Vol 7. Chapter 66: Opening Day Surprise

Valendna stared blankly, her big pretty eyes blinking, a bit of almost-melted ice cream still clinging to the corner of her mouth. Leon was also momentarily stunned. He looked at the bewildered Valendna, then up at Isha.

“...You’re serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. What? Don’t underestimate our Valendna.”

Isha started introducing her treasure like she was talking to some old-timer who didn’t know any better (if you thought there was no such thing as perfection):

“Even though she looks like an elementary school kid on the outside, her mind is no different from that of any normal Dragon King!”

At those words, Valendna slowly lifted her gaze toward Isha.

“Isha, I honestly can’t tell if you’re complimenting me or roasting me right now.”

Leon quickly waved his hands.

“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant, Sis.”

“Then what do you mean?”

Leon scratched at his temple and glanced toward his wife. Rosvisser gave him the faintest of nods, so Leon continued.

“Actually, Rosvisser and I had already considered seeking help from the Wind Dragon King for the next step, because you’d mentioned her to us before. Any Dragon King who can form an alliance with your Red Dragon clan must have extraordinary strength. But like I said earlier, we’re looking for someone who’s not only a master of wind magic but also someone we can trust.

Even though the Wind Dragon King has been allied with you for years, she hasn’t really had any contact with our side, so...”

Isha immediately understood the concern the couple shared. After all, dragons had a long history and an even more tangled web of relationships. Leon, having lived among dragons for years, had learned well enough how things worked here.

“So before making a decision this important, you’re bound to think it over the way you are now—carefully and thoroughly.”

Isha naturally leaned her cheek against Valendna’s shoulder.

“As for that, you have nothing to worry about. Valendna is absolutely a friend we can trust among dragonkind. Because she—”

“Because I’m just that good,” Valendna slipped in the chance to toss Isha a boomerang of her own.

Isha tilted her brow with a small smile.

“Haha~~ careful with those jokes~~”

With Isha’s clear guarantee, the couple finally felt at ease. Now there was only one question left.

Leon looked at Valendna.

“Then may I ask, Wind Dragon King...”

“Just call me Valendna. When I sneak out to play without telling the High Priest, I don’t like people calling me ‘Wind Dragon King.’”

As she spoke, she crunched the tip of her ice cream cone, wiped her mouth in satisfaction, then looked back at Leon seriously.

“I think I get it—you want me to teach you wind magic, right? No problem at all. You’re Isha’s family, which makes you my friends. Of course I’ll help.”

Valendna really was loyal.

But Leon couldn’t help noticing her casual mention of “sneaking out without telling the High Priest.” He didn’t exactly want to put it into words, but after this short bit of interaction, both he and Rosvisser felt that this Wind Dragon King was like a grown-up fusion of Moon and Aurora—airheaded, a little sly, and always eager to be in the middle of things.

Thinking back, the general had met plenty of people like that along the way, and he’d gotten along well with most of them. But when it came to learning something important from someone like that...

The couple was... motivated, but cautious. Right there, they opened up their private couple’s telepathy channel.

Leon: 【So? You think she’s reliable?】

Rosvisser: 【Are you saying you think she’s not?】

Leon: 【I think she’s not. She’s already agreed, and going back on it would leave a really bad impression.】

Rosvisser: 【I agree. But if this Miss Wind Dragon King teaches you wrong—】

Leon: 【You’d better pull me back right away.】

Rosvisser: 【I’ll correct you hard when you turn in the homework.】

Leon: 【!?】

They’d considered things thoroughly beforehand, but why did it feel like the final decision had been made a bit hastily?

Ah well, as the lady of the house said—since they’d already agreed, they couldn’t go back on it now. Besides, even if the Wind Dragon King’s teaching skills weren’t great, Leon could always slip away. It wasn’t like he’d be stuck on this one tree until he fell dead from it.

“So, Prince, when are you free? I’ll arrange my schedule on my side,” Valendna asked.

“I’m free anytime, Valendna.”

“Alright. Once your classes are done, I’ll tell the High Priest, and we can start tomorrow or the day after. Sound good?”

She was a refreshingly straightforward Dragon King—no dragging things out, no wasting time calculating pros and cons. It seemed Rosvisser and Leon had been holding on to a bit of a stereotype about her.

“Oh, and let’s practice at Sis’s Red Dragon Sanctuary. How’s that?”

Leon’s proposal was spot on. Since Isha was the one who’d introduced them, it was natural to do this on her turf; Isha had likely thought of the same thing when recommending Valendna. Also, the Silver Dragons and Wind Dragons had little prior contact. Whether it was Valendna going to the Silver Dragons or the Silver Dragons visiting the Wind Dragons, it wouldn’t be ideal. And most importantly—as a husband with very high moral standards for himself, Leon would never be alone with a female Dragon King without family supervision. If the jealous crocodile back home decided to lose her mind, even ten-plus years of marriage wouldn’t save him. So all potential vinegar-spilling hazards ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) had to be killed in the cradle!

This was the awareness of a mature, married man!

Valendna nodded.

“Of course. Now I have another reason to freeload at Isha’s place~”

...So after all this, she just wanted to go play at Isha’s house.

Leon silently retracted the bit about dropping his stereotype of Valendna. She really was Moon and Aurora’s adult fusion!

After agreeing, the group continued strolling around the field. Soon it was time for the principal’s speech, and they found a spot in front of the stage to gather together.

“Auntie Valendna, long time no see.”

Muse greeted her sweetly.

Valendna of course didn’t hesitate to bend down, scoop the little one into her arms, and press her face against hers in a noise-canceling cuddle. Their trip to the Sky Realm last time had already made them close.

“Introduce me to your sisters and friends.”

“Mm-hmm, okay.”

Still in Valendna’s arms, Muse turned around and introduced her older sisters one by one.

“Big Sis Noa, Second Sis Moon, Third Sis is Aurora of the Silver Dragons, nickname Xiaoguang, and Big Sis Xiaoxue; the blue-haired sister is Helena, Big Sis’s good friend; this is Hefei, she’s the daughter of Uncle Constantine, the Crimson Flame Dragon King, and my best friend.”

Valendna looked at the dazzling lineup of dragon girls before her and took a deep breath, as if the air itself was thick with the sweet scent of beautiful girls.

“No wonder Isha is always coming to your place—if it were me, I couldn’t resist either!”

She gave Muse another enthusiastic rua. Dragon girls were better small—big ones were too awkward to pick up and rua.

At that moment, a mother and daughter passing by spotted Leon’s group. The little girl pointed at them and said to her mother,

“Mommy, Mommy, look, that group is full of pretty-colored people~”

The dragon mother quickly covered her daughter’s mouth with a glare.

“Shh~ don’t be rude.”

But... the girl wasn’t wrong. Leon looked at their group—black, silver, red, green, white, and blue were all represented. Those who knew would say it was Prince Melkvey’s family bonding on opening day; those who didn’t might think Twilight Sparkle and her pony friends had crossed over into Samael.

...

...

Ten-plus minutes later, Principal Wilson wrapped up his speech.

“That’s all I wanted to say. Finally, let me present to you the surprise the academy has prepared for this year’s opening day—”

He gestured toward his backstage assistants. A few front-stage staff quickly carried out a pure-white piano. Right after, an elegant man in a tailcoat strolled up to the podium and stood beside Wilson.

“Wah—”

“That’s Berang!”

“The music master who composed Symphony Against the Light!”

“Never thought I’d see him here~”

“I heard the piece hailed as the ‘Perfect Movement,’ Eternal Burning Blue Flame, was also his work.”

Parents and students in the audience murmured excitedly. Wilson raised a hand, and the crowd quickly quieted down.

“That’s right—on this year’s opening day, the academy has specially invited our greatest dragon musician, Berang, to perform several piano pieces for everyone.”

Turning to Berang, Wilson gave a slight nod.

“Mr. Berang, you may begin whenever you’re ready.”

“Alright. Thank you, Principal Wilson.”

Wilson said no more, offering his thanks before stepping down from the podium. After a few brief words of self-introduction, Berang took his place at the piano. He lifted his long, slender hands and rested them lightly on the black-and-white keys.

Even before the first movement, a calm, steady atmosphere spread, and the entire hall fell silent to listen to the master’s playing.

Beneath the stage, Muse watched the great musician, her red eyes trembling slightly. She knew the piece he was playing far too well.

It was “The movement closest to perfection... Eternal Burning Blue Flame.”