ITK C420: The New Emperor’s Growth Part 6 – A Bigger Family
“How could you give us this?!” I shout on behalf of all of us.
My sister Veil served us an unbelievable dish.
The broth was made by boiling a dragon for a long time in a pot, and that extract was the secret ingredient!
What nonsense!
“Cough, cough… Blegh…!”
Even Sis Mary is throwing up.
And Father’s face is turning paler and paler.
“To think I’d be drinking my own daughter’s bathwater…”
Sis Veil is a force not to be reckoned with if she can make Father, the previous Geyser Dragon, flinch!
But she’s not the only perpetrator…
“I’m so glad you enjoyed how I tasted,” says the other Grinzel Dragon, waving her hand from inside the large pot.
I think her name is Seidour.
She’s probably in the lower ranks since her name doesn’t ring a bell.
She’s a small, insignificant dragon in Father and Sis Mary’s eyes, but the likes of her can overwhelm a powerful dragon in unexpected ways.
“So this is how the weak fight. How fearsome!”
“I don’t think that’s the point here!”
The dragoness behind the ramen’s exquisite taste comes out of the pot.
She was naked and soaking wet from being boiled in there, but being a dragon, Seidour managed to dry her body and clothe herself by materializing mana.
Her human form is of a mature and alluring lady, no less graceful or bewitching than Sis Mary.
“You must be Lord Ardheg, the new Geyser Dragon. It’s nice to meet you.”
“U-Uh, yeah…”
For someone who had such an insane entrance, her greeting was surprisingly polite.
A dragon with etiquette in her dictionary.
“I, Seidour, a Grinzel Dragon, offer my heartfelt congratulations on your enthronement as Geyser Dragon. I pledge my absolute loyalty and eternal support to you,” she says, falling to one knee like how human retainers would do.
I had never had anyone do this to me before.
Other dragons were complaining that I had become the Geyser Dragon and kept trying to pick a fight with me.
All of them were unreserved and belligerent.
Compared to them, Seidour is gentle-mannered.
This is the first time I’m being respected as the Geyser Dragon!
“Thank you. Expressing your kind regards made me feel like a Geyser Dragon for the first time.”
What a nice dragon.
If only the way she made her entrance wasn’t so… unorthodox!
“What generous words. So, is it safe to assume I’m your ally?”
“Of course! If that’s what you so desire!”
“Then you will not take away my power and wisdom?”
“Huh?”
“You won’t turn me into a Lesser Dragon, right? Please say so! I need assurances that my life will be safe and secure!”
And then, she clings to me!
What is going on?!
“Seidour was scared out of her wits when she heard Father was taking away everyone’s power. She even hid in a sake bottle until things calmed down.”
“Hahaha. Right, I did do that, huh?”
“Duh.”
Sis Veil and Father look at me tenderly.
Don’t be so calm, help me stop her!
Seidour is persistently pressing her body against mine!
“You won’t repeat Father’s tyranny, won’t you? You’ll let me live?”
It seems she’s worried I might threaten other dragons like Father did.
A dragon deprived of its magic and wisdom by the Geyser Dragon becomes a Lesser Dragon.
Seidour hates the idea of becoming one more than anything else.
That’s why she’s doing her best to butter up to me.
“If you guarantee my safety, I will serve you for the rest of my life! O’ new Geyser Dragon! I beg you to make me your first servant! Your wish is my absolute command!”
Her total submission is all for the sake of self-protection, huh?
That safety-first mentality is astounding. I’m impressed, even.
“Lord Ardheg is my master! I will follow you all my life! You are the most important person to me! …Hm?”
Someone places a hand on Seidour’s shoulder.
As she turns around in response, a body blow pierces through her!
“Gwah!” she groans, writhing around.
Then, Sis Mary shakes off the fist as if it were filthy from punching Seidour.
“I heard there was a shameless adulterer among our race. Is it perhaps her?”
But weren’t you with us the entire time?
And why did you hit Seidour?
“Remember? Dragons are proud creatures. Dragonesses trying to flatter someone is beyond absurd. What’s the point in living if you’ve lost your pride?”
“Huuuuuuuh?! I’ve been trying so hard to survive, but that actually put me in danger on the contrary?!”
True.
Sis Mary, the number two dragon, would surely be able to kill Seidour.
But why is she dead set on killing someone?
“I know this. It’s what Master called a soap opera.”
“Mary’s jealousy flared up… Seidour must be an airhead to have made such a choice of words.”
Sis Veil and Father remain as know-it-all spectators!
“Ardheg!”
“Eek!”
What is it this time, sis?!
You’re scaring me!
“Don’t let it get to your head just because you’re being fawned over by this wimpy dragoness! You’re just half a man—a hundred years too early to get carried away from flattery!”!”
“Y-Yes! I must be more focused!”
“That’s the spirit! Only when I judge that you’ve done well will I praise you, and only then will you rejoice! Don’t be swayed by any other woman’s sweet talk!”
“I understand! From now on, I will not be elated to receive compliments from anyone!”
“Just me, alright?!”
Sis Mary is teaching me how to be a stoic ruler, not swayed by every incoming noise!
What a lucky man I am!
“Um… I still want to try this ramen…”
“Oh, okay. I’ll make one for you with regular tonkotsu broth.”
Sis Veil and Prince Arowana are completely ignoring us and doing whatever they want!
“I guess they realized they couldn’t handle any of this longer…”
Meanwhile, Mary and Seidour are competing with each other for some reason!
“That’s not fair! You’re strong from the start, Sis Mary, so you don’t need to flatter Lord Ardheg! Please don’t interfere with my survival tactics!”
“Don’t be silly! When did I ever flatter Ardheg? As one of the strongest dragons, I’m here to guide him!”
“Then please stay out of this! Don’t sabotage my flirtatious survival strategy!”
“That attitude of yours is unbecoming of a dragon! If you’re going to curry favor with someone, why don’t you do that to me too? Aren’t I way stronger than you?!”
“You don’t understand… In times like this, it is better to concentrate on the strongest one only!”
I don’t know what’s going on anymore.
“Ohhhhhhhh! This is ramen? Lord Saint’s dishes always deliver!”
“Hey, Veil. I’d also like another bowl, but only with the normal broth.”
“Whaaat? I still have a lot of Seidour’s broth left, so I want those who can consume it to finish it. You eat that one instead, Father.”
And so…
“I’ve decided to stay here, too.”
Something was decided.
“I’ve found Lord Ardheg to be a kind man, so I’m definitely safer if I’m by his side. It’s clear he’s different from our cruel and inhumane father!”
“Hahaha. I’m right here, you know?”
Seidour doesn’t realize that the child here is the previous Geyser Dragon.
“This is great because there’s only going to be more dragon wine and gonkotsu ramen that can’t be consumed back at the farm. Ardheg, take care of the rest, will you?”
You just keep pushing troublesome people and work on me!
Thus, my Dragon Emperor Castle acquires a new member.
“What?! I can’t have such an openly flirtatious person living with us when I haven’t even done it myself yet!”
I wonder when is Sis Mary going back to her dungeon?
My man is traumatized, had unknowingly consumed his daughters bathwater. Was insulted to his face by said daughter just as he recovered and all of this in the short span of a few minutes.
Then stop being tsundere, get over yourself, and make your move. If someone snatches the one you like because your too proud or embarrassed, then you only have yourself to blame when you lose them to someone else.