Chapter 4
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Dragon Family Blues
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Eirana was sipping tea with her grandmother Leranas, who had come to visit after such a long time.
She hadn't seen her father in the past hundred years, except at her naming ceremony.
For some reason, Erannis had made it so Karman couldn't even come near their lair.
"So anyway, Mom. She thought she was a boy for a whole hundred years."
Erannis explained the situation to Leranas in a voice still strained from holding back laughter.
Leranas's dumbfounded expression upon hearing it showed just how ridiculous Eirana's century-long misconception had been.
And it was understandable. Not knowing one's own gender?
Dragons didn't put much stock in biological sex, which was one reason Eirana had never realized her own.
Eirana sat there in a daze, half out of her mind.
She was lost in thought.
Come to think of it, her grandfather, grandmother, and mother had occasionally called her "daughter" or "granddaughter."
Of course, Eirana had never heard them.
What troubled her even more was Erannis's doll play that had started after her successful Polymorph.
She kept bringing all sorts of pretty clothes to dress Eirana up in.
Eirana wanted to rebel with all her fiery spirit, but her opponent was Erannis.
Rebellion wasn't even an option.
In the end, she became her mother's plaything doll, enduring the humiliation of changing outfits dozens of times a day.
Eirana drank her tea in silence.
Erannis must have taken that as disbelief that she was a girl, because she burst into laughter again.
Even Grandmother Leranas, who would normally scold her, was struggling not to laugh. Eirana could only sink deeper into despair.
Early childhood identity formation was crucial above all else.
In human terms, Eirana was barely a toddling infant.
And it had taken her a hundred years to realize she was a girl.
That wasn't long for a dragon's lifespan, but for Eirana, who understood human identity, it felt eternal.
Because of it, she was plunged into deep confusion about her gender identity.
Could you easily accept suddenly becoming a woman after living as a man?
That was exactly Eirana's situation.
On top of that, her innate rebellious streak reared its head.
'No big deal. I can just turn back into a male body later. Yeah. Just hold out a little longer.'
That was the resolve Eirana etched in her heart amid Erannis's teasing.
Of course, 1,400 years was a long time even for a dragon.
Her wish-fulfillment day felt oh so far away.
Black Dragon Karman had a major worry lately.
He couldn't see his daughter.
Ever since his fight with Erannis (one-sided rage from her), she had harbored hostility toward him. Aside from the naming ceremony, he hadn't laid eyes on Eirana once.
He had a reputation as a grumpy dragon, but he was never like that with his own daughter.
Especially since he'd even named her himself.
He'd only seen her face once, but his love for her was special.
"Maybe I should go see her."
Of course, the odds of being chased away were sky-high.
He wanted to apologize, but he couldn't beg forgiveness without knowing what he'd done wrong. Erannis never told her husband.
Karman never dreamed she was treating him like an enemy for over a century because he forgot their wedding anniversary.
Dragons had little sense of time, so anniversaries were barely a concept.
And he'd only missed it by one year.
At this point, it was Erannis's nasty temper at fault.
"Sigh."
Karman let out a heavy, worried sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing... just thinking of Erannis makes me sad."
"Why would thinking of Mom make you sad?"
"Well, because... Huh?"
Karman, mid-answer in a gloomy tone, whipped his head around in shock.
A girl with an expressionless face stood there.
"You're..."
Though it was their first meeting, Karman instantly knew who she was.
"Eirana?"
"Yeah, Dad."
Eirana nodded.
Karman stared at his daughter in astonishment.
"My goodness, you've already mastered Polymorph? And how did you get here?"
As Karman asked in surprise, Eirana averted her gaze and played innocent.
"Uh... how I got here? Well..."
She rolled her eyes before mumbling an unconvincing excuse in a flat tone.
"I missed you, so I came to visit."
It was a lie. Pure lie. Not a shred of sincerity.
What daughter says she misses her dad in such a deadpan voice?
But Karman was deeply moved anyway, his face lighting up with emotion.
Eirana sneaked another glance away from her beaming father.
Inside, she was breaking out in cold sweat.
Why had she fled so desperately to Karman's lair? Simple.
She'd caused an accident.
"Eirana~."
Erannis called out for her daughter in a syrupy sweet voice, frantic with worry.
But her face was that of a raging demon, the total opposite.
"Where are you hiding, my baby...? Mommy... Mommy is just so sad without her Eirana. So come out quick, okay?"
Her blazing eyes were utterly terrifying, nothing like a Silver Dragon's grace.
"Are you scared because you used magic in Mommy's treasure vault and wrecked it? It's okay, Mommy forgives you... so..."
Erannis's face grew even fiercer.
"Come out right now, you brat! Where are you?!"
Her piercing shriek echoed through the entire lair, enough to shatter glass.
"So, how did you get here?"
"Hm? Teleport gate."
Karman looked surprised at Eirana's answer.
"Impressive for someone so young. Using a teleport gate already."
Eirana felt a strange mix of emotions as he stroked his chin in admiration.
She'd lived five times longer than her past human life, yet being treated like a child still felt off.
'Well, they say ten thousand years old.'
She nodded to herself, accepting it.
"Did you at least tell Erannis?"
Karman asked with concern.
He was touched by her (fake) story of missing him, but worried a child had come without permission.
Most critically, he didn't want the sparks flying his way if things went south.
"Uh..."
Eirana couldn't exactly say she'd been playing with a magic sword in Erannis's treasure vault, injected mana, caused an explosion, and bolted.
She racked her brain for an answer to her father's question.
"I told her."
Brushing off the guilt of lying to her father—whom she'd met only once—Eirana answered swiftly.
'Yeah, survival trumps guilt. What's more important?'
Karman nodded at her words.
"First time in Dad's lair. Want a tour?"
"A lair tour?"
Eirana perked up at Karman's suggestion.
She knew from her mother's lair just how amazing a dragon's lair could be.
Never having seen any other than Erannis's, she was thrilled at the offer.
"Sure, let's see it."
Karman smiled and nodded at his daughter's enthusiasm.
Karman's lair was just as vast as Erannis's.
And surprisingly, cleaner.
Impressed inwardly, Eirana asked,
"Dad."
"Yes?"
"Why are you and Mom on bad terms?"
"..."
Karman sighed deeply at Eirana's question.
"What do you think it's about?"
"Basically, seems like your fault."
"..."
Was it from living with Mom?
Eirana thought so.
Karman felt a pang of bitterness at his daughter's words. Eirana added,
"But knowing Mom's temper, it's probably not that big a deal. Did you steal her snacks or something?"
She had an uncanny grasp of her parents' personalities.
Karman let out a hollow chuckle.
"Even Erannis wouldn't rage like that over stolen snacks..."
He trailed off.
Actually, Erannis totally would explode over something that petty.
'Why did I fall for a woman like that and marry her?'
Lost in gloomy thoughts, Karman brooded. Eirana watched him with amused fascination.
After chatting idly, they ended at the treasure vault.
Eirana, fresh from trashing Erannis's vault, felt a jolt of guilt at the sight.
"Dad."
"Yeah?"
"How much does Mom treasure her stuff?"
"Obsessively."
"Would she get mad if some went missing?"
"If someone raided her vault? She'd chase them to the ends of the earth. A thousand years ago, some fool kingdom did just that, and Erannis turned their palace to rubble."
"..."
'Should've fled to Grandpa's.'
Eirana had panicked and teleported to Karman's lair coordinates on impulse.
Her worries only grew with time.
Meanwhile, Erannis scoured her lair, eyes gleaming, until she sensed a presence and smirked.
"Hehehe... there you are, my daughter? Come to Mommy~ Good girl?"
She flashed a loving smile while grabbing a club.
"Don't worry. Would Mommy ever kill her only daughter? I'm not mad. So..."
Her eyes flashed menacingly.
"Just a hundred whacks!"
She charged toward the presence, club raised.
What caught Erannis's eye was red hair and blazing crimson eyes.
She froze upon recognizing the face.
"..."
Leranas, expressionless until then, mirrored Erannis's smile.
Erannis, club still high, slyly hid it behind her back and forced a laugh.
"Hahaha. Mom. I was playing real hide-and-seek with Eirana. When did you get here?"
"Oh, really?"
Leranas smiled faintly and grabbed her daughter's hair.
"You. Come here. Didn't I tell you not to bully Eirana?"
"Ow! Wait, this isn't bullying... Ow! Let go! Let go!"
Thwack!
"Where do you get off rebelling?!"
Was Erannis's foul temper inherited from Leranas?
Very plausible.
Karman and Erannis reconciled three years later.
The catalyst? Eirana, of course.
More escape spots for her mishaps were always better.
Thus, Eirana grew ever more accustomed to her dragon life.