Chapter 58

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 Chapter 58: The Outspoken Illya

Illya lifted her head from Naya’s embrace, blinking her wide eyes with curiosity and asking, “Mama, why am I different from the others? Why did Mother only let us move into the royal palace now?”

“Well… that’s because Mother loves you very much. She couldn’t bear to let you experience the same dangers as the other children from a young age. She wanted you to grow up healthy and safe.”

In reality, your Mother probably didn’t care too much about us in the past.

But, there was no way Naya could tell Illya the truth about the old Iris. On the contrary, she had to help boost Iris’s favorability.

“Is that really why?”

“Yes, Mother loves us the most and would never let anything harm us.”

Illya recalled something her friends had mentioned before.

They had said that the Dragon King wasn’t automatically passed down to the biological child, but was chosen based on ability. 

Generally, dragons with purer bloodlines were stronger, but there were always exceptions. 

Moreover, having talent without knowing how to fight made it easy to lose to others.

“To become the Dragon King, you have to be the strongest, right? If I stay like this forever, I’ll never be strong enough, and the other dragons might kill me if I’m not strong enough.”

“Don’t worry. With your Mother by your side, you’ll definitely become the strongest of the dragons.”

“The strongest…”

Illya’s eyes sparkled, and she was already imagining her glorious future.

“Mmm, dragons live for hundreds of years, and you’re only six years old. You’ve got plenty of time to grow. What does it matter if your friends are ahead by six years? You, Illya, have six hundred years or more! By the time your Mother steps down, you’ll be ready to take over as the strongest dragon.”

“Oh, I see!” 

Illya suddenly realized she had been too competitive. Besides, she was the youngest of her group of friends, so it made sense that she was a bit weaker.

But talking about age made her think of another question.

“Mama, how old are you?”

Naya’s legs were starting to get sore from crouching, so she picked up Illya and sat down on a chair by the dining table.

Waiting for her wife to come home, she figured she’d chat with her daughter to pass the time.

“Well… if I had to say, I’m around thirty-something…”

Adding up her previous and current lives, that was about the right number.

Naya had been transported here as an adult and immediately began adventuring. In her previous life, she was hit by a truck at about twenty-five. In this life, she became a Hero and trained for a few years before confronting the evil dragon, ultimately losing the battle. That was the general outline of her life.

“What about Mother?”

“Mother? She’s probably over a hundred. I haven’t asked her, but she once told me about something that happened a hundred years ago.”

Illya counted on her fingers and came to a conclusion.

“So, that means there’s a seventy-year or more age gap between Mother and you. That’s an even bigger gap than between me and you.”

“Uh…”

If they were counting from when she became a dragon, Naya’s age was pretty close to Illya’s.

But her body had matured the moment she became a dragon, and thanks to good food, she’d even grown a bit more.

Looking at Illya, Naya’s gaze also wandered to her own two “magic power storage bags.”

“So, when Mother reaches the end of her life, you’ll be a widow for seventy years.”

Naya was startled by Illya’s blunt words.

“What… What a widow?! Illya, where did you learn that word?”

“I read it in a book! Doesn’t it say that when a woman loses her husband, she becomes a widow?”

Children really do say the darndest things.

Naya shot Illya a stern look.

“Don’t go cursing your Mother’s death. Also, not all dragons live the same length of time. Depending on different factors, their lifespans can vary by a century.”

“Oh… I thought once Mother’s life ended, I’d inherit everything.”

“Don’t say such ominous things again, understood? Even if your Mother were to pass away, I wouldn’t hand everything over to you. Watch your words and actions, you little rascal!”

Naya reached out and pinched Illya’s cheeks.

“Mmmpf… Sowwy, Mama, sowwy…”

What Illya wanted to say was, “Mama, I was wrong.”

After Naya let go, she added, “And in the future, no more talk of death or sickness, got it? Saying things like that might trigger a curse and make your words come true.”

“Ah!”

Illya quickly covered her mouth.

After a moment of thought, her eyes widened, and she began to chant, “Long live Mother! Long live Mother! Long live Mother…”

She repeated the phrase over and over, hoping to counteract the supposed curse.

Naya didn’t stop her this time and just listened as Illya chanted, letting it go on until Iris came home from work.

When the maids saw Iris step into the great hall, they hurried to the kitchen to bring out the dinner they had prepared earlier.

That was the downside of living in the royal palace— the kitchen was too far from their living quarters. It wasn’t like the castle they used to live in, where the kitchen was on the first floor and right next to the dining room. Meals were much easier to serve there.

Iris entered the room and immediately heard Illya’s muttering. Upon listening closely, she realized it was a blessing, which piqued her curiosity. She turned to Naya.

“Illya, did something happen to her?”

Naya looked up at Iris and smiled.

“She just doesn’t want you to die.”

“Mother, I’ve already used a new curse to cancel out the old one, so you won’t die anytime soon!”

“Huh? What curse?”

“Ahem, Iris, go wash your hands, let’s get ready for dinner!”

“Okay ~”

Naya quickly ushered Illya away, hoping to stop her from saying anything disrespectful. Time to stuff her mouth with food to keep her quiet.

……

Three nights later.

After putting Illya to sleep, Naya returned to her room, where Iris was already sitting by the bed, waiting.

Of course, they weren’t planning to do anything bad.

Doing it every day would be too much for Naya to handle.

Tonight was different.

Three days ago, Naya had promised Iris that she would repair the Holy Spear in front of her. All the materials Iris had been collecting for her were finally ready today.

The magma and magic crystal ore were easy enough since Iris had the resources. The hardest part was finding the intact skeleton of a 30-years-old giant python. 

Iris had to send her subordinates out to hunt one down and bring it back for Naya.

Now that everything was gathered, Naya had been eagerly waiting for Iris to come home from work, eat, put their daughter to bed, and finally show her the special ability she had kept hidden.

Naya flung herself into Iris’s arms.

“Illya’s asleep. We can do what we want now.”

Every time Naya returned from Illya’s room, she liked to cling to Iris for a bit.

Naya believed her dependence on Iris was part of her downfall as a woman. Since regaining her memories, she had become even more attached to Iris than when she had forgotten them.

As a Hero and a proud man, she shouldn’t be so reliant on someone else.

But Naya was hopelessly obsessed with Iris.

It was at the point where she felt she couldn’t live without her.

This was also why the System often scolded her for having a “love-addled brain.”

Iris nuzzled Naya’s hair, but the silver-haired dragon girl seemed reluctant to get up.

“What? Do you want to go another round before we start?”

Iris lowered her head, aiming to kiss Naya’s long, pointed ear.

“Stop it.”

But Naya pushed Iris away—she was always thinking about such naughty things.

Naya smoothed out her hair that Iris had messed up, then walked over to the wardrobe, pulled out some clothes for going out, and put them on.

With a bright smile, she took Iris’s hand, ready to head out.

“Come on, let me show you my masterpiece!”

After all, the materials they had gathered weren’t exactly small or easy to carry. The 30-years-old giant python alone took up an entire courtyard.

They had to move it outside.