The Cilician Marshes lie near the Asia Minor Peninsula, facing the sea on one side and stretching inland on the other. The climate is humid, with many caves scattered across the land.
Shrouded in mist year-round, the place is both quiet and secluded, home to many magical beasts and nymphs.
Two little girls, clearly locals familiar with the terrain, fluttered their transparent green wings like dragonflies as they darted through the tall grass and skimmed over the lowlands. After weaving through a winding path, they stopped at a stone wall draped in greenery and tugged on a hanging purple-red vine.
"Buzz!"
The air trembled slightly, the stone wall rippling like water to reveal a doorway hidden by Magecraft, leading into the darkness of a cavern.
They actually knew how to use illusion Magecraft. Even the nest's exterior carried traces of aesthetic intent. Could a snake really be living here?
Following at a distance, hidden in the shrubs, the goddess extended her divine sense to grasp the situation nearby, her expression tinged with surprise.
After a short wait, rustling echoed from the cave. A handsome man in a black robe stepped out, yawning.
So he was imitating the general appearance of a Titan Divine Spirit. That meant he already possessed some measure of intelligence.
The goddess inclined her head slightly, curiosity sparking in her eyes.
In the Age of Gods, reproduction was a symbol of strength. Early Titans, whether through sexual union or asexual creation, produced a vast number of hybrid offspring, each with strange and varied forms. Yet inherited memory pulled them toward a unified image: one head, two arms, two legs.
This humanlike shape was considered the proper form for concealing themselves and engaging in normal interaction. When monsters or Titans revealed their true forms, it was usually to unleash their full might, signaling wariness or battle.
From beneath the black veil, her eyes gleamed with interest.
This little one practically embodied "laziness" and "bed." His half-lidded eyes glowed faintly with a bloody light, vertical pupils betraying his serpentine nature.
No sooner had he stepped outside than he unfurled a blanket onto a sun-drenched gray stone, collapsed upon it, and began basking in the sunlight with languid ease.
"So, you came to me… for this?"
Hearing the two nymphs bickering, the handsome man rubbed his chin, thoughtful.
"Yes! I caught it first, so it's mine!"
"No! I saw it first, so it's mine!"
"You were way too far away. Who knows if you really saw it? And even if you did, how many times? I never let go of it the whole way—I had more contact with the child than you did!"
"Seeing it is what matters! And we always go by first come, first served!"
Their testimonies finished, the two little girls glared at each other, eyes wide with anger.
"Stop, stop, stop! I'll judge this, but hand it over first!"
The man's head throbbed from their endless chatter. He raised a hand impatiently.
"But… it's clearly—"
"Hmm?"
"Tch… You'd better make a fair ruling!"
The petite blonde nymph, under the piercing gaze of those blood-red serpent eyes, finally gave in with a reluctant snort. Gritting her teeth, she stepped forward and held out her hands.
Through the gaps of her fingers peeked the frail outline of a sickly eaglet.
Smack!
The man snatched it away without hesitation, hiding the fragile fledgling in his grasp.
But after one frowning glance, the wise serpent's brow furrowed deeper. He lifted his gaze to the small blue-haired nymph.
"This little thing is injured, and you've dragged it around the whole way. Keep this up, and neither of you will raise it."
"Here's how we'll settle this. Since you claim to have seen it first, you should know which leg the chick broke when it fell from the nest, right? Answer correctly, and it's yours. Remember to take good care of it."
The blonde girl's face paled, her eyes flickering with surprise and indignation. She opened her mouth to speak—only for the man's glare to silence her instantly.
"During arbitration, the defendant does not speak. Remain quiet."
Seeing her chance, the small blue-haired nymph's face lit up. She glanced at the man's slightly tilted hand, pointing downward to the right, and answered without hesitation.
"The right leg!"
An injury like that wouldn't allow for close contact—some space would need to be left.
"Wrong."
The man drew back his hand, revealing the fledgling's perfectly healthy right leg.
"Wait! I mixed it up—it's the left leg! The left one!"
The blue-haired girl's expression twisted as she hastily corrected herself.
The blonde's cheeks flushed with anger, unable to stomach such shamelessness.
"Why me! I—"
"Quiet! It's not your turn!"
The man's expression stayed calm as he cut off the blonde girl's protest, turning instead to the short blue-haired one with a faint frown.
"Alright, in the rush, your memory might have gotten muddled. That's understandable."
"You saw it first, so you get the first choice. I'll give you one more chance, but this will be the last. Are you certain it's the left leg?"
The blue-haired Nymph nodded frantically.
"Yes! Yes! Hurry and give it to me!"
But the man only slowly opened both hands, the corners of his lips lifting in a faint smile.
The blue-haired Nymph's hands froze halfway, her face flushing red.
Because the eaglet's left leg was perfectly fine. It hadn't been injured at all!
Which meant that when she claimed to have seen it first, she hadn't even understood the little creature's condition. Her claim to ownership was baseless from the start.
With the arbitration reaching this point, the outcome was obvious.
The blonde girl snatched the eaglet with her head held high, tilting her chin proudly. Yet in her emerald eyes lingered a trace of confusion.
Wait, what was I going to say at first?
Right, I remember now… this eaglet wasn't injured to begin with.
Ah, whatever. I have it now—no need to dwell on that.
The blue-haired Nymph, exposed as a liar, burned with shame. She spread her transparent wings, clearly intent on fleeing the scene.
"Wait!"
The man presiding over the arbitration stopped her, his voice gentle, his lips curling in a faint smile.
"By the way, when I touched this eaglet just now, it was very weak. Skin and bones, as if it hasn't eaten in days."
"And its feathers are extremely dry. There hasn't been any rain or wind in the Cilician Marshes lately."
"I'd say the giant eagle that should've been out hunting must have run into trouble. This little one probably couldn't endure the hunger and fled the nest on its own."
The ancient serpent's lips curved further, his smile carrying a strange, irresistible charm.
"So, let's take a look at the eagle's nest. There might be more to discover."
"I'll keep an eye on her. This time, no one will fight you for it."
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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