Chapter 81
Chapter 81
When the children learned that they would be traveling by teleportation this time due to Erina’s poor health, they didn’t complain at all. However, they firmly insisted that they must be held by Erina during the trip.
As a result, the children transformed into their dragon forms, and Erina used soft cloths to carry them on her back—it was the only way she could hold Dylan’s hand.
Just like when they first met Erina, the triplets were thrilled to be carried and cheerfully hummed songs aloud.
Dylan frowned at the humming that sounded more like noise to him, but Erina clapped her hands, encouraging the children’s excitement.
Before the second tune could even fully start, they arrived in the garden of the Harrison estate.
“Miss Erina, we’ve arrived.”
“Oh! We have!”
Looking around the garden and mansion with a dazed expression, Erina was amazed at how fast the teleportation had been, it wasn’t even worth it to compare it to other means of travel.
Carefully setting down the dragons from her back, Erina examined Poi closely, worried he might feel sick.
There was a slight problem… it was hard to see clearly because he was still in dragon form.
“Poi, how’s your stomach? Are you okay?”
Poi responded with a “maang” sound and nodded to indicate he was fine. Then he returned to his human form and swung his arms and legs vigorously.
“Mama, I’m okay! I didn’t go ‘urgh!’ this time!”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Poi’s cheeks turned pink from happiness at Erina’s concern. Taking advantage of the moment, Resen and Lia also ran to Erina to prove that they were healthy.
To put it nicely, they were full of energy; to put it plainly, they were extremely clingy. While Dylan shook his head at his niece and nephews, two dragons suddenly dropped from the sky.
Thankfully, the garden was large enough, if it had been any smaller, they might’ve flattened a corner of the mansion.
The moment they landed, the two transformed into their human forms, looking light and refreshed.
Because of that, Meian, who had been clinging to Hael’s back, ended up falling straight on her rear.
“Ack!”
“Are you okay?!”
Though the thud was loud enough to echo, only Erina showed any concern for Meian.
The others immediately started growling at each other and didn’t even check on her. Even if they had seen her fall, they likely wouldn’t have cared.
Erina winced as she looked at Meian. Her hair was wild from the wind, her lips chapped, and her eyes welled with tears.
Thinking she must have had a rough time getting here, Erina gently patted Meian’s shoulder.
Receiving the comfort, Meian quickly regained her energy.
“Erina!! That was my first time riding a dragon!”
“Yes, mine too.”
“Really? It was your first time too, Erina? Then, what did Lord Dylan’s scales feel like? Moist? Or maybe a bit dry, or smooth and squeaky?”
Returning to her researcher mindset, Meian expressed her curiosity about the adult dragon’s body. Erina looked away, overwhelmed by her enthusiasm.
The truth was, she couldn’t remember anything about Dylan’s back—she had been too dizzy.
As they climbed higher, she had suffered from a pounding headache and nausea, cold sweat pouring down her back.
“Um, I’m afraid I have a fear of heights. Honestly, I don’t remember much.”
“Oh no! Riding a dragon is probably as rare as getting struck by lightning on a walk! How tragic not to have experienced it properly!”
“R-Right.”
So it was that rare. Come to think of it, if she hadn’t gone to bring back the triplets, she might have lived her whole life never seeing a dragon or even real magic.
The odds really were that low. Still, Erina vowed to herself never to ride a dragon again.
She had no desire to be struck by lightning twice.
Meanwhile, Dylan and Mitzu were preparing to head straight to the imperial palace. Mitzu wore a delighted expression, speculating about the Emperor’s reasons for summoning Dylan.
“It’s probably about that big fight between the princess and his consort, don’t you think?”
“Why would he call us about that?”
“Obviously! He wants our opinion on how to handle it! We are dragons, after all!”
Mitzu puffed out his chest proudly, clearly proud of being a dragon. But Dylan only looked indifferent.
At least the Emperor he knew wasn’t the type to lower himself just because someone was a dragon. On the contrary, he was filled with ambition to conquer them. Dylan believed that the reason for the summons probably had nothing to do with the palace incident.
As expected, after some formal words, the Emperor revealed his true intention.
“The situation in eastern Fukuran has been tense lately. Sources say they’ve been investing heavily in shipbuilding since last month.”
So what?
Dylan said nothing, but his expression clearly conveyed the sentiment. Mitzu, standing behind him, felt the same.
Humans always did whatever it took to increase their power. So what if they were building ships?
Though the Emperor spoke in a roundabout way, he really had just one goal.
“It might be wise for the Empire to take the initiative before Fukuran attempts to cross the sea.”
“Hmm.”
Dylan, Mitzu, and Hael may have appeared human, but their essence was still that of destructive dragons. The Emperor, well aware of this, was trying to nudge them subtly.
Had this been a few months earlier, the dragons likely would’ve leapt at the idea. But now, they were far removed from their violent instincts. This was not the same as when they sought any excuse to start a war.
Both Dylan and Mitzu remained unimpressed. Their lukewarm, borderline cold, reaction made the Emperor raise an eyebrow.
He had expected them to take the bait. Could it be because of his niece and nephews?
Glancing at Dylan, who revealed nothing, the Emperor swallowed dryly. If they stayed put and didn’t move, it would throw a wrench into his plans.
Hiding his growing anxiety, the Emperor quietly lifted his teacup. A heavy silence fell over the audience chamber.
He couldn’t rush them, nor could he dismiss them. All he could do was swallow his unease.
If he let Duke Harrison go now, there was no telling when they’d next meet. Dragons were notoriously fickle. Every conversation felt like it shortened his lifespan.
Dylan, who could already hear the Emperor’s racing heartbeat, tilted his head innocently.
“Take the initiative, you say… Well, good luck with that.”
“Y-Yes!”
The Emperor’s face lit up at Dylan’s long-awaited reply. Surely, he couldn’t hide his true nature for long!
He instinctively leaned forward toward Dylan, who immediately leaned back with a sigh.
You should always listen to a dragon to the end.
“Yes, good luck with that. I hope it goes well.”
Dylan struck the ‘cheer up’ pose Erina had taught him—clenching both fists and looking the Emperor straight in the eye.
The Emperor blinked in confusion.
“Good luck…?”
“Yes. I’ve got a lot of family members to take care of, so I won’t be leaving the Harrison estate anytime soon.”
“Huh?”
Dylan shamelessly poured out concern after concern about his niece and nephews.
The more he talked, the more absurd it sounded. In the end, the Emperor had no choice but to cut him off mid-speech.
He hadn’t summoned Dylan to hear heartwarming tales of domestic life.
Whether Dylan knew or not, he kept going, gushing about his nieces and nephews—90% of which, only Mitzu knew, were things Erina had once said to Dylan.
