Vol 8. Chapter 26: The Daughters Aren’t Home This Weekend

The joint assessment between Saint Heath Academy of the Dragon Clan and the Blazing Sun Clan ended successfully. After sending off a few of the Blazing Sun clan members and Orion’s group, Claudia came to find Leon and his wife.

“Thank you both for your contribution to this assessment.”

Saying this, Claudia looked at Leon.

“Especially you, Leon. This idea of a joint assessment really helped us better understand the Blazing Sun Clan, descendants of those primitive deities. In conversations with several of their family heads, including ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) City Lord Fuyuan, our side also realized that as long as you don’t bring up Apollo, the Blazing Sun Clan is actually quite willing to establish friendly relations with outsiders.  Even if we were once what they called the descendants specially favored by the Dragon God.”

So, according to Claudia’s meaning, that talk from Fuyuan and the old city lord—about ‘the Blazing Sun Clan being the only true descendants of gods who didn’t teach humans’—was most likely the two of them exaggerating.

In reality, the Blazing Sun tribes don’t reject other divine descendants that much. They just want someone to compare themselves against, to prove their ancestor Apollo didn’t neglect them.

But even if that was the case, Leon still felt that trying to build exchanges, let alone trust, with a race holding such ideas was not an easy thing.

The joint assessment was only the beginning of understanding the Blazing Sun. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be the end.

“Honestly, I didn’t really do anything. I just brought up the idea. It was the academy who carried it out and put in the actual work, Senior Claudia.”

Leon added, “And besides, getting Constantine and that whole bunch of Dragon Kings to serve as examiners was all thanks to the favors you called in, Teacher Claudia.”

On the Blazing Sun side, the fact that Orion, a captain-level guard commander, personally led a group to participate meant Saint Heath Academy naturally had to show its sincerity.

But Dragon Kings were beings who could rival the high priests of the Blazing Sun Clan, and they weren’t the same as the Blazing Sun.

If you wanted to invite such heavyweights to come in a spirit of exchange, you either had to give enormous benefits or, as Leon said, call in personal debts.

Hearing Leon’s words, Claudia could only shake her head with a wry smile.

“When the academy first brought up the idea of asking the Dragon Kings to serve as proctors, most of them refused.”

Leon blinked. “Refused? ...I mean, I’d already guessed those pompous show-offs wouldn’t take part in something like this, but today I really did see some unfamiliar faces. I thought maybe they’d mellowed out over the years. Didn’t expect you actually hit a wall at the start...”

“Arrogance is carved into the bones of dragons. And this assessment was for the sake of building ties with outsiders. Most Dragon Kings disdained it, didn’t care one bit,” Claudia explained.

Leon scratched his hair. “Then how did you manage to get so many Dragon Kings to come?”

Claudia narrowed her eyes. “I said the Silver Dragon King would be there. Then they all agreed.”

“...That... that simple? What happened to all that arrogance carved into the bone?”

“The arrogance really is carved in their bones. But you can pull out their bones.”

Leon’s eyelid twitched. “That’s... not wrong... but it sounds a bit bloody...”

Claudia waved her hand with a laugh.

“Alright, enough idle chatter. I still have a pile of follow-up work. After the academy meeting tonight, do you two have time for a banquet?”

The couple exchanged a glance, both silently shaking their heads in refusal.

Claudia raised her brows, puzzled.

“Why not? You two shouldn’t have anything urgent, right? Magus Bernard will be talking to me, and the Blazing Sun negotiations are handled by the academy. You really don’t have that much to do. You can’t squeeze out the time?”

Leon and Rosvisser exchanged another glance and kept silent.

Luckily, Rosvisser reacted quickly and said, “We haven’t been feeling very well lately. We made an appointment with a doctor, we’ll go for a check-up tonight.”

“Not feeling well?”

Claudia narrowed her eyes, then gave an oh as if realizing something.

“I get it. Leon was just complaining to me recently too, about his body not being too well. Men reach a certain age, and it’s like that. Seems even Heart-Guard Dragon Scales can’t protect a man’s prime forever. Ai...”

“Senior, can you not put on that fake pitying tone! What do you even have to sigh about! And besides, I don’t have any problem with my health!! A man who withstood full-powered dragon effects won’t give in in his thirties!”

(Only old geezers like Master, who don’t know restraint...)

Leon cursed in his heart.

When he came back to his senses, Claudia was already gone.

Then several Dragon Kings came over to strike up conversations with the couple.

After handling those exchanges, Leon spotted someone in the distance.

Constantine stood with arms folded, leaning against an ancient tree.

Sensing Leon’s gaze, Old Con didn’t come over. He only nodded slightly.

Leon nodded back.

That was their way of greeting.

Finally, their daughters came after checking in at the academy’s camp. Noa led her sisters to their parents.

“Mom, our family’s winter break starts now. We’re not coming home this weekend,” Noa said.

“Really not coming home? Your dad and I are moved to tears here, our hearts melting away. You’ve grown up, none of you want to stay home anymore. You used to dash home the moment the weekend came, throwing yourselves into Daddy’s arms... ai...”

The old father beat his chest and stomped his feet, eyes brimming with tears...

But his acting was so bad even Muse couldn’t stand it.

“Why do I feel like you’re actually happy we’re not coming home this weekend, Dad?”

“Perfect!” The fourth daughter’s merciless one-liner never failed to slay, especially in these heartless moments.

The serious mood instantly collapsed into a parent-daughter comedy.

With the youngest taking the lead, Aurora immediately followed up.

“Actually, this weekend you want to go on a date with Mom, right? If we’re home, we’ll get in the way.”

Noa crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and gave off the aura of a detached grown-up.

Moon hopped forward, eyes sparkling, and delivered the finishing blow to her father.

“If Mom and Dad are going on a date, does that mean I’m getting a new little sister—waaah!!”

Noa and Aurora clamped their hands over Moon’s mouth from either side.

Not because they were afraid she’d land another strike on Dad, but because they feared that if she said more, their parents would actually feel pressured to make another sister.

After all, those two never felt any pressure. If they wanted a baby, they’d just go ahead. It wouldn’t take long at all.

Even so, despite Noa and Aurora’s timely silencing, the couple’s cheeks were flushed red.

“Ahem, anyway, that’s the first week of winter break. Time to change the subject.”

“Since you won’t be home this weekend, take good care of yourselves at the academy.”

“Got it, Mom.”

As they spoke, the massive dragon Leviathan slowly hovered above Biyun Valley.

Its shadow fell across the ground, and a teleportation light pillar appeared in front of everyone.

“Gather up, kids! We’re going back to the academy!”

Samantha called out before the teleportation beam.

The young dragon and youth division students all headed over.

Noa glanced once, then turned back and said:

“Then we’ll go first. Mom, Dad, see you next week.”

“Alright, see you next week. Protect your sisters.”

“Mm.”

“Bye Mom, bye Dad~”

“Bye-bye~”

The little dragon girls held hands and stepped into the teleportation light.

Leon watched the Leviathan slowly depart, let out a long breath, and sighed:

“Even though I didn’t really do anything, I still worked myself to the bone.”

Rosvisser playfully poked his chest with a laugh.

“Hmph, don’t worry, you’ll have your turn to work. Come on, let’s go home.”

“Wife, my knees hurt...”

“Cut the act, hurry up, or you’ll be sleeping on the couch all week.”