Class: Behemoth
In this world, behemoths were a type of ancient dragon. They were wingless, but once fully grown, their bodies could easily end up a hundred meters long. They were the most frequently sighted dragons out there. They were relatively docile, so as long as you didn’t get too close, you wouldn’t be in much danger. But if you did get too close, their sheer size meant you’d get caught up in the shock waves they’d cause just from moving around.
In terms of looks, they were similar to oversized tortoises. They apparently lived in the ocean.
“Ah! It’s hiding!”
Maybe it didn’t like being surrounded by so many people. The baby behemoth yanked its head back into its shell. While everyone was distracted by its cuteness, I dragged Namitaro out into the hallway.
“What the hell, Namitaro?!”
“Oh, you figured it out?”
He was trying to be dumb, and for a moment, I seriously considered hitting him with Takemikazuchi. But before I could do anything, he read my mind and dropped into a deep bow.
“I might’ve mentioned her before, but remember my friend Hii? She’s the baby’s mom.”
I did remember the name at least. I hadn’t asked earlier when I had first seen the egg because I’d had a really bad feeling, and it turned out I was right. The second Identify hadn’t worked on it, I knew we were in trouble.
When I pointed that out, Namitaro puffed up like I’d insulted him. “You think I’d bring something dangerous home?!”
Um, you mean like a huge, suspicious-looking egg?! Spare me!
“Anyway, that’s not the issue. What I wanna know is if the mommy behemoth is gonna show up pissed that we hatched the thing without permission!” I hissed back quietly so the others couldn’t hear.
Namitaro just grinned. “Oh, she might come by...to say thanks...out of pure joy... Errgh! Ow!”
I was so annoyed that I smacked Namitaro’s head hard.
Back in the day, that wouldn’t have done much, but I’d gotten stronger over the past few years. I had even learned how to channel my mana more effectively. And now, I could actually hurt Namitaro with my bare hands. But...the kickback had still hit me harder, and I was pretty sure I had cracked a bone in my hand.
“A-Anyway, don’t worry!” he said. “I’ll talk to her and make sure she doesn’t come storming over or anything! She might ask to meet you, though!”
If she were coming to the capital, I’d rather go to meet her myself. I made Namitaro swear up and down that he’d smooth things over with her when he saw her.
Now that that was settled, I went back to the dining hall to check on the baby. When I had left, Gramps and the others had been huddled around the egg, but now, they were all keeping their distance. Rocket, Shiromaru, and Solomon were standing watch over it.
“Oh, you’re back!” Gramps said.
“Why’s everyone so far away from it? Did something happen?”
Gramps looked relieved when he noticed me, so I figured that something must’ve gone down while I was out. Apparently, the baby had gotten stressed from being surrounded by everyone and had used magic on them. Luckily, it had just been a Water spell and Rocket had absorbed it before it caused any real damage...but it had caused there to be a lot of water.
“That’s why we backed up from that little turtle. Rocket and the others are probably staying close because they’re monsters too, maybe? I’m not sure. But the baby doesn’t seem to mind ’em,” Gramps said.
Ah, so they left it to Rocket and the others to babysit.
“Actually, there’s something you should probably know... Mind coming with me for a bit?”
“What’s this about?”
I pulled Gramps over to the corner of the dining hall. Kriss and Amur looked like they wanted to follow us, but I motioned for them to wait. Then...
“What did you say?!” Gramps’s voice rang out across the entire mansion.
I tried to clamp my hand over his mouth. “Shh! Gramps, keep it down!” I said.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
“Tenma, what are you hiding from us?”
Kriss and Amur rushed over to us and demanded an explanation.
“Tenma, let go of Gramps before he dies. He’s about to croak,” Amur said.
“Oh, sorry!”
I was so panicked I’d accidentally covered both his mouth and his nose. Gramps’s face had turned beet red from the struggle.
He gasped for air. “Bwuuuh! I thought I was a goner!”
Well, at least he’s alive?
Once he was breathing normally again, I gave them the rundown on the baby’s identity and what Namitaro had told me.
“Tenma, are you sure the mommy behemoth isn’t coming here? Because if she does, Queen Maria’s gonna blow a fuse!” Kriss said.
“Lady Amur, let’s return to the SAR right away!” Leni urged.
“Ooh, a trip! We need to pack lunches!” Amur said.
“Aura, hurry! Start packing!” Jeanne said.
“Right! Rocket, help me out!” Aura yelled.
And just like that, all hell broke loose.
“It’s fine! C’mon, just trust ol’ Nami-chan, will ya?” Namitaro was acting like he had everything under control, but absolutely no one calmed down.
The commotion fizzled out after a bit, though. The turning point had come when Leni, who’d packed the lightest, had finished putting her stuff together, took a breather...and then came to a sudden revelation.
She said that there wouldn’t be a problem if I just went to see the behemoth mommy myself.
The second she brought that up, all the women turned to me like Why didn’t you say that sooner?! But I had my counterargument ready. I had said the same thing myself multiple times. But no one listened to me. I even got Rocket to back me up on that.
Anyway, after all that physical and emotional exhaustion, everyone just slumped into their chairs, drained.