Chapter 133
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Chapter 133: Our Child
That is…
Semiya looked up at the supernova in the sky.
Wasn’t this the same light that had appeared in the palace at Boros City?
According to her daughter, Semira, this light was called Dragon God’s Radiation.
It was also the culprit that turned her into a dragon.
Semiya drew her longsword.
“Holy Knight, my lady…”
Seeing Semiya preparing for battle, the knights nearby moved to stand behind her.
Semiya raised her head again, narrowing her eyes as she gazed at the silver-glowing dragon egg in the sky.
At that height, there was no way to reach it.
Semiya sheathed her sword.
“You all, stand down. I’ll handle this alone.”
From her battle with Flanna that morning, she had realized one thing: even superhuman strength was insufficient to defeat a emperor-class dragon.
Only humans who had reached the saintly rank could pose a true threat to dragons.
“Holy Knight, my lady…”
“Stand down!”
Semiya’s stern voice dismissed her subordinates.
Though puzzled, the knights complied, hesitantly retreating. Reluctant step by step, they moved away until there was a gap of over ten meters between them and Semiya.
Golden light radiated from Semiya’s body.
The light expanded rapidly, and a massive golden dragon emerged before them.
They froze, staring at the golden dragon with sorrowful expressions.
In the end, only dragons could fight dragons. As superhumans, they could do nothing but watch, powerless to assist the Holy Knight.
Semiya opened her mouth.
Golden light began to gather within it.
Though she had never studied dragon magic, the ability to release dragonfire was an innate trait of all dragons. With a simple infusion of magic, it could be unleashed.
The power of dragonfire depended on the caster’s magic level.
Semiya wasn’t sure what rank she had as a dragon, but she wanted to try.
“ROAR!!”
A deep roar shattered the stillness of the night. A golden beam pierced through the silver radiance, surging toward the dragon egg.
Suddenly, a silver figure leaped into the air, wielding a long spear. With a single swing, it deflected Semiya’s attack.
So, she was guarding it.
What’s more, Semiya’s full-power dragonfire seemed weaker than her opponent’s Knightly Glory Slash. Naya blocked it with ease.
Flanna and Bella immediately rushed toward Semiya. Semiya, in turn, reverted to her human form.
Turning, she saw the knights behind her still staring in a daze. Anger flared within her.
“What are you still standing there for? Didn’t I tell you to leave?”
She stepped forward, chastising her subordinates harshly.
From the rooftop, Iris sensed Semiya retreating and shouted down.
“Flanna, Bella, leave her! Come back!”
Flanna and Bella halted at once.
Meanwhile, Semiya led her group of knights farther away. Only when Flanna and Bella were out of sight did she stop.
Her subordinates remained confused.
“Holy Knight, my lady, what are they doing? What was that white light?”
“It’s… the Dragon God…”
“What?!”
The knights stared at Semiya in shock.
Semiya raised a hand to touch the horns on her head, her expression melancholic.
“I became a dragon after being exposed to that light…”
“Then… does that mean we’ll…”
“Yes, you’ll turn into dragons too.”
Her daughter, Semira, had been spared transformation because Semira’s body possessed a unique defense mechanism that neutralized the Dragon God’s radiation.
Ordinary humans lacked such a mechanism.
When Naya had released the radiation, Semiya had been too close to react, taking the full brunt of the exposure. Her entire body had absorbed the radiation.
This radiation could be blocked using magic, as demonstrated by her brother, who had arrived with reinforcements.
Upon sensing the energy waves of the Dragon God’s radiation, he had taken countermeasures to shield himself and his allies.
That was why the knights who had come to rescue her and Semira had remained unaffected.
“What can we do?”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
Semiya chose not to reveal the harsh truth to her subordinates.
The empire’s higher-ups had sent them here with no intention of letting them return alive.
——————
After half an hour of brilliance, the stars in the sky finally burned out.
Naya hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. As the radiant light faded from the night sky, she saw a tiny dragon cub floating in the air.
Naya leaped up, cradling the dragon cub in her arms before landing on the rooftop of the villa. Her eyes sparkled with uncontainable joy.
The dragon cub’s scales were two-toned—primarily silver-white, with edges shimmering in red. Its horns were also red, combining traits from both Naya and Iris.
The tiny dragon cub’s eyes remained closed.
“Mmm…”
It snuggled against Naya, letting out a soft whimper.
“Iris, come here quickly!” Naya called out.
Iris stepped over to Naya’s side. Her gaze softened as she looked at the small dragon cradled in Naya’s arms. A faint smile spread across her face.
“Adorable.”
“Hehe… I’ve already thought of a name! Let’s call her Isanara. Since the two of you are still one entity, you’ll share the same name for now. When the day comes that you display two distinct personalities, I’ll give each of you your own names.”
The name combined Naya’s “Na” with “I” from Iris, while the name Isanara itself was borrowed from a god in a mythological storybook.
“Ah…”
The small dragon cub raised a small paw and patted Naya’s chest.
Naya’s face radiated maternal affection, nearly overflowing with love.
So cute!
She couldn’t resist showering the small dragon cub with kisses.
Iris gently placed a hand on Naya’s shoulder. Naya leaned her head against Iris’s.
“What do you think, Iris?” Naya asked.
“About the name?”
“Yes.”
“It’s wonderful. I really like it. As expected of you.”
Why did that sound so monotone?
Oh well. Naya decided to let it slide—she was too happy to care.
“Hehe…”
Naya carefully handed the dragon cub to Iris.
“Here, hug her for a bit.”
Iris let go of Naya and took the round, chubby dragon cub into her arms. Normally indifferent to children, she suddenly felt a tender warmth as she held it.
Naya leaned against Iris’s shoulder, speaking softly to the little one.
“This is Mother. And I’m Mama. Remember that, okay?”
“Mmm…”
The dragon cub waved its paw as though it understood.
Meanwhile, the countless lights of the surrounding city glimmered in the night. The residents, seeing that peace had returned, stared blankly at the rooftop where the two dragon women stood.
They had witnessed the dragon cub emerge from a star-like, radiant egg.
At first, everyone thought the world was ending. But instead, after the burst of brilliant light, all had returned to calm.
“What just happened? That’s it? I thought it was the apocalypse.”
One resident scratched his head in confusion.
“It’s my first time seeing a dragon cub. Actually, it kind of looks like a little bunny. Quite cute, if you ask me.”
A noblewoman, who was also a mother, smiled warmly as she gazed at the scene on the rooftop.
From the neighboring villa, a furious tenant glared at her.
“Cute? That thing will grow up and eat people!”
“Oh? Not convinced? Then why don’t you go up there and snuff out the little thing in its cradle?”
“Uh… maybe not.”
The neighbor instantly backed down.
Everyone in the Dia Kingdom had heard of the two dragon women—a pair of wives—who had recently appeared.
Along with their daughter, they had come to the kingdom and seized the sacred relic of the land veins from the brave adventurers who had worked so hard to find it.
Though their actions seemed underhanded, they weren’t as catastrophic as the legends of dragons slaughtering humans indiscriminately.
Besides, the adventures of heroes had little to do with the peaceful lives of city dwellers.
Those red-and-silver dragon women fit the descriptions from the rumors perfectly.
Who would dare provoke them?
“Forget it, forget it. Let’s not stir up trouble. Time to sleep,” someone muttered.
One by one, the residents closed their windows.
After all, nothing bad had really happened.
Aside from feeling a bit overheated from the earlier white light, they were all perfectly fine.
What they didn’t know, however, was that the seeds of change had already been silently buried within their bodies.
“Give her back to me!”
Iris had only been holding the dragon cub for three minutes before Naya grew impatient, reaching out to reclaim her precious little one.
“You…”
Iris let out a helpless chuckle before reluctantly returning the little bundle in her arms to Naya.
Under the soft light of the moon, Naya’s silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, her eyes shimmering gently like a quiet stream.
“So adorable… Mama has been waiting so long for you to arrive. Do you have any idea what I’ve been through these days?”
Her maternal instincts in full bloom, Naya giggled foolishly while cradling her child.
Suddenly, another pink figure flashed across her mind. Naya stiffened, her joyous expression freezing in place.
“Where’s Illya?”
“Oh, now you remember Illya?”
“I… I…”
Iris’s amused smile only deepened, leaving Naya blushing furiously with shame.
Previously, she had been claiming that she cared about Illya the most, but now, in her excitement over the new child, she had completely forgotten about Illya.
“Illya is fine, she’s in the room with Hipper.”
“Should we… head back down then?”
“Yes.”
Naya glanced at the moon one last time before jumping down from the rooftop, holding the dragon cub securely as she made her way back inside through the first floor.
Iris, however, didn’t follow her home.
“You go ahead. I’ll stay behind to coordinate with Flanna and Bella.”
“Alright.”
Naya returned to the house, leaving Iris to call over Flanna and Bella.
The last time they failed to take down Semiya, reinforcements had arrived unexpectedly.
Iris suspected the same would happen again.
She needed to uncover their enemy’s resources and backup plans to ensure that when she struck, it would be decisive and deadly.
Otherwise, even her time-stopping ability would go to waste.
As Naya had pointed out, the more concealed their trump cards, the better.
If she failed again, and her enemies deduced that her power was time manipulation, they would undoubtedly devise countless strategies to counter her in advance.
——————
A white dove swooped down gracefully into Semiya’s hands. She cradled the bird, carefully retrieving a piece of parchment from its talons.
With a touch of her magic, the encryption spell was released, and under the cold moonlight, black letters materialized on the paper.
[Everything is ready. Lady Paladin, please give your all to trap the Dragon Queen in Taros City. Glory be with you.]
After reading the brief message, Semiya burned the paper in her palm until it turned to ash.
“Are you truly willing to sacrifice everything for the empire?”
Henas, ever concerned for his sister, appeared again, standing across the road to confront his blood kin.
Hearing his voice, Semiya looked up to meet his cold gaze.
“…”
“The false sky will soon be torn apart, and the Apollo High-Energy Beam Cannon will appear in the heavens. When that happens, every single person in this city will be buried beneath its power. Is this the knightly honor that you, the Casimir knights, vow to uphold?”
“Henas, are you here to stop me?”
“Do you want me to stop you?”
“We all have our choices. My mind is made up.”
Seeing Semiya’s stubbornness, Henas felt a pang of disappointment.
While he respected her choices, his bond of family with her could not be severed entirely. He still harbored a faint hope of taking her away from all this.
He raised his hand, and a golden greatsword began to form in his palm, piece by radiant piece.
“Semiya, draw your blade.”
Semiya’s eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze on Henas.
He stood bathed in moonlight, his elongated shadow falling across her, engulfing her form.
Saving the world had never been a task for just one person. Semiya, hailed as a Holy Paladin by the empire, carried this hollow title as if it justified everything, even as it dulled her own senses.
The empire could not possibly pin all its hopes on a single paladin.
Even if the Holy Paladin were to desert her duty, they would surely have a backup plan to intercept the Dragon Queen and her allies.
But no matter what truths Henas might reveal, Semiya was too far gone to listen anymore.
“Phobos!”
The light sword fully materialized in Henas’s hand.
Henas despised unnecessary sacrifices.
Yet, these Casimir knights continually deluded themselves with ideas of knightly glory, believing that their deaths were meaningful and that their brilliance would be sung by future generations.
So, let him betray the knightly code one more time.