Chapter 96.2

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Chapter 96: We Are Invincible [2]

These brief keywords strung together painted a less than ideal picture. Naya raised her hand and playfully punched Iris’s shoulder, her cheeks flushed with anger.

She hadn’t touched her ice cream, waiting until that family of three finished and left the ice cream shop.

“You… you wouldn’t really… I’ll teach you a lesson!”

She then said to Semira.

Iris quickly shrugged her shoulders to dodge Naya’s small punches.

“Semira, lift your head.”

“No, I just patted the Paladin’s head, what were you thinking?”

“Hmm?”

“!!!”

She scooped some ice cream and held it to Semira’s mouth, who was sitting across from her.

Naya realized she had misunderstood, which made her even more embarrassed and angry.

Semira paused for a moment, then smiled with closed eyes as she accepted the spoonful of ice cream from her mother.

“Even patting heads isn’t allowed! You’ll be kneeling on the washboard when we get back!”

“Thank you, mother!”

Naya had thought Iris was using a method of entering others’ bodies.

“Do you prefer that way, Semira?”

After all, Iris could sense the system within her, seemingly through their daily intimate contact.

Semira shook her head repeatedly.

She couldn’t help but think that way.

“No! Mother, this is fine, I am willing to follow you and practice knighthood together.”

“Illya, doesn’t mom’s face look like a cherry?”

Semiya thought for a moment.

“It does!”

Because she bore the name of Knight of Casimir, Semira had lacked normal family affection since childhood.

Illya chuckled and nodded.

From the moment of birth, she was told how a knight should behave.

She actually didn’t know why Mama was angry, nor did she understand what these adults were hinting at. She didn’t understand any of it, but she found Mama and Mother’s interactions interesting.

Now at just seven years old, she had to formally face adventure – a world-class adventure at that.

She loved seeing Mama blush and get angry in front of Mother. At those times, Mama looked as beautiful as a rose, a feast for the eyes.

Because she was the daughter of a Holy Knight, everyone thought she must be excellent from a young age. So at just seven years old, following Semiya to Rex City to compete for a world-class ley line artifact was considered acceptable training for her.

“Illya, if you take your mother’s side, no more bedtime stories for you.”

Though Semiya spent little time with Semira, she wasn’t unfeeling. On their journey from the Goss Empire, she discovered that her daughter’s childlike innocence hadn’t been extinguished, but still shone brightly.

“Eh? No! Mother, go kneel on the washboard!”

“Semira, listen – as a knight, one should protect all beautiful things.”

Illya immediately switched to Naya’s side.

“Yes, mother!”

Though she didn’t know who was right or wrong, and thought patting someone’s head wasn’t a big deal, Illya knew that when Mama was angry, she should take Mama’s side. Mama was justice in this world.

“Including your heart that wants to be spoiled by your mother.”

“Mother…”

With Illya’s support, Naya confidently puffed out her chest.

Semira held her ice cream and happily ran over to sit beside Semiya.

“Did you hear that, Iris? Go kneel on the washboard when we get back.”

“Mother, let me feed you.”

“Did you hear that, Mother? Listen to Mama properly.”

“Mmm.”

Iris felt her dignity as Dragon King was rather compromised. She lowered her head to look at the pink dragon Loli in her arms, imitating Naya’s threat to Iris.

Semiya opened her mouth, accepting her daughter’s childish feeding game.

“Illya, if you help your Mama speak, I won’t buy you toys anymore.”

After finishing the ice cream.

“Hmph! Then don’t buy any – if I don’t have toys to play with, I’ll play with Mama.”

Semiya looked at Semira’s blonde hair, which was simply tied into a single ponytail, and she was also wearing a light skirt armor.

“You naughty girl, you’re asking for it!”

The pink-haired girl, with twin ponytails, a bow on her head, and a lovely pink dress, was bright and beautiful, forming a stark contrast with her own daughter.

Iris raised her hand and pinched Illya’s cheek.

“Semira, let me take you somewhere.”

To dare say such outrageous things.

“Yes, mother!”

The family of three’s playful banter attracted quite a bit of attention from passersby. Naya’s large red umbrella was already eye-catching enough, and when they heard the pink-haired little Loli calling both “Mother” and “Mama”, pedestrians couldn’t help but stop to listen to this family’s conversation.

Putting down the empty cup, Semira stood up and followed Semiya out of the ice cream shop. However, she felt her steps had become more determined.

“How wonderful…”

I must prove that I have the ability to fight alongside my mother.

“In this cold and indifferent society, perhaps only beautiful women’s intimacy can bring me warmth.”

From now on, I won’t have to wait anxiously at home every day for my mother’s triumphant return.

“A newlywed Yuri (Girls’ Love) life, so heartwarming.”

Earlier, I was a bit carried away because it was rare to travel with my mother. Just now, mother’s indulgence was likely a warning—this would be my last time being reckless, right?

As I watched the mother and daughter trio walk into a toy store, the passersby also continued on their way.

Where is Mother going to take me?

Iris had said she wouldn’t buy Illya any toys, but in the end, she couldn’t help but bring Illya to the toy store.

Semira followed behind Semiya, feeling incredibly anxious.

After all, Illya wasn’t joking around.

Until Semiya stopped in front of a certain house, Semira looked up and, upon seeing the shop sign, widened her eyes in surprise.

When Illya doesn’t have toys to play with in the bath, she plays with Naya’s volleyball, which makes Iris grind her teeth.

A costume and accessories store?

Iris carried Illya into the toy store and went straight to the counter to ask the owner.

“Do you have any small, portable toys that can be used while bathing?”

“Yes, we do!” The owner immediately came out from behind the counter and started introducing Iris to the toys in the shop. “Take a look at this—it’s a slime fairy ball. When it touches water, it grows bigger and taller. It’s small and easy to carry, and if you leave it in a dry place overnight, it shrinks back to its small size. It’s really useful.”

“Okay, I’ll buy it! Give me ten!”

In short, buy, buy, buy.

Satisfy Illya’s desires first. Fill Illya’s hands full with toys, so Illya won’t have any ideas about my wife anymore.

After spending an afternoon shopping, the family of three finally returned to the inn to rest. Carrying the slime fairy balls back to their room, Illya eagerly grabbed Naya’s hand.

“Mama, Mama, I want to take a bath right now!”

“Why the rush? Your Mother hasn’t kneeled on the washboard yet.”

Hearing Naya’s words, Iris felt her heart skip a beat.

She looked at Naya in disbelief, her gaze asking, “You’re serious, wife?”

She thought Naya had just been joking.

Naya crossed her arms and snorted, indicating she wasn’t joking.

“But there isn’t a washboard here,” Iris looked around.

“Let’s go to the private hot spring and kneel on the pebble path.”

Taking Illya by the hand, Naya led the family to the private hot spring.

The so-called pebble path was just graffiti on the floor. The inn’s designer had deliberately made the floor look like an outdoor hot spring to create an atmosphere of wilderness.

“Whoosh!”

Illya, no longer paying attention to the two adults, poured all the fairy balls from the bag into the water. In an instant, the balls absorbed the water, growing into large fairies.

“Wow! So many big sisters!”

Hearing Illya’s exclamation, Naya turned to look.

Ten large slime fairy women lay in the water, completely naked but semi-transparent and colorful.

“Hey, what kind of toys are these?”

Naya walked to the edge of the pool and examined the slime creatures.

Luckily, they weren’t too realistic. Otherwise, it would be too inappropriate for a child to play with such toys, and it would teach Illya bad lessons.

“Hehe…”

Naked, Illya leaped into the water, embracing them left and right, completely immersed in the warm embrace of the fairy sisters.

Since they were slimes, they occasionally blinked, making them seem almost lifelike.

Oh well, as long as Illya doesn’t misinterpret them.

Perhaps to her, these fairy-shaped slimes were just cute life-sized dolls.

But behind her, Iris was the real issue.

Naya turned around, just as Iris was undressing.

“Iris… the pebble path.”

“Naya, are you serious?”

Naya crossed her arms again, repeating their earlier silent exchange of glances.

“What else?”

“Alright.”

Iris draped on a bathrobe and, slowly, before Naya, began to kneel.

Was Naya really making her kneel?

She was the Dragon King!

Wasn’t Naya going too far?

At that moment, Iris felt a deep sense of grievance and confusion.

Last time when Naya and Lina got tangled up, Iris had only been a little angry. 

Yet now, Naya was demanding an apology by kneeling?

And touching that Holy Knight’s head was only to gather intelligence.

But if it was Naya’s demand, she’d climb a mountain of knives if she had to.

“Ah!”

Suddenly, someone slipped, pulling Iris down to the ground, preventing her from kneeling.

Naya landed on top of Iris, staring into her red eyes, but her gaze shifted away awkwardly.

Iris’s bathrobe had come loose, and the silky fabric was now pressed against Naya’s skin.

Behind their dragon tails, Naya’s delicate ankle clasped around Iris’s leg, hinting at her own flustered state.

“I… accidentally slipped…”

Naya had indeed been joking all along.

She wasn’t really jealous that Iris had touched someone else’s head.

However, she realized belatedly that the joke might have gone too far.

But this joke brought an unexpected surprise—knowing that Iris would unconditionally obey her.

“Touch my head, Iris. However long you touch someone else’s, double it for me.”

Naya leaned against Iris’s shoulder.

Iris paused briefly, then raised her hand to stroke Naya’s hair.

Naya and Iris, pressed together, felt a sense of fulfillment and happiness as Iris’s gentle hand stroked Naia’s hair.

“Would you really have knelt?”

Naya cautiously asked.

“If you asked me to kneel, I would.”

“I didn’t… I was just… indulging in a bit of fantasy…”

Naya recalled TV shows she had seen in her previous life, where henpecked husbands often joked about kneeling on washboards, belittling themselves in front of their wives.

As a woman, the idea of having a husband like that seemed fun.

But Naya didn’t actually enjoy that feeling.

Between her and Iris, no one should be inferior to the other.

“And besides, at that time, I really thought your method of sensing others’ systems involved entering their bodies. My blood pressure spiked, and I got really angry. Even after you explained it was just a head pat, I was still upset, so I told you to kneel on the washboard.”

“I see…”

“Mmm. Iris, even though I’m happy you’re willing to kneel for my little whims, I still want you to be the proud Dragon King. I often talk about proving my status in the family, about conquering you, and while there’s some truth to that… I also find your commanding presence as the Dragon King quite charming. I don’t want to become your weakness. If there ever comes a day when I’m your soft spot, I want you to keep living strong, not kneel for my sake.”

For instance, if she were captured by other heroes and Iris had to surrender in exchange for her life.

Naya didn’t want to see such a situation happen.

So when Iris followed her orders without hesitation, Naya felt a small fear of that future.

If Iris weren’t the Dragon King, then Naia would let her pamper her all she wanted. But since Iris was the Dragon King, there were always people trying to kill her, to bring her down.

Iris’s voice was soft and tender.

“I won’t let that happen.”

“So, be more cautious. And don’t use your time-stop ability so recklessly again. If the Holy Knight anticipates it or has her own system that isn’t affected by your time pause, your trump card will be exposed. Facing the Holy Knight will become even more difficult.”

“Your concerns aren’t without reason.”

Naya raised her hand, tracing circles on Iris’s chest with her delicate fingers, beneath her loosened bathrobe.

“I’m not worrying for nothing, Iris… I really cherish the time we spend together. You might think I’m nagging, always warning you to be careful. But death can fail countless times, while we can’t afford a single mistake. You hold a high position; you should always be wary.”

“Sorry, Naya. I admit I was careless that time. I won’t use time-stop so casually again.”

“Alright, alright.”

Naya propped herself up beside Iris. “It feels weird having a Dragon Queen who doesn’t claim to be invincible. You should keep being proud. I’ll be your second pair of eyes.”

She leaned down and kissed those soft lips.

…….

In the bathtub, Illya was playing with a slime shaped like a big sister elf when she suddenly sensed something was off.

Why weren’t Mama and Mother saying anything?

She turned her head to take a look.

“Whoa!”

Illya gasped sharply.

Instinctively, she covered her eyes, then quietly opened her fingers to peek.

Wow…

Is it really that smooth?

Illya glanced at the slime beside her and instantly felt it was dull in comparison.

“You have a great figure and a nice feel, but is that useful? Can you stretch? As a toy, you need to have realism and flexibility. Do you have those?”

However, since Mother and Mama were playing a couple’s game, she decided not to disturb them.

Illya hugged the big sister elf and dove underwater.

Out of sight, out of mind!

On the other side, the two of them finally raised their heads, gazing at each other with eyes so filled with affection they could almost drip with love.

If it weren’t for Illya being there, they probably would have stripped off all their clothes right then and there.

Naya turned to look at the bathtub, the water’s surface was calm and quiet, with nothing at all. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Where’s Illya?”

“She’s underwater.”

As Iris replied, a series of bubbles erupted from the calm water’s surface.

“Glub glub…”

Then, a little girl with pink hair popped up from the water’s surface.

“Wow!”

Your little cutie suddenly appears!

Naya’s anxious heart finally settled down.

“Thank goodness… I thought Illya was missing again.”

“It seems my second pair of eyes aren’t bright enough,” she said, recalling how she had just lectured Iris, only for them to neglect Illya due to their passionate kissing. Naya’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“I… what I meant by the second pair of eyes was to see what might happen in the future, but protecting those around you is still your responsibility.”

Naya didn’t have the powerful sensing skills that Iris and the others, as royal dragon species, possessed to detect the energy around them. She was merely a bronze-level dragon and didn’t know any dragon magic.

Once she got carried away, she only thought about getting close to Iris.

She was so invested that, for a moment, she didn’t notice Illya beside her.

“Well, it seems I’m under a bit of pressure…”

Iris lowered her gaze, the deep furrows on her forehead becoming apparent.

The dual pressure of physical and psychological stress was significant.

Naya hurriedly covered the groove on her chest and adjusted her neckline.

“Taking advantage and then pretending to be innocent!”

After sitting up from Iris’s lap, Naya figured it was time to wash up properly.

She didn’t know if Illya had seen anything inappropriate for children.

Naya patted her cheeks.

Truly, she was becoming more and more indulgent.

It couldn’t go on like this. Otherwise, one day, Illya might really become a part of their play.

…….

After taking a shower and finishing their meal, the two maids sent out at noon returned with information. They began to report the situation in Naya and Iris’s room.

Mainly, it was the eloquent Flanna reporting.

With Iris’s permission, she and Bella sat opposite the Dragon King’s family at the dining table.

Illya sat on Naya’s lap, held by her, while the mother and daughter only displayed shallow curiosity. Iris, on the other hand, sat upright, listening intently.

Flanna thought for a moment before starting her report.

“Your Majesty, after our summary over the day, it seems that in about three days, the energy density of the ley line will reach its peak, which is also likely when the ley line flower will bear fruit. Recently, only ten percent of the brave adventurers who entered the Bear Forest have returned. The rest, reportedly, have gotten lost in the Bear Forest, their fates unknown.”

“Hmm, continue.”

“Due to the massive density of ley line energy generated by the world-class ley line flower, the entire Bear Forest has formed a large secret realm, where the space has been folded and is chaotic. Once inside, the map is entirely useless. If you accidentally get separated, it’s very likely you won’t see each other again.”

“Sure enough, the birth of a world-class ley line artifact won’t be so easy for adventurers to obtain.”

Iris rested her chin on one hand, deep in thought.

“Furthermore, there is more than one ley line guardian. They roam the area affected by the ley line energy and will attack anyone they see indiscriminately. Most ley line guardians are humanoid, leading other adventurers in the Bear Forest to mistake fellow adventurers for ley line guardians, resulting in accidental injuries.”

“Hmm, the intention to seize the ley line artifact is driven by profit. Even without the guardians’ interference, they might act against other adventurers to become the only ones to obtain the ley line artifact.”

Iris nodded, signaling Flanna to continue.

“As for the adventurers who have come here to compete for the ley line artifact, as of today, there are about 30 super-tier adventurers, around 100 high-tier adventurers, and 5 Casimir knights. The actual number will be more, considering there are other adventurers like us, hiding and watching the situation.”

“Is there any other useful information?”

“None, Your Majesty. When do we plan to set out to explore the Bear Forest?”

Flanna’s purple eyes sparkled with intense desire.

Having been a maid beside Naya for many years, she hadn’t experienced an exhilarating battle in a long time.

And this time, perhaps she could have a good fight.

“Don’t rush, Flanna. We should be the yellow bird, not the mantis. Let’s wait until the flowers bloom before we go. Even if the artifact is seized by other adventurers beforehand, we can just take it back from them.”

Recalling Naya’s words, saying the Dragon King Iris was handsome and that she would become her second pair of eyes if she continued to be proud, Iris held Naya’s delicate hand, gently stroking her palm, and then smiled confidently.

“After all, we are invincible.”

…….

“Let’s go, Semira. We’re going to buy clothes.”

“Mother?”

“Semira, as a knight, you should fight to protect beauty. Before doing that, we must first learn to yearn for beauty.”

“Yes! Mother!”

Mother is indeed a true knight!

Semira looked at her mother’s golden figure and felt she appeared even taller.

They walked into a clothing store.

Semira unexpectedly ran into the red-haired trio again. They were picking out hair accessories in front of a shelf.

“Illya, we meet again.”

The three raised their heads at the sound.

And Semira finally saw the look of surprise on Illya’s face that she had been hoping for.

“Hello, Semira! We’ve met again. Are you also here with your mom to buy hair accessories?”

“Indeed! Making myself more beautiful is one of the knight’s training lessons!”

Having bumped into Semira multiple times, Illya felt they were destined to meet and set aside her earlier indifference, starting to chat familiarly with Semira.

“Really? This one suits you very well, Semira, like a flower of the sun hairpin.”

Illya casually picked a hairpin and handed it to Semira.

Semira’s golden hair sparkled like the sun.

“Thank you, Illya.”

“You’re welcome~”

Illya actually longed to communicate with peers, but because she had been hurt by Parnis and the others, she didn’t dare to get too close to others casually. 

Plus, since Semira was human, her mother had once told her that humans held prejudices against dragon kin, so she was even more hesitant to get close.

But, after running into Semira repeatedly…

Illya could no longer hold back.

This friend, she had decided to make!

Watching the children interact, Naya could only smile awkwardly.

Though she internally hoped Illya wouldn’t interact with humans, it was difficult to voice such refusals in front of them.

Moreover, there might come a time when they had to face Semira’s mother.

The two little girls were gathered together, picking out hair accessories.

Iris watched from the side and suddenly asked, “Holy Knight, did you come here for the ley line artifact?”

Semiya immediately became vigilant, turning her head to glance at Iris.

“Are you also…?”

“No, we’re just here for a vacation. While eating, we heard someone mention that something big was going to happen here—a world-class treasure, the ley line artifact, is about to be born. I thought the holy knights from the Goss Empire came a long way for this item too.”

“Hmm. You shouldn’t be vacationing in Rex City. Recently, a lot of adventurers from all over have gathered here, and there’s many bad guys among them. You need to be extra careful.”

“Thank you for the warning, Holy Knight. We will be careful.”

“Not at all…”

Time stops!

The world stopped moving.

Iris raised her hand and gently pressed it against the Holy Knight’s forehead, invading her mind with energy for a detailed analysis.

As time ticked by second by second.

In the moment before time flowed back, Iris withdrew her hand, her expression unchanged as she locked eyes with Semiya, who continued her sentence.

“…it seems we’re quite fated, encountering each other so many times in one day.”

“It is our honor, Holy Knight.”

After a casual exchange, the two little girls finished selecting their hair accessories. After circling the store once more and buying some other jewelry for Illya, they left the shop with her.

In the sunlight, Iris picked Illya up and looked down at the little bag in her hand, saying, 

“Alright, let’s go buy toys.”

“Okay~”

Then, Iris leaned closer to Naya, who was holding the umbrella, and whispered softly in her ear.

“Naya, there’s nothing.”

“What do you mean, nothing?”

“Nothing like you.”

Naya understood immediately!

She nodded.

“But we can’t let our guard down. Someone who can become a Holy Knight must have their strengths.”

Generally, those who challenge the Dragon King are Heroes.

Knights from the Goss Empire wouldn’t attack dragon kin without a just cause. They represent the entire nation of the Goss Empire, so challenging the Dragon King would almost be equivalent to declaring war on the entire Dragon Empire.

Iris had little experience in combat against Knights.

Even if the Holy Knight didn’t have a system, she couldn’t easily assume she could defeat her opponent.