Chapter 035
When Cassius entered Charlotte’s room, he was greeted by an unexpected scene.
“Raaawr! Take this, you scoundrel!”
“Spaghetti, over here!”
Dragons are supposed to be great beings, appearing as beacons of salvation when the world is in danger, cutting through chaos and guiding humanity.
But right now, that dragon was charging at Theo like a bull.
Cassius’s eyes were drawn to a pink handkerchief fluttering in Theo’s hand, teasing the small dragon who was running toward him with raised arms.
“Hehe! You can’t catch me! Spaghetti is slower than Theo!”
Theo’s laughter filled the room as he taunted the dragon.
And in the middle of this chaos, Charlotte was sitting and drinking tea with a tired expression. As she saw the two running around wildly, she noticed Cassius, she gave him a faint smile.
“…You’re here?”
Charlotte was currently realizing the truth behind the saying, “Only small humans can defeat dogs,”
Theo and Spaghetti, who seemed to have endless energy like they’d been plugged into a backup battery, had completely drained her.
She vaguely remembered playing like this outside until sunset when she lived in the orphanage as a child.
“…What is going on here?” Cassius asked, confused.
“Well, Theo seems to be much healthier. And Spaghetti is… quite excited.”
“It’s Stephanie, not Spaghetti! You humans are so rude!”
The dragon stomped its foot angrily, but it ended up rolling on the floor along with Theo as they tumbled together. Cassius was stunned.
“Theo!”
He quickly grabbed Theo, but the child, still holding the dragon, burst out laughing, clearly having the time of his life. Cassius sighed as he helped Theo stand, and the dragon leaped out of the boy’s arms.
“I greet the great and noble…” Cassius stopped mid-sentence.
He couldn’t bring himself to use an honorific for a dragon the size of a puppy.
“My name is Stephanie Chloriche Eraclium,” the dragon declared proudly, raising its tiny chin. “I am the last gift and mercy my mother left on this land to prepare for the chaos that will come.”
“…I see,” Cassius said, skeptical. “But in that form, it’s hard to take you seriously.”
The dragon flared its wings, clearly offended.
“This form is temporary! I haven’t recovered my full power yet, but if you saw my true form, you’d all be amazed!”
Charlotte tapped Cassius’s arm.
“Sit down and let’s talk. You two, stop running around and sit as well.”
“I wasn’t playing, I was teaching him a lesson!”
“Whatever you were doing, sit down.”
Grumbling, Stephanie climbed onto the sofa. Cassius stared at the dragon, his imagination of a majestic and awe-inspiring dragon completely shattered.
“So, you have to stay in that form until your full power returns?” Charlotte asked, trying to understand the situation.
“No, I can change forms. Would you prefer this one?”
Stephanie’s small body shimmered gold before transforming. When the light faded, she had taken the form of a young girl around Theo’s age, wearing a simple dress.
“Wow!” Theo’s eyes sparkled.
Charlotte nodded knowingly. Kids his age love anything that transforms, she thought.
Theo grabbed Stephanie’s shoulders excitedly.
“Did you just transform? Can I do that? Can you teach me?”
“Someone get this insolent child off me!” Stephanie growled, trembling with frustration.
Charlotte stepped in, her tone firm.
“Theo, if you don’t behave, you’ll have to leave the room.”
“Nooo!”
“Then behave. We’re having an important conversation, and you’re interrupting. Is that okay?”
“…No.”
Theo pouted and lowered his head. Charlotte pressed her fingers to her temples, already exhausted from the hyperactivity of the two kids.
“If you stay quiet, I’ll let you play with Stephanie after we’re done, and then you can ask her about transforming. Got it?”
“Okay…” Theo nodded reluctantly.
With Theo settled, Charlotte turned her stern gaze to Stephanie.
“Stephanie, you too. Let’s focus on the conversation first.”
“You’re right.”
If they were going to send a dragon to save the world, couldn’t they have sent a fully grown one? Charlotte thought, clicking her tongue inwardly.
After using her experience from managing orphans to bring the two troublemakers under control, Charlotte turned to Cassius.
“Cassius.”
“…Yeah.”
“You have something to say, don’t you?”
Cassius lightly patted his own cheek, trying to refocus. Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, Charlotte was right. He needed to speak.
Cassius glanced at Theo. It wasn’t the kind of conversation to have in front of a child, but as someone of Isteria’s bloodline, Theo deserved to know, too. Gathering himself, Cassius began.
“The great being…” He trailed off, biting his tongue. After hearing Theo call the dragon Spaghetti, he couldn’t bring himself to use formal titles. He decided to just go for it.
“You came here for a reason, didn’t you? The prophecy said you’d return when chaos overtakes the world. Do you know anything about that?”
“I don’t know much yet,” Stephanie admitted. “All I know is that some kind of energy woke me from my slumber.”
“What kind of energy?”
Stephanie pointed directly at Charlotte, whose eyes widened in shock.
“Me? What did I do…?”
Her startled heart raced. If misunderstood, this could paint her as a threat to humanity. After all, Stephanie had awakened because of the energy surrounding Charlotte—an energy that, if wrongly interpreted, could signify chaos for the world.
Stephanie hopped off the sofa and circled around Charlotte, sniffing the air like a curious animal. The dragon’s sensitive nose twitched.
“This smell… it’s exactly as I thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“This woman is covered in my mother’s scent. The scent of Mother Stephanie, I mean.”
Everyone’s gaze shifted to Charlotte.
“…Hiccup.”
Did she just say I smell like her mother?
Does that mean I’m her mother?
Am I… a dragon?!
“Hiccup.”
Charlotte’s shock triggered a series of hiccups. She had never considered such a possibility.
“Wait… does this mean Charlotte is a dragon?” Cassius asked.
“No, she’s human,” Stephanie clarified.
Charlotte sighed in relief, narrowly avoiding a sudden shift in her species. Stephanie, with her usual haughty expression, continued,
“But the fact that my mother’s presence lingers on her… well, I’m not entirely sure what that means either.”
Great, what do you know, kid?
Charlotte shot a sharp look at the dragon, sipping her tea to calm her hiccups.
“Either way, it’s that lingering presence that woke me up.”
“Dragons are said to catch glimpses of the future,” Cassius interjected. “Do you have anything to say about that?”
“I’ve barely woken up! I don’t know anything yet,” Stephanie replied, shrugging her little shoulders.
“Is there any way for you to regain your strength quickly?”
“Other than consuming the essence of monsters, no.”
Stephanie grinned mischievously, flashing her small fangs. She looked like a troublemaker, not a majestic dragon. Dragons and monsters shared a common origin, and Cassius nodded as the thought crossed his mind.
“We’ll help with that. The monster gates opening have already been a problem for us anyway. Do you know how to hunt them?”
“I do! Me!”
Theo, who had been quietly eavesdropping, shot his hand up with excitement.
“I’ll teach you, Spaghetti! I’m a great fish hunter, you know!” Theo’s eyes sparkled with pride.
“Are you treating me like I can’t even catch a fish?” Stephanie growled, her brows furrowed. “This body can catch five at once!”
Sure, you’re so amazing, Charlotte thought, shaking her head quietly.
