"Kuhum!"
Quetzalcoatl cleared his throat as he put his neutral gaze solely on Layland. The Demon put down his teacup calmly, befitting of a noble from feudal Japan, and then met the Dragon's gaze. Silence descended upon the room as the two men conversed with their eyes. It naturally got the women in the room curious but none of them dared to prod them.
One minute passed just like that and then Quetzalcoatl sighed rather heavily. Putting his elbows on the table, he intertwined his fingers and glanced at Aurelia, which didn't go unnoticed by the said granddaughter.
"I have been thinking about it and I am sure that I don't know what to teach you."
Given the honest confession, Layland remained silent. He was quite surprised but didn't show it on his face. He was not surprised by the fact that Quetzalcoatl didn't what to teach him, though. He was surprised because of Quetzalcoatl's honesty. He knew Quetzalcoatl didn't have anything to teach him but didn't expect Quetzalcoatl to be honest about it.
'He is not as prideful as I thought, huh?' A small smile crept up Layland's face.
"What do you mean that you don't know what to teach Layland?" Aurelia spat with a frown. "Aren't you ashamed to say that after acting so mighty before?"
"Now, now. Relax, my granddaughter," Quetzalcoatl placated. "You should have known that Dragons mostly learn from experience. Things like Magic and Spells are learnt instinctually, so I don't think teaching Layland that will help him in any way. Added to that fact, he also has vast knowledge regarding Spells."
"What about Dragon Language? You can teach him that."
"Well, he has to learn it on his own. Anyone with Dragon Blood should know that it is not something they can learn from someone."
"What about fighting technique?"
"That…" Quetzalcoatl had a sour look on his face as his gaze drifted to Layland. "The only thing that Layland lacks is power. As for that aspect, he no longer needs improvement."
Millonia had a surprised look on her face. She wasn't surprised by what Quetzalcoatl stated—she knew how impeccable Layland's technique was—she was surprised the Dragon easily admitted it. Dragons were prideful creatures. It was especially so for the older Dragons. This instance changed her perspective of Quetzalcoatl.
"Then, if you have nothing to teach Layland, why should we—"
"Don't get me wrong," Quetzalcoatl interjected. "I only said that I didn't know what to teach him, not I didn't have anything to teach him. At the moment, Layland needs to embrace his Dragon heritage more. This is the only way for him to get stronger quickly. The more he embraces his Dragon heritage, the stronger his Dragon blood will be."
With everyone's curious gaze on him, Quetzalcoatl's face turned solemn. "Therefore, I am going to teach him how to live like a Dragon. I will introduce him to the Dragon world and make him comfortable with it," he exclaimed.
The silence Quetzalcoatl was met with instinctively made him understand the situation: everyone was expecting something impressive to come out of his mouth and he betrayed their expectation. Cursing inwardly, he grumbled as he turned to Layland. Expecting to see a sneer on the Demon's face, he was greatly surprised when he was met with a serious look.
'This lad…he might be not as bad as I thought.' He felt appreciated.
A few moments passed in silence as they enjoyed their tea. Quetzalcoatl talked again when he asked Millonia what she wanted to specifically train.
"A seal? You want to loosen up that seal to regain your power, huh? Isn't it better to leave it that way?"
"Layland will bring a great change to this world. I want to stand on his side when the day comes, so I can't remain a burden."
Quetzalcoatl hummed as he stroked his grey beard. His eyes couldn't help but find their way to his granddaughter. Millonia and Aurelia had the same case—their power was sealed. However, Aurelia already had her seal undone. Unfortunately, Aurelia wasn't aware of that, so it limited her psychologically.
The only thing that Aurelia could do to eliminate that effect was to realize that she had fallen in love with Layland. One couldn't just outrightly tell her that as she was still in denial. Therefore, Quetzalcoatl proposed the idea to introduce Layland to Dragon's way of life. He would involve Aurelia as much as he could with the activities to make her more conscious of her feelings for Layland.
He was quite reluctant but had to leave the rest to Layland. He hoped that Aurelia wouldn't be so bold to immediately strike upon realizing her feelings, but if it happened, Layland had the freedom to choose the action he deemed the best. That day might be his granddaughter's happiest or saddest day. Either way, he would be there for her.
'Even if it hurts her, she will remember the memory fondly in the future. I am sure of it. I have experienced it myself. Look how tough I have become!'
"You look like you are about to cry, Grandpa."
"What? Kuhum! Why would I cry?" Quetzalcoatl was brought out of his monologue. "Anyway, Layland's integration into the Dragon society will begin today. Of course, Millonia's training also begins today."
Quetzalcoatl swept the air and the tea set on the table disappeared at once. He stood up and gestured for Layland and the others to follow him. They got out of the house and then stood in the yard before it. A few seconds passed in silence before they sensed a presence in the sky. As they looked up, a fairly strong wind came crashing down on them.
A red Dragon that was as long as 500 feet slowly descended the sky. Its wings spanned over 900 feet, further amplifying its intimidating appearance. The yard before the house was not big enough to host the Dragon, so Layland wondered what the Dragon would do. To his fascination, it got smaller as it came down.
By the time it reached the ground, it was just as big as a normal Wyvern. Layland was fairly entertained but couldn't help but note how redundant the action was. It could have just assumed its human form but it didn't. As Layland was thinking of a possible reason why the Dragon didn't do that, it assumed its human form.
The Dragon was a female. In her human form, she was a tall woman with fiery red hair. She had a slender build and a delicate look. Her general appearance was a stark contrast to her eyes. She would have passed as a quiet and timid beauty if not for those eyes of hers. One could see the thirst for blood that even surpassed what some of the crazy Demons had in them.
"Master, is that Demon whom I am going to train for the next three months?" the red-haired woman said calmly as she walked toward Layland.
"No. It will be the lass beside him," Quetzalcoatl replied.
The red-haired woman immediately stopped in her tracks and looked at Millonia who was a head shorter than her. A frown made its way to her face before she turned to Quetzalcoatl with a look that was asking if he was joking.
"This lass can't even block my kick. Are you sure you want me not to go easy on her?"
Provoked, Millonia immediately sneered. "I have never thought of eating a lizard before, but I am curious now. I think you will be a great ingredient for the dish I have in mind."
"Keep dreaming, weakling," the red-haired woman scoffed.
"This motherfucker…"
Ignoring Millonia's indignant outburst, the red-haired woman turned to Layland. She extended her hand and said, "Name is Alaia. What's yours?"
The Demon grasped the hand and answered casually, "Layland."
Immediately, the air exploded as the two's Mana clashed. While Layland's face remained unchanged, Alaia's eyes widened. She had intended to shock Layland by invading his bloodstream with her Mana as a prank but failed. Layland managed to block her Mana and even invade her bloodstream with his Mana.
"Aren't you tough?" Alaia said with a smirk.
"I get your excitement. We are not different after all," Layland remarked with a faint smile. "Though, you have to be careful of what you do. A prank is only funny if the one being pranked also laughs with you."
Layland's red eyes gleamed as his Demonic Essence flared for a moment. Alaia's breath got caught in her throat and her heart beat faster than it had ever done. Staring into the deep eyes, she saw something far scarier than death. She immediately retracted her hand and jumped in fright. Layland had made her feel afraid of death after a long time.
Quetzalcoatl hummed to himself as he observed the situation. Alaia was not the strongest youngster in Ne Okozmo but she was by no means weak. She wasn't born into a superior lineage but was still a pure-blooded Dragon. For Layland to be able to terrify her that much spoke volumes of how terrifying he was then and would be in the future.
"Well, this is the world of Dragons," Aurelia whispered to Layland. "You shouldn't have done that, but I doubt you wouldn't have done that even if I had told you what would happen in advance given your personality. You like challenges, don't you? Then, enjoy."
Knowing where this was going, Layland stared at Alaia in amusement as she glared at him ferociously. Her face was red because of her excitement.
"Layland, I will defeat you and take your hand in marriage! I want your string babies!"
"…what?"
Both Layland and Aurelia shot Alaia a dumbfounded look. Despite being a 'senior' citizen of Ne Okozmo, just like Layland did, Aurelia also wondered what the world of Dragons had become.
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