171 The Entire Dragon Race is Absolutely Explosive
Roswiser had put on exquisite makeup and donned a beautiful dress. Besides just wanting a style change after having her second child, as she’d told Leon, she was also getting ready for today’s banquet.
It had been a week since they defeated Constantine, and the maid brigade and guard squad were pretty much back in shape. According to dragon tradition, they needed to hold a memorial for their fallen kin after every battle.
Of course, while paying homage to their comrades, they also had to celebrate their hard-won victory.
“You Silver Dragons seem to rarely throw these kinds of banquets. It’s a bit dull compared to the other dragon races that go wild with celebrations whenever there’s a holiday,” Leon remarked.
“I remember many years ago, our troops got orders for a night raid, and when we charged in, that dragon race was partying for the ‘100 Days Since Fending Off the Empire’s Dragon Slayer Army’!”
Roswiser chuckled. “Yeah, we Silver Dragons aren’t really into those flashy things. The last time we hosted a big banquet was three years ago.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Three years ago? What was it in commemoration of?”
Roswiser squinted her eyes and smiled, “It was to celebrate our victory over the empire’s strongest Dragon Slayer, Leon Casmod, and successfully capturing him.”
“……”
With a playful smirk on her lips, Roswiser strolled over and patted Leon on the shoulder.
“You’re really lucky, dear husband! The main character of both these major banquets is you! You’re quite the explosive existence among the entire Dragon Race.”
Leon swatted her hand away, grabbed a coat off the hook, and marched towards the door like a man on a mission.
“Where are you going?” Roswiser called after him.
“To babysit!”
“Don’t stay out too late; we still have the banquet tonight, Your Royal Highness~”
BANG—
The sound of the door slamming shut was his only reply.
Roswiser crossed her arms and gazed at the empty foyer, the sound of footsteps echoing in the hallway still ringing in her ears.
She recalled the look on that dog man’s face just now.
Like a pufferfish that had just ingested dynamite.
She laughed, suddenly an outlandishly “cute” thought popped into her head.
But the next second, the queen’s smile froze.
Cute?
How could she possibly think Leon was cute?
No, no, no, that’s impossible.
Here, “cute” is… it’s a derogatory term!
Yes, exactly; for dragons, “cute” absolutely is a derogatory term.
So, it made perfect sense that she thought Leon was cute! No problems there!
Having found a good excuse for her unexpectedly bubbly thought, Roswiser sighed in relief.
She patted her cheeks, adjusted her mood, and in an instant was back to her usual aloof and proud queen demeanor.
Roswiser picked the right jacket for her dress, donned some jewelry that was strictly for formal occasions, and after tidying herself up, stepped out of the room.
Returning to work just seven days after giving birth—talk about giving her maids a little shock of a workaholic!
Let’s roll!
……
At 8 PM sharp, the banquet began.
Now almost fully recovered, Head Maid Anna was in charge of the entire banquet.
She honestly hadn’t expected Her Majesty to jump back into her duties at the Silver Dragon Temple just one week after giving birth.
She asked Her Majesty why she didn’t rest a bit longer, mentioning that although she was injured, she could still handle things on Her Majesty’s behalf.
Roswiser replied that while they had won recently, they still lost some kin, and some warriors were feeling down. As the queen of the Silver Dragons, she had a duty to uplift her kin’s spirits and get the Silver Dragon Race back on the right track.
Anna understood and didn’t probe any further.
Her Majesty was still Her Majesty—dedicated, diligent, having sat on the throne for decades, her enthusiasm and attitude as vibrant as ever.
Once the banquet began, the first order of business was to mourn the Silver Dragon warriors who had fallen in the defense battle.
The way dragons memorialize their brethren is rather ceremonial.
They write the names of the deceased on small talisman-like objects and place them into a special flame fixture known as the “Spirit-Releasing Lantern.”
When the fire inside the lantern ignites, it expands and slowly rises into the sky, drifting away. The flame extinguishes at a certain height, ensuring no forest fires or anything.
Releasing the lantern signifies that the souls of the fallen will forever soar freely in the sky.
Tonight, the Silver Dragon Race released two hundred thirty-four Spirit-Releasing Lanterns, representing the two hundred thirty-four warriors lost in the battle against Constantine.
Considering the dragon race places more emphasis on “quality” than “quantity” as opposed to those card-drawing humans, two hundred thirty-four was not a small number.
By the bonfire, two hundred thirty-four lanterns were released one by one, illuminating the night sky.
Among the Silver Dragons at the banquet, some quietly cried, discreetly wiping their tears, ensuring their sadness didn’t spill over;
Others shouted the names of lost comrades and best friends up to the lanterns in the sky, encouraging them to live happily in the next world.
After the warriors’ emotions calmed a bit, Queen Roswiser stepped up to the podium to give her speech.
She mostly said things like “don’t lose heart, we have a bright future ahead” or “let’s carry on with the spirit of the fallen.”
However, she wasn’t really good at motivational speeches, and being in front of so many dragons always brought back some embarrassing public speaking memories.
So, after kicking things off, she let Anna take the stage to continue.
Anna was pretty familiar with this kind of task.
After the speeches, folks chatted, reminisced, and the banquet continued in an orderly fashion.
Leon had zero interest in the Silver Dragons’ celebration and spent the entire time sitting on the temple steps entrance, cradling his little daughter, silently watching them light lamps, give speeches, and either cry or laugh.
Sherry had just come to him, asking if the prince wanted to say a few words too, considering his significant contributions to defeating Constantine. After all, he was a major hero for the Silver Dragons.
Each compliment made Leon increasingly uncomfortable.
How did I, a human hero, turn into a Silver Dragon hero within three years of being around you guys?
Leon internally grumbled but answered truthfully, saying he wasn’t really good at speeches and that they could handle it without him; he’d just take the little princess back to sleep.
Sherry nodded and didn’t push further.
But inside, she couldn’t help but marvel at how, unsurprisingly, the queen and her husband were quite alike. Neither of them was good at speeches and both enjoyed being low-key.
Sigh, is this what it means to have a strong mentality? Worth emulating!
After Sherry left, Leon stayed there.
His newborn baby girl was full of energy, showing zero signs of sleepiness and intermittently tugging at Leon’s collar, hitting her dad’s chin with her tiny little fists.
Suddenly, she actually landed a pretty powerful punch that surprised Leon.
He looked down and squeezed his daughter’s small hand. “Wow, honey, you’re super strong! Constantine couldn’t even hurt your dad, but you managed to! You’re way stronger than him!”
“Ah wah ah wah~~ Um~~”
Baby talk, which he couldn’t decipher.
Leon pinched the tiny princess’s nose and then lifted his head to watch the Silver Dragons’ banquet.
Speaking of banquets, after a memorial, you can’t skip drinking.
While Roswiser might not excel in speeches, she was definitely quite good at drinking!
Typically, human women shouldn’t drink for a few months after giving birth since it can affect breast milk’s nutritional content.
However, when Leon read the dragon pregnancy manuals earlier, he learned that post-birth Mother Dragons didn’t produce milk the way human women did. This meant that newborn dragons needed to drink other types of milk for nutrition.
At first, he worried that without breast milk, could his little daughter get enough nutrition?
But thinking of how lively Noia and Moon were, Leon dismissed that concern.
So, Roswiser drinking after just seven days post-birth wouldn’t harm her or their little girl.
Leon watched Roswiser by the bonfire, happily clinking glasses with the maids, the firelight reflecting her smile while they kept raising toasts. She took them all in stride.
It looked like such a relaxing and enjoyable scene.
But after spending so much time together, Leon understood Roswiser better than before.
He was sure that the smile and ease on her face were entirely put on; she was actually… very tired.
“Is this part of your job too… silly dragon?”
Leon looked down and pinched his little princess’ cheek. “You shouldn’t learn from mommy. It’s important to balance work and rest; don’t be a workaholic, or daddy will get heartbroken~”
