Ep 181. Some Things Don’t o Be Taught. (3)

  Beh the m sun, Serenis stepped bato the familiar pin.

  U night, no oood at her side; and u night, the pin was full of other dragons.

  ‘…Quite the gathering it’s bee.’

  It was almost as if the entire dragonkin had e to put their lord to the test.

  Of course, the agreemeween her and Xerun was never inte about such a rge crowd. sidering how the meeting was only yesterday, it wasn’t likely that simple word of mouth would have spread so fast, either.

  In other words, it only meant that someone had iionally publicized the details of yesterday’s meeting.

  “…”

  As Serenis g the gathered dragons, she could see a myriad of expressions.

  Some were hopeful and trusting; after having their lost families returned home, many had already e to trust their lord. Even Xerun himself held nothing but appreciation for Serenis’ deeds in Astellion.

  But even among those that had e to accept Serenis, a shadow of doubt had remaiheir first meeting had not been with the dragon before them, but with a human child instead.

  How many would truly believe that someone had returo life, a thousand years after their death? That alone was a dubious tale. It didn’t help that many of the elders from yesterday’s meeting were leering at the dragonlord with their distrusting eyes.

  But once Serenis took notice of Ardion’s warm smile, her own expression immediately loosened.

  It wasn’t because she was a brilliant ruler that she could staoday.

  In all her vehus far, numerous bonds had led and protected her. She’d met those that trusted and remembered her.

  It her own kin would look at her in doubt, then she needed but prove it to them – that her son wasn’t cursed, and that she wasn’t a human child.

  With a f sigh, the dragonlord stepped forth with a faint smile to meet Xerun’s gaze.

  When words couldn’t vince her kin, she’d sought to vihem through her deeds.

  But since her deeds couldn’t vince all of them, all that remained was for her to…

  “…”

  …vihem through a gentle, loving dispy of affe.

  After all, she’d promised Ardion to be le on his son.

  ? ? ?

  As Serenis stepped forth, Xerun likewise stepped forth from the crowd to meet her.

  As the twons stood against each other within a ring of their own kin, Xerun once again scowled at the dragonlord.

  “I see you haven’t fled. I appud the ce, pretender.”

  “Have you fotten my name already? It’s Serenis.”

  “…”

  Xerun bit his lips in distaste.

  After scowling some more, he dismissively wove his hand in the air.

  “Let us begin. As per reement, nothing but pure strength will be used in this bout – no magic or sorcery or anything of the like.”

  “I do remember. It was only yesterday.”

  “…You sound quite fident sidering your visage itself is a fake. Should you not be dispelling the spell that’s keeping up your ruse?...Human?”

  Serenis almost let out a ughter at the question.

  She then spared a moment to g Bruton, who was amidst the crowd ons – indubitably the source of Xerun’s mistaken knowledge.

  Though, for obvious reasons, the elder red dragon was refusing to meet his lord’s gaze.

  “…If you wish to see me proper, then…very well.”

  Shrugging, Serenis took several steps back – which fused her kin all the more.

  But just before Xerun could throw another snarky remark, a yer of light ehe dragonlord’s figure.

  Quite a number of eyes wide the sight.

  And almost all of them did when the mass of light grew at an explosive rate.

  The mass was far rger than what anyone had expected: dragons didn’t ge mu size after reag adulthood, and all of them were about equal in size ohey were fully grown. Some even began to think it was arickery of sorts.

  But when the light melted away to reveal the t dragon within, no one dared to speak of trickery.

  …In fact, Xerun’s jaw dropped open without him even notig it.

  “Well, have at it then.”

  “…”

  sidering how big Serenis was now, ‘have at it’ was a tall order.

  Though, the dragonlord’s rumbling voice did shake Xerun back to his senses – but instead of the given order, the first thing he did was giving a furious gre towards Bruton.

  ‘Bruton, you’d dare trick me-!’

  Unfortunately, Bruton had dohing of the sort.

  It was quite pin: Bruton’s jaen wider than Xerun’s was, with Aether looking just as surprised as her husband. The only dragon that didn’t seem eveely surprised was their daughter, who was currently c using one hand to cover her overjoyed smile, the other to teasingly pointing at Xerun.

  And, although Ilias hadn’t said her thoughts out loud, Xerun almost felt as if he could hear what she was thinking. Which was something along the lines of…

  ‘Oh, you are soooooo screwed.’

  But before he could do anything more, a giant ced the back of his turned head. Extremely gently at that.

  “Are you alright, child?”

  “…”

  Clig his tongue, Xerun pushed himself away from the dragonlord’s cw.

  “…Don’t ftter yourself. Whatever you did to imitate our form, the kin’s strengths ot be gotten from mimig our appearance alone!”

  Following suit, Xerun’s form likewise covered itself in crag lights. The golden mass soon exploded to reveal a yellow-scaled dragon lunging forth towards the dragonlord.

  And this time, Serenis really did ugh.

  “…I know.”

  Dragons were rge: fully grown kin rivalled the size of a small mansion, and Xerun was no different. There were small variances among the kin, but it’d never been to a jarrient.

  …Until today.

  Thud!

  “…Brgh!”

  In one swift motion, Serenis effortlessly knocked down Xerun mid-leap, pressing him into the ground before he could reach her.

  And with him pio the ground, the gathered dragons could properly reize just how big the difference was. It was like an elder pressing down a half-grown youngling.

  Although, that wasn’t the only reason Serenis could overpower Xerun so easily.

  “Hm. Perhaps you should engage in something physical more often, child. You seem rather slow.”

  Xerun didn’t eveer the ent as he rolled his eyes to look up at the speaking dragonlord.

  And, once again, he would ask a pointless question to his oppo.

  “…You’re…a dragonkin?”

  “I don’t recall ever g that I am not.”

  Xerun grit his teeth in frustration. He cwed at the ground to lift himself upright from the dragonlord’s talons pressing him.

  “No…you were but a human child, we all saw you that day…this has to be that cursed treasure’s influence!”

  “…Well, I do suppose that’s true to aent, but…”

  Sn, Serenis simply lifted her cws off of Xerun’s back.

  But before he could indulge in his regained freedom, her tail flung forth from the side to around Xerun, lifting him into the air against his will.

  “A human would not know how to use a tail, child.”

  “…! Release me-“

  “And…”

  A pair of giant white wings spread open from Serenis’ back.

  And, after a powerful wi, the dragonlord took into the air – with her pining oppo still securely ed iail.

  “A human would not know how to use our wings.”

  “Khh…! Release me at once!”

  “Perhaps you should try asking rather than anding.”

  “Nonsense, I am an elder of the kin! I will not ask anything from you, pretender!”

  “Very well. Stay, then.”

  Even as Xerun squirmed to free himself, Serenis only tightened her tail around him.

  As sorry as she was to Ardion, it was quite the amusing sight – what with all choking and struggling.

  “R…release me…!”

  “Add ‘please’ to that. Then I’ll release you immediately.”

  “…”

  “…Stubborn, aren’t you?”

  Serenis let out an amused snort as Xerun shut his mouth thereafter. It really was like watg a rebellious child.

  Although, their tantrum wasn’t aplishing much.

  And, from far below, the crowd ons were watg the se with nothing short of amazement. Even Bruton aher, who’d initially thought they khe dragonlord quite well, were surprised at the event’s turnout.

  “This is…hardly a test. I knew her skills in magic were far beyond us, but…”

  “…Looks like we were worried about nothing.”

  And Ilias soon chimed in, poking her head between her parents.

  “See? I told you there’s nothing to worry about!”

  Aether broke into ughter at their daughter’s fident voice. It hadn’t made seo her before, but now, it was making too much sense.

  Meanwhile, Bruton was frowning at the youngling’s triumphant tone.

  “…Ilias, did you already know Lord Serenis could transform?”

  “Well…yeah. And I mean, you should’ve known too, father.”

  “Hm? What do you mean?”

  “Think about it. Remember how I carried Raizel bae?”

  “Yes?”

  “And remember how Lord Serenis arrived ter with everyone else?”

  “…Yes?”

  “How do you think they got here in the first pce? You’re not seriously thinking Lord Serenis carried them all in her small form, did you?”

  “…”

  He had not thought of that.

  …Nobody had thought of that.