A small mountain of boxes towered before me... If this thing collapsed, it looked like it would cause an avalanche. I wondered if it was actually safe? Well, this was the Six Kings Festival; it was probably protected by some magical safeguards or another.
Now, I’ve always had a bit of a cynical view when it came to these kinds of lotteries. I couldn't help but suspect that the winning box would be buried at the very heart of the mountain or tucked away in some impossible-to-reach spot.
However, apparently Magnawell-san had personally supervised this Monster Lottery, and the arrangement was supposedly completely random.
If that was the case, then anyone truly did have a chance to snag the grand prize... but with tens—or perhaps hundreds—of thousands of boxes, and only a single grand prize available, the odds of hitting it were practically nonexistent.
What I was actually aiming for was the ten percent of the mountain containing regular monster eggs. Ideally, I wanted to pull something that would make Sieg-san happy.
With the weight of Lilia-san and the others' gazes on my back, I approached the pile. Everything was completely random, and since these were "Random Boxes," the weights didn't vary. That meant choosing one based on feel was a waste of time.
In moments like this, it was best not to overthink things. Just pick one and go... Alright, this one!
I grabbed a single box and showed it to the staff member stationed nearby to maintain the perimeter. When the attendant pointed a magic tool toward me, the number "1" flickered on its surface.
It was likely an anti-cheating device—it probably sensed the reaction of the boxes to verify the count. Regardless, I handed over a single Gold Coin and walked back to where Lilia-san and the others were waiting.
Sieg-san’s total budget was three Gold Coins, meaning she could draw three times. However, since it would be a bit of a mess if we suddenly ended up with three eggs, I planned to take them one by one and check the contents as we went.
Ideally, if I could hit an egg with this first one, she’d have two Gold Coins left over. Considering the future costs of raising a monster, that would be for the best.
"...Sorry to keep you waiting. Here you go, Sieg-san."
"Y-Yes..."
Sieg-san accepted the Random Box with visible trepidation, closing her eyes to take a deep breath.
My own sense of value had been warped lately, but for Sieg-san, a single Gold Coin was a massive sum. She had been diligently saving up for years with the dream of one day owning a monster, so her nerves were entirely understandable.
"H-Here I go. I'm opening it."
After deep-breathing for about ten seconds, she looked around, confirming that Lilia-san and the rest were nodding in encouragement. She placed the box on the ground and lightly touched the lid.
A dazzling light erupted from the Random Box. As it faded, a massive egg—about a meter in height—stood in its place.
"Milady! This is..."
"Yes, there's no mistaking that size! It’s a Large Species!"
Hearing Luna-san and Lilia-san’s excited voices, I realized the egg belonged to one of the bigger types of monsters. Generally speaking, Large Species were far more valuable than small ones.
Moreover, since almost all Dragon Species fell into the Large Species category, there was a high probability this was a dragon. It was no wonder Lilia-san was so thrilled.
"Kaito-san, thank you! Thank you so much! I will definitely find a way to repay you for this!"
"N-No, please, don't worry about it."
If anything, I was just relieved I’d actually managed to pull an egg. Now all that mattered was whether the creature that hatched was something Sieg-san would like.
"T-Then, I'll... go ahead and hatch it now."
"Eh? Right now? They hatch that quickly?"
"Ah, that’s right, Miyama-kun wouldn't know. Monster eggs are a bit special; they hatch when you infuse them with magic power. The hatchling then recognizes the one who provided the magic as its parent. By the way, for people who can't use magic, there are specific hatching magic tools for that."
"...I see."
"Of course, there are some types that aren't oviparous, like Bell-chan the Behemoth," Fia-sensei added, providing an easy-to-understand explanation as I tilted my head.
Recognizing the person who provided the magic as its parent... Right, that explained why eggs were so popular and easy to train.
Once I nodded in understanding, Sieg-san reached out and touched the egg. With not just Lilia-san’s group but the surrounding crowd watching intently, she poured her magic power into the shell. It flashed several times, and then fine cracks began to spiderweb across the surface.
A moment later, a dragon roughly seventy centimeters long poked its head out and slowly unfurled its wings.
It had a black body like the midnight sky and a mane that shimmered like emeralds. Its wings were a deep, vivid rainbow, and against its dark scales, they looked as breathtaking as an aurora.
...Wait, could this be...?
"O-Oh, Milady?! T-T-This... could it be?!"
"Y-Yes... Well, it’s so rare I’ve never seen a real one before, but... the literature describes the Rainbow Dragon as having rainbow-colored wings..."
So it really was the grand prize? Seriously?
"...No, it’s not."
"What?" everyone chimed in at once.
I had assumed we’d hit the jackpot based on Luna-san and Lilia-san’s reactions, but Fia-sensei had a grim, serious expression as she whispered her denial.
"...Um, Fia-sensei? I don't know much about this, but isn't that a Rainbow Dragon?"
"...N-No, it’s definitely a Rainbow Dragon. But... well, usually Rainbow Dragons have white bodies. And the colors on their wing membranes are never this vivid or well-defined."
"...Which means?"
"I think... this is a Special Individual Rainbow Dragon that has never been recorded in history..."
"WHAAAAT?!"
Dear Mother, Father—
Naturally, I had hoped to pull something good. Snagging an egg on the very first try was a stroke of incredible luck... but yeah. For a first-of-its-kind special individual to pop out—even for me, that was unexpected.
Guaranteed Victory Lottery (God Hand)
Serious-senpai zero: "I knew it!"