon King’s egg.
How humiliating—to end up incubating the Demon King’s egg, and yet consider it the “best outcome.”
Avira had originally planned to sideline the Demon King, steal Ophitia’s heart for her own use. But these past few months, she hadn’t interfered at all in Tilves affairs. Every day, she’d been preoccupied with the egg.
Thinking of this, Avira blushed and said, “You’d better take care of me. Don’t abandon me after I lay this egg—you have no idea how hard it was, you idiot!”
She hadn’t left any room for Ophitia to argue—it was pure nitpicking. After all, if not for her, Avira wouldn’t have ended up like this.
But Ophitia didn’t get angry at all. Instead, she smiled indulgently, turning Avira’s complaints into coquettish whining.
“I’ll take care of you.”
“Who needs you to take care of me? The kid will need to drink my milk later!”
“How did Avira know?” Ophitia said delightedly.
“What?!” Avira had only been bluffing, but was it really true?!
At first, she thought Ophitia was joking too and laughed, “Why don’t you help feed it?”
“Of course the mommy who laid the egg handles the nursing. The child needs nutrients—you can create some with your magic power, no problem.”
“You…”
So, she had to lay the egg and nurse it?
Avira refused!
She’d never planned to accept the role of mother. She’d only wanted to sideline the Demon King! Her relationship with Lace was just talk of “mom and daughter”—in the end, merely a slightly closer subordinate and superior…
But Ophitia’s next words hit like a bolt from the blue:
“Avira, Lace and Oleniya’s futures are in your hands too. Get used to the role now—it’s good practice for you~”
Wait, had a weird name just slipped in there?
Geez, throw Avira’s sister in the mix too! Why not lol!