The difficult delivery of the Blazing Flame Deer doe was a tense situation. For dangerous species, such complications often led to tragedy—the loss of the offspring, or even the mother's life.
The other deer in the herd seemed to sense her distress. They paced anxiously nearby, their hooves scraping the ground, but they were powerless to help. This appeared to be the doe's first birth, and her inexperience, combined with fear, had caused the labor to stall.
"Not that I'm usually the sentimental type," Rebecca whispered, "but shouldn't we do something?"
Leon nodded without hesitation. "If we can help, we will." As a husband and father himself, he felt a deep pull to assist. These creatures were intelligent and gentle—they deserved compassion. Besides, as he often said, lending a hand when you can cost nothing.
"Maite, you're our expert on dangerous species. What's the best way to help her?" Nacho asked, turning to the team's researcher.
Maite adjusted his glasses and stepped forward. "First, we need to communicate our intentions clearly. If they think we're a threat, the bucks will attack." He instructed Leon and Martin to join him while the others stayed back to avoid startling the herd.
The three men approached the laboring doe slowly, their hands raised in a non-threatening gesture, just as they had when first entering the deer's territory. Then, Maite began making a series of deliberate, graceful hand movements.
Leon was surprised. The gestures seemed to mimic the deer's own body language. When dealing with intelligent, non-verbal creatures, such signals were crucial.
Under Maite's guidance, the protective bucks surprisingly stepped aside, clearing a path.
Maite let out a relieved sigh. "Alright, Captain, let's get to work."
They knelt beside the exhausted doe. Her cries were weak, and a small pool of blood had formed beneath her.
"Martin, gently stroke her belly to help her relax," Maite directed.
"On it."
"Captain, I need you to hold her hind legs steady while I assist with the delivery."
"Got it."
As Maite rolled up his sleeves and prepared, Leon noticed his practiced, confident movements.
"I don't recall the Academy teaching midwifery for dangerous species," Leon remarked. The curriculum usually emphasized avoiding physical contact with such creatures.
Maite didn't look up, his focus entirely on the task. "They didn't, Captain."
"Then how are you so skilled at this?"
"A few years back, right after I graduated, jobs were scarce. My knowledge of animals landed me work as a village veterinarian for a while," Maite explained, carefully grasping the fawn's emerging legs. "I started with farm animals—chickens, cows, sheep, horses. You pick up these skills along the way." He wiped sweat from his brow with his arm and grinned. "In this line of work, the more you know, the better."
If Leon hadn't been holding the doe's legs, he would have clapped. "A Magic Academy graduate turned vet—now that's what I call a versatile education!"
After a few minutes of careful, coordinated effort, the Blazing Flame Deer fawn was successfully delivered. The mother was safe, though exhausted. She immediately began licking her newborn clean.
The team wiped their hands on the nearby grass, considering the job done.
Several of the deer then approached Leon, Maite, and Martin. They lowered their heads and gently pawed the ground with their front hooves.
Leon blinked. "Is this...?"
"It's their way of saying thank you," Maite explained.
"Oh! So do we paw the ground back to say 'you're welcome'?" Leon asked, only half-joking.
"Let's not, Captain," Maite replied with a laugh. "Let's just head back before you invent a new international incident."
Chuckling, the three rejoined the rest of the group.
"Wow, Captain, I can't believe you guys just delivered a deer baby!" Rebecca exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Leon flicked her forehead playfully. "Hey, I'm the father of four little dragonlings. Helping with deliveries is second nature to me."
Rebecca tilted her head, her expression turning mischievously curious. "Was your wife in human form or dragon form when she gave birth?"
Leon stared at her, utterly speechless. He had no idea what bizarre thought process led to that question and decided it was best to ignore her entirely.
Nacho stepped in, redirecting the conversation. "While you were playing heroes, we made a discovery."
"Oh? What kind of discovery?" Leon asked.
"Come see for yourself."
Nacho led the group to the edge of the deer's territory, where a stone cave entrance was partially hidden by brush. The grass and bushes around it had been freshly disturbed, likely uncovered by Nacho's team.
They entered the cave and moved deeper until a faint light glowed ahead.
"Simon," Nacho called out.
Simon stood near a heavy iron door, holding a torch. "There's no energy reaction. It's safe to go in."
Leon peered through the doorway into a large room beyond. It was filled with dusty instruments and stacks of tattered notebooks. It was clearly an abandoned laboratory.
Leon stepped inside, wiping a finger across a desk and checking the dust. "Not very thick. This place hasn't been empty for long."
He turned to the others. "Search the area. Look for anything useful."
"Yes, Captain!" the team responded in unison.
Leon began examining the equipment on the tables. Most were damaged beyond use. He picked up a test tube, giving it a cautious sniff—no distinctive odor.
Setting it down, he turned to the notebooks. Opening one, he found pages crammed with dense experimental records. He squinted, painstakingly deciphering the faded handwriting. Most entries were just complaints about failed experiments, offering little value.
But then, he froze.
"This handwriting... I've seen it before." He frowned, searching his memory. After a moment, his eyes widened in recognition. "Queen Elizabeth!"
During the peace negotiations with the dragons, Nacho had given him a letter from the queen to the Shadow, filled with flattery and praise. The handwriting in this notebook was a perfect match.
"While I can't be certain this was one of the Shadow's main labs, it's definitely connected to his operations," Leon muttered to himself.
He continued flipping through the pages until he found a critical entry near the end:
'Seventy-third failure. The embryo could not survive longer than ten minutes after birth. The power of flame remains uncontrollable. Perhaps tomorrow I'll ask the master about initiating the 'Cold Flame' project.'
A few pages later, another entry:
'The master rejected my proposal, instructing me not to ignite the 'Cold Flame.' I must continue my current experiments. Eighty-fifth experiment: near success. We felt waves of heat reminiscent of ancient flames.'
The remaining pages had been torn out.
"Cold Flame project..." Leon murmured, the words leaving a chill in the warm air.
Before he could ponder further, Rebecca's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Captain! Come quick!"
Leon closed the notebook and hurried over to where Rebecca and several others stood before a large, shattered glass window.
He approached and looked inside the dark room beyond. A network of tubes ran along the floor and walls, all converging at the center where a single, eerie object was suspended—
An embryo.