Mr. Dragon Knight, the dragon girls are chasing you!

"...I want to know too!"

Ignis was instantly reminded of her long-suppressed doubts and anger. She slammed her hand heavily on the crystal tabletop, so hard that the teacup on the table jumped violently.

"I happened to be patrolling over the border airspace at the time, and I saw a group of huge lava scorpions forming a circle in the distance."

"At first, I thought it was some high-level magical beast that had overstepped its bounds and provoked me, so I was prepared to go down and take it out. But when I landed, I saw—"

"It's actually a human! And a little kid at that!"

Wendina's eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise finally appearing in them:

"A human child, surviving an attack by lava scorpions?"

"It's more than just being alive!" Ignis exclaimed, getting more and more excited as she spoke, gesturing wildly as she spoke.

"He was covered in injuries, his clothes were tattered, his hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and he looked filthy as if he had just rolled out of a coal pile."

Even so, he still gripped a worn-out iron rod he'd picked up from who-knows-where, his back pressed firmly against the scorching lava wall, single-handedly fighting off several lava scorpions thicker than his waist!

Wendina smiled gently and murmured, "Looking at it this way, he really is a very brave and resilient child."

"Resilient my ass! You're just asking for trouble!" Ignis arrogantly tossed her fiery red high ponytail, the ends of her hair exploding into tiny sparks.

"If I hadn't shown up, he would have been torn to shreds by those scorpions in less than half a cup of tea!"

"And then? What happened after you saved him?" Wendina asked patiently.

Ignis took a deep breath and tried her best to recreate the ridiculous yet adorable look of that kid from back then, imitating him at the top of her lungs, her tone both angry and funny.

"Then that brat looked up and saw my true form, and guess what his first words were?!"

"He actually opened his clean, innocent eyes and shouted, 'Wow, what a huge flamingo!'"

"I am the mighty Fire Dragon King! The supreme and invincible Flame of Heaven! He actually mistook me for a bird?!"

Wendina was silent for two seconds.

Then she put down her teacup, turned her face to the window, and her shoulders began to tremble slightly.

"...Laugh if you want." Ignis gritted her teeth.

"Cough. I wasn't laughing."

Your shoulders are shaking.

"Because the tea is too hot."

"You drank cold water."

Wendina finally turned around, her blue eyes brimming with tears, and coughed lightly: "Ahem... So you took him back because he said you were a bird?"

"Of course not!"

"Why is that?"

Ignis remained silent for a moment, and her previous volatile temper suddenly subsided.

She picked up the teacup and took another sip, putting the cup down much more gently, her voice unconsciously lowered by half an octave:

"...Because he passed out. The venom of those lava scorpions had already seeped into his wounds, and before I could even yell at him, he just collapsed."

"These are desolate mountains and wild, lava wastelands, teeming with ferocious monsters. I can't just leave a dying human brat there to die, can I?"

Wendina held her teacup, not exposing her younger sister's seemingly irritable but actually kind nature, but simply smiled gently.

"Yes, of course not."

Ignis felt a chill run down her spine under the gaze of those all-seeing blue eyes, her ears turning slightly red. She quickly slammed her cup down on the table.

"So I took him back to Dragon Castle and have kept him with me ever since!"

"That kid's audacity is simply outrageous!"

She recalled everything from back then, feeling both angry and helpless, and couldn't stop complaining.

"When any living being sees me, which one doesn't tremble in fear and kneel in awe? They're either so scared their legs go weak and they can't stand, or they desperately beg for mercy and try to please me."

"Only he dares to touch my dragon scales on the very first day he moved into my castle, showing absolutely no reverence or fear, living a life of unbridled arrogance and lawlessness!"

Wendina chuckled softly, her eyes gentle: "Sounds like a truly unique and interesting human being."

"Funny my foot! He's just a nuisance!" Ignis retorted sharply, but there was no real anger in her voice, only an undisguised familiarity and awkwardness.

"They ate my food, stayed in my house, drank my drinks—they got everything for free! And they kept chattering in my ear all day long, it was incredibly annoying!"

Wendina held her teacup, her blue eyes curving into two gentle crescents. Her tone was slow and deliberate, yet every word precisely pierced through her pretense.

"Really? But from what I've heard, he's lived with you for a long time."

She gently put down her teacup, placed her hands on her knees, tilted her head slightly to look at her sister's awkward face, and spoke in a gentle yet insightful tone, as if she could see through all her worries.

"Moreover, an ordinary human would have been burned to ashes long ago if they had touched your dragon scales. But he was not only unharmed, he could also play with them at will."

"You might even rush here right after you wake up, just to see him."

A gentle question that strikes right at the soul was slowly uttered.

"Ignis, have you fallen for this human brat?"

Ignis's voice stopped abruptly.

All the irritability, complaints, and arrogance on his face froze, his expression stiffening on the spot for a full two seconds.

The next second, she slammed her hand on the table, instantly bristling with fury, her body radiating fiery spiritual energy that stirred restlessly!

"Like him my ass! How could I possibly like that brat!"

She jumped up, her high ponytail whipping around in a furious arc, sparks flying from the ends.

"Back then, I just happened to be in the dragon race's hibernation period and needed to go into seclusion and slumber, so I couldn't be bothered with it!"

"Who knew I'd wake up one morning—"

Ignis slammed her hand on the table, and this time the cup jumped up, only to be caught by Wendina with lightning speed.

"That kid just ran away and disappeared!"

"There was a tattered, crooked note left on the castle table that said something like, 'The food is terrible, I'm going out to find something to eat!'"

"My mighty Fire Dragon Territory is overflowing with rare and exotic fruits and fiery spiritual foods. How could I possibly lack a single bite to eat? This bastard is just making excuses!"

As she spoke, she grew increasingly angry, and a fiery aura surged wildly around her, causing the temperature in the entire tea room to rise sharply. The tea on the table was heated to a point where it began to bubble slightly, with wisps of steam rising from it.

Wendina remained calm and composed, steadily holding her teacup, gently blowing away the foam, and slowly asking her question in a casual tone, as if she were chatting about everyday matters.

"How long did you sleep?"

The once aggressive Ignis froze instantly, her arrogance visibly diminished, and her voice became muffled, tinged with a hint of guilt.

"...Eight years."

"Eight years."

Wendina gently repeated the time, her tone gentle yet incredibly menacing.

"Do you think a human can live for eight years without eating or drinking?"