Book 4: Chapter 48 |
In the blink of an eye, the day arrived for the three little ones to return to school.
Because this was Noa’s final—and most crucial—semester in the young dragon division, Leon and Rosvitha personally escorted their daughters to school.
When they arrived at Saint Hiss Academy, they discovered that many other parents shared the same idea.
The scene carried a strong sense of déjà vu, much like the enrollment ceremony years ago.
But this time, there was no Vice Principal Wilson lurking nearby, enthusiastically shipping couples like an old gossip dragon. As a result, the couple was noticeably more relaxed.
Leon carried Mu’en in his arms.
Rosvitha held Little Light’s hand.
Noa walked slightly ahead on her own.
A family of five advancing together—it was enough to make others envious.
“Having children is fast, isn’t it? When a couple is close enough, they can have as many as they want.”
“Hey now, those two aren’t just any couple. The Silver Dragon Queen is famous among our kind for being young and accomplished. Her husband even represented the Dragon race at the recent human–dragon peace negotiations.”
“Wow, I only heard that the Silver Dragon Prince made huge contributions to ending the war. I had no idea he also served as a negotiator.”
“Exactly. He even helped reclaim some territory. Rumor has it he uncovered several Dragon Kings who secretly collaborated with humans and helped bring them to justice.”
“Incredible. Having a talent like the Silver Dragon Prince truly is a blessing for our Dragon race!”
“……”
Just like when Leon and Rosvitha brought their children to the enrollment ceremony years ago, many Dragons around them marveled at the size of their family.
This time, however, Leon’s reputation had grown even louder.
The title “model husband of the Dragon race” was no longer enough. It had evolved into something closer to “having you is our race’s greatest fortune.”
Ha.
If these big-tailed lizards knew exactly who Brother Leon really was, that line would instantly turn into “having you, our race is cursed for eight lifetimes.”
The surrounding chatter had little effect on the family.
Waking up too early, Mu’en had already dozed off again in her father’s arms.
Little Light obediently held her mother’s hand, pressed close to Rosvitha’s side, her pink eyes shining with anticipation for the new semester and new fun.
As for Noa, she kept looking left and right, scanning the surroundings as if searching for someone.
Rosvitha lowered her gaze and quickly realized who her daughter was looking for.
“The Sea Dragon clan lives quite far from the academy. Your friend might arrive a bit later.”
Noa turned back and nodded.
“I know, Mom.”
As her words faded, a soft sound like a droplet of water echoed deep within Noa’s consciousness.
“Little one, you seem to care a lot about your friend.”
The ancestor maintained a human form—white hair cascading down, one hand resting on her hip, standing tall and elegant.
“What kind of question is that? She’s my friend. Of course I care about her.”
Noa replied naturally. After a brief pause, she asked,
“But we’ve known each other for so long. I’ve never heard you talk about any friends from your era.”
“I do not have friends. Nor do I need them.”
The ancestor’s pale eyes lowered slightly. Her voice was cold and calm.
“The strongest king standing at the peak is destined to be lonely. Any emotion or bond becomes a weakness of ‘the strongest.’”
Noa blinked.
After thinking for a moment, she understood.
Oh. The old aunt has reached her edgy phase.
Yet in response to such an over-the-top declaration, Noa remained completely calm.
“Oh. I see. That’s nice.”
She turned and walked toward the exit of the consciousness space.
The ancestor stared at her small retreating figure, her carefully maintained cold expression cracking instantly.
“Hey—”
“What?”
“Don’t you think what I said makes perfect sense?”
Noa, expression flat, nodded.
“Yes. Makes sense.”
“Then why are you so calm? Shouldn’t you feel something like ‘one sentence enlightens me for ten years’?”
Back in her time, countless Dragons would beg just to hear her teach a single lesson.
That wasn’t even called attending a lecture—it was closer to pilgrimage.
And now, a six-year-old child treated ten thousand years of accumulated wisdom like background noise.
Unacceptable.
Absolutely unacceptable.
Noa turned back, thought carefully, then replied,
“I don’t feel anything like that at all.”
The ancestor: …
“Your edgy phase isn’t nearly as bad as my dad’s. That’s probably why.”
“What does ‘edgy phase’ mean?” the ancestor tilted her head, asking sincerely.
“It’s hard to explain. I’ll tell you when my dad starts acting that way.”
After a pause, the little overachiever added seriously,
“He does it a lot. You won’t have to wait long.”
Noah waved her hand dismissively.
“Anyway… if you want to go further on the path of strength, aside from family, it’s best not to have too many bonds.”
This time, Noa felt a slight stir in her heart.
Not because she agreed—quite the opposite.
She couldn’t understand that way of thinking at all.
But perhaps it was simply the gap between age and identity. With that thought, she chose not to argue.
“I understand.”
She exited the consciousness space.
Without realizing it, the family had already reached the academy plaza.
There were even more students and parents here.
Many teachers and staff members were also present to receive them.
Rosvitha found an empty bench and sat down, holding Little Light in her arms.
The family chatted quietly.
Before long, Noa caught sight of a familiar blue figure in the crowd.
“Helenna!”
The little Sea Dragon girl immediately turned toward the voice.
She had been searching for Noa as well.
“Noa-chan~”
“Mom, Dad, I’m going to find Helenna. We’ll meet in the classroom later.”
“Alright. Go on. Be careful and don’t be late.”
“Mm!”
Noa waved and ran toward her friend.
Helenna happily ran toward her too.
That shout of “Helenna” also reached Mu’en, who had been sleeping against Leon’s chest.
The little moon instantly detected the keyword.
Her cowlick shot straight up.
The previously drowsy little head snapped awake.
“Where’s Helenna? Where?!”
“Wow, that was fast,” Leon said in surprise.
Little Light pointed.
“Over there.”
“Alright, let’s go, Little Light.”
Rosvitha froze.
“Go… go where?”
Before Leon could react, their daughters broke free from him and ran off together toward Noa.
The couple stood there in the crowd, stunned.
“So Mu’en and Little Light are that close with Helenna now…?”
“And you still insist you’re not dense.”
“What do you mean?”
“You can’t see it?”
“See what? Explain it to me. Why did Mu’en and Little Light run off to find Helenna?”
The queen snorted softly and said with absolute confidence,
“Helenna is their senior. They must want to discuss the new semester’s study plans with her.”
Leon’s eyes lit up.
“Oh~ So that’s how it is.”
One dares to speak.
One dares to believe.
No wonder they say two people sleeping under the same blanket won’t produce two kinds of minds.
With the kids off playing, Leon and Rosvitha sat quietly on the bench, waiting for staff instructions.
After a short while, Leon’s sharp eyes spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.
He pointed.
“Doesn’t that guy look familiar to you?”
Rosvitha followed his gaze.
It was a red-haired young man, accompanied by a boy who looked like a cocoon-born dragon.
The red-haired man was loudly arguing with a staff member.
Rosvitha frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then said,
“Oh. That’s the Crimson Flame Duke whose kneecap you shattered back then. His son is named Lar. He tried to bully Noa once, but Noa broke his arm.”
Leon nodded as memory returned.
“But after Constantine’s incident, didn’t all Crimson Flame clan children withdraw from school? Why are they back now?”
By “incident,” Leon meant when Constantine, acting under imperial orders, attacked the Silver Dragon clan—
And Leon chopped his head off and hung it from a tree.
Constantine’s fall left the Crimson Flame clan leaderless, internal strife erupting and disrupting their younger generation’s education, forcing a mass withdrawal.
“Maybe Constantine returned, resolved the clan’s internal issues, and then allowed the new generation to reenroll,” Rosvitha said.
Leon nodded thoughtfully.
“That must be it. And a few days ago, Arlais withdrew his monitoring forces from around Constantine’s territory. Other Dragon Kings followed suit afterward.”
“Arlais probably decided there was no point targeting Constantine anymore. He was never going to hand over primordial power.”
Rosvitha exhaled softly.
“I just hope the Crimson Flame clan won’t stir up trouble again.”
“I doubt they will.”
“Oh? Why?”
Leon pointed in another direction, his expression serious.
“Because no matter how hot-tempered Constantine is, he wouldn’t come to Saint Hiss Academy to cause trouble… right?”
Rosvitha looked.
Not far away, the crowd instinctively parted, avoiding someone as if repelled by heat itself.
And the figure they avoided was none other than the embodiment of burning fury—
The Crimson Flame Dragon King.
Constantine.
…
Footnotes:
- Sleeping under the same blanketA saying meaning that people who live closely together tend to think alike.
- Edgy phaseA period where someone expresses exaggerated, dramatic, or overly serious ideas about strength, loneliness, or destiny.
- DenseInformal slang describing someone who is oblivious to obvious emotional or social cues.