After lunch, the Melkvey family headed off in full force to the Young Dragon Playground.
For Xiaoguang, it was her first visit to the playground, so she was much more excited than her two older sisters.
The little pink-haired dragon eagerly led the way, wanting to try every activity she saw: throwing sandbags, bouncing balls, and even ring toss games.
It was rare for her to put down her books and enjoy herself, so Leon and Rosvisser were more than happy to indulge her every whim.
The three little girls explored the playground’s many attractions with enthusiasm, while their parents followed closely behind.
Meanwhile, Isha and Grandma Veronica trailed behind them, just as they had that morning.
“Care to share some knowledge about the Lightning Elves, Isha?” Grandma asked.
Isha crossed her arms and walked leisurely, her gaze never leaving her brother-in-law.
“Lightning Elves are an important branch of the elf race, akin to soldier ants in an ant colony. They protect the tribe and fend off enemies.”
“So their combat skills are among the best in the elf race, with a natural affinity for lightning magic,” Isha explained. “But even though they are fierce in battle, Lightning Elves still retain the essence of their elven nature—gracefulness.”
“No matter the time or place, those delicate creatures will always maintain absolute elegance.”
Isha paused for a moment, then shrugged. “If our dragon clan had half their elegance, maybe we wouldn’t have earned the reputation of being violent brutes.”
Grandma Veronica considered Isha’s analysis, then turned her gaze toward Leon ahead of them. She pressed her lips together thoughtfully, raising a finger to point at her granddaughter’s husband.
“If *that* behavior is considered elegant, then perhaps we dragons could shake the ‘brute’ label.”
“What behavior?” Isha followed her grandmother’s gaze.
There, in front of them, her brother-in-law was standing at a shooting gallery stall, holding Aurora as he furiously shot at balloons.
“Boxer shorts! Boxer shorts!”
“Boss! Give me ten more rounds! Let my daughter have her fun!”
“What? Leave? No way.”
“Leaving’s not an option. Your prizes are great, the balloons are easy to hit, I *love* your stall.”
“Ten more rounds!”
“Rat-tat-tat-tat! Aurora, isn’t Dad’s shooting amazing?”
Isha: ...
Grandma: ...
Lightning Elves: ...
Silently, Isha pulled out the list she had written the night before and crossed the Lightning Elves off it.
“I don’t think my brother-in-law will ever learn elegance.”
Muttering to herself, Isha glanced at the two remaining names on the list.
The Wolf Tribe and... humans.
The Red Dragon Queen bit her pen thoughtfully. “Which one should I test next?”
While she was pondering, Grandma Veronica reached out and gently pressed down on Isha’s list.
Isha glanced over. “Grandma?”
The old woman smiled kindly. “We’re here to relax with family. Even if you’re investigating, don’t let it take over your thoughts.”
Isha’s red eyes softened with understanding. She put the list away and hooked her arm around her grandmother’s. “Then let’s go shoot some balloons together, Grandma.”
“Oh, my old eyes are blurry. I can’t aim, I can’t aim,” Veronica teased.
The two laughed as they walked over to join Leon and the others.
Meanwhile, after several rounds of ammunition, Leon had won another toy bear for each of his daughters.
He then turned to Rosvisser, asking if she wanted one too.
Rosvisser shook her head. “No need, one is enough.”
“Why? You loved the one I gave you last time.”
“I did, but one of something I like is enough,” the queen replied, her silver eyes never leaving Leon’s gaze. A sly smile played on her lips, hinting at something more.
Leon swallowed hard and leaned back slightly. “You... you’re not including me in that, are you?”
Rosvisser tilted her head slightly, her silver hair falling over her shoulder. She didn’t answer directly.
“What do you think, my captive?”
“Oh? What are you two lovebirds whispering about?” came Isha’s teasing voice. “Your gazes are practically sparking. Why don’t you kiss right here?”
Both of them quickly turned away, embarrassed.
Leon scratched his head, trying to act as though nothing had happened.
Isha approached with a mischievous grin. “Brother-in-law, I didn’t know you were such a good shot. Help me win something, will you?”
“Sure, sure, no problem. Boss, ten more rounds!”
The vendor was ecstatic. “You got it!”
As Leon got back to shooting, Isha sidled up to her sister. “I knew your relationship would get better after your first visit to my house, but I didn’t expect it to get this good.”
Rosvisser blushed, gently pushing her sister’s arm. “Stop saying things like that, Sis... Leon and I, we’re just a normal couple. Respectful and polite.”
“Respectful and polite? What kind of ‘respectful and polite’ couple has three kids?”
Isha bent down and picked up Moon. “What do you think, Little Moon? Aren’t your mommy and daddy the most *loving* couple ever?”
Moon didn’t care whether her aunt was trying to embarrass her parents. She just knew that agreeing with adults was always the safest bet.
“Yup!” she nodded vigorously.
“See? Even the kids can tell. Stop denying it, Little Ros.”
Rosvisser sighed in resignation. “Sis, don’t say such things in front of the children...”
As the sisters chatted, Leon returned with yet another toy bear.
“Sis, your bear.”
“Thanks, brother-in-law.”
Isha hugged the bear to her chest, her mind drifting for a moment.
Which race was known for their excellent marksmanship?
With a chuckle, she shook her head, deciding not to think about such things right now.
Taking her grandmother’s advice to heart, she let go of her investigation, if only for the moment.
The family spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying their time at the Young Dragon Playground.
---
That evening, after dinner, they went to Selena’s photography studio to pick up the family photos and the admission pictures of Moon and Aurora.
By then, it was already past 8 p.m., and even at Rosvisser’s speed, it would take at least two or three hours to fly home. By then, the children would be too exhausted to stay awake.
So, they decided to stay the night in Sky City.
Naturally, they checked into the most luxurious hotel available. After all, the Silver and Red Dragon sisters had no shortage of money.
Once the children were settled in and asleep, Isha headed to the hotel rooftop.
Leon, Rosvisser, and Grandma Veronica were already there.
“Oh, it seems none of us can sleep,” Isha said as she joined them.
The four stood side by side by the railing, gazing out at the glittering lights of Sky City beneath the night sky.
The lights flickered and sparkled like stars, giving the city a dreamlike quality.
People often find themselves reminiscing about the past after a full and satisfying day.
Leon was no exception.
As he looked at the night scene, he couldn’t help but think back to his days in the Dragon Slayer Corps.
Back then, he hadn’t yet been betrayed by the Empire. He still held the highest hopes for his future as a dragon slayer.
He often spent nights like this, climbing the tallest tree trunks with Rebecca, Martin, and Victor to gaze at the stars and moon.
Rebecca used to say that once they had slain all their enemies, she would continue watching the moon with her comrades.
Leon would reply that it depended on the weather, as you couldn’t see the moon on a cloudy night.
Martin would agree.
Then Rebecca would pull out her gun, press it to their foreheads, and ask why the heavens had cursed her with two steel-brained idiots who had no sense of romance.
Though those days had been filled with hardship, they had also been full of joy.
Leon sighed quietly, looking up at the sky.
Coincidentally, the moon tonight was as bright as it had been back then.
“When all of this is over, there will be more people to watch the moon with you, you crazy girl,” he thought to himself. Slowly, he reached out and took Rosvisser’s hand.
Her hand was as cool as always, but that didn’t matter. It would warm up after a while.
Rosvisser responded to his rare moment of affection, intertwining her fingers with his.
Their hands clasped tightly, inseparable.
Isha immediately noticed the slight shift in the atmosphere, tinged with the unmistakable scent of romance.
She glanced over. Rosvisser’s expression was normal, but why did her brother-in-law look a bit... emo?
Isha blinked, tilting her head upward.
A full moon hung in the sky.
Suddenly, something clicked in Isha’s mind.
“The Wolf Tribe can’t resist howling at the moon on nights like this...”
With that thought, she turned back to Leon.
As strange as it was to hope that someone would randomly start howling in front of her, Isha wanted to test her theory.
“Come on, brother-in-law. Don’t suppress your bloodline’s instincts! Howl at the moon!”
...
...
...
“Alright, I guess he’s not from the Wolf Tribe either.”
As the air grew cooler, Leon took off his coat and draped it over Rosvisser’s shoulders. “Shall we head back?”
“Mm.”
She turned to Isha and Grandma Veronica. “Sis, Grandma, we’re heading back. Rest well.”
“Goodnight, Little Ros,” Isha waved.
Grandma nodded as well.
The couple left the rooftop, hand in hand.
Isha’s gaze followed them until they disappeared down the stairs. Only then did she look away.
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She sighed.
Grandma Veronica glanced at her. “What’s the matter?”
Isha pulled out her list, crossing off “Wolf Tribe.” “The Garuda, Lightning Elves, and Wolves—out. The Mamba too. That just leaves...”
“Isha,” Grandma interrupted.
“Mm?”
“Have you thought about what we should do if we discover that Leon really isn’t a dragon?”
Isha blinked, pondering her grandmother’s question seriously.
After a moment, she shook her head. “I haven’t figured that out yet.”
Then, with a small chuckle, she lowered her gaze to the list in her hand.
“But this was all just a silly little game from the start—nothing more than a bit of fun.”
Grandma Veronica smiled warmly. “Even if you keep investigating, I doubt you’ll find anything.”
“Eh? Why?”
“The last name on your list is ‘humans,’ but do you know of any defining traits or habits they possess?”
Isha shook her head. “No, and that’s the strange thing. Humans seem to be the most primitive species. Of course, I don’t mean ‘primitive’ in a negative way—it’s just that they’re highly adaptable.”
“They know a bit of every kind of magic. They have no outstanding strengths, but they also have no glaring weaknesses.”
“If anything, humans don’t need to learn transformation magic. After all, the ultimate form of transformation magic in Samael is the human form.”
Grandma Veronica nodded slightly. “I’ve studied this species for many years, and aside from their adaptability, I’ve noticed something interesting about them.”
“What is it?”
“Humans... they sometimes possess the most resilient will in the world.”
Such high praise made Isha suspicious. “What do you mean by that?”
“Look, humans live for less than a century, yet they continuously expand, learn, and explore during their brief lives.”
“Then they pass down their knowledge to the next generation.”
“In this way, they slowly grow, despite the hardships they face. No matter how difficult the process, this inheritance has never been broken.”
“And this ‘continuous inheritance’ is just one manifestation of their resilient will. There are other aspects too—like their survival instinct, their drive to explore new lands. Of course, sometimes they’re driven by desire.”
“But... without desire, there can be no progress, don’t you think?”
Isha nodded thoughtfully.
The human-dragon war had lasted for nearly a century, and her understanding of the species had always been limited to seeing them as enemies. She had never truly tried to understand them in detail.
Grandma’s words had given her a new perspective on humans.
Isha took the list in her hand, and with a small flame in her palm, she began to burn it.
The ashes drifted away in the evening breeze, slowly scattering into the wind.
“Thank you, Grandma, for indulging me all day. Even though we didn’t figure out what my brother-in-law is.”
Grandma smiled. “It’s alright. But next time, if you have another game like this, don’t forget to include me.”
Isha grinned, throwing an arm around her grandmother’s shoulders as they headed for the stairs. “I didn’t expect you to be so gossipy, Grandma. Hundreds of years old, and still such a busybody.”
“And I suppose only young people are allowed to gossip?”
“No, no. But next time, I might be investigating something else.”
“Like what?”
“Little Ros and my brother-in-law’s... third child, perhaps?”
The two left the rooftop, laughter trailing behind them as silence descended once more.
One small, still-burning scrap of paper fluttered to the ground, its edges glowing faintly with embers.
With one last burst of heat, the word “human” was consumed, leaving no trace behind.