The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

David could even imagine the expression on the Silver Dragon lady's face when she returned home and found the Tower Spirit paralyzed. The Mage Tower would have nothing missing except for the pair of "Stone Lions" at the front door.

After thinking for a moment, David added, "Hmm, right. Leave her underwear and things too. That way, she'll definitely never suspect you."

"..." Attilicia, having dealt with David for so long, almost instantly understood her son's train of thought. Yet, she felt as if her son had looked down on her once again.

"Dad, Brother, what are you two whispering about over there? Are you scheming something bad, huh? I don't care, I want in!"

Tania, who had been fiddling with the new 'toy' from Shalaina, suddenly chimed in.

"Adults are talking. Children shouldn't interrupt," David said, using the tip of his tail to hold Tania in place.

"...You just hatched a few hours before me, that's all!"

Tania looked morosely at her big brother, and then her dissatisfaction erupted. "All you do is hide from me and whisper! If it weren't for Tania's cleverness in covering for you guys earlier today, your shady little secrets would have been exposed long ago! Hmph!"

"..." David and his father immediately looked guilty and ashamed.

David reacted first, with an exaggerated expression. "Wow! Tania, you're amazing! If it weren't for you today, Dad's and my money-making plans would have completely failed. Come on, Tania, come for a cuddle!"

"Hehe! Brother, cuddle!" Tania immediately ran over, hugged David's big head, and nuzzled him affectionately.

Lust

In that moment, David suddenly realized. It turns out that Lust requires not only those messy, escalating thrills. Feeling happy and pursuing spiritual peace and satisfaction is also a path.

This affection is great! Sisters are truly treasures!

Wait, does that mean Mom and Dad could work too?

But the thought of that absurd, deeply unsettling scene made David shiver all over.

"Dad, come for a cuddle too!"

Sigh, Tania was still a child who needed love and companionship. And she didn't ask for much; she was easily content. It seems I'll have to pay more attention in the future.

Anyone who has worked for a moving company knows that some things are easy to dismantle. However, restoring them almost perfectly, without the employer finding any fault, is a truly technical job.

The only thing David was grateful for was that Attilicia's understanding and calculation of spatial runes had become more adept. This improvement came after being "squeezed" and stimulated that night. Especially since they now had the spatial coordinates of Shalaina's Mage Tower, this time the Silver Dragon dad spent just half an hour constructing another Teleportation Gate on the mirror in their basement.

Activating it with a Mana Crystal worth 15 gold, David and his father returned to the Mage Tower, which was now so empty that mice could run freely.

"Just an afternoon plus three hours of work. Can you handle it?" David casually asked.

"Are you underestimating me as an Alchemist?" Attilicia immediately felt belittled by his son.

As an Alchemist, the most important thing is control over details, Attilicia thought. He believed that, given Shalaina's boisterous and careless personality, apart from the 'flaws' they deliberately left behind, there would be no other slip-ups.

And that was exactly what David was waiting for. Right then, under the dumbstruck gaze of his Dragon dad, David dumped the 'booty' from his Portable Cave and patted his father's shoulder with the tip of his tail. "Then I'll leave this place to you, Dad."

Seeing David about to leave, Attilicia immediately became unhappy. "Hey, hey! Don't go! At least stay and give me a hand!"

"Didn't you say you could handle it on your own? I still need to go buy raw materials."

David's rhetorical question immediately left his Silver Dragon father speechless.

However, the thought of that large batch of Century Fragrant Fruits still in his possession—just lying there in the Portable Cave, not yet processed into potions for sale—made Attilicia realize that any delays would lead to a pile of problems. He reluctantly let David go, left alone to face the enormous, scalp-tingling workload.

Sometimes, reality is like that. When facing a large amount of repetitive work, having someone by your side to work with, even if they're just assisting, subjectively makes it feel a lot easier.

And when you're left to face it alone, it truly feels as vast as mountains and oceans.

Just as Attilicia put on a "mask of pain," preparing to pay the price for his lingering conscience.

After returning to Dewensen through the Teleportation Gate, David proceeded with his original plan to avoid being tracked. He didn't even use the "Shape Manipulation" he had acquired from his father through "Jealousy." Instead, he transformed into a High Elf—the most common type in Dewensen—and started his shopping, or hired others in the Lower City District to purchase for him.

The reason was that a Silver Dragon's Shape Manipulation would retain facial features evolved according to a dragon's aesthetic preferences. For example, even if Attilicia transformed into a female Drow or even an animal, he wouldn't dare meet Shalaina face-to-face, as she would recognize him at a glance.

For some bulk materials that were difficult to obtain on the market, David promptly posted an urgent request in the bounty hall. Soon enough, traders with the goods on hand actively followed the contact address he provided to a tavern to negotiate.

He then bought a large batch of food to stuff into the Portable Cave, preparing to convert it into another key ingredient through his own digestive system after returning home.

In just one afternoon, David had managed to secure everything he needed.

But since it was his first time taking on such an active role, he still felt quite exhausted. He also became more aware of the importance of having followers.

Dammit, where the hell did Hiatt and the others go off course? Why can't I get in touch with them? Surely a storm couldn't have blown them straight to the humans of Central Earth!

Just as David, carrying the purchased materials, was preparing to sneak back home to meet his father, he heard a low roar in the sky that sounded like an airplane. This caused him, like other pedestrians, to look up in unison.

Indeed, he saw the Silver Dragon miss who had bitten his butt that morning. She was returning from her meeting with the Elven Queen and 'heading back.'

She was over an hour earlier than they had expected.

Unfortunately, this world had yet to invent any remote communication device similar to a cellphone, so he had to hurriedly rush back home to Golden Oak Avenue in the Upper City.

When he transformed back into his Silver Dragon form and crawled out from the basement into Shalaina's Mage Tower, he saw his father with his large rear sticking up in the air, holding an alchemy caliper and checking if the furniture was properly aligned.

David got so irritated that he went up and whipped him with his tail. This nearly scared his highly focused Silver Dragon father enough to shoot up to the ceiling.

"What are you doing?! You'll scare a dragon to death, you know!"

"That female Tyrannosaurus is about to return! She'll probably arrive in less than half an hour," David said irritably.

"Ah! Then hurry up and help me! We're running out of time!" Attilicia urged his son, looking as if he could hardly hold it together.

"I knew it would be like this! Such a hassle." David sighed dramatically and began assisting his father, who was now acting like a seasoned decorator.

Just as they were about to finish, they heard a 'Superman landing' sound and the door opening outside. David quickly wrapped up the final touches, grabbed Attilicia, and dived back through the Teleportation Gate behind the dressing mirror.

CREAK.

Shalaina, who had been in a good mood, pushed open the oak door. It clearly showed signs of being tampered with. The dragon froze on the spot.

"No... I was just out for a day, and I've been burgled already?"

"Wait a minute! Where are those two huge stone golems that were at the entrance of my living room?"

"Dad lent those to me for protection!"

Suddenly realizing the severity of the situation, Shalaina hurried upstairs to inspect. Fortunately—perhaps because she had returned just in time—aside from the heartbreaking loss of the Tower Spirit and the stone golems, nothing else, especially her trinkets, had been stolen yet.

Just as the exhausted dragon prepared to briefly put aside these troubling issues, take a bath, and reach for her nightgown, she was stunned.

"No... Where are my clothes...?"

Shalaina felt like she was about to cry from frustration.

"Why am I so unlucky!"

"Attacked by a Red Dragon ruffian in the morning."

"Then burglarized in the evening."

"And it turns out the burglar is a pervert!"

"This damn tower is no place for a dragon to live!"