Chapter 6
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Grandmother's Lair
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Flash!
Leranas sensed a sudden surge of mana and hurried to the warp gate installed in her lair.
With a burst of bright light, two figures appeared.
At a glance, they looked like sisters rather than mother and daughter—Eirana and Erannis.
Leranas greeted her guests with a warm, affectionate smile.
"Eirana, welcome to Grandma's lair."
Eirana's jaw dropped as she stepped into Leranas's lair.
She had seen many lairs in her life, but this one dwarfed them all in scale.
"It's... huge..."
Leranas beamed at Eirana's dazed exclamation.
"It's a place that hasn't changed in tens of thousands of years, so it has a bit of that timeless charm, don't you think?"
Eirana's eyes widened in astonishment at Leranas's words.
"Tens of thousands of years?"
"It was my grandmother's lair, you see. I inherited it from her."
"Wow."
Eirana let out a pure, heartfelt gasp of admiration.
Her reaction was so endearing that Leranas and Erannis exchanged smiles.
"If you like it, I'll pass it on to you someday."
"Really?"
Eirana's eyes went wide at Leranas's words, while Erannis shot her a fierce glare.
"Yeah, I'll give it to you."
"Ooooh!"
As Eirana's eyes sparkled with excitement, someone objected to the inheritance right there on the spot.
"Last time, you said you'd give it to me!"
"When did I say that?"
Erannis flew into a rage at Leranas's unflinching response.
"Gah! Already going senile?"
"What? Senile? You wanna die?!"
Leranas growled threateningly.
Normally, Erannis would have backed down at this point, but she was truly furious this time and kept ranting without retreat.
"Mom's the one who went back on her word first! You planning to break your promise?"
"It wasn't a dragon oath or anything."
Erannis scowled at Leranas's dismissive snort.
Leranas smirked mockingly at her daughter.
That laugh finally set Erannis off.
"Kyaaak! I can't take this anymore! So what if you're older?!"
Erannis had always been infamous for her short temper.
All the pent-up anger exploded at once, and she charged at Leranas without a second thought.
Boom! Crash! Rumble!
Erannis unleashed high-level magic without holding back, while Leranas blocked it effortlessly.
Of course, no matter how desperately Erannis fought, she stood no chance of winning.
Eirana watched the dazzling magical explosions and spoke up.
"I'll go explore around the lair."
She didn't want to get caught in the crossfire and risk her life.
"There's a lake at the summit—go check it out. It's beautiful."
Leranas called out in a relaxed tone, secure in her overwhelming superiority.
Eirana clicked her tongue at the sight.
No matter how you looked at it, that foul temper was a family trait.
She ignored the explosions echoing as she left the lair.
The outcome was obvious.
Just as Eirana could never beat Erannis no matter how hard she tried, Erannis could never defeat Leranas.
For dragons, power scaled directly with age.
Eirana shook her head lightly, imagining Erannis getting thrashed.
Stepping out from the lair entrance, she surveyed her surroundings. This place was on another level compared to Erannis's territory.
Leranas's lair was nestled in Mount Sahwa, a volcano dormant for thousands of years.
The entrance sat near the peak.
Eirana took a deep breath as she looked around from the entrance.
Clean, crisp, chilly air filled her lungs.
The high-altitude chill lifted her spirits.
She could understand why Erannis coveted this lair.
The outside air felt wonderfully invigorating to a silver dragon.
After taking in the views for a moment, curiosity drew Eirana toward the summit—what might be up there?
Using her lightness skill, she swiftly ascended Mount Sahwa and discovered a stunning lake formed in the crater.
"That's amazing!"
Eirana cried out in pure awe.
It was the most breathtaking scenery she'd ever seen.
As she admired the beautiful lake, Eirana approached the water's edge and dipped her hand in.
Ice-cold water chilled her skin.
It would give a regular human frostbite, but for a silver dragon like Eirana, it was a delightful coolness.
Savoring the refreshing sensation, she dunked her face into the water.
"Pua!"
After holding her breath for a bit, she pulled back, gasping.
Refreshment spread through her entire body.
Should I just go for a swim in the lake?
She stared at the water, contemplating, then suddenly looked up.
Something caught her senses across the area.
Not a wild beast or monster— it felt like a human presence.
Another dragon?
She shook her head at the thought.
Leranas would have mentioned it if there were others.
"Who's there?"
Eirana stood and scanned the surroundings.
The presence stirred at her reaction, then rustled away in flight.
Sensing it vanishing in an instant, Eirana narrowed her eyes and gave chase.
Her instincts screamed suspicion at the sudden escape.
A abrupt pursuit unfolded.
The presence raced down the mountain and soon vanished into the forest.
Eirana pursued using her lightness skill, but clicked her tongue as her quarry accelerated.
If she let up now, she might lose them.
Thud! Crunch!
The ground cratered under her step.
As she lifted her foot, her body shot forward explosively.
She accelerated dramatically, closing the gap in a flash, and reached out.
At the same moment, she seized something whipping through the air and yanked hard.
"Kyaaak!"
A pained scream rang out as the figure tumbled to the ground.
What Eirana had grabbed was none other than a fistful of golden hair.
Leria, a high elf who had just turned 100 and was now considered an adult, had left the city to contract with the spirit of the lake at the summit—a peak deep in Leranas's territory.
Contracting with a lake spirit was a rite of passage for high elves, akin to a trial.
Half a day after departing the city, Leria arrived at the lake.
What she discovered was a silver-haired human girl.
As Leria cautiously observed the unfamiliar human in surprise...
The girl suddenly looked up and said,
"Who's there?"
Startled, Leria nearly revealed herself.
But the girl's face made her shrink back involuntarily.
Her beauty was overshadowed by a fierce, intimidating aura.
She's... scary.
Leria muttered inwardly and chose to flee without thinking.
She slipped away stealthily and bolted in an instant, letting out a sigh of relief.
But moments later, she sensed pursuit and panicked, running at full speed.
Why is she chasing me?!
p>
Terrified by the chase, Leria pushed her legs to their limit.
Once she reached the forest, it was elf territory.
She descended Mount Sahwa in a flash and hid among the trees.
The pursuing presence faded. Relieved...
Grip!
"Kyaaak!"
Intense pain shot through her scalp, drawing a scream from Leria.
Tears welling in her eyes, she turned to the source—and froze solid.
Grabbing her hair was the silver-haired human: Eirana.
Eirana stared down at her, gripping the ends of Leria's hair.
An inexplicable pressure made Leria tremble uncontrollably.
Eirana asked,
"What are you?"
"Huh?"
"Spying on people and running off. You a thief?"
"N-No! I'm not a thief! B-But how are you here?"
"..."
Eirana furrowed her brow at the counter-question.
She examined the girl more closely.
Golden hair, blue eyes, sharp features.
A gentle face and vibe.
She'd chased and caught her on impulse, but she didn't seem evil.
Still, the way she furtively glanced around screamed "plotting an escape."
Eirana tightened her grip slightly on the hair.
Leria screamed at the sharp scalp pain.
"Kyaa! It hurts! Stop!"
The girl flailed her hands, face scrunched in tears.
Eirana's expression turned subtly amused.
This is fun.
For some reason, tormenting her felt entertaining.
But Eirana shuddered at the thought.
If she enjoyed this, what made her different from her mother, Erannis?!
Oh no, am I really turning rotten?
It was a personality flaw she'd had since birth, but she fretted anyway.
She knew it deep down, but she wasn't that bad—yet.
Spotting signs of her mother's influence, she grew serious.
Meanwhile, sniffling Leria had her own worries.
Why was this human girl so deep in a dragon's territory?
Then it hit her, and her eyes widened.
"Um... perchance..."
As Leria ventured the question timidly, Eirana snapped out of her thoughts and looked back.
Her gaze caught on Leria's ears, and she tilted her head.
Unusual shape.
Eirana reached out with her free hand.
Leria flinched at the sudden touch, but Eirana brushed aside the hair covering her ear and grasped it.
Pointed and slightly elongated—nothing like a human's.
"..."
Eirana asked,
"Elf?"
Facing her first encounter with another race, Eirana looked intrigued. Leria blinked curiously and thrust her ear closer.
"Your first elf?"
"Ack."
Eirana knew of them from knowledge, but seeing real pointed ears up close startled her into a weird yelp as she backed away.
More like a boy's reaction than a girl's.
Leria relaxed a fraction.
No hostility here. She asked again.
"Um... I have a question."
"What?"
"Are you... a dragon?"
"Yep."
"..."
Leria deflated at the chipper reply.
All that fleeing for nothing—nearly lost a chunk of hair.
Eirana released the hair.
An elf in Leranas's domain? Made sense.
As Leria rubbed her head and stood, Eirana said,
"Got a favor to ask."
"W-What?"
Leria stammered in surprise.
"Can you guide me to your city?"
"My home?"
"Yeah."
"Why the city...?"
"Wanna check it out."
Leria nodded hesitantly at Eirana's bright smile.