MTLNOVEL Chapter 29
I leaned against the counter, glancing around for someone missing from the scene.
“Where’s the Hero?”
“She went out to pick up supplies. The gate delayed her arrival. Didn’t you run into her on the way?”
“I came through the Mage’s portal.”
“Ah, I see.”
After rummaging in the kitchen for a while, the Grand Duke emerged with a small bowl and some milk.
The hatchling, cradled in one of his arms, must have sensed it was about to be fed and began struggling wildly.
“Ma! Mama!!”
“I’ll give you your food! Guild Master, could you pour this for me?”
I took the bowl from the Grand Duke and poured the milk into it. Meanwhile, he began spouting something horrifyingly cringe-worthy.
“Dearest one, would you care to try this milk?”
He’s lost his mind.
At least the struggling hatchling seemed to calm down, sensing that food was near. The Grand Duke carefully set the creature down on the counter.
With its tail raised high, the little dragon approached the bowl of milk. Just as it flicked its tongue—red as its eyes—toward the milk:
“Ma-aack!”
Clang!
The damn thing knocked over the bowl, spilling milk everywhere.
“My dearest one!”
“…”
Dearest one, my ass. I looked down at my now-soaked outerwear.
“Ma! Mamaaa!”
This little brat didn’t know the value of milk and dared to be picky?
“Hey, Grand Duke.”
“What? I’m busy trying to calm it down!”
“Leave it alone. Tonight’s snack is grilled lizard.”
“What are you saying about a baby?! That’s horrible!”
The Grand Duke hugged the hatchling tightly and quickly put distance between us.
“I’ll use Dry magic, so calm down! Even babies can hear and remember things, you know! Hatchlings are incredibly intelligent!”
Raising one hand, the Grand Duke cast his magic.
[Dry (Lv. 67), Target: Godslayer]
My milk-soaked clothes were instantly dried, or rather, the milk had evaporated completely.
“Ma!!”
I inspected my now-dry clothes and pouted.
“Intelligent, my foot. It’s just a gluttonous little monster.”
“That’s not true!!”
Grand Duke, do you not see the dragon gnawing on a lock of your hair?
“Argh! Wait! Dearest one! That’s not food!!”
“Ma! Mama—ma!!”
I’d love to tell the stars to take this hatchling back.
Watching the chaos unfold with a resigned expression, I heard the bell above the shop’s door jingle.
“Why is it so noisy in here? Grand Duke, were you even watching the shop properly?”
The Hero walked in, her face scrunched with annoyance. She froze mid-step when she saw me.
“Guild Master? Why are you here…?”
“Well, it’s a long sto—”
Before I could greet her properly, the Grand Duke’s dramatic cry interrupted.
“Dearest one, your food is over there!!”
“…?!”
The Grand Duke was pointing at the styrofoam box of frozen meat the Hero was holding.
The damn hatchling spread its wings wide.
“Ma!!”
“!!”
It launched itself like a bullet—not at us, but at the styrofoam box.
Grand Duke, you crazy idiot!!
In the end, the baby dragon’s daring charge was met with a sharp chop from the Hero’s hand. The hatchling fell to the floor in a dramatic display of defeat.
“…Mamaaa…”
The hatchling let out a faint cry before fainting dramatically.
“Rim!!”
“…?”
The Grand Duke, who had been staring blankly, rushed to pick up the collapsed hatchling from the floor.
“Boss, that’s too much! How could you do this to Rim?!”
“What, was I supposed to spread my arms and welcome the black thing flying at me? I thought it was a giant bug and swatted it.”
“With a chop to the neck?”
“Guild Master, you just stood there watching, didn’t you?”
The Hero placed the styrofoam box of frozen meat she’d been holding onto the counter.
“Isn’t that a baby dragon? Grand Duke, you know our store doesn’t deal with monster meat.”
“Monster meat?! How could you say something so horrible! Apologize to Rim!”
“Apologize for what? And who’s Rim?”
The Grand Duke held the unconscious hatchling up to the Hero’s face. The Hero muttered irritably, questioning why the Grand Duke would name something so… bizarre-looking.
Sure, the hatchling’s coloring was a bit questionable, but wasn’t that a bit harsh, Hero?
The Grand Duke, offended, shouted back, “Have you ever seen a more beautiful golden-brown hue?”
“Grand Duke, live up to your title, will you?”
Before their bickering spiraled further, I decided to step in.
“Grand Duke, did you already name this food-obsessed ghost? I mean, I did bring it for you to raise, but you seem to like it.”
“It’s not a food ghost! Where would you find a ghost this cute?!”
“Guild Master, did you really bring that thing here?”
I shrugged in response to the annoyance lacing both their voices.
The Grand Duke carefully stroked the hatchling in his arms.
“Rim is just a nickname. Its real name is Harim.”
“…?”
The name sounded oddly familiar. Where had I heard it before? The Hero’s next words offered a clue.
“You planning to fry it later or something?”
Seriously, Hero?
“Boss! How could you say that!!”
The Hero scowled at the Grand Duke’s shrill outcry.
“Grand Duke, you seem to keep forgetting that I’m the boss, and you’re just a part-timer.”
At that, the Grand Duke pouted but kept his mouth shut—probably not wanting to lose his job.
“…Mama…”
But as the hatchling’s red eyes fluttered open and it let out another weak cry for food, the Grand Duke went into full panic mode.
“Boss! Meat! Give me some meat!!”
“What? Are you joking?”
“Rim’s going to die looking for food!!”
The Grand Duke’s desperate plea earned a flat response from the Hero.
“Feed it milk.”
“I already did! It spat it out.”
“Spat it out? No, it flipped the bowl. Look at that mess over there.”
The Hero followed my pointing finger and widened her eyes at the spilled milk still visible on the floor.
“You…!”
“I’ll clean it up! I’ll clean everything! Just give me some meat! I’ll even pay for it, okay?”
The Hero clicked her tongue and sighed, pulling open the styrofoam box.
“You know this is coming out of your paycheck, right?”
“Yes! That’s fine! Take it, take it all!!”
The Hero muttered something under her breath, then pulled out a frozen slab of meat.
The hatchling, as it turned out, didn’t care that it was frozen.
“Ma!!”
It pounced on the meat, biting, tearing, savoring, and devouring with vigor. The Grand Duke watched from the side, beaming with satisfaction.
“Dearest one, is it truly that delicious?”
“…”
The Hero let the styrofoam box drop to the floor with a dull thud.
“…What’s wrong with him now?”
“They say that’s what you have to do to tame it.”
“Such a hassle…”
The Hero grimaced as she retreated to the kitchen. At least there were no customers to witness this chaos—small blessings.
Meanwhile, the hatchling was happily munching away on the Hero’s precious store supplies, its small teeth tearing through the meat. Watching it devour with such enthusiasm, I turned to the Grand Duke.
“Grand Duke, are you really going to raise this thing?”
“This thing! It’s Rim! Harim!”
“…Right, Harim. Are you really going to take care of it?”
“Yes! Isn’t that why you brought it here for me?”
“I guess…”
The hatchling polished off an entire slab of meat in no time, then spread its black wings and licked its lips with satisfaction.
“Ma-ma!!”
“Ha ha, such a hearty eater! Truly a delightful sight!”
“…”
The Grand Duke lifted the bloated hatchling into the air, laughing as though he were on top of the world. It was starting to feel like he wasn’t entirely sane.
Still, it was a relief he was willing to take responsibility for the hatchling. If he’d refused, I might’ve had to visit the Demon King to pawn it off on him.
A glance at the clock showed it was already past 1 AM. Panicking at the late hour, I quickly gathered my thoughts.
“Grand Duke! Can you take me home?!”
“What are you talking about? The Grand Duke is still on the clock as a part-timer.”
“On the clock? There aren’t any customers here anyway! I snuck out to come here, and I need to get back quickly!”
The Hero emerged from the kitchen with two cocktail glasses in her hands, her face filled with annoyance.
“What’s with the cocktails?”
“Thought I’d offer a drink since there aren’t any customers. Why not just have the Mage open a portal for you?”
“He said he was going to sleep.”
I accepted the free drink, offering my thanks. The Hero paused briefly before speaking up.
“Mage, are you awake?”
| 9th Circle Archmage |: “UGHHHHH WHY CAN’T I HAVE A NORMAL DAY!!!! WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK IT’S FUN TO BULLY ME?!!!”
I squinted at the sudden message. The Hero shrugged as if to say, “See?”
“The Mage isn’t asleep yet.”
“…Did you cast a truth spell?”
“Figured he’d ignore a regular message.”
She casually dismissed the Mage’s frustrated outburst and sipped her drink.
Clinking my glass against hers, I took a sip of the blue cocktail.
“Hey, no funny business with the drinks this time?”
“Why? Want me to mess with it now?”
Her soft voice was dripping with mischief, and I scowled, flipping her off with my middle finger.
“Dearest one, shall I make a nest for you? Perhaps it’s time for sweet dreams?”
Meanwhile, the Grand Duke was utterly engrossed in doting over Harim, his attention entirely absorbed by the little hatchling.
The Hero, her patience wearing thin, drained her glass in one go and sighed.
“Do we seriously have to listen to that idiot fawning over a dragon all night?”
“Probably, at least until his shift ends.”
Shrugging, I downed the rest of the cocktail the Hero had given me. It was high time to head home.
“Thanks for the free drink. I’ll be back for more.”
“Next time, I’ll charge you.”
Waving her hand, the Hero reminded me to bring plenty of cash. I waved back, replying that a black card would cover everything, before stepping out of the shop.
“Guild Master! You…!”