Chapter 192: The Prisoner (Part-3)

The paperwork mentioned by the guard wasn’t as time-consuming as I anticipated. They simply made me sign a couple of papers, made Nina wear a thin bracelet, and that’s it.

“It’s magical,” the guard informs me, pointing at the bracelet. “It will send us an alert if the Harpy moves more than a hundred meters away from you whilst inside the city. Of course, the alarm won’t be triggered if you leave her in your room at the palace— no matter how far away you go.”

“What if Nina accidentally breaks this thing?” I ask. The bracelet is very thin and looks easy to snap.

But the guard simply laughs at this.

“You can try to break it as much as you want, kid.” He shrugs. “There is an unbreakable spell on it. Elven magic. I guarantee you that no human or simple half-monster is powerful enough to break through that.”

He sounds a little too condescending for my liking.

Should I try Chaos magic on this bitch-ass bracelet?

[… buddy.]

I am kidding, I am kidding.

“Anyway, that’s everything done. You’re free to take the Harpy with you,” he informs me. “Will you be able to make your way back to the palace, or do you want me to escort you back?”

“It’s okay; I will manage.”

The tree-palace is so huge that I can see it even from here. Also, the path here was pretty straightforward.

“Okay then, you got my number. Report to me when the Harpy feels better and can chase after her egg. Hopefully, it won’t even be necessary, and we can get it back before that.”

“Yeah, I hope so, too. This is very important for both Nina and me. We won’t be able to rest easy until it is found.” I try my best to press the significance of this matter to him. Because if there’s one thing I fear the most about this situation, it is the possibility that these elven guards might not take this issue seriously. After all, in their eyes, it’s probably just a half-monster’s egg. Nothing to be much concerned about.

But still, the guard at least appears sincere, so I just have to trust him.

With everything done, I take Nina outside the encampment, and we start making our way back to the tree palace. Normally, one would expect Nina to fly behind me, but she’s in no condition to do so. In fact, the first thing she wanted to do after coming out of the cage was to chase after the scent of her egg. But for some reason, she couldn’t sense it right now. She believes that the shock of the news and her general tiredness have sapped her strength and temporarily dulled her senses.

For now, she has mustered up just enough strength to stand up and walk with a little support from me.

“Why would anyone take my child, Jacob? What did I do?” She whispers, her eyes still red, but she has stopped crying.

“Nothing, Nina. And don’t worry too much. I am sure this is just some misunderstanding between the guards. Maybe the guards who were previously deployed here came back and took the egg? I am sure we will get it back soon,” I assure her.

Nina simply nods before looking down sadly.

Fuck, I feel bad for her.

After a little while, we finally reach the tree palace. The guards at the entrance did frown a bit at Nina, but they all looked away the moment they spotted the bracelet.

I take Nina up the lift to my room and make her lie down on the bed.

“I don’t think I will be able to sleep,” Nina tells me.

“You don’t have to, but try to rest and get your energy back. I will be back in a few minutes.”

…

…

As I promised, I return to the room just a few minutes later— but not alone. Layla and Rebecca follow me inside before I shut the door. Nina is still lying on the bed, wide awake.

“Layla, Rebecca, this is Nina. Nina, you’ve already met Rebecca at the bakery. And this is Layla. Both of them are my girlfriends,” I introduce them.

“Nice to meet you, Nina,” Layla greets her with a gentle smile. “Jacob briefly explained to us what happened. I am sorry.”

“Yeah, we will also try to help in any way we can,” Rebecca says, looking concerned.

Nina gives them a grateful little nod before closing her eyes. She doesn’t seem to be in much of a mood to socialize, and understandably so. It’s best if she focuses on resting.

“So, what did you want to talk about, Jacob?” Layla asks, turning to me.

“Yeah, about that. Rebecca, can you deploy the barrier first?”

“Done.”

“I think there is a possible solution for the problem with your system,” I tell Layla. “Nina’s egg. She says it is close to hatching. Once the child is born, do you think she will be able to give you life points? You know, if you take care of her along with Nina?”

…

“That’s an idea…” Layla looks at me with surprise. “You are the child’s father, Jacob, and given our relationship, I think this may just work. Of course, it won’t give me as many points as giving birth to my own children and taking care of them, but given our time constraint…”

“Exactly my thought! Phew… so it would work. That’s what I wanted to confirm. We can continue to try for a child, but I don’t want this death clock hanging above our heads.”

The fact that Layla’s life may no longer have to depend on a chance is already a huge relief. Even Layla looks visibly thrilled by this possible solution. She was trying not to show it, but, of course, as the person going through this predicament, she was the one most worried.

“But then, it’s even more important for us to find the egg,” Rebecca notes. “And to make sure that the baby is hatched safely.”

“Of course. Nina says she can locate the egg by its scent. She just needs some rest to recover her senses,” I reply optimistically.

“But I don’t understand: what would anyone gain from stealing a Harpy’s egg?” Layla asks, confused.

“There is nothing to gain. That’s what I told Nina as well,” I answer. “And that’s why I am not that worried. I am pretty sure it’s just some information error among the guards. Nina might not even have to go out to search.”

*Ring* *Ring*

My phone rings all of a sudden. I check who’s calling, but it’s an unknown number.

“And there it is. I am sure it’s the guard calling me. They must’ve already found the egg,” I say excitedly before picking up the phone.

“Hello, is it the border guard?”

“No.” A hoarse voice replies. I cannot tell if it’s a guy or a girl who’s speaking.

“But I do have that Harpy’s egg. And you better do what I say if you want to get it back.”

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