Ligeia was squatting in front of the Dragon King, looking for his belt buckle in a most unseemly posture.
A look of pure excitement was plastered across her face, her eyes filled with a burning intensity.
This scene was inexplicably familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere before in certain... media.
"Let me see... The dragon race can interbreed with any race on the continent. It truly is miraculous."
As she spoke, Ligeia produced a pair of professional-looking disposable gloves.
"Let me take some samples. This little bit of material shouldn't be anything to Your Majesty, right? After all, you are a dragon, so your volume must be quite large..."
Although I couldn't see my own expression, I was certain the smile on my face was incredibly awkward.
My face remained stiff as I tried my best to maintain a smile.
I reached out and grabbed the scruff of Ligeia's neck, pulling back this woman whose head was currently filled with nothing but thoughts of seeking death.
"I am deeply sorry for the trouble she has caused you. It was my lack of discipline over my subordinate. I hope Your Majesty the Dragon King can forgive her."
Having been dragged back by me, Ligeia remained oblivious, turning to look at me as if her actions were perfectly natural.
"Why did you pull me away, Your Highness? The Dragon King's human form is such a rare research subject! If I can successfully acquire the goods, I might even be able to artificially breed dragons with the golden dragon bloodline!"
Sister, do you not see how dark the Dragon King's face has become?
Are you really not afraid he will turn you into ash with a single breath?
I tugged hard on Ligeia's sleeve, giving her all sorts of frantic looks and signals.
Yet she still failed to catch on, continuing to speak to me.
"Your Highness, don't you want to be able to ride the Dragon King's son in the future? Think of how majestic that would be!"
"Oh? So in your eyes, I am merely a stud horse? It seems I was far too polite when we met before. However, if you are truly that interested, why not come live on Dragon Island with me for a few years? I will be sure to entertain you well."
The Dragon King's voice drifted into Ligeia's ears from behind her. Only at this moment did she finally realize what was happening, her face turning pale in an instant.
Behind her, powerful elemental mana was condensing frantically. The elements in the air began to rotate with this vortex, and even the clouds in the sky were visibly swirling and gathering!
A massive surge of killing intent locked onto Ligeia.
In this moment, even a crazed researcher understood the gravity of her situation.
She didn't dare move an inch, because even I, standing beside her, could clearly feel the pressure emanating from the Dragon King.
However, I wasn't sure if it was because the Dragon King was deliberately avoiding me or if I naturally had a resistance to his pressure.
His aura didn't affect me, but it still allowed me to feel the sheer power within it.
Even not far away, Butcher Zuka, who was locked in demon-sealing shackles and lost in his Berserk state, actually began to tremble.
The condensed elements formed a high-pressure sphere centered on the Dragon King. Within a radius of dozens of meters, everything began to gradually float, entering an anti-gravity state.
I had read about this in many books, particularly in the Chronicles of the Moon Bible.
Essentially, once a magic-based powerhouse reached level seventy or higher and condensed a certain amount of elemental mana, this high-pressure magic would cause everything nearby to lose its original weight.
There was no corresponding scientific explanation in this world, but from my understanding, the energy in the air had become so dense that objects were forced to float.
Like a foam board floating in water, the condensed elemental mana had reached a level of density greater than solid matter.
Thus, with the Dragon King as the center, the surrounding air became stagnant, and even small stones began to hover.
At this point, Ligeia was clearly terrified, repeatedly casting pleading glances toward me.
For heaven's sake, if you weren't my newly recruited subordinate and didn't have such great use for the future, I would love to just pretend I didn't see anything.
But I couldn't do that.
Setting aside the fact that Ligeia was my new mage, if I couldn't protect her, it would cause immense damage to my prestige and credibility.
Furthermore, Ligeia's profession as a botanist and zoologist would be of massive help to the Kingdom of the Moon.
And... generally speaking, I didn't dislike her.
"Your Majesty the Dragon King."
I took a step forward, placing myself directly between the dark-faced Dragon King and the deathly pale Ligeia.
I lowered my head.
"I am deeply sorry. It was my lack of discipline that led to such rudeness. Please, forgive her."
"She is simply devoted to her academic research and is not skilled in social etiquette."
"I will certainly supervise her strictly in the future. I ask Your Majesty the Dragon King to show mercy and let her go, as a favor to me."
The Dragon King's brow was furrowed, and his massive pressure continued to spread through the air, even reaching the knights in the distance.
Hilda watched her princess bow, then looked at the Dragon King's dark face. A drop of cold sweat rolled down her forehead as her hands slowly moved toward the hilt of her sword.
She was prepared to die. The moment the Dragon King moved, she would use her inherited skills without hesitation.
She was certain that even if she sacrificed her life to use that skill, it would be impossible to threaten the Dragon King; at most, it would serve as a brief distraction.
Noticing this, I didn't even look up, simply issuing a cold command.
"Hilda, sheathe your sword."
"But Your Highness!"
"There are no 'buts'. No one here is qualified to draw a sword against the Dragon King."
Indeed, no one was qualified.
Including myself.
Though I didn't know why the Dragon King treated me as someone of the same level, I could see from his every word and action that he truly respected me, a stark contrast to his attitude toward others.
However, that didn't mean I was currently qualified to point a blade at him.
Never mind me, on this current battlefield, there was not a single existence qualified to draw a sword against the Dragon King.
Because for anyone who did, there was only one outcome.
Regardless of how tragic or heroic it might be, they would only be easily crushed by the Dragon King.
Such a death would be utterly meaningless.
"Yes... Your Highness."
Hilda bit her lower lip, her face full of indignation. She clearly understood what her princess meant, and her frustration wasn't directed at the Dragon King, but at herself!
If only she were stronger, if only she could face the Dragon King as an equal, then Her Highness... would never have to be so humble.
In this instant, Hilda experienced the raw sensation of her own powerlessness!
She let go of her sword hilt and took a deep breath, but she didn't retreat a single step. Instead, she stepped forward and stood beside her princess.
If the Dragon King really intended to strike, even if she couldn't draw her sword, she would definitely stand in front of Her Highness.
To harm Her Highness, he would have to step over her corpse first!!
"Heh! Hahahaha!"
Suddenly, the Dragon King burst into a hearty laugh.
"Delightful! Delightful! It has been a long time since I have felt this delighted! Please rise, Princess Luo Li."
In an instant, all the oppressive weight vanished like a passing breeze.
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty the Dragon King."
I looked up. For me, this wasn't some great humiliation. After all... it was my person who had done something wrong.
By now, Ligeia also knew she had caused trouble, and her expression was quite solemn.
"Ligeia, you don't need to blame yourself. After all, in this situation, the responsibility lies with me."
I glanced back at Ligeia to reassure her, then turned back to the Dragon King.
"I have made a fool of myself before Your Majesty."
"Hahaha! Good! I find myself admiring you more and more. Are you really not going to reconsider a trial marriage with me?"
"I'll pass. I have many other things to worry about."
"Fine, since you insist, I won't force the matter. Oh, right... I brought you a surprise as a testament to our friendship."
As he spoke, the Dragon King waved his hand. Behind him, a small dragon about the height of a person abruptly appeared.
It had a snow-white body, a round belly, a large head and eyes, short and stout limbs, and a pair of spiral-shaped dragon horns.
No matter how you looked at it, it was adorable.
"Ya~"
The little dragon opened its mouth, letting out a tender, high-pitched cry.
"This is..."
From the first glance, this white dragon was different from the skysoar dragons and wyverns. Its form was much closer to the Dragon King's golden dragon form, though the size difference was massive.
The Dragon King's true form was over five hundred meters from head to tail, with a wingspan reaching over a thousand meters.
This little dragon, however, was only about the height of a person—roughly a hundred and fifty centimeters—and its wingspan was perhaps three or four meters.
The Dragon King smiled and reached out to stroke the little dragon's head. The little dragon seemed to resist slightly, but under the Dragon King's overwhelming strength, it couldn't break free at all, forced to let him rub its smooth head.
"I happened to be dealing with its matters when I left, so after some thought, I decided to bring it to you."
The Dragon King's eyes were filled with kindness.
"This is a branch of the sacred race, a holy white dragon. Its mother reached the end of her lifespan, and its father starved himself to death, leaving this orphan behind. I plan to leave it in your care. What do you think?"
"Is this... appropriate?"
To be honest, hearing the Dragon King say this made me feel quite overwhelmed by his favor.
It was common knowledge that the dragon race's reproductive capacity was extremely low. The purer the bloodline, the lower the capacity, though their lifespans were correspondingly longer.
Consequently, to ensure the survival of their offspring, the dragon race's protective instinct for their children far exceeded that of humans.
The trope of finding a lone dragon egg in other novels was almost impossible in this world.
Even if it did happen, once the dragons of Dragon Island found out, they would mobilize the entire strength of their race to take the egg back!
Even if two dragons were mortal enemies, if one died, even the rival would seriously raise the orphan left behind.
With the dragon race's reproductive rate, they would have gone extinct long ago if not for this near-fanatical protective instinct shared by the entire race.
"How is it inappropriate? I wouldn't trust anyone else with it, but with you, I am at ease!"
Rate on N.U.
