Chapter 126
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Chapter 126: Wow! The Golden Legend!
Since Semira was unable to continue fighting, there were few heroes who could compete with Naya for the sacred relics of the earth’s veins.
Every relic Naya discovered, she claimed as her own, feeding the energy from the earth’s veins to her children’s souls as snacks.
After all, dragon eggs aren’t born alive like human children and don’t form directly in the womb. So, Naya rarely felt the sensation of a baby kicking inside her. The only signs of her children’s presence were stomach aches and the heavy weight she carried.
Naya would have preferred for the little ones to stay calm, but as time passed, she felt her weight increase sharply. Though she could still walk, the ever-growing heaviness constantly weighed on her belly.
Another symptom was her insatiable appetite. Since the day she released the Dragon God’s radiation, she’d become ravenously hungry.
What she thought would be a short-term change had lasted over a month now, with Naya eating three times as much as Illya at every meal.
“Mama, you’re really warm,” Illya said, clinging to Naya.
She could feel the heat radiating from her Mama like a small sun.
Today, Illya had just finished lunch and was spending a relaxing afternoon with Naya. Hipper had given them a ducal identification badge, allowing them to enjoy privileges in any city of the Dia Kingdom. This time, they were staying in a noble’s villa.
Of course, they still had to pay rent. The ducal status merely allowed Naya to get closer to these nobles and interact with them.
For Illya, being the Dragon Queen meant wealth was never an issue. The important thing was providing a safe, comfortable environment for Naya to take care of herself.
“Is that so?”
Naya raised her hand and touched her forehead. She didn’t feel any warmth. In fact, she felt a bit cold. She pressed her hand to Illya’s forehead, and in comparison, she found her temperature much lower.
“Illya, don’t lean on Mommy, you might squish your sister,” Iris warned.
Illya quickly moved off Naya and looked at her mother’s belly, which seemed no different than usual.
“Iris, I… I think it’s almost time…” Naya said, her cheeks flushed.
Illya sat beside Naya, looking up at her with curious eyes.
“Don’t worry, don’t rush. If you can’t control yourself and shift into dragon form, I’ll cover any damages,” Illya said, getting up from the armchair across from Naya and kneeling beside her.
“Come, let me check.”
“Alright…”
At this stage of the pregnancy, Naya knew it wasn’t the time to be shy. So she let Iris lift her skirt and lean in, pressing her cheek to Naya’s belly to assess the situation.
Illya watched, wide-eyed. Her mother was kneeling on the floor, half outside, half inside her mother’s skirt. It felt oddly familiar.
Ah, that’s right! Just like that night when she brought Hipper home to meet her mother.
“Well? What do you think, Iris?” Naya asked, nervously twisting her fingers.
“Hmm, soon. The eggshell has completely calcified. You’re likely to lay the egg within a day or two.”
“Oh…”
No wonder she’d been feeling something hard rolling around inside her.
Naya’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. Although this wasn’t her first time as a mother, it was her first time giving birth to a child.
Naya’s heart was a mix of emotions—excitement, embarrassment, fear, and joy all blended together. Overall, she was eagerly anticipating the day her daughter would finally arrive.
After giving her conclusion, Iris continued listening for nearly three more minutes before Naya couldn’t hold back any longer and asked, “Is there anything else?”
“No, that’s all.”
“Then why aren’t you coming out already?”
Iris was simply lingering, enjoying Naya’s warmth. Her belly was warmer than the rest of her body.
Iris finally emerged from under Naya’s skirt, her eyes sparkling with subtle joy. She, too, was excited to meet her new daughter soon. Watching Iris come out, Illya looked at Naya with eyes full of anticipation.
“Mama, can I listen too?”
“Of course.”
Illya immediately got down from the sofa, squatting beside her mother’s legs, nudging Iris’s shoulder, hinting for her to move aside.
“What are you doing?”
Iris held her ground in front of Naya, refusing to budge.
“I want to listen to my sister in Mama’s belly.”
“Here.”
Iris picked Illya up and pressed her head to Naya’s belly over the skirt, allowing her to listen.
“Mother!”
“Listen closely.”
“Let go, Mother! I want to go under the skirt to listen!”
Listening like this didn’t feel the same at all!
“Iris, don’t treat her differently.”
Naya gently chided, placing her hand over Iri’s to gently pry her grip from Illya.
Once free, Illya let out her frustration loudly.
“Hmph! Mother is such a meanie! So selfish!”
Illya had been spoiled, once or twice of not getting her way was fine, but if Iris continued to ignore her wishes, Illya would surely hold a grudge.
“Illya, a girl’s skirt isn’t something you can just go under whenever you want. But since I’m your Mama, I’ll let you in to listen to your sisters. Just remember, with other girls, that’s not okay.”
Illya looked up and nodded with a mix of understanding and confusion.
“Alright, now it’s Illya’s turn to listen to her sisters.”
“Yay!”
Unlike Iris, Illya went in purely out of curiosity. While her Mama’s scent, softness, and warmth were all comforting, what really drove Illya was her curiosity about her sisters.
Using her natural sense to feel the energy her sisters were releasing, Illya noticed something different from the last time she listened. This time, she could tell her sisters felt more real, and their soul energy was stronger and more complete.
Her sisters were right there in Mama’s belly. It was incredible.
Inside, Illya marveled at the miracle of life, while outside, Iris’s jealousy was reaching its peak. Naya noticed Iris’s puffed-up expression and gave her an apologetic look, but she felt that if the competition between Iris and Illya became too obvious, it might negatively influence Illya.
After all, Illya was still very innocent.
Even though Illya often made bold and cheeky remarks, she still didn’t understand the concept of… certain adult matters. To her, having a baby was just something new and fascinating.
“That was amazing!”
Illya emerged from under Naya’s skirt, her expression dreamy and delighted.
“What did you hear, Illya?”
“I don’t know, but I definitely heard something.”
Illya struggled to describe the energy waves she sensed to Naya, it was an innate skill she had, and the best word she could think of to describe it was “presence.” Her sisters existed within her Mama’s belly.
“When do you think they’ll come out, Illya?”
“No idea.”
Naya thought to herself, Then what was the point of all that fuss? Of course, she kept that to herself.
“Well, now that you’ve listened, it’s time for bed, Illya.”
“Okay~”
Illya naturally spread her arms, waiting for Naya to lift her and tuck her into bed.
“Illya, you’re already 6 years old—it’s time for you to walk to bed and sleep on your own.”
“???”
Illya’s big eyes blinked in confusion.
Naya bent down to meet her gaze, speaking gently and patiently.
“Since your sisters will be born soon, I might spend more time with them. Illya, you’re a big girl now, so you should start being more independent. Otherwise, if I have to look after you and your sisters, it would be really tiring.”
Illya stood there, thinking it over for a moment. For a split second, she thought, It would be nice if I didn’t have any sisters.
But she quickly dismissed the thought. After all, she had seen her Mama work so hard on this journey to gather earth vein energy, all for her sisters to be born safely. Naya cared so deeply about them—how could Illya say something that would make her Mama sad?
Illya looked up at Naya and nodded determinedly.
Though a bit of her heart still felt sad about the changes, like having to get dressed and go to bed on her own, with fewer chances to be held by her Mama, the joy of seeing her Mama so happy about her sisters was stronger than the sadness.
She turned around, stepped past her mother’s legs, walked to the bed, sat down, removed her shoes, and changed into her pajamas.
From start to finish, Naya remained seated on the nearby sofa, watching Illya but no longer stepping in to help like before.
After changing, Illya lay down in bed, pulling the blanket over herself with her small hands. She turned to look at Naya, giving her a sweet smile.
“Good afternoon, Mama.”
“Good afternoon, Illya.”
With that, Illya closed her eyes.
In truth, Naya felt a pang of loss too. She was so used to tending to Illya’s every need that it was hard to let go.
But it was time for Illya to grow up a little, and she needed to save her energy for the new egg, which would need her full attention.
This egg was special, and Naya knew she would need to give it her all.
Once Illya had fallen asleep, Iris rose from the floor and sat beside Naya, waiting until she was certain Illya was sound asleep. Naya finally spoke.
“Sometimes, there’s no need to be jealous of Illya. Right now, she doesn’t even have a concept of love. The more you compete with her, the more likely it is that she’ll awaken to it sooner. This is the time for Illya to understand that I’m her Mama, and that because I’m her Mama, I’m kind to her and treat her as my daughter. When she grows up, she’ll only see me as her Mama.”
Naya reached over to gently stroke Iris’s hair.
“She didn’t even say good afternoon to you just now—she’s upset because you held her head down earlier. If you keep competing with her, she might actually start to see you not as her mother, but as a rival. The more you fear that, the more likely it will happen with Illya.”
“Alright, alright, I’ve heard this so many times,” Iris replied with a wry smile.
Iris knew full well that her jealousy could push Illya away.
But in her eyes, her wife took priority over her daughter, and she would get upset with anyone who tried to take her away.
“Sigh, I still haven’t figured out a name…”
Naya leaned back on the sofa, resting her hands on her belly. She had been delaying the decision for so long, unable to settle on the perfect name for her daughters.
“There’s still the incubation period after the egg is laid, you can take your time.”
“You could help me come up with something.”
“Just choose something nice—like Icarus or Isamara. Or, if you want a name that combines both yours and mine, there’s Irena, Ivanna, Elexia, or Ilotia.”
“Hmm… I think I’ll keep looking.”
Though Iris had suggested some nice names, Naya wanted to choose one herself. After all, it was Iris who had named Illya, so she wanted to have a chance to be creative in naming their new child.
“No rush.”
Seeing that Illya was still sound asleep, Naya decided to head out to a bookstore to buy a few name books. Since there was nothing else pressing, it was time to get serious about this.
She knew that dragons usually had an incubation period of about a month. If she delayed much longer, her little dragon cubs might hatch before she even had a name.
……..
The next afternoon, during Illya’s usual nap time…
“It’s happening! It’s happening!”
One moment, Naya was quietly reading at her desk, and then suddenly, she felt it—her labor was starting.
“What?” Iris, who had been brainstorming new names with Naya, was startled by her exclamation.
Naya pushed Itis’s shoulder, her face flushed.
“You… you and Illya both—get out!”
She knew what to do; she could lay the egg in her human form, but somehow, the thought of the positioning felt too embarrassing with them around.
“I can’t leave. What if something goes wrong? Who would handle an emergency?”
“There won’t be any emergencies! Just take Illya and get out!”
Their argument had woken Illya, who sat up drowsily and rubbed her eyes. It sounded like her Mama was about to give birth.
“I can’t leave. I have a duty to you and our daughter.”
Iris’s voice was solemn.
“I can’t abandon my wife and daughter at such a crucial moment! This is my responsibility, my mission!”
It was as if Naya was about to undertake a perilous mission instead of giving birth.
“Ugh, I give up on you.”
Clutching her belly, Naya’s need was growing more urgent. But how could she do this with both Iris and Illya still in the room?
Iris glanced over to see that Illya was already awake.
“Illya, quickly! Your Mama is about to give birth. Go find Flanna and Bella to help, and I’ll stay here to monitor her in case of an emergency.”
“O… okay!”
Illya’s eyes went wide with surprise. Without a moment’s hesitation, she tossed off the blanket and dashed out of the room, barefoot.
Iris closed and locked the door, then turned back to see Naya clutching her stomach, brows furrowed with concentration.
“Alright, you can go ahead now.”
It seemed that Iris was determined not to leave, no matter what.
“Then turn around! Don’t look at me!”
“Fine.”
Iris turned to face the door.
She only wanted to be there to support Naya, not to make her feel uncomfortable.
Naya moved over to the bed, tossing the blanket onto the floor and folding it to create a thick pad, adding a pillow for support.
Finally, she discarded the white lace undergarment that might obstruct the egg’s path, tossing it onto the bed.
Once everything was set, Naya knelt on the makeshift nest, feeling a bit more at ease and able to fully relax her body. She kept an eye on the “wall-facing guardian” to make sure she didn’t turn back to watch her.
She took a deep breath. All she had to do was move gently, like a caterpillar—no stress, no pressure.
She had read about people who tried to swallow light bulbs just to see if they could take them out. Now, she had some idea of how it must feel to be stuck and waiting for help.
Though it wasn’t exactly painful, it was definitely exhausting.
After about ten minutes of effort, she finally heard a soft plop as something hard landed on the blanket.
Plop!
At the same time, Iris, sensing a surge of energy, knew that Naya had finished.
She turned around to look, only to be momentarily dazzled by the sight before her.
Wow—a golden legend.
A large golden egg rolled forward from where Naya was kneeling, and she reached out to catch it in her arms.
The next moment, the egg began to expand rapidly.
Naya watched in astonishment as the egg’s golden glow faded, revealing its original color—a shimmering silver.
The egg stabilized, growing from palm-sized to its full size.
Naya held the large, gleaming egg in her arms. It was now bigger than her own waist.
Of course, Illya’s egg had been this big too. Such a large egg couldn’t be laid in human form, so it had been compressed within her body, only to release a burst of energy and expand to its full dragon size once laid.
“Naya… are you alright?”
Iris first checked on Naya’s condition. She was kneeling on the floor, her delicate feet trembling beneath her skirt.
“I’m… okay.”
Worried that the dragon egg might roll off the blanket and crack, Naya didn’t even take a moment to rest. She quickly crawled over to the egg and cradled it in her arms.
The trembling was partly from fatigue, partly from the excitement, and partly from the lingering tension.
“What a big egg…” she murmured, gazing down at it.
She hadn’t seen such a large egg since six years ago, and had almost forgotten just how enormous dragon eggs were. Now, as she held it, memories of hatching Illya resurfaced in her mind.
The egg was still a bit damp, its surface slick. It hadn’t slid off the blanket on its own, but rather had rolled slightly of its own accord.
“Can I hold it?” Iris asked.
“Just wait a moment, let me look at it first.”
Naya brushed her fingers over the egg’s damp surface. Seeing this, Iris handed her a towel from the nearby coat rack.
Carefully, Naya wiped away the sticky layer that still clung to the egg. Her eyes sparkled with joy and excitement as she did so.
Meanwhile, Iris crouched by her side, placing a hand on Naya’s back, using her magic to check her health and make sure there were no lingering effects.
The wizard Of SILVER
Finally…