The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL]

Chapter 253: A Father’s First Miracle

Lawrence had been listening patiently as his wife recounted that day they had not spoken about in decades.Time-wise, it would have been a recent memory for most magical beings, while for humans, it would have felt like a lifetime ago.

And yet, surprisingly, to Lawrence it had taken permanent residence somewhere inside him, so that every now and then he could not help but relive it.

But who would have thought he would one day talk about it like this?

Even now, like a fresh experience, he could still recall the dizzying smell of blood, the sudden jolt that tore a gasp out of him, and the way he nearly lost his sanity when his eyes managed to take in the sight of everyone around him.

If his experience had ended there, and if he had truly survived with that sight as his last memory, he was almost certain he would have lost his mind.

How ironic for someone who had always been praised for managing his emotions.

Because even now, he could remember the way his brain kept screaming at him for being alive.

And it was that same internal cry that made him question his survival.

Lawrence had to stop to inspect himself.

He knew exactly what he had been getting into the moment he jumped in front of Renee. But despite the tragic certainty of what would happen, he had not thought twice. He only wanted to buy her time because for magical beings, a few seconds normally spelled the difference between death and survival.

And so when he hit the ground, he figured that was it. Just like the rest of Renee’s fallen relatives, he would likely be buried under the rubble. He only wished he could have done more for his wife.

But as if suddenly rescued from drowning, Lawrence gasped. Then he choked and coughed before spitting blood to the side.

He pressed a shaking hand to the spot where he knew the monster’s claws had struck him earlier.

"???"aking the egg away from his wife.

But then, as he shifted one last rock, he heard a faint, pained groan.

Normally, that would’ve sent people panicking, but Lawrence just felt relieved.

Because while she was clearly hurt, pain still meant alive.

Lawrence stopped here in his retelling because Riley, who had been listening very carefully, suddenly slumped back in his chair.

Lawrence recognized that expression at once.

It was guilt.

And it was guilt Riley did not need to carry.

"Son," Lawrence said gently, "for over three days, you kept releasing mana like a healing beacon. In truth, most of those inside the cave made it out alive because of you."

Riley sucked in a sharp breath. But it did not feel like an accomplishment. His heart twisted instead. Because in truth, no one should have died if not for hi—

Lawrence must have seen it in his eyes.

"They weren’t there for you," he said firmly.

"Huh?" Riley blinked, stunned. Even Kael tightened his hold on Riley’s hand at that.

"It was something we learned later. They weren’t there to hunt you down. They didn’t even know you existed. They came to the mountains in search of reclusive magical beings. They were taking the young and killing the old."

"..."

"..."

Riley stared at him, horrified. While it did alleviate his personal guilt, he was sure it didn’t improve the situation.

"One of the drake elders had a premonition about it coming. But without knowing when, they tried to hold on for longer because they needed something from the land. They couldn’t leave until your mother returned. They simply didn’t expect the danger to arrive the very next day."

That was a lot to process.

This time, his mother’s voice pulled him back to reality.

She leaned forward and spoke softly.

"Son, you saved us from something that had been inevitable. But more importantly, you saved us even when it cost you so much."

"What? It cost me so much?" Riley asked, pointing to himself as if he genuinely could not believe it.

Lawrence nodded.

"Your Great-Grandmother said you used up all your remaining mana. The same mana you had been protecting yourself with as an egg was discharged continuously to heal everyone instead."

"You drained yourself so thoroughly that when the egg that had started cracking as each day passed finally gave in, we were all shocked to find a human baby inside."

"!!!"

Riley’s jaw dropped.

A human really came out of an egg.

No.

He really came out of that egg!