Vol 7. Chapter 67: Noa the Ancestor Appears!

When Berang’s performance ended, quite a few people ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) rushed toward the backstage area. After all, Berang was a household name among dragonkind. It wasn’t every day you got to see him in person—of course there would be that kind of star effect.

As the crowd shifted, Muse took Hefei’s hand.

“Come on, Hefei, let’s go take a look.”

“Mm-hmm!”

The two little ones followed the flow toward backstage.

Leon noticed Muse’s movements and guessed she was heading to find Berang, so he said to the overachiever standing nearby:

“Noa, go follow those two.”

“Yes, boss.”

Aurora blinked. After a few milliseconds of thought, she volunteered:

“Daddy, I’ll go help watch the little sister too!”

“Alright, you and your sister both keep yourselves safe.”

“Got it~”

Meanwhile, backstage, thanks to their height advantage, Muse and Hefei quickly squeezed to the front of the crowd.

Surrounded by students and parents, Berang was signing autographs one by one. Several academy staff members were keeping order nearby, among them Muse’s special music course teacher, Francesca.

From the way Francesca interacted with Berang, she wasn’t just there to keep order—she seemed to be acting as the academy’s representative in liaising with him.

“Mr. Berang! Mr. Berang, please sign this for my child, he’s loved your works since he was little!”

“Mr. Berang, mine too, please!”

“Could we get a photo, Mr. Berang?”

The fans’ enthusiasm was intense. In no time, the backstage area was packed. Seeing the situation grow more chaotic, Francesca quickly raised her voice.

“Everyone, please line up in an orderly fashion for autographs and photos. There are still a lot of children here, so don’t push—thank you for your cooperation.”

Her reminder restored a little order, but Muse and Hefei had been shoved all the way to the back in the earlier commotion.

Hefei craned her neck, looking at the adults in front, and puffed her cheeks.

“Honestly, we were almost at the front, and they shoved us right back.”

Muse was much calmer about it.

“Well, Mr. Berang is really popular. Everyone’s eager for an autograph.”

“But you want one too, don’t you, Muse?” Hefei tilted her head.

“Now that we’ve been pushed back, by the time it’s our turn, Berang will probably be gone.”

At that, a flicker of disappointment passed through Muse’s eyes, gone in an instant. She gave a small, helpless smile.

“That’s just how it is. It’s fine, there’ll be other chances.”

A musician as renowned as Berang wasn’t someone you could just see whenever you liked, even with family background or influence. Especially given Berang’s personality—he cared nothing for wealth or power. The academy had gone to considerable effort to invite him to perform at the entrance ceremony.

As a devoted fan of Berang and his music, Muse knew his “top-star” temperament well. So even if she said there’d be other chances, she knew in her heart that if there were, they’d be a long way off.

They waited a bit longer, but the line ahead was still long. From Berang’s gestures as he spoke to Teacher Francesca, Muse could tell he was about to leave. She sighed quietly to herself and tugged her friend’s hand.

“Hefei, let’s go.”

Hefei, with a temperament very much like her mother’s, was unwilling.

“We’re just leaving like that?”

“We won’t get our turn. Let’s go. Thanks for waiting in line with me this long.”

The little red dragon girl clasped her hand warmly.

“We’re best friends—no need for thanks. If you can’t get one, then let’s just leave. Hmph, I’m not fighting with these smelly adults.”

Muse’s eyes curved in a smile. “Mm-hmm, let’s go.”

But just as they were about to leave, a familiar voice rose from the other side of the crowd.

“T-the Primordial Dragon King?! Ancestor Noa!!”

“Family, quick, let me see! Ancestor Noa has manifested!”

“Viscount Aurora of the Silver Dragons, paying respects to the Ancestor!”

In an instant, the crowd’s attention shifted in that direction.

“What Primordial Dragon King... is that kid talking nonsense?”

“Seems there really is primordial power!”

“Whether it’s true or not, I’m going to pay my respects—maybe my kid will get a good ranking this term!”

“...”

Joining a commotion was the instinct of all intelligent beings. The crowd quickly split, a portion rushing toward the so-called manifestation of Ancestor Noa.

The space in front of Muse and Hefei cleared dramatically. The two little dragon girls turned their heads toward the other side in unison.

There, a pink-haired ahoge dragon girl leaned sideways, peeking at them through a gap in the crowd, giving them an “OK” hand sign and a wink—then she immediately pulled back and resumed her devout worship of “Ancestor Noa” before her.

“Oh Ancestor~~ Ancestor~~ how have you taken the form of a child~”

As for the object of her devotion—Muse didn’t even need to guess. She’d known the moment she heard “Ancestor Noa has manifested.”

The dignified Dragon King sat cross-legged on a bench, face full of deadpan misery, her cold little expression screaming “I’m not happy” in four bold characters. So this is what the primordial mode is for, you damn idiot!!

Still, they had bought the little sister and Hefei a chance.

“Noa-sis and Aurora-sis... have they gone crazy...”

Hefei clearly couldn’t follow their train of thought. But Muse, who had grown up in the Melkvey household, was used to this kind of absurdity. She shook her head.

“No, just the usual.”

Hefei was stunned again. “Calling down Ancestor Noa is... your family’s usual?”

“Forget that—let’s hurry and get back in line. Lots of people just left!”

“Mm-hmm, okay!”

The best friends jogged back into place. Thanks to the eldest and third sisters’ diversion, the line was indeed much shorter.

Even so, Muse and Hefei waited quite a while. Finally, when only four or five people were left ahead of them, Francesca spoke up.

“I’m very sorry, everyone, but Mr. Berang has other arrangements and can’t continue the autograph session. Please understand.”

“Aw, come on, we waited this long and now it’s over?”

“Seriously, I should’ve gone to see Ancestor Noa’s manifestation first.”

“Whatever, I’ve got tickets to Berang’s concert next month, haha~”

The crowd gradually dispersed. Berang, escorted by several academy staff members, left the backstage area.

Only Muse and Hefei were left standing there. Parents and students walked past them as Muse stared blankly at Berang’s departing back.

“We were... just a little short.”

She was never the type to push or fight, her attitude always serene. Even earlier, when they’d been so close, she’d just told Hefei there would be other chances. But when it came to Berang, she wanted very, very much to try.

Even when she hadn’t dared to hope for interaction, her sisters had created a new opportunity for her. She thought she’d grasped it—but it slipped away like sand through her fingers.

When something like that happened, even the calmest heart would feel a little sad.

Hefei looked at her friend. She knew how much Muse admired Berang, how much she loved his music. It had been just one step away—yet, as Muse said, still that tiny bit short.

Just a little short.

Hefei lifted a hand and gently set it on Muse’s shoulder.

“I just heard someone say they got tickets for Berang’s concert next month. We could buy some and see him live too.”

“Berang’s tickets are hard to get, and a concert is just for listening—it’s not like now, when you can interact.”

Muse sighed, then immediately adjusted her expression.

“I’m fine, Hefei. Let’s go.”

“Muse...”

“Mu—Muse! Hefei!”

Teacher Francesca’s voice interrupted the friends’ exchange. They looked up toward the sound.

Francesca was waving at them, and beside her stood Berang, who had not yet left.

“You two, come here.”

Francesca lowered her arm, and as the two little ones ran over, she smiled at Berang.

“This is the child—I didn’t see her earlier because there were too many people.”

Berang looked at the small figure, her young face bright with the purest smile.

“What’s her name?”

“Her name is Muse—Muse Melkvey. I remember her very well. She’s young, but she has remarkable musical talent, and she especially loves your works.”

Francesca explained:

“So I took the liberty of holding you back. I hope you don’t mind.”