A Former Police Officer Who Died And Get A Second Life!

Chapter 328: Naming the Child

"What!? Why not?"

"I only remember this vaguely myself, but it’s supposed to be a kind of trial they’ll face before living in the world. The idea is that if they’re too weak to break out of the shell by themselves, they won’t be able to survive afterward either."

The story Qiong Xing had heard had originally been about birds.

Still, he doubted the principle was all that different for dragons.

Of course, even if the hatchling failed to break out on its own, Qiong Xing fully intended to raise and care for it.

Still, he wanted the child to do its best by its own strength if possible, which was why he had warned Iseul beforehand.

He could not allow Iseul to panic and interfere when the time came.

"You’re his father, so trust him and cheer him on."

"Ugh... okay."

Iseul nodded reluctantly.

Qiong Xing thanked him and gave him a tight hug.

...

As soon as they returned home, they explained the situation to Joa and the others and began preparing everything they could think of.

"We’ll take care of gathering what you need. You and Iseul stay with the egg."

Accepting Joa’s offer, Qiong Xing entered the room and gently placed the egg on a bed that had been covered with layers of towels.

When he glanced to the side, Iseul looked just as nervous as expected.

He was pacing restlessly all over the room.

"Iseul, come here."

Qiong Xing had seen the same thing happen when he giving birth to Elias and Joa child, and it was rather endearing.

Still, watching Iseul wander around endlessly was making it difficult for him to relax.

So he called him over and turned him into a chair while he watched the egg.

"I don’t know whether he’ll remember anything from the dream. Maybe he’ll remember all of it, maybe none of it. But he’ll still be the same child. We’ll do our best together."

"Yeah."

There was no way of knowing how much of the dream remained in the child’s memories.

Perhaps everything was gone.

Perhaps some of it remained.

They would only know after asking.

Either way, nothing truly changed.

He still wanted to treasure and lovingly raise their precious child.

"I wonder what form he’ll have when he’s born. Will he be a dragon? Or maybe he’ll look like he did in the dream?"

"Probably a dragon. If he was going to be born in a human form, there wouldn’t have been any need for an egg."

That was true.

If Qiong Xing had thought about it for a moment, he would have reached the same conclusion himself.

Apparently, he was more nervous than he had realized.

While leaning against Iseul, he continued staring at the egg.

"Come to think of it, we played together several times, but I never asked about his gender. Do you know, Iseul?"

"A boy."

The answer was remarkably brief.

When Qiong Xing asked how he knew, Iseul replied that although the child had been cute, he had become jealous whenever Qiong Xing held him.

That answer made Qiong Xing laugh.

"For something like that? Really?"

Qiong Xing looked at Iseul, wondering if someone could actually tell a child’s gender from such a thing.

But Iseul nodded with a completely serious expression, making it impossible for Qiong Xing to stop laughing.

Qiong Xing did not mind either way, but because the child’s appearance had apparently taken after him, Iseul had been lamenting that he had at least hoped for a daughter.

"Then maybe the next child can be a girl."

"The next child?"

Iseul blinked his eyes in confusion.

Qiong Xing leaned back against his chest, looked up at him, and smiled.

"We still have a long future ahead of us. I’d like a daughter too, so let’s do our best, alright?"

"...Huh? Ah... um... does that mean... Yeah! Yeah, I’ll do my best!"

There was no rule saying they could only have one child.

Qiong Xing’s lifespan as a human would be short compared to theirs, but even within that limited time, there were many things he could leave behind.

One of those things was children.

Qiong Xing would give birth to them, and together they would raise them, passing their feelings and hopes on to the next generation.

"I’m sure a girl would be even more difficult to raise than a boy. Do your best, Papa."

"Yeah! I’ll do my best!"

Iseul became restless again, though for a completely different reason this time.

Still, that was much better than having him sit around worrying.

Several hours passed.

Joa and the others had gathered as well, and everyone sat watching over the egg together.

Yet for some reason, nothing happened.

Not a sound came from it.

"Maybe it was still too early after all."

Raon voiced the possibility, but Qiong Xing simply shook his head and continued staring at the egg.

"We’re all waiting for you here, okay? It’s alright. Take your time. Slowly... slowly... you can take all the time you need. Just do your best."

Qiong Xing knew.

He could feel his child struggling with all his strength inside the egg.

That was exactly why he encouraged him not to rush.

Slowly was fine.

He only wanted him to keep trying.

He could hear the voice calling out, "Mama, Mama."

But he did not interfere.

Instead, he gently responded.

He told him to keep going.

He answered every call with quiet encouragement.

"...Hey, Nura."

"What is it?"

"This child’s name. If he’s really a boy like you say, then what do you think about Qiong Lingxiao? It means to soar through the sky. I want him to grow into someone who flies higher than anyone, who shines brighter than anyone, and who brings light to everyone around him."

When Qiong Xing looked up, wondering what Iseul thought, he was met with the gentlest smile he had ever seen.

"I like it. It’s a really cool name."

"As a dragon’s name, it couldn’t be more fitting."