Chapter 256: Upheaval (1)

Silver Flower Castle, the sacred land of dragons.

“You’re finally here? Where’s the child?” Carlos asked Genelocer.

Genelocer replied with a wistful expression, “I left him with Louis… sigh…”

A deep sigh escaped Genelocer’s lips, his face etched with frustration. “I should just resign from the Elder position. I can’t even see my own precious children… What’s the point of all this?”

“Whether you quit or not… let’s focus on safely resolving this crisis first,” Carlos replied.

“Sigh…”

Another soft sigh escaped Genelocer’s lips. Slumping wearily, he turned to Carlos.

“More importantly, how’s the situation?” Carlos asked.

“Same as always,” Genelocer replied. “Those lunatics are going berserk trying to break through, and we’re killing ourselves to hold them back.”

“What about Headman Bartholomew?”

“He hasn’t arrived yet. He’s stuck dealing with the chaos in Maha right now.”

“Why are those bastards, who’ve been quiet for so long, suddenly acting up like this?”

“Who knows what goes on in their twisted minds? Let’s just get going. The old men have been badgering me about when you’d arrive. They’re about to drop dead from exhaustion.”

“Right… Let’s go! Let’s go!” Genelocer shouted, his frustration boiling over as he stormed ahead.

“Tch. That hopeless fool…” Carlos clicked his tongue softly and hurried after him.

Autumn Continent.

The mansion, once the castle of Lord Syron, now belonged entirely to Louis as his private residence.

Within its walls lay a chamber accessible only to a select few: Louis’s personal bedroom.

Inside, a pristine white creature darted about with boundless energy.

Chirp! Cheep!

The chick-like chirping came from none other than Ariana, Louis’s inexplicably acquired younger sister.

“Ah! Lo, Louis!”

Chirp!

Ariana chased Fin relentlessly around the room.

After being pursued by Ariana for quite some time, Fin finally darted into Louis’s arms, diverting Ariana’s attention elsewhere.

The little creature scurried toward the bed on one side of the room.

“Pii?” Ariana stood on her hind legs, her front paws planted on the high bed, her short tail wagging furiously.

Her eyes sparkled as she spotted Nabi perched on the bed.

“Coo, coong…”

Nabi stared at Ariana’s face, which had barely peeked over the edge of the bed, and broke into a cold sweat. Louis’s earlier warning flashed through his mind: “If a single hair on my sister’s head is harmed, I’ll pluck every last feather from your body!”

Nabi desperately hoped Ariana wouldn’t manage to climb onto the bed.

But then…

“Pii… Eek!”

Ariana stubbornly struggled and finally scrambled onto the bed.

“Beep!”

Ariana scampered over to Nabi, hugged her tightly, and began to roll around on the bed.

“Beep!”

“Que… oong…”

Nabi, fearing Ariana might get hurt, reluctantly resigned herself and allowed the girl to embrace her.

After Ariana had clung to Nabi for quite some time, a pair of hands gently lifted her into their arms.

“Que…”

Nabi heaved a sigh of relief as Ariana was carried away.

Meanwhile, Kani, who had picked up Ariana, turned to Louis and asked, “So… this little girl… is your younger sister?”

Louis nodded.

Kani’s gaze shifted back to Ariana.

Kani scrutinized Ariana from head to toe, the little girl dangling helplessly from her hand, tucked under her armpit.

“Bip?”

When Ariana tilted her head slightly, the corner of Kani’s mouth began to twitch uncontrollably.

Finally, Kani’s self-control snapped. “Kyaaa! You’re just too, too, too cute!”

She rubbed her face against Ariana’s.

“Bip-et!”

Startled, Ariana tried to push Kani away, but she couldn’t overcome the strength of the Holy Dragon Clan member.

After a long moment of cheek-to-cheek contact, Kani spoke, her face flushed with excitement. “Hey, hey! Say ‘Unni’! Say ‘Unni’!”

“Bip?”

“Yes, yes! ‘Unni’!”

“Bip-i?”

“Agoo goo, you’re doing so well!”

Kani and Ariana continued their exchange of “Unni” (sister) and “Bip” for quite some time.

Watching them, Louis turned to Khan. ”…Do you actually hear ‘Unni’?”

“You never know. Given Kani’s mental age, she might genuinely understand Ariana.”

“Then why can’t you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Kani’s mental age is practically the same as yours.”

Khan shot Louis an indignant glare.

Meanwhile, Kani hugged Ariana and scurried over to Louis. “Louis, Louis! I’ve made up my mind!”

“About what?”

“I’m going to marry you!”

”…What?”

“If I marry you, we can have a daughter just like Ariana, right?”

”…Get lost.”

Louis’s gaze turned icily cold.

As they spoke, Kani rubbed her cheek against the top of Ariana’s head again.

Peep!

Finally, unable to endure it any longer, Ariana wriggled free from Kani’s embrace.

Peep-peep!

She immediately scurried over to Louis’s legs and tugged at his pants.

“What is it?” Louis asked.

Peep!

“You want me to hold you?”

Peep-peep!

Ariana nodded vigorously. Louis scooped her into his arms, and she nestled her face contentedly against his chest, looking perfectly comfortable.

Louis was astonished. How could she be so attached so quickly…?

He and Ariana had only met less than a day ago. Yet she already clung to him so affectionately. Blood is thicker than water, I guess…

Though the reality of their bond hadn’t fully sunk in yet, the idea that this little creature was his blood relative began to dawn on him.

Purr… purr…

Ariana closed her eyes comfortably in Louis’s arms and drifted off to sleep.

Kani, watching enviously, asked…

“So, what now? Are you going back to the Spring Continent?” Kani asked.

“Yes,” Louis replied. “There’s no safer place to care for Ariana.”

Louis had come to the Autumn Continent to explain the situation to Khan and Kani and bring them back. He couldn’t leave Ariana alone, so he brought her along, but he never intended to raise her here permanently. Hatchlings were incredibly fragile creatures, beings that needed constant protection. And there was no better place to care for such a child than Genelocer’s Lair.

Besides, it wouldn’t be for long. They could stay in the Spring Continent for about a year and then resume their travels. If they did, the Twins would surely follow him.

But the problem was…

“What are we going to tell the kids?” Kani asked, referring to the Flame Siblings.

“Hmm…” Louis murmured.

He couldn’t possibly tell them he was returning to the Spring Continent to raise a hatchling. Moreover, he’d have to spend most of his time with Ariana while caring for her, which meant he might not see the Flame siblings for quite some time.

As he was agonizing over this, he sensed someone approaching outside the door. Judging by their auras, it was undoubtedly Kendrick, Tania, and Lavina.

“Huh?”

Flustered, Louis frantically tried to hide Ariana. If she were an object, he could simply stash her in his pocket dimension. But what was he supposed to do with his peacefully slumbering little sister?

Before he could figure it out, the trio burst into the room.

“Teacher!”

“Where have you been?”

The Flame siblings and Lavina hurried toward him, Tania leading the charge. Spotting Louis, she darted forward.

Louis paused, noticing Ariana nestled in his arms.

“Teacher, what’s that? A Yeongsu?” Tania asked.

Louis felt a slight sense of relief at her question. Of course… she’s never seen a dragon before. It’s natural she’d assume Ariana is a Yeongsu. This misunderstanding seemed to avert any awkwardness.

Intrigued by the mention of a Yeongsu, Lavina rushed over, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. “A Yeongsu? Where? Where?” She peered at the sleeping Ariana and tilted her head. “Huh? What kind of Yeongsu is this? Where did you find her?”

”…”

“I’ve never seen a species like this before… Can I take a closer look?”

“Where do you think you’re putting those filthy hands? Do you have a death wish?”

“A-ah, no. If you don’t want me to, that’s fine… You always have to be so harsh…” Lavina retreated with a crestfallen expression.

Even after escaping her servitude as a maid at Transcendence Academy, Lavina still wore her maid uniform. Laundry and cleaning had become her hobbies, and she spent every spare moment tidying Louis’s castle. She claimed the maid outfit was simply her “hobby attire.”

Thanks to her effortlessly handling the work of dozens of ordinary maids, Louis currently employed no other servants in his castle.

Leaving the pitifully hunched-over Lavina behind, Louis turned to the Flame siblings and said, “I actually wanted to talk to you two. Perfect timing.”

“Talk to us…?” The Flame siblings flinched at the mention of Louis wanting to speak to them, their shoulders twitching.

This was understandable. Whenever Louis said he had something to tell them, the events that followed invariably defied their common sense.

Fortunately, this time was different.

“I’ll be gone for about a year,” Louis announced.

“Huh?”

“A whole year?!”

Louis nodded. “Yeah, I have my reasons.”

“What about us?”

“That’s why I wanted to talk. What do you want to do? Stay here, or come back to the Spring Continent with me? I have urgent business there, so I have to go.”

Their reactions split into two distinct camps.

“I’ll follow you anywhere, Teacher!” Tania declared, her determination unwavering, as if she would follow Louis even into hell.

“Then… what happens after a year?” Kendrick asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

Louis smiled at Kendrick’s question.

“We can either return here or set off for somewhere else,” Louis said.

Kendrick visibly relaxed and replied, “Ah, if that’s the case, I’ll follow you, Teacher. I was actually looking forward to seeing my parents anyway—this works out perfectly!”

It seemed Kendrick had been worried that Louis might abandon them or that their journey would end prematurely.

With the Flame siblings’ agreement, Louis turned to Lavina. “What about you?”

Lavina, who had been rolling her eyes while listening to Louis and the siblings, startled at being addressed directly. “M-me?”

“Yes, you. What’s your decision? If you want to leave, I’ll take you to the Winter Continent.”

”…”

Lavina was momentarily speechless.

She had initially joined Louis’s group to get Nabi back, but that initial goal had long since faded into the background.

Now that I think about it… why am I still with these people?

Traveling together.

Sharing the same moments.

Laughing and chatting as a group.

Lavina had completely assimilated into Louis’s travel party.

So much so that the thought of leaving them and returning home no longer even crossed her mind.

Her hesitation was brief.

“I want to go too!”

“Where?”

“Anywhere! The Spring Continent? You said you were going there!”

“Hmm…”

Louis scratched his cheek.

“It’s decided, then.”

The decision had been made as quickly as roasting beans in a lightning strike, but did it really matter?

The tower will run just fine without me now.

All he needed to do was tell the others he’d be away for a while before leaving. Of course, he’d also warn them that if the tower was a mess when he returned, he’d tear it all down.

Looks like I’ll be stuck on the Spring Continent for about a year…

This situation would temporarily halt his travels.

Well, I’ve been rushing around non-stop lately. Might as well think of it as a short vacation.

Or maybe even paternity leave?

Whatever it was, a little rest wouldn’t be so bad.

They say strike while the iron is hot.

Louis glanced at the Flame siblings, Lavina, and Nabi. “Then go and give Lia my regards.”

“Huh?”

“If I need you, I’ll come find you myself. Don’t bother looking for me.”

“E-excuse me?”

Kendrick and Tania blinked, sensing something was amiss, and reached out.

“W-wait a minute…”

“T-teacher…!”

That was the last they saw of them.

Snap.

With a flick of Louis’s finger, the Flame siblings, Lavina, and Nabi vanished without a trace.

Having sent the four of them away, Louis murmured, “Now then, shall I make my move?”

He immediately set about preparing for his vacation.

At that moment, Louis didn’t yet realize that this wasn’t just a break, but the prelude to a coming transformation.