Vol 7. Chapter 13: Sore Jaw? That’s Normal

To avoid the meeting feeling stiff or awkward, Leon chose not to hold it indoors.

Instead, they waited on the grassy slope beside the Academy’s sports field. The view was wide open, it was summer break so there weren’t many students around, and occasionally a few squirrels would dart past—relaxed and natural.

Leon led Hera to a shaded patch of grass.

"Let’s wait for them here."

"Mmh, okay."

Hera pressed her lips together. She was ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) still a little nervous.

She’d brought up the idea of meeting Leon’s family on a whim, without knowing much about them.

After hesitating a bit, she asked,

"Um... Leon, what kind of people are your wife and daughters? Are they easy to get along with?"

Leon didn’t think too hard about it and nodded.

"They’re all easygoing."

He paused, then added with a serious look,

"But if you see a little pink-haired one walking toward you, try to keep at least an uppercut’s distance away from her."

Hera blinked, her beautiful eyes wide.

"Eh? Why?"

General Leon rubbed his chin.

"Been years since I last took one of her uppercuts, but when she meets strangers, there’s always a slight chance her bloodline might activate on contact. Better safe than sorry."

He said it like a joke. Of course he knew little Aurora didn’t throw punches at random strangers anymore. That was a thing of the past.

But he figured tossing out a ridiculous “pro tip” like that might help loosen Hera up.

Anyone normal would be able to tell he was kidding—right?

Yet all he saw was Hera pulling out her notebook and jotting something down with a serious face.

As she muttered under her breath,

"Beware pink-haired girl. Uses uppercut. OK!"

"..."

Leon could never tell whether Hera was being abstract on purpose or genuinely, seriously taking notes.

But judging by her expression...

It didn’t look like she was acting.

Roughly ten minutes later, several figures appeared at the far end of the field.

The multi-colored girls lined up in a row with Xiaoxue at their side, and Rosvisser stood right in the center.

Their presence was commanding. From a distance, it looked less like a family visit and more like a no-holds-barred brawl between women’s teams.

"Let’s go greet them," Leon suggested.

"Oh, okay."

Hera clutched the hem of her skirt and followed slightly behind Leon.

The two sides quickly met.

Rosvisser held Muse’s little hand, and turned to glance at Hera standing behind Leon.

Hera’s complexion was much better than when she was in the crystal coffin. She looked beautiful and elegant.

"These are my family, senpai," Leon began.

"My wife, Rosvisser Melkvey, Queen of the Silver Dragons."

"Hello, Hera-senpai."

Rosvisser extended a hand politely.

Though Hera was a bit nervous, she didn’t neglect etiquette. She stepped forward and gently shook Rosvisser’s hand.

"Hello, Miss Rosvisser."

"This is our daughter, Muse."

Rosvisser gestured toward the little one.

The child let go of her mother’s hand, took a couple steps forward, and looked up at Hera with a courteous smile.

"Hello, senpai."

Hera bent down slightly, one hand on her knee, the other gently patting Muse’s head with a squinting smile.

"Hello there, little one."

As they spoke, Hera’s gaze caught the tips of Muse’s fingers. After a moment’s thought, she asked,

"Do you like playing string instruments?"

Muse blinked in surprise. "Yes! How did you know, senpai?"

Hera lifted the girl’s hand and examined her fingers.

"Only people who’ve practiced string instruments for years would have calluses like these. You’ve already developed them at your age—you must really love music."

Muse nodded. "Mmh! Senpai, you’re amazing!"

"She really is."

Rosvisser, watching from the side, couldn’t help but admire her quietly.

Such keen insight and analytical sharpness... No wonder this woman had once protected the Thunder Spirit Core even while being hunted by Dimo.

Her softness was surface-deep. Inside, she was still the same person who had stood before divine judgment—calm in life, determined to defend the legacy of the gods.

Rosvisser snapped out of her thoughts and continued the introductions.

"This is Xiaoxue."

Hera straightened up and looked to the tall girl beside her.

White hair, golden eyes, poised and elegant—a striking beauty.

But—

"Leon, didn’t you say you’ve only been married for thirteen years..."

"This girl—Xiaoxue—she doesn’t look like she’s twelve or under."

Hera tilted her body slightly and whispered in Leon’s ear.

Before Leon could answer, Hera clapped her hands.

"Oh~ I remember! Dragons can self-conceive. So Xiaoxue must be the daughter you and your wife had before marriage!"

Logically sound. Absolutely incorrect.

Wronger than wrong.

"No, no, no—Xiaoxue’s situation is... special. We’ll explain later. You can think of her as our adopted daughter."

"Oh, I see... Guess I guessed wrong."

Rosvisser quietly facepalmed.

Why... why the sudden ditzy streak? You were so sharp and clever just a moment ago, senpai!

This seamless back-and-forth between dead-serious and completely abstract—

Rosvisser had only seen it in one person before:

Leon.

And now there was another.

"I’m Noa. Noa Melkvey."

Noa stepped forward and introduced herself.

Compared to her younger sisters, she understood more about Hera’s background—knew that this mysterious beauty meant something important to her father.

So even though she was normally cold, aloof, and quiet, Noa still made the effort to greet Hera properly.

Hera looked at Noa.

She glanced at her height, then at the little dragon girl beside her who looked nearly identical.

It wasn’t hard to guess this was the Melkvey family’s eldest daughter.

"Nice to meet you, Noa."

When shaking Noa’s hand, Hera didn’t need to bend down.

At twelve, she was clearly taller than little Muse.

"I’m Moon! I’m Moon~~ Hello, senpai~~"

A single ahoge flounced into Hera’s vision.

This dragon girl, with the same pretty face as Noa, had a completely different vibe.

Moon skipped forward and grabbed Hera’s hands in both of hers.

"Mom told us we’d be meeting a gorgeous lady. I thought she was exaggerating, but now that I’ve seen you... just your aura alone proves she was being modest! You’re not just beautiful—you’re mega-beautiful, ultra-beautiful, über-beautiful!"

"Ahahaha~~ no, no, not that pretty, really~~"

Leon stared blankly at the scene, then looked at Rosvisser.

[Did you teach her those compliments?]

[Nope, all Moon’s idea.]

[Mm, not bad. That’s my girl. Already understands flattery at her age!]

[She only learned that from my example—don’t act like it’s all you—]

[Hey, you—]

Aurora: "Stop bickering, you two. It’s my turn to introduce myself."

Leon & Rosvisser: ?

"...Since when did you get access to our squad comms, Aurora?!"

The little pink-haired one stepped forward between her older sisters.

But just as she was about to walk up and introduce herself—

She noticed Hera take a half step back.

Aurora didn’t think too much of it and stepped forward again.

Hera also stepped back again.

Aurora scratched her head, confused, and stepped forward again.

Again, Hera backed away.

Aurora refused to give up—she advanced.

And Hera retreated. Again.

Five minutes later, Rosvisser watched the two of them gradually circle the field.

She couldn’t help but ask,

"What’s going on? Did Aurora accidentally put a sign on her face that says ‘Keep Half a Step Away’?"

Leon stayed silent.

"Hey, Leon. I’m asking you a question."

Still silent.

"Leon, wait. I get it."

Rosvisser suddenly understood.

"You told Hera something, didn’t you?"

"...I swear I was joking."

"A joke?"

Rosvisser pointed at Hera and Aurora, now running laps across the field.

"What kind of joke scares Hera like that?"

Leon’s face darkened.

"If I’d known it’d end like this, I wouldn’t have messed with her..."

After one full lap, Hera and Aurora returned to the group.

Aurora bent over with her hands on her knees, panting.

She looked up—only to find that the pretty auntie was still keeping at least half a step’s distance from her.

"P-Pre... senpai... why were you running?"

"Why were you chasing me?"

"If you hadn’t run, would I have chased?"

"If you hadn’t chased, would I have run?"

Aurora: "..."

In that moment of silence, Aurora suddenly understood why Hera kept backing away.

Ohhh, this distance... wasn’t it exactly one uppercut?

And among everyone here, wasn’t there only one person who might’ve told her something like that?

Now who could that be?

Gosh, what a mystery...

"Dad, close your eyes and don’t be scared. A sore jaw is normal."

TL Note:

Guys, I understand you’ll have questions about the age again, but I’ll repeat once more: I’m translating exactly what the author wrote 🤷‍♀️