Boom!!!!!!
A gigantic monster collapsed right in front of me.
It felt like a massive mountain had crumbled before my eyes.
The body exuded the grudge of ancient spirits who had died in this place.
The aura emanating from it was horrifying, as if it embodied their screams.
But who cares?
I’m hungry right now.
And it just so happens to have fallen right in front of me.
A bit closer, and I might’ve been crushed.
“Food walks right up to me?”
This is practically delivery.
Still wearing the shell of the egg on my head, I began to feast.
I didn’t even have the energy to remove it—what mattered was that the magical mass before me looked far too appetizing.
-Screeeeeeeeeeech!!
“Even its screams taste good.”
It felt like some sort of enhancement was in effect.
The magical mass had a purple flavor.
What on earth was going on?
The spectral remains of dragons as massive as mountains—how could they collapse so easily?
These dragons were far stronger before their unification, back when they were individual beings.
And yet, hundreds of those ancient spirits disappeared at once?
It didn’t make sense.
“Your Majesty!! You mustn’t come out here!”
“Silence! Bring the captain of the guard at once! I’ll go down myself!”
I heard the emperor calling out behind me.
Hurriedly, I made my way toward where he was.
“Your Majesty!”
“Heig.”
The emperor, wearing a resolute expression, was preparing for battle.
“Are you truly planning to go?”
“Captain of the Guard. You saw the message on the status window, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“The parent of the Emperor’s Child… What a ridiculous notion.”
“Pardon? Surely it said the Emperor’s Child is watching…”
“What nonsense are you speaking?”
“Have you not experienced any headaches?”
Something wasn’t adding up.
“Your Majesty, could you describe in detail what you saw?”
“It seems you saw something different.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty, we appear to have seen entirely different things from you.”
“The queen and I saw the same thing.”
“I see. Please explain.”
Just as the emperor was about to speak—
“Captain of the Guard!! There’s a report! At the bottom of the cliff, a dragon is absorbing the spirits’ magic with incredible intensity!”
A critical report came in.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, it seems we must secure it safely. This dragon is vulnerable to cold.”
“Understood.”
Armed, we descended the cliff together with the emperor.
“Your Majesty, the ground is muddy; please watch your step.”
“Got it.”
Thanks to the vast magical power of the dragon spirits, it didn’t take long to locate the young dragon.
-Fwoooooooosh.
“It’s polymorphing right after being born?!”
“Shh, be quiet.”
I silenced the subordinate who was making a fuss and began observing the young dragon ahead of us.
Snow-white hair, golden horns and tail, and golden eyes.
The dragon was so radiant that there was no other way to describe it.
It still had pieces of eggshell stuck to its head, proving its noble lineage as a child of the king and queen.
“…It’s undoubtedly the princess.”
“Even the hair is white.”
“Indeed, though the gold is unexpected.”
That, perhaps, was related to the enigmatic Emperor.
“Your Majesty, what exactly did you see?”
“Congratulations on becoming the parent of the Emperor’s Child. Following that, there were three mysterious characters in an unknown language.”
“…I see.”
Was the status window even capable of displaying such words?
And in casual language, no less?
This was riddled with suspicion.
“Ah, it seems she’s finished her meal.”
“Let’s begin our approach.”
“Very well. Be extremely cautious. We don’t know the princess’s current state.”
The guards lowered their weapons and began cautiously approaching the princess, who had just finished eating.
“Even if you die, leave not a single scratch on the princess.”
“”Yes, sir!!””
Just as they approached the princess—
“Papa?”
The princess spotted us first.
It seems she recognizes her parents, at least.
“Wow~ I feel like I’m going to burst!”
Something entered my mouth.
I could taste it, but it didn’t feel like I physically chewed anything.
Even so, the fullness kept building up—it was fascinating.
“Did I… eat magic?”
[Quest Complete!]
[Hunt the Spirits of the Lake Forest! (1/1)]
[The effect of the title: Child of the Emperor has ended.]
What’s this?
Why does a title have effects?
Titles were just for decoration, weren’t they?
[You have been rewarded! Lv. 3 achieved!]
Oh, I leveled up.
From just this one kill?
That’s impressive.
All I did was casually spit out a breath.
-Spit!
The spirit’s head was pierced.
-What kind of dragon spit is this?!
-Whoa, it’s being purified!
Something like that.
“Anyway, thank you for the meal~”
I heard that alcohol tastes better as it ages.
In my previous life, I didn’t get to try much, but this body… well.
Eating a thousand-year-old dragon gave me a slight idea of what that might be like.
…Or maybe it’s quite different?
Still, it had that aged flavor.
Like… slightly rotted grapes.
This… isn’t it, is it?
Anyway, after satisfying my appetite, which I hadn’t felt so strongly in a long time, I looked around.
-Shimmering!
-Glinting!
Surrounded by something golden and dazzling.
-Ta-da.
-Sparkle sparkle!
Whoever this was, it screamed, “I am the king.”
Or rather… wait, seeing the tail and horns, that’s a dragon.
A dragon was approaching, guarded by glittering armored soldiers.
What’s going on? Why is it coming over here?
It had white hair, like me.
[Reading the opponent’s status window.]
[Entity Name: Albinus Laskaris]
[Species: Dragon Lord]
[Lv. 99]
[Strength: 73]
[Magic: 99]
[Intelligence: 95]
[Stamina: 68]
[Title: Dragon Lord]
Dragon Lord? So it’s the leader?
Makes sense—everything about the outfit screams, “I am the king~.”
But… why are the stats so low?
Ah.
Relatively speaking, the stats aren’t exactly low.
But from what I knew, a Level 99 dragon should have maxed out stats across the board.
Why is this dragon weaker than me? Is this really the Dragon Lord?
And only one title?
[You have met your father!]
That person is my dad?
Huh, I guess I’m from a super-noble family in this life.
My father from this life was steadily approaching me.
What… what should I say?
He’s the Dragon Lord—king and leader, right?
Should I be formal?
How…? He’s getting closer.
The atmosphere feels like I have to say something.
Well, considering I just sneezed and could probably blow away a mountain, I can see why he’d be cautious of me—even if I’m his child.
But being too formal might make him even more wary.
So… “Papa?”
No, no way.
Even if I’m just a few hours old in this life, adding my past life makes me 30 years and a few hours old.
The cringe is unbearable.
Absolutely not.
But calling him “Father” sounds way too formal.
A newborn calling their parent “Father”? Too much.
Should I just settle for “Dad”?
Yeah, that works. It’s simple and safe.
“Dad?”
When I said that—
“Behold the princess!”
Huh? W-what?
“P-princess?!”
“Yes, you are our future! The princess who will lead this kingdom after me!”
“Uh…………”
I don’t want this.
Don’t I have any older siblings?!
I thought dragons had lots of kids because they were always fighting wars…
“Am I… the firstborn?”
“My daughter is a genius! Polymorphing, using breath, and even speaking fluently right after being born!”
“Uh, excuse me?”
“Your Majesty, congratulations. Princess, we celebrate your birth.”
A man with black hair and red eyes knelt before me.
Excuse me?
“Daughter, you should also meet your mother.”
“Huh?!”
“Don’t worry. This father of yours won’t harm you.”
It’s not that… but being a princess at the age of 30 is a bit much for me…
So, is no one answering my question?
“Uh, Dad.”
“My dear daughter, you must be tired, so don’t talk too much! I’m so proud of you. What should your name be…”
Name?
“Mi-Minho, please!”
“Mimino?”
“No, Minho!”
“Minho, hmm? Very well, Minho it is. Whatever my daughter wishes, this father will grant!”
“Ah, no…”
“Daughter, is something wrong?”
Forget it, you wouldn’t understand anyway.
[A name has been assigned!]
[Entity Name: Mino Laskaris.]
Alright, new life, new name.
Let’s embrace it and move forward!
Meanwhile, elsewhere:
Dragons freely soared through the skies.
On top of buildings, dragons gazed over the world in their true forms.
In the streets, dragons in polymorphs were shopping at markets, while others near fountains discussed whether the newly born child would be a princess or a prince.
This was the capital of the Unified Dragon Kingdom, a place called Dragon Hive, often referred to as the paradise of dragons.
Today, the city was alive with festivities.
The birth of the king and queen’s child had resolved the long-standing anxieties of the people.
At the center of it all stood a massive fortress.
Deep within the palace, even the Elder Council was swept up in the celebratory mood.
The Elder Council, an ancient institution established in the first year of unification, had endured for 3,000 years.
Of course, it was also a place without successors.
Why?
“You crazy hag! Stop casting magic if you’re cold!”
“Oh my, the nerve of you hot-headed fire-breathers. My ears are splitting.”
“Enough, enough! If the royal child arrives, they’ll be shocked.”
“Stay out of it, you windbag!”
“What did you just say?!”
The Elder Council consisted of the last descendants of each elemental dragon, having survived since the chaotic pre-unification era.
In short, it was a gathering of the most ancient and stubborn dragons, with the youngest member being 4,000 years old.
It wasn’t a secret that they still fought as if they wanted to kill each other.
Yet, even they were united in anticipation of one thing:
“When will our adorable prince arrive?”
“It’s the princess, I tell you!”
“What do you know, you fireball?! Of course, it’s the prince!”
“What?! You lizard!”
“Quiet, you uncultured lot…”
“Shut it, you ice block!”
“What did you say?!”
What they eagerly awaited was the arrival of the adorable and precious baby dragon.
In this era of a major birthrate decline, opportunities to see baby dragons had become exceedingly rare.
Tftc!
It feels weird to me they casually know about the status window