Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Dylan was a short distance away, directing the servants. 

Watching them move efficiently under his command, Erina stood a little aside, waiting for the conversation to end. 

Not long after, Dylan spotted Erina and quickly approached her.

“Erina, is there a problem? Ah, it’s hard to move with one hand, isn’t it? I’ll send a servant right away.”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Hmm? Please, speak comfortably.” 

Dylan smiled brightly, his expression so warm and understanding that it seemed he would listen to anything she said.

Erina, momentarily swayed by his handsome smile, smiled back and spoke up.

“The children keep insisting they want to fly. Um… if we did fly, how long would it take to get there?”

Dylan’s lips twitched slightly at her words. Those brats had managed to convince Erina! He held back the curse rising in his throat and put on a troubled expression.

There was no benefit to revealing his darker nature here. Since he would end up going along with the children’s wishes anyway, he figured he might as well earn some points with Erina while he was at it.

“Seems they succeeded in convincing you, Miss Erina.”

“Ha ha, well… honestly, they’ve been saying they wanted to fly even before they got here.”

“If my niece and nephews were old enough to fly, I would’ve been more proactive in teaching them. But they haven’t reached their secondary growth yet, so even if I explained things, I doubt they’d understand.”

He emphasized that he was more than ready to teach his niece and nephews, but they were still too young. 

Erina already knew he was a truly loving guardian, regardless of how he spoke, so she completely understood where he was coming from. Still, she wanted to indulge the children’s wishes at least once.

Even though she was an ordinary human who couldn’t fly, she wanted to give them this experience. So she asked Dylan, despite knowing it might be a bother to him—because she felt certain that, with his gentle and kind personality, he wouldn’t be able to turn her down.

And her guess was spot on. Dylan let out a small sigh and nodded.

“If I say no here, you’d feel terribly guilty toward the children, wouldn’t you?”

“N-not really… it’s not that bad…”

“Oh, come now. I know exactly what my niece and nephews are like… temperament-wise, I mean, personality-wise.”

Dylan shook his head with a small smile. Erina thought he had slipped and said something harsher, but she just laughed along with him.

“If we fly from here, we’ll arrive at the mansion in 30 minutes.”

“Gasp…!”

“Hm? What is it?” 

Dylan raised an eyebrow at Erina’s surprised reaction.

Was thirty minutes too long? 

Well, teleportation would only take three seconds. Still, he was confident in his flight speed… his pride was slightly bruised.

“Oh, no! That’s incredibly fast! It took almost a whole day by carriage, but flying only takes 30 minutes… That’s amazing!”

Contrary to Dylan’s assumptions, Erina was genuinely amazed. Even knowing he was a dragon, each new ability she discovered left her in awe. She clasped her hands to her chest, eyes sparkling.

“C-could I come along too? I want to try flying!”

“Oh…! Of course. I’ll take you there safely and swiftly.”

Momentarily stunned by her enthusiasm, Dylan smiled with his eyes.

He had originally planned to have Mitzu or Hael carry her, but the moment Erina said she wanted to ride, his plan changed completely. There was no way he’d let another dragon carry her.

Since he was the first to find her, she was his. It didn’t matter that the triplets had met her first.

“Thank you! I’ll go tell the kids!! Dylan, thank you so much!”

Erina beamed and clasped Dylan’s hand before running off toward the tent. 

Warmth spread from where her hand had touched his. Dylan opened and closed his hand several times, as if trying to preserve that warmth.

***

Erina’s group had planned to leave before the servants, but they decided instead to send the servants ahead and then fly afterward. 

Since flying required them to use their true forms, it made sense to move from the open forest clearing.

The servants, spurred on by the change, moved even faster, and the procession of carriages soon began. 

The once-bustling camp was now empty, leaving only Dylan, Erina, the triplets, Mitzu, Hael, and Meian behind.

“Let’s fly already! Hurry, hurry!!”

Lia poked Dylan’s thigh, urging him to transform quickly.

“Dylan, sir, may I carry them this time?”

“Nope. If you want to carry someone so badly, go take that half-blood over there.”

Dylan shook his head at Mitzu’ offer. Meian, who was suddenly at risk of being stuck on Mitzu’ back, shook her head violently. 

She’d rather walk than ride that red dragon. Mitzu also looked irritated by the idea of carrying Meian, his body shimmering with heatwaves.

Watching the two who clearly couldn’t stand each other, Erina made an awkward expression. Would they ever be able to look at each other and smile? 

Probably not, even in a hundred years.

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of the kids and Erina. You guys do whatever you want—teleport or fly.”

Dylan waved his hand dismissively, then immediately transformed into his true form.

Erina and Meian gaped at the sudden transformation. Even though it was her second time seeing it, Dylan’s dragon form was still overwhelmingly beautiful and awe-inspiring.

For Meian, this was her first time seeing a dragon up close. And not just any dragon, but Dylan Harrison, considered the most perfect dragon alive.

Meian felt an irresistible urge to study him. Perhaps she could write a new field guide, not on plants or animals this time, but dragons. 

Of course, the idea was quickly discarded, as it would probably require at least five lives to survive such a study.

Still, Dylan’s dragon form was breathtaking. His silvery scales shone like the sun, and despite his enormous size, his figure was as graceful as a finely-forged blade. His enlarged eyes sparkled so brightly they looked like they contained the sky itself.

Erina found herself mesmerized by them. 

Dylan looked down at her and, satisfied with her reaction, opened his mouth.

“Erina, please come aboard.”

His voice echoed deeply, more resonant than when he was human. It felt as if it rang directly inside her mind, and she blinked at the sensation before cautiously stepping forward.

She knew she had to get on his back, but how was she supposed to climb up there? It wasn’t a carriage, how could she even reach the top of that massive body?

The triplets were in the same boat—not only getting on his back, but even climbing his foreleg seemed nearly impossible.

Sensing her hesitation, Dylan let out a soft rumble in his throat.

“Erina, do you remember when I used magic to lift you a few days ago?”

“Huh? Oh, yes! I remember!”

“It will be just the same now. I’ll lift you onto my back, so don’t worry.”

“Okay!”

Erina quickly nodded at his kind explanation. Dylan responded with another deep rumble, then blinked slowly.

At once, Erina and the children, who were holding hands, began to gently float into the air.