Shut Up, Malevolent Dragon! I Don’t Want to Have Any More Children With You

Eagle Junior dropped Leon off at the back of St. Heath's Academy. Leon instructed it to wait there as he effortlessly slipped past the academy's defensive barriers and made his way inside.

The reason for his ease in infiltrating? It traced back to the days when Leon held the titles of "The Strongest Dragon Queen Tamer" and "The Strongest Dragon Tamer."

St. Heath's Academy, a hub for dragons of all kinds, had its defenses meticulously documented by Leon during his heyday. Back then, he'd often thought:

"One day, when I finally escape that dragoness's lair, I'll call for reinforcements and lead a glorious raid on this academy."

Of course, as history would have it, Leon's fate took a very different turn. Instead of raiding, he ended up proving his dragon-taming prowess with noble horns, tails, scales, and teeth—only to be corrupted by a shameless dragon and turned into a tragic stay-at-home dad (not really).

Back to the present. Leon crept through hidden paths toward the training hall where Noa was located. The academy had supposedly done a thorough background check on Mevis, Noa's teacher, and deemed her clean. However, Leon wasn't satisfied with just surface-level investigations. His instincts told him something was off about Mevis.

Skills like "stealth investigation" were part of dragon-taming basics, and despite years of retirement, Leon hadn't let those skills dull. He made his way to the back of the training hall and found a drainage pipe running from the roof to the ground.

He tugged on the pipe to test its sturdiness. "Not bad, it's solid," he muttered. Without hesitation, he began climbing, his feet braced against the wall.

After a few minutes of effort, Leon reached the rooftop. The cool breeze made him pause to appreciate the view. He glanced back at the complex maze of the academy and couldn't help but pat himself on the back.

"In such a heavily guarded and populated academy," he mused, "I managed to sneak in unnoticed. Truly, the old blade hasn't dulled."

Just as he was relishing his accomplishment, a voice called out, "Dad, what are you doing here?"

Leon froze. His triumphant smile instantly stiffened, and he turned robotically toward the voice.

There, in the sunlight, stood a familiar figure with pink hair, holding an ice cream cone.

"Moon!" Leon exclaimed, running his fingers through his hair in exasperation. "How did you get up here?"

Moon nonchalantly took a bite of her ice cream and gestured to the side. "I took the stairs."

Leon's eye twitched. "The stairs...?"

So why, he wondered, had he exhausted himself climbing a drainage pipe?

Moon tilted her head. "What are you doing at the academy, Dad?"

"Oh, I... I just came to... uh... look around. Yeah, just looking around," Leon stammered. Years of marriage to Rosvisser had apparently rubbed off on him, including her habit of repeating words when lying.

Moon didn't press him further. If her dad had suddenly dropped into the academy on an ordinary day, it clearly meant he was up to something. And if she dug a little, she'd definitely find something entertaining.

Leon, hoping to distract her, asked, "Why aren't you in class?"

Moon shrugged. "It's a weekly test period. The teacher said we could leave once we handed in our papers. I was the first to finish."

"Did you double-check your answers?" Leon asked. This chapter was made possible by the community at MV|LEM|PYR.

"Of course. Twice. But the questions were way too easy, so I got bored and left," she replied casually.

"And your second sister?"

Moon grinned. "She's still sleeping. She'll wake up with half an hour left and ace the test with a perfect score."

Leon sighed. Life seemed so carefree for his three daughters. Meanwhile, back home, their poor father was constantly wrung dry by their mother.

Adjusting his mood, Leon said, "Moon, I've got things to do. Why don't you wait for your sister?"

Moon's bright eyes sparkled with determination. "Dad, you know you can't shake me off, so don't waste your energy trying."

Leon sighed. She wasn't wrong. This daughter of his was just as stubborn as her mother.

"Well, fine. But you have to promise not to cause trouble, or I won't bring you along."

"Dad, I'll say it again: even if I don't promise, you can't get rid of me."

Leon: "..."

Moon finished her ice cream and clapped her hands. "So, where are we going, Dad?"

Leon gritted his teeth. There was no point setting conditions; she'd shoot them down anyway. "We're going to watch your sister train."

The father-daughter duo made their way to the training hall. Noa was usually in Hall 1 at this time, practicing her routine exercises.

As they peeked through the back entrance, Leon and Moon crouched behind the seats, their eyes peering out like two curious puppies.

Moon whispered, "Big Sis is just warming up for the afternoon session. Everything looks normal."

Leon nodded but added, "Sometimes, when everything looks normal, that's when you need to stay alert."

Moon blinked, then nodded seriously. "Got it, Dad. So, what's the legendary story behind that wisdom?"

Leon took a deep breath, then, with a dramatic expression, said, "There isn't one."

"..."

"I just thought it sounded cool," Leon admitted with a grin.

Moon groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe this."

Leon's attention turned to Mevis, who was reclining on a bench nearby with her arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Is she sleeping?" Leon asked.

"No," Moon replied. "Mevis does that a lot when she's not busy. She's not asleep, though. If you talk to her, she'll respond immediately. It's like she's just resting."

Leon frowned. Something still felt off. "And you and your sister get along well with her?"

"Yeah, Mevis is great to me and my sisters. Why?"

"No reason," Leon replied quickly.

Try as he might, Leon couldn't find anything overtly suspicious about Mevis. Yet there was something unsettlingly familiar about her that he couldn't shake.

"I'll figure out who you really are, Mevis," he muttered under his breath.