MBOMEN 31

Chapter 31: The Beast of Kizel (8)
“An egg.”

At Olga’s words, Yustar’s gaze flickered over to her. His shoulder still throbbed painfully; it hadn’t been long since he had popped it back into place.

“What did you say, Olga?”

“An egg. There was an egg.”

Yustar frowned.

“That monster’s egg? Where was it?”

Olga picked up a pen and scribbled something on a piece of paper before replying.

“Right after the monster died and the Sink disappeared, I ordered the team to search the riverbed. You saw it too, right? That thing had a weird obsession with the Sink. It was fixated—until it got blown to pieces.”

“Right.”

Yustar could still feel the moment he blasted it away. The sensation traveled from his fingertips to his whole body.

His nerves had screamed, his entire body had gone numb, and his bones had been pushed out of place… That intense tingling—like an electric current had shot down his spine—came back to him vividly.

“So what happened?”

When Yustar asked, Olga put the pen down and leaned back in her chair.

“They found an egg. Actually, two. According to the team, they were absurdly heavy.”

‘Absurdly’ was probably Olga’s word, not the team’s, but Yustar didn’t care. He stroked his chin with interest.

“Did you bring them back?”

“Just one. The other one was broken. It hadn’t fully developed yet. As for the intact one, we’re still examining it. If an embryo starts forming inside… well, we might finally be able to figure out what that thing was. Whether it came from the Sink or… no—”

Olga blinked twice.

“—whether it came through the Sink from somewhere else. A place we don’t know.”

“And if it doesn’t develop?”

Olga shrugged.

“Then we’ll make a giant omelet out of it. Can’t guarantee it’ll taste good, though.”

Yustar fingered the cloth wrapped tightly around his shoulder and untied the knot. It had been wrapped to prevent movement for a few hours, but it wasn’t helping much.

As he removed the bandages, Yustar suddenly raised an eyebrow.

“Wait a second—how did it lay an egg? There was only one of those things. Are we sure there was just one?”

Olga snorted.

“Maybe it was hermaphroditic. That’s not exactly uncommon.”

Yustar tilted his head with a chuckle.

“Well, maybe where you’re from. But here, not so much.”

“Snails are hermaphrodites, you idiot. So are leeches.”

Her tone turned sharp, but Yustar only grinned and set the bandages aside. He had expected this kind of reaction from her.

He said,

“Still, the thought of both eggs hatching and growing up? That’s kind of terrifying.”

Ha! Olga suddenly burst out laughing. It was a loud, sharp laugh like that of a child.

“I had the same feeling when you ran toward the river. Terrifying, I mean. I thought, ‘Ah, he’s finally given up and decided to die.’”

“Why would I die? And can’t you speak a little more elegantly? You’re old enough to know better.”

This time, Olga glared at him with unfiltered rage. If she had something like a club in her hand, she probably would’ve swung it at his injured shoulder without hesitation.

But the fury didn’t last long. The murderous gleam in her eyes dimmed as she blinked and shook her head.

“I’m old enough, and I can’t even say what I want? That’s just sad.”

Yustar slipped on the shirt he had taken off, pulling his long hair out from the collar. His pale hair, almost white, flared wildly before settling neatly. As he casually combed through it with his fingers, he picked up his jacket.

“Heading out?”

Olga asked, already holding a cup of coffee filled to the brim.

“Yeah. This isn’t the only place giving me a headache.”

She took a sip of coffee, her eyes still fixed on him.

Yustar often wondered, whenever he saw her guzzle coffee like that, Is it really okay for someone that young to drink so much coffee?

Of course, it was just a passing thought. Olga wasn’t young. And saying something like that to her would likely get his face doused in coffee.

Olga stared at him for a while, then lowered her gaze to the coffee.

“Is it Odd’s doing?”

A faint smile crossed Yustar’s lips.

“Well, yes and no. My brother…”

He trailed off. Olga showed rare patience by waiting a full minute without pressing.

Finally, Yustar looked at her.

“My brother wants to marry me off to Lila.”

At that moment, Olga spat her coffee out between her lips. The floor, and her previously spotless white coat, were now stained. But Olga didn’t care about that. Not now.

“Is he out of his mind?”

“Who are you asking? Me? Or my brother?”

“Both. No, start with Odd. Go ask him if he’s totally lost it.”

Even her blatant criticism didn’t faze Yustar. He just chuckled.

Olga continued, placing her cup roughly on the table.

“He wants to marry his one and only brother to a witch? That takes guts. Who’s he trying to punish? You, or that little witch?”

Yustar shook his head slowly.

“That’s not it. Neither of us… It’s not like that. My brother…”

He trailed off again and slowly shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to talk about Odd. Not to anyone.

Not even to Lila.

“Anyway, just thought you should know. I’ll be announcing it once things are settled. To the other division heads, and to the team if needed.”

Olga looked at him in disbelief, then turned away with a wave of her hand as if she couldn’t be bothered anymore.

“Do what you want. Marry, divorce, whatever. But take this advice: nothing good comes from marrying a witch. Witches weren’t meant to marry. They don’t need love either. You know why?”

“I do.”

Yustar smiled faintly.

“Not many people know better than I do. Right?”

“What about that little witch? Does she even want to marry you?”

Yustar shrugged lightly.

“Well, even if she doesn’t now, she will eventually. Right?”

With a mocking tone, Olga threw off her stained coat.

Her pale, delicate arms looked like any normal girl’s. But if you looked closely, they weren’t. Tiny marks, like needle pricks, ran along her elbow down to her wrist in a straight line.

Yustar stared quietly at the faint dots on her arm. Olga, now in a fresh white coat, turned to him.

“Did you tell her it’s cheating?”

“Cheating?”

Olga rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“I mean, have you told her that you are cheating? Don’t play dumb.”

She tilted her head as if emphasizing the word cheating. Her usual sulky expression was now edged with righteous anger. No, more like she was scolding him.

Yustar replied,

“If I tell her, then it’s no longer cheating. Right?”

Olga clicked her tongue loudly and snapped,

“Get lost.”

“You gonna send me a wedding gift?”

“I’ll send you an omelet made from that monster egg. Have it for breakfast.”

* * *

When Yustar stepped outside, Lila was waiting anxiously with her hands clasped. Her expression eased slightly when she saw he was unharmed, but she still looked uneasy.

“Are you okay, Lila?”

He smiled gently and asked. Lila relaxed a little and nodded.

“Shall we go back?”

“To the capital?”

“Of course. Or is there somewhere else you’d rather go?”

Lila looked puzzled and shook her head. Yustar naturally placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her toward the portal.

“How was it? Monsters are different from ghosts, right?”

He felt her shoulder stiffen slightly. The fear and tension she hadn’t felt during the heat of the moment were now starting to set in.

“They’re very… different. Very much so.”

She nodded cautiously and added,

“Even different from the monsters I knew. I mean the ones from books. My mother had books like that.”

“They are different, Lila. But you’ll have to get used to it.”

Lila closed her lips. Her gaze lowered quietly, and Yustar glanced at her sideways before speaking gently, reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. I won’t ever make you do something reckless like what I did today.”

Lila looked up at Yustar. Her red eyes were full of questions—almost as if to ask, Why not?

Yustar smiled and leaned down slightly toward her. His long hair slipped forward, brushing her cheek.

“What’s that look for, Lila? You really thought I’d make you launch a giant monster into the sky?”

He gave a nod to the agent tuning the portal coordinates, then took Lila’s hand and stepped onto the platform.

Lila spoke.

“It’s just… I thought I was supposed to help you. That’s why you sought me out. But my abilities fall short.”

“Your abilities?”

Yustar looked down and smiled warmly.

“That’s the one thing you don’t need to worry about.”

The input beeped. To Lila, it sounded like a ringing in her ears.

“Coordinates locked. Ready to transport.”

The agent announced. Yustar lowered the arm resting on her shoulder and instead held her hand. A gentle humming followed, and they both felt their bodies dissolve into light particles.

“Get some rest when we return.”

Lila looked up at him.

“Because starting tomorrow, it’ll get busy.”

“What do you—”

She didn’t finish the sentence. The portal activated, and everything turned white as her body lifted into the air like dust.