Chapter 81
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Chapter 81: Good News And Bad News [6K]
“Your Majesty, this is a portrait of Linnevia.”
Iris had sent one of her skilled subordinates to the location Leo mentioned, to find a person named Linnevia and sketch her appearance for Naya to identify.
Iris took the painting from her subordinate and handed it to Naya.
“See if this is the person you’re looking for.”
Naya looked at the woman in the portrait, whose appearance remained as young and beautiful as it had been six years ago. Except for her silver-white hair, everything else was just as she remembered.
“Does she really have white hair?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Alright, you may leave.”
“Then I shall take my leave.”
After the dragon subordinate left, Naya sat down in the chair at the hall, holding the portrait in both hands, sighing with emotion.
“Is she really a Saintess in a church? I… can’t face her like this… Sigh…”
“You can use magic to hide your horns and tail.”
“But the issue is… my gender.”
“That, I can’t help you with.”
Naya fell into deep thought. Should she go see Linnevia?
From what her subordinates had gathered, Lina seemed to be doing well. Using her position as a priestess, she healed the sick and saved lives, gaining considerable prestige in the city, which led to her becoming a Saintess.
And Naya, someone who had supposedly died in Linivea’s world, was it even appropriate to appear before her?
“Maybe I should just go and take a look. I can see how she’s doing without saying anything, and it would give me some closure.”
“Closure?”
Iris, who had been standing beside her, now looked intently at Naya, her gaze almost devouring her.
“Not that kind of closure! I mean, back when all those things happened, we never had the chance to say goodbye. It’s that kind of regret. It’s not like she was my first love!”
Iris, being her jealous self again.
“Now that you’ve confirmed it’s this Lina you’ve been thinking about, there’s no need to keep this painting.”
Iris snatched the portrait from Naya’s hands and used magic to burn it to ashes. Naya sighed helplessly but understood. She had been bringing up Lina far too often lately.
She stood up and hugged Iris.
“Please bear with me a little longer, okay? Once I say a proper goodbye to my past, I will dedicate my whole heart to you.”
“Alright.”
Iris bent down to kiss Naya’s forehead.
“Now, what should we do with Leo?”
“He’s no longer useful. Let’s fulfill our promise—release him, then kill him.”
“Understood.”
“He’s been starved for so many days, he probably doesn’t have any strength left. Let’s deal with this today and put an end to it once and for all.”
While Illya was still napping, Naya and Iris decided to head out to meet Leo.
…
Three days had passed since they last saw Leo. Naya looked at the frail, golden-haired man hanging limply on the cross. His once vibrant golden hair had turned a withered, lifeless yellow.
Upon hearing their footsteps, Leo didn’t even have the strength to lift his head. Humans are truly pitiful, starving for three days turns them into this.
Naya approached him, observing his filthy face, too dirty to even slap. Instead, she raised her voice.
“Leo! Wake up!”
“I was already awake. So, did you find Lina?”
“Yes, we found her.”
“Good, I didn’t lie to you, Monet…”
“Hmm… You can leave now.”
“Hehe… Thank you, Monet. I hope you won’t break your promise.”
“Leo, Zelan is dead. He sacrificed himself to save you. His body wasn’t even intact. He could have escaped, but he chose to die on the path of rescuing his comrades. In his final moments, he still thought of getting closer to the palace, still thought of you.”
“Is that so? I’m sorry, Zelan.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
“My conscience hurts deeply. Sigh, I’m utterly heartbroken now… are you satisfied?”
Leo didn’t even have to pretend, his current state was already miserable enough.
Naya rolled her eyes at him. Forget it, expecting kindness from this scoundrel was impossible.
“Iris, release him.”
Iris dispelled the binding spell on Leo, and soldiers helped him out of the chamber. Naya wasn’t worried about him escaping, since space teleportation required time to chant. Any sneaky moves he made would be seen clearly by Iris.
Outside the palace, Iris instructed the soldiers.
“Toss him out.”
The soldiers threw Leo down from the high steps.
“Ouch… That’s harsh, Monet.”
Leo struggled to his feet, then traced a few patterns in the air with his hands. A purple magic circle lit up beneath him. He looked at Iris and Naya, smiling slightly.
“Goodbye, Monet, and to the Dragon Queen—may you two enjoy eternal happiness.”
As the purple light surged, Leo’s vision blurred. But just as he was about to successfully teleport, his mind and body disconnected, and everything turned pitch black. In an instant, he lost consciousness.
Naya watched as his blond head hit the ground. He died in almost the same spot as Zelan, blood gushing out, glinting eerily in the sunlight.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.
“Goodbye, Leo.”
Even though you were a scoundrel, before I realized you were one, the times we fought as Heroes together were indeed wonderful. Perhaps in the end, we were all worn down by reality, and in our quest to slay the dragon, we changed from who we once were.
“Feed him to the big cat beast.”
Iris instructed the soldiers again. Naya watched them carry off Leo’s body. Still feeling uneasy, she followed them all the way to ensure his body was fed to the dragons’ pet cats before finally relaxing.
He died a bit too easily, she thought.
“Iris, does this count as breaking our promise? We said we’d let him go.”
“No, it doesn’t. An eye for an eye, it’s only fair.”
“Sigh… I never thought things between us would end this way.”
“Let’s go back.”
The body was entirely consumed. Leo definitely wasn’t coming back to life. Naya followed Iris home, sitting together on their bed for a brief while, trying to forget everything about Leo.
With Illya’s wake-up time approaching, Naya remembered something she’d been meaning to ask Iris.
“Iris, there’s something about Illya that I’ve been forgetting to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Illya says she dreams of a black dragon, and that dragon claims to be her ancestor.”
“A black dragon?”
“Yes,” Naya turned to look at Iris.
“Whenever Illya focuses her thoughts on meeting the former Dragon King, she can see that black dragon. The first time, he taught her some strange things. The second time she mentioned the dragon, it was when Leo ambushed her. It was the black dragon who convinced Illya that she was strong enough to go out on her own. That’s why she had the courage to sneak out.”
Naya’s eyes showed a hint of helplessness.
“We’re leaving for a trip soon. What if that Dragon King living in her dreams encourages her to go off on her own again?”
“Hmm…”
Iris put her arm around Naya’s shoulder.
“A black dragon… My great-great-grandfather’s generation had a black Dragon King. They say he was obsessed with becoming a God. Just as he was about to touch the stars, the gods sent down three thousand thunderbolts, blocking his path to divinity. After falling back to earth, he descended into destruction, wantonly wreaking havoc and slaughtering indiscriminately. All living things, including the dragons, suffered terribly. In the end, the Gods intervened again and sealed him away. Since then, the black Dragon King has vanished from memory.”
“Do you think the dragon Illya dreams of could be that Dragon King?”
“Quite possibly.”
“You said he descended into destruction, wreaking havoc. Could Illya be influenced by him?”
“I think the black Dragon King was merely throwing a tantrum after failing to become a God. He’s been sealed away for so long now, he should’ve calmed down.”
“This… that still sounds dangerous! How can you downplay it so lightly? Aren’t you worried about Illya at all?”
Naya pushed Iris away, her eyes fierce, like an angry cat.
Iris sighed with a wry smile.
“It’s really nothing to worry about. When my Dragon King bloodline awakened, I also dreamed of an ancient Dragon King and drew power from them. This happens to every Dragon King. It’s only beneficial to Illya.”
“And what kind of Dragon King did you meet?”
“It’s a Silver Dragon Loli.”
“What?”
“Anyone who ascends the throne is no ordinary being. She was a very mischievous Dragon King with the ability to reverse time. She often enjoyed wiping out a human kingdom, then reversing time to return everything to how it was before, though people’s memories wouldn’t be erased. However, the side effect of this ability was that her body would also regress. Every time she used it, she became a bit younger. She continued to toy with this power until one day, she realized that if she kept using it, she might fade into nothingness. So, she sealed herself away.”
“But, but that’s… completely different from Illya’s situation!”
No matter how you think about it, a Silver Dragon Loli seemed far more endearing than an Black Dragon Uncle!
How could her adorable Illya have ended up with such a former Dragon King?
“Is there really any difference? You don’t need to worry, the Dragon Kings of the past, when awakening their royal blood, were often even more extreme than the Black Dragon King, Illya encountered. It won’t affect her mind.”
Iris sighed softly at Naya’s agitated voice.
“Hmm… so, what do you want to do?”
“I must make sure Illya has less contact with that former Dragon King. No, not just less—she should be forbidden from interacting with that black dragon! My Illya can’t be influenced by him.”
Watching Naya’s flustered expression, Iris felt she was making a fuss over nothing.
But she didn’t dare oppose her. If Naya wanted to make a big deal out of it, she’d let her.
“Well, you’d better teach her well, then. Don’t let her fall onto the path of destruction. I’m off to work.”
“Iris, you…!”
Iris kissed Naya’s cheek, her eyes filled with a faint smile.
“See you tonight.”
“You aren’t even going to help me come up with a solution? Illya’s not just my daughter, you know!”
“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
With that, she turned and left the room.
Naya was fuming. Surely, the dragon race deserved to go extinct! What kind of predecessors were these Dragon Kings?
The former Black Dragon King had returned from a failed attempt to ascend to godhood and sought revenge on the world.
The former Silver Dragon King, due to her playful nature, treated human kingdoms like toys, destroying and restoring them repeatedly. No wonder humans hated them.
[System… Suddenly, I feel like humans aren’t so bad after all.]
[I told you, dragons are abominations! Their very existence is a glitch in the system. They need to be wiped out.]
[But they’re still my wife and daughter, after all. It’s like they say, if you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken. If you marry a dog, you follow the dog.]
[…]
The System was speechless at Naya’s self-acceptance.
[Did you notice what Iris said? The Black Dragon King was obsessed with ascending to godhood but was struck down by divine lightning, forced back to the mortal realm, and fell into the path of destruction. Could it be that dragons can also become gods? Also, what exactly is the definition of ‘godhood’?]
[Becoming a God means exactly that—achieving immortality, transcending the world, and becoming part of the fabric of reality.]
[Too abstract, I don’t get it. Explain it again!]
[If you don’t understand, just forget about it. You’ve already given up on this goal anyway, so explaining it is pointless.]
[You lazy System! I’m going to complain to the Main God!]
[Not going to lie, I’m a follower of the Star God of Destruction myself. Go ahead, complain. I’d love for everything to end. I don’t want this job anymore anyway.]
[Hmph! Fine, go cool off somewhere else.]
Despite her annoyance, Naya wasn’t truly willing to part with the System. Even if she wanted to file a complaint, she didn’t know how, and even if she did, she wouldn’t. The System’s current half-lazy state suited her well—it no longer urged her to hate Iris every day.
Naya brushed her long hair, which had gotten messy from cuddling with Iris, and headed to wake up little Illya.
“Illya, it’s time to get up.”
“Mmm… Mommy…”
Illya blinked awake, and the first thing she saw was Naya’s warm, gentle smile.
The remnants of sleep vanished instantly as she threw off the covers and leapt into Naya’s arms.
Naya gently stroked Illya’s back.
My daughter is so adorable, she really should avoid spending time with that Black Dragon King.
“Illya, have you dreamed about the former Dragon King lately?”
“Nope.”
“Good. From now on, try not to dream about him at all.”
“Why?”
“Your Mother said that the former Dragon King is a bad dragon. Long, long ago, he nearly destroyed the world. Luckily, the gods sealed him away just in time. Now, he’s trying to lure you into helping him break free so he can return and destroy everything again.”
Illya, instead of being scared, exclaimed with excitement.
“Wow! Is the former Dragon King really that powerful?”
“Powerful? What are you talking about!”
Naya gave Illya’s bottom a little pat. Why wasn’t anything getting through to her?
Naya looked into Illya’s pink eyes and spoke sternly.
“You are not to associate with him anymore. Got it?”
“Okay…”
Illya was a bit reluctant, but if her Mama said so, she had no choice but to listen.
Destroying the world—now that was something amazing!
Satisfied, Naya smiled again. Ever since the last incident, Illya had been much more obedient.
Spending her days studying or reading Manga at home. Even when she went out to play, her former friends were long gone, banished from Minglong Island, stripped of their royal status and exiled outside.
“How about we take a walk around the palace later?”
“Sure!”
Though they’d been staying at the palace for days, Naya hadn’t properly shown Illya around, since she herself wasn’t familiar with it and often got lost.
But today, Naya felt a sudden impulse, knowing that in just two days, they’d be setting off on a family vacation.
Looking down at her belly, though the towering snowy peaks blocked her view, Naya could feel the energy of the growing life inside her. Her child was developing into an egg-shaped form.
She dressed Illya in a cute little dress, tied a pretty bow, and added pink ribbons to her twin ponytails.
Finally, she slipped on some white stockings, snug around Illya’s little legs. As Naya admired her perfectly dressed daughter, her heart brimmed with love. She couldn’t resist planting a kiss on Illya’s face.
“A cute pink dragon girl like you could never dream of a world-destroying Black Dragon Uncle, right? It’s best to stay mommy’s good little girl.”
“Hehehe…”
Illya giggled and kissed Naya back. Smiling widely, Naya took Illya’s hand, and they headed out.
They called upon Flanna to guide them, and the three of them strolled around the palace.
Naya made an effort to memorize every building and pathway, knowing they would soon leave for their journey. She didn’t know how long they’d be gone, but she wanted to remember the palace well.
…
By dusk, as the sun dipped below the western mountains, Naya found herself outside the palace gates.
Just that afternoon, Leo had been killed here by Iris. Naya released Illya’s hand, knelt on the ground, and scooped up some soil. Glancing around, she noticed a soldier nearby.
Approaching him, she asked.
“Dear soldier, may I have your helmet?”
“Uh…”
The soldier eyed the dirt in her hands but nodded and handed over his helmet.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you ~”
Naya smiled sweetly, leaving the soldier stunned by her beauty.
Stirred by her charm, he suddenly felt a surge of ambition. He didn’t even mind that she used his helmet for dirt—helmets weren’t much use to dragons, who fought in their true forms.
With the helmet filled with soil, symbolizing Leo’s severed head, Naya turned to Flanna.
“Flanna, take Illya and follow me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Flanna took Illya’s hand and followed Naya.
“Mommy, why are you collecting so much dirt?”
“It’s for remembrance and farewell.”
Back at the Dragon Hall, Naya carved two lines into a piece of wood: Leo’s Grave. With Flanna’s help, she buried the helmet and soil in a small pit, leaving the carved wood sticking out as a marker.
After all the preparations were complete, Naya clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. It wasn’t so much a farewell to Leo, but rather a goodbye to the passionate version of herself from the past.
Naya opened her eyes. She looked up at the sky, where endless hues of crimson soaked the heavens.
“Next, it’ll be you, Lina. By the day after tomorrow at the latest, we’ll meet again.”
When that time comes, she would bid farewell to Lina too, completely severing ties with her former self. From then on, she would devote herself wholeheartedly to loving Iris and her daughters, giving everything she had to her family.
——————
The next morning. Iris was no longer by her side. The room was already filled with soft daylight, and Naya rubbed her waist, yawning. Last night had been their final dance before leaving the palace.
Tonight, there would be no more indulgence. After all, they were setting off on their journey tomorrow, and she needed to conserve her energy and rest.
[Good morning, Host.]
[Good morning, System.]
[Host, you had another comfortable night, didn’t you?]
[Oh, what a beautiful day it is!]
Naya looked toward the window, though the curtains were still tightly drawn.
[What’s wrong with relaxing? Relaxing is a sign of status in the family! Iris isn’t ‘dominating’, she’s serving me. Serving. Got it?]
[I got it, I got it.]
[What’s wrong, System? You suddenly said good morning out of the blue—did the sun rise in the west today?]
Ever since the System adopted a more laid-back approach, it rarely initiated contact with Naya.
[I’ve got good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?]
[The good news.]
[The good news is that your fetus has become more active. I can sense the energy fluctuations.]
So the children had grown, huh? That was indeed something to celebrate.
[What about the bad news?]
[The bad news is that after examining the situation in your womb, I found two energy clusters fighting each other. Those clusters are likely the signs of the new life growing inside you.]
[What?! What’s going on? They’re fighting?]
Naya shuddered instantly, her eyes wide with shock.
[Yes, the two different energy clusters are like a yin-yang symbol, circling each other. Each wants to consume the other, but they’re equally matched, maintaining a delicate balance.]
[Is there a possibility that one party will be swallowed up by the other?]
[It’s hard to say.]
Naya frowned, her eyes flashing with panic.
[What should I do, System? What should I do? Can’t we make them get along? Can’t we stop them from fighting? They’re sisters, why are they fighting? Tell them there’s plenty of space in mother’s womb. I’ll make sure to eat well and provide them with enough nutrients, so they don’t need to fight.]
[The space is more than enough. In fact, as a dragon, unlike other species, you can transform at will. There’s no issue with space in your body.]
[Then why are they fighting?]
[Host, what I’m about to tell you… you need to mentally prepare yourself.]