79 But She Called Me Dad
(6,000 words double update)
On Saturday, the family sports day at Saint His Academy took place as scheduled.
As a new venture, the academy put a lot of effort into this event, decorating the venue so lavishly that it could probably host a few dragon-human wars simultaneously.
Following the guidance of the staff, Leon’s family of four stepped into the grand venue.
With Moon cradled in his arms, Leon stepped inside and was immediately captivated by the dazzling display of first-class achievements around him.
If each of these were sold off, he could probably buy a lot of nice things for a donkey, right?
Today, the great dragon slayer was going to take out all of you dragons! —
Of course, only on the competition field.
“Everyone, your seats are over here,” said a staff member.
The family continued towards their seats.
In the Young Dragon Department’s viewing area, every two families were paired with a professional young dragon caregiver to ensure that the little ones were looked after while parents and relatives competed.
They really thought this through.
Once seated, Moon pointed to the race track below, her soft, chubby face filled with surprise. “What a huge venue!”
About twenty minutes later, the stands were filled with people.
Vice Principal Wilson adjusted the microphone at the podium, cleared his throat, and announced, “The first Family Parent-Child Sports Day at Saint His Academy is now starting!”
With the Vice Principal’s command, applause thundered in the stands.
It’s worth mentioning that sports days worldwide follow almost identical procedures.
After a speech, the opening ceremony began, with various class formations marching past the podium one by one.
After all the classes showcased their cheers, Vice Principal Wilson gave a short speech, essentially saying, “Friendship first, competition second; I hope everyone gives their best.”
With that, the sports day officially kicked off.
The first event was a family relay race, and it was no holds barred, just as you’d expect from a fighting culture.
Each family sent three dragons, including enrolled students, to compete.
Since the egg-born dragon families only had a dad or a mom present, the academy allowed them to invite a direct relative from their family to partner up.
This way, more participants could join, adding more fun to the competition while also accommodating the fewer womb-born dragon families, allowing them to enter the fray together.
“A relay race, huh? We practiced for this over the last couple of days,” Leon said.
“Yeah, but let’s not get cocky. I think I saw some Electric Dragons in the families participating,” Roswiser reminded.
Both the Electric Dragons and Roswiser’s Silver Dragon clan are speed specialists, so they definitely should not underestimate anyone.
Leon nodded and set Moon on the chair. “Alright then, let’s go!”
The designated young dragon caregiver immediately came over to sit beside Moon.
Moon was a social butterfly, so she wasn’t afraid of strangers talking to her.
She obediently sat in her chair, waving to her dad, mom, and sister. “You guys better do well!”
“Will do!”
The trio made their way from the audience area to the edge of the race track for some light warm-ups.
After receiving their number tags, they began assigning their relay order.
“The relay race is a total of 3000 meters, with each person running 1000 meters. The family with the shortest time wins,” Noia explained.
“Is the young dragon also running 1000 meters?” Leon asked.
Noia nodded.
If this were a human sports meet, the school would be guilty of child ab*se for making children under ten run a thousand meters.
But considering this was a dragon sports day, everything made sense.
After all, a fighting culture that can write about “How to Take Down an S-Class Dangerous Species” in a children’s book shouldn’t be judged by regular standards.
“Okay, then: Mom will go first, I’m second, and Dad—you’re third, alright?”
Noia instinctively started to say “Dad”.
But the little one seemed a bit shy, or perhaps just embarrassed?
In the end, she couldn’t say it out loud.
But it was okay; Leon felt satisfied just catching that faint sound.
At least it was a big improvement over the last time when she only motioned a “b.”
Neither parent objected to the arrangement.
“Once you have confirmed the relay order, please have each family member take their respective starting positions. Our relay race will begin shortly,” the referee called out.
Leon and his family stood at the first baton’s starting point, so Roswiser didn’t have to move.
“Well then, Mom, we’re going to go prepare,” Noia said.
“Alright, don’t be nervous; I’ll definitely be the first to pass the baton to you,” Roswiser assured with a smile, shaking the baton in her hand.
Noia’s serious little face broke into a smile, “Okay.”
After reassuring their eldest daughter, Roswiser turned to look at Leon.
The couple exchanged a glance, sharing a silent understanding with just a subtle nod.
Leon looked away, accompanying Noia to the second baton position.
Throughout, the father and daughter didn’t say much.
Noia was taking the event seriously, and Leon didn’t want to crack any light-hearted jokes that might distract her focus.
With other kids, it might work;
But Noia was different; once she got serious, any silliness would probably ruin her “dragon fire.”
Standing at the second baton’s starting point, Leon turned to her and said,
“I’ll be waiting for you at third, Noia.”
“Okay.”
After a moment, Leon glanced at his right hand, gently clenched his fist, and extended it toward Noia.
“Give your old dad some encouragement?”
Noia understood immediately and raised her little fist to lightly bump against his.
Just like on their admission test day, the pair of fists—big and small—could feel each other’s strength clearly.
After the fist bump, Leon turned and ran toward the start of the last baton.
Once all the families were ready, a dazzling dragon flame erupted in the air, officially starting the race.
From the first starting point, a silver figure whizzed through the air like lightning, its long tail trailing a blur behind it, fast enough to make people gasp.
This stirred a wave of awe among the audience and commentators.
Leon was just about to pop open some champagne, but then he spotted another female dragon, who had caught up to Roswiser.
“Someone can actually keep up with Roswiser’s speed…” Leon murmured.
“Of course. It’s not like only your Silver Dragon clan excels in speed,” came a voice from beside him.
Leon turned to look and saw a lean dragon standing at around six-foot-three, glancing down at the bolt of lightning marking its tail.
“Electric Dragon…”
Leon had a deep impression of the Electric Dragons from the battles of yore.
Though they weren’t particularly strong, once they decided to flee, no one could catch them.
They would often stage fake attacks on Leon’s forces but never follow through, a real annoying tactic.
“Look! Misty from the Electric Dragon clan has already passed Silver Dragon Roswiser! Leading by a full body length!”
The commentator was ignited with excitement.
Leon turned his gaze back to the first baton’s track.
Sure enough, the female Electric Dragon had surpassed Roswiser.
Roswiser was doing her best to catch up from behind.
The lean dragon beside Leon chuckled mockingly, “Even though this is just an entertainment race, the final results can still somewhat reflect the gap between the various races, right?”
Leon stood with his hands in his pockets, silent.
“Hey, tsk tsk tsk, my wife is already almost two body lengths ahead of your wife. Why keep watching?” The other seemed intent on continuing to push Leon’s buttons.
Leon glanced over and replied nonchalantly, “Yeah, your wife is really something.”
The Electric Dragon: ?
Even though the comment was directed at his own wife, why did it sound so… off?
Before he could respond, Leon added, “But my wife is even better.”
On the track, only a hundred meters separated the second baton point.
Misty, the Electric Dragon, was still leading, and at this rate, it shouldn’t be a problem for her family to take home the relay race trophy.
However—
Before she could gloat, she caught sight of a silver blur in her peripheral vision.
The Silver Dragon behind her was catching up again!
Roswiser smirked knowingly. “Being in the lead must create quite an air resistance, huh?”
“Wh-what…?”
So, the reason the Silver Dragon was always behind was to use her body to reduce wind resistance?
Short-distance sprints were the strong suits of both Silver and Electric Dragons, so the question of who was faster would come down to the final burst.
Yet Misty had been acting as a windblock for Roswiser the entire time, and right now, her stamina paled in comparison to the other.
Before anyone knew it, Roswiser surged with renewed speed, dashing toward Noia’s position in Misty’s astonished view.
Baton exchange!
Noia was the first to take off in the second baton, with that little Electric Dragon right on her tail.
After passing the baton, Misty leaned forward, hands on her knees, gasping for breath.
Roswiser, however, looked unfazed and calm.
Is that all? I haven’t even worked up a sweat yet.
She turned her head to look toward Leon’s third baton.
That guy was still far away, raising his arm with a thumbs-up in her direction.
Roswiser chuckled lightly and waved back.
Next, her gaze shifted to her daughter.
Noia, not quite gaining any height or age advantage, quickly found herself caught up by Misty’s son.
But catching up was one thing; surpassing Noia was a whole different ballgame.
The two young dragons raced side by side, neither yielding an inch.
At this pace, it looked like they might reach the third baton at the same time.
But in the end… Noia’s smaller stature became her undoing; after all, she was still quite young.
Taking advantage of age and leg length, that little Electric Dragon pulled ahead ever so slightly to finish second at the baton exchange.
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Just watch Dad.”
Leon wasn’t about to let his sweet little girl feel guilty. After receiving the baton, he took off immediately after that lean dragon.
Noia clutched her sleeve, biting her lip as Leon’s figure reflected in her pupils. She whispered,
“Come on… Dad.”
The staff guided Noia through a shortcut to the finish line.
Roswiser was already waiting there.
“Mom, sorry! I wasted the advantage you created for me!”
Roswiser ruffled Noia’s little head. “Noia, you did great! Your opponents are all older than you; let’s cheer for Dad together now!”
“Okay,” Noia nodded obediently.
“Go, Daddy! You’re the best!” cheered Moon from the stands.
Little dragon girl definitely had a talent for being a cheerleader.
Meanwhile, on the track, Leon kept close behind that lean Electric Dragon.
“Hah, why are you still struggling? I haven’t even broken a sweat, yet you look like you’ve given it your all?” came a mocking voice from ahead.
Leon shut it all out, silently adjusting his pace and breathing rhythm.
“In five seconds, I’ll be a full five seconds ahead of you. Just remember that.”
With that, the lean Electric Dragon sped up again, leaving Leon three body lengths behind.
Grinding his teeth, Leon drew upon all his strength.
To get the top overall score in the sports day, he had to give his all in every event; that was the safest strategy.
And let me tell you, don’t underestimate my obsession with holidays, you j*rk!
That’s a whole seven days!
Leon surged forward, gradually closing the gap to the lean dragon.
The two of them picked up the pace, racing toward the finish.
Tsk, unexpectedly catching up! You think I’m going to keep letting you get away with this?
Leon shouted, as if transported back to the battlefield years ago, the resolve to keep fighting—arising from the will to get home;
And now that will came from his daughter.
With a miraculous speed, he surged past the Electric Dragon.
Realizing the danger, the Electric Dragon got nervous.
Almost immediately, he attempted to sneakily affect Leon’s side.
Zzap—
A faint electric gleam began to flicker on the Electric Dragon’s shoulder, inching closer to Leon.
Leon had an acute awareness when it came to lightning magic or electric magic because he himself was trained in it.
And he had a rough idea of what that skinny dragon was up to.
At the finish line, Roswiser seemed to notice something was off.
The lean Electric Dragon was creeping closer to Leon for some reason and had to be up to no good.
Roswiser frowned, her entire demeanor becoming tense.
Leon shot a scornful glance at the Electric Dragon beside him and snorted,
“Now, we’re settling old scores and new grudges together!”
Old grudge: Your Electric Dragon clan kept harassing my forces during the battles, refusing direct confrontation, just an absolute nuisance;
New grudge: Now you want to sneak attack me? How could I let such a perfect opportunity slip away?
You aren’t getting away this time!
Seeing Leon not flinching, the Electric Dragon boldly moved closer.
But just then, Leon seized the moment when the Electric Dragon accidentally slowed down and took a big stride forward, overtaking him entirely.
The Electric Dragon’s surprise attack fizzled out, causing him to lose his balance slightly.
But it didn’t end there.
Leon sprinted ahead, vigorously shaking off the dust from his shoes.
As the Electric Dragon had gotten too close to sneak attack earlier, he inadvertently welcomed all that dust into his face.
Some powder particles even got in his eyes, causing the Electric Dragon to momentarily black out as he lost his footing and tumbled down, landing face first with a sound akin to a dog eating dirt.
“Wow! What a shame! This Electric Dragon champion instead fell at a crucial moment! Now the win should be all but guaranteed for that mystery contestant!” the commentator exclaimed passionately.
With cheers from the girls, Leon crossed the finish line first.
Noia dashed over to high-five Leon in celebration.
But instead, Leon bent down and scooped her up.
Noia was startled but made no attempt to struggle.
“What did you just shout? Hm?” Leon asked with a playful smile.
Noia’s cheeks reddened as she turned her gaze away. “Dad….”
“Ah~ feel good~ Is there more? Is there more?”
“Hmph, let’s talk after we win first place in the sports day.” Noia completely turned her head away.
Leon indulgently rubbed his cheek against Noia’s. “You really have your mom’s spunk down pat.”
Roswiser walked over, asking in a low voice, “You’re not hurt, right?”
Leon raised an eyebrow. “Did you see that?”
“Yeah, but the judges on the side couldn’t see due to angles. We need to report this. We can’t let them off the hook.”
Roswiser’s tone intensified, it seemed she was truly angry.
But little did they know—
“I’m reporting! I’m reporting! This guy committed a foul! Serious foul!”
The voice came from Misty’s family, that very Electric Dragon who had tried to sneak-attack Leon but instead ended up being bested.
Hearing this, the judges gathered to hear the Electric Dragon’s account of the situation.
However, after several minutes of discussion, the judges unanimously concluded—
Leon had not committed a foul.
“Why not?! My husband was sent tumbling down by him; why isn’t that considered a foul?!”
“Please calm down, ma’am. Leon’s actions do indeed not constitute a foul; in fact, your husband was too close during the race, which is against safety regulations,” the judges explained.
“Hey! You all!…”
“Thank you for your hard work, judges. Since you’re all here, why don’t you check out that Electric Dragon’s shoulder to see if his clothes got singed by any electric currents?” Leon walked over holding Noia.
Roswiser followed closely behind him.
“Singed? Are you implying that…?”
“That guy tried to attack me with electric currents during the sprint. When I saw that, I panicked and sprinted ahead. I might have accidentally kicked up some dust. But you all just said that’s not my fault, right?” Leon mocked smartly, with Roswiser snickering beside him.
The judges nodded. “Right, check that guy’s shoulder.”
Two judges approached and examined the Electric Dragon.
Sure enough, char marks were evident on his clothing.
Next, the judges pulled out their Shadow Stones and played back the sprinting footage multiple times.
In the footage, it was clear that the Electric Dragon indeed tried to sneak attack Leon with electric currents.
“Foul evidence is solid; as per regulations, Misty’s family will be disqualified from upcoming events, and their current results will also be voided,” the judge announced and sighed, “Your actions negatively affect the children; please learn from this.”
Visibly, the little Electric Dragon looked incredibly deflated, clearly affected by this blow.
However, the mature Electric Dragon wasn’t backing down, ready to retort, but then his gaze passed over Leon’s shoulder and laid eyes on someone, instantly losing his bravado.
Leon also sensed the shift and turned to look behind him.
A white-haired elder dragon was approaching.
He was on the lean side, carrying a faint lightning symbol on his tail.
The elder dragon stepped up to Roswiser, giving a slight nod. “I apologize for the trouble my kin has caused your family, Melkway.”
Roswiser smiled lightly. “I hope you can discipline your clan, Sol. Luckily this time my husband was clever and unharmed; if he had ended up hurt, your mere apology wouldn’t suffice.”
“I understand, Melkway. I’ll handle things with Misty’s family when we return.”
“Mm.”
With just a glance from Sol, Misty’s family slinked away, leaving the venue in haste.
Leon sidled up beside Roswiser and asked, “Who’s that old geezer?”
“The leader of the Electric Dragon clan, Sol.”
“Oy, quite the top-tier job there!”
Roswiser laughed, playfully rolling her eyes. “Are you all about accomplishments, huh?”
Leon chuckled, showering Roswiser with compliments. “By the way, you have quite the presence, dear.”
“Hmph, normal dragons should come and apologize as long as they’re not as arrogant as those dull Red Flame Dragons,” Roswiser replied, a hint of realization crossing her face.
Then, she elbowed Leon. “Who’s your wife? Don’t call her so affectionately.”
XX
Today’s big win, Noia called me Dad! Monthly votes, let’s go, let’s go!
