Chapter 198: The Pregnant Firebird (8)

Chapter 198: 198: The Pregnant Firebird (8)

Lucard looked toward the broken trees.

"I saw it."

"We have to go there."

Cedric immediately turned toward her.

"No."

Elowen looked at him. "Cedric!"

"No. Absolutely not. We just survived a battle between two Seventh Rank beasts. The Behemoth is dead, and the bird is badly injured. This is our chance to leave."

"But it might die!"

Cedric pointed toward the fallen bird.

"That is exactly why we should stay away! An injured Seventh Rank beast is dangerous. If we approach, it might think we are trying to kill it or steal its egg."

Elowen looked at Lucard.

"Please."

Lucard did not answer immediately.

He looked at the dead Behemoth.

The blood was still there.

A huge amount of Seventh Rank blood.

Leaving it untouched was not something he wanted to do.

But the Crimson Sunwing was also a Seventh Rank beast. Its fire bloodline was rare, and it might possess information or abilities useful to him.

More importantly, it was carrying an egg.

A Seventh Rank beast egg.

That was worth investigating.

Lucard looked at Cedric.

"We will go."

Cedric stared at him.

"Why?"

"To see whether it is still alive."

Cedric crossed his arms. "And if it attacks us?"

"We retreat."

"And if we cannot retreat?"

"Then you can complain while dying."

Cedric closed his eyes.

"I knew you were going to say something like that."

Elowen looked relieved.

"Thank you, Lucard."

Lucard ignored her gratitude.

He placed a blood mark near the Behemoth’s corpse so he could find it again. Then he started walking toward the place where the Crimson Sunwing had fallen.

Cedric followed reluctantly.

Puff remained hidden inside his coat.

As they approached the fallen bird, the temperature around them increased.

Several broken trees were still burning. Red feathers covered the ground, and the air smelled of ash and blood.

The Crimson Sunwing lay in a wide clearing created by its fall.

Its enormous body was partly covered by broken branches. One wing rested beneath its body, while the other stretched across the ground. The golden lines along its feathers had become dim.

Its breathing was weak.

Elowen slowed when she saw the bird properly.

The wound along its belly was much worse than it had appeared from a distance. Several other wounds covered its body, and blood continued flowing from the damaged feathers.

The Crimson Sunwing lifted its head slightly when it noticed them.

Its golden eyes opened.

Cedric immediately stopped.

"Lucard..."

"I know."

The bird stared at the three humans.

A faint red flame appeared near its beak, but it vanished almost immediately.

The Crimson Sunwing lowered its head again.

Elowen slowly stepped forward.

"Please do not hurt us," she whispered. "We are not here to attack you."

Cedric grabbed her arm.

"Do not get too close."

Elowen stopped, but her eyes remained fixed on the bird.

Lucard studied the Crimson Sunwing’s condition.

He could feel its blood.

The energy inside it was still enormous, but it was moving unevenly. Its heart was struggling, and its fire mana was no longer flowing properly through its body.

The bird had used too much of its remaining strength to defeat the Behemoth.

Lucard understood what was happening.

Its body could no longer support itself.

The Crimson Sunwing tried to lift its head once more.

Its golden eyes moved from Lucard to Cedric, then finally settled on Elowen.

A weak sound escaped its beak.

Elowen’s eyes filled with tears.

"Lucard..."

Lucard did not answer immediately.

He looked at the bird’s swollen belly, then at the blood spreading beneath its body.

The egg was still inside.

But the mother was running out of time.

The Crimson Sunwing’s chest rose slowly, then fell. Its next breath took even longer.

Lucard’s expression became serious.

The Seventh Rank bird was dying.

The fire mana inside its body was becoming weaker. Every time its heart beat, some of that energy escaped through its wounds. The bird was trying to keep the remaining mana around its swollen belly, but its body could no longer control the flow properly.

Elowen looked at Lucard.

"Can you save her?"

Lucard did not answer immediately. He extended his blood-sense toward the bird’s heart and examined the movement of its blood.

The Crimson Sunwing noticed his power.

Its golden eyes moved toward him, but it did not attack. Instead, it continued breathing with difficulty.

Lucard withdrew his blood-sense.

"No."

Elowen’s face changed. "But you can control blood. You healed yourself and helped Cedric. Can’t you do the same for her?"

"She is a Seventh Rank beast," Lucard answered. "Her body contains far more power than mine. I cannot simply control her blood and repair everything. Even if she allowed me to try, I do not have enough strength to restore her damaged organs."

Cedric approached carefully and examined the bird from a distance.

"Could we use a healing potion?"

Lucard looked at him. "Do you have a Seventh Rank healing potion?"

Cedric shook his head.

"Then there is your answer."

Elowen lowered her head.

She understood what Lucard meant, but understanding did not make her feel better. They had helped the Crimson Sunwing fight the Nightfall Behemoth, and the bird had won. Yet it was still going to die.

The enormous bird lifted its head slightly.

A weak cry escaped its beak.

"Kreee..."

Elowen immediately looked up.

The Crimson Sunwing was staring at its swollen belly.

At first, Lucard thought the bird was trying to protect the egg from them. He took a small step backward to show that he had no intention of approaching.

But the bird did something unexpected.

It bent its long neck.

Then it opened its golden beak and placed the sharp tip against the wound along its lower belly.

Cedric frowned.

"What is it doing?"

Lucard’s expression became serious.

"Wait."

The Crimson Sunwing pushed its beak into the damaged flesh.

Elowen gasped.

"Stop! You are hurting yourself!"

The bird ignored her.

It moved its beak along the existing wound, cutting the injured flesh farther open. More blood escaped, and the bird’s enormous body trembled from pain.

Elowen started forward, but Lucard raised one hand.

"Do not interfere."

"But she is making the wound worse!"

"She knows."

The Crimson Sunwing released another weak cry and continued working.

Its movements were slow because it had almost no strength left. Sometimes it stopped for several breaths before trying again. Its wings shook, and the flames along its feathers became even weaker.

Then Lucard understood what it was doing.

His eyes moved toward the swollen belly.

It is trying to save the egg.

The Crimson Sunwing had reached the same conclusion he had.

It was dying.

The egg inside its body would die with it unless it came out before the mother’s remaining strength disappeared.

The bird could no longer wait for the natural time to lay its egg.

So it was opening the way itself.

Lucard watched in silence.

He had seen powerful beasts protect their young before. Some would fight until their bodies were destroyed. Others would abandon their own territory to save a single offspring.

But this was different.

The Crimson Sunwing was using the last of its strength to force the egg out of its dying body.

Elowen finally understood.

Her eyes widened, and tears began gathering again.

"She is trying to lay the egg."

Lucard nodded. "Yes."

Cedric looked at the bird with a complicated expression.

"Even now?"

"She does not have another choice."

The Crimson Sunwing stopped moving its beak.

For a moment, its head rested against the ground.

Lucard felt its heartbeat becoming weaker.

Then the bird raised its head again.

It placed its beak beside the widened wound and pressed against its belly.

Its body tightened.

A faint red glow appeared beneath its feathers.

The remaining fire mana inside the Crimson Sunwing began moving toward the egg. The bird was gathering whatever power it still possessed and using it to protect the life inside.

Lucard could feel the difference.

The mother’s mana was dying.

But another, much smaller source of life was still present.

An egg.

Alive.

The Crimson Sunwing pushed again.

Something smooth and dark red appeared through the opening.

Elowen held her breath.

"Is that it?"

"Yes," Lucard answered.

A large egg slowly emerged from the bird’s belly.

Its shell was deep crimson, with thin golden patterns covering the surface. The patterns looked like small flames spreading across the shell. A soft warmth surrounded it, and faint fire mana moved beneath the markings.

The egg was almost as tall as Elowen’s waist and wide enough that she would have trouble carrying it alone.

Cedric stared at it.

"That is enormous."

Lucard did not respond.

He was examining the egg’s energy.

Even before hatching, the creature inside possessed a strong fire bloodline. Its mana was still weak compared to its mother, but its quality was impressive.

A Seventh Rank beast’s offspring.

More importantly, the child of a Crimson Sunwing.

Lucard understood its value immediately.

If the egg hatched successfully and the young beast could be raised properly, it might eventually become a powerful flying companion. Crimson Sunwings were naturally gifted in fire magic, and their ability to travel between distant regions would be useful.

But raising one would not be simple.