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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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The indigo-haired child looked up at me. She wrapped her arms around my leg and shouted,
“Daddy!”
In the original story, Arthur had visited Atlan and obtained a hatchling. And from the beginning of the second semester, the story had taken a sharp turn into a childcare narrative. Apparently, it was due to some kind of imprinting effect.
The hatchling had followed Arthur back to the academy, calling him “daddy.”
He couldn’t even put her in his inventory.
Some readers had found it cute, while others had complained about the sudden shift in genre.
Arthur had even moved out of the dormitory and gotten his own room because of the hatchling.
The scenes where the hatchling, in her polymorph form, called Arthur “daddy,” causing misunderstandings with the other heroines, had been hilarious.
Anya and Vivian had mistakenly thought Arthur was a father.
Arthur had asked the hatchling to call him something else. She had chosen “older brother” (oppa), which led to further misunderstandings, with people thinking he was a pedophile.
It was all because of the hatchling’s lines.
‘Older brother! I love you! Let’s do that again tonight!’
Sepia’s disgusted expression, as if she were looking at an insect, had been particularly memorable. It had even been illustrated.
For the record, “that” meant reading her a bedtime story and patting her head.
“I’m not your daddy!”
“Heehee! Daddy! Daddy!”
The guilt of stealing the protagonist’s power-up, the burden of taking care of a dragon hatchling, and the frustration of my efforts being in vain…
A wave of exhaustion washed over me. Was this responsibility without pleasure?
But the hatchling was cute. Everyone was staring at us.
“She’s so cute!”
Sepia’s eyes were filled with adoration. In the original story, she had dreamed of being a good mother, just like her own. She loved children.
‘This is bad…’
Dragon hatchlings were drawn to people with strong and pure mana. That’s why she had imprinted on me. And hatchlings imprinted on the first creature they saw.
“Hey! I’m not your dad!”
“Don’t be so mean to her! You should try to coax her…”
“No! She needs to know the truth!”
Sepia glared at me. What was her problem? This was starting to feel like a marital dispute.
“Daddy… are you fighting? Don’t fight!”
The hatchling burst into tears. Her cries echoed through the tunnel, making my head pound.
“Ethan, you shouldn’t make a child cry. I’m disappointed in you.”
Vivian glared at me, her eyes narrowed. Arthur also looked troubled. Only Ted remained neutral, shrugging his shoulders.
“Ethan, apologize to her.”
“Why should I apologize to a baby?!”
This was driving me crazy. The hatchling looked up at me, her eyes filled with tears. I felt my resolve weakening.
[My lord, I understand this is a difficult situation, but you should calmly explain the situation to her.]
Even Lien was telling me to apologize. I had no choice.
“S-sorry! I’m sorry!”
The hatchling continued to stare at me from behind the others. I knelt down and held out my hands.
“There, there. I’m sorry. Daddy’s… sorry.”
I had given up. I had to calm her down first.
I wanted to die.
Me? A dad? I glanced at the ring on my left hand.
The Lucky Ring? More like the Ring of Doom.
I felt like I should form a fellowship and throw the ring into a volcano.
The hatchling hesitated, then ran towards me and hugged me.
“Good girl, good girl.”
I patted her head, trying to soothe her. She stopped crying and grabbed my finger with her tiny hand.
“Shall we continue?”
Ted asked, and we started walking again. We reached the end of the tunnel and stood before the entrance to the Atlan ruins.
We pushed open the massive five-meter tall doors and stepped out of the tunnel.
A different world awaited us.
“This is Atlan!”
We had finally arrived. A vast plain stretched out before us, a clear blue sky overhead. A massive castle stood in the middle of the plain.
As we approached the castle gates, we heard footsteps behind us.
“Kyeee—!”
Over thirty lizardmen were running towards us. They were Lizardmen Knights, stronger than the Retiarius Lizardmen.
They surrounded us, their swords pointed at us.
The hatchling, still in her child form, stepped forward. She said something, and the lizardmen immediately knelt.
She must have spoken in the dragon language.
Of course, I couldn’t understand what she was saying.
“Daddy! Let’s go!”
The hatchling tugged on my finger, a bright smile on her face.
The lizardmen parted, forming a path for us. They followed us, like an honor guard.
“Ethan, what should we call her?”
“Yong-yong.” (Dragon-dragon)
Sepia frowned, but Arthur nodded enthusiastically. As expected, the hatchling’s name was Yong-yong.
“Ethan… that’s a terrible name.”
I felt slightly offended. I hadn’t chosen the name. Arthur had spent three days agonizing over it in the original story.
“Then what should we call her?”
“How about Seju?”
Seju? What did that even mean? I looked at Sepia, puzzled. She grinned.
“Sepia Junior.”
“That’s even worse!”
“Ethan… you think the name Sepia is bad?”
This was a cultural difference. I had been raised in a Confucian society.
“No, Sepia, your name is wonderful, beautiful, amazing, and it suits you perfectly… but… it doesn’t really fit this child’s image…”
I had to smooth things over. Just then, the castle gates opened with a loud creak.
A group of women in maid uniforms stood waiting for us.
“Welcome! My lady, and friends!”
They even greeted us in a foreign language. They were Draconian maids. They looked like lizardmen, but with large wings on their backs.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are the Draconian maids who serve the Indigo Dragon, Calciater.”
They curtsied.
They didn’t quite fit my image of a maid, but they didn’t look out of place.
They looked like cute lizards. Draconians were considered beautiful among the dragonkin.
The hatchling peeked out from behind me, looking at the Draconian maids curiously.
“Master Ted! It’s me, Rasel Adra! Do you recognize me?”
The maid at the front greeted Ted.
Rasel Adra.
She was an acquaintance of Ted’s, the head maid and a combatant.
Draconians were evolved lizardmen. They had wings, so they could fly, and they could also walk on water, like lizardmen.
They were the perfect creatures, created by the dragons.
That was how the dragons described them in the original story.
“Let me see… Rasel… Ah! You’ve grown so much!”
“Yes, it’s me! You don’t recognize me?”
“It’s been twenty years. I’m an old man now.”
Rasel sounded disappointed.
“Thank you for bringing my lady here.”
“Don’t mention it, Rasel. Calcia and I are friends!”
Ted laughed heartily, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Lady Calciater will be pleased to see you. We’ll escort you to her.”
Calcia and Ted were friends. Ted had taught her how to play poker. Twenty years ago, they had played a game of chess.
Ted had won and earned a wish. He had wished to be friends with the dragon.
We followed Rasel and arrived at a large room.
A woman with long, blue hair stood there.
She was beautiful and regal, even from a distance. She was the master of Atlan.
“Welcome to Atlan. I am Calciater, the Indigo Dragon, and the master of this land.”
She was a dragon, but she had taken on a human form. It was a polite polymorph.
If an elf had visited, she would have taken on an elven form. If a dwarf had visited, she would have taken on a dwarven form.
“Welcome, Ted. I’m glad to see my true friend.”
The hatchling, even after seeing her real mother, refused to leave my side. Calciater smiled.
“It seems my child has awakened, drawn by your mana.”
Indigo Dragons sought a true master. And once they found one, they served them loyally until death.
They were different from other dragonkin, who often caused trouble in human society.
I cursed my past self for picking up the egg without thinking. I was stuck with Arthur’s dragon.
We were treated to a feast. The maids brought out all sorts of delicacies and rare drinks.
The banquet was extravagant.
We even watched a duel between two Draconians. They soared through the air, their swords clashing in a dazzling display of skill.
“I wish to reward you for your kindness. I’ll open my treasury for you. Please, take whatever you desire.”
Calciater smiled, raising her glass. She was slightly drunk.
“But, my lady…”
“It’s alright, Rasel. They are our benefactors.”
Rasel’s concern was understandable.
It was like giving visitors access to your bank account. Or handing them a blank check.
It was a significant gesture of gratitude.
“Yes, my lady.”
We entered Calciater’s treasury. It was filled with piles of gold coins and rare artifacts.
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