Before anyone realized it, it was time for the three little ones to start their new school term.

Since this was Noa’s final and most important semester in the Young Dragon Division, both Leon and Roswitha decided to personally take their daughters to school.

When they arrived at Saint Hiss Academy, they noticed that many other parents shared their sentiment.

The scene reminded them somewhat of the entrance ceremony years ago.

However, this time, there was no Vice Principal Wilson— that nosy dragon obsessed with gossiping couples—hovering around, so the couple felt noticeably more relaxed.

Leon carried Muen in his arms, Roswitha held Aurora’s hand, while Noa walked a little ahead of them by herself.

The sight of the family of five making their way to the academy was enough to draw envious gazes from those around them.

“I remember when the Melkevi family’s child first enrolled a few years ago, they were still just four members... How’d they become five so quickly?”

“Haven’t you ever heard that having kids happens fast? When the couple’s relationship is solid, they can have as many children as they want.”

“Well, this isn’t just any regular couple we’re talking about. The Silver Dragon Queen is famously talented and accomplished in our Dragon Clan, and her husband recently even represented the Dragon Clan at the human-dragon negotiation conference.”

“Whoa, I only knew that the Silver Dragon Prince made significant contributions to ending the human-dragon war. I didn’t realize he also represented the Dragon Clan in negotiation.”

“Exactly! He even helped reclaim some land for us, and according to some rumors, he was the one who exposed and punished certain Dragon Kings who were secretly colluding with humans.”

“Amazing. Having someone like the Silver Dragon Prince is truly a blessing for our Dragon Clan!”

“...”

Just as when Leon and Roswitha had taken their children to their first entrance ceremony years ago, the other dragons present were once again marveling at the size of their family.

This time, however, Leon’s reputation had reached new heights.

The previous label of “model husband of the Dragon Clan” no longer sufficed to describe General Leon—he had become a symbol of, “With you, our Dragon Clan is truly fortunate.”

Ha! If these large tail-toting lizards ever found out who Leon really was, that sentiment would flip in an instant: “With you, our Dragon Clan is doomed to bad luck for eight lifetimes!”

The chatter of others didn’t faze the couple or their daughters.

Having woken up very early, Muen was already dozing off in her father’s arms;

Aurora obediently held her mother’s hand, sticking close to Roswitha’s side as her big pink eyes stared straight ahead, which were filled with anticipation for the new term and new adventures.

Meanwhile, Noa was looking around, glancing left and right, as though searching for someone.

Roswitha glanced down at her daughter thoughtfully and quickly realized who Noa was looking for.

“The Sea Dragon Clan lives farther from the academy than we do; your friend might arrive a bit later.”

Noa turned back and nodded at her mother. “Got it, Mom.”

As she spoke, a faint ripple of water echoed in the depths of Noa’s consciousness.

“Brat, you seem to care a lot about this friend of yours,” came a voice.

The ancestor, still maintaining her human form, stood gracefully with her white hair cascading down her figure. One hand rested on her waist as she radiated composure and elegance.

“What? She’s my friend, so of course, I care about her,” Noa replied naturally. After a brief pause, she added, “Come to think of it, I’ve never heard you talk about any friends you might have had in your time.”

“I never had, nor did I need, anything like ‘friends.’”

The ancestor lowered her snowy eyelashes slightly as she spoke in a cold voice, her tone utterly unbothered.

“The strongest queen who stands at the pinnacle is destined to be alone. Any feelings, any bonds—they are all just vulnerabilities to the title of ‘the strongest.’”

Noa blinked her eyes.

She thought about it for a moment, then understood.

The old lady was clearly entering her “eight-grade-disease” phase.

But faced with such a ridiculous remark, Noa maintained an impressively calm demeanor.

“Oh, I see. Makes sense.”

Without further ado, Noa turned and began walking toward the exit of her inner consciousness.

The primordial being watched the small figure walking away, her carefully composed and aloof expression nearly faltering.

“Hey…”

“What?”

“Don’t you find this queen’s words to be incredibly profound?”

Noa (with a poker face) nodded. “Yes. Very profound.”

“Then why are you still so indifferent? Shouldn’t you be having some kind of epiphany, like, ‘listening to those words once is better than studying ten years’? Don't you have a moment of sudden enlightenment?”

Back in the day, countless members of the Dragon Clan would consider it an honor beyond measure to attend just one of her lectures as the Primordial Dragon Queen.

Actually, calling it a “lecture” was inaccurate—“pilgrimage” would be a better term.

Yet here today, a six-year-old kid could treat her hard-earned wisdom from millennia as mere background noise.

Unforgivable!

Absolutely unforgivable!

Noa turned back around, gave it some thought, and replied earnestly.

“Nope. No such feeling.”

The ancestor: = =

“Also, your case of eight-grade-disease isn’t even as severe as my dad’s. That’s probably the reason.”

“What’s an eight-grade-disease?” The primordial being tilted her head. Apparently, she wasn’t afraid to ask when she didn’t understand something.

“It’s hard to put into words. But the next time my dad has an episode, I’ll tell you.”

After a brief pause, the little “Involuted Queen” added seriously, “He gets like that often; it shouldn’t take long for you to see.”

Noa waved her hand dismissively, signaling the end of the discussion.

“Anyway… If you want to go even further on the path of strength, my advice is this: Except for bonds of family, you’re better off with as few attachments as possible.”

This time, a hint of emotion flickered inside Noa's heart.

But it wasn’t because she agreed with this perspective. Quite the opposite—she couldn’t understand it at all.

This, she figured, was likely the generational and experiential gap between them. Noa didn’t argue and simply left the matter there.

“I understand.”

With that, Noa exited her consciousness.

Unbeknownst to her, the family had already reached the academy’s central plaza.

There, the crowd of students and parents was even larger. Many teachers and staff members were busy greeting and assisting those families.

Roswitha found an empty bench and sat down while holding Aurora, settling in for a brief break.

As they chatted away, Noa suddenly spotted a familiar flash of blue in the crowd from the corner of her eye.

“Helena!” she shrieked.

The little Sea Dragon girl immediately perked up at the sound of her friend’s voice, turning toward it.

She’d been searching for Noa as well.

“Noa-chan~”

“Mom, Dad, I’m going to see Helena. I’ll meet you in the classroom later.”

“Alright, go ahead. Stay safe and don’t be late.”

“Got it!”

Waving eagerly, Noa trotted off toward her best friend. Helena also grinned broadly and began running to meet her halfway.

The loud shout of “Helena” also reached Muen, who had been dozing in Leon’s arms. Her little antenna-like strand of hair instantly shot upright as her brain recognized the name.

“Where’s Helena? Where?!” she asked, suddenly alert.

“Well, that woke you up quick,” Leon said, looking surprised.

Aurora pointed to the spot where her sister had gone. “Over there.”

“Alright, let’s go, Aurora!”

Roswitha blinked, startled. “Go…? Go where?”

Before Leon could react, his dear daughter wriggled free from his arms. Together with the little pink-haired girl, Muen ran off in Noa’s direction.

Leon and Roswitha were left in confusion, watching their daughters darted off into the crowd.

“So… Muen and Aurora are close with Helena too?” Leon mused.

Roswitha let out a small grunt of annoyance. “And you still don’t get it.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

“If it’s so obvious, then tell me—why are Muen and Aurora suddenly chasing after Helena?”

The queen sniffed arrogantly and then stated with certainty,

“Helena is their senior, so they must want to discuss study plans for the new term with her.”

Leon nodded in realization. “Ah, so that’s it!”

The two of them, one dared to speak, one dared to believe. This greatly proved once again that a shared bed definitely doesn’t produce two different kinds of people.

With the girls off to play, Leon and Roswitha remained seated on the bench, waiting quietly for the staff to get to them.

After a short while, Leon’s sharp eyes picked out a “familiar face” in the crowd.

He pointed him out to Roswitha.

“Hey, that guy there looks a bit familiar. Don’t you think?”

Roswitha followed his finger and noticed a red-haired young man accompanied by a boy who seemed to be live-birthed. The young man appeared to be arguing with one of the staff.

Roswitha furrowed her brows as she dug through her memories. “Oh, that’s the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan Duke whose kneecap you shattered. His son, Rahl, is the kid who tried to bully Noa before and ended up getting his arm broken by her.”

With that description, Leon remembered too. “Didn’t all kids of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan drop out of school after Constantine’s… incident? Why are they back now?”

By “incident,” Leon referred to the time Constantine had led an Empire-commanded mission to attacked the Silver Dragon Clan, only to meet his end when Leon personally chopped off his head and displayed it on a tree.

Constantine’s demise had left the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan leaderless and mired in internal power struggles, which in turn disrupted the education of the younger generation, forcing them to take a leave of absence.

“Maybe Constantine managed to stabilize his clan after returning, which allowed the younger ones to resume their schooling,” Roswitha speculated.

Leon nodded thoughtfully. “That would make sense. A few days ago, Alres had already withdrawn the monitoring forces stationed near Constantine’s clan, followed by the other Dragon Kings doing the same.”

“They probably all figured continuing to pressure Constantine was pointless since he clearly isn’t going to give up the Primordial Power.”

Roswitha sighed softly. “Let’s just hope the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan won’t start causing trouble again.”

"I don't think they will, right?"

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Leon looked serious as he raised a hand and pointed in another direction.

"Because no matter how hot-tempered Old Constantine may get, he wouldn't cause trouble at Saint Hiss Academy, would he?"

Roswitha followed his gaze.

In the distance, the crowd had instinctively parted, as if avoiding someone at all costs.

And the person they were staying clear of was none other than the one who embodied 'burning' —

The Crimson Flame Dragon King, Constantine.