Chapter 62
Chapter 62
Faced with the children’s innocent and unfiltered questions, not only Meian but even Erina wore bewildered expressions.
Apparently, the triplets had been holding back a lot they wanted to say to Meian, because once they started talking, they didn’t stop.
“Meian must be like us—not a grown-up yet!!”
“But her height’s the same as Hael’s!”
“Then how old is Meian to still be considered a young dragon? Meian, how old are you?”
Resen asked Meian for her exact age. Meian could only look troubled, unable to say anything.
If she told them she was over 80 years old, it was obvious they’d all be shocked out of their minds. But Meian had overlooked one thing: the kids’ curiosity.
The triplets’ curiosity tended to feed off each other and grow stronger as they chatted. Unless something came along to redirect their attention, they were bound to fall into an endless cycle of ‘Why?’
“Guys, asking about someone’s age out of the blue can be considered rude. It might catch them off guard, right?”
“No, it’s not! I—I can answer anytime!”
“Me too! I’m 7 months old now!”
“Me too!” said Poi.
Erina was flustered by the kids’ reaction. She glanced nervously at Meian, who looked increasingly anxious.
Now she understood why Mitzu had pulled Meian aside at the bookstore to speak in private. It must’ve been because they were both dragons and had things to discuss.
Erina wasn’t hurt by the fact that Meian had hidden her identity as a dragon, what worried her more was whether the kids had accidentally put Meian in an awkward spot.
“Um, Meian, if this topic’s hard for you to talk about, you don’t have to answer.”
“It’s not that hard! Just… give me a second to mentally prepare!”
Meian turned her head toward the window and took deep breaths, exhaling loudly,
“Hoo-ah, hoo-ah.”
After repeating it several times, she seemed to have mustered the courage to speak.
“The truth is… I’m actually half-dragon, half-human. So compared to pureblood dragons, I’m basically just like a human! I’ve never even met other dragons before in my life!”
“Oh, I see! That explains it…”
“Yes, yes! Of course, I do have a bit more stamina and intelligence than regular humans, but aside from that, I’m really ordinary!”
Her words came out in a rapid-fire stream, and Erina quietly nodded along. Goodness—just how many dragons had she met in the past few months? Her previously peaceful life had turned completely upside down.
Meian, seeing that Erina was taking it better than expected, found comfort in that and went on to list all the frustrating things she’d been through, emphasizing that living as a dragon half-blood wasn’t easy.
Somehow, the inside of the carriage had become a venting session, not about her life, but her dragon life.
Erina listened attentively, but she couldn’t shake one lingering question: If Meian had gone through so much and even written dozens of books, then… how old was she, really?
“So? Meian, how old are you if you still can’t fly?”
Lia asked the question Erina had been dying to ask. She must have held it in after Erina scolded them earlier, but her curiosity finally got the better of her.
This time, Erina didn’t stop her, her own curiosity had grown too.
Meian glanced around nervously, then answered in a small voice,
“E-eighty-three.”
“What?! Then you are an adult!!”
Not just an adult—she was a full-blown elder!
Even Erina couldn’t hide her surprise this time. Meian blushed furiously and fanned her face with her hands.
She looked like she was in her twenties, but you’d have to add 60 more years to get her real age!
Erina even wondered if she should start speaking to Meian in honorifics right now.
Of course, she still didn’t know that Dylan, Mitzu, and Hael were all even older.
“Well, technically I am an adult, but if you convert it to human years, it’s not that old! I hope it’s not too shocking…”
Meian sincerely hoped she wouldn’t seem like an intimidating elder to Erina and the triplets.
Aside from the fairies, this was the first time Meian had gone camping or met friends with shared interests, so she really wanted to get along with them for a long time.
“Then, Meian, you’re an adult but you can’t fly, right? How about practicing flying with us?”
“Yeah! Erina said that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about if you can’t do something! Let’s fly together, Meian!”
“Ma-Mama will help you!”
As soon as they heard Meian’s age, the kids lost interest in it. The triplets had only been curious, and once their curiosity was satisfied, a new one quickly followed.
The new topic was whether or not Meian could fly.
“I… I can’t transform into a dragon. So I don’t have wings.”
“Ah—ohhh!”
All the children let out disappointed sighs. They had been filled with dreams of all practicing flying together.
The three wore the exact same disappointed expression. You could tell they were triplets, even the angle of their drooping eyebrows was identical.
“Are… are you disappointed?”
Meian asked cautiously. She was a bit worried they might have lost interest in going camping together just because she couldn’t turn into a dragon.
But contrary to her worries, the kids were only momentarily disappointed.
“Nope! Erina can’t fly either!”
“Yeah! If you can’t fly, I’ll carry you while I fly!”
“Mama, Mamama!”
Resen and Lia shouted loudly, and Poi had already transformed into a small dragon, flapping his little wings.
It had been a while since Poi had taken dragon form, and Erina smiled broadly as she embraced him. Poi happily snuggled in, enjoying the warmth.
Of course, Resen and Lia wouldn’t just watch idly. They also quickly transformed into dragons, and all three nestled into Erina’s arms on their way to the campsite.
***
They left early in the morning and didn’t arrive until sunset. The destination was ‘Witcher Forest,’ located to the north of the Sylvian Empire’s capital.
The forest acted as a natural boundary between the capital and the rest of the empire. Erina’s group set up a tent at a large campsite in the middle of the forest and planned to stay for five days and four nights.
Erina got off the carriage carrying the kids, still in dragon form, in both arms. Each one was getting heavier by the day, making her arms tremble, but her face was filled with happiness.
Being deep in the forest and seeing the children as dragons brought back joyful memories of when she used to care for them in their younger days.
However, Dylan didn’t look so pleased watching Erina and the children cuddle. He was reminded of a previous incident in the forest involving the kids in their dragon forms.
“Miss Erina, why are my niece and nephews in that state—or rather, in their dragon forms?”
“Oh, they wanted to practice flying. I think they’re just excited to run around at the campsite.”
“I see. There’s still much to prepare, so please return for now.”
Dylan shot a look at the kids, clearly wanting them to shift back into human form. But the children ignored their uncle completely and burrowed deeper into Erina’s embrace.
Erina didn’t mind holding the warm, round little dragons. Dylan quickly realized her attitude wasn’t all that different from the children’s and gave a small shrug.
After all, Erina was the one taking care of them, what mattered most was that she was comfortable.
“Then I’ll leave the children in your care. I’m off to finish preparations.”
“Okay! Take care!”
Erina grabbed the children’s short little arms and waved them around. Their expressions, being forced to wave, looked like apples just about to rot.
Dylan’s expression, as he received their awkward farewell, wasn’t much better. Only Erina looked proud and cheerful.
Just as that awkward farewell came to an end, Meian suddenly popped out of nowhere, startling everyone.
It was unclear where she’d been hiding—no one had sensed her at all.
“W-wow! Erina, you talk to the dragon so casually? You even ignore his opinions…!”
Nervously observing the situation from behind the carriage, Meian had sweat glistening on the bridge of her nose. She seemed seriously worried that the silver-haired dragon might get angry.
