The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Exhausted, Tania muttered a complaint before returning to her room to continue sleeping.

Dragons, unlike humanoid creatures, don't need to sleep on a regular schedule, but when they transform into humanoid forms, they naturally require rest.

But just as Tania had closed the door, David felt a pain in his claw and turned around to curse out loud.

His own father, in his eagerness to steal something, had actually bitten into his claw like an Elf scold, and then took advantage of his pain to snatch back the visa slip from his grip.

Then, to David's incredulity, he tore it to shreds in a single motion.

To prevent David from finding Spellcasters to cast a Restoration Spell and restore it, he swallowed the shreds of paper along with the broken wax seal, causing his eyes to roll back immediately.

"I fucki..."

David wriggled his claw free from Attilicia's embrace, about to erupt in Wrath, but as if fearful of waking his sister again, he lowered his voice several pitches, "Really, unbelievable! Fine, have it your way."

Attilicia, eager to return home, actually believed his Red Dragon son was finally following his instructions, and with patience, he consoled, "Alright, I'll head back to the church in Saeolus City first to send a message to Dragon Island. You should pack your bags tonight, and this house... I'll see if it can be returned tomorrow. If Tania wakes up, have a good talk with her."

The iron-willed Silver Dragon father then dumped the most troublesome task directly on David.

But David simply sat up, tilted his head with a look of indifference, and said, "If you want to return to Dragon Island, go by yourself. I'll take Tania around Dewensen for a spin and then head back to the Old Continent to catch some wild Chromatic Dragons for fun."

"You! Why are you always so disobedient! This is an opportunity! It's our chance, as a family of three, to escape from Pafila's clutches."

Just as when the Dragon Mother first heard the keyword "family of three" and was filled with irritation, David's pupils narrowed into slits, his voice tinged with coldness, "Hmph, just thinking of fleeing back to Dragon Island? Who was it that promised to shower Mom with so much money she'd perform the Conquest Dance? Well, you better think it through. If you dare to flee, last time you were only banned from setting foot on the Old Continent. This time, you might never leave Dragon Island for the rest of your life."

"..." Attilicia was instantly at a loss for words.

Indeed, if he really went back now, he feared he might never be able to leave again. But the thought of that astronomical ransom of 120,000 pounds of gold per year for ten years made his scalp tingle! He'd also risk being disgraced and dragging his children into a dangerous abyss.

And the more David spoke like this, the more Attilicia felt an impulse to just flee back to Dragon Island, putting all other difficulties out of his mind for the moment.

He opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't speak harshly. Instead, he left with, "Take care of Tania. I was rash before. I... need to go back to the church to pray and think things over carefully."

"My boy, forgive me... I am really scared..."

He wasn't afraid of his own downfall, but he feared... dragging his children into unknown dangers. His child David might be strong, but Dewensen was no pushover, not to mention the masters from all walks of life built up over the years. Just the legendary figures alone, there were six, including the Elf King Ailiando and the Duchess of the Silver Wheel, Mirillian! If things truly escalated, it would cause a massive commotion. David couldn't possibly still be able to summon the Chromatic Dragon Queen to level Dewensen as well, could he? Plus, with the lesson learned from the Spider Nest City incident, the High Elves would surely take extra precautions against such an event, denying David the chance to summon the Dragon Queen. So even if, theoretically, the truth were exposed, the children would still have the backing and protection of Dragon Island. But what if something unexpected happened? Just the thought of a "what if..." made him somewhat afraid to contemplate it further. Thinking thus, Attilicia didn't dare to look into David's eyes at the moment. Those were most likely eyes filled with disappointment for his breach of promise, timidity, and cowardice.

"I'm leaving..."

Having said that, he then listlessly pushed open the room door, enclosing his somewhat desolate silhouette within the lonely night.

David, watching his old man's retreating figure from the windowsill, didn't quite harbor any disappointment; if anything, it was pity for his misfortune, anger for his lack of fight. "Sheesh, like a woman, with you being this timid, how on earth did Mom fall for you back in the day?"

Immediately, his tail scratching his swaying head, he climbed the stairs in a few steps and pushed open the door. He then flung himself directly into the mini Dragon Nest, which was embedded into the treehouse frame on a base of alchemic alloy, surmising with maximum malice, "Stop pretending, Dad's already tearfully run back to Saeolus City to seek comfort from his 'lover'."

With a BANG, Tania, who had been feigning sleep, flipped upright in mid-air and sat bolt upright with a sudden JOLT, her two azure pupils glaring as if they were zircon stones undergoing demonic transformation. What she was more curious about was how David realized she was eavesdropping. "How did you know I wasn't asleep?"

"You're just a bit naïve, not really stupid. Otherwise, how could you have grown up under our mom's dragon wings? Only Dad is fooled by you, still thinking you're a pure Silver Dragon, a good little baby. Had I known, I would've played dumb too," David said, exasperated.

He had discovered more than once that Attilicia, this Silver Dragon father, often needed to lean on him, his son, for confidence or emotional support.

There was no helping it; such was the case with dragons who suffered psychological scars in their youth.

"Hehe, don't say that. What if Dad insists on taking us back to Dragon Island? That place feels so boring," Tania said, stretching lazily.

"Didn't I just say? Let's have fun in Dewensen first, and if all else fails, let's go catch some wild baby dragons on the Old Continent together."

"Hmm... I have no objection to that, but what about Dad, a dragon all by himself?"

"Why bother about him? He's already a young dragon, okay! Plus, I have a feeling he'll 'have a change of heart'," David suddenly said with an evil smile.

"Why do you think so?" Tania couldn't quite grasp why her older brother was so certain.

The Silver Dragon dad seemed quite determined when he left.

"Intuition," David said.

It was unknown whether it was thanks to the immense gains from the Spider Nest City incident, but the Authority of Greed had become significantly more powerful, so much so that David could now not only predict the actions of his targets a second ahead. He also developed a strange 'intuition' regarding the matters he thought and cared about.

According to his intuition, his dad's return journey tonight might not go smoothly. Although he didn't know why, that's just how he "felt."

「Nearing 3 a.m., Saeolus City, Justice Church.」

When Attilicia, dusty and exhausted from traveling hundreds of kilometers from Dewensen, arrived back at his own church, he discovered that the Justice Church, where he had lived for nearly a decade, had been razed to the ground... Not only that, where the church once stood, a Mage Tower imbued with the style of Silver Dragons had been erected.

"Who the hell tore down my church?! Come out here!!!"

"...It's the middle of the night! Are you going to let a dragon sleep or not?"

After a while, the magic lights of the Mage Tower came on, and a 'High Elf' clad in a white gauzy nightgown and suspenders rubbed her bleary eyes and yawned as she pushed open the oak door.

On seeing Attilicia, furious to the point where her delicate frame seemed to tremble, she immediately feigned a 'sudden realization.' "Ah! Isn't this our esteemed former envoy to Granyel on the Old Continent, who went missing in Spider Nest City, Lady Attilicia? You're finally out of danger?! Oh, how wonderful, congratulations, congratulations! Eh, you... you you you, why have you become female?! By the King of the North Wind! Attilicia! We've known each other for over sixty years, and I only find out today that you have such a shameless fetish!"

"Ah?" Only now did Attilicia remember she had forgotten to change back into a 'Priest,' and instinctively covered her chest, which was no less spectacular than the other party's.

"Ugh! Is it true that after being captured by the Drow one awakens to some incredible fetishes? Give it another two or three years, will I have to congratulate you on birthing a precious child? Hahaha! I must go back and tell the sisters!"

The Silver Dragon, feigning to shut the door, then heard Attilicia's furious roar from behind, "Shalaina Alonso, I see your scales are itching again!!!"

BANG!

The oak door of the Mage Tower was violently pushed open once more, and the Silver Dragon Miss addressed as Shalaina coldly taunted, "I think it's you, Attilicia, whose scales are itching!" She then lowered her voice and said, "How dare you brazenly convert and worship the God of Justice? You must be tired of living!"

Attilicia's body stiffened in an instant, and she finally understood why her childhood friend from Dragon Island had destroyed her church upon arrival.

It was to 'help' her destroy evidence of her crimes.

Her tone immediately softened substantially. "This is none of your business. Let me into the Mage Tower to use the Communication Array."

"Sure, but first, pay back the three thousand pounds of gold you borrowed from me," Shalaina said nonchalantly, her every move carrying a distinct allure.

The irony was, the moment the usually unromantic Attilicia heard this, she reacted as if her tail had been stepped on. "When did I ever borrow money from you?!"

"You didn't borrow it; your parents did. Think back, ten years ago," the Silver Dragon Miss reminded, annoyed that her earlier seductive display had been utterly wasted.

"...Ah!!! I don't want to remember!" Attilicia was almost driven mad.

She had been somewhat relieved, but upon reflection, her parents had borrowed money to buy her freedom, even from Shalaina. It meant the entire Swietlanden clan, perhaps even every familiar dragon from Dragon Island, had been borrowed from! Oh my god!!! What price did Pafila name for me back then! And thinking about her parents, who might have been silently repaying her debt to this day...

"Aaah!!!" A completely crestfallen Attilicia bolted straight back to Dewensen City, tears streaming down her face.

Shalaina was stunned. "Eh? Eh! Don't run away! I agreed to let you into my Mage Tower! Did you hear me! Why are you running? Run, run, run! All you know is to run!"

The Silver Dragon Miss, a childhood friend, looked utterly devastated. "You damn coward, Attilicia! Get back here! Can't you see the hints I'm dropping? Do I have to spell it out that you don't have to pay me back? Just take it as... an advance on your dowry... You deserved to be screwed over by Pafila! You deserved to be screwed over by the Drow! Damn it all to hell!"

That night, a young female Silver Dragon who had mustered the courage to search for a childhood idol... was completely shattered in her thunderous fury.

「The next morning,」

David, who had just napped for a while and was deciding what to eat, heard a knock at the door. Annoyed, he used the tip of his tail to pull open the oak door, only to see a red-eyed Attilicia handing him a visa slip that had been 'Restored.'

"Can you wake your sister up so we can have breakfast together? And then... maybe we can go to the city hall?"

David couldn't be bothered with whatever his old man had gone through the night before and turned to shout upstairs, "Tania, Dad's back... no, Dad's up. Let's go for breakfast! Weren't you hankering for some Stargazy Pie last night?"

"...Oh, let me sleep a little more... Just a little longer..."

"..." David immediately gestured with his chin toward his Silver Dragon father, who seemed to have pent-up anger with nowhere to vent it. The gesture clearly meant: Look at the state your daughter is in.