Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Blood Wheel Eye [5K]

Since it was morning, Naya didn’t need to use an umbrella while taking Illya out.

Together, with Iris on one side and Naya on the other, they held Illya’s hands and walked toward the palace in the city center.

The closer they got to the palace, the more luxurious the surrounding buildings became.

The noble estates were splendidly adorned, bearing a royal grandeur in their opulence. Fewer and fewer people walked the streets, and those present were either servants heading to the market or idle nobles strolling leisurely down the main avenue.

The shops lining the road were mostly storefronts, with no street vendors in sight.

Looking at the central district alone, the beautiful environment was indeed pleasing, reflecting the steady advancement of urbanization in Boros City.

Naya’s family of three, dressed in fine attire, blended seamlessly into the area, drawing no suspicion from passersby.

They arrived at a particular crossroad, and upon looking up, they could see the palace perched above.

The tall walls enclosed the complex inside, and the triangular golden roofs looked like vigilant guardians standing within the palace.

“So short,” Illya said.

From afar, she thought the capital’s palace looked like a small toy made of colorful building blocks.

The walls seemed barely thirty meters high, a dragon could easily leap over it in dragon form.

Even a trained human could probably jump over it.

Like Semira, for instance.

Illya remembered that time Semira almost grabbed the holy relic of the earth vein in her battle with Mother. Semira had leaped over ten meters high and nearly seized the golden sacred sword, but luckily, Mother slapped her back down.

“From a human’s perspective, it’s already tall enough. With this height, it’s nearly impossible for a princess to escape.”

“Mama, let’s get a closer look.”

Naya turned to Iris and asked quietly, “Our disguises won’t be seen through by the guards on the palace walls, right?”

“They won’t.”

“Then let’s keep going.”

After giving Illya’s little hand a gentle squeeze, Naya told Iris, “Hold onto Illya. In case of any emergency, we can get away quickly.”

“Alright, alright.”

Iris sighed, bending down to pick up Illya with a resigned expression.

Seeing Iris’s dismissive attitude made Naya slightly irritated, she frowned.

“What’s with the attitude? It’s just carrying a child. Give her to me.”

“No, no, I’ll carry her. I’ll do it.”

Iris turned away, dodging Naya’s attempt to take Illya. She knew that if she really let Naya hold Ilya, Naya might genuinely get upset.

“If you really think holding Illya is so tiring, just let me do it. Wouldn’t want to trouble the Dragon King’s noble body.”

To keep their conversation from sounding suspicious to passersby, Naya used a phrase from an anime in her past life, a term that meant “dragon.”

Whether Iris understood or not, she should at least grasp the “king” part—and what “Dragon” implied.

Iris shook her head repeatedly.

“No, no, it’s no trouble at all. Alright, alright, let’s keep going. Illya, quickly, tells Mama I’ll hold on tight to her.”

With a sweet smile, Illya nodded.

“Mama, don’t worry, I’ll hold on to her tightly.”

“Hmph, let’s go then.”

Naya trusted Illya more than Iris. As long as Illya held onto Iris, nothing unexpected would happen.

Iris rubbed Illya’s pink hair, thinking to herself how Naya was starting to act more and more like a wife.

Especially on trips—she always worried about this or that.

As they approached the palace step by step, Illya looked up at the towering walls, unable to hold back her admiration.

“Wow, it’s so high!”

From afar, it looked short.

Up close, without transforming, this wall was indeed intimidating.

Illya raised her hand, gauging the height of the wall, and thought that even ten little dragon lolis stacked together couldn’t scale it.

“We’d better not go too close to the gate,” Naya warned.

There were many soldiers guarding the palace gate, along with watchtowers. If the three of them sneaked up to admire the gate, the soldiers would likely view them as suspicious.

So, Iris held Illya and moved away from the gate, wandering toward a less guarded part of the palace grounds.

After a long walk, Illya looked at the towering wall and murmured her thoughts aloud.

“Hmm… From where could I sneak in and snatch the princess? If I were to fly in dragon form, I’d be spotted instantly. Maybe there’s a small hole I could crawl through?”

“Illya, I didn’t bring you here to actually plan on snatching the princess. It’s to show you how hard it is for her to escape from the palace. Drop that idea.”

With her hands crossed in front of her, Naya looked stern, warning Illya against such behavior.

“I get it.”

Illya nodded.

When they reached the gate, they deliberately moved away and circled to the other side of the palace wall, practically completing a full lap.

“Still want to look, Illya?”

“No, it’s not as pretty as our palace.”

“Of course not.”

Recalling the majesty of the dragon palace, Naya couldn’t help but puff her chest out with pride.

After all, it was her spouse’s palace.

So, by extension, hers too.

“Hey!”

Suddenly, two figures—one golden-haired, the other silver-haired—appeared, dropping down from the wall ahead.

The silver-haired girl, held in the arms of the golden-haired one, slipped out to stand as soon as they landed.

Naya took a closer look.

“Semira!”

Illya called out excitedly.

Upon hearing the tender voice, the golden-haired girl froze and turned, inwardly lamenting, Why them? Why is it always them?

Immediately, Semira shielded Hipper behind her, eyeing the trio of dragon kin—a mother and her two daughters—ten meters ahead. 

“Your Highness, be cautious. They’re dragons,” she warned, attempting to carry Hipper back into the palace. But Hipper, with a pout, pushed her away.

“Your Highness?” Semira asked in shock.

“I don’t want to go back,” Hipper said firmly.

“But they’re dragons, Your Highness!” Semira insisted.

“So what if they’re dragons? I’d rather fall at their hands than be my father’s caged bird! Semira, you promised to take me on an adventure. Are you going back on your word?”

“But…”

“Lovely human princess, allow me to greet you. Good day, Your Highness.”

They turned to see the pink-haired dragon loli had leapt from her mother’s arms and was bowing with a polite smile.

Naya was taken aback. Her daughter’s sudden transformation into this well-mannered figure left her utterly bewildered.

“Your Highness, be careful. They might be scheming something,” Semira warned.

“Your Highness, you long to see the world outside the palace, don’t you? I can transform into a dragon and carry you away from this place. You’ll no longer be confined within these walls. Would you take my hand and fly away with me?” 

Illya said, extending her right hand to the silver-haired princess.

She had rehearsed this line countless times, dreaming of meeting the human princess and finally seizing this opportunity to fulfill her wish. 

From what she had observed, the princess indeed yearned to escape, much like the tale book heroines who sought the world beyond their gilded cage.

“Sure!” Hipper eagerly pushed Semira aside, rushing toward Illya.

“Your Highness!” 

Alarmed, Semira grasped Hipper’s hand and leapt back toward the wall, but Hipper acted quickly, tugging off her eyepatch and tossing it to the ground, revealing her hidden left eye—a blood-red orb.

In that moment, the eye turned crimson and swirled with strange, shifting images: starlit skies crumbling into ruins, radiant cities decaying into dust, and, finally, a crimson lotus flower quietly blooming from Hipper’s eye. 

Before Illya could finish admiring her, Semira quickly taken the silver-haired human princess back to the palace.

Illya, somewhat belatedly, picked up the black eyepatch from the ground.

“What are you doing, Illya?” 

Naya asked as she ran over, scooping up Illya.

“Let’s hurry and get out of here before the guards come after us,” she said, swiftly escaping with Illya and Iris in tow.

Two kilometers away from the palace, Naya finally stopped. It wasn’t that she feared capture, but rather to avoid unnecessary trouble. For the time being, she just wanted to pass the days peacefully in this city.

“Iris, why’d you let Illya down?” Naya glanced at her partner.

Iris, with an innocent look, explained, “Illya broke free herself.”

“Yes, Mama. Don’t blame Mother, I wanted to get down myself,” Illya chimed in.

“It’s good that you held back and didn’t try to take the princess from Semira. That would have caused a mountain of trouble.” 

Naya sighed in relief, surprised to have encountered Semira and her charge here.

She looked down at the eyepatch in Illya’s hand. 

“What are you doing with that?”

Holding up the black eyepatch, Illya looked into Naya’s violet eyes. 

“Mama, did you see it?”

“See what?”

“The human princess’s left eye is so beautiful.”

“No, I didn’t see it clearly.”

From Naya’s perspective, Hipper’s left eye looked no different from her right. 

Naya hadn’t taken a closer look.

Illya turned to ask Iris. 

“Mother, did you see it? The human princess’s left eye was red and so beautiful.”

“No,” Iris said, shaking her head.

“…Alright.” Illya looked at the eyepatch in her hand. Was it my imagination?

Naya thought for a moment, sensing something unusual. 

“Iris, check Illya for any signs of an enchantment. How could she see it while we didn’t?”

Iris placed a hand on Illya’s forehead and, after a quick examination, looked at Naya with confidence. 

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Good.” 

Naya breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t one to dismiss her child’s words as foolishness. If Illya said she saw something, then she believed it.

She guessed that Semira had escaped so swiftly with the princess that Hipper’s magic hadn’t fully taken hold.

“For now, let’s continue wandering around. If the palace sends troops after us, we’ll leave immediately. We don’t want a repeat of that time in Gerris City, where we woke up to guards at the door.”

“Agreed.”

This time, Naya didn’t fault Iris for allowing Illya to slip away. She knew Iris’s method of teaching—letting Illya explore what she wanted without interference, even if it brought potential risks.

But Naya wasn’t the same. She preferred to avoid trouble and shield Illya from all harm, however slight. 

So, this time, she wouldn’t let Iris carry Illya, she held her tightly herself. Even if the king of heaven himself appeared, she wouldn’t let Illya set foot on the ground.

Feet barely touching the ground, Semira hurriedly steadied Hipper. Having pulled her back single-handedly, she feared she might’ve injured her arm.

“Your eye…” 

Semira said with alarm, watching blood seep from Hipper’s tightly shut left eye.

Flustered, Hipper covered her left eye with her hand, holding back the blood with her palm. 

“Don’t you dare mention my eye to anyone!”

“What happened? Your Highness, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

“It’s not that. This is just… the nature of my eye. When the eyepatch is removed and exposed to sunlight, it starts bleeding. There’s no need for such concern. But you, Semira—you promised to take me on an adventure. Why did you stop halfway?”

“That was a dragon. I promised to take you on an adventure, but not to put your life in danger.”

“What about dragons? Didn’t you see they meant me no harm? The pink-haired one even bowed to me!”

“I apologize, Your Highness. You may blame me, call me unfaithful, but I simply cannot let you fall into the hands of dragons.”

Semira didn’t know what to make of Illya’s intentions. When they had first met, Illya had been cold and distant. Yet, in front of the princess, she was eager and welcoming. 

Semira couldn’t shake the suspicion that Illya and her family had sinister intentions toward the princess of the Kingdom of Dia.

“Hmph. Semira, I know you mean well, and I understand. But if you’ve decided to treat me like a fragile flower that would wither at the slightest breeze, then we’re no longer on the same path. If fate brings us together again, then so be it. Thank you for sharing so many wonderful tales of adventure.” 

Hipper said, covering her left eye as she turned to leave.

“Your Highness!”

Semira’s hands clenched tightly, tears streaming down her face as she watched Hipper walk away, her plea unanswered.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I’ve seen the cunning of dragons firsthand, and I can’t grant your wish. If you must resent someone, then resent me. It was I who gave you hope, only to plunge you into despair once more.”

Semira wiped her tears away in frustration. Originally, she had just wanted to take Hipper out for a little fun and win her favor. 

But now? Illya and her family had shown up, ruining her plans completely.

Sigh, Illya… why did we have to meet again now?

Semira looked down at her tear-stained hands. 

Reuniting with Illya, whom she had only glimpsed once before, and going out to play with the adorable princess—two joyous events were happening at once. It should have been a dream come true, filled with happiness. 

So why had it all gone so wrong?

Sniffling, Semira wandered back to her room in a daze, threw herself into bed, and buried her head in the blankets, sobbing.

[System, why am I still so weak? If I could defeat dragons, I wouldn’t have been scared and retreated the moment I saw them. I would have bravely taken the princess out on an adventure, and neither the dragons or the princess’ father could have stopped us…]

[Host, you’re still young.]

[Yes, I’m still too weak. I have no strength,  I can’t do anything!]

Semira punched her pillow in frustration. Just thinking about her immediate fear when encountering dragons made her want to slap herself. 

How could a knight of the Casimir family be so cowardly?

[No, this system means you still have room to grow.]

[Waaah…]

Semira didn’t blame Illya’s appearance for disrupting her plans. Instead, she faulted herself for not being strong enough. 

Her mother had taught her that when faced with challenges, she should never blame others or the circumstances. Complaining about bad luck or fate was for the weak. Truly strong people shape their own destiny.

She simply hadn’t reached that level of strength yet.

Outside her room, Holy Knight Semiya stood quietly by the door. She had been observing her daughter’s every move with the princess Hipper and had witnessed the dragon race’s appearance near the palace.

But she didn’t go in to comfort Semira. Some burdens Semira needed to bear and process on her own.

Only when Semira’s crying subsided, and she felt confident that her daughter had calmed down, did Semiya step away from the door.

It seemed the dragon clan had shown up here once again. 

Did they have full knowledge of her daughter’s whereabouts? It appeared Dia Kingdom was deeply infiltrated by the dragons.

If she reported to the king that the dragon clan had appeared in Boros City and urged him to dispatch troops to capture the three dragons, it would only alert them. 

Moreover, with Dia Kingdom’s current power, even deploying the entire city’s forces wouldn’t be enough to contain those three dragons.

No—Semiya would have to investigate the dragons’ true intentions herself.