The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

But even so, David had noticed that what Nifadora was referring to was not "my mother," but "that dream."

As expected of a Green Dragon's caution, she was also skeptical about this, even if the matter involved her own mother.

Just as David felt a sense of ill omen, like encountering a ghost in broad daylight, and was about to put the matter aside for the moment, he heard Nifadora suggest, "Actually, I think if you have the chance, you might as well inform the Dragon Lord, your mother, about this. As a legendary figure, Lady Pafila will surely be able to provide more information and a more insightful judgment. After all, considering when Lady Pafila appeared in Skanis on the Old Continent, it's very likely she knew my mother, Serubelia."

"That's true. I, David, am a Dragon with a mother too, you know," David suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

"..." Nifadora was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond to such an... unconventional turn of phrase.

But it was true. David had arrived through transmigration, and this, coupled with the "misleading" guidance of the Dragon inheritance and his initial shock at seeing the Dragon Mother Pafila show off three dazzling Dragon Eggs, left him with some deep-seated apprehension towards his mother, the legendary calamity Pafila. This was despite later learning from Tania that he might have misunderstood something. Consequently, no matter the situation, David's habitual thought process never naturally led him to consider seeking his mother's help. Even during the previous life-threatening Elf crisis, it was only after Tania's persuasion that he had taken a "treating a dead horse as if it were alive" approach. As a result, the Dragon Mother's protection had turned the entire situation around.

"Unfortunately, my mother is still asleep. But it shouldn't be for many more years."

Thinking of this, David immediately tossed the Heart of Emerald of dubious origin, which he held in his claw, to Shadila. "Here, stop crying. Keep it safe for now, and come with me."

Until he received a decision from his mother, Pafila, he chose to disbelieve every word from that "old mother Dragon" and was determined not to touch the item that could supposedly help him analyze the dream. After all, even though the reward seemed tempting, he was still a long way from embarking on the path of Legendary Destiny.

Even his own mother only became a legend upon reaching adulthood. Shouldn't he at least wait until his youth before considering such matters?

Moreover, he was quite satisfied with his current progress and faced no insurmountable obstacles that would warrant taking such an unknown risk.

It's just a glimpse of the 'skill tree' for the path to becoming a Legend. If worst comes to worst, I can rely on my grasp of divinity to deduce the path. It'll just take an 'eon' or so longer. If that doesn't work, there's another, stupider method: when the time comes, I'll visit each legendary figure and challenge them to a fight. I'll just use Jealousy on every single one I meet. When it comes down to a real fight, they'd have to bring out their trump cards, right? If I manage to snatch all of those, wouldn't that be like compiling a 'Legendary Destiny Compendium'? It's just a bit... 'life-costing.' After all, challenging Legends before achieving legendary status oneself does seem a bit paradoxical. Ugh, so annoying. I'll ignore it for now and deal with it when the time comes.

Sloth.

Shadila, however, was somewhat stunned as she took the treasure left by her mother. She immediately retreated a couple of wary steps. "Why should I go with you?"

David pointed at Shadila with the tip of his tail, then at the Heart of Emerald glowing faintly green in her arms. "'Your mother' entrusted you to me. As for this Heart of Emerald, it's the payment. Now you, your sister, and this treasure—all of you belong to me! Got it?"

Upon hearing this domineering declaration, the Green Dragon sisters, though twins, reacted in completely opposite ways.

When Nifadora heard 'she belongs to David,' she turned her head away in embarrassment, saying nothing, but her tail began to sway involuntarily like a serpent.

Shadila, on the other hand, was like a kitten cornered by a dragon trafficker. She arched her back, her tail held stiffly, and hissed relentlessly at David.

"I won't! I want to stay here and wait for Mom to come back, or I'll only believe it if Mom tells me herself."

"Believe it or not. Nifadora, and you Dragon Whelps, time to return to the nest!"

David promptly took off into the sky. Behind him followed the Hatchlings, who had previously been huddled in their respective family groups within their nests. Now, however, they were all craning their necks, rumps in the air, completely engrossed in the unfolding drama.

He couldn't possibly tell this young dragoness—whose mentality was clearly stuck in a rebellious teenage phase from spending too much time cooped up in the Dragon Nest—the truth.

To be honest, I even suspect your mother is already dead.

Although he was a Red Dragon, he wasn't in the mood to bully a 'little girl,' even if, in terms of sheer intelligence, she might be considerably smarter than him. But intelligence, wisdom, and even mental maturity could never be directly equated.

After all, haven't there been cases on Blue Star of Ph.D.s from the Academy of Sciences being tricked and trafficked to Northern Myanmar?

Nifadora, however, seemed to instantly guess David's thoughts. Without trying to persuade her, she simply gave her twin sister, Shadila, a seemingly meaningful shake of her head. Then, she beat her wings and followed David and the others into the sky.

"Huh? Wha—?" Seeing that this group, including her own sister, was actually abandoning her on the bare tree trunk without a second glance, Shadila panicked, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Pacing back and forth and letting out a few plaintive cries, like a little she-cat successively abandoned by its mother and siblings, Shadila was still not ready to leave the nest. She gazed reluctantly at her 'home,' now changed beyond recognition. Just as the silhouettes of her sister and the others were about to vanish over the horizon, she finally, with some panic, beat her wings. Like a fledgling eagle taking flight, she departed the Dragon Nest that had nurtured her for over sixty years. She flew with all her might in pursuit, shouting from behind: