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

Some things are unexpected yet inevitable.

The Tower Master, it turned out, had not only invited numerous Dragon Kings to witness the upcoming clash between Leon and Odin but had also extended the invitation to Saint Sis Academy for a teacher-student delegation.
"Noa is one of Leon's most outstanding students," the Tower Master had explained. "The Academy must have found an excellent excuse to send her here."
Indeed, Saint Sis Academy focused heavily on academic training and rarely sent students out for non-educational purposes. Their methods were nothing short of ingenious.

"Noa, shouldn't you be attending class at the Academy right now?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, teacher," Noa replied with a sly grin. "I heard there would be an epic elemental magic duel here in Sky City. Since my attribute is also lightning, the professors decided to send me to observe and learn."
As she spoke, she gestured to the woman standing behind her—a refined-looking individual named Mavis.

Mavis stepped forward, exuding an air of elegance. Her glasses perched neatly on her nose lent her a scholarly appearance. She nodded politely to Leon, Rosvisser, and the surrounding high-ranking dragons as a sign of respect.
"Greetings. I am Noa’s mentor, Mavis. It’s a pleasure to meet all of you."
Unlike the Juvenile Dragon Division at Saint Sis Academy, where dozens of students attended the same classes following a fixed curriculum, the Youth Dragon Division adopted a more tailored approach. Each student was assigned an individual mentor based on their innate talents and strengths.
Given Noa’s rare lightning affinity, it was only natural for Mavis to be her mentor.

Leon and Rosvisser exchanged pleasantries with Mavis, finally understanding why Noa had been sent here—it was her exceptional lightning attribute that earned her the opportunity to observe such a unique event.
"Oh, the Red Flame Dragon King is here too," Mavis noted, glancing toward Konstantin.
The red-haired dragon gave her a brief nod, his expression as impassive as ever, and replied with a simple "Hmm."

After a few polite exchanges, Konstantin waved at Leon, gesturing for him to step aside for a private conversation.
Leon nodded, then crouched to pass Muse into Noa’s arms.
"Take care of your sister."
"Got it, Dad."

Rosvisser stood behind her two daughters, giving Leon a subtle nod of encouragement. With that, Leon followed Konstantin to a more secluded spot for their talk.
As Noa held Muse and watched her father walk away with the red dragon, her face briefly lit up with curiosity. But in the blink of an eye, her surroundings changed. Muse vanished ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) from her arms, and the world around her turned into walls of dim gold.
When Noa turned, a massive white dragon loomed before her.

"Do you need something?" she asked.
The dragon spread its wings, flooding the space with radiant light. As the glow subsided, the creature transformed into a stunning figure draped in white robes, standing gracefully atop a shimmering surface.
"My power is in that Konstantin fellow," the Ancestor said without preamble.
Noa blinked, recalling the ruins in the Far North where Konstantin had absorbed the primal energy from the Ancestor’s stone statue. The Ancestor’s soul had fled at the last moment, taking refuge in Noa's consciousness.

"So… do you want to take it back?" Noa asked after a moment’s thought. "But Konstantin is an ally now. He even helped us against Arlan last time."
The Ancestor shook her head coldly.
"The primal energy has fused with him after so long. Forcibly extracting it would kill him. No matter. Consider it a gift from the king to an ally."
Noa tilted her head, about to protest.
"If you’re so generous, why didn’t you prepare a gift for me too?"

Before the Ancestor could respond, a tall figure emerged from the water, stepping lightly onto the surface and offering a subtle bow.
The Ancestor crossed her arms, maintaining an air of superiority, while Noa stared in confusion, the atmosphere suddenly turning awkward.
Before Noa could react, the Ancestor closed the distance and scooped her into a tight hug, vigorously rubbing her cheeks.
"You little rascal! Did you have to bring that up?"

"Do you really need to do this?" Noa deadpanned, legs flailing.
"Look at you, getting all worked up."
"I am not worked up!"

"If you’re not, why are you squirming?"
"This is your so-called 'gift,' isn’t it?"
The Ancestor finally set Noa back down, smirking. But her demeanor quickly turned serious again as she crouched slightly, bringing her gaze level with Noa’s.
"Remember in the Demon Moon Forest when Arlan used the bell seeds to block our primal magic?"

Noa nodded. "I remember."
"After much thought," the Ancestor continued, "it seems that the only magic capable of countering primal energy is chaos magic, specifically a form known as 'Ultimate Fear.'"
"Ultimate Fear?" Noa’s brows furrowed.

"Yes. Arlan's bell seeds had been tempered by the power of Ultimate Fear, which proves he’s connected to it."
The Ancestor’s tone darkened.
"The spell he used to trap you, 'Dark Oblivion,' is also a form of chaos magic. If you hadn’t unleashed your full primal power, you’d have been reduced to bones and blood by now."
"And chaos magic… it requires the 'Black Dragon Scale' to use," she added.

"The Black Dragon Scale?" Noa repeated, perplexed. "I’ve never heard of it. What is it?"
"It’s a Heartshield Dragon Scale tainted by Ultimate Fear," the Ancestor explained. "It grants immense power to its wielder but slowly erodes their sense of justice and conscience. There are likely other abilities tied to it, but I don’t fully understand them. However—"
She paused, her expression grave.

"However, what?" Noa prompted.
"I sensed the power of the Black Dragon Scale in that Konstantin fellow."
Noa’s eyes widened slightly.
"Are you saying Konstantin is connected to Ultimate Fear?"

"No, I’m not certain," the Ancestor replied. "But I need you to investigate."
"How should I go about that?"
"First, find out what he and your father are discussing. If it’s private, it must be important."

"But Dad won’t let me eavesdrop," Noa said flatly.
"True. That does make things tricky…"
The Ancestor scratched her head in frustration, muttering about the challenges of dealing with an unpredictable ally like Konstantin.

Just then, a sweet, childish voice echoed through the space.
"Big sister~ Hug hug~ Hug hug~"
"Is she going to grow up to be a sister-obsessed clingy type?" the Ancestor muttered, rolling her eyes.

Noa’s gaze returned to reality, where little Muse wriggled in her arms, her red eyes blinking innocently. Inspiration struck.
"I might have an idea," Noa said, a sly smile forming.
She pulled out a recording stone from her pocket, one specially prepared by the Academy to document the upcoming duel between Leon and Odin.

Noa glanced at the stone, then at Muse, and after ensuring no one was watching, slipped the stone into her sister’s pocket.
"Muse, want to play a game with me?"
Muse blinked, tilting her head.
"Not hing~"

"…Why not?"
"Your sister only says ‘Not hing,’ so you’ll have to interpret her tone," came a sudden voice.
Noa looked up to see a little red-haired, black-eyed girl standing nearby.

"And who are you?" Noa asked, raising a brow.
"I’m Hefei, Konstantin’s daughter," the girl replied earnestly.
Noa blinked in surprise. So this was the fiery dragon’s child?

"Interesting," Noa thought, marveling at how adorable the girl was despite her father’s intimidating reputation.
After a moment’s thought, Noa smiled and said,
"Alright, Hefei, want to play a game with me?"
Hefei’s eyes lit up.
"Yes! Yes! What are we playing, big sister?"

Noa glanced toward Leon, Konstantin, and Rosvisser in the distance. She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
"The game doesn’t matter. What matters is…"
"How we sneak my little sister over to eavesdrop on my dad."