Chapter 1
It was spring at the Azure Dragon Palace.
In the middle of the Lake of Life, Cheongyeon Pond, which stretched across the palace grounds, a lotus leaf larger than a cauldron’s lid stood proudly above the water.
Resting atop it was a single small white egg.
Yet even today, the little egg remained perfectly still, showing no sign that it intended to hatch.
The head of the Azure Dragon Clan, Cheong-un, tilted his head as he gazed at the lonely egg.
“When will my youngest finally hatch…?”
A rare wrinkle formed at the corner of his eye. Only then did the ageless beauty of his face finally seem touched by the passage of time.
His trusted attendant, Seong Hee-rim, answered carefully.
“You’ve already been blessed with those adorable twin young masters. Please don’t be too saddened.”
The twins from the same nest had already hatched a week ago. It was difficult to keep hoping for the last remaining egg.
“…Mm. I’m not sad at all.”
Hee-rim didn’t believe his master’s calm reply for a second.
It was obviously a blatant lie.
But Hee-rim was mistaken.
Cheong-un truly wasn’t sad.
Because—
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
He could clearly hear the frantic heartbeat coming from inside the egg.
Cheong-un possessed two supernatural gifts and was known as the incarnation of the Azure Dragon God.
Ever since birth, he had been able to command wind and rain. After becoming clan head, he had gained another gift—hearing as sharp as an owl’s.
His azure hair fluttered in the breeze.
For an instant, his pale earth-colored eyes flashed into narrow vertical slits.
A gentle spring wind drifted over the railing, crossed the pond, and settled softly upon the giant lotus leaf.
But even after being soothed and caressed by the breeze, the egg refused to budge.
Then suddenly—
Cheong-un’s vision filled with crimson flames.
The tiny egg cracked apart with a sharp crrrk.
“…!”
He gasped.
But the next moment, all he saw before him was the familiar pond and the flawless little egg resting quietly where it always had.
“…My Lord?”
Hee-rim asked in confusion.
Cheong-un merely smiled, as if he’d realized something.
There was, in fact, a secret that only his late wife had known.
Sometimes…
The wind showed him the future.
His third ability, unknown to the world—
Precognition.
Looking straight at the bewildered Hee-rim, Cheong-un gave an order.
“Bring me the youngest.”
“…Pardon?”
His long white finger pointed directly at the egg atop the lotus leaf.
“The youngest.”
Seeing that his attendant still didn’t understand, Cheong-un looked at him as though he were hopelessly dense.
“I said… bring it here.”
A short while later…
Inside the kitchens of the Azure Dragon Palace.
Instead of a large iron pot, a single white egg now sat atop the blazing stove.
Hee-rim stared at the egg engulfed in flames as though his own skin were burning.
“My Lord… I think I spoke carelessly earlier. Even if the youngest is just a little slow… perhaps he’ll hatch if we wait a bit longer? Cook Jo, don’t you think so too?”
No answer came.
The palace chef had gone completely blank upon seeing the Azure Dragon’s egg occupying his stove.
And judging from his actions, even his lord appeared to have lost his senses after losing his wife.
Which meant…
It was now his duty, as the loyal attendant, to risk his life to stop this act of insanity.
“My Lord!”
Filled with determination, Hee-rim threw himself in front of the stove.
Crack.
The ominous sound behind him instantly twisted his face.
“The—the poker! Someone bring me the fire poker! Th-the egg will be ruined, My Lord! O-our little Azure Dragon…! W-what if… what if he gets cooked…?!”
CRACK!
“O-our baby…! W-what are we supposed to do if he turns into a soft-boiled Azure Dragon?!”
With tears streaming down his face, Hee-rim frantically searched for the poker himself.
But by the time he finally grabbed it and turned around…
The egg in the fire had already split neatly in half.
“Hic…!”
Something inside slowly poked out a tiny head—
No larger than a dragon’s claw.
“Th-that…”
“What…”
As Hee-rim rubbed his eyes in disbelief, Cheong-un quietly covered the fire with sand until the flames died down.
Then he gently lifted the remaining half of the shell.
The tiny creature hiding inside was finally revealed.
Its legs were unbelievably thin.
“…F-feathers?”
“It has feathers?”
Hee-rim blinked repeatedly as he stared at the tiny creature, which looked exactly like a baby bird.
“Our youngest… took your time, didn’t you?”
Cheong-un smiled proudly.
Had Hee-rim been an ordinary man with no martial training, he would have fainted on the spot upon hearing his lord speak so calmly.
“M-My Lord…”
Meanwhile…
Having just returned to the mortal world in the body of a baby bird, Aran tilted her tiny head.
“Kyu?”
(Who are you blue-looking creatures?)
“Coo…”
(It’s freezing… Don’t tell me I came back only to find another cursed winter?)
“Kyaak!”
(Wait… This body looks exactly like me when I was little. Don’t tell me I’ve actually been reborn?!)
No!
That damned Black Tortoise God!
You’ve become a god just to scam an innocent Vermilion Bird?!
I said I wanted to ascend!
I never said I wanted to be reborn!
“Cheep!”
(Hey! Someone tell me who’s the Emperor right now! Don’t tell me I’ve gone back a hundred years to when I was born!)
“Cheep-cheep!”
(This is ridiculous! It’s a scam! A complete scam!)
While Aran cried out in protest, a careful hand gently scooped her up and placed her on a broad palm.
Ever since the fire had gone out, she’d been shivering.
Feeling the warmth radiating from the hand beneath her, she unconsciously rubbed her face against it.
Warm…
“Kyuu…”
(What a miserable age… I’ve become a baby again…)
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—
Everything Aran said was Beast Speech.
No one here could understand a single word.
Unaware that the fluffy white chick actually housed a hundred-year-old Vermilion Bird, Cheong-un drew his hand closer and examined the little creature.
“My goodness… just look at these tiny legs.”
Whatever he was saying, Aran only felt cold.
In the midst of that raw, unfamiliar chill, she finally remembered.
That’s right.
She had once been the mighty Vermilion Bird.
And a great Vermilion Bird remained great—even after being reborn.
Summoning her pride, Aran tried to generate heat to dry her damp feathers.
…
Nothing happened.
Tremble.
The down covering her body puffed up ever so slightly…
Then—
Pffft.
It flattened again as though nothing had occurred.
Still…
It had an effect in another way.
“…I think she’s shivering.”
The dazed Hee-rim had accurately identified her condition.
“Cold? I suppose that’s because you don’t have hard scales.”
Cheong-un gently covered Aran with his other hand.
His large dragon’s hands enclosed her from every direction.
As warmth surrounded her, all the tension melted from her tiny body.
“Pii…”
(For a dragon… you’re surprisingly warm. This really isn’t the time for me to be enjoying this…)
Leaving behind a compliment no one could understand…
Aran drifted back to sleep.
A little later…
Cheong-un carefully opened the hand he’d been using to shelter her.
The fluffy white chick lay curled up peacefully in the center of his palm.
Perhaps she had no idea she’d been born in someone else’s nest.
Each gentle breath made her round little belly rise and fall without the slightest concern.
Unable to look away, Cheong-un murmured softly,
“Hee-rim… were Vermilion Birds always this adorable?”
Still completely overwhelmed, Hee-rim blinked at his lord.
“…Pardon?”
He happened to know several Vermilion Bird beastfolk.
And every single one of them was insufferable.
But that wasn’t even the biggest issue.
“…A Vermilion Bird? My Lord… surely you don’t actually think this little bird is a Vermilion Bird?”
Cheong-un calmly answered as though the question itself were strange.
“Then what else could she be? She was born from fire.”
Hee-rim could only stare in disbelief.
What else?
She’s just… a bird.
He had no idea why she’d awakened inside a fire.
But from what he could see, she was simply an ordinary baby bird.
If she were truly a Vermilion Bird beastfolk, she’d have the distinctive markings of one.
Instead, she was entirely white.
Even the eyes he’d briefly glimpsed weren’t the signature crimson—they were pitch black.
Still, it felt difficult to outright contradict his lord.
Before Hee-rim could respond, Cheong-un began gently rocking the hand that held the sleeping chick.
Roll…
Roly-poly…
What a carefree little thing.
The sleeping chick simply rolled wherever his hand tilted…
Until—
Plop.
She tumbled straight into the Azure Dragon’s embrace.
Good heavens.
Watching his master’s long eyes widen with unmistakable delight, Hee-rim felt his own heart sink.
We’re doomed…
Completely doomed…!
His Lordship is really going to raise that bird as the youngest child.
Azure Dragon God… why have you chosen to test me like this…?
