Chapter 96.3
Chapter 96: We Are Invincible [3]
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.