Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Star-Forging Dragon King Is My Ancestor

Is Naya really that concerned about her former comrade?

If it had just been one or two encounters, Iris might have forgotten him. But that blond boy had betrayed his teammates too many times for her not to remember him.

Moreover, she hadn’t known that Leo would show up there. It was just a coincidence that when she wanted to show off in front of Naya, Leo the hero appeared again.

Perhaps it was just fate.

“I remember him.”

“Did you call me to watch because you knew he would be there?”

“No, I didn’t know. Although soldiers usually review the Heroes who come to challenge me, they only verbally report how many there are. I don’t get to know what they look like in advance.”

After fishing out the fried potatoes, Naya turned off the stove and looked at Iris.

“Then have you ever seen him bring a pink-haired woman with him to fight you? She’s a healing-type priestess.”

Iris thought back to the various people who had accompanied Leo in his challenges.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that.”

Bringing a priestess to a duel wasn’t exactly honorable. But when you’re fighting the Dragon King, a few teams would shamelessly bring a healer, hoping to face Iris with a walking fountain. Still, Iris’s damage was always too high, and the healers couldn’t keep up.

Over the past five years, Leo had only appeared once or twice a year, and hundreds of Heroes had challenged Iris. How could she remember them all clearly?

However, Leo was one of the few who had left a strong impression on Iris, so she would occasionally pay special attention to his unlucky teammates.

Even so, she couldn’t possibly remember every single one.

So, Iris gave an uncertain answer.

“Just ‘I think’?”

Naya lowered her head, looking a little disappointed.

Iris’s sixth sense told her something was off.

“What’s wrong? Does this pink-haired woman have something to do with your past?”

“Huh? No… no.”

Naya quickly snapped back to reality, awkwardly laughing.

She decided not to bring up her promise with Lina. What if Iris got jealous? That would be troublesome.

However, there’s a saying that goes “the more you try to hide, the more you reveal”. Naya had already acted so flustered, so she needed an excuse to cover it up.

“Actually, it’s nothing. That pink-haired woman used to be my comrade. Her name is Lina. And that blond man—his name is Leo. The three of us were a team that had been through thick and thin. Five years ago, while Lina was away on some errand, Leo told me he had a lead on your whereabouts and wanted to ambush you. I was young and impulsive back then, and I trusted him… and that’s how I ended up betrayed, in that awful situation…”

Naya placed the fried potatoes in front of Iris, then rummaged through the kitchen, looking for the food that the chef had already prepared, planning to serve it directly to Iris.

Cooking everything from scratch would take too much time.

“So, his name is Leo, huh? A veteran at betraying his comrades. Counting that dark-haired boy, this is already the seventh time.”

“The seventh time?”

“Hmm.”

“So, on average, he’s done this twice a year? No wonder you don’t remember.”

Naya furrowed her brows, hoping Lina hadn’t been betrayed by Leo.

Hopefully, Lina had never accompanied Leo in challenging Iris.

Naya picked up a piece of toast. Over the years, countless Heroes had died at Iris’s hands. How could Iris possibly remember the face of every Hero? After all, it’s not like she knew how many loaves of bread she’d eaten.

She added sausage, vegetables, and meat slices, squeezed some cream on top, and handed it to Iris.

“Do you care about that guy?”

“Of course I do. I want to ask him why. We were partners who went through life and death together. Why did he abandon me so decisively?”

Iris speared a piece of fried potato and popped it into her mouth.

She carefully watched Naya’s expression and saw a trace of sadness in her eyes.

“Then next time, I’ll catch him for you as soon as he shows up.”

“Who knows when he’ll challenge you again.”

“He’s probably pretty famous among humans, right? He’s managed to escape from me time and time again, and he possesses advanced spatial magic. By human standards, he must be considered a high-level mage. There’s no reason he wouldn’t be known. In half a month, we’ll be traveling and passing through the human kingdom. We can ask around for his whereabouts. I’ll capture him and let you question him yourself. How’s that?”

A glimmer of light flickered in Naya’s purple eyes.

“Really?”

“Of course. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Even if you wanted a human kingdom, I could conquer one for you. Finding one person is nothing.”

Naya propped her chin on her hands, gazing at Iris with a dreamy expression.

“Then, what if I wanted the moon?”

“Are you sure?”

Seeing Iris asking her seriously, Naya couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Iris, stop joking. There’s no way you could bring down the moon!”

“But do you want it?”

“No. What I want is to sit with you, under the clear moon and gentle breeze. As long as you’re by my side when I look at the moon, that’s enough.”

Iris, this primitive being from another world, didn’t realize the moon has a diameter of 3,476 kilometers. How could anyone possibly take it down? Even if Iris, in her dragon form, had the strength to move the moon, how would she survive in a vacuum without oxygen?

Even if all those problems were solved, pulling the moon closer to Earth would cause massive tidal forces, leading to tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. It would be the end of the world!

So, to Naya, bringing down the moon wasn’t romantic at all—it was terrifying.

“The moon narrowly escaped.”

Still trying to show off, Iris.

“Don’t overestimate yourself. Have you ever explored the limits of the sky?”

“The limits of the sky? The sky is infinite. The stars are just an illusion.”

Naya covered her mouth, laughing so hard her body shook. Iris, with her serious nonsense, was simply hilarious.

Iris’s lips curved slightly as she watched Naya’s trembling form, her soft, pale chest bouncing with every shake, full of elasticity. She had never seen Naya laugh so joyfully. There was a tender fondness in Iris’s crimson eyes.

After laughing her fill, Naya wiped away her tears and decided to give Iris a proper science lesson.

“Earth’s escape velocity is 11.2 kilometers per second. You can’t reach that speed, so naturally, you can’t break through the sky.”

“11.2 kilometers per second? That’s faster than the speed of sound.”

“Of course. But this is another world. Who knows how big Earth is here? Still, even so, the air up high is thin, the temperature is extremely low, and the wind speeds can reach hundreds of kilometers per hour. Unless you’re an athlete, you wouldn’t survive in such harsh conditions.”

Noticing Iris looking confused, staring blankly at her, Naya restrained her urge to explain further.

She glanced at the remaining sandwich on the table. It seemed Iris didn’t want to eat food prepared by someone else. So picky.

Naya grabbed the sandwich and brought it to Iris’s mouth.

“Come on, say ah…”

Iris opened her mouth and took a small bite, chewing slowly before swallowing.

Gazing into Iris’s red eyes, filled with a faint smile, Naya felt a mixture of joy and helplessness. She couldn’t help but sigh.