At this age, being carried princess-style by a parent?
Of course, it might be natural for the man currently holding me.
After all, I am his daughter.
But the soul inside your daughter’s body is a 30-year-old man, you say?
I looked at my father with that in mind.
“Oh, my sweet little girl.”
“Your Majesty, please compose yourself. This isn’t dignified.”
“Ahem, Captain of the Guard, you must understand this—having a child is like carrying a piece of your heart outside your body.”
“Even so, such behavior is inappropriate in formal settings.”
“…Understood. I shall compose myself.”
At the stern words of the black-haired, red-eyed man, my father straightened up, regaining the dignity he had when he first approached me.
So, that man is the Captain of the Guard, huh?
Hmm, no wonder his armor is fancier than the other soldiers, though not as grand as my father’s.
Nice armor.
“Princess, does this interest you?”
“Huh?”
“It seems Her Highness is intrigued by the armor.”
Apparently, I had been staring for too long, and he smiled as he spoke.
“I have a feeling that, when you grow up, you’ll make a great ruler.”
“Indeed, a ruler who will expand the Dragon’s territory and defeat the troublesome demons and humans alike.”
Troublesome? Demons and humans?
What’s this about? Are demons and humans really such a big threat? I thought it was only the Demon King who was a problem.
“De-Demons and humans?”
“Oh dear, it seems this story might still be scary for the Princess.”
“Yes, humans are quite malicious, after all.”
“Don’t worry, my dear. We will protect you.”
Hey, I’m stronger than you, you know.
“That might not be necessary. Even though I can’t see her status window right now…”
“After all, she took down that spirit in one blow earlier. Her Highness may very well be a messenger sent by the gods.”
“Perhaps.”
My father and the Captain of the Guard gave me warm smiles.
Ugh, this is awkward.
By the way, there’s still some eggshell stuck to my head.
Shouldn’t I clean this off before meeting Mother?
Thinking so, I reached for the shell on my head.
“Oh, Princess, you don’t need to remove it. In fact, you shouldn’t.”
“It’s a tradition for a dragon’s eggshell to be removed by its mother.”
Wait, there’s such a tradition? I didn’t know that.
“R-Really?”
“Yes, it’s believed to ensure a safe and healthy growth. It’s also a way to strengthen the bond between mother and child.”
“This is usually when parental imprinting occurs, but Her Highness is already so clever.”
“I hope the Queen isn’t disappointed. She was really looking forward to your baby babbling.”
“She might just be proud of her genius child instead.”
“That’s possible.”
What kind of person is Mother, I wonder?
I’ve heard that dragons consume immense magical energy when laying eggs.
The lore says this leaves the mother in a very vulnerable state.
So, is my mother also in a weakened state right now?
“My dear, are you cold? I’m worried since there’s still some egg white on you.”
“I-I’m fine. I have a skill…?”
“…A skill?”
The Captain of the Guard looked at me with great interest.
“Your Highness, may I ask what skill it is?”
“Uh, temperature immunity?”
I said it casually, but my father and the Captain of the Guard looked visibly shocked.
Did I mess up?
“A dragon with temperature immunity?”
“Amazing! My daughter is extraordinary!”
Phew, seems like it was a good kind of surprise.
“Hehe.”
“Even your smile is beautiful.”
“Your Majesty, I’m envious.”
“Feel free to envy me more!”
My father seems like a bigger daughter-obsessed fool than I expected.
The two seem to have known each other for quite a long time.
It feels like they’ve been friends since childhood.
“Are you two… friends?”
“Ah, yes, we’re friends. We graduated from the academy as second and third place, you see.”
But with stats like those? That makes even less sense.
How can graduates of the Dragon’s top training academy be so weak?
“You probably don’t understand, do you, my sweet little daughter?”
“W-Whaaat!”
Father started rubbing his cheek against mine.
His stubble felt rough and scratchy.
“R-Rough and scratchy!”
“Oh dear, sorry about that.”
Before I knew it, the towering cliffs disappeared, and I could see three carriages, 15 soldiers transformed into dragons, and many more soldiers.
“Let’s ride in the carriage with the princess.”
“Where’s the nanny?!”
At the Captain of the Guard’s shout, a trembling woman with gray hair stepped forward.
“I-I have committed a grave sin!”
She spoke as she pressed her head to the ground, uncaring of how dirty her clothes got.
The woman trembled in fear so violently it was almost unbearable to watch.
The more the mud splattered around her, the more desperate her movements became.
“I-I have committed a grave sin!”
“Please forgive me!”
“I-I beg you!”
Her clothes were in tatters, and her entire figure was covered in mud.
The soldiers surrounded her, their spears pointed in her direction, while she continued to beg for forgiveness.
“I have committed a grave sin!”
Father told the Captain of the Guard to hold me and then approached the woman.
His heavy steps sent a wave of psychological pressure to both the soldiers and the woman.
He crouched in front of her, uncaring that his royal attire got dirty.
The sheer force of his anger seemed to radiate from his back.
Father frowned as he quietly asked the woman,
“You’re aware of the current state of our country, aren’t you?”
“O-Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Then why did you act that way?”
“I-I was so shocked that…”
“If you’re shocked, does that justify endangering royalty?”
“I-I have committed a grave sin!”
Father stood, pointing toward me.
“Look at her.”
The woman, with unfocused eyes, looked at me.
“She’s the child you almost killed.”
“A-Ah…”
Tears filled the woman’s eyes.
Turning his back on her, Father gave an order to the soldiers.
“Strip this woman of her position as nanny, effective immediately.
From now on, she is forbidden from approaching the princess and will be assigned the most menial tasks in the palace.”
“…This is the least mercy I can extend, considering your sick younger sibling.”
The woman collapsed onto the ground.
A man and woman, presumably her colleagues, came to support her and led her into a carriage in the back.
I couldn’t say a word.
I didn’t even know what she had done in the first place.
But perhaps because of that, I felt a deep sense of pity for her.
Father returned to me and took me back from the Captain of the Guard.
“Let’s go see your mother.”
He gave me a faint smile, one tinged with bitterness.
It seemed like he was worried that I might have been shocked.
I looked at him and smiled back.
“I’m excited.”
“Me too. I’m looking forward to your mother’s expression.”
“Your Majesty, the soldiers are watching. Please mind your actions.”
“Come now, I’m about to get into the carriage. I should be allowed a few words, shouldn’t I?”
“Sigh… Then I’ll cast a soundproofing spell.”
The Captain of the Guard shook his head and cast a spell on the carriage, as though this was a familiar occurrence.
By the way, what’s the difference between skills and magic?
If I ask now, Father will probably just be shocked, so I’ll wait until I’m older.
Asking here might delay meeting Mother, and I want to get rid of the shell fragments on my head already.
“F-Father, let’s hurry!”
“Alright, let’s go, my princess.”
It sounded like something an ordinary father would say, but it felt different when my father said it.
After all, he’s calling me “princess” because I really am one.
I felt a slight discomfort at the title and watched as the carriage door opened.
Inside was a beautiful woman, her face pale with worry and nervousness.
“Your Majesty!”
“El, it’s fine to act as usual. I’ve set up a soundproofing spell.”
“Albi! O-Our child…”
Wait, can she not see me?
[You have met your mother!]
[Opening status window!]
[Name: Erces Laskaris]
[Race: Dragon]
[Level: 102]
[Strength: 7799]
[Magic: 32 (121)]
[Intelligence: 99]
[Stamina: 38 (101)]
[Title: Dragon Lord]
[This individual is weakened due to childbirth.]
[Stats prior to weakening are indicated in parentheses.]
What? She’s a higher level and has better stats than Father?
Even in her weakened state, her stats are anything but low.
A hero’s average stat is around 50.
My mother’s approximate average stat is about 60.
[To be precise, her average stat is 61.5.]
Oh, it even calculates that for me. Convenient.
“Albi, what about the child? Don’t tell me…”
“El, she’s our child.”
Ah, looks like Mother has noticed me.
What kind of expression will she make?
Will she dislike me?
Feeling tense, I dismissed the status window that was blocking my view of her.
What I saw was…
“O-Our daughter? Is this really our daughter?”
She was covering her mouth with both hands, tears streaming down her face.
I felt like I should comfort her somehow, but no words came out.
Instead, I gestured to Father to set me down.
“Ah, alright.”
Plop.
Both of my legs were supporting me.
How long has it been since I’ve felt this sensation?
I’m walking on my own.
It’s something I may have given up on at one point.
I had buried the thought deep inside and convinced myself that I couldn’t stand on my own.
I’d even turned my back on that small hope burning within me, refusing to acknowledge it because it hurt too much.
But now, I wouldn’t avoid it any longer.
With that resolve, I faced forward confidently.
“Mom!”
It had been such a long time since I called someone by that name.
Mom!! Mom!!!
The last time was in a burning car, but my call never received an answer.
“Yes, I’m your mom…”
The woman in front of me answered through her tears.
After ten years.
“Welcome to the world, my daughter.”
At that moment, I truly felt the reality of being reborn.
Albinus Laskaris (My dragon dad.)
Erces Laskaris (My dragon mom.)
Tftc!
”
[Name: Erces Laskaris]
[Race: Dragon]
[Level: 102]
[Strength: 7799]
”
… Stop… What?!
Oh … Correct: [Strength: 77 (99)]
Oh thanks. She’s probably the top graduate of the academy.
As usual, I ain’t remembering the fucking names. I hope y’all keep track of the names.