Chapter 61

Chapter 61: I’m On My Way, I’m Almost There

Turning over one’s hand to summon clouds, and with a flip, bringing rain; cleansing one’s hands in a golden basin to stop the storm.

Naya remembered a song from her past life and recalled the fleeting glance when she first met Iris. She couldn’t help, but feel the urge to hum that very tune for her beloved.

Back then, she had listened to this song on a drizzling rainy night, unable to sleep at midnight, finding solace only in music.

But now, she sang it aloud, offering the melody to the one she loved. Her gentle affection flowed like a breeze, tender and quiet, nourishing everything in its path.

The downpour of rain filled the autumn pools, and soon, the mountains and rivers encircled the city as spring rose, while waves of the river surged towards the sea, connecting in a tidal rush.

Until the great river flowed eastward, sweeping away all beneath it, and the sudden rain ceased.

Where tonight’s drunken reverie ends, there will be willow-lined shores, accompanied by the morning breeze and the setting moon.

After singing the ballads of her homeland, Naya lay exhausted, clutching a pillow. Her throat was dry and hoarse from the effort.

“Here, drink some water.”

Iris had stepped out to fetch a glass and handed it to her. Naya gulped it down.

All her moisture seemed to have flowed away to Iris, and even if Iris was the Dragon King, she still had to bring Naya water.

Sigh…

Naya longed for the day she could ride proudly on horseback through a sea of blooming dragon lilies, but for now, she was utterly spent, with no strength left to be the dragon tamer.

So be it, she decided. Lying down and resting was all she could do.

Today, Naya’s heart was once again filled with happiness.

Setting aside the water cup, she pulled up the blankets, ready for sleep.

Behind her, a soft warmth pressed against her. Iris wrapped Naya in her embrace, her hand resting gently over the child they shared, whispering tenderly into Naya’s ear.

“Goodnight, Naya.”

“Goodnight…”

With barely any energy left, Naya responded weakly, and soon drifted into slumber.

———

“Mmm…”

Opening her eyes, it was the start of a new day.

As always, her partner was awake before her. Turning her head, Naya found Iris gazing at her with a smile, for once not crouched by the bedside to startle her awake.

“Good morning,” Iris said softly.

“Morning.”

Iris reached out, brushing a few stray locks from Naya’s face, then planted a light kiss on her lips.

“Time to get up.”

“Mmm.”

Naya glanced toward the curtains.

The sunlight streaming through the gap was glaringly bright.

Is it really still morning?

“Iris! We forgot to wake Illya!”

Naya hastily threw off the covers.

Since Iris had become more… enduring, Naya had found it almost impossible to wake up on time after their “battles.”

“Don’t worry, I already called her.”

Though not entirely pleased, Iris, being Illyas biological mother, had been growing closer to her thanks to Naya’s efforts to bridge their bond. So, Naya let out a relieved sigh.

Pulling the covers back over her chest, she lay down again.

Seeing Naya’s anxious state, Iris couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy toward their daughter. Naya’s doting nature was the reason their adult “games” kept getting interrupted.

“I think it’s time we encouraged Illya to be more independent.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Naya glared suspiciously at Iris.

“For instance, starting tomorrow, Illya should wake up on her own. Dragons shouldn’t need their mothers to wake them every day.”

“You’ll have to ask her if she’s okay with that.”

The unspoken message was clear: I’m not going to help you convince her. If you can persuade Illya, I’ll admit defeat.

“You also shouldn’t spoil her so much. She needs to learn independence. You shouldn’t spend all day with her, giving her baths at night, telling her bedtime stories, and waking her up in the morning.”

“That’s because you used to—”

Naya turned her head to the side.

“It’s because you used to neglect us. When I lost my memory, the only purpose I had in life was Illya. I only felt at peace when I was with her.”

“I’m sorry…”

Guilt flashed across Iris’s eyes as she stepped forward to embrace Naya.

“I’m not blaming you. I know I was wrong before, but now, I regret it. Can’t you give me another chance?”

“Hmph, no. I don’t want my relationship with Illya to become distant.”

Even though Naya loved Iris more today than yesterday, her child remained the most important person in her heart.

After all, it was her love for Illya that had blossomed into her affection for Iris. If it weren’t for Illya’s presence, who would have ever fallen for someone as cold as Iris?

The foundation of everything was Naya’s desire to give Illya a complete family.

So Naya couldn’t forget her roots.

Illya was her world, and Iris came second.

Sigh…

Iris was now filled with a million regrets, looking at Naya with a wistful expression.

“Aren’t you supposed to go to work?”

“I took the day off. I have something to do this afternoon.”

“What is it?”

“You promised me yesterday—you’d reward me by accompanying me to see that captured Hero.”

“Oh…”

With small talk over, Naya finally got up to get dressed.

It was almost time to start preparing meals. Maybe Iris really was trying to reclaim some of her place in the family because she followed Naya everywhere—getting up, eating breakfast, even cooking with her.

As for Illya, she spent her morning obediently studying with Nitiya.

When lunchtime arrived, Naya put Illya down for a nap before heading out with Iris.

They were off to meet the black-haired Hero who had been captured after his defeat.

…

The location was Iris’s research facility.

As they walked through, Naya saw various colored magic stones, operating tables, and tools forged from magic crystals.

Naya had been brought to places like this before, where Iris had drawn her blood for experiments.

At last, they entered a room with a large stone coffin that stood out prominently in the center.

Veltia and the black-haired Hero were already waiting for them. Upon seeing their arrival, they left the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.

“What do you want me to do to cooperate?”

The hero, Zelan, now in human form, had learned shapeshifting from Veltia the day before. In this form, his appearance hadn’t changed much from when he was human, except his ears were pointed, and a pair of black dragon horns adorned his head.

As the door shut, an eerie silence filled the room. Zelan could hear the nervous pounding of his own heart.

He was terrified that Iris might actually be able to extract his System from him.

Iris glanced toward the stone coffin in the center of the room and said calmly.

“Lie down inside and release that special energy of yours, in whatever form you can.”

“What is this?”

Zelan grew increasingly uneasy.

Was this his coffin?

Would he die in there?

“Stop asking questions and do as I say.”

“I need to know if this will harm my body.”

Zelan was reluctant, clearly stalling for time.

Ever since Veltia had released him from prison, Zelan had been secretly communicating with Leo via their mental link, describing landmarks along the way in the hopes that Leo would soon teleport to rescue him.

[Leo, have you pinpointed my location yet?]

[I’m getting closer, hang tight. I’m on my way to save you. Just stall a bit longer. If worst comes to worst, follow Iris’s instructions for now.]

Swallowing hard, Zelan gazed nervously at Iris.

“It won’t. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have kept you alive this long. Extracting your energy won’t be fatal. You should know your own condition better than anyone.”

Naya, observing from the side, noticed that Zelan wasn’t very cooperative with the Dragon King’s orders.

Just as Naya pondered what approach to take to convince Zelan to surrender, a voice echoed in her mind from the System.

[Host, the Hero is using his artifact. I can sense energy fluctuations from the ley lines.]

[What?!]

Naya instantly summoned her Flame Spear from thin air and leaped forward to stand between Iris and Zelan.

“I’ll protect you!”