TDXXBC Chapter 3 (Part 3)

📖 This novel has long chapters as it is translated based on volumes. 📖

“So, what about the child? Are you saying you actually conceived one?”

“…In a way, yes. And in a way, no.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Wait just a moment.”

Aderton suddenly turned his back to her. Sascha heard the sound of buttons being undone. Is he stripping here?! She reached for the nearest candlestick, ready to swing if necessary.

There was a rustling sound, followed by the sound of buttons being done back up. When Aderton turned back to face her, he looked as neat as before. However, in his hands were two unfamiliar objects.

Eggs.

One, held in his left hand, was pure white without a single blemish. The other, cradled in his right hand, was speckled like a water bird’s egg.

“…No way.”

“Yes, that’s right. These are our children.”

Not just a child, but children. And not even born yet, but still in eggs.

Sascha stared between Aderton and the eggs multiple times, struggling to process what she was seeing. This wasn’t some myth or legend about a hero born from an egg. What kind of ridiculous situation was this?

“I may look like a snake, but I am also part seahorse.”

“…Seahorse?”

“Yes. In the animal kingdom, female seahorses deposit their eggs into the male’s brood pouch, where fertilization and growth continue. However, in the case of beast seahorses, once a female produces fertilized eggs, the male extracts them with magic and incubates them in his own pouch until they hatch.”

So the fertilized eggs had come from Sascha’s body, but Aderton was the one carrying and nurturing them. Like a fish species where the mother lays her eggs and leaves while the father guards them until they hatch.

Was that what all his strange movements had been about? Sascha found herself more and more lost in the logic-defying biology of demon beasts.

“So… you’ve been carrying those eggs inside you?”

“Well, not exactly inside. If you want a more familiar comparison, think of a kangaroo. Except instead of carrying a baby in a pouch, I carry eggs.”

“I’ve never heard of a species like that before.”

“That’s not surprising. Seahorse beasts are incredibly rare. There’s a belief that seahorses have aphrodisiac properties, so they were hunted almost to extinction.”

“…Of course.”

In the end, it was humans’ fault. Unable to argue against that, Sascha shifted the conversation.

“So how can you be sure those eggs are mine?”

“Sascha, you must know that demon beasts cannot wield mana.”

Of course, she knew that. Mana was the pure energy of nature. Only those born with the talent or those who trained extensively could use it. Demon beasts, on the other hand, generated their own power from a core near their heart.

Because of this, mana and beast magic could not coexist. A being that used one could never wield the other, and forcing them to mix resulted in mutual rejection.

Aderton infused a small amount of magic into the speckled egg. Almost immediately, the energy inside reacted—rejecting the beast magic and expelling a red glow.

“Mana manifests differently for every wielder. And red mana is a distinct trait of the Lebe bloodline.”

“….”

“And among those who carry the Lebe name today, only you, Sascha, wield red mana.”

Faced with undeniable proof, Sascha could not even argue. She bit her lip.

So… these eggs are really mine?

The moment she confirmed the truth, thoughts of dealing with Aderton after the banquet vanished. Instead, her mind became consumed with one thing—

The children.

Sascha had lost her family in the war. Building a family of her own had once been a distant wish, but she had long since abandoned it. Her body had been too damaged from years of battle to conceive naturally. Even if she did, the risk of miscarriage was high. Doctors had told her not to get her hopes up.

And yet, here they were.

Yes, they were part demon beast, but… weren’t they also part of her?

If not now, how likely was she to ever have children of her own?

On top of that, she was the last surviving direct descendant of the Lebe family. If she didn’t bear heirs, it would be a problem for the family’s future.

Children were precious. Adorable. Loving. If they were her children, wouldn’t they be even more so?

But if they were half-demon beast… was that truly okay?

More than that, Sascha wasn’t just any knight. She was the hero who had slain the black dragon. If the world found out that she had children with a demon beast, her reputation—her country’s honor—could be ruined.

Her mind warred between revulsion toward demon beasts and the undeniable pull of her own bloodline. Her rational side screamed not to believe Aderton’s words, yet her eyes refused to leave the eggs.

When she didn’t answer immediately, Aderton seemed to assume the worst. His lips drooped, and his gaze wavered with unease. Sighing softly, he spoke again.

“…Do you despise them that much?”

“…Huh?”

“No matter how much demon beast blood runs through them, they are your children.”

He extended both hands, offering the eggs to her. A silent invitation—an unspoken plea for her to take them. But Sascha remained rooted to the spot, unmoving. Her face betrayed nothing, but internally, her thoughts were in turmoil.

Seeing no reaction, Aderton could no longer hide his disappointment.

“These children will never live like demon beasts. The speckled one especially has inherited strong human traits. They will likely be rejected by both humans and beasts alike.”

Believing his children had been rejected, Aderton slowly stepped backward until his back met the railing. The terrace was on the second floor, but with the high ceilings of the banquet hall, it was equivalent to the third floor of an average building.

Stepping lightly onto the terrace tiles, Aderton climbed onto the pristine white railing. His slender body swayed precariously, looking as if he could fall at any moment. Gazing out toward the distant mountains, he stretched out both arms, his palms turning downward with the eggs still in his hands.

“Neither human nor beast. Unable to belong to either side, abandoned even by their own parents. Perhaps it would be better if they never saw the light of day.”

Just as Aderton’s fingers began to loosen, Sascha lunged forward and grabbed his long legs, yanking him backward. His large frame teetered before collapsing back onto the terrace floor. Despite his full-grown stature, Sascha caught him without any difficulty.

“What the hell are you doing?”

She snatched the eggs from his hands. They were warm. Perhaps it was just residual body heat from his touch. But that warmth served as a stark reminder—these weren’t just objects. They were living beings.

Real. Alive.

At that moment, Sascha’s heart pounded violently in her chest.

He said he had children, then nearly dropped them from the height of a three-story building? What if I hadn’t caught them in time?

Her eyes blazed as she glared at Aderton, but he remained composed. In fact, he even clapped his hands, impressed by her reflexes. Her anger only grew.

“They almost shattered! And you call yourself a father?”

“Haha. You are so delicate.”

“What?”

“No matter how much human blood they carry, they are still half-demon beasts. Even if they fell from this height, they wouldn’t break.”

Want to test that with a hammer? Aderton added with a smirk. Sascha instinctively cradled the eggs against her chest, shielding them. No matter how durable they were, some things just weren’t meant to be risked. A parent should never treat their child’s life so carelessly. Rage burned inside her.

Aderton’s amused smile remained as he extended a hand, but Sascha didn’t return the eggs. Instead, she held them tightly, stepping back to keep her distance. Seeing her wariness, Aderton chuckled softly.

“A heartwarming sight, isn’t it? The bond between parent and child is important.”

Bond?

Sascha looked down at the eggs nestled in her arms. The speckled egg and the white one. Just moments ago, she had hesitated to accept them because they were part demon beast. Yet now, she was holding them as if they were the most precious things in the world.

Was this… his plan all along?

Had he manipulated her into taking the eggs? Heat rose in her chest. Furious as she was, she still refused to return them. His intentions were too unclear.

After all, Aderton had been the one to reveal their existence. If he hadn’t sought her out, she would have never known. Why had he come all the way to a human banquet to tell her? Wealth? Fame? A bargaining chip for his own safety? Sascha narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him.

“Fine. I accept that these eggs are mine. So what do you want?”

“Marry me.”

The unexpected proposal made Sascha’s eyes widen.

“…Marry you?”

Of all the reasons for sneaking into the capital and attending this banquet, marriage was the goal? Even after revealing his intention, Sascha remained skeptical. Aderton, seeing her doubt, began his story.

“My mother was a seahorse beast.”

“…Your mother?”

“Yes. My mother was a seahorse, and my father was a snake.”

Unlike male seahorses, female seahorses only produced eggs—they weren’t evolved to care for them. They lacked brood pouches and had no biological inclination to nurture their young. Because of this, interbreeding between seahorse beasts and other species was nearly unheard of.

“But my mother loved my father deeply. Deeply enough to bear his children without hesitation.”

Before he hatched, Aderton would listen to his mother’s voice from inside his egg. She told stories of her fateful first meeting with his father, their romantic courtship, and the wonderful proposal.

She had been so happy, speaking of him with unshaken devotion. Aderton, hearing her excitement, had dreamed of the beautiful world awaiting him outside his shell.

But the world he was born into was nothing like he had imagined.

His mother’s people had rejected her relationship with his father. She had fled, choosing love over her own kin. But his father never came for her.

Even as Aderton’s siblings hatched one by one, even as the last egg—the one holding him—finally cracked open, his father never appeared.

The dry cave they were forced to live in was cold, lacking the salty sea breeze and rolling waves that a seahorse needed to thrive. Food was scarce. His siblings grew weaker. His mother, who lacked a brood pouch, exhausted herself trying to sustain them with her own magic.

Despite the hardship, Aderton had never lost hope. He told himself that his father must have had a reason for staying away. That one day, everything would be okay.

And then—

– Kill them all!

Hope turned to despair when their cave was raided by demon beasts.

Serpentine women with human torsos—lamias—swarmed them, blocking every exit. His mother, terrified but defiant, shouted at them.

– H-How dare you do this to me? You won’t get away with this! When he finds out—

– Oh dear. Did no one tell you? I am his real wife.

– W-What?

– And he was the one who told us where to find this place.

– No… that’s not possible…

– Such a shame. A seahorse should be quite useful. Still, at least you’ll fill our bellies.

– G-Girls, tonight’s feast is seahorse meat!

The leader of the lamias was enormous, towering over the rest. She flicked her wrist, and the others cackled, their claws gleaming in the dim light.

Aderton’s mother screamed for his father, begging for him to come. But he never did.

She was too weak to fight back, and his siblings were even weaker.

And then came the slaughter.

“My mother and my siblings were all devoured by the lamias. The only reason I survived was because I was lucky enough to slip into a crevice before they found me.”

Aderton held his breath for a moment, as if offering a brief moment of silence for his deceased family. Lowering his gaze in quiet contemplation, he then spoke again.

“I told you when we first met that I wished to repay my debt.”

“…”

“That feeling remains unchanged. The serpent beasts—the ones who slaughtered my family—I have always been grateful to you, the hero who avenged them in my place.”

Aderton dropped to one knee, raising Sascha’s hand and pressing a reverent kiss to the back of it.

At that moment, Sascha finally understood why she had never seen him during or after the war, despite him being a serpent beast.

When Kalceus waged war, every reptilian demon beast had aligned with him. Aderton’s father and his so-called real wife must have been no exception. And if Aderton himself had serpent blood, then there was no way he would have sided with those who had murdered his mother and siblings.

The demon beasts had gathered under Kalceus’s banner, but they had no real strategy. They had underestimated humans, believing that sheer strength alone would be enough to overwhelm them.

The subjugation forces, on the other hand, had focused on tactics. Outmatched in both strength and numbers, they had relied on strategy, using the terrain and the natural behaviors of the beasts to their advantage.

Had Aderton joined Kalceus, the war would have been far more complicated. Whether his claims were true or not, he was intelligent, familiar with human customs, and could have infiltrated human society, sowing chaos within the subjugation forces.

Should I be grateful to the monstrous serpent who abandoned his wife and children?

The thought unsettled Sascha. She didn’t like the idea that another person’s misfortune had shaped the course of the war. As she wrestled with the discomfort, Aderton murmured,

“When demon beasts are of mixed lineage, one side’s traits often dominate. Just as the speckled egg has more human characteristics, I inherited my serpent blood more strongly.”

“…”

“But I am not my father. I refuse to live as he did, shirking responsibility. As a seahorse, I will fulfill my duty as a male and raise my children. I will not let them grow up knowing the misery of being abandoned.”

Aderton raised three fingers as he continued.

“Three years. Demon beasts mature quickly, so that should be enough for them to grow. It’s also long enough for a marriage—should we find ourselves incompatible, we can separate with a reasonable excuse. When the time comes, I will accept whatever decision you make. But until then, I ask that you remain my wife.”

“….”

Sascha couldn’t answer immediately.

She could only imagine how much resentment he must have carried, watching his family die before his eyes. She had lost her own parents to Kalceus as well. She understood vengeance, understood the drive that had fueled him.

But could she trust that he had no ulterior motives?

Aderton had faked his injuries when they first met, deceiving her into taking him in. He had deliberately hidden the truth.

Even now, how much of what he had told her was real?

As Sascha hesitated, still holding the eggs, Aderton flicked his fingers. In an instant, the eggs disappeared from her grasp and reappeared in his hands. He tucked them away in his coat and stepped closer.

His hand reached for the white mask covering her face.

When he removed it, her expression was one of confusion. Aderton leaned in slowly. The sudden proximity made Sascha’s breath hitch, and she instinctively shut her eyes. Given his past behavior, she had no idea what he was about to do.

But he did nothing.

Instead, he merely whispered into her ear.

“Take your time to answer. Of course, I can only hope you’ll respond favorably.”

He returned her mask and opened the door.

Sascha immediately followed, but when she stepped outside, he was gone.

She searched behind the statues, checked behind the curtains—nothing.

There wasn’t even a ripple of magic. How?

Vanishing without a trace like that should have been impossible. The sheer absurdity of it made her question whether this was all some bizarre dream.

But the weight of the mask in her hands, the distant sound of music from the banquet—these things reminded her that this was real.